labueclarissa89's reviews
314 reviews

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

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5.0

I read it in two or three days. I really loved this book, it reminds me a lot of The Stepfordwives and deals with many of the same themes. While the ending isn't particularly rewarding I was too engrossed in this book to give it anything less than a 5.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

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5.0

I read this in three days! I couldn't stop reading it.
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

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5.0

This feminist thriller had me at the edge of my seat.
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

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5.0

Horror, K-pop, and sapphic love blend together in this aberrant yet unique thriller that is sure to satisfy fans of horror, Asian culture, and ya novels.
The Red Palace by June Hur

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5.0

The Red Palace is an exciting mix of mystery and historical fiction. During the Joseon period in 1758 nurse Hyeon sets out to investigate several brutal murders while trying to exonerate her mentor, nurse Jeongsu.

During her investigation Hyeon meets the young prodigy police inspector Eojin. together they embark on a dangerous and traitorous journey to uncover the truth about the murders.

Hyeon is a character I could easily empathize with. she's levelheaded, just, loyal, and determined. I found myself always rooting for her. Eojin was just as earnest and moral. The characters had such great chemistry, watching them fall in love while investigating brutal murders made for a compelling story. I found myself as invested in the two as a duo as I was in their separate stories.
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

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5.0

I was pleasantly surprised by this saga of a girl's search for her sister set against the backdrop of 16th century Korea during the Jungjong Rebellion.

The story starts at the end of King Yeonsans later violent rule. Within the first few chapters we are introduced to an array of diverse and unique characters. Our story follows Iseul, a girl trying to rescue her sister. Along the way she meets a prince, Daehyun, our other main character who wishes to put an end to the king's violence. They form an uneasy partnership and Iseul becomes embroiled in a rebellion while meeting a cast of interesting characters with varying personalities and motives for helping our young heroes.

Over the course of the story we see Iseul and Wonsik team up together to discover the person behind the murders of government officials. Iseul also forms an alliance with Daehyun as they work together to attempt a government coup. During this time we see Iseul and Daehyun grow and mature while finding mutual respect and appreciation for one another.

This story was deep, moving, violent, dark, dramatic and at times romantic and beautiful. This book confronts a very dark history in which even the good guys aren't quite as noble as they appear. What would be a bleak and depressing story by anyone else is somehow hopeful and optimistic by June Hur.
Honey: A Novel by Isabel Banta

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5.0

I enjoyed this book immensely and sped through it in a few days. While I felt there could have been more depth and detail about the performance and business aspects of the job I still loved this glimpse at the world of 90s pop icons. Underneath all of the glamour and celebrity I felt that this was a very human story with a character that I not only related to but empathized with.

Throughout much of this book I found myself reminiscing about my own late teens years and early to mid twenties while reading through Amber Young's journey. Her decisions, choices, and ways of thinking were really nuanced and accurate to the ages she was portrayed as being. Now that I'm 34 I can see when a decision is wrong but I know what it is to feel the heightened emotions and feelings she felt at such a young age and know I'd not have made any different choices in her position.

The development and growth of her friendship with Gwen, who was very real and multidimensional, was a big highlight of this story. Seeing such an enduring female friendship was really refreshing. Her relationship with Axel Holm was also very interesting. Getting to see her as an artist grow, improve and share ideas with another artist was something that I found fascinating as an artist myself. It's so important to have someone that you can be creative with in your life to push your ideas and work.

The inclusion of magazine interviews, lyrics and wikis really helped flesh out the world and story. they really made me feel more immersed.

While I would have liked a bit more detail on some aspects of her life and career I found this book to be a quick read that I couldn't get enough of.