leoimj's reviews
22 reviews

Dead Girls by Selva Almada

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

the author has wonderful insights into the murderers she is writing about and supplements the stories with personal antidotes and her experiences from writing. you get a real understanding of the experiences of these women and how prevalent violence against women and feminicide is. This could have very easily been exploitive but it doesn't read that way, the other is reflective and well informed. the story isn't just about the victims but also herself and her own life growing up affected by the constant stories of dead girls. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Murder

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

immediately fell in love with the characters, i know Vimes is a discworld fan favourite and i can see why :)

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

if this is your introduction to discworld i'm begging try a later book as well!!
it's very fun, the characters are super enjoyable (rincewind love you) but it's also difficult to follow. I know it's meant to be a satire of fantasy tropes but since i didn't grow up with content from the era it's satirising i'm mostly lost. didn't stop me from enjoying it and the world building tidbits are lots of fun of course
if could explain what happened when they were on a plane for a couple pages that would be grand
regardless i can't hate it for being confusing but it's so fun and charming

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I do agree with other reviews that this book starts strong and loses itself slightly. but the ending feeling slightly rushed doesn't ruin the book for me. It's such a interesting read, the way time travel is built into the world makes the book. The author clearly had strong ideas about how time travel would change society and it keeps the sci-fi feel without being too out there. The story remains grounded for the most part (i don't love the genies, especially the books) and really focuses on how time travel might affect individuals. One thing is: the murder mystery feels misplaced? It almost doesn't need to be there because the world around the concave is interesting enough without the murder plot. Id have honestly read a book with more stories like Fays or Gingers that show the consequences being able to travel through time would have for mental health and interpersonal relationships.

Bad Magic by Derek Landy

adventurous funny fast-paced

4.0

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i will be thinking about this for the rest of my life

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

probably my favourite book i've read in a while and a definite reread. its a unique take on modern mythology, bold and funny. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest and Sexual content

Moderate: Stalking

Minor: Rape and War

Armageddon Outta Here by Derek Landy

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

some very good stories, some drag a bit but most are entertaining enough. Get thee behind me, Bubba Moon was my absolute favourite. could have been a book/movie in its own right but is a treat as a short story too

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

book is super cute, very dnd fantasy but has its own cute world building