parkerwkelly1's reviews
167 reviews

Taking Turns: Stories from HIV/AIDS Care Unit 371 by MK Czerwiec

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

Bodies of Truth: Personal Narratives on Illness, Disability, and Medicine by Jacek L. Mostwin, Dinty W. Moore, Renée K. Nicholson, Erin Murphy

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emotional reflective fast-paced

4.25

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Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

Kinda repetitive, mostly her personal story with the mlm without a halfhearted attempt at deconstructing the system thrown on top. Should have cut content or made two books, but not bad overall
Rouge by Mona Awad

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

4.5

Mona girl r u good ? 
New Adult by Timothy Janovsky

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

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

3.25

I've read a few of these modern retellings of Greek myths/epics at this point and while this one was not bad, it definitely felt like one of the weaker ones of the genre to me. I appreciated the feminist perspectives in the retelling, but it felt very heavy-handed and like the morals were being told directly to the reader rather than incorporated into the story. Perspective bounces around EXTREMELY frequently and some feel much more meaningful than others, and the frequent perspective shifts do a disservice in my opinion as it leaves you with a much shallower appreciation for many of the players rather than a deeper appreciation for 2-3.

Despite the issues, it is still overall engaging and a quick read that does manage to add a bit of nuance to the overall story of Medusa. While it is maybe not the most earth-shattering or perspective changing take on the story, it does succeed at fleshing out the other side of the story. If you're a big fan of Greek mythology, I think this would be a great choice; for others, it's readable but not absolutely necessary. 
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Definitely good, creepy at parts, fun story, but probably my least favorite from Garcia Moreno out of the ones I've read. Still was worth the read, just don't think I'm gonna dwell on it very long 
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Decent smutty romance, the premise ended up feeling a bit tired by the end. The demon has a soul and acts basically like a human for most of it so the concept is only partially executed even. Characters were ok. Magic system was ok, not great 
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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

4.75

Really good overall. Heard some complaints that it is too pretentious but I thought it worked for the book. The one part that dragged a bit for me was the part taking place in the video game - a bit too long without enough character or plot development within for me. Really good exploration of these characters and their relationships 
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Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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

4.0