roaming_reader's reviews
101 reviews

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

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

4.0

 Violent and a little more graphic than I expected. I think I could've done without the generational aspect and the ending felt anti-climactic, but I enjoyed it 
Neverseen by Shannon Messenger

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

4.25

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I listened to the audio of this book and Michelle Williams does a fantastic job at narration. This book is incredibly sad and reflective, and offers hope that Britney Spears is finally free to live her own life. No one was explicitly "bad mouthed" in this book. Their actions did that for them. You really got a sense of Britney's inner child and got a sense of who she truly is, not just the shiny sparkly person we grew up with. 
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Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I'm not usually one that can sit through a slow-paced book, and the first 100 pages or so are very slow. But they give important context, and hook the reader enough that you want to keep going and you wan to see where the story will go. "Hula" is a multi-generational story, focusing on mother and daughter relationships and the importance and sometimes fluidity of identity. I admit that I am not well versed on Hawaiian history or culture, and I learned a lot from this book. The author decided against including a glossary of the many Hawaiian words and phrases used in the writing and I support the decision for that. She wrote that she didn't want to other the story by using a glossary, italics, or footnotes. The author also noted that she is not native Hawaiian, although she was born there and comes from a family who has been there since the 1800s. And this is reflected in the characters of the novel, especially Hi'i. The book was thoroughly researched and the story was drawn from both that research and the author's childhood and life in Hawai'i.

"Hula" is written in a really interesting way - a mix of second and third-person writing. We hear the inner monologue of the characters, but we are also told the story through the collective voice of Hilo itself. It took a minute to get used to this, but I thought that it was such a beautiful and interesting way to present the story. Hilo itself was also a character, so it needed a voice.

The only reason I did not rate this book 5 stars is because of the pacing. It starts out very slow and eventually picks up, but it was definitely challenging to get to the meat of the story. But, I will recommend it to anyone. It's beautiful. 
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Everblaze by Shannon Messenger

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

4.25

I think that this middle-grade series, this book in particular, is a great way to teach kids about mental health, depression, and the impact it can have on our day-to-day. It also emphasizes the importance of asking questions, especially when something is going on that we feel is wrong. The book is fast-paced, but you never feel like you're flying through it too quickly. The cast of characters is excellent, and it is nice to see characters with lots of powers/abilities struggle a little and have a strong need to learn, especially in fantasy. 
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Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

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

5.0

It has taken me years to finally get past the first chapter of this book, and honestly the answer to "how do I stay entertained by classic literature?" is listening to it on audio. The version I read is available on Spotify and narrated by Erin Bateman. 

This is a story I love, and I think having seen two film versions helped me follow the story, because I could visualize what was happening. My listening was choppy because I would turn it on while I walked or commuted places, but it was never difficult to pick back up.

This is a great family story. No notes. A classic for a reason. 
On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane

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

3.75

This book is very delightfully weird. It’s a slice of life, when that life involves aliens coming to Earth. I enjoyed the multiple POVs. It is definitely slow to start, but it’s a character-driven book. 
Exile by Shannon Messenger

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

4.0

“Exile” is the second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. It’s a great follow-up to the first book and there are many parts that are a lot stronger. We dive a lot deeper into the elven world and a lot deeper into how actions and emotions can greatly impact the mind. I do wish we got to spend more time at the school - while the first book covered a time span of over half a year, this book barely covers 4 or 5 weeks at most. But, it’s a great sequel and I’m excited for the next one.
Long Division by Kiese Laymon

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challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

This was the first book by Kiese Laymon that I have read. His writing style is fluid and even though I felt lost with the story half the time, I didn't want to put the book down. The most unique part about this book is by far and away the structure. Long Division is essentially two books in one. Once one finishes, you flip the book over and start Book Two. I will probably have more thoughts as I continue to process. 
The Free People's Village by Sim Kern

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

4.5

I first heard about this book on TikTok and Instagram from the author themselves and I wanted to pick it up. I am a big fan of Sim Kerns's social media posts and wanted to see if I would be a fan of their writing as well. Turns out I definitely am. This novel is set in an alternate USA timeline, during which Al Gore won the 2000 election and instead of a War on Terror, we were set on the War on Climate Change. It's something that sounds like a utopia, when in actuality, there are so many systemic issues that are masked by "saving the planet". Maddie as a main character was a great one to lead readers through, because her self discovery and learning journey felt reflective of what many people went through in 2020 during the BLM protests after the murders of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor. I did think that the commentary on systemic racism was a bit surface level. I saw another review that called it "entry level" for white people, and I have to agree with it. I enjoyed the discussions on transness and gender identity in the book and thought that the cast of characters was extremely diverse. They were fleshed-out so much that I would love a novel from each person's perspective. This book is enjoyable and really makes you think. 
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