roryroams's reviews
40 reviews

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

4.0

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

inspiring lighthearted fast-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

4.5

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous medium-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

4.0

Spider-Ham Hollywood May-Ham! by Steve Foxe

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

A super fun, light-hearted read! Nice and breezy

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

3.5

If This Gets Out by Cale Dietrich, Sophie Gonzales

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Wow. I just finished this book, and wow.

I picked it up because someone told me that reading it would make me cry, and for a majority of this book I didn't believe them. For the first couple of chapters, I found Julie almost unbearable.

But then I got to like, 80% of the book, and I was crying. It completely took me by surprise, because I didn't even realize how much I cared about every single character in this book. A single line, a single moment even, had me bawling my eyes out and I couldn't believe it. And then I spent the entire last 20% of the book emotionally devasted, but in a fulfilling way.

You've Reached Sam is beautiful. The writing is beautiful, the story is beautiful, and Julie is beautifully human. Her grief is palpable. You can tell that this book wasn't written with the sole intention of making you sad, the emotion it garners in the reader is earned through the healing of the protagonist. This truly is a journey, and I found myself holding onto the last few pages.

Sinister War by Nick Spencer

adventurous medium-paced

4.0

Okay so, this is my first comic book, so I really don't have standards regarding the quality (compared to other spider-man comics at least) but I really enjoyed this! 

I've been fixated on spider-man villains lately, so reading a story that focuses so heavily on his villains was just stellar. The art was good, I could (pretty much) follow what was going on, and I found the dialogue to be engaging! 

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous fast-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

4.5

Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry

dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, and Transphobia