talknerdybookblog's reviews
2404 reviews

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Nonfiction topics: Systemic racism, de jure segregation, legacy of slavery in the US

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Racial slurs
• Police brutality
• Lynching
• White violence (e.g., white mobs attacking Black people moving into white suburbs) 
• Classism
• Racism

Ending:

Spoiler

SO informative - I love how the book ends with a Q&A where the author addresses critiques of his research and conclusions.

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Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

Representation: Argentinian main character, Argentinian supporting characters, Argentinian side characters, Argentinian lesbian side character

Mature Themes:

Spoiler

• Swearing
• Sexual content doesn't surpass making out

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Sexism
• Racism, including colourism
• Slut-shaming
• Child abuse
• Fatphobia
• Lesbophobia
• Toxic relationships
• Domestic abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Gender-based violence
• Femicide - including the disproportionate murder and r@pe of girls - discussed

Ending:

Spoiler

HFN, although I wish she had kicked Diego to the curb.

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The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-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? Yes

4.5

Representation: wlw supporting character, bisexual supporting character, gay supporting characters, Achillean side relationship

Safety Rating: Safe

Spoiler

• No cheating
• Does have OW drama
- Heroine

Spoiler

rushes to the Hero's bedside in the hospital only to find his ex-fiancé there. And she convinces herself that he might want another chance with the OW. The Heroine doesn't reach out to the Hero until three months later, once she's finished the book.

• No OM drama
• No pushing away
• Does have a three-month separation (both celibate)

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Death of the protagonist's father
• Grief (see above and also the Hero grieving the fact that he's a ghost)
• Medical trauma
• Depression (recounted)
• Toxic relationship, including emotional abuse (recounted between the protagonist and her ex-boyfriend)
• Death of the Hero's parents recounted
• Bullying recounted
• Childhood trauma recounted when the protagonist remembers catching the killer of a boy in her class

Ending:

Spoiler

HFN

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Xingu by Edith Wharton

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Mature Themes: None

Spoiler

• No sexual content
• No swearing

Possible Triggers: No

Spoiler

• No abuse
• No OTT sad parts

Ending:

Spoiler

Funny as the cast realizes how ridiculous their lie made them out to be to the guest speaker.

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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Representation: Nigerian main character, Nigerian supporting characters, Nigerian side characters

Mature Themes:

Spoiler

• Sex alluded to 
• Swearing
• Alcohol consumption

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Colonization
• Suicide
• Gender-based violence / domestic abuse
• Murder
• Child abuse
• Violence
• Attempted murder
• Racism
• Sexism
• Adult/minor relationships
• Abortion
• Miscarriage recounted
• Stillborn birth recounted
• Child death, including abandoning newborns to the natural elements described

Ending:

Spoiler

The protagonist commits suicide after killing one of the colonizers.

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The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Representation: Biracial supporting character, bisexual side character, wlw side charcter

Mature Themes:

Spoiler

• Sexual content doesn't surpass kissing
• Swearing

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Attempted murder
• Gun violence
• Toxic familial relationships
• Classism
• Death of protagonist's mom recounted
• Parental abandonment
• Domestic violence
• Infidelity (a la Katherine Pierce)
• Death of Grayson's and Jameson's girlfriend recounted
• PTSD from death above
• Grief

Ending:

Spoiler

HFN with mild cliffhanger

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In a Jam by Kate Canterbary

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

Representation: Black side character

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

Spoiler

• No cheating
• Does have OW drama
- Single mom relentlessly pursues Hero. He's not interested.
• Does have OM drama
- Heroine's ex-fiance pops back to cause drama (he doesn't want her back tho)
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• No separation

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Incarceration of Hero's sister/his niece's mom 
• Toxic parental relationship
• Abandonment recounted
• Discussion of Heroine getting an abortion at 18
• Using alcohol to cope with a traumatic event
• Grief - death of Heroine's grandmother 
• Fatphobia

Ending:

Spoiler

HEA

 

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Penance by Eliza Clark

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Representation: Bisexual main character, Lesbian main character, Indian-British side character

Mature Themes:

Spoiler

• Swearing
• Sex 
• Underage drinking
• Drug abuse (mostly weed)

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Ableist slurs
• Homophobia
• Lesbophobia 
• Racism
• Detailed description of Joni, the murder victim's, last few moments after she's been burnt alive
• Allusion to torture
• Abduction
• Sexual assault
• Molestation of at least one of the main characters (the other denies, but it's left up to the reader's interpretation)
• Bullying
• Romanticization of serial killers/mass murderers on Tumblr and posts from those 'fandoms'
• Description of school shooting
• Discussion of necrophilia
• Captive-Torture fantasies played on Sims by a main character
• Suicide of the journalist "writing" this book's daughter and one of the perpetrator's father 
• Reference to alcoholism
• Classism
• Death of schoolmate from drowning

Ending:

Spoiler

The "author" - journalist Alec - gets put on the hot seat in the last chapter, causing the reader to second guess what is fact and fiction in the book that we just read. I thought it did a good job of pointing out the ethical dilemmas in the sensationalization of true crime and how "truth" has become increasingly debatable for some.

 

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Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Representation: West African-coded main character, West African-coded asexual supporting character, Indian-coded supporting character, East Asian-coded supporting character, West African-coded side characters

Mature Themes:

Spoiler

• Sex alluded to 
• Alcohol consumption

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Toxic parental relationships
• Murder
• Attempted murder
• Knife violence
• Blood
• Enslavement
• Genocide
• Imperialism
• Sexism

Ending:

Spoiler

HFN, but there's also a cliffhanger since Tarisai has a two-year limit to find a solution to the Underworld threat.

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What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Representation: Bisexual main character with severe facial scarring, Asian-American supporting character with mental illness, Asian-American side character

Mature Themes:

Spoiler

• Sex (non-descriptive)
• Swearing

Possible Triggers: Yes

Spoiler

• Attempted murder of protagonist recounted when she was a child
• Knife violence recounted
• Gun violence
• Discussion of past attempted suicide of supporting character
• Death/murder of supporting character
• Molestation of protagonist when she was a child by her best friend's brother (flashback)
• Coercive sex (recounted)
• Attempted murder
• Threat of gun violence
• Classism
• Blackmailing (discussed)

Ending:

Spoiler

HFN in that the protagonist gets closure over the past (and what happened) and she reconnects with her dad. But there's <i>a lot</i> of baggage to unpack concerning her friends.