ahmay's reviews
21 reviews

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

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

4.0

The Stranger by Albert Camus

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

I hate apathetic characters! However, as someone who has been through having to put a parent in a home because I could not take care of them, I get it. It’s hard. I also hated Sundays, but I tried my best. We all do.

I’m also agnostic, so the narrator’s non-belief resonated with me as well. Part Two was both hard to read and realistic. People are condemned whether they are God-fearing or not because we live in a God-fearing society. It is, I suppose, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And it is with great irony that the prosecutor brings the charges up to the death penalty at the very last moment with no remorse, which he had criticized the narrator for. What is this eye for an eye bullshit?


The best part of this book was the end because the narrator realizes that such inevitable endings are what give value to beginnings. The mental snap! Which even brought the chaplain to tears.
In the Not Quite Dark: Stories by Dana Johnson

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

I got to speak to Dana Johnson, and it was a lovely conversation. I wish we could’ve spoken for longer!

But surprisingly, my favorite story in this collection isn’t one of the more popular ones—the story it’s named after. “Because That’s Just Easier” this, “Because That’s Just Easier” that—I think “Now, In the Not Quite Dark” deserves some more love. Not to say the former is a great story too, but I guess I didn’t feel as strongly as others (and my prof) did about it.

“Now, In the Not Quite Dark”  captures what I adore about Los Angles, and more generally, other cities. There are such great communities built in cities and connections that are beyond conventional interaction. And I love it.

I will never feel like LA is my home, but I can appreciate that it is for so many others.
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad 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

4.0

The Lies We Told by Camilla Way

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

2.75

I didn’t care about any of these people.
White Nights (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition) by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad

2.0

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

How was I supposed to read this book in a timely manner when Nikolai was making me act up? Needless to say, Nikolai, you deserve every star in the sky. I love you.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

I wish to belong to someone too.

And I’d walk the length of Fjerda to Shu Han to be with Nikolai. (He’s not even in this book.)

Look, is this the best book ever? Certainly not. Did I still give it a 4 because I’m deeply attached to this world and its characters? Yes.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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

3.0

Interesting concept, however, the execution was lacking. I get that it’s supposed to be mysterious and weird but a lot of things are just told and not shown or explained—the irony being that I find a lot of details to be over explained.

It’s just the way it is.

Boring. At times, awkward. It feels like the narrator is trying to be deeper than they actually are.

The book is set in the 50s, but the dialogue isn’t very characteristic of this time period, ruining the immersion for me.

Now, I’m a sucker for romance, so Francis and Noemí was mostly the only thing that kept me turning the page.

Also lots of grossness, very much horror ! But as I said, the over-explaining annoys me to no end.

I don’t get how Great Uncle Howard had so much influence on everyone else? I suppose they were deeply infected by the spores and whatnot, but the portrayal of him as a godly figure is lacking. To me, he’s just some creepy old guy. And I get that I’m an “outsider,” so I can’t completely understand. But I’m sure there was a much better way of showing his power and control.


I’m sure I have more to say (and a better way of wording my review) because I cannot shut up for the life of me, but that’s all for now. :)
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