alf_read's reviews
113 reviews

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

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

3.75

It’s tough because the book’s content is so important and I’m glad that a book written by a trans person about trans people is being celebrated but I found the narrative structure so convoluted that it was to the detriment of the storytelling. The tone was also slightly off, it didn’t do a good enough job of riding the line between tragedy and comedy. 
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee

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

4.5

Mama this is high camp
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica

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

3.75

Read this as an ARC. While it’s maybe not as arresting as Tender Is The Flesh, it’s still a haunting cultist tale with sapphic representation and a peak of Batzerrica’s knack for the dystopian.
On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts by Thomas De Quincey

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challenging funny reflective fast-paced

3.25

This had the potential to be so much more interesting than some tired Victorian cynicism.
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A bloated sequel, The Well of Ascension has enough brilliance to keep Mistborn fans reading, if at the risk of meandering around the point.
The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue by Anonymous

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adventurous funny lighthearted sad 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? No

4.25

Cute Viking epic with voyaging and poetry. What’s not to love?
As kingfishers catch fire by Gerard Manley Hopkins

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slow-paced

2.0

I don’t claim to be a lover of poetry but this one was such generic Victorian romanticism fuckery.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring reflective 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

4.75

Really excited for the rest of the Cosmere! Solid fantasy book, found the ending a bit predictable but had a great time overall.
Mrs Rosie and the Priest by Giovanni Boccaccio

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

2.5

It’s difficult to judge a tiny extract from something so much more established. This was a bite of slapstick stock character melodrama and while I enjoy that, there’s no substance in such a thin cross-section of the original source.
Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-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? No

4.0

This book had the burden of being my read between two years so much of it is a blur to me. Having said that, I think this author has amazing potential for such a young age and spotlighted a new story in our community.