baponthecob's reviews
68 reviews

Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

this book had a lot of promise, but the author did not deliver. it's their first adult novel and you can tell. the writing was SO repetitive. i think 100 pages could have been cut just from repetition alone.
the plot twist reveal was not bad. i also usually dont like 1st person pov, but i think it works here due to sigourney's ability to "sink in" to a person's mind. bc of this, we get some parts that read like 3rd person, which is really interesting. however, this doesn't make up for the writing style itself.
parts of the plot are still not explained by the end or dont make sense no matter what. for example,

sigourney suspected niklasson of being the one tricking them, despite reading his thoughts and knowing that he loved the king and was deeply hurt and confused by the king's change in behavior

and that's just ONE plot point. there are many more.
maybe the editor was the friends we made along the way!

Content Warnings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

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reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis

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informative

4.75

there are many repeated topics due to the nature of the book, especially with the interviews. i would have liked more in-depth answers for those too. overall, it is a great introduction to learning about intersectionality.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

3.5

loved the plot, but the way it was written didnt flow; it felt like i was being jerked around. the writing itself was also repetitive and circular at times. there were some things that werent properly explained. the romance was okay except for the setup; the way they met and kindled their friendship was so random and they trusted each other too quickly to be believable imo.
other than that, i also loved the themes and symbolism represented and am optimistic about book 2.

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