brookegabor's reviews
241 reviews

Outlawed by Anna North

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

interesting concept and i was super excited to read, but left me wanting way more?? i feel like we barely explored the side character’s backgrounds and the end was incredibly anticlimactic. still an enjoyable book and one i’d probably recommend to the right person but not a new favorite by any means.
Curses & Prayers by Philip Runia

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dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

Boulder by Eva Baltasar

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dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this might be the most beautiful prose i’ve read in my life tbh
Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

i don’t think i have ever had more questions in my life after finishing a book LMAOO i really enjoyed it tho 
No. 91/92: A Diary of a Year on the Bus by Lauren Elkin

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reflective fast-paced

3.5

interesting and introspective! my favorite entries were the ones that basically expressed the sentiment of “we live in a society why don’t you people act like it” lol. 

We pass people on the street every day and we may not meet them for years, if ever. But we might one day—you just never know. And this must be at least one of the most potent meanings of community: potentiality.
We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

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emotional reflective 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

5.0

every time i read an emily austin book it is my new favorite book!! 
Mythic Blues by June Bates

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adventurous hopeful reflective fast-paced

3.75

okay this is definitely the strongest work so far. i still have the same issues i talked about in my previous reviews, but it’s clear she’s becoming a stronger and more confident poet with every collection. i absolutely loved the section with her take on persephone and hades! 
The Lavender Haze by June Bates

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hopeful reflective fast-paced

2.5

stronger than she is the poem but still not my favorite. it covered the same concepts, except these poems expanded on the ideas a little further, and now they included rhymes. incredible. 

my favorite poems were the ones that talk about her relationship with her parents, and the ones about being queer and writing about it despite the state of the world lol. 

one last thought is it was almost distracting the way the poems would switch between being all lowercase and  using capital letters haha it just kept going back and forth between the two!!! i’d love to know the thought process there because it seemed odd to me.
she is the poem by June Bates

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reflective fast-paced

2.0

this was fine! a little repetitive and surface-level for my taste. my favorite poems were all within the last 10 pages, and i already own her two poetry collections following this one, so i’ll give them a chance! 
Open Throat by Henry Hoke

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i’ve been reading a lot the last couple days to avoid doomscrolling myself into a depression during the la wildfires and was very shocked that this random book about a mountain lion i picked up off my shelf was so topical this week  :,) anyways, loved this. the perspective, the prose, the story, so inventive. this could easily be a 5 star on a reread, but currently just left wanting more.