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catalyst226's reviews
188 reviews
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Found my mind drifting too much while listening.
The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
A fun contemporary romance with a fake engagement trope. I liked all the characters and the overarching plot was engaging. Would have loved this more if the main couple communicated a bit better because there was one too many times Cherry decided she didn't want anything to do with Ruben.
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Premise sounded interesting. Narrator was solid. Took far too long to get through the first chapter so it's just not for me right now.
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I needed a romance break and this more than satisfied. The story had a fun overarching narrative with the game within Phantasma and a decent twist at the end. Blackwell was a fun love interest. Genevieve and Ophelia's sister relationship was pretty realistic.
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A dystopian novel that takes place after a man-made smog covers the earth and crops die with the lack of sunlight. Our main character gains employment as a chef in the Land of Milk and Honey above the smog in the Italian mountains. The characters are specifically unlikeable and flawed but I enjoyed them nonetheless - with the exception of the employer. I quite enjoyed the author's writing style and careful attention to descriptions of food, textures, etc.
Salt Slow by Julia Armfield
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
A collection of eerie stories from the author of "Our Wives Under the Sea" which I read last year. Perfect October reading if you, like me, like light horror.
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The audiobook, narrated by the author, is read like spoken word or gospel and evokes every intended emotion written. The descriptions and tangents are well blended with the referential information about Cleveland and Ohio's basketball scene. Despite my unfamiliarity of that portion of the subject matter, it goes well beyond that.
The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
This felt like Howl's Moving Castle with African-based magical realism and a heaping dose of commentary of class inequality and disability awareness. I was stoked to see that the author acknowledged the Howl's Moving Castle inspiration so no wonder I loved this story!
I highly recommend reading this and plan on checking out more of this author's work.
I highly recommend reading this and plan on checking out more of this author's work.
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.25
I want to start off by saying I really really enjoyed this book but I am but a humble critic and gotta let people know my thoughts. (The whole point of a review...)
It took about 75-100 pages to get fully invested in the plot and then I plowed through the rest of the story. By the end, it definitely felt like the lead up to a second novel - not quite a cliffhanger but definitely set up quite a bit of continuing plot.
This would've been a 5 star read but when you have a story that has prophecies as a plot device, it really forecasts the remainder of the story pretty loudly. It still had some solid twists but I felt like the pacing could have been a bit tighter towards the end. All-in-all, I'm excited for a sequel and would like to see the last two prophecies play out (Rayan/Lettle and Afa)
It took about 75-100 pages to get fully invested in the plot and then I plowed through the rest of the story. By the end, it definitely felt like the lead up to a second novel - not quite a cliffhanger but definitely set up quite a bit of continuing plot.
This would've been a 5 star read but when you have a story that has prophecies as a plot device, it really forecasts the remainder of the story pretty loudly. It still had some solid twists but I felt like the pacing could have been a bit tighter towards the end. All-in-all, I'm excited for a sequel and
Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
First read leading into Spooky Season 2024. This was a ghost/waking dream horror narrated by Pedro Pascal. I used to listen to horror podcasts very similar in premise to the radio program in this book so I really enjoyed the caller stories. Overall, the plot was a bit difficult to follow because the uncertainty of the main character's reality left me also trying to determine if what was happening was real or not.