coolfoolmoon's reviews
313 reviews

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

3.75

Take a shot every time you see "Not really." So, about 5 shots.

Very good. Read it in two sittings, same day. Wasn't too creepy or scary, I was just as curious as the mc. Maybe men CAN be good writers... we shall see with the sequels!
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The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara

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adventurous challenging informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

If I had a nickel for every time I read an amazing book by a Black female author named Toni...

At first I didn't get it... but like... I got it, you know? Like I get it but I don't. But I get it. And, for me personally, that's some of the best writing humanity has to offer.

Unrelated to the book, kinda, I think it's funny how the conversations the revolutionaries were having in the late 70s, almost 50 years ago, are the same conversations we're having now. Not funny haha, funny sad.
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Before We Were Strangers by Brenda Novak

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mysterious reflective 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

1.5

Small town woes. The writing is just okay. I really disliked the characters.
I liked the twist because of the fact that there wasn't a twist. Like, if the dad wasn't the killer then that would've sucked.
Everyone in this town was bad but maybe the book could've been better if all the characters were truly awful. MC (I don't care to look for her name) was an angel who could do no wrong and forgive all and everyone else around her, except her man, were all flawed. Boo!!!

Hardest thing of all this was to get me to believe the mayor/dad WASN'T racist. Killing his wife and family for money was fine but racism was where he drew the line? He's from a small town in Texas but he thought between murder and saying slurs murder was more acceptable??? Don't get me wrong I'm not endorsing either one but let's be so fuckin forreal right now!!!
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Room by Emma Donoghue

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

4.5

SICK AND TWISTED !!!!! Almost a perfect book!
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The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

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

4.75

I love Romy. That's literally my baby girl child.

This is my second time reading so I knew what was gonna happen but it's been years. But the twists! The turns! I still have whiplash!!! 

And to all the baby girls out there, this should be required reading! Master manipulators / groomers use the same tactics J used in this book! Every girl is special and wonderful and need to trust their instincts! Romy doubted herself because she's a girl, because she thought she was a foolish child; but I need every baby girl to know that you are wiser than you realize! You can doubt the world but don't doubt yourself!!!


Such amazing thrilling writing. I opened the book at 3 pm and finished it by 11 pm! Then I went and added several of James' books to my TBR as soon as I finished this. Lauren James you will always be famous!!!
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Black Lives Matter LOUD & QUEER Zine by Marisa Wohlschlaeger

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emotional reflective fast-paced

1.75

Great photos / images. Some nice drawings. One poem had one line I thought was beautiful, other than that the poems were just okay.

That play though? One of the worst things I've ever read. No substance. No plot. Barely qualifies as a slice of life piece. Maybe I would've given the zine as a whole 2 stars if not for that play. It was so bad. F- !!! See me after class!!!
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What We Found in Hallelujah by Vanessa Miller

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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

2.75

Could've been 150 pages shorter if you cut out the amount of times characters repeat themselves or each other. Obviously written by someone who's Gen X in the way that the dialogue is kinda cringe but the way that movies trying to make a quick buck are. (That's a bad explanation, I really can't capture what I mean but the writing's not good. People are randomly dramatic for the "sake" of tension and these situations wouldn't make sense in person. And I know what you're thinking: "This is a book, not real life!" Fair. But I trusted you to suspend my disbelief and you failed! I'm back to thinking of reality!)

Not a complaint for the author but for the illustrator of the cover: Hope is supposed to be dark skinned. Like, based on the story she is uncomfortably dark for this Southern town. And yet there are no darkskins on the cover. All them ladies are medium brown tones. It's a beautiful cover absolutely, but I was lied to!
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Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

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emotional fast-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

2.75

I bought this because I thought it was a poetry book. I was wrong. Anyway.

I really related to / understood the emotions of the character so it got some extra points. Other than that it's just okay.
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A Psalm for Us by Reyna Biddy

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
This is so boring :/ Straight people just have crystal clear minds with absolutely no substance. Good for them I guess but I can barely hold a conversation with this kind of person. There's just NOTHING there, no weight or meat or flavor. I'm glad you're finding your way but I was waiting for a good poem and couldn't find one. I skimmed the other sections and nothing. Not wasting the rest of my time.

If you like this book, you'll love r.h Sin.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

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adventurous dark hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Something must've been in the book publishing water in the 2010s because this is the second book I've read dealing with the multiverse. Now there's so many multiverse movies! Or maybe this is nothing because I don't have enough evidence but still !!!

At first I thought this was just like that episode of Rick and Morty, then I realized it was like a different episode of Rick and Morty, kinda, then I realized none of these other medias will ever be EEAAO. So.

Negative points for being written by a man. When he said "Spanish eyes" I went oh lord here we go but also the action scenes made me think aww boys having fun playing with their toys so he kinda got the points back there. I really liked the ending.
I like when things can't go back to how they were. Even though, after we learn there's multiple other Jasons, that means there are universes with no Jasons at all and he could've just went to one of those... But also loving your wife so much you'd kill multiverse versions of yourself? That's so real. This one's for the yearners.


Last note, nothing to do with the book, it must be really acclaimed because when I placed the audiobook hold I started off in 57th place. Had it on hold almost 3 months.
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