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deafchipmunk's reviews
234 reviews
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Putting a rating to this book would feel wrong. And any review I could possibly write would not do this book justice. But wow.
Blue Flag, Vol. 8 by Kaito
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
2.0
Yk that sound that’s trending on Tiktok rn and it’s that girl saying Oh! like 4 times (I think her name is Sabrina Brier)? Yeah that was literally me when I read the last 2 chapters
FUCKKKKKK I’M SO DISAPPOINTED!! I loved pretty much everything this series had to offer, and we just got hit with the worst time-skip imaginable. Masumi-chan and Futaba?? We just got left hanging? AND TAICHI AND TOMA? Yes I’m glad their together but it was executed IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE. It felt like a stab in the back.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m really sad that we became so emotionally invested with these characters in the past 8 volumes, just for there to be a time skip with Taichi narrating, saying all these things that supposedly happened 5 years after they graduated. Show, don’t tell?? That’s just a nonexistent concept in these last chapters I guess?? I didn’t feel any joy seeing Taichi or Toma together, when I absolutely adored them beforehand. UGH IT’S SO FRUSTRATING!! And what about Mami and her group? They got the luxurious ending of one small panel for each of them after the time skip… again, so much emotion build up gone to waste!
My praise for Blue Flag was over the roof for the whole time while reading this. I think there are some extremely important messages shared within this series, like figuring out what your values are and what other’s values are without invalidating those you don’t agree with. And I still stand by that. But my love for this series has now been mixed with confusion and disappointment. The journey was great, but destination not so much. I firmly believe there should’ve been another volume, possibly two to round it out. That way, the ending would feel a lot less rushed and cohesive. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that, pretty surface level shit
And just to keep myself from falling into a pit of dread, I’m going to extract the characters from before they graduated from after they graduated. It feels nearly unreal they are literally the same people.
Ending line: kill me 🥲🥲🥲
FUCKKKKKK I’M SO DISAPPOINTED!! I loved pretty much everything this series had to offer, and we just got hit with the worst time-skip imaginable. Masumi-chan and Futaba?? We just got left hanging? AND TAICHI AND TOMA? Yes I’m glad their together but it was executed IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE. It felt like a stab in the back.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m really sad that we became so emotionally invested with these characters in the past 8 volumes, just for there to be a time skip with Taichi narrating, saying all these things that supposedly happened 5 years after they graduated. Show, don’t tell?? That’s just a nonexistent concept in these last chapters I guess?? I didn’t feel any joy seeing Taichi or Toma together, when I absolutely adored them beforehand. UGH IT’S SO FRUSTRATING!! And what about Mami and her group? They got the luxurious ending of one small panel for each of them after the time skip… again, so much emotion build up gone to waste!
My praise for Blue Flag was over the roof for the whole time while reading this. I think there are some extremely important messages shared within this series, like figuring out what your values are and what other’s values are without invalidating those you don’t agree with. And I still stand by that. But my love for this series has now been mixed with confusion and disappointment. The journey was great, but destination not so much. I firmly believe there should’ve been another volume, possibly two to round it out. That way, the ending would feel a lot less rushed and cohesive. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that, pretty surface level shit
And just to keep myself from falling into a pit of dread, I’m going to extract the characters from before they graduated from after they graduated. It feels nearly unreal they are literally the same people.
Ending line: kill me 🥲🥲🥲
Blue Flag, Vol. 7 by Kaito
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.75
This was great! But I did feel really overwhelmed with all these character’s opinions, beliefs and morals being discussed all in one volume. It was hard to keep track. It was fun to think on what those character had to say further, but nevertheless it was too much to process. Also I’m wondering how the series will all wrap up in the literal next volume… still enjoyed though :))
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Such a great read that sheds light on different types of racism, and that not all racism is just the stereotypical "I hate [insert race here] people". Though I definitely don't regret reading this in any way, I feel as if I wasn't the target audience for this book hence the 4 stars. Nevertheless, I still gained something from it and enjoyed my time with it.
Blue Flag, Vol. 6 by Kaito
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.5
That ending. And I don't have the 7th volume with me. That means I have to <i>wait</i>. <i>WAIT</i>. I DON'T THINK I'LL BE ABLE TO HOLD OUT OH MY LORD-
Nah this shit got me kicking my feet and giggling one moment and the next I'm contemplating life. This series does something to me I swear
Nah this shit got me kicking my feet and giggling one moment and the next I'm contemplating life. This series does something to me I swear
Blue Flag, Vol. 5 by Kaito
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Woah. This was so impactful and completely change my view on a topic I'd never really put much thought into. Mami was an unexpected character to get a spotlight, but I adored every second of it. I find it funny that I wasn't exactly fond of her at the beginning, but ended up loving her towards the end. I think this is the stage in the Blue Flag series where it starts getting darker and I'm all here for it. I was pleasantly surprised at what this volume had to offer. Can't wait to start the 6th one 🫶🫶🫶
Far out can we also talk about that cover? The sunset? It's absolutely gorgeous!! Kaito's extremely talented in both his story-telling and art!!
Far out can we also talk about that cover? The sunset? It's absolutely gorgeous!! Kaito's extremely talented in both his story-telling and art!!
The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I'm 99% sure I'm rereading this at some point in the near future because I genuinely have no clue what happened for the majority of the book. I was just so disengaged and out of it. This was either because of a) the writing just wasn't captivating enough and what was happening was boring & mundane, or b) annotating took me out of the book, which happens to me every now and again when I annotate. Very confused on that. Also, the writing wasn't bad per se, but it had no unique charm to it. Bland is the best way to put it. It could've been any other author's writing and I wouldn't be able to tell. Just felt the need to point that out since I tend to enjoy and rate books higher if the writing is either amazing or unique.
Moving on, other than the middle 250 pages of the book, it wasn't all that bad. I was curious in the beginning with questions being brought to the surface and sub-plots being introduced. My curiosity soon vanished into thin air for a good chunk of the plot, but you already knew that. I'd say the last 80 pages is where it caught my interest again. More was happening, questions were being answered and sub-plots were being wrapped up. It was done smoothly and well. Although I predicted everything, it didn't hinder my enjoyment, and I was generally satisfied.
So I'm a bit torn. I did like this in many aspects but I also didn't like this in many aspects. I'll give it another chance and reread sometime next year to see if it was just my personal experience with it or if the story is just bad.
I would however recommend this to anyone who prefers YA/middle grade books and is interested in the French resistance during WWII. I think it was so intriguing reading about such an important and critical historical topic, even if it was just basic knowledge of it.
Moving on, other than the middle 250 pages of the book, it wasn't all that bad. I was curious in the beginning with questions being brought to the surface and sub-plots being introduced. My curiosity soon vanished into thin air for a good chunk of the plot, but you already knew that. I'd say the last 80 pages is where it caught my interest again. More was happening, questions were being answered and sub-plots were being wrapped up. It was done smoothly and well. Although I predicted everything, it didn't hinder my enjoyment, and I was generally satisfied.
So I'm a bit torn. I did like this in many aspects but I also didn't like this in many aspects. I'll give it another chance and reread sometime next year to see if it was just my personal experience with it or if the story is just bad.
I would however recommend this to anyone who prefers YA/middle grade books and is interested in the French resistance during WWII. I think it was so intriguing reading about such an important and critical historical topic, even if it was just basic knowledge of it.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Oh my god I finished this in 5 hours in 2 literal sittings? I have never read a book this quickly??
Wow, this has gotta be the most in captivating and gripping book I’ve read all year. Following Millie in this bizarre yet strange house with people who are not what they seem was so fun and interesting. I definitely want to continue reading about Millie in the next book.
The ending was great and the plot twists did get my jaw dropping though I did figure them all out, even if it did take me some time. I guess the best way to explain the multiple plot twists is that they weren’t extremely hard to guess but it was still very satisfying seeing them actually play out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and although it’s not 5 stars (that’s really just because I can’t bring myself to rate mysteries/thrillers 5 stars, sorry), I would still recommend this to anyone and everyone. Will literally glue your eyes onto the pages until the end with such an intriguing premise that is executed amazingly.
Wow, this has gotta be the most in captivating and gripping book I’ve read all year. Following Millie in this bizarre yet strange house with people who are not what they seem was so fun and interesting. I definitely want to continue reading about Millie in the next book.
The ending was great and the plot twists did get my jaw dropping though I did figure them all out, even if it did take me some time. I guess the best way to explain the multiple plot twists is that they weren’t extremely hard to guess but it was still very satisfying seeing them actually play out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and although it’s not 5 stars (that’s really just because I can’t bring myself to rate mysteries/thrillers 5 stars, sorry), I would still recommend this to anyone and everyone. Will literally glue your eyes onto the pages until the end with such an intriguing premise that is executed amazingly.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.25
While reading this you can really tell (or I did anyway) that Patrick Ness's writing and story-telling was really high quality, which was by far the best thing it had going for it and the definitive highlight of the book as a whole. The Knife of Never Letting Go kept me on my toes constantly, had very high stakes and was so unpredictable that I couldn't even predict one thing that ended up occurring, even with the subtle foreshadowing hinting at those inevitable events. To add onto that, the depth of the characters and world was so well done and such a stand out. In the beginning, Todd and Viola felt like complete strangers in a world which was completely new and unrecognisable. In the end, Todd and Viola felt like characters I knew to their cores in a world which I understood and had piles of knowledge on. Patrick Ness's ability to do this with complete coherence and have so many other things going on alongside this blew me away. I'm now attached to these characters and world (even if it's a horrific world) profusely and am eager to continue indulging myself in the next two books.
Now yes I'm supposing you're wondering why not a five star. The reason is solely because I wasn't 100% engaged with the book and had other things going through my mind which tempered my enjoyability. This was in no way this book's fault and just my own personal mind not being able to focus on what I was reading for 10 minutes straight, but nevertheless I'm not going to give a book five stars if I thought the book in it of itself was great but my personal experience with it wasn't great. It was good! Not great. AND THAT'S MY FAULT SO TO ANY OTHER PERSON I WOULD HIGHLY SUGGEST TRYING THIS OUT!!!
Now yes I'm supposing you're wondering why not a five star. The reason is solely because I wasn't 100% engaged with the book and had other things going through my mind which tempered my enjoyability. This was in no way this book's fault and just my own personal mind not being able to focus on what I was reading for 10 minutes straight, but nevertheless I'm not going to give a book five stars if I thought the book in it of itself was great but my personal experience with it wasn't great. It was good! Not great. AND THAT'S MY FAULT SO TO ANY OTHER PERSON I WOULD HIGHLY SUGGEST TRYING THIS OUT!!!
100% Match by Patrick C. Harrison III
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am deeply traumatised?? This was so out of pocket there is no way it's getting a rating above 4 stars. But fuck I did not expect that ending at all and my jaw just kept dropping. Bart was a very excruciating narrator and protagonist to follow and I enjoyed every part of it frankly. Definitely a good read if you're wanting to be shocked & spooked out a little. Or perhaps not spooked, and instead humoured. Some of the things he did leaned more towards the humorous side. Still really disgusting though.