droo's reviews
392 reviews

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Couldn't get into this; the realities of CPS, orphanages, and the foster care system are dismal and this cutesy fictionalization just seemed... wrong. I can see where the author was going and their potentially good intent, yet after having read a few quotes from him, I simply do not think this was the way to shine a light on a very violent system.
The main character's awareness of this violence and willful ignorance to his complicity made me want to simply not witness his expected transformation. The child "welfare" system is full of overworked, underpaid, and desensitized social workers. The idea that one would not be burnt out after 17 years of adherence to the demands of the "extremely upper management" (what in the harry potter was that), and the worrying the lack of self-examination after closing 5 orphanages and trusting the system to take care of the impacted children, combined with the weird attempt at being a quirky fantasy story with real-life metaphors put this book out of the realm of simply having an unlikable main character.
I understand the metaphors, the symbolism of youth and trauma, and the truth in the main character--it is this understanding that makes this book unreadable. 
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

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emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

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challenging reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig

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

3.5

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

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dark emotional reflective sad 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

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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

4.0

Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe

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informative reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Babel by R.F. Kuang

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adventurous dark informative reflective sad tense 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

4.25