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ellornaslibrary's reviews
516 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Just as beautiful on re-reading as the first time. Nghi Vo writes with such captivating skill that is brought to life even more by Cindy Kay. This first book made me a fan, and has led to my love of The Singing Hills Cycle. The method chosen for these books - of having a story being told by and to the cleric Chi who is akin to a storyteller or bard - is not like any others I've read. Each story told is captivating yet Chi themselves, as well as Almost Brilliant, are such well-developed characters even in this first installment which is still one of my top favorite reads. My other favorite element is that the story in this book isn't about who one would expect it to be. I will always recommend these books to people like nonstop.
Graphic: Misogyny, Xenophobia, Grief, War, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death and Slavery
- 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
4.0
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Grief
- 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
5.0
I cannot adequately put into words how powerful this book's message is for people everywhere or how exquisitely written it is either. I have so many feelings about this beautiful, heart-wrenching story. This is going to be a book that lives in my head rent free. I'm going to recommend it to everyone cause I feel like it is a truly underrated book and more people need to read it.
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, and Colonisation
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Colonisation
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is a sweet little book about a Firefly named Clementine that doesn't know what she is and is lost, and a little girl who helps her find her way. It is a cute little read accompanied by beautiful art that'd be a nice, comforting bedtime read for a little one. While I enjoyed it though, I will say that my only issues were a.) it doesn't tell you what type of bug Clementine is by the end of the book and b.) the art can be a little too dark in some spots so Clementine's glow doesn't stand out as well as it should. However, I would say those are small things in the grand scheme and doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the book. If you have a little one that likes reading stories with bugs and/ore fireflies in general, I'd suggest picking up this one.
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Dementia
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Stalking
Minor: Drug use, Pregnancy, and Alcohol