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heresthepencil's reviews
975 reviews
Bramy Raju by Jerzy Andrzejewski
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
5.0
absolutely insane, my good fellas. the imagery is unreal.
i'm overwhelmed and not sure how to even describe this book. it's more than a stream of consciousnesses, it's so many interlocking stories, each one leaving you more & more uneasy as it's being told. the use of repetition is absolutely masterful! the way jakub's words from the vision take your breath away once you hear them properly near the end! the way multiple people describe one person in the same, exact words!
rep: achillean mcs
tw: pedophilia, child abuse, animal death
i'm overwhelmed and not sure how to even describe this book. it's more than a stream of consciousnesses, it's so many interlocking stories, each one leaving you more & more uneasy as it's being told. the use of repetition is absolutely masterful! the way jakub's words from the vision take your breath away once you hear them properly near the end! the way multiple people describe one person in the same, exact words!
rep: achillean mcs
tw: pedophilia, child abuse, animal death
Pilgrim Bell: Poems by Kaveh Akbar
emotional
hopeful
reflective
4.5
"It wasn’t until Gabriel squeezed away what was empty in him that the Prophet could be filled with miracle. Imagine the emptiness in you, the vast cavities you have spent your life trying to fill—with fathers, mothers, lovers, language, drugs, money, art, praise—and imagine them gone. What’s left? Whatever you aren’t, which is what makes you—a house useful not because its floorboards or ceilings or walls, but because the empty space between them."
Adam, Mine by K. Ancrum
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
“why does tragedy exist? because you are full of rage.
why are you full of rage? because you are full of grief.”
why are you full of rage? because you are full of grief.”
Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione
2.5
rep: sapphic biracial mc, Black sapphic li, Black trans side character, nonbinary side character, achillean parents, Muslim side character
cute, but definitely reads more like middle grade
cute, but definitely reads more like middle grade
A Burst of Light: And Other Essays by Audre Lorde
challenging
reflective
4.0
this is mostly her cancer journals, with a few speeches & interviews at the beginning. not a collection i was expecting, really. i think i made a mistake in choosing this one as my introduction into lorde's writing. (and it's interesting that the interview with susan leigh star titled sadomasochism: not about condemnation very much feels like nothing but condemnation)
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
rep: bi mc, achillean mc
tw: past death of a sibling, grief
this one's completely on me, guys! i know that i enjoy amazing chemistry & proper angst in my romance novels, and i also know that reid doesn't really play by those rules. i set myself up for failure and so it's only fair that i was bored out of my mind for the second 50% of this book.
tw: past death of a sibling, grief
this one's completely on me, guys! i know that i enjoy amazing chemistry & proper angst in my romance novels, and i also know that reid doesn't really play by those rules. i set myself up for failure and so it's only fair that i was bored out of my mind for the second 50% of this book.
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
her magic p***y made him a better man!! but uhh, you guys do realise the way he treats her is borderline abuse, right?
no one has any personality, let alone character development, they just say & do things so that author can have the "sexy" scenes she planned (spoiler alert: they're not sexy). the plot makes zero sense, or possibly even less than that somehow.
"i would kill her myself before i’d let you have her" - this is what you call the height of romance?? i'm begging you, seek therapy.
tw: xenophobia, slurs against Romani people, abuse, threats of rape, murder, blood
no one has any personality, let alone character development, they just say & do things so that author can have the "sexy" scenes she planned (spoiler alert: they're not sexy). the plot makes zero sense, or possibly even less than that somehow.
"i would kill her myself before i’d let you have her" - this is what you call the height of romance?? i'm begging you, seek therapy.
tw: xenophobia, slurs against Romani people, abuse, threats of rape, murder, blood
An Unacceptable Offer by Mary Balogh
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
2.0
this book is so stupid! i had fun & read it in one sitting, but it is so stupid! plot-wise it’s hilarious, the characters are mostly interesting, the romance itself… i would say it’s giving the heroine stockholm syndrome, if such a thing existed. and oh, the casual misogyny of it all…
also, the main dude feels like dr jekyll, one moment deeply in love with the girl & shouting at her the next. great fun, yeah! he also seems to rather dislike women in general. definitely makes you uncomfortable on many occasions. he does have his moments, though, i suppose (love for his daughters)
also, the main dude feels like dr jekyll, one moment deeply in love with the girl & shouting at her the next. great fun, yeah! he also seems to rather dislike women in general. definitely makes you uncomfortable on many occasions. he does have his moments, though, i suppose (love for his daughters)
A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
3.0
rep: Indian British li, Indian British sapphic character, sapphic character
tw: racism
the vibes are very much like, fanny price & henry crawford & some dude, but in a persuasion-inspired setting. very juicy!
tw: racism
the vibes are very much like, fanny price & henry crawford & some dude, but in a persuasion-inspired setting. very juicy!
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
a love letter to mothers & to Black gay men who are not dead already
tw: racism, n slur, homophobia, assault, discussion of sexual assault
emotional
hopeful
reflective
5.0
“I forgot to say that I love you,” she said, almost frantically, like she was racing to catch the comet’s tail end of our previous conversation.
a love letter to mothers & to Black gay men who are not dead already
tw: racism, n slur, homophobia, assault, discussion of sexual assault