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krystalicia_'s reviews
177 reviews
The Secrets We Conceal by S.R. Fabrico
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
3.75
CONTENT WARNING: child sexual abuse and pedophilia
This book was rough. Point blank. Fabrico writes about a subject matter we would like to pretend doesn’t happen, especially in families, but it sadly does, and it’s absolutely terrifying. As you follow Laura as she processes and copes with the abuse that happens to her, you’re left feeling angry, uncomfortable, and sick, and hoping that she’s able to come out of this knowing that this situation doesn’t define her as a person.
Fabrico is a brilliant story teller. You feel like you’re in Laura’s head as she’s processing and are her biggest supporter. She writes in a way that portrays so the passage of time in Laura’s life in such a quick, fast-paced book.
Because of the subject matter, it’s not a book that I can just suggest to anyone, but if you’ve read the content warnings and feel like it’s something you can handle reading, I would absolutely recommend you add this to your list for the year!
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Thank you to Love Books Tours and S.R. Fabrico for a DRC of this emotional book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Holy hell. How can something with so much pain read so absolutely beautifully? I love the unique approach that was taken with this memoir and tying the conversations, behaviors, memories to folklore motifs.
I also just want to openly commend Machado for her vulnerability in writing this story. As she stated, it’s hard to write about a toxic experience, especially when those involved are of a marginalized identity group. There’s already not enough positive depictions of healthy queer relationships, but Machado highlights the importance of talking about the very real and common things that occur in relationships in general, hers just happens to be queer. She also emphasizes the importance of writing these stories because it proves that it can in fact happen, something that was heavily ignored societally and legally. Loved this and can’t wait to read more of her work!
I also just want to openly commend Machado for her vulnerability in writing this story. As she stated, it’s hard to write about a toxic experience, especially when those involved are of a marginalized identity group. There’s already not enough positive depictions of healthy queer relationships, but Machado highlights the importance of talking about the very real and common things that occur in relationships in general, hers just happens to be queer. She also emphasizes the importance of writing these stories because it proves that it can in fact happen, something that was heavily ignored societally and legally. Loved this and can’t wait to read more of her work!
The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
K. Ancrum really knows how to suck me in with these amazing friend groups and tough to crack people turned lovers and I’m here 👏🏼 for 👏🏼 it 👏🏼.
One thing about me, I do not care about space books and science fiction, so before I started this book, I was a little hesitant. Let me just say, that feeling very quickly went away as we started learning about Ryann and her family, friends, and hidden power to make outcasts join her little gang of misfits. Once stone faced Alexandria got thrown into the mix, it was game over for me.
Again, I fully recognize this is a fully self-indulgent 5 star review, but honestly the legitimate giddiness I felt when we got to revisit The Wicker King lovers in all their poly-am glory was unmatched and the fact that there were small nods to that book throughout warmed my heart. Like the toy factory making a reappearance? We love to see it.
That being said, I will once again own up to my biases. Was this book perfect? No. Did I think that the decisions and desires to go to space for various characters made sense? Absolutely not. Would I still read this book again in a heartbeat because I adore every single one of the characters in this universe with my whole heart and the literal last page made me cry? Yes to all of that. Read this for a good time and some great characters.
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Ok this review is going to be a little confusing because I liked this book, but not for the intended audience if that makes sense.
This story follows Ophelia in a coming of age story about self discovery. She loves flowers, her friends, her parents, and love. She just loves love, or more appropriately, the idea of love I think. She’s always been described as boy crazy, but when she realizes she has feelings for a girl, it sends her spiraling.
The premise and plot of the story were solid. I enjoyed most of the characters, their friend dynamics were interesting and believable, but for some reason the tone seemed like it was geared more towards younger teens rather than young adults and older teens, which felt strange since the characters were seniors in high school. Because of the tone, I struggled staying engaged because the context of what was happening and the way it was being said didn’t match in my head.
That being said, it was a solid debut and I’d be interested to continue reading from this author!
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
5.0
Could this be a contender for one of my favorite books of the year? I think so. Let me start with saying this is the me of the few times where I like almost all of the characters? Each person was so complex and thought out that it made it easy to relate to them and want the best for them (well, most of them anyway).
This book touched on so many thing, but you know what my favorite part to read about was? COMPLEX 👏🏼 FAMILY 👏🏼 DYNAMICS👏🏼 If you read this, you can 100% that Blanca is a total bad ass. But you know what else she is? A manipulative mother that I COULDN’T stand. My skin would crawl every time we read one of her letters, but my god were they beautifully written with some powerful story telling.
I loved Prieto and him dealing with his own issues with abandonment as he fully came into his identity. Hate politics, but I do love him.
Olga too was a dope characters. I love seeing how two people raised together can diverge and see things so differently. She is truly the embodiment of making the broken system work for her and truly love that for her.
Let The Game Commence by David Palin
adventurous
dark
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
I don’t know what I was expecting, but I can assure you it wasn’t that! This book was such a wild ride, filled with deceit, lust, and a whole slew of terrible characters that you truly want nothing but the worst for. Palin truly excelled at showing each character at their absolute worst, bringing satisfaction when they play a game that literally changes the rest of their lives.
A couple of things I really enjoyed about this book:
- The game itself isn’t too long and it allows for the fall out of the game to really play out for each character
- There are some thoroughly surprising twists. You think you know everything about each of the characters, but they still surprises you
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Thank you Love Books Tours, David Palin, and Matthew James Publishing for a gifted copy of this book.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
emotional
informative
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Love doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this book. I had heard it was good, but I wasn’t expecting it to hook me in so deep. I loved watching Lily grow as a character. From accepting her sexuality to cutting off toxic friends to sticking up for herself to her family, Lily always felt real and I could imagine myself in her position and the internal battle she was going through.
I’m typically not into historical fiction, but this is truly the shit I eat up. As a daughter of immigrants, I love hearing about that experience from others, and the historical context surrounding Lily’s family makes it so rich to read. I loved learning about her home in Chinatown, but reading about perspective of the Chinese communism propaganda from a Chinese family added an extra appreciation to Lily’s story.
I would honestly love to see a novella of Lily going to Forbidden City. Reading the constant microaggressions she experienced within her new community of white lesbians was infuriating. I would have loved to see her flourish in a diverse queer community where she didn’t feel the constant pressure of being “othered” in a space that was supposed to make her feel safe.
Private Way by Ladette Randolph
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
I unfortunately had to DNF this book at around 53%. I tried on multiple occasions to get through this book but it proved to be difficult time and time again. I think the book was attempting to be quirky and modern, but instead the characters ended up being either extremely annoying or unrememberable which usually could be fine, but it doesn't seem like that was the purpose of the book. In fact, I was really struggling to understand what the purpose of the book was. I assumed it was more focused on a found family trope which I typically adore, but I don't think it was done super well here. I hope that the book picked up in the second half, though I don't think it would have been something I would have particularly ever enjoyed.
We'd Know By Then by Kirsten Bohling
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Let me just say: I’m a simple reader: I see a beautiful cover, I must read!! This book was a quick, cozy read and perfect for a nerd like me that likes to mix two of her favorite things: reading and fandom culture. I’ve never read a novel that used the “color at first sight” love trope so I was instantly intrigued.
The first half of the book was super fun and I pretty much breezed through it. While I didn’t particularly like any of the characters (Brighton’s decision making made me want to tear my hair out), it’s clear that that soulmate chemistry was something special and still made me root for the couples to have their happy ending.
I quickly realized this wasn’t the book for me, but I can definitely see it’s appeal. It’s fluffy, whimsical, and has the appeal of fan fiction while still allowing for it to feel like something completely new and fresh. For those that like a pretty wholesome romance as well as a book that’s not afraid to touch on some darker topics (grief, death, toxic relationships), this could be a pretty solid choice for you!
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Thank you to Love Books Tours, Kirsten Bohling, and Lake Country Press for a DRC of this gorgeous book.