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laedyred's reviews
279 reviews
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Blindness by José Saramago
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I'm waffling between giving this book 1.5 or 2 stars. There are points where I found the events novel enough, but there are too many qualities I actively dislike.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Murder, and Sexual harassment
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This my second Reid book, and I can say I am moved by how she communicates difficult feelings around sexual abuse in a way that feels representative and nuanced. The lightly fantastical setting boosts the allegorical qualities.
This book comes so close to the highest rating but misses the mark with a few issues. The tonal shift in the latter half of the book tears away at the underlying message; I kept waiting for a subversion of expectation, but none came. The flowery language can feel pretentious when certain sentences attempt to be "deeper" than what makes sense in context. I found myself
There are some problematic things I can't shake that prevent me from giving this a higher rating. Preston is a white knight, saying things like,"if you were any other girl I'd fuck you because I sleep with everyone, but you're not like OTHER girls so I won't, you've been abused" . Him acting like he knows better than her, given her trauma. Am I supposed to think it's hot that he sleeps with everything? What reason does Effy have to want him other than him just not being overtly abusive? I can't just avert my eyes from this classic casual douchbag behavior. It's disappointing that Reid's YA debut perpetuates this.
I do recommend this book and it would make for great discussion fodder. This one will hang in my mind for a while.
This book comes so close to the highest rating but misses the mark with a few issues. The tonal shift in the latter half of the book tears away at the underlying message; I kept waiting for a subversion of expectation, but none came. The flowery language can feel pretentious when certain sentences attempt to be "deeper" than what makes sense in context. I found myself
There are some problematic things I can't shake that prevent me from giving this a higher rating. Preston is a white knight, saying things like,
I do recommend this book and it would make for great discussion fodder. This one will hang in my mind for a while.
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
There's so much to like about this book, it's clear why it won the Booker Prize in 2023. Unfortunately even for a piece of literary fiction, the first 100 pages or so are frustratingly slow. Even looking back having finished the book, there are some passages that I felt did not add to the overall message. That being said: once things got going, it had me.
We see a lot of war in literary and historical fiction; I appreciate that this books tackles it differently to many works I've read before.
We see a lot of war in literary and historical fiction; I appreciate that this books tackles it differently to many works I've read before.
She Gets the Girl by Alyson Derrick, Rachael Lippincott
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A lovely sapphic coming of age story to get you through a rough day. This rom-com meets the middle of lighthearted and emotional, touching on themes of alcoholism and social anxiety. Alex and Molly are relatable and feel like full characters. I liked the balance of tension and cute moments. It's a young adult novel and that's quite obvious from the writing style and moderate predictability, but it holds up even for an older audience.
I did take issue with how Alex's bad behavior is sometimes glossed (like how Natalie suddenly becomes the bad guy even though she has every right to be pissed ). The pop culture references will also date this book pretty badly; those aren't to my personal taste.
Nothing was so glaringly terrible to detract from my reading experience. I recommend this book for a pallette cleanser if you're in the mood for something feel-good and sweet.
I did take issue with how Alex's bad behavior is sometimes glossed (
Nothing was so glaringly terrible to detract from my reading experience. I recommend this book for a pallette cleanser if you're in the mood for something feel-good and sweet.
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
This book dropped the ball, which is a shame because the premise and message Saadawi attempted could have been solid. Why did there need to be an actual, literal reference to Mary Shelley? Why is there a full ass villain monologue? The writing is so on the nose that it induces a cringe.
So much exploration into humanity could have been done through this premise. The invasion of Iraq, the terrorist and villain that lives in each of us, there were little moments where I thought I might get something valuable. Nope. The mystery of the monster is solved almost immediately. This book doesn't know what it is or what it's trying to do.
Sexism everywhere. A B-plot of one character's crush with no relation to the rest of the story that exists just to have a disgusting scene where he abuses a prostitute. Casual misogyny in the language and characterization. This is a contemporary novel, the "it was a different time" argument is bullshit.
This book is supposed to be a satire, funny, and it just doesn't hit. I'd notice indications that a certain passage was written out of seriousness, but could never really be sure. The worst thing a book can be (besides problematic) is boring, and unfortunately this novel didn't impress me.
This could be a bad translation from the Arabic; some nuance could be missing. However, that isn't enough to explain or justify the glaring issues with the text. The blurb doesn't accurately represent the novel. I can't recommend this book, because I flat out did not enjoy it.
So much exploration into humanity could have been done through this premise. The invasion of Iraq, the terrorist and villain that lives in each of us, there were little moments where I thought I might get something valuable. Nope. The mystery of the monster is solved almost immediately. This book doesn't know what it is or what it's trying to do.
Sexism everywhere. A B-plot of one character's crush with no relation to the rest of the story that exists just to have a disgusting scene where he abuses a prostitute. Casual misogyny in the language and characterization. This is a contemporary novel, the "it was a different time" argument is bullshit.
This book is supposed to be a satire, funny, and it just doesn't hit. I'd notice indications that a certain passage was written out of seriousness, but could never really be sure. The worst thing a book can be (besides problematic) is boring, and unfortunately this novel didn't impress me.
This could be a bad translation from the Arabic; some nuance could be missing. However, that isn't enough to explain or justify the glaring issues with the text. The blurb doesn't accurately represent the novel. I can't recommend this book, because I flat out did not enjoy it.
Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I cannot argue that this book doesn't deserve the recognition it gets as literature - that's not up for debate. Llosa's prose and structure is notable for many reasons. In terms of my personal enjoyment, however, this didn't work for me. In a 600 page book, I was only hooked in interest for maybe 150 pages. It was a slog to get through the dense political scenes and decipher who the hell is talking in the first part of the book. As with too many books in this genre, there's rampant misogyny and the only female characters are slaves, prostitutes, and women deemed pathetic, beneath all of the men. I found it hard to remind myself that "it was a different time", because this shit never went away. Needless to say, every male character is a sack of shit.
Although I found myself checking the page number a lot, I can appreciate the craft Llosa brings in his depiction of such a volitile era in Peru's history. Bermúdez is a startling representation of the corruption, Fermín of the hypocrisy and cowardice. My heart aches for Amalia and the normalcy of her suffering as a woman. There were passages that hooked me - often the character studies rather than the political scenes.
Although I found myself checking the page number a lot, I can appreciate the craft Llosa brings in his depiction of such a volitile era in Peru's history. Bermúdez is a startling representation of the corruption, Fermín of the hypocrisy and cowardice. My heart aches for Amalia and the normalcy of her suffering as a woman. There were passages that hooked me - often the character studies rather than the political scenes.
Desert Flower by Waris Dirie, Cathleen Miller
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
fast-paced
2.0
I feel bad not giving a higher rating because the subject matter is so sensitive; the rights for women and end of female genital mutilation she advocates for are beyond important.
But for a rating based purely on my enjoyment, I have to say I thought it was just okey. The ghost writer is excellent in capturing the conversational tone of Dirie's storytelling. The book upsetting and hopeful, Dirie accounts her life in a series of statements of events. There's no flowery language, things are phrased very "this happened, then this happened, then this..." It just didn't work for me, personally.
I do give a lot of credit to the book for teaching me details of the nomadic life and confirming/expelling things I had heard about Somalia. I can definitely say I learned and am glad I picked this book up.
But for a rating based purely on my enjoyment, I have to say I thought it was just okey. The ghost writer is excellent in capturing the conversational tone of Dirie's storytelling. The book upsetting and hopeful, Dirie accounts her life in a series of statements of events. There's no flowery language, things are phrased very "this happened, then this happened, then this..." It just didn't work for me, personally.
I do give a lot of credit to the book for teaching me details of the nomadic life and confirming/expelling things I had heard about Somalia. I can definitely say I learned and am glad I picked this book up.
The Will of the Many by James Islington
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This needed to be 200 pages shorter. Dear god, it didn't even get interesting until 100-150 pages in. I'm not even sure where those pages went, there's a lot of words and still a hugely slow pace. This book drags significantly in places; I almost didn't pick it back up after a few days away. Despite the slog, I did enjoy it.
Vis is a decent protagonist. It's a bit annoying that he's instantly good at everything, but it's forgivable enough. It was Callidu, Eidhin, and Aequa who saved it for me. The "romance" with Emissa is useless. This book leans towards plot over characters, for sure.
The last few chapters were enough to make me consider reading the next book. The cliff hanger is jarring but seems earned. All of my theories were thrown out at that point. Let's see how I feel when the sequel comes out.
Vis is a decent protagonist. It's a bit annoying that he's instantly good at everything, but it's forgivable enough. It was Callidu, Eidhin, and Aequa who saved it for me. The "romance" with Emissa is useless. This book leans towards plot over characters, for sure.
The last few chapters were enough to make me consider reading the next book. The cliff hanger is jarring but seems earned. All of my theories were thrown out at that point. Let's see how I feel when the sequel comes out.
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
How the fuck is this book so highly regarded. This reads like a 15 year old's fanfiction, and that's an insult to fanfiction that's better written than this. I give half a star for a creative world idea, but come on. It's trying to be dark and edgy but it makes my eye twitch.
Things just happen for the sake of happening. Plot points come out of nowhere, constantly making the reader double take and ask, "what the fuck?". It seems there was no pre-planning for the plot, given how random events are and how easily problems are solved. There's no tension.
Elspeth is a self insert with no personality to relate to. Her relationship with Ravyn has no basis or justification; they have no chemistry. He falls for her the day they meet, hopelessly obsessed. There's no slow burn here; don't expect a passionate relationship. Ravyn has grey eyes and he's tall. That's it.
Side characters exist with one gimmicky trait in place of spending any time actually showing the reader character growth. Ione is such a throwaway character completely there to help Elsepeth because Gillig needed a convenient out for a problem.
Somehow 400 pages slipped by and it feels like nothing meaningful actually occurred. What am I missing? Why do people love this? What a disappointment.
Things just happen for the sake of happening. Plot points come out of nowhere, constantly making the reader double take and ask, "what the fuck?". It seems there was no pre-planning for the plot, given how random events are and how easily problems are solved. There's no tension.
Elspeth is a self insert with no personality to relate to. Her relationship with Ravyn has no basis or justification; they have no chemistry. He falls for her the day they meet, hopelessly obsessed. There's no slow burn here; don't expect a passionate relationship. Ravyn has grey eyes and he's tall. That's it.
Side characters exist with one gimmicky trait in place of spending any time actually showing the reader character growth. Ione is such a throwaway character completely there to help Elsepeth because Gillig needed a convenient out for a problem.
Somehow 400 pages slipped by and it feels like nothing meaningful actually occurred. What am I missing? Why do people love this? What a disappointment.