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librarymouse's reviews
401 reviews
Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh by Joseph Conrad
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm rating this higher than I did last time around, but not by much. It's not my favorite book by a long shot, but after learning more about Joseph Conrad and writing about textile manufacturing practices contemporary to Conrad's writing of the book in how they relate to its content, I got a lot more out of it this time around.
It's a slow paced book, but time moves quickly for the characters.
It's a slow paced book, but time moves quickly for the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Cannibalism
The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In this wonderful addition to the Ghost Roads series, Seanan McGuire masterfully expands on the world building and the rules of being dead that she laid the groundwork for in Sparrow Hill Road. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown is more linear in its storytelling than its predecessor, but it's equally as interesting and funny. I really enjoyed the explanation of how some of the different types of ghosts are made and seeing how the customs and beliefs of different pantheons manifest themselves in the afterlife.
Seanan McGuire writes friendships so beautifully! Nobody in this series is a monolith unto themself. Everyone is loved and loves in return in a way that makes them stronger together - I guess with the exception of Bobby Cross, but he sucks, so that's okay. They're willing to be vulnerable and to make sacrifices both large and small for the sake of one another.
Laura's story coming full circle, allowing Tommy to do the same was one of the more fantastic aspects of this novel, especially coming after Laura's betrayal and then subsequent double cross of Bobby Cross as she dies. The relationship between Laura and Rose stays just as complicated as it's been from the start, but somehow they come to care for each other along the way.
The concept of this book - a murder mystery, but in reverse - is one of the funniest and most unique I've read recently. Read Sparrow Hill Road first, but then definitely read this book!
Seanan McGuire writes friendships so beautifully! Nobody in this series is a monolith unto themself. Everyone is loved and loves in return in a way that makes them stronger together - I guess with the exception of Bobby Cross, but he sucks, so that's okay. They're willing to be vulnerable and to make sacrifices both large and small for the sake of one another.
The concept of this book - a murder mystery, but in reverse - is one of the funniest and most unique I've read recently. Read Sparrow Hill Road first, but then definitely read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Terminal illness
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I've loved a lot of Seanan McGuire books in the past, but this one might be my favorite to date. I really enjoyed that this book has a magic system with rules that the reader learns as the novel progresses and I adore Americana low fantasy. Ban sidhes who run diners, hitchhiking ghosts, and an appreciation for the parts of the US that exist between the cities made this a perfect read. I also have a car named Gary, which is a fun serendipity!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Sexual content, and Car accident
Baker's Magic by Diane Zahler
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book is incredibly cute! I particularly enjoyed how the author used the ways that children live and think to get the characters out of sticky situations - a child hiding can be explained away as hide and seek. I adore the cast of characters and how Bee's magic is disseminated through what she bakes. Bee's description of a ham and cheese sandwich had me packing one for lunch every day for two weeks.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Hearing Maya Angelou tell her own story in her own voice was wonderful. She's a gifted storyteller and speaker, and her mastery of language creates a wonderfully vivid image of her childhood for her readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Lesbophobia and Abandonment
The Moth Keeper by K. O'Neill
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
The Moth Keeper is a story about community, curiosity, responsibility, and loneliness. The parallels between the ghost of legend, losing her ability to enjoy life to her obsession with the moon and Anya's daydreaming about living under the sun are such poignant parallels, especially after Anya's daydreaming about life under the sun while spending her nights alone. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the characters are easy to love!
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
The Fire-Eaters by David Almond
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was my second read through of The Fire Eaters. I really enjoy the way David Almond writes children and builds such a vibrant sense of place. The ways in which the young experience fears and anxieties This book feels like a snapshot into the lives of the people in a small town - the kids on the precipice of growing up and the adults leaving their youth behind, excited to see how their kids will save the world. The life and death of the fire eater, McNulty, as an outcast in their society, cared for by the children and adults at what feels like the end of the world acts in parallel to the children growing into their own agency and away from the awe that comes with being young and new to the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Grief and Alcohol
The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower
dark
informative
slow-paced
3.5
This was a quick read. It covered the life and death of Mary Rogers and the life of Edgar Allen Poe with good detail. The actions of the news media and Poe's hand in exacerbating their claims of Mary Rogers' death at the hands of an abortionist sensationalized her death, dragged her reputation through the mud, and destroyed the slim chance of finding her true killer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Suicide, Grief, and Stalking
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Icarus by K. Ancrum
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
K. Ancrum's Icarus is soaked in adoration - the vulnerable expression of love between the characters and the author's own love for the world and people she creates. Icarus and Helios are wonderful as love interests and as foils to the folly of their fathers. Their fall and Mr. Black's frantic hammering on the anchor that fails them, alongside Angus's cooking for Icarus shows a uniquely human and complex facet to characters that would otherwise be archetypally antagonistic. Celestina and Luca's adoration for Icarus crosses the boundaries often thought impermeable for relationships defined as platonic. Luca's frustration in trying to express his love for Icarus without it being misconstrued and while trying to understand it, himself, is very relatable.
Icarus loves his friends and is loved by them in return. It is simple, beautiful, and full of hope.
Icarus loves his friends and is loved by them in return. It is simple, beautiful, and full of hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Dysphoria
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As a Dracula retelling, A Dowry of Blood was unique in its total dismissal of the vampire sire in the story. He remains unnamed as an intentional choice to take away his power in the story. I laughed out loud when the Harkers are mentioned, just brushed aside in a quick aside to Alexei. Constanta, Magdalena, and Alexei's relationship is so dedicated, and though I enjoyed the idea of a happy ending for them, the ending somehow felt like it fell short for me. Still, poly vampires is a fun thing, especially when one is an angel of vengeance, the second is a more creative version of Machiavelli, and the third is a sweet Dionysian actor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Alcohol and Colonisation