Scan barcode
luise96's reviews
260 reviews
City of Dragons by Robin Hobb
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
Moderate: Cannibalism
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Alcohol
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates
informative
medium-paced
3.5
It’s a nice book for getting some basics about climate change and the difficulties of getting to net zero. It also gives some outlooks on how some issues can be tackled.
Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood by Lucy Jones
informative
4.0
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
dark
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Racism
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It’s a cute little book like all of the books in this series. However I felt like the writing was a bit clunky at times, maybe something to do with the translation. I think the first book was full of whimsy, which is lacking a bit in the later instalments. Still a nice, short read if you are up to cry and then will a bit happy at the end of each story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Death of parent
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.5
I met the author at a reading and she was just so lovely. It was interesting to hear some of her thoughts behind the characters and the plot and how she worked.
I think you can really feel how much the author has grown in her craft since Cleopatra and Frankenstein. The characters felt real and well-rounded and some of the lines were heartbreakingly sad.
I think you can really feel how much the author has grown in her craft since Cleopatra and Frankenstein. The characters felt real and well-rounded and some of the lines were heartbreakingly sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The book started off a bit slow, then got better and then after like 2/3 it got way worse again. In the beginning I thought this could be an interesting exploration of how humans can combat a common enemy (ever heard of the climate crisis?), but then I felt like that aspect was kind of dropped to explain technical jargon and wild sci-fi ideas (yeah I know this is a sci-fi book).
The whole book is written sooo slow and I feel like people are just explaining stuff to each other as exposure to show how smart the author is. I had much higher hopes from the wallfacer project. I’m seriously doubting whether the author ever had a longer conversation with a real-life woman, or if he simply doesn‘t care about women. I couldn’t care less for any of the characters and I honestly forgot all the time about half of them. This felt like a very different book to the first book.
The whole book is written sooo slow and I feel like people are just explaining stuff to each other as exposure to show how smart the author is. I had much higher hopes from the wallfacer project. I’m seriously doubting whether the author ever had a longer conversation with a real-life woman, or if he simply doesn‘t care about women. I couldn’t care less for any of the characters and I honestly forgot all the time about half of them. This felt like a very different book to the first book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism