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moonspire's reviews
176 reviews
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
dark
sad
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? Yes
5.0
She Who Became The Sun is a story of discovering identity and accepting the inner turmoils of oneself – even at the cost of pain. The journey of Zhu from condemning her physical body to seeing it in another light–as a vessel of radiance and power, is astonishing.
"could her body be a woman’s body, if it didn’t house a woman?"
I love how aspects of gender are portrayed and represented in the novel. It is fluid, it is both internal and external, and it is not what defines the characters as an individual. There are many aspects of this novel that attest to gender being 'found' and 'discovered' and not necessarily biological. At least, that's what it seems to me.
"Ouyang’s heart ached. Why can’t you make it easier for me to hate you?"
Ouyang (for me) is a character that portrays the insecurities of being effeminate, particularly, by how people see it as a defining measure of his capabilities. As much as it was painful for me to read, I admire that he doesn't shy away from his resolve, even if it cost him his heart. Betrayal trope just hits different
"could her body be a woman’s body, if it didn’t house a woman?"
I love how aspects of gender are portrayed and represented in the novel. It is fluid, it is both internal and external, and it is not what defines the characters as an individual. There are many aspects of this novel that attest to gender being 'found' and 'discovered' and not necessarily biological. At least, that's what it seems to me.
"Ouyang’s heart ached. Why can’t you make it easier for me to hate you?"
Ouyang (for me) is a character that portrays the insecurities of being effeminate, particularly, by how people see it as a defining measure of his capabilities. As much as it was painful for me to read, I admire that he doesn't shy away from his resolve, even if it cost him his heart. Betrayal trope just hits different
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Minor: Suicide
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
3.5 ⭐
Olivie's writing is spectacular as always. The romance in this book isn't for me, it didn't hit me as hard as I expected it to. However, overall it was still a good read! I'm thoroughly enchanted with Marya Antonova btw ❤️ which also has a similar name with Mayra from Masters of Death (also my fave character).
Olivie's writing is spectacular as always. The romance in this book isn't for me, it didn't hit me as hard as I expected it to. However, overall it was still a good read! I'm thoroughly enchanted with Marya Antonova btw ❤️ which also has a similar name with Mayra from Masters of Death (also my fave character).
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Once again Olivie has managed to write a story that completely enchanted me. This is a live story that is unlike any other, literally, especially with the way that it is written. I admit it took me a few pages before I finally got to understand the premise of the story, but it got better and better as I read further. I wanna thank Olivie for sharing a part of herself in this novel and for reminding us that there are people out there who are willing to love our broken brain. There are people who are willing to compromise and to accompany us in our journey of living with ourselves and accepting that relationships consume us; it burns us. But that doesn't mean that it will burn us out into oblivion.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
dark
fast-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
3.0
WHAT DID I JUST READ!?!!#&$
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal cruelty
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
had trouble understanding the premise of the story first but when i overcame that...god what a beautifully crafted novel i have no other words to describe it
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
i love the dynamic of the crows and what each of them stands for, i personally think that this book beautifully wrapped up their stories and i cannot express my love for kanej enough