r_louhi's reviews
72 reviews

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.5

All Systems Red was an amazing read. Murderbot totally stole the story and I loved that. The other characters felt a bit flat and the plot was decent but it all felt right as we were being taken through Murderbot's point of view. Murderbot was a hilarious companion and I loved how its sense of self and relationship to the humans developed throughout the short story. Martha Wells did a fantastic job with the pacing which felt fast but still left room for the characters to grow.

Content Warnings

Luster by Raven Leilani

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book.

Edie felt like a very real and very relatable character trying to navigate her young adult life the best she can. The situation she found herself in was complicated and I somehow found myself drawn in.

I loved the relationship that Edie and Akila developed while also feeling the strangeness that came with the difficult relationships she had with Akila's parents.

The writing felt at times like reading diary entries and other times like I was being told the story by a friend in a very stream of consciousness manner. The way the pace built and ran away from you as you progressed through each chapter was great.

I felt myself both frustrated and underwhelmed by the end of the book but in a way I was feeling that right along with Edie and it felt purposeful.

Content Warnings

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

I loved this book! I was concerned going into it that I wouldn't understand a lot as I have never even visited New York but this was not the case. Jemisin has done a great job of describing the city and the people in it.

I enjoyed the way the book handled privilege and prejudice, describing how people can be affected by them, and also how the main villain played on these things in order to gain power and a foothold within the city.

My only complaint was that the main characters felt a little bit flat, but it makes sense in the context of them leaving their past life behind in order to fulfill their roles as avatars of the city.

An amazing book, I'm excited to read more of the series and more of N.K. Jemisin's writing in general.

City of Ghosts by V.E. Schwab

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.

Unfortunately this book references Harry Potter over and over and apparently doesn't cease to do so in the future books. Not the nicest thing to read if you're transgender.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced