rachel_athens's reviews
954 reviews

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

 A magical pawnshop where customers trade in their biggest regret has been Hana's home her entire life. When her father mysteriously disappears under confusing circumstances, the only solution is a quest to find him with a handsome stranger. Samantha Sotto Yambao's Water Moon is a trippy, time-bending, puddle-jumping fantastical mystery. 
Devil Is Fine by John Vercher

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challenging dark emotional funny sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

John Vercher's Devil is Fine shares the personal struggle of a biracial man grieving the loss of his son while also coming to terms with a painful inheritance from his white mother's father. Vercher's prose is smart and funny while also conveying the dreamy confusion of emotional exhaustion. This book surprised me over and over again.
Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I loved the voice of the narrator in Olivia Wolfgang-Smith's Mutual Interest. Their elegant and conspiratorial tone shares the story of Vivian and her husbands Oscar and Squire living and loving in New York City in the early 1900s. This lavender marriage is perhaps only possible because of Vivian's intense desire to be successful and create the life she deserves. Historical fiction centered around queer characters is much needed and I loved the details that added depth like how to layer notes in a fragrance, histories of NYC buildings, and the 1816 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia that caused a change in our global climate. This is a great book!
What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery

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funny informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

While I've had backyard chickens for about five years, Sy Montgomery's book What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird made me realize how much I didn't know about my flock. This short book was a delight, filled with personal stories of chickens and their human keepers. Read this if you're thinking about getting your own flock or are just chicken-curious.
The Rivals by Jane Pek

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

 Claudia Lin is back solving mysteries, fighting with her siblings, and getting some action in Jane Pek's The Rivals! This sequel to The Verifiers was everything I needed and more. Pek writes super-smart fun prose and the twists and turns in this mystery involving AI and matchmaking services kept me guessing. Wondering if there will be a third installment? They has to be, given the ending. Pick this up for a delightful read, perfect to escape into during a holiday or your weekend reading. 
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The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Sanaka Hiiragi's The Lantern of Lost Memories shares the story of a secret photo studio that is a portal to the afterlife. Told in three loosely connected chapters, we meet Hirasaka who creates a special lantern of memories to guide each person through death. Beautifully reflective, The Lantern of Lost Memories helps each person see their life in a more compassionate light, which is a measure of grace each of us deserves. 
Two-Step Devil by Jamie Quatro

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5.0

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

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dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 Is a cat the answer to everyone's problems? Co-worker irritating you? Not feeling appreciated at home? Having trouble sleeping? Syou Ishida's We'll Prescribe You a Cat is a delightful book that will prove that, yes, a cat can solve most anything, but never in the way you anticipate. 
Entitlement by Rumaan Alam

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challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Rumaan Alam's Entitlement is the story of one woman's desire to make a difference, save the world, be good, feel like she's worth it, and also, yet very much also, be financially comfortable. Alam always addresses race and privilege in his books but in the most subtle and sophisticated ways. I read the last half of Entitlement covering my eyes, barely able to witness choices Brooke makes while working for an octogenarian billionaire trying to give away his fortune before his death. This is a compelling story that doesn't tie up neatly at the end. 
All Fours by Miranda July

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

It is a chance encounter, a mere locking of the eyes, that causes the protagonist, a slightly-famous artist, to hire a decorator and set up a mini-residency in a motel in Sierra Madre less than an hour away from her husband and child in L.A. Instead of driving to NYC and back, the three weeks are spent creating a womb-like sanctuary modeled after Le Bristol in Paris and not having sex with a married man. What one might see as a mid-life crisis becomes her touchstone. If life is such an inevitable struggle, why not seek what you desire, no matter the consequence? Miranda July’s All Fours asks the questions we don’t even allow ourselves to think on the edges of our dreams. Is the need to truly be seen by others incongruous with being partnered? Can we redefine the social ecosystems of a marriage? Why doesn’t anyone talk about the hormonal shifts of menopause? The artist’s pilgrimage in All Fours splits open the traditional yearning to create, makes the mundane lustful, and might rewire your brain.