raethereviewer's reviews
828 reviews

This was not as profound as social media led me to believe.

I actually love a lot of the writing of bell hooks. ain't i a woman is one of my all-time favorite essay collections, but this one missed the mark for me. I liked what she had to say about love and abuse, but the section on greed fell flat. There didn't seem to be much nuance or acknowledgement of gender and class power dynamics. It was such a surface-level analysis that it pulled me out for much of the rest. The spirituality aspects reminded me of church sermons in a way that didn't provide anything new. Much of this is covered in a Sunday sermon across the nation at least once a month.

This is one of the most creative novellas I've ever read. I was intrigued from beginning to end, even when things got a little gorier than I was expecting. It's a perfect October read. 

P. Djeli Clark is quickly becoming one of my new favorite spec fic writers! I’m shocked it took me this long but consider me hooked.

This was so much fun! I hadn’t known P. Djèlí Clark was Caribbean before starting it and seeing all the Easter eggs of that culture sprinkled throughout the story was great. I definitely need to read more of his work now.

This was less traumatizing than the first one.

This was a great read for Dark Academia Autumn. I enjoyed how atmospheric it was and the way that we constantly go back to various motifs was really well done. 

This wasn’t my favorite Beverly Jenkins but it’s great seeing how her writing began and eventually evolved. The stakes were a lot lower for most of the novel and I started getting frustrated Nate at times. By the end though, I liked them together and the family they created.

How do I put into words the mental anguish, evolution, and healing of academia-based trauma that overcame my internal dialogue during the three weeks I spent reading this?

This was a lot of fun and a book I’d give to reluctant readers. The humor and voice comes across really well. The actual meet up with the other characters doesn’t come until around the 50% mark but it’s an engaging read. I’d recommend this to 4th, 5th, and early 6th graders.

My younger cousins love this series and after reading this book, I can see why. The writing is both accessible and relatable for kids. I was someone who never fit in to one single clique growing up but was often friendly with many of my classmates. This is definitely the kind of story I would’ve gravitated toward. It’s perfect for 3rd grade and up.