sahanac's reviews
257 reviews

Geis: A Matter of Life and Death by

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

very cool conceit, captivating art
The Iliad by Homer

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adventurous challenging hopeful 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

an incredible translation 
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

it had me in the first half, lost me 3/4 in, and then got me back. i liked theo and liked kit but i wish we had learned more about the new things they discovered with and about each other throughout instead of it being striking huge realizations each time that led their characters to suddenly have epiphanies and change their minds about their worldviews each time. the third time it happened (with the painting, iykyk) i was ready for something different. overall tho i liked this one's commitment to food art and european summer vibes
The Verifiers by Jane Pek

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emotional funny mysterious 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? No

3.5

pretty interesting conceit, i really liked learning about the family dynamics across all families, and loved learning about claudia+charles+coraline's relationship. the detective-y stuff was not super appealing to me and my eyes kept glazing over it but i wanted the answer to the puzzle so i kept reading. liked the second half a lot more than the first half — it was good enough to finish in one sitting.  
Thanks for the Money: How to Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be by Joel McHale

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funny fast-paced

3.75

fun, snarky, and short. a great transition audiobook, read by joel mchale with every ounce of his classic humor. 
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-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

5.0

incredible. sad. powerful. wraps it up perfectly and yet i want more. the classic exists for a reason, and this genre has followed for the very same reasons. 
How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

this one was creepy and the first person pov of the serial killer librarian was a wild one. i loved the brevity of the book and the slow descent into even more madness, a la the shirley jackson reference that was important to the novel. could have been even tighter and more explosively ended, though. 
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

just a great continuation of the world and the lore here — onto the third!
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

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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? Yes

5.0

i truly don't have the words. i did not expect this book to sweep me up the way that it did, and i really didn't expect it to envelope me as entirely as it ended up doing, but wow. the characters were crafted with so much love and care, the world was so brutal and also at the same time had hope and love and trust and family in it such that in the direst moments, there had been built enough relief to fall back on. i would not have picked this book up on my own; i usually am not enticed by stories that i think will make me too sad and that was what i was expecting. but the air of hope in this one blew me away. and the slow reveal of the true history of starling house forced me to keep on reading. such a wonderful read. 
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

this is a YA book, and i think some of those who went into this title expecting more adult conversations about it have missed the genre. i think YA is meant to be, in part, introductions to the weird and wonderful as well as the hard and overwhelming and devastating. this book was almost an escapist, violent fantasy, and as a former rage-filled teenage girl who was 17 when tr*mp was first elected, there was plenty of anger i would have loved to have an outlet for. 

i'm also not sure we're supposed to see zeitan as a good person, at the end of the day. sure, we're in her head, and she's rationalizing all of the decisions that she makes, but i also think the consequences of her actions are shown to be brutal and hard to stomach. the public keeps watching, though, like the rest of us, because if there's anything we've learned, it's that people cannot look away from tragedy. 

my major qualms with the book do have to do with the ways that the writing sometimes felt intensely "internet speak" and out of time with the way that the rest of the worldbuilding worked. but overall, i think the story did what it set out to do - challenge readers to consider the rules they take for granted. is this The Feminist Take i'd recommend to everyone? no, probably not. but is it a kinda badass story that's worth a week of attention? yeah, absolutely.