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sahanac's reviews
257 reviews
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
plot moves well, lots of well timed and well researched conversations about 2020, about ability, about happiness science. lost me at about 75% in, but not bad. ending was unsatisfying, hence the lower rating, but it was realistic, so i'm having a hard time faulting it.
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
i do just enjoy this series!! the characters are delightful and remarkably British in a very entertaining way
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
emily wilde got me again! i didn't expect to love this series, but i just love how grouchy emily is, and again, the focus on 20th century anthropological field work interspersed between plot points of the stories of faeries and brownies that enthralled me as a child just makes this series hit every part of me, adult to child, and fill me with a sense of delight that makes it easy to consume. i think the first book was slightly stronger, especially with the fleshing out of the villagers in Hrafnsvik, but the additions of Rose and Ariadne made for a really compelling core four (or five, since Shadow must be included). I also liked Emily being flustered and pestered by Wendell in the first book, and while she was still fed up with him it was less, and he was much mushier. Which is cute, but also I liked when they were snippier because it was quite fun. I am quite pleased with the way their relationship is developing though, so really I have no tangible complaints.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
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
oh...wow. going to be thinking about this one every time i talk about prison abolition or the ways that systemic injustices play out in the american media (so...constantly lol). the metaphors here were never heavy handed, never too hard to parse, but always just sensitive enough to leave me with so much to contemplate and chew on. the fact that the main characters that we were meant to love and have sympathy for were all violent offenders was a really excellent touch in the narrative around prison abolition - it is not just for the people that the justice system *fails* that we want abolition, but for the people who are and have been genuinely bad. it's about changing the whole system. and the concept of high and low freed, the way that so many of the almost-high freed Links chose death felt like a devastating commentary on the way our system is set up for recidivism. not an "enjoyable" read, but a tragic, hard, incredibly powerful, rewarding one.
An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created by Santi Elijah Holley
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
bit of repetition in the chapters (i think we got assata shakur's origin story leas up four different times), but it's a history i really valued learning about and considering
Love Is an Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
2.5
meandering, hard to decipher the point. felt like the shock factor mattered more than the story at some points, to a distracting degree. i tore thru it and i appreciate the politics of this one, but perhaps the bold-faced brashness jarrar delights in is made for bolder folks than me
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-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
4.0
The Night Watchman was a book I read for a book club and I frankly knew nothing about the plot before I started - I began reading and closed the book pretty quickly. But then, determined to finish, I listened to Louise Erdrich narrate this title on audio, and I have to say how much it enhanced the experience - getting to hear the Chippewa spoken was an incredible experience, and really made the story more immersive. The story ebbs and flows, and I think following the actual historical fact of her grandfather's experience held Erdrich back on delving deeper into Thomas' character, but Patrice's story, as she moved from the reservation to the city and back home again. The way Indian-ness was woven into the fabric of each character's being and the fundamental interactions of society on the reservation and off were powerful when Erdrich voiced it, and the story was made so much more meaningful when heard through her voice. I am not often a fan of author's reading their own works - they write the stories, but are not always good at translating that to a meaningful audiobook experience. But Erdrich made it really work.
The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
we know of her as a saint in the times of every other avatar we've ever met, especially kyoshi and aang. but she's the villain in kuruk's life, as we learn in the kyoshi novels, so i was really interested in learning how we got there. the result is a really fascinating conceit: yangchen, unlike the other avatars we've met, has no trouble accessing her past lives. in fact, it's too intense. this is a completely new twist in the state of avatarhood, because we've seen kyoshi, aang, and korra struggle with the burden of their past lives and decisions without access — yangchen has always had access and it overwhelms her. she gets down and dirty because she's seen other avatars do it, in conflict with what the world thinks about the avatar. she knows exactly the power the avatar can have, she just doesn't know how to be that person HERSELF yet. i agree with other reviewers that centering kavik is a bit ridiculous, but im optimistic about the set up for the second yangchen novel.
Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this is not the book i expected, going into the story. but i was captivated by all four povs we followed thru the book. i don't really know what i was hoping for, but this book gave me more, between claudia's career and family life, between anthony and timmy, and victor — the bad guys got what was due them, and the good guys did too, and in the end i'm not sure anyone got what they wanted, or what they deserved. much like life. or something? im still perplexed.
The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
we!!! love!!! worldbuliding!! anything that adds to lore is amazing in my book this does a really good job of fleshing out kuruk's avatarhood and introducing yangchen in time for her novels!