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spinesinaline's reviews
816 reviews
Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Abandonment
The Melting Queen by Bruce Cinnamon
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Transphobia, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Infertility
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs and Car accident
Have You Eaten? by Sarah Gailey
adventurous
challenging
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
4.25
This was sweet. A quick serial read available for free online, I've loved Gailey's short apocalyptic fiction with found family! It does handle a lot of heavy topics (homophobia and transphobia, reference to police violence, domestic abuse) but it feels like but it balances this dystopian landscape with genuine relationship-building.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual content, Police brutality, and Stalking
Monologue Dogs by Méira Cook
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
I really enjoyed the format of this one with all the poems presented as monologues from different characters. I wasn't familiar with all the sources so I'd love to revisit with more of that background
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Abandonment
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
challenging
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
I think this one confused me more than the last Oyeyemi book I read. I'll need some more time to figure out exactly what I thought about it, or maybe another read through since she packs so many little details in the prose.
I do love the fantastical nature of Oyeyemi’s writing. Where Boy, Snow, Bird took inspiration from Snow White, this one clearly borrows from Hansel & Gretel, though neither could be considered a retelling. It felt like those fairytale connections really heightened near the end of this book, which is also where it got even more confusing and wild.
While I can’t say I understood much of the finer details or where it goes really off the rails, I loved the complexity of the relationships, particularly the focus on mothers and daughters.
I do love the fantastical nature of Oyeyemi’s writing. Where Boy, Snow, Bird took inspiration from Snow White, this one clearly borrows from Hansel & Gretel, though neither could be considered a retelling. It felt like those fairytale connections really heightened near the end of this book, which is also where it got even more confusing and wild.
While I can’t say I understood much of the finer details or where it goes really off the rails, I loved the complexity of the relationships, particularly the focus on mothers and daughters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A solid 4-star read. Definitely hits the "healing fiction" genre, presents more as a series of vignettes than a deep novel but I appreciate the lack of resolutions that allow for self-inserting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Infidelity
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was a little worried going into this one as I’m not into very scary things but I was really drawn in by the blurb and it was such an entertaining story. This was the kind of horror story about colonialism I’d hoped Mexican Gothic would be, a slow creeping tale with clever quips, an obvious villain and yet still enough dark twists to catch you by surprise. Colonialism in the story, much like in real life, is so interwoven into every aspect of this horror, it’s such a threatening and unnerving force.
The only downside for me was that it felt at times like the main character was overly obsessed with sex and sex appeal, but it would certainly be at home with most horror movies and perhaps this was a purposeful choice. I also don’t love a cliffhanger ending but it does keep the thrill aspect lingering so I felt it worked here, even if I was a bit miffed at not getting complete closure.
The only downside for me was that it felt at times like the main character was overly obsessed with sex and sex appeal, but it would certainly be at home with most horror movies and perhaps this was a purposeful choice. I also don’t love a cliffhanger ending but it does keep the thrill aspect lingering so I felt it worked here, even if I was a bit miffed at not getting complete closure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia and Car accident
The Sacred Heart Motel by Grace Kwan
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I’m clearly a bit of an odd one out with this one as this wasn’t a huge hit for me but it definitely had its moments. My favourite poem was “Glue Trap”, a seemingly simple recollection of dealing with a mice infestation but an unexpected exploration of intimacy.
The overall theme of this collection is overtly stated in the title and blurb but I didn’t find the individual poems forming a cohesive whole. I find it interesting that several poems were previously published in different forms, which seems to speak to the sense that these were not necessarily written with the same theme in mind. It may have worked better for me if I hadn’t expected them to speak so seamlessly together.
It does read as a debut so I’m curious what this poet will produce next.
The overall theme of this collection is overtly stated in the title and blurb but I didn’t find the individual poems forming a cohesive whole. I find it interesting that several poems were previously published in different forms, which seems to speak to the sense that these were not necessarily written with the same theme in mind. It may have worked better for me if I hadn’t expected them to speak so seamlessly together.
It does read as a debut so I’m curious what this poet will produce next.
Network Effect by Martha Wells
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I've loved the way each of the books in this series has been building off each other, from offhand comments about the governor module to full-blown detail here. The alien remnants coming back at long last was a great premise for the first full-length book! And loved that we got to revisit so many of the original crew.
Of course, the heart of this one is friendship and we are reunited with ART! I love the relationships in these books and we get to spend so much more time on them here. This one also felt more intense than most of the others so far, it starts hot and it feels like there's no time to rest. I wasn't sure how the new length would work when the other books so far felt the perfect length but this was an action-packed ride that never felt overly drawn out.
There's room for a lot more detail of course, and I am finding it harder to keep track of the many names and locations and events that have been part of this series now but that's mostly a me problem. I think with the length of this one it would definitely help to reread the others as a refresher. I chose to read the 6th book (written after the 5th but occurring before it) before this one and it's very interesting in retrospect as there was no hint at the chaos that would come very soon after.
Overall, very good and I'm very expecting about the new characters we're introduced to in this book.
Fave quote from the book: "Angry, then afraid, then dead. Is that the right order?"
Of course, the heart of this one is friendship and we are reunited with ART! I love the relationships in these books and we get to spend so much more time on them here. This one also felt more intense than most of the others so far, it starts hot and it feels like there's no time to rest. I wasn't sure how the new length would work when the other books so far felt the perfect length but this was an action-packed ride that never felt overly drawn out.
There's room for a lot more detail of course, and I am finding it harder to keep track of the many names and locations and events that have been part of this series now but that's mostly a me problem. I think with the length of this one it would definitely help to reread the others as a refresher. I chose to read the 6th book (written after the 5th but occurring before it) before this one and it's very interesting in retrospect as there was no hint at the chaos that would come very soon after.
Overall, very good and I'm very expecting about the new characters we're introduced to in this book.
Fave quote from the book: "Angry, then afraid, then dead. Is that the right order?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content and Kidnapping