steepingnarratives's reviews
68 reviews

If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga

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

5.0

I was drawn in from the very start of this book. The way it is structured worked really well and felt like a fresh take. Particularly part 3 I enjoyed most. The discourse was captivating to read and gave the book as a whole so many points of view it really made you think. 

Appreciated the short chapters and extremely unreliable narrators. Overall I devoured this book and would love to learn a bit more about the author and hear from her on how If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English came about. 
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My Sister the Serial Killer is a fun fast paced read. The chapters are short keeping you engaged and turning the pages to see what happens next. The writing is wonderful and while I don’t think it had that much dark comedy, did find myself chuckling a few times. 

The ending did feel a bit abrupt, but honestly think it worked really well here. 
Don't Leave Me This Way by Eric Sneathen

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dark sad tense fast-paced

3.75

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

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informative fast-paced

3.5

While Cultish is pretty informative on the topic of cults and different types of cults, it doesn’t really lean into the language of cults or fanaticism as much. 

One of my biggest issues with the book was also the constant use of, “more on this later, we’ll meet so and so in part 4”. Apart from this, the author mostly reaches out to friends that have been pulled into cultish fads and mentions quite a few times how she lives in LA and has never fallen into cult traps because she has the intuition not to. 
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up by Evanna Lynch

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.75

I cannot imagine going through what Evanna Lynch did growing up. An extremely candid, eye opening, and raw telling of her fight with anorexia. 

While this was hard to read at times, it was an important read. Lynch has a way with words and you really get swept into her life from the start of her eating disorder and all of her struggles to finally getting to a point where she’s overcoming it taking things day by day. 
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi

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

3.75

Sin Eater captivated me from the very beginning. The eerie, tense, and dark atmosphere kept me turning pages. Megan Campisi’s writing made it easy to play the scenes in my head as I read. 

I felt the story was unique and well written up until the ending, which was the true reason I gave it 3.5. The ending felt very abrupt. There was still a few things that were left unresolved and maybe that was the point, but I would’ve loved to see what May did about her biological father for example. Overall Sin Eater is a solid read. 
Dune by Frank Herbert

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adventurous challenging slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

Dune is a book where the world building and storytelling are really out of this world. There are so many little details to get through, which is why I think reading this book can be a bit challenging. Overall though a truly fun and adventurous read. 
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

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emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Almond is truly a roller coaster of a read that is so moving and makes you feel so much. The short chapters make it easy to read, the writing is so beautiful and draws you in right away. Overall such a deeply loving and wonderful read. 
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton

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dark funny sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Weird book of stories and poems about weird little characters. All in all, great for those who love weird things and Tim Burton. The illustrations are also pretty great.