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yourbookishbff's reviews
606 reviews

The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A stunning conclusion to the trilogy and evidence of just how well-built this series is as a whole. This picks up right where we left off at the end of Oleander Sword, adding a few new POVs into our rotation right at the start and building out the ancillary conflicts at play in this stage of the war. Suri's writing is so lush, and her ability to build intensity through rapid POV changes and surrealist scenes is remarkable. Once again, the yaksa stole the show for me in this installment, keeping us unsettled while building out the God-lore of this universe. 

For long-time fantasy readers, Suri's intentional focus on female agency in every single story line is so refreshing - in a literary world where women are so often sidelined to martyrdom or romantic plotlines, we see in Suri's world what it looks like when men deliver on these fantasy expectations. What does it look like when men sacrifice themselves for an empress, when men express unrequited love and longing, when men are at the center of emotional court politics and manipulation? And more important, what does it look like for women to direct generals, for women to negotiate international alliances, for women to claim God-power, for women to reject self-sacrifice, for women to live (gasp) selfishly? This genre is so dominated by male writers, that it is exciting to see authors like Suri subverting so many of the classic epic fantasy devices for her purposes, and then putting at the very center a heart-wrenching sapphic love story. 

Cannot recommend this series highly enough - it's dark, unsettling, romantic and adventurous, and it will satisfy those who love seeing immortals meddling in human chaos. So, so good. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a complimentary advanced reader copy.

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The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

First: props to Danica Nava for writing the riskiest premise for a debut rom com I've ever seen - in a market that is unkind to "unlikeable" female main characters and constantly maligns miscommunication-style plot devices, she delivers a female main character who builds a skyscraper of lies for 95% of the book. It's a bold choice, and I applaud her for it. And while I didn't mind the lies as much as I thought I might (Ember's got her reasons, and the author's note adds a lot of context here), I did find the workplace conflicts - specifically the spot-on depiction of corporate politics - incredibly anxiety-inducing. I actually set this down for days with no intention of returning to it, simply because I was stressed for Ember. That said, I ultimately pushed through, and I'm SO glad I did, because Nava rounds out this conflict so well, and delivers a resolution that feels very authentic for these characters.

I really can't get past the workplace scenes. Nava's depiction of corporate life is so surreally accurate - satirized possibly at a few points, but only barely - that I felt both deeply validated and deeply angry reading it. Also noteworthy is how rare it is to actually see working class main characters - in a market where so many of the stand-out rom coms literally feature lake houses (why?!), a female main character with her TV propped on a cardboard box and a job working at the bowling alley is so REAL. We need more!! 

This isn't going to be for everyone - the conflicts are stressful and the inner monologue leans cheesy, but I'm so grateful it exists - for its representation of Indigenous main characters, working class people, corporate chaos, and so much more.

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Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare

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

4.5

This, like every Dare I've read, was so fun. She finds a way to always pack an emotional gut punch about midway through, when some not-so-lighthearted trauma shows up, and this was no exception. This was a delightful childhood friends-to-lovers-but-she's-engaged-to-his-brother romp, and while I wished for a bit more of their initial storyline to show up on page in some way, I still had a great time watching them finally choose one another. It's always "I love you" and never "I filled an entire room in your castle with cake just for you," sigh.

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An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

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emotional hopeful informative medium-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

4.5

I am SO glad I returned to this. I originally eyeballed this one and DNF'd just over halfway through. I returned to it on audio, having heard fantastic reviews of the narration, and it really brought this story to life for me. I loved the deep dive into the sapphic artist community in France during this era, the examination of the kinds of agency a woman might take for herself - and the limits even then. Cora is seemingly on top of the world as a wealthy widowed Duchess, and yet, she can't claim happiness or partnership for herself without risking a trade empire and reputation she built through personal sacrifice. Manuela has some advantage - namely, valuable land - and yet can't trade it for what she really wants, independence from her family's expectations. The push-and-pull between these two felt so visceral, and I loved how Herrera forced both to do some internal reckoning to achieve a happily-ever-after. Highly recommend on audio - can't wait for Aurora's story in book three!

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The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really struggled through this one. I loved the premise and was really enjoying the non-traditional romantic set-up for our two main characters - one the servant to a courtesan and the other a highborn, spoiled nobleman who is either truly a fool or just playacting as one for unknown reasons - but their arc hit some really frustrating points for me, including a pretty upsetting sex scene where the female main character disassociates through the experience and the male main character is oblivious, and an overly extended concubine conflict that had me gritting my teeth. Their romance in the second half involved a lot of exposition, where Lin told us about their revelations without really showing us their growth, and it was hard for me to root for them (Yue-ying deserved so much better). I also started to lose interest in the murder mystery about halfway through and had to really push myself to finish this. My least favorite of Lin's books I've read so far, but I'm going to continue the series in hopes I find the other character dynamics more compelling!

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We Do This 'til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba

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challenging hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This is an excellent collection of essays, interviews and other materials detailing the work and philosophy of Mariame Kaba, prison abolitionist and Chicago-based community organizer. Her decision to document her work and to record her name in history is a powerful one, and I'm grateful for her time and generosity in making this collection. It's a powerful reminder that organizers like Kaba have been at work for years, through every presidential administration and shift in public discourse and attention, that they are there long after network cameras leave. Kaba's reflections on individual campaigns were humbling, as I recall media attention for each, but did not know the resolution to many of them (a reminder of my privilege in being only selectively aware). I also really appreciated her efforts to define and contextualize the abolitionist movement and mindset, her push to examine our assumptions about feelings of "safety" and "security," and her reminders that the movement is weakened when it is diluted into prison and police "reform." I highly recommend this as a starting point for anyone interested in learning more about abolitionist movements.

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A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

I really enjoyed this as a series set-up, even when it got a bit hung up in introducing too many side characters (all of whom I assume will eventually be main characters/important in some way, but all of whom were difficult to track on a first read). Everett's writing style and humor comes through in this first installment, and I loved her take on a bodyguard romance. I felt the character development was a bit jumpy/rushed, but honestly, I had a good time with this despite that.

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Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This is really a remarkable collection of short-form horror. I'm hardly its target audience (I'm a wimp!), but I do love a number of these authors and have read their other work, and was intrigued by the premise for this particular collection. Some of these stories are genuinely terrifying, others heartbreaking, others unsettling, but all felt earnest and raw. Woven throughout these stories are narratives of colonization and genocide, multigenerational trauma and displacement. Highly recommend for horror and dark fiction fans, and for those who, like me, will occasionally dabble if the time is just right.

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A Modest Independence by Mimi Matthews

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I jumped back to this story after finishing the Belles of London, as I realized 1) these characters are all in the same universe, and I needed to know more about this hot(ly competent) solicitor and 2) I've had this on my TBR for ages because it's a road-trip romance! This did not disappoint, and I'm left in awe of the research Matthews must have done to make this story possible. Her story brings reclusive solicitor Tom Finchley and the desperate-for-adventure Jenny across the Chanel, to Cairo, and then on to India, where they travel through Calcutta, Delhi, and even Darjeeling. The modes of transportation alone are painstakingly described, and I found the trip itself fascinating. 

And the romance! I was missing a bit of context on the fall-out between Finchley and Jenny in the previous book, but it ultimately didn't lessen my appreciation for their current relationship tension. Matthews writes such beautiful longing, and I loved that these two actually divulge their affection for each other early on in the story, making the conflict the alignment of their life plans and not the declaration of hidden feelings or miscommunication of some kind. While the final resolution to their third-act breakup missed a beat or two for me, I had a great time with this story and appreciated how Matthews framed their grand gestures and declarations within the context of their backstories and goals.

So many character overlaps for the Matthews fans! Ahmad and Mira!! Alex Archer! Now I need to go back and read book one so I can blow through this series as well. Matthews writing is so elegant and romantic, and I just really enjoy her very earnest characters. 

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When You Wish Upon a Duke by Charis Michaels

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a really sweet Peter Pan retelling that reimagines the fairy tale's most memorable themes - growing up and claiming adult responsibility, finding adventure in your day-to-day life - while also capturing the whimsical spirit of the original tale. This is a story that glimmers on page - literally, as we experience the Northern Lights from a heated Icelandic pool - and keeps the reader suspended between realities. I wasn't quite in the mood for a book as lighthearted as this ultimately was, but I think readers will love the focus on the female main character's growth, independence and agency at each turn. 

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