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Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
Bad Cree was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases and while I did like it, it didn’t quite live up to its premise as it ultimately reads as one of those debuts that manages to be both refreshing (in its imagery, in its lack of the usual romance subplot) and cliched (in its storyline,…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, alberta, America, bad cree, canada, canadian author, Contemporary, Cree, cree author, dead girls, DEATH, Dreams, FANTASY, female authors, forests, GUILT, hauntings, HORROR, indigenous, indigenous author, Jessica Johns, lgbtq+ side, MAGICAL REALISM, MYSTERY, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, nehiyaw author, PARANORMAL, published in 2023, queer side characters, read in 2023, SISTERS, subject over characters/story, SUSPENSE, trauma -
The Break by Katherena Vermette
The Break is a harrowing yet lucidly written intergenerational family saga that examines the repercussions of a horrific act of violence.The book opens with Stella, a young Métis mother, witnessing a violent attack on some land near her house. Although torn, Stella doesn’t rush to the victim’s rescue and calls the police instead. When they…
3 STARS, addiction, Adult, body dysmorphia, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, canadian author, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), family, FAMILY SAGA, female authors, ghosts/spirits, grandmothers, indigenous, indigenous author, Katherena Vermette, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, motherhood, mothers & daughters, My reviews, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, published in 2016, rape, read in 2022, reading, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, The Break, trauma, violence, violence against women -
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Cloud-Atlas-esque novels seem to be all the rage in 2022… “This place is precarious, that’s the only word for it. It’s the lightest sketch of civilizations, caught between the forest and the sea. He doesn’t belong here” This is my third novel by Mandel and once again I have rather conflicting thoughts and feelings about…
1910s, 20th century, 3 STARS, Adult, America, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, beautiful prose, belonging, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, canada, canadian author, Contemporary, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dystopia, Emily St. John Mandel, f/f side, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, interconnected stories, interesting structure, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, moon, morality, musicians, My reviews, pandemic, philosophical, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, reading, restrained prose, SCI-FI, Sea Of Tranquility, siblings, SPECULATIVE FICTION, time travel -
Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu
Like most other collections of short stories, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century is a bit of a mixed bag. Out of the 12 stories, only 2 really stood out to me while the rest blended together somewhat. The author uses fantastical elements to explore familiar themes and dynamics. I liked her use of…
3 STARS, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, canada, canadian author, collection of short stories, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, girlhood, hauntings, Kim Fu, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, MAGICAL REALISM, My reviews, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, short stories, SPECULATIVE FICTION, surreal -
The Maid by Nita Prose
edit: after some reflection i have decided to lower my rating as i am frustrated by the way autistic-coded Nina is presented as so exaggeratedly ‘quirky’ & ‘naive’, someone who we will inevitably find ‘endearing’ The Maid could have been a solid escapist read. This is less of a cozy whodunnit than a ‘trying hard too hard…
1st pov, 2 STARS, Adult, arc, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, bullying, canadian author, Contemporary, cozy mystery, CRIME, female authors, friendships, grandmothers, hotel, HUMOR, light reads, loneliness, maids, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, netgalley, Neurodiversity, Nita Prose, read in 2022, reading, SUSPENSE, The Maid, unnamed country, whodunnit, work culture -
Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
“It takes practice to have restraint, and we are not yet at an age to try it out.” As the title and cover themselves suggest, Happy Hour is the book equivalent of an aperitif. I’m thinking of an Aperol spritz and some black olives. Nice enough while you’re having them but once they are gone…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, canadian author, class, cold tone, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, ennui, female authors, female friendships, friendships, gay side characters, Happy Hour, horrible friends, latinx author, lgbtq+ side, loneliness, Marlowe Granados, millennial, mumblecore, My reviews, navel gazing, NEW YORK, PRIVILEGE, read in 2021, reading, rich people, satire, SLICE OF LIFE, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, toxic relationships -
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
Gut-wrenching and haunting Indian Horse depicts the horrific realities of residential schools, as well as racism and discrimination in 1960s Ontario. This is the third novel that I’ve read by Richard Wagamese and, while Medicine Walk and Ragged Company were no walks in the parks, Indian Horse’s unsparing bleakness and distressing content make those two…
1960s, 1st pov, 20th century, 4 STARS, abuse, addiction, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, canadian author, conversational style, DEPRESSION, distressing reads, favourite authors, GRIEF, HISTORICAL FICTION, hockey, indigenous, indigenous author, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, male authors, My reviews, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, nuns, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ojibwe/Chippewa author, Pedophelia, published in 2012, RACE, read in 2021, reading, rural setting, social issues, sports, trauma -
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
“People were like that, though. Basically good until they thought they could get away with shit without being caught.” A one-sentence summary for Son of a Trickster could go something like this: slacker boy spends his days getting drunk, high, and/or puking. “The world is hard, his mom liked to say. You have to be…
2010s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, abuse, addiction, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, british columbia, canada, canadian author, Contemporary, Eden Robinson, family, FANTASY, female authors, haisla author, HIGH SCHOOL, indigenous, indigenous author, Kitimat, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, mothers & sons, My reviews, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, Poverty, PUBLISHED IN 2017, read in 2021, reading, toxic relationships, trickster #1, URBAN FANTASY -
Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
“Names have power. This is the fundamental principle of magic everywhere. Call out the name of a supernatural being, and you will have its instant and undivided attention in the same way that your lost toddler will have yours the second it calls your name.” First published in 2000 Monkey Beach is a deeply evocative…
1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 1st pov, 4 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, addiction, affairs, bildungsroman, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, british columbia, canada, canadian author, CHILDHOOD, coming of age, DEATH, Eden Robinson, family, female authors, ghosts/spirits, girlhood, GRIEF, growing up, haisla, haisla author, identity, indigenous, indigenous author, introspective, MAGICAL REALISM, MEMORY, monkey beach, My reviews, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, place as character, published in 2000, rape, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, reading, rural setting, sea, sexual assault/abuse/rape, siblings, social issues, YOUNG ADULT -
All’s Well by Mona Awad
“I thought tests led to something. A diagnosis led to a plan, a cure. But tests, I know now, never lead us anywhere. Tests are dark roads with no destinations, just leading to more dark.” All’s Well makes for an entertaining if somewhat flawed romp. The novel is narrated by Miranda, a theatre professor in…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, academia, actors, Adult, ALIENATION, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, canadian author, chronic pain, Contemporary, dark humor, disabilities, female authors, feverish, hallucinations, HORROR, illness, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, mental health, mona awad, My reviews, MYSTERY, netgalley, playful style, published in 2021, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, revenge, shakespeare, she is not feeling good at all, stylised prose, teachers, the female malaise, theatre, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, unreliable narrators, weird, womanhood/femininity
luce [is reading] 