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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
This makes for a very wholesome read that will definitely appeal to fans of T.J. Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. Set in Britain, we follow Mika Moon, a witch who has learnt to live an isolated life in order to successfully hide her magic from others. Like other witches, she is an orphan…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, british indian author, cheesy, Contemporary, cozy mystery, england, FANTASY, female authors, found family, gay side characters, grumpy/sunshine dynamic, HUMOR, lgbtq+ side, light reads, m/m side, MAGIC, NORFOLK, orphans, playful style, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, ROMANCE, Sangu Mandanna, sitter/au pair/governess, teachers, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, WITCHES -
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
“You rescue something and you’re responsible for it. But maybe that’s what love is. Maybe it’s like a hit-and-run accident; it smashes you before you can think. You do it no matter the cost and you keep on running” While not without its flaws, Faithful is a gem of a book. Alice Hoffman has crafted a heartfelt…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, animals, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cheating, cold tone, coming of age, Contemporary, ennui, fairytalesque prose, faithful, favourite authors, female authors, forgiveness, found family, friendships, great storytelling, GUILT, heartbreak/breakups, introspective, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Long Island, MAGICAL REALISM, mental health, My reviews, NEW YORK, PUBLISHED IN 2017, re-reads, read in 2017, read in 2021, reading, restrained prose, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SLICE OF LIFE, toxic relationships, trauma -
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa
“And I think about how Dad gave me everything I could need. Except for the one thing that shouldn’t have terms or conditions. That should be a given. That should be so easy. Acceptance.” Written in a simple conversational style Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a tender love story, equal parts funny and…
1st pov, 3.5 STARS, abuse, America, American, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, coming of age, Contemporary, fathers & sons, found family, friendships, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, latin american, latinx author, LDR, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, los angeles, m/m, My reviews, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, reading, SEXUALITY, social issues, Summer, summer reads, texas, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Vol. 1 by Yuhki Kamatani
Ever since reading Nabari No Ou back in the early 2010s I have been a huge fan of Yuhki Kamatani. To call Nabari No Ou my favourite series ever doesn’t convey just how much it means to me. Our Dreams at Dusk boasts Kamatani’s beautiful artwork and storytelling. Once again Kamatani provides some wonderful platonic…
4 STARS, bullying, coming of age, f/f side, favourite authors, first love, found family, friendships, gay, gender identity, HIGH SCHOOL, identity, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, MAGICAL REALISM, manga, mental health, My reviews, Our Dreams at Dusk, queer, re-reads, READ IN 2019, read in 2021, reading, SEXUALITY, Shimanami Tasogare, SLICE OF LIFE, trans side characters -
The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
The Sky Blues is a wonderfully wholesome YA coming of age that makes for the perfect summer read. The novel is narrated by Sky who is in his last year of high school. After coming out as gay Sky finds himself living with his best friend, Bree, and her supportive family as his own mother…
4 STARS, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, anxiety, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, bullying, coming of age, Contemporary, drama, found family, friendships, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, identity, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, male authors, Michigan, My reviews, prom, published in 2021, read in 2021, reading, Robbie Couch, SMALL TOWN, social issues, The Sky Blues, trans side characters, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
“Fear and hatred, fear and hatred: often, it seemed that those were the only two qualities he possessed. Fear of everyone else; hatred of himself.” A Little Life is a heart-wrenching tour de force. Dark, all-consuming, devastating, moving, stunning, brutal, dazzling, beautiful, disturbing, A Little Life is all of these and so much more. This…
5 STARS, A Little Life, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, actors, Adult, ALIENATION, all of the trigger warnings, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, anxiety, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, beautiful prose, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, child abuse, chronic pain, cliques, Contemporary, dark, DEPRESSION, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), disabilities, distressing reads, female authors, film industry, forgiveness, found family, friendships, gay, graphic content, GRIEF, GUILT, Hanya Yanagihara, identity, Italy, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, m/m, male friendships, masculinity, monasteries, morocco, NEW YORK, Pedophelia, psychological, published in 2015, queer, rape, read in 2021, self-harming, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SEXUALITY, suicide, tragedy, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, violence -
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
Usually, I don’t go back on DNFs (there’s plenty more books in the sea and all that) but I also get that sometimes my enjoyment of a book depends on me getting to read it at the ‘right time’. The reason why I’d DNFed Storm of Locusts after reading just a chapter or so was…
1st pov, 4.25 stars, action, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, apocalyptic, bi side characters, Black & Black heritage authors, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, found family, friendships, gods, indigenous, indigenous author, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, monsters, myths, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, PARANORMAL, post-apocalyptic, published in 2019, read in 2021, Rebecca Roanhorse, Religion, road trip, SPECULATIVE FICTION, Storm of Locusts, the sixth world, the sixth world series, URBAN FANTASY -
Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese
“We become eternal by being held in memory’s loving arms.” After I read Richard Wagamese’s Medicine Walk, I was looking forward to reading more of his work. And Ragged Company did not disappoint. Similarly to Medicine Walk, which felt like a long conversation between a dying man and his son, Ragged Company presents its readers…
1980s, 1st pov, 4 STARS, addiction, Adult, canada, canadian author, cinema, dialogue heavy, films, found family, friendships, GRIEF, HISTORICAL FICTION, homelessness, indigenous, indigenous author, male authors, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ojibwe/Chippewa author, Poverty, PUBLISHED IN 2008, Ragged Company, read in 2020, Richard Wagamese, trauma -
Little Family by Ishmael Beah – book review
“Almost everything in this country is on its way to losing itself.” Little Family is a deeply felt novel. Set in an unnamed African country, the narrative revolves around five young people whose makeshift home is a derelict airplane. Ishmael Beah’s paints a sobering landscape: government corruption, extreme social divide, the malignant vestiges of colonialism,…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, child abuse, CHILDHOOD, class, colorism, coming of age, found family, friendships, growing up, Ishmael Beah, LITERARY FICTION, Little Family, politics, published in 2020, read in 2020, Religion, SEXUALITY, Sierra Leonean author, social issues, survival, unnamed country -
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune — book review
“He was here to observe and nothing more. He couldn’t influence the orphanage. It wouldn’t be proper. The RULES AND REGULATIONS were specific about such matters.” The House in the Cerulean Sea tells an equal parts heartwarming and silly tale. The world in this novel is fairly reminiscent of our own one however its pages…
3.25 stars, Adult, AMERICAN AUTHOR, cheesy, FANTASY, fatherhood, found family, HUMOR, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, light reads, m/m, MAGIC, male authors, PARANORMAL, parenting, POWERS, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, ROMANCE, SPECULATIVE FICTION, T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea, uplifting reads, URBAN FANTASY
luce [is reading] 