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The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope
In many ways The Monsters We Defy delivers on its premise: we follow a ‘ragtag’ crew as they prepare and execute a heist to save themselves and their community. It did manage to hold my attention and even delivered some fairly entertaining scenes and/or dazzling descriptions, and I can see this appealing to fans of…
1920s, 20th century, actors, Adult, adventure, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, FANTASY, female authors, ghosts/spirits, heist, HISTORICAL FICTION, insta love, Leslye Penelope, lgbtq+ side, m/m side, MYSTERY, occult, PARANORMAL, POWERS, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, ROMANCE, seances, spiritualism, The Monsters We Defy, URBAN FANTASY, Washington DC -
Honor by Thrity Umrigar
Previously to reading Thrity Umrigar’s Honor I’d read another novel with the same title and subject matter. Both books make for harrowing reads, however, whereas I found Elif Shafak’s more thoughtful tone to be more appropriate to the subject fitting, here, well, Umrigar’s undermines her social commentary by throwing into the mix a rushed romantic…
2.5 STARS, Adult, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, class, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), distressing reads, female authors, graphic content, hinduism, Honor, honor killings, India, indian american author, insta love, Islam, journalism, MELODRAMA, MURDER, My reviews, PRIVILEGE, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, Religion, revenge, ROMANCE, Thrity Umrigar, trauma, violence, violence against women -
In the Clear Moonlit Dusk by Mika Yamamori
This mangaka’s style was chef’s kiss. Alas, the story reads like a very generic high-school shoujo. うるわしの宵の月, translated as In the Clear Moonlit Dusk follows Yoi Takiguchi, a high school girl whose princely appearance has earned her the nickname of ‘Prince’. Often mistaken as a boy, Yoi is not used to being seen as a…
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Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson
I lived for that Mack cameo! Sadly, Olivia & Toni didn’t steal my heart away like Liz & Mack did… “Loving someone is being big enough to admit when you mess up, and then doing everything in your power not to do it again.” Rise to the Sun is a summery sapphic romance that reads…
1st pov, 3 STARS, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, anxiety, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, f/f, female authors, georgia, Indiana, insta love, Leah Johnson, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, light reads, music, musicians, My reviews, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, reading, ROMANCE, sapphic, social issues, Summer, summer reads, YOUNG ADULT -
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
DISCLAIMER: If you are thinking of reading this novel I recommend you check out some more positive reviews, especially ones from #ownvoices reviewers (such as Brandann Hill-Mann’s review). I didn’t hate this book it but I would be lying if I said that it didn’t really, really, really frustrate me (because it did). I would…
1st pov, addiction, America, Angeline Boulley, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, coming of age, CRIME, DEATH, drama, FANTASY, female authors, Firekeeper's Daughter, gay side characters, GRIEF, indigenous, indigenous author, insta love, INVESTIGATION, kidnapping, lgbtq+ side, Michigan, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, Not Like Other Girls, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ojibwe/Chippewa author, psychopaths, published in 2021, rape, read in 2021, ROMANCE, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, sports, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, trauma, trying and failing @ feminism, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, why the hype, YOUNG ADULT -
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
The cover for this book is goals…its contents not so much. I found this novel to be an odd melange of confusing and simple. The characters came across as flat (little more than names on a page), the world-building, although at first promising, ultimately struck me as patchy, and the storyline and…
American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, confusing for the sake of being confusing, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dystopia, environmental, female authors, identity, insta love, ISLAND, Joan He, MEMORY, My reviews, netgalley, plot over character, published in 2021, read in 2021, ROMANCE, SCI-FI, science, scientists & co, sea, SISTERS, SPECULATIVE FICTION, The ones we're meant to find -
Who’s Loving You by Sareeta Domingo
Who’s Loving You? is a wonderfully inclusive collection that sadly falls into the common pitfalls of short story collections: some stories are good, others not so much. Each story in Who’s Loving You? was written and focuses on women of colour (most of them British). You could definitely tell that many of the authors…
3 STARS, Adult, Amna Saleem, British author, collection of short stories, Contemporary, Danielle Dash, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Dorothy Koomson, drama, england, f/f, female authors, insta love, Kelechi Okafor, Kuchenga, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, meet cute, netgalley, published in 2021, queer, RACE, read in 2021, ROMANCE, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, sapphic, Sara Jafari, Sareeta Domingo, short stories, social issues, star-crossed lovers, TRANSGENDER, Varaidzo, weak prose -
As Far as You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper
“How long does it take to fall in love with someone—hours, days, years?” This was okay but I was kind of expecting something different. At times As Far as You’ll Take Me follows a bit too closely in the footsteps of other YA coming-of-age books. There also seems to be a rising trend for YA…
1st pov, 3 STARS, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANGST, anxiety, bad love, body dysmorphia, Christianity, coming of age, drama, eating disorders, england, Florence, friendships, gay, insta love, Italy, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, LONDON, m/m, male authors, mental health, music, musicians, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, Religion, ROMANCE, Summer, summer reads, toxic relationships, travel, Wales, YOUNG ADULT -
We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
We Are All Birds of Uganda is a debut novel that inspired rather conflicting feelings in me. At first, I enjoyed Hafsa Zayyan’s ability to render her protagonist’s environment. I was not surprised to discover that Zayyan is like her protagonist Sameer a lawyer based in London. Zayyan captures the stressful atmosphere of Sameer’s office,…
2 STARS, Adult, British author, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), england, family, fathers & sons, female authors, friendships, Hafsa Zayyan, insta love, intergenerational, Islam, LONDON, male friendships, politics, published in 2021, RACE, read in 2021, Religion, social issues, travel, Uganda, We Are All Birds of Uganda, work culture -
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor — book review
Strange the Dreamer is a wonderfully imaginative novel. Meditations and discussions on storytelling, dreams, and myths are not only embedded in the narrative but shape the very way in which the two main characters view their world and themselves. “Lazlo owned nothing, not one single thing, but from the first, the stories felt like his…
3.75 stars, 3rd pov, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, dreamers, Dreams, FAIRY TALES, fairytalesque prose, FANTASY, ghosts/spirits, gods, high fantasy, insta love, Laini Taylor, MAGIC, myths, PUBLISHED IN 2017, purply prose, READ IN 2019, ROMANCE, Strange the Dreamer, YOUNG ADULT
luce [is reading] 