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Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto
Over the last couple of years, I have made slow but steady progress reading my way through Banana Yoshimoto’s oeuvre. Amrita marks the thirteenth work that I have read by her and, as in many ways, it exhibits many textbook Yoshimoto traits: an atypical family unity, an irreverently optimistic tone (regardless of the subject matter),…
1990s, 1st pov, 3 STARS, abuse, Adult, adulthood, amnesia, Amrita, アムリタ, Banana Yoshimoto, celebrities, Contemporary, existentialism, female authors, GRIEF, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, KIDS WITH POWERS, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, MAGICAL REALISM, MEMORY, mumblecore, navel gazing, no plot just vibes, POWERS, published in 1994, read in 2022, ROMANCE, siblings, SLICE OF LIFE, slow pacing, surreal, TRANSLATED FICTION -
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is an engaging start to an action-driven fantasy series that is written in a winsome prose that is guaranteed to appeal to fans of Rick Riordan. Like Riordan’s books, Zhao combines an action-driven quest with a coming of age tale exploring the highs and lows of being a 12yr…
3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, action, adventure, asian american, battles, belonging, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, bullying, China, chinese canadian author, coming of age, Contemporary, FANTASY, gaming, history, HUMOR, identity, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, middle grade, middle school, Muslim rep, myths, near future/alternate reality, playful style, published in 2022, queer, quests, read in 2022, reading, social issues, technology, travel, URBAN FANTASY, Xiran Jay Zhao, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor -
Later by Stephen King
Did I finish this in a day? I sure did. Stephen King simply excels at writing ‘kids with powers’. This is the 14th novel I’ve read by him and it deepened my already deep appreciation of him. The prose, characters, themes, and atmosphere in Later are pure King. Yet, while he has written more than…
1st pov, 2000s, 2010s, 4 STARS, abuse, addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, books about books, books about writers, boyhood, CHILDHOOD, CRIME, DEATH, f/f side, favourite authors, ghosts/spirits, great storytelling, growing up, HORROR, illness, KIDS WITH POWERS, Later, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, male authors, mothers & sons, NEW YORK, PARANORMAL, POWERS, published in 2021, read in 2021, STEPHEN KING, SUPERNATURAL, THRILLER, violence -
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
“Fear of death is a powerful weapon.” Remote Control is Afrofuturism at its best. Nnedi Okorafor seamlessly blends folklore elements and aesthetics with sci-fi ones, delivering a unique and intriguing piece of speculative fiction. Set in Ghana, Remote Control opens in medias res: the appearance of Sankofa, a fourteen-year girl, and her companion, a fox,…
3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, afrofuturism, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, Black & Black heritage authors, Booklr, curses, DEATH, dystopia, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, futuristic, Ghana, KIDS WITH POWERS, myths, nigerian american author, NNEDI OKORAFOR, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, POWERS, published in 2021, read in 2021, Remote Control, road trip, SCI-FI, SPECULATIVE FICTION, survival, TOR novella, travel, witchcraft -
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Schwab’s aesthetics dominate this novel. There is a focus on how words and phrases sound, which does pay off, in fact, Schwab’s prose is one of the most likeable things of this novel. At times certain turn of phrases or repetitions may come across as pretentious or flowery but I think that for the most…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, academia, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, campus, dark, dark academia, DEATH, existentialism, FANTASY, female authors, friendships, great storytelling, it’s about the *aesthetics*, KIDS WITH POWERS, MAGIC, male friendships, MYSTERY, PARANORMAL, published in 2013, read in 2018, science, SPECULATIVE FICTION, superheroes, toxic relationships, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, V.E. Schwab, Vicious, YOUNG ADULT -
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 -
The King of Crows by Libba Bray — book review
I hate to say it, or write it, but The King of Crows wasn’t a very satisfying conclusion to The Diviners series. “Who got to decide what made somebody an American? America, the ideal of it at least, was its own form of elusive magic.” While it isn’t as drawn-out as the finale to the…
1920s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, ace, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, big books, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Dreams, f/f side, FANTASY, favourite authors, found family, friendships, gay, ghosts, ghosts/spirits, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, LIBBA BRAY, m/m side, MAGIC, Nebraska, netgalley, Neurodiversity, NEW YORK, occult, PARANORMAL, POWERS, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, road trip, spiritualism, SUPERNATURAL, tarots, THE DIVINERS, THE DIVINERS SERIES, The King of Crows, travel, YOUNG ADULT -
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater — book review
Okay, I loved it even more this second time around. This book is full of Stiefvaterisms (in the best possible way). “This is going to be a story about the Lynch brothers.” The very first line of Call Dawn the Hawk echoes that of a fairy tale and Maggie Stiefvater demonstrates just how impressive a…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, adventure, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, brothers, Call Down the Hawk, cambridge (us), cars, Contemporary, declan lynch, dreamers, Dreams, england, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, FOLKLORE, friendships, gay, great storytelling, Harvard, heist, henrietta, Jordan Hennessy, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, m/m, Maggie Stiefvater, MAGIC, magical swords, Massachusetts, occult, PARANORMAL, POWERS, published in 2019, re-reads, READ IN 2019, road trip, Ronan Lynch, series that went downhill, tarots, the raven boys, the raven cycle, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, virginia, Washington DC, witchcraft, YOUNG ADULT -
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson — book review
“I had the children. They caught on fire. I had to keep them from catching on fire.” As soon as I read Kevin Wilson’s dedication (“for Ann Patchett”) I had a feeling that I was in for a treat (and I was right).There was something about Wilson’s surrealism that reminded me a bit of Charlie…
1990s, 20th century, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, Booklr, favourite authors, friendships, HUMOR, Kevin Wilson, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, male authors, manor/big house, Nothing to See Here, parenting, published in 2019, queer, re-reads, READ IN 2019, read in 2021, sitter/au pair/governess, SLICE OF LIFE, Summer, summer reads, surreal, tennessee, unrequited love, uplifting reads, weird -
The Institute by Stephen King – book review
“What we regard as Evil is capable of a fairly ubiquitous presence if only because it tends to appear in the guise of good.” — Joseph Brodsky The Institute is a gripping, if occasionally horrifying, read. Stephen King is a great storyteller and The Institute showcases many of his strengths and traits: we have an engrossing…
4 STARS, abuse, action, Adult, adventure, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, banality of evil, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, child abuse, Contemporary, HORROR, KIDS WITH POWERS, male authors, minnesota, morality, PARANORMAL, POWERS, published in 2019, READ IN 2019, social issues, SPECULATIVE FICTION, STEPHEN KING, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, The Institute, violence
luce [is reading] 