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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 -
Zikora: A Short Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie once again showcases her beautiful in Zikora. The story begins with the titular character, Zikora, who is about to give birth. The father of her soon to be born child is not there with he left her months prior, after she hinted at the possibility of being pregnant. As Zikora goes into…
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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett — book review
“At first, passing seemed so simple, she couldn’t understand why her parents hadn’t done it. But she was young then. She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you.” Brit Bennett’s second novel is a tour de force. The…
1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 20th century, 3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, ALIENATION, AMERICAN AUTHOR, beautiful prose, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEWS, Brit Bennett, California, class, colorism, family, FAMILY SAGA, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, los angeles, Louisiana, MARRIAGE, motherhood, mothers & daughters, New Orleans, NEW YORK, passing, published in 2020, RACE, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2021, read in 2022, rural setting, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SISTERS, SMALL TOWN, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, Southern America, The Vanishing Half, trans side characters, trauma, twins, Washington DC -
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich — book review
After reading many reviews praising The Night Watchman, I had quite high expectations for this novel. Having now read it, I can’t say that I found this to be either very good or bad. Louise Erdrich’s own grandfather was the inspiration for the character of Thomas Wazhashk and for the events that transpire in The…
1950s, 20th century, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Booklr, family, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, indigenous, indigenous author, Louise Erdrich, missing girls, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, Native dispossession, north dakota, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ojibwe/Chippewa author, published in 2020, read in 2020, social issues, The Night Watchman, Washington DC -
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 -
Red, White & Royal Blue: Book Review
disclaimer: I amended my original review which was low-key harsh. I know everyone and their grandma loved this book and I’m sorry that I don’t feel the same way. McQuiston is by no means a bad writer, it just so happens that her book did not work for me. Red, White & Royal Blue has…
1st pov, 2.5 STARS, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Casey McQuiston, Contemporary, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, england, female authors, gay, HUMOR, HYPED, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, light reads, m/m, NEW ADULT, published in 2019, queer, READ IN 2019, Red White & Royal Blue, REVIEW, rich people, rom-coms, ROMANCE, royals, Washington DC, why the hype, YOUNG ADULT