alouette's reviews
258 reviews

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

feels like half the worldbuilding didn't actually make it onto the page, leaving me confused for most of the plot related aspects. the battle scenes were cool and well written, though, and the idea of the trials was fascinating (very danganronpa-esque!). 

meanwhile, the character related aspects: while there was a really cool overall cast, the direction the author took with gideon's character and her relationship with harrow made me incredibly uncomfortable. a lot of gideon's POV is just her watching other people accomplish things or discuss things or be proactive, and the things that she accomplishes are often done at the behest of others. she was witty and brave, but felt like more of a commentator than a character.

and then the ending... 
for gideon to sacrifice her life for a girl in a position of power over her who legitimately tortured her for years? ew
there's a difference between dark books for the sake of sending a message and books that romanticize abusive behaviour. this leaned heavily towards the latter, especially when half the marketing is about there being lesbians.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

simple, strange, relaxing, whimsical fairy tale.  snow bebe made me smile and the story was sweet! i did think there was going to be more color based on the first chapter so it was a bit disappointing for that to not be the case. 
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Go to review page

dark hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

not what i expected! the author takes a seemingly basic setting and uses well fleshed out characters to create a really meaningful, creepy, important story. while i think the writing style wasn't for me when it came to visualizing scenes, especially very heavy ones, it still got a magnificent plot across. absolutely the diverse, thematic, unpredictable kind of novel we will always need more of in the world.

i was definitely more partial to devon's POV as a queer person, but both his and chiamaka's voices were very distinctive and gave fresh perspective on their community. worth a reread to find all the hints that culminate into that thrilling ending. and the closure afterwards in the epilogue made me incredibly happy!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
1984: The Graphic Novel by George Orwell

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

glad george orwell has allegedly admitted in letters that this took a turn into torture p*rn that he didn't intend! because i can so tell why people admire it, but its unrelenting nihilism is suffocating and was only made bearable for me by the interesting artistic choices. there's nothing in this book to make you feel like you're reading about actual humans, with everything being relevant but not so much thought-provoking as it was depressing.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Under-Earth by Chris Gooch

Go to review page

challenging dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i think the world contained in this book had a lot more potential for social commentary that didn't entirely come through. disappointing ending for me, but still made me interested to check out the author's other works. the art and ideas were certainly haunting.
Robots vs. Fairies by Navah Wolfe, Dominik Parisien

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

very cute short story anthology! such a brilliant idea that's treated with both wit and philosophical thought. i really liked the unique formatting of some of the stories but have to admit that plot and character wise, i enjoyed the fairy stories more. guess i know which overlords i'm wishing for!
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
this type of humour is just not for me! i can see why it's a sci-fi classic but i couldn't get into it.
A Thief Among the Trees: An Ember in the Ashes Graphic Novel by Sabaa Tahir

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

fascinating little adventure that didn't require me to know what Ember in the Ashes even is :) though it did make the premise a bit unbelievable because i didn't know the rest of the worldbuilding. the plot was fun anyways. always interesting to pick up graphic novels to read quickly on a whim at the library
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

maybe if i had realized this was based on a podcast i would've liked it better! as it was, i felt that it meandered and i wasn't really invested in the characters or plot. i thought the plot was cool after the fact, i just didn't care much in the moment, maybe because this kind of liminal/existential horror is not among my usual reading material. i'm more for antagonists with depth and morally explored motivations, not mindless drones. 3 stars for "meh" feelings on this book!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
I knew the forced, uncomfortable, power imbalance romance was coming from the synopsis but I thought "maybe it will be done well!" Unfortunately, I was wrong :( dnf'ed as soon as she called him handsome while having just been kidnapped and lowkey tortured for a while