amylangdown_'s reviews
40 reviews

Queer as Folklore by Sacha Coward

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adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

5.0

A really wonderful insight into the link between queerness and folklore - from Greek myth to ancient leaders, poems, public figures and more. I learned a lot! Something I loved about this book is that it appreciates all artistic sources as valid in their importance to queer culture and history as a whole.
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Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Book two made me cry even more than book one. I believe these characters will have a place in my heart forever. The gentle and real queer love and joy is palpable. The ‘fuck-the-system’ narrative is much stronger in this second book. It’s more tumultuous than the first and I think this was the right choice. I was worried I wouldn’t get to see what I wanted to happen before the end and then the epilogue brought it in beautifully. Cozy and warm and hopeful and gorgeous.
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The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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adventurous challenging emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I LOVED this book. The characters made my heart hurt. The character development and the growth of a wholesome and caring queer relationship, plus the humour and the ‘smash the system’ plot was wonderful! I’ll miss the characters!
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Bunny by Mona Awad

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

4.5

This book was very surreal! It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I was in, I was hooked. The relationships in the book are so complex, as are the characters - a lot of them were ‘love-to-hate’ characters which I enjoy. I’m not sure exactly what happened near the end, but as the whole book was very surreal I didn’t mind the ambiguity - it made sense.
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A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Nesta is such a complicated character and getting to hear her story has got to be my favourite part of the series. Her character development through grief and fest and hardship is divine, and the way her story is written is so realistic, despite it being completely fantastical as a whole. I love all of the main characters in this series so very much.
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Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

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challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

5.0

This book was something I needed - so many experiences from my own life were talked about in ways I’ve never heard them discussed before and it’s really wonderful to hear an AFAB person discussing their experience of autism honestly and talking about the ways in which AFAB autistic people are often failed and devalued. 
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Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is beautifully complex and yet somehow simple at the same time. The way the book follows different characters through their lives and shows how they all link up is so very clever. The characters were so real and tangible and their experiences so different and yet so universal. I really enjoyed the way the book was split up into chapters and then into characters.
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A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

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

5.0

An in-between book that focuses on the characters and their trauma in the aftermath of a war. It really made me invested in the characters, (more than I already was!) and it was great to hear more from characters who’s perspective the rest of the series doesn’t speak from. I listened to the whole book over two days and didn’t want to stop reading (much like the rest of the series)!
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A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-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

5.0

I didn’t want to put this down, I was thinking about returning to it whenever doing other things. This third book was so complex and the character and plot development was woven in so seamlessly. The characters and world were so realistically conflicting and fleshed out. I fell in love with it all, though I loved the first two, even more in this third book. 
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A Short History of Queer Women by Kirsty Loehr

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emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

A wonderful and witty look into the history of queer women. I learned many new things. I really love a funny historical book, and Kirsty Loehr hits the nail on the head, balancing the seriousness of historical anti-queerness and humorous tales.
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