amylangdown_'s reviews
40 reviews

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

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

5.0

Book one was great, but book two was brilliant. Twists and turns and so carefully crafted. I didn’t see the secrets until they were revealed. The character development and the way the world and lore grows so much, so seamlessly kept me hooked.
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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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

5.0

I loved this book. From the very beginning it was clear that nothing was quite what you expected it to be. It had endless twists and turns and the action was so full and rounded - as was the world it was placed in.
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On Connection by Kae Tempest

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

This teeny book holds more insight that any massive book I’ve read. It’s simple, it’s informed by life experience and by art. It’s about human connection between humans and to ourselves. It’s a beautiful little book.
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Divine Might by Natalie Haynes

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

5.0

Natalie Haynes is one of the best historians I’ve consumed history from - she has a captivating voice and writing style and this book tells stories of goddesses that I don’t often hear much about through the lens of art history and literature to build comprehensive and complex pictures. She examines and gives her opinions and feelings on the tales, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
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Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You by Sofie Hagen

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challenging emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is a book I needed when I read it. Happy Fat is a book that reflects on the realities of being fat in a fatphobic world. There are interviews from amazing fat activists and personal stories from Sofie that ring true to all fatties alike. I’d recommend everyone fat to read it - and I’d especially recommend non-fat people who want to be good allies to fat people read it too. 
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Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this retelling of Medusa’s story - through the lens of many gods, mortals and creatures (even sheep!). This is definitely the best telling I’ve heard of Medusa and her story - she’s often discussed but never  talked about in the way she is in this book, and I’m very fond of the way her tale is told. I found it a tad confusing at times when perspectives switched,  but the plot remains mostly clear regardless of who’s narrating it. 
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Gender Explorers: Our Stories of Growing Up Trans and Changing the World by Juno Roche

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

This book made me cry. It made me hopeful and angry in equal measures, for the trans community. This book is exactly what people need to hear when questioning transness and especially trans kids. Will be recommending to everyone. 
None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary by Travis Alabanza

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Sometimes you read a book and you realise that you needed to read it - this is one of those books for me. Travis is honest about the reality of existing within transness, but reflective on what it could mean if only the gender binary is less forced upon us all from birth. It is deeply personal but it is also an echo of what so many trans people feel and have felt. 
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Will I Ever Have Sex Again? by Sofie Hagen

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book doesn’t just explore sex - it explores intimacy, and gender and fatness and queerness and trauma - and it does so in a way which is deeply personal and hauntingly universal. There is one specific chapter on trauma, and one on transness, which I will refer people to going forward. This book isn’t a memoir in that it is scientifically backed up and researched, and we hear from researchers in it, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is about the experience of Sofie, navigating a world which is complicated, and sexual relationships which are, as they always are, multifaceted.
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Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life by Miriam Margolyes

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is the second memoir by Miriam, I listened to the first one, This Much is True, only a couple of months ago, but I wanted to hear more. Miriam Margolyes is an absolute treasure, and I think we can all learn from her outlook on life and the way she cares so deeply about others and their treatment. I listened to this book over only a few days and her telling of her memories is hard to pause. Really wonderful read, and ended on an inspiring note I know I’ll go back and listen to.
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