angelkisses's reviews
195 reviews

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced

4.5

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The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced
overall a pretty enjoyable book with an engaging thriller plot and commentary on the intersections/interactions between colonialism, patriarchy and classism (material exploitation more generally, as it impacts and is impacted by superstructure).
something weird about mentioning David's time in the IDF (specifically to do with mind hacking?) and not go further into it... considering this story is so clearly about The Centres exploitative origins and nature (cannibalism as a metaphor for colonialism) its weird that there wasnt any pushback from the narrative around Israel as a ethnostate apartheid settler colony especially when the narrative explicitly deals with things like Parition and British imperialism.

I think it's a bit confused but ultimately very readable!
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Identitti by Mithu Sanyal

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
re my feelings on this book: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/6ed2251b-0d8b-47ad-ab97-2a1151276a0c
I actually love the style and multimedia format and the nonlinear storytelling but yeah. Idk. As another wasian it felt. Lacking. 
Real Life by Brandon Taylor

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Don't know how to describe this except wow what an enthralling read. I was seriously hooked - the dialogue is so sharp and real, the description is seriously lush. Bravo, applause all around. I was feeling pain and had to stop reading several times to shout in frustration /pos. Reminded me of why I love reading.
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Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

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

3.0

good premise, lackluster execution. started to go somewhere interesting but reneged to the classic thriller explanation of
she's just craaaaaazy (count the number of times taylor/roza is described as psychopathic/sociopathic)
Two Hundred and Fifty Ways to Start an Essay about Captain Cook by Alice Te Punga Somerville

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced
Idol, Burning by Rin Usami

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

3.5

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

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adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel

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challenging funny sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Modernist intervention about the intersections of race, gender and class in a colonial context crystallized through deeply fucked up interpersonal relationships. It's great! I love vignette fiction, independent publishing and appreciate this deep dive into the impact of patriarchy and colonialism on the personal.