araowl's reviews
54 reviews

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is an insanely beautiful masterpiece - just taking off one star for the torment of reading about all that pedophilia and incest.
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Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

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

2.5

I appreciate the premise and idea behind this series- a fascinating look into the alien beauty and terror of a landscape untouched by human destruction - but, I felt quite a disconnect while reading it. It's hard to describe what exactly is off about this series, but I feel like the characters are rather flat and the story goes off in so many random, confusing directions that it lacks a strong emotional weight. I found it difficult to follow, maybe just me, but I felt like the writing was all over the place and the story was disconnected. Overall I found this book confusing and underwhelming. However, I can see that Vandermeer is a very talented writer with an interesting imagination, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. 
Palestine Speaks: Narratives of Life Under Occupation by Cate Malek, Mateo Hoke

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challenging emotional informative slow-paced

4.5

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-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

5.0

Ilium by Lea Carpenter

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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

4.75

'The Far Field' is a complexly layered, slow-burn about what happens when privilege, naivety, and impulsiveness fueled by grief have legitimate consequences for others. I felt that the main character, Shalini, was realistic, deeply flawed, and believable- making the story feel all the more devastating. As someone from the West who lives in quite a sheltered bubble, this novel was a very eye-opening look into the diverse political culture of India. The supporting characters from Kashmir and Kishtwar were just as complex and interesting to read about as Shalini, which made the ending deeply sad but very narratively satisfying. Overall, I felt the story had great emotional power and beautiful writing, albeit slow-paced in the middle. 
Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman

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

4.0

I enjoyed this short story collection. The writing style was graceful, yet not overdone. The focus on the nuance of family relationships and how the natural world can override our rational selves was interesting and compelling. My main critique is that the characters in the stories felt very similar, at times it felt like the narrators of the different stories were the same person. I also found it a bit odd that so many of the characters happened to be veterinarians. I read in the author's bio that they are married to a veterinarian, so I suppose it falls under a case of "write what you know." Overall, this collection was a joy to read, although the stories sometimes felt a bit undifferentiated.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

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

3.0

I can certainly see why this was revolutionary in its time and how it has influenced modern literature, particularly modern YA novels. It has quite beautiful writing. However, it didn't do much for me reading it today. It's slow-paced and full of biblical references, casual racism, and questionable relationship dynamics. I'm glad I've read it though, since it's referenced and alluded to so often!
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

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

3.75

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

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emotional reflective

5.0