brinnavirginia's reviews
211 reviews

American Rapture by CJ Leede

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dark tense medium-paced

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

1.5

Ughhhhhhgghhghg what's the point

Content Warnings

Perfume & Pain by Anna Dorn

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funny medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

Women and Children First is an intricately, carefully webbed net cast over a barely-fictional coastal Massachusetts town at the time of its latest tragedy. We see the story through the perspectives of a varyingly-yet-undeniably connected group of women and girls, bearing witness to their inner worlds and their relationships. There are many fantastic meditations on grief and so much keen-eyed metaphorical language, though at several points I was pulled from the story by an awkward or inaccurate phrase (so much chin touching... how many people get someone else's attention by grabbing/lifting/etc that person's chin? Everyone in Nashquitten apparently. And a warm glass of wine wouldn't sweat!). Regardless of these small faults, I thoroughly enjoyed living in the world of this book--and it's not just because I live maybe 45 miles from where I'd place Nashquitten MA on a map.

Content Warnings

Such Small Hands by Andrés Barba

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dark tense 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? No

3.5

Content Warnings

Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.5

Content Warnings

Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler

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emotional funny 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

She’s done it again! Halle Butler’s BANAL NIGHTMARE is a bleakly hilarious masterpiece. Each character is so distinctly unlikeable, and yet I could see my sorrows and wounds in (almost) all of them. I laughed out loud, I reflected upon my life past-present-and-future, and I can’t wait to get this book into the hands and hearts of the masses.

Content Warnings