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472 reviews

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was different from anything I’ve read. It was gothic and atmospheric and beautiful. In this book, history is alive and the past and the present blur, connected by a house. This Tory is told through duel timelines. The first is 2014 in a boarding house in South Africa. The second is in the 1930s, in the same building before it became a boarding hosue, when it was a magnificent manor. In 2014 a young girl becomes obsessed with discovery the history of the house and we learn with her about the the love story that unfolded there and its tragic conclusion. There’s so much magic in this story. We get the POV of djinn who exists in both timelines, and even the house itself acts as a character, witnessing the lives unfolding within its walls.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

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emotional 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

4.75

Content Warnings

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-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

4.5

Content Warnings

Lizards Hold the Sun by Dani Trujillo

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

4.5

Content Warnings

The Pale-Faced Lie: A True Story by David Crow

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

Racist, xenophobic, cruel, author is not actually native.

Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris

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emotional mysterious reflective fast-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

4.75

This novella packs a punch. The prose and imagery are both heartbreakingly beautiful and deeply unsettling. It is a horror story that is also a meditation on grief, identity, and community. Its a love letter and apology to nature and the havoc that has been wreaked upon it. It's what Thoreau wishes Walden was.

Content Warnings