caseythereader's reviews
1741 reviews

Tangleroot by Kalela Williams

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challenging emotional 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

3.5

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free copy of this book.

 - I have mixed feelings about TANGLEROOT. I was on board for the story and setting, for Noni, and for the mystery of her family history as it unraveled. However, the execution of it fell short for me.
- The big thing I couldn’t get past was Noni’s mother. She was intensely controlling and it was swept away at the end, with Noni coming to the conclusion that her mother knew best. I’m sorry, but in what world is it fine to find out that your daughter made one insensitive comment to a coworker so you decide she can no longer attend the four year college she plans to in the fall and you instead enroll her in the local community college and sign her up for a slate of courses she isn’t interested in at all??? There are several other actions the mother takes that horrified me, and they simply weren’t addressed.
- Whew okay, aside from that, I appreciated that this is a YA novel that explored aspects of slavery that aren’t usually touched in books for this age group. 

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Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
I do not have the brainpower for this right now, unfortunately. Maybe another time.
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I’m just not a big fan of queer people’s pain as a vehicle for straight learning. Also how nearly every woman in the story suffered because of the men’s actions and it was kind of glossed over. Also the dialogue was so corny. Does anyone actually say stuff like “we gotta go before Johnny Law gets here” ?

ALSO
I thought we were done with transness as a plot twist but I guess not

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Abolitionist Intimacies by El Jones

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challenging emotional informative

4.0

Gravity Lost by L.M. Sagas

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

4.25


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Over the Influence by Joanna "JoJo" Levesque

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0


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The Astrology House by Carinn Jade

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Couldn’t track who was who and how they were related. 
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

4.25


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Vilest Things by Chloe Gong

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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