clovetra's reviews
222 reviews

adventurous emotional lighthearted 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? No

4.0

ugh what a cute story.

sapphic romance? check. nonbinary mc? check. witches? check. werewolves? check. disabled mc? check. everything i love in my books.

the only “letdown” for me was the fact i felt like this book started in the middle of a story. idk i felt like i was missing a lot of context, and like the copy i was reading cut off the first half of the novel. i felt like i was thrown in with no background knowledge which sucks because i wanted more of tam and nova!!!!!!!!

anyways u should very much read this i love gay people

Content Warnings

The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán

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challenging dark tense fast-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? Yes

1.0

sue me but i hated this. honestly for the life of me i couldn’t tell you why i finished this other than the fact it meant i checked something off of my reading list.

at many points this book felt like it was weird for the sake of being weird. its weirdness was pointless and felt like it was only there to shock me.

the characters all felt flat - paloma had almost no personality and felipe felt annoying. iquela was my favourite character, but honestly she had no competition and was only likeable because she made sense. most of this book does not make sense to me. i cannot tell what is real or not real or imagined or fake or what.

the plot feels barely connected, and the payout felt weak and like i had wasted my time.

the only thing i found intriguing about this book was its historical context, but honestly nothing was ever explained and every time the past was touched on i felt so close to actually enjoying this, and then the author rips the historical context out of my grubby hands and makes me return to felipe and iquela fighting.

this review feels so mean but im actually angry because this book had potential. at parts i did have fun. i was constantly waiting for this book to get better. it did not.

i might try and read the authors other book, namely when women kill, but honestly im so mad at this book i don’t even want to look at her other books for a while.

im gonna go watch drag race im actually so mad

edit: omg hello how did i forget the two massive things that made me the most angry about this book. at one point “autistic” is used as an insult, and there is an incredibly graphic scene of animal cruelty for no reason! which is even harder for me to read as it was about a parrot! i lost my baby girl monty only earlier this year. i actually wanted to vomit and cry reading that. i’ll miss you forever baby girl. and fuck this book for adding unnecessary animal cruelty.

Content Warnings

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

welcome gideon the ninth, you are now one of my elite employees (/ref).

i am broken. i am shattered. i am changed.

i am but a simple lesbian.

i’ve been sitting here for an hour contemplating how to rate this. on one hand, the concepts were so frustrating to comprehend, and it was to the point where after every chapter i was consulting a guide because i wasn’t sure i was actually grasping what was going on, which made all 479 pages incredibly frustrating. on the other hand, this book is all i could think about. usually to fall asleep i employ a video essay of something that’s my special interest — recently only until dawn has been scratching that itch. but my body was craving a gideon the ninth video essay. all i could think about was this book.

needless to say, i can overlook how annoying this book was to read at times simply for the grip it had on me.

i love griddle. what an insane fuckjng nickname. i adore her, her inner monologue, her relationships, her reactions, her one liners, everything.

i would die for the sixth, and harrowhark baby im coming for you in the next series hold on for me.

the plot was fucking insane. who decides “yeah the book i’m writing is about sapphics in space who are necromancers and also there’s a lowkey murder mystery plot with some romantic undertones and high fantasy oh and yeah did you forget we’re in space. and necromancers.” like ?????? i want what muir was having when conjuring up the idea of the locked tomb. absolutely batshit insane. and i wouldn’t have it any other way.

i don’t really know what i was expecting from the plot but im very pleasantly surprised by what it ended up being! even more surprised as i got a semi-big spoiler and yet it really didn’t spoil shit for me! like the spoiler did hold a lot of weight in the plot but because so much happens in this story it was so easy to focus on the other reveals happening simultaneously.

the fight scenes were a bit hard to follow especially when the necros are involved, and the trials were so fucking confusing to my mind. but honestly i was so invested in the characters, mainly the ninth & the sixth, that i can’t put this book any lower than 5-stars.

i’m gonna go stare at griddlehark fan art for the next 3 hours sobbing. also this book gave me such a big fucking headache oh my god reading my neuroscience textbooks is easier.

Content Warnings

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

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emotional lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

this was such a sweet book!!!!!! ugh i don’t know why i didn’t read this earlier but i loved it!!!!!

i think the real reason behind my love for this story as i can very much relate to ophelia. the fear of coming out, the fear of rejection, burning your entire friendship group down over one small thing….. yeah me & ophelia are kindred spirits. she was such a fun and relatable protagonist i couldn’t help but root for her (pun intended).

i really enjoyed how this story was a subversion of books like this —

although whilst reading i wanted her and talia to work out, i kind of prefer them not dating, and enjoyed that the story focused more on self-love rather than finding your identity and dating a girl. the fact the plot did a 180 with talia & ophelia’s relationship and stuck to it? i actually really loved it and it makes this story stand out from the rest of the genre

i had fun with the plot, and the exploration of not just ophelia’s love life but all of the friendship group’s love life was done incredibly well for a book this length. i did not expect everyone from ophelia to her dad to wes to have such fleshed out storylines. it was refreshing to see.

the ending was very sweet as well, and i like that the ending felt very true to what was being set up the entire story.

i will say however the one thing that knocks this down a peg for me is the constant pep talks ophelia gives the reader. i mean i get it, but i can’t say i love when books constantly repeat their message so obviously in a way where it feels like im almost reading a self help book. ophelia darling im so happy you’ve got your life figured out but you don’t need to convince me babe.

anyways i really liked this! probably one of my favourite coming of age stories ive had the joy of experiencing.

shout out agatha for being the best side character.

Content Warnings

Please Fear Me by Jennifer Love

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challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

thank you netgalley & fairlight books for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review!!

now, this story follows smidge, a teenage runaway, as we follow her friendship with violet, a fellow runaway, and their new residence at a local circus. we learn about why smidge is on the run, her past, as well as the secrets of the circus they’ve joined.

this book had such incredibly unique prose i fell in love. the way this book was written kept drawing me back in to smidge. speaking of smidge, she’s the real draw to this book. i’ll say it right off the bat - if you can’t bond to smidge, this book isn’t for you. this book hinges on your interest into smidge, as there is kind of not really a plot? so if you can’t love books where the draw is the main character, this isn’t for you. but smidge was so well written, i fell in love with her. she’s so witty, and by <10% into this book i fell in love with her. violet was characterised strongly as well, but like i said, smidge is the focus, and jennifer love pulls smidge’s characterisation off so flawlessly.

the world building is also established incredibly early on and immersed me well. obviously compared to fantasy books not as much was needed seeing as this is a contemporary novel, but establishing smidge’s life on the run prior to violet and THEIR world was done so fast i was hooked by the second chapter.

the structure of the book was also a standout, as its nonlinear structure kept the story going with flashbacks, even when it was slow at points.

finally, i adored the rep in this book. like hello???? nonbinary and trans characters????? sapphic character?????? SIGN ME UP!!!!!

now i’ll admit i did have some small issues with this book, but honestly they’re just an issue of personal preference, not the actual novel’s fault. like i said earlier, this book kind of doesn’t have a plot. it does loosely, but the book more so follows smidge and her character development as well as her inner thoughts. if you’re someone who needs a strong plot, this book isn’t for you. as much as i loved smidge, i do need something grounding me, and although the circus kind of fulfils that role, it doesn’t feel like it. it’s hard to explain unless you’ve read this how the plot actually works — this book is unlike anything i’ve ever read.

speaking of the circus, it felt like missed potential and almost kind of pointless? the whole cult aspect was barely touched, making me feel like it’s role in the story wasn’t edited or written well. it very much felt like something smidge was passing through (which is the case) but then everything going with the circus felt like a waste of time as a reader. and that point can kind of apply to the ending as well (iykyk).

in the end, this was a great story about abuse, exploitation, and guilt. if you love stories where the characters are the main focus, and love stories with nonlinear structures, this book will meet all your needs 🫶

Content Warnings

Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Griffin, Jason Reynolds

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emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

i mean… i don’t really have that many thoughts. i didn’t realise it would be a “stream of consciousness” poetry book, or else i wouldn’t have picked it up.

i liked the prose, and the illustrations really tipped this over to the 3-star rank, but idk this style of poetry always feels incredibly surface level to me. i expect you to go beyond basic concepts in poetry and to me it didn’t feel like this did.

the writing style really evoked a 2020-feeling in me tho. don’t ever do that again 🙏

Content Warnings

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

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mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

hmm. i really don’t know what to think about this book. this is one of the rare times where i read other reviews simply because i don’t know how to describe my thoughts on this.

i really think my expectations for this were set incredibly high, and this book didn’t meet them. i mean it’s in NYTs top 100 books of the 21st century (voted by the public) so i expected something….. More. i mean the author won a nobel prize! i expected to be enthralled but instead i was mildly interested.

the main character felt one-note. after a while, her only talking about animals or astrology became frustrating. there felt as though there wasn’t much to her, until the penultimate chapter, but even then it couldn’t save my opinions of her throughout the story.

the plot seems to meander, not really doing too much. there’s a death, then the mc yaps about eccentric topics, a death occurs, and wash rinse repeat. i’m not really too big a fan of stories without a driving force, and it really just felt like i was reading one of those recipes online where the author writes 45 paragraphs before the actual recipe. like homegirl i don’t give a shit about how animals are murdering everyone… i just want you to be solving this shit! i was expecting this to be a real mystery, but it felt like the ‘plot’ of the deaths took a back seat, which was really odd. i did find some things the mc talked about interesting philosophically, but then it was peppered with the words of a mad man. idk i didn’t find i had any feelings towards the mc, therefore i wanted to rip my hair out every time she rambled.

this book felt like it was ‘stream of consciousness’, and sorry i can’t fucking stand books like that!!! i at least need SOMETHING to connect the book. although the deaths were that link, and the book is marketed towards the mystery element, it felt as though they were brushed past instead to focus on the 7th paragraph about how the mc hates animal cruelty. like i’m with u girl but at the same time you have no discernible personality outside of that.

i really tried to like this, and at times i was tangentially intrigued by the book, most of the time i was just like “….meh”. i really hope this is just an issue of this plot and not of the actual writer because if it’s the latter…… girl.

Content Warnings

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

i remember discovering this book after the debacle that was c*** c****** review-bombing fellow authors. i was super excited to read this, but i think for me it fell flat in some places.

first tho lemme say what a GREATTT character elara is. god i loved her, her chapters, and what her plot followed. she seemed cool yet down to earth, and as a fellow lesbian ofc im gonna root for my homegirl! i also really liked the characters who followed elara’s story, as they all felt fleshed out with believable personalities and character developments.

however, i didn’t like faron at ALLL, and i think that’s the main issue of this book. the book felt like it was flip flopping between her or elara being the MC…. except i really didn’t care about faron. and it’s not even like “oh i didn’t like her”. i know her character is meant to be unlikeable to some degree. i just felt nothing for her. emotionless. i did not care about her plot line, her character development, her highs and lows, none of it. ok maybe her progression with reeve but that’s because dude seems cool. shout out reeve ur not getting ur own paragraph but youre in my top 3 of characters from this book. anyways back to the topic of faron — girl irritated the hell out of me. and not in a quirky way. like i adore protagonists who are unlikeable and evil and shitheads. man i just came off the poppy war in love with rin. i just couldn’t find energy to CARE about her when all this cool interesting shit is happening with elara! especially when faron’s plot is very predictable whereas elara’s had a twinge of mystery the entire way.

and then there’s the issue i have with the plot…. everyone’s motivations feel fucking stupid. aside from reeve, elara & signey, nobody’s goals long term make any sense. i felt like when reading this i was in crazy town. like why are yall literally going scorched earth over something so inconsequential. and the “plot twists” were foreshadowed well, ill give this book that. except the plot twists themselves felt…. Lacking in emotional investment. like i know i was supposed to be going “😧” at every reveal but i was just like “…..😦…..😐”. i really didn’t care long term. idk maybe the plot points needed more time to cook? but in the same vein it felt like faron’s story was flopping around for like 60% of the book where elara was the only one getting shit done until faron’s story goes from 0-100. idk the pacing of the plot as well as the moving parts of the plot felt….. Odd! i can’t really put my finger on what issue i’m having dont sue me im on a new antidepressant my brain is full of rocks.

i defo will be tuning in for the other book because i love my girl elara!!! i need to know what happens to my homegirl!!! and reeve!!!! my boy!!!! but if it weren’t for them sorry i wouldn’t be picking up the next book. anyways im gonna go drool at some signey and elara fan art.

Content Warnings

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo

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adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.0

oh this was super interesting and not what i was expecting at all!

seeing as this is a novella i’m not gonna have…. too many thoughts honestly.

i really enjoyed reading a book about academia and neuroscience research!!!! i’ve pondered going into that field quite a bit, either in neuroscience or research, so seeing them mashed together was a little bonus point from me. sean writing her emotions into academic speak…. chefs kiss. “academia is devoid of emotion” YUP!!! YUP!!!!!!!

also side note but i love the fact the female mc is named sean. idk i love the idea of ungendering names. fuck it names shouldn’t have a gender. also sean is COOL for a woman. we as a society need to name more women sean methinks.

speaking of sean…. whoo she was a doozy protagonist! i mean im reading this for sapphic septemberand its prompt was “disaster sapphics”, so i wanted to see how the sapphics were disasters and…… oh it defo fit that prompt! sean is somehow so incredibly unlikeable and an awful person, yet simultaneously incredibly empathetic. i love a protagonist who is awful and everyone calls them out on their shit, but honestly an awful protagonist can only go so far when the reader wants to gouge the protag’s eyes out. but this book teeters the balance of empathy yet disgust towards sean. god she sucks.

the actual plot itself felt a tad… anticlimactic. idk i expected more…. Horror. this did not feel like horror to me…. defo seems to be more so speculative fiction & thriller rather than scifi horror… but that’s just me. and the whole story itself felt…. idk. boring isn’t the right word. but although i could see the descent into madness, what i was reading wasn’t matching the emotional response sean was producing if you know what i mean. like it made sense… but it also seemed like homegirl was being a bit dramatic. yeah that’s the point but as someone who will sit thru movies going “this shit is dumb why didn’t they do xyz”…. i kinda was just sitting here at times being like “…..why is this bitch going from 0-100 over that”. like her responses were disproportionate even for someone going through what she was. it didn’t make sense logically based on what was explained. and then the climax built up instantly fizzled out… i was just kinda sat there getting excited and then the plot flatlined.

i really think this book described isolation incredibly well, and anything even adjacent to psychology or neuroscience will get my little brain buzzing with excitement. i won’t say this book was a flop because it wasn’t! but i wasn’t itching to read this book because the plot was good, or i was intrigued. i was waiting for something batshit to happen… and then it didn’t… and then because it’s a novella i might as well finish it.

apologies if this review makes no sense (like my reviews ever do psh) homie is on day 5 of cymbalta 😀 i have slept 16 hours every day i am fried.

anyways don’t read this book if animal cruelty upsets you 👍

Content Warnings

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

i really don’t know what to say about this book. i don’t think it is possible for me to convey my thoughts surrounding this book. it was breathtaking.

ocean vuong’s prose is unlike anything i’ve ever read before and is incredibly addictive. the form in which this book takes only adds to the brilliance of this story, and made me keep coming back for more.

the only “downside” in my eyes of this book is that the story’s nonlinear structure made it hard to follow at times, and the main character felt devoid of personality. it’s highly likely that those features are a metacommentary on the main character themself, but it doesn’t make me like the book any more when the reason behind choices are explained.

i quite enjoyed the characterisation of lan & rose, and seeing the effects of generational trauma was handled amazingly. i especially liked reading about lan and her relationship with little dog.

i don’t really think there’s more i know how to say. i have a lot of feelings about this book that are stuck in my head (question of the century: is it because the book is that good it’s rendered me speechless or is it because i’m on day 2 of cymbalta.. the world will never know). but this book is legendary, and deserves all the hype it has surrounding it.

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clovetra's reviews 222 reviews

clovetra's reviews
222 reviews