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dododenise's reviews
401 reviews
The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
2.5
That was a whole lot of meh. This book did nothing good, but also nothing really bad. I ended up dragging myself through this book. Since there was nothing truly bad about it I didn’t want to dnf it.
I tried, but I ended up not caring about anything. Not the characters, the relationships, the plot, or world building did anything exciting. I did not care about any of it. The world building was severely lacking. It was way too vague for me and I don’t think I really understand how this world works. The main relationship was doing the steps, but the meat all around it was missing, so it did not make a whole lot of sense to me and I did not feel anything for them. You cannot tell this kind of love story and not fill it with a lot for if you want it to blossom into the interesting relationship this kind of trope provides. The plot was boring. At no point was I invested.
Perhaps I should have stopped reading this book, but I also knew I was still hoping the book would get to me. The right tropes are there for me to like it, but in the end the execution was not doing it for me.
I tried, but I ended up not caring about anything. Not the characters, the relationships, the plot, or world building did anything exciting. I did not care about any of it. The world building was severely lacking. It was way too vague for me and I don’t think I really understand how this world works. The main relationship was doing the steps, but the meat all around it was missing, so it did not make a whole lot of sense to me and I did not feel anything for them. You cannot tell this kind of love story and not fill it with a lot for if you want it to blossom into the interesting relationship this kind of trope provides. The plot was boring. At no point was I invested.
Perhaps I should have stopped reading this book, but I also knew I was still hoping the book would get to me. The right tropes are there for me to like it, but in the end the execution was not doing it for me.
What If It's Us by Adam Silvera, Becky Albertalli
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This really wasn’t all that great. For two of the OG queer YA authors to collab I hoped for more. The two main characters were just lacking for me. I didn’t like them all that much, especially Arthur. Their chemistry was mediocre. The moment they found each other I stopped rooting for them.
And then there’s the endless Harry Potter references… Oh has that aged poorly.
And then there’s the endless Harry Potter references… Oh has that aged poorly.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 2 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
3.0
This took me so much longer than it should have.
I love Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, but the plot with all the political intrigue and other characters are doing very little for me. Are 20 pages of character focused content really worth reading the entire book?
I love Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, but the plot with all the political intrigue and other characters are doing very little for me. Are 20 pages of character focused content really worth reading the entire book?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I almost stopped reading the book in the beginning but then Thomas showed up and I was hooked. Aaron is not an easy protagonist, and I never really liked him. What I thought most when reading this book was “Thomas and Genevieve deserve better”.
This book does a surprising amount with the number of pages it has. Yet, as someone who enjoys speculative fiction and dystopia I do wish the mind altering aspect of the story was explored more beyond the scope of what it could and could not do for Aaron.
This book does a surprising amount with the number of pages it has. Yet, as someone who enjoys speculative fiction and dystopia I do wish the mind altering aspect of the story was explored more beyond the scope of what it could and could not do for Aaron.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman
adventurous
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Pretty cute. Love that this comic gave minorities in US history a story. I would’ve loved some more depth though, both in the plot and the characters.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Comic / Manhua), Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
4.0
Game Changer by Neal Shusterman
challenging
reflective
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
5.0
There’s something about Neal Shusterman’s writing that just works for me. I cannot let his stories go. He has great ideas and is able to execute them in a satisfying way. Same goes for this book:
In many ways I would describe this book as an educational book for social justice. It deals with topics with racism, homophobia, abuse… In many ways it’s very on the nose. But since this is a book for teens, I think it works. I think the book can teach white teens, straight teens, cis male teens about the injustices in our world. And it does so in a very interesting way, in a book full of mystery and scifi magic. The alternative worlds make for a great tool to do thought experiments on what could be, what has been and giving it a new angle.
In many ways Ash is an unreliable narrator. What I found interesting to clearly make his voice in the book him from the future, telling the story of what happened to him. So in the one hand you have Ash’s ignorance and confusion in the moment itself, as well as an Ash from the future providing commentary. I think it helps with focusing on the right themes, and making the right judgements for those who might otherwise take a wrong turn. Perhaps to some readers it might seem like Neal does not appreciate their intelligence of figuring it out themselves, but I liked it. Sometimes it’s nice to just be told what is going wrong to be able to focus on more details.
In many ways I would describe this book as an educational book for social justice. It deals with topics with racism, homophobia, abuse… In many ways it’s very on the nose. But since this is a book for teens, I think it works. I think the book can teach white teens, straight teens, cis male teens about the injustices in our world. And it does so in a very interesting way, in a book full of mystery and scifi magic. The alternative worlds make for a great tool to do thought experiments on what could be, what has been and giving it a new angle.
In many ways Ash is an unreliable narrator. What I found interesting to clearly make his voice in the book him from the future, telling the story of what happened to him. So in the one hand you have Ash’s ignorance and confusion in the moment itself, as well as an Ash from the future providing commentary. I think it helps with focusing on the right themes, and making the right judgements for those who might otherwise take a wrong turn. Perhaps to some readers it might seem like Neal does not appreciate their intelligence of figuring it out themselves, but I liked it. Sometimes it’s nice to just be told what is going wrong to be able to focus on more details.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Violence
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual content
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
3.0
Did I understand most of the plot? No. Did I care about the plot? No. Did I like the writing style? No. But dear god, I loved Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. Their dynamic is everything.
I’ll probably continue this series because those two certainly got to me. There were scenes I adored in this book, like the flashback chapter, and I hope there will be more for me to love in the next books. (and i should actually look at the glossary more instead of going “eeeh i’ll figure it out. i did, in fact, not figure it out)
I’ll probably continue this series because those two certainly got to me. There were scenes I adored in this book, like the flashback chapter, and I hope there will be more for me to love in the next books. (and i should actually look at the glossary more instead of going “eeeh i’ll figure it out. i did, in fact, not figure it out)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail