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lavenderluvsbooks's reviews
426 reviews
Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don't like queer trauma tropes. Selfish and anger is the main character without the violin
Karaoke Queen by Dominic Lim
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
I enjoyed this book so much. It made me laugh and gush. I'm so happy with who he ended up with. Its important representation all around. The supportive family really touched my heart. Full circle moments after years of it all was something else. The many song references and I created a playlist. Also made fish adobo and it was delicious. My 2nd time eating filipino food. Karaoke queen has it all food, queer, music, drama, & lots of healing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
I did not meet anyone Jewish until I became an adult and have any Jewish friends. I learned a lot in this book. I also felt like the parallels in Chinese history were important. This books was an important read in culture mental health and identity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Antisemitism, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Where Your Eyes Linger (Hollow Ocean, #1) by Dani M. Ward
dark
sad
tense
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
3.75
The story was too trauma filled for me. It felt like the character kept making so many preventable choices and mistakes. A lot of things could have been solved by Veronika or the demon neighbor. There were three scenes in reference to queer people that was off to me and I did not like much. The smut was ok didnt really do much for me. Felt like there was a lot of filler towards the end when it was obvious she would end up with him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
The dark road by Kathleen Rhodes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was sent this arc by the publishing company for my honest review. In the beginning the story was slow. Full of dark imagery ptsd situations and sadness. The four pov and splitting the book into parts was not hard to follow. But with all the characters story etc in the end felt like the last few chapters had some filler. Overall a sad interesting story that still had moments that needed explaining or confused me in relation to the characters trauma. Also who is Chuck? I know he is one of the doctors but which one i feel like so much happened and with the main like 5 characters with all the minor characters. A good first attempt with room for improvement. As a nurse I see how the author put their career experience in the medical content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
This duology has me so emotional and teary. I have never reached this way about a book. I feel like I learned so much about persian culture the different religions farsi Iran food tea loss communication. This has become my absolute favorite book series and auto read author. Thank you for being so authentic in this work. As a daughter or immigrants black queer cis woman wow just wow
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
I feel like I learned so much about Iranian persian baihai etc culture religion & language. I want to try persian food and visit iran one day. I resonated with the depression so much. I saw myself emotionally and culturally in this story. As a daughter of two jamaican immigrants I still feel envious of others with a language and solid intact culture not overly tainted by slavery and such like most of the Caribbean. I found two playlist one modern and another full of persian music new and old. I enjoyed listening to them both while reading. I teared up a little.
Heir of Flames by Asia Monet
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book i did not want to put down. The female main character was relatable in the sense of her insecurities. The sprinkles of Spanish were cute. I love there is a book playlist and I created one for spotify. I definetly could see the book having five fewer chapters to wrap it up. Lots of fucking and eating between the two leads. I do want to read the rest of the series. Definetly 10/10 spice.
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
☮ I saw myself in a lot of the characters at their age and even now. I remember as a child when I became aware of the injustices surrounding black people. During Trayvon Martin's murder trial and when the verdict was wrong how I felt sick and cried. I grew up having mainly black Caribbean African friends but watching Hannah Montana and listening to Justin Bieber. I never considered myself not black or an oreo but many people made assumptions about me because of my interests and hobbies like reading. The trial changed how I felt and saw others. I was never the same again. I still have diverse interests and friends but I'm more aware now of things.
🖤 I too saw myself as unattractive compared to my peers. Always crushing on people who were not interested in me. I was just being myself and that never seemed to be enough. To this day that stands to be true. I've come a long way with my confidence and emotions. I am shayla, hana, Isabella, julia, Angie, Tyler, etc. All the characters in the book showed me something forgotten.
🖤 I too saw myself as unattractive compared to my peers. Always crushing on people who were not interested in me. I was just being myself and that never seemed to be enough. To this day that stands to be true. I've come a long way with my confidence and emotions. I am shayla, hana, Isabella, julia, Angie, Tyler, etc. All the characters in the book showed me something forgotten.
Hot for Teacher by Monique Fisher
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ahhhhhh
I loved this short book. It made me laugh. Family names were in it. The smut scenes 10/10 on the wet scale. I could not be more please reading this author for the first time. I need the newest book about drea & thad.
I loved this short book. It made me laugh. Family names were in it. The smut scenes 10/10 on the wet scale. I could not be more please reading this author for the first time. I need the newest book about drea & thad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse