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lilradridinghood's reviews
436 reviews
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It's the 1950s, and an ex-cop who was just fired for being gay get hired to investigate a murder in a place that is secretly full of queer people. I thought the mystery was interesting and the main character was developed well through his internal conflicts. He has guilt over not doing more to help queer people when he was a cop, and he's also conflicted about finding the murderer in the first queer chosen family he's ever seen. There is some graphic homophobia portrayed in this story, but it's not just there for the sake of the setting. It serves a purpose in showing us how characters react to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I did overall enjoy reading the book, but there are pretty glaring flaws.
Ying disguises herself as a boy and leaves home to investigate her father's murder, and she just so happens to get the chance to enter the trial to join the engineering guild. Her goal to get into the guild quickly seems to overshadows her goal to learn about her father's death, and I don't think the story balanced these plot points evenly. The engineering tests are interesting enough, but I do wish the stakes were higher. I felt like if Ying failed she could just go back to her original plan of trying to learn more without undergoing the tests. Ying herself is an ok protagonist, but I think she's pretty mean to her best friend. Ye-kan was truly the best part of this book. But I think I kept reading more because I was curious of the plot than because I cared about the characters.
The writing was mostly pleasant to read, but one pet peeve of mine is when the character seems to always notice someone's eye color. She was really obsessed with the eye color of her love interest's family.
Ying disguises herself as a boy and leaves home to investigate her father's murder, and she just so happens to get the chance to enter the trial to join the engineering guild. Her goal to get into the guild quickly seems to overshadows her goal to learn about her father's death, and I don't think the story balanced these plot points evenly. The engineering tests are interesting enough, but I do wish the stakes were higher. I felt like if Ying failed she could just go back to her original plan of trying to learn more without undergoing the tests. Ying herself is an ok protagonist, but I think she's pretty mean to her best friend. Ye-kan was truly the best part of this book. But I think I kept reading more because I was curious of the plot than because I cared about the characters.
The writing was mostly pleasant to read, but one pet peeve of mine is when the character seems to always notice someone's eye color. She was really obsessed with the eye color of her love interest's family.
Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
I hate the main female character. She's a spoiled disrespectful child who thinks her culture is dirty. She has to resist the urge to roll her eyes when someone tells her to call an older family member by the proper respectful term instead of just by their name. She yells and swears at her mom. She's terrible. The main guy is just a boring rich kid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Stories about scholarships kids surrounded by rich people always resonate with me on some level. I really loved seeing how Nancy was affected by her position in specific ways, like how her friend could fly overseas to see her relatives every year while Nancy's family was too poor for her to ever see her relatives.
I liked most of the book, but I really didn't like the climax and resolution, arguably the most important parts. I also think the author overuses sentence fragments in a way that interrupts the flow.
I liked most of the book, but I really didn't like the climax and resolution, arguably the most important parts. I also think the author overuses sentence fragments in a way that interrupts the flow.
Howard the Duck, Volume 1: Duck Hunt by Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North
3.0
I've been bamboozled by Marvel's numbering. This is the second volume, following Volume 0. I didn't like the crossover with Squirrel Girl but the first part was ok.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
R. F. Kuang really went off about the publishing industry in this one.
Going into this book, I was worried that I would find the narrator too annoying to continue. But while I do find her actions deplorable, there are aspects of her character I actually find relatable, like her anxiety and her passion for writing. I was never rooting for her, but I could understand the motivation behind her actions. She felt like such a complex and whole human being.
The climax of the story was a bit too off the rails for my taste, but everything else was amazingly well-written and utterly gripping. R. F. Kuang did a fantastic job of clearly conveying a message without it coming off as too forced and preachy. Every outburst felt earned.
The climax of the story was a bit too off the rails for my taste, but everything else was amazingly well-written and utterly gripping. R. F. Kuang did a fantastic job of clearly conveying a message without it coming off as too forced and preachy. Every outburst felt earned.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Chuck Tingle writes with a primary focus on message rather than plot or character, and it shows. The characters range from annoying to boring. The dialogue feels forced. I feel like I'm expected to care about the main character just because he's dealt with homophobia, but frankly, there are a lot more queer characters these days and I can't feel sympathetic for him when there's nothing else that makes him feel real. Since I don't care about him, I don't care about the story and the things happening to him.
The Reckoning of Roku by Randy Ribay
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? Yes
4.0
This is definitely a character-focused story. While I love the characters' interactions, I do feel like the focus on character building made the plot feel really slow. I also wish Sozin was a more complex character. But it was cool to see Roku's struggles with detachment from the Fire Nation. I also really love Gyatso and his friendship with Roku. It was nice to see some Filipino culture incorporated too.
Sacred Hospitality by Olivie Blake
slow-paced
3.0
I read for the nicolibby parts, but it was mostly just them being immature and unable to work together.
Spider-Man: Fake Red by Yusuke Osawa
3.0
It's ok. Nothing particularly memorable. It was cool to see Silk though.
One thing that bothers me is that there's a table of contents and Easter egg breakdown that reference page numbers, but the pages are not actually numbered.
One thing that bothers me is that there's a table of contents and Easter egg breakdown that reference page numbers, but the pages are not actually numbered.