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luanagomes's reviews
1022 reviews
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
There is not much I can say about this book other than it felt like clickbait.
I normally stay away from hyped books and choose carefully my reads based on reviews, but somehow I fell for this one, still not sure how.
Look, the ideas are there, and they are not bad. They were just poorly executed.
The marketing around this book says it is "A smart satirical story raises timely questions about privilege and appropriation ", but it is not like that at all. Yes, the discussions on appropriation and privilege are present, but are superficial. There is no satire in it; it is not a thriller either, as a lot of reviewers said.
For me, it was a mediocre book, half literary fiction, half mystery, and it did not succeed in neither.
The translation aspect /discussion was very unrealistic at parts ( my opinion as a professional translator) ; the character study was all over the place - too many themes, very little depth; story was too patchy. Those who are of pakistani-muslim descent also pointed out there are some issues on this area as well, so if you are interested in this read for the representation, better check those reviews for clarification.
As I was in this book for the mystery, imagine my disappointment when the so-called "Centre", which should the focal point of the story, gets abandoned by the second half of the book, after the secret of its mysterious process of "total language immersion for 10 days and fluency guaranteed" is found by the protagonist. The Centre itself takes about 1/4 of the book, or even less, and this plot has one too many flaws-holes.
I enjoyed that the main character is very unlikable and unreliable, but nothing more than that. All the drama she brought in did nothing to further the plot, and this personal drama takes up most of the book, unfortunately.
Cannot recommend this one on good faith, sorry !
I normally stay away from hyped books and choose carefully my reads based on reviews, but somehow I fell for this one, still not sure how.
Look, the ideas are there, and they are not bad. They were just poorly executed.
The marketing around this book says it is "A smart satirical story raises timely questions about privilege and appropriation ", but it is not like that at all. Yes, the discussions on appropriation and privilege are present, but are superficial. There is no satire in it; it is not a thriller either, as a lot of reviewers said.
For me, it was a mediocre book, half literary fiction, half mystery, and it did not succeed in neither.
The translation aspect /discussion was very unrealistic at parts ( my opinion as a professional translator) ; the character study was all over the place - too many themes, very little depth; story was too patchy. Those who are of pakistani-muslim descent also pointed out there are some issues on this area as well, so if you are interested in this read for the representation, better check those reviews for clarification.
As I was in this book for the mystery, imagine my disappointment when the so-called "Centre", which should the focal point of the story, gets abandoned by the second half of the book, after the secret of its mysterious process of "total language immersion for 10 days and fluency guaranteed" is found by the protagonist. The Centre itself takes about 1/4 of the book, or even less, and this plot has one too many flaws-holes.
I enjoyed that the main character is very unlikable and unreliable, but nothing more than that. All the drama she brought in did nothing to further the plot, and this personal drama takes up most of the book, unfortunately.
Cannot recommend this one on good faith, sorry !
Flux by Jinwoo Chong
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
A lenda da caixa das almas by Paola Siviero
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Queen of None by Natania Barron
One day I was strolling through Threads, and saw the Natania Barron herself talking about this book and how it was to become available on Netgalley. I read the synopsis, found it right up my alley, and just felt compelled to give it a chance.
And I am so happy I did - what a pleasant surprise this book was !
This book tells the story of Arthur's youngest full blooded sister Anna, after she is widowed and comes back live at Arthur's court. She believes she might found some peace and quiet after a miserable existence at Lothian/Orkney. Unfortunately, she is once again at Arthur and Merlin's mercy, and will be used as a means to an end, as most women were at the time, at the expense of her own happiness.
The author bent the legends here and there to fit the story, and I did not mind it, but i know some people might not like it. I liked Anna and her struggles to find agency, and liked to see her attempts at building relationships with her estranged family after so long. It was also good to see, through Anna's eyes, the beginning of the decline for Arthur's kingdom.
My critique is minor, I think . The pacing was a little off for me in the second half, where we have the revenge plot. That plot was good enough, but as other readers pointed out, would have benefited from some more build up/refining in my opinion.
Overall, it was a solid read. It is a first book on a trilogy, but it does leave loose ends, which i appreciate. Interest to see how the others will come about.
I thank Solaris Books and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review
3.75
One day I was strolling through Threads, and saw the Natania Barron herself talking about this book and how it was to become available on Netgalley. I read the synopsis, found it right up my alley, and just felt compelled to give it a chance.
And I am so happy I did - what a pleasant surprise this book was !
This book tells the story of Arthur's youngest full blooded sister Anna, after she is widowed and comes back live at Arthur's court. She believes she might found some peace and quiet after a miserable existence at Lothian/Orkney. Unfortunately, she is once again at Arthur and Merlin's mercy, and will be used as a means to an end, as most women were at the time, at the expense of her own happiness.
The author bent the legends here and there to fit the story, and I did not mind it, but i know some people might not like it. I liked Anna and her struggles to find agency, and liked to see her attempts at building relationships with her estranged family after so long. It was also good to see, through Anna's eyes, the beginning of the decline for Arthur's kingdom.
My critique is minor, I think . The pacing was a little off for me in the second half, where we have the revenge plot. That plot was good enough, but as other readers pointed out, would have benefited from some more build up/refining in my opinion.
Overall, it was a solid read. It is a first book on a trilogy, but it does leave loose ends, which i appreciate. Interest to see how the others will come about.
I thank Solaris Books and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
2.75
The mystery is just average, and you need to forgive a lot to make this story work, because the protagonist is actively messing up with police procedural left and right so bad she actually steals things from crime scenes.
My main issue with this book was I found constant demeaning commentaries towards women. Some were very light, others not so munch, but all felt very unnecessary by pointing out weight, beauty, makeup, marriage. As I was reading I kept thinking "Come on, chill, it was probably written in the late 80's/90's..." but then I found it was published in the early 2000s. Everything felt very judgmental and super dated, and I will not continue with the series.
Oh, but the recipes seem delicious
My main issue with this book was I found constant demeaning commentaries towards women. Some were very light, others not so munch, but all felt very unnecessary by pointing out weight, beauty, makeup, marriage. As I was reading I kept thinking "Come on, chill, it was probably written in the late 80's/90's..." but then I found it was published in the early 2000s. Everything felt very judgmental and super dated, and I will not continue with the series.
Oh, but the recipes seem delicious