sophasphinx's reviews
23 reviews

Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal

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dark emotional funny inspiring 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

This comic collection does an excellent job of portraying real life struggles with relationships, family, discrimination, and trauma via fantasy allegories. Dhaliwal's humor is sharp and charming. However, I personally think the original Instagram comic series was better. The additions and revisions in the print book are largely unnecessary and often worsen the story. Overall it's still excellent, though.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

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challenging emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.5

Amazing blend of humor and heart crushing reality. I'm more used to her comedic work but this is an excellent memoir and well worth reading whether or not you are already a Kate Beaton fan.
Como Agua Para Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

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

4.5

This book is the perfect way to enter into the magical realism genre. It's relatively short, has simple yet poignant themes (true love, fate, etc) and portrays grief and sorrow in poetic and heart wrenching ways. The romance between the main lovers isn't super deep, but their story is still tragic. A must-read for anyone who wants to go through the Latin American literary canon
Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent

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3.0

The mystery presented in the first half of the book is fun and enticing. The second half is frustrating madness. An insulting joke of research and scholarship. But it was still pretty entertaining as far as conspiracy theories go.
Squire Throwleigh's Heir by Michael Jecks

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mysterious sad slow-paced

3.5

I picked this book up out of a free pile, and was pleasantly surprised by it! The mystery is nicely woven and I enjoyed the depictions of everyday medieval life. However, the prose is sometimes dry and the characters are too many too flat. Still interesting enough that I'd be willing to check out a different book in the series.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

This book is frightening, surreal, and fantastic. The narration is a piece of art. However, I didn't like it quite as much as books 1 or 3 because it's too darn sad!! Very difficult to get though at times, both due to the nonlinear narration and the sheer amount of pain the characters go through. Still an excellent book, but not always an enjoyable read.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the book that got me back into reading. The world-building is rich and complex, the characters are deeply flawed yet incredibly likeable, the mystery at the center of the story is frightening, the plot twists are well earned. It's an excellent first book to the series. The first act is a little slow compared to the rest of the book, but then it's a wild ride all the way down.
A Orillas del Rio Piedra Me Sente Y Llore = By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho

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adventurous reflective medium-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? Yes

3.5

This is an great travel book. Coelho's prose is as beautiful as ever, and you feel deeply immersed in the characters' journey. However, I never got very attached to the characters themselves. Pilar felt especially flat for me, a female protagonist with very one note desires. The discussions of religion are mostly interesting. It's a nice quick read but I wouldn't read it again.
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Very different tone and setting compared to the first two books, but still incredibly loveable and emotional. I honestly really liked the change of pace! I feel that the focus on love and relationships gives the book a more hopeful tone, at least compared to the horrors of book 2. The ending definitely left me yearning for book 4!
Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy by Judith C. Brown

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emotional informative tense slow-paced

4.5

Immodest Acts tells the story of Benedetta Carlini, a 16th-17th century nun and abbess who, as part of a much larger story regarding fabricated visions and alleged mysticism, engaged in sexual acts with a subordinate nun under the guise of being possessed by divine spirits. While Benedetta's erotic desires are certainly a central part of the narrative, they are just one aspect that makes up a complex book regarding a wide variety of topics including homosexuality in Renaissance Europe, women's social roles both in and out of religious spheres, and ecclesiastical-political intrigue.
 There is admittedly some false advertising regarding lesbianism. The actual relationship Benedetta had with her fellow nun is only featured in one chapter, and Renaissance cases of the persecution of same-sex relationships is discussed briefly in the introduction and then never again. But I still thought all of this information and historical context was woven together well.