suvissiin's reviews
147 reviews

Taikatalvi by Tove Jansson

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emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Kissani Jugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Loved it! The mix of the surrealistic, almost manic life of Bekim mixed with the story of his mother finding her father and leaving Jugoslavia as refugees let me feel the whole range of emotions. Reading about refugees and lgbtqia+ characters in this day and age hits home even more than usual, and there are so many intense topics and emotions I couldn’t decide should I put the book down or could I even let go. The way Statovci describes the environment and feelings in the book is so vivid and familiar that I’m wholly immersed and loving it every single second. Can’t wait to read more from him <3
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A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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

3.5

I think for me personally, I hoped more from this book and it was kind of a letdown. Yes, the characters were sweet and cozy and so was the setting, but for something that is supposed to be as philosophical as monk and a robot discussing life (for me), it was more quirkly than philosopical or analytical. For all the hopefulness for humanity’s advancements and lgbtqia+ representation, for me the book didn’t really delve enough into actual humanity, emotions, connection to nature and psychology. Things I did love was the main character’s journey before they left for the nature, and I loved the tea idea and the little lore in their belief system and history. I love a cozy book, but for me everything was too conveniently wonderful without explanation and the main character didn’t have enough depth of emotion or personality, not even mentioning the weak ending… I can see the second book being better, but I’m still unsure if I’ll pick it up. 
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

So vivid, so magical, so pensive, the lives of the 5 (6) different, fully fledged characters twisting around a story through time and space. As a lover of history, languages and libraries, this book was a joy to read and I would love to read it again, so 5 stars ⭐️
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Where the first book left me a bit cold (not helped by Ljosland as the setting), this book has exactly what I hoped for book two. The logistics of the journal as the medium of storytelling had improved a lot, giving more logic to the entrances without giving too much away. As always, the book had amazingly vivid imagery in its worldbuiding, especially when it came to the Alpine view, the fae, and their realm. Rose’s and Adriane’s characters added more whimsy, but also more realism for me. I also started to understand Emily’s and Wendell’s relationship dynamics more in this book, which made it much more enjoyable of a read. I have really grown to love Fawcett’s writing style and I can’t wait for the third book.
Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was positively surprised by this book, since the YA genre has let me down too often recently. The main character was nicely rounded and fun to follow, the characters and the world were rich (enough) for a standalone, the different quests that the characters took to reach the end were interesting and fun to follow. My only strife is with the ending. Of course the ending was expected, but for me it needed to be more dramatic; with more emotion and less convenience. The ending of the mystery was actually the least exciting and least interesting part of the book for me, which should not be the case. Apart from that, I really enjoyed the read and will happily read more from Lucier.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started this book. The first part of the book lured me in with the quaint characters of the Southern housewives and their true crime book club, but it soon turned into a grotesque true-crime horror meshed with parts of paranormal fantasy. I felt all the feelings present in a good horror book: anger, disgust, uncomfort, frustration, and of most importantly the book kept me on the edge throughout the last part of the story. The reason I didn’t rank the book higher though is because I put this book down for a month in the middle of reading it, because the mood shift from the start to the end was so jarring (especially for me as a mood reader). There were also issues for me with pacing and repeating dialogue; I feel like as a reader I would’ve understood Patricia’s need to protect her kids with less mentions of it. The world also feels dark even in the end, I understand in it’s true crime nature the reader views the world in the aftermath differently, but for me I would appreciate more light at the end of the tunnel (even metaphorically) than the quiet life the housewives continue to live. Overall this book was a good horror read, even though I didn’t expect it to turn so gruesome. Definitely check content warnings!
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Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

A perfect, light, cozy read for a vacation! I absolutely love the idea of putting those cozy found family/building a life stories in the fantasy realm. I love the diversity of the characters and the world that the genre of fantasy offers, though I would’ve wished for a little bit of a more tight-woven story; more little details of the coffee shop and the city, more dialogue, more expression of personality. I feel like this book is amazing as it is, but to get a perfect score from me it needs a little bit more magical whimsy and character building. Though this book has what all great fantasy needs, great descriptions of the food they are eating :)
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I read this as a beach read and it was an absolutely perfect experience. I feel like for such a short book it needs to be read a little bit at a time, to ponder, appreciate, and understand the moments shared between Blue and Red and the many dimensions of the timeliene. To have the book get stuck inside you, so to speak. Lyrical, witty, smart, pulling on the heartstrings, this book has everything for a good story. The reason I didn’t give this book five stars is because I was craving more information about the war, more description of the end goals of the different sides. I know this plays a bit like Romeo and Juliet, where their different families’ histories are not explained fully either, but for such a large concept, I needed a bit more solid support. But overall, I loved the book, and reading the beautiful letters surrounded by equally beautiful blue ocean was an experience to never forget.

The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson

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challenging reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book, on the other hand the setting and the characers are really unique and vivid, but on the other hand the way the story progresses and how the characters affect each other is kind of confusing and maybe a bit disturbingly surreal. I liked how Anna and Katri seemed to be each others opposites and how the unreliable niceness and cold logic came through the text. I don’t know if it was the translation or Tove’s writing style in this book, but the writing itself seemed awkward and broken up. It might’ve tried to mimic Katri’s character but to me it just seemed amateurish.. and I usually love Tove’s writing. The end also felt really unsatisfying, making the whole book feel even more unsatisfying. Sufficed to say this book was not for me.