suvissiin's reviews
154 reviews

How to Get a Girlfriend (When You're a Terrifying Monster) by Marie Cardno

Go to review page

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

3.5

This book had a lot to love, but for me it also felt too rushed. What I loved was the other dimension, Endless, and its magical way of existing. The descriptions were so beautiful in both the dimensions as well as Trillin’s fluidity in her body and mind. Sian was also a great and funny character and I loved both of the love interests instantly. I know this is supposed to be a short and light read but making 10 life changing things happen in 48 hours while also trying to build romance and background lore just made me kind of breathless and not in a good way. Also, apart from few moments in the book, I needed more descriptions about the love interests senses when they interacted with each other! I do love the characters and the setting, but I’m not sure if I want to pick up the second book.
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This was my first introduction to Jeanette Winterston and memoirs as a genre and this was really a transformative experience for me. Winterston’s writing is absolutely amazing, it sucked me in instantly and the lyrical, flowing prose mixed with the author’s deep delve into their history and their psyche kinda swept me away in the force of it’s flow. Getting to know her through the textures of her past, from her very birth to her current life was an intense journey, and I feel like what she portrayed felt very real and intense through the pages, even though she said she writes herself through fiction. The intertextuality, references to other literature and how literature shaped her, her class and England was so skillfully and beautifully implemented as well. Tens across the board.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

Go to review page

adventurous emotional tense fast-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? Yes

3.75

I appreciated what this book was trying to do, but I feel like it didn’t quite succeed in it. Combining a journey with a bit of a slow burn seems like a good idea on paper until the start feels very slow and jarring and the end way too quick and textureless. So, my problems were mainly with pacing, especially in the end. I remember T. Kingfisher said this book will be less romance and more adventure, but I needed more from the ending, texture, time, and feelings instead of a quick monologues and acrion. I did love the characters though, and delving deeper into this fantasy land and it’s customs and ways. The romance was also fun, BUT! After the slow burn how dare the author fade to black TWICE! 😭 very unsatisfying. Even with the issues, I still enjoyed Kingfisher’s writing but I’m cautious in my expectations for the next book in the series.
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

Go to review page

emotional funny relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.0

I read this for a LGBTQ+ book club, and I’m really glad that I did because this is definitely something I would never have picked up (and ended up enjoying) otherwise. The characters of Charlie and Nick seem very realistic and fully fleshed out, and for such a cozy ya romance there is important discussions about sexual harrasment, questioning sexual identity and coming-of-age struggles. The art style is really interesting and easily approachable, I wish there was more detail though, especially in the first snow scene. Heartstopper is giving me a weird kind of nostalgia for my own teenage years, I can understand why it is as popular as it is. :)
Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

Go to review page

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

4.0

Another fantastic book from T. Kingfisher. In my opinion she has mastered the romantacy genre, creating capable, complex, and interesting characters paired with equally interesting and complex fantasy worlds. The fact that the characters are also older and not teenagers is so refreshing and important for my reading experience. After reading Swordheart, I was delighted to be back at the amazing fantasy world Kingfisher had created and getting to know the god-church-belief-system was very interesting, as well as getting to know more inner and outer politics of the world. The perfumery and the detail in perfumes this book had was really amazing and fun to follow. I do see some similiarity in the formula of creating the love interests and I hope I get to see some more variation soon as well, but so far I’m happy and want to read more!
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

Go to review page

emotional funny informative 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

3.0

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was really excited about reading its sequel. This book was, however, a big disappointment for me. I had many issues with this book’s messaging; in The House in the Cerulian Sea the message was more metaphorical, us viewing the world through Linus helped us to learn and grow from the prejudices against peculiar children through his and our normal eyes. In this book however, the messaging was not subtle at all and at times felt preachy, the set up - kid asks a convenient question and parent lectures the answer - felt jarring in the pacing. Though I appreciate the message or the meaning behind the message, it didn’t translate well in this book. Throughout all of this the biggest problem for me became how the book ended:
especially since the messaging was so clear about fighting for what’s right and the prejudice against magical people, their solution was.. declaring independence?! And not just any independence but a monarchy! I feel like the messaging feels almost insulting when the solution is basically forcing the problems away (literally) instead of fighting in the civil movement that the book mentioned in passing in the epilogue
. The things I liked in this book were once again the funny and amazing kids, as well as  getting to experience Arthur’s inner turmoil and emotions that were written about so vividly. That is the only reason that lifts this book above two star category for me, sadly.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted 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

4.5

What a beautiful prequel! After getting to know Viv in L&L, getting to know her younger, more impatient self was so sweet, it even gave me a weird kind of nostalgia. Learning the history of meeting Gallina and Blackblood was a great treat as well for the fans (me!) of the first book. The setting being moved into a cozy and sleepy seaside town was a wonderful experience, imagining the salty breeze, sand dunes and seaviews was a fresh release from the warm and bustling Thune. The bookshop with its many wonderful  books working as a mirror to Viv’s mind was fun and exciting, as well as the characters we got to know and their lives we got to glimpse into. There is one exception though, and that is Maylee; I don’t know if it’s because this is young Viv’s first awkward attempt at dating or what, but the romance lacked any sort of fizzle, and seemed more like an extended crush with long meaningless walks. That, and few other parts of the plot made the story and pacing a bit jagged at times; I could see Baldree stitched this story together from many ”organs” of different ideas as he put it. For me, it still made a beautiful Frankenstein’s monster and I’m excited to read more about Viv’s excitingly cozy life <3
Taikatalvi by Tove Jansson

Go to review page

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

Go to review page

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
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Go to review page

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.