leafilys's reviews
24 reviews

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

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emotional hopeful tense medium-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

5.0

This book was amazing. The writing style was easy to understand but engaging, almost musical. The ways the characters talked, especially Pet, were so unique. The dialogue was a huge highlight for me. The magical realism was executed perfectly. 

Jam is a wonderful character and I love the way she sees the world. Her relationships with her parents, Redemption, and Pet are all so nuanced and interesting. All of the characters felt real, their joy and their pain were palpable.
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Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

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dark emotional hopeful tense medium-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

4.5

I liked this book. It began as magical realism, which I loved, before turning pretty sharply into more of a modern fantasy.
Vengeance and the angels
are incredible metaphors that I’m sure will only become deeper or more interesting upon re-reads, but I wish they had been integrated a little more smoothly into the grounded world of Lucille.

Bitter is an amazingly well rounded and relatable character and her development was so engaging to read about. Her relationships with her friends, boyfriend, and mentors are so wholesome but still realistic. Each side character has a distinct personality and voice, none of them are shallow or simply used as plot devices. 

Reading about Assata was both a beautiful lesson in hope and community, and a brutal examination of the violence that protestors face. I like that this book is somewhat empathetic towards those that turn to violence because of the violence inflicted on them, but still drives home the message that love for your comrades will always be more important than hatred for your enemies.
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The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

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hopeful informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was whimsical and fun. It conveys a good message, if a little on the nose and preachy at times. I liked that it touched on the nuances of consumerism and books for value vs. for entertainment.

Rintaro is a great character who develops realistically over the course of the story. Tiger and Sayo were more shallow, unfortunately, but still enjoyable characters to read about.

If you liked The Little Prince or A Wrinkle in Time, I think you will love this book. 
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A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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

5.0

I loved this book. The solar punk world-building had me instantly hooked. It can be hard to write interesting stories set in utopias because of the inherent lack of conflict, but the conflict in this book was the “man vs. self” which worked perfectly in the utopian setting as it allowed the story to focus on the themes of purpose and belonging.

Dex and Mosscap both have so much depth and their outlooks on life are so interesting to read about. Their interactions are funny, awkward, meaningful, and emotional. It was magical to see their relationships with each other, themselves, and the world around them grow. 

I’m so excited to read the sequel.
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A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

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

4.5

I loved the world-building in this book, the lore is quite unique and left me thinking about it even after I finished reading. It earned the book an extra .5 stars for me. The writing has lots of detailed descriptions and prose, which can be hit or miss with a lot of people, but I loved it. It was so atmospheric and immersive.

Effy and Preston are interesting and developed characters, and the romance was well paced with lots of chemistry. 

Unfortunately the last quarter of the book let me down a bit. The pacing felt too fast then too slow, and the mysteries were wrapped up a bit clumsily in my opinion. 
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My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

This was definitely more modern romantasy than horror. It had some gore and horror elements, but the scariest thing in this book was the religious misogyny. If you’re looking for a horror book, this isn’t it. If, like me, you like fantasy and want to dip your toes into folk horror without anything too scary, this is perfect.

Leah’s view of the world, her relationship with Owen, and her self image were impressively written, nuanced, and realistic.
Tristan
was a cool character in concept, an interesting subversion of a common trope, but he didn’t have much complexity or development. Leah’s relationship with him was nice, but felt rushed, which weakens the story since it’s supposed to be one of, if not the focus.

The magic system of the forest was great and the side characters were fun and added a lot to the story and themes. The
murder mystery
was an unexpected but welcome surprise. 
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Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

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emotional hopeful medium-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

5.0

This book has an incredible depiction of chronic illness. I saw so much of myself in Isabel and Sasha. Their romance was perfectly paced, realistic, nuanced, and full of chemistry. Isabel’s relationships with her father and her friends were so well written too. And it’s great to see Jewish and bisexual representation among disabled characters.
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I Hear the Sunspot by Yuki Fumino

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emotional informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

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informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.0

I thoroughly enjoyed Hoff’s writing style and found the information on Taoism educational and interesting. My love for Winnie the Pooh only made this book more enjoyable. However, I found the book lacking in a lot of nuance about how people may be barred by personal or societal circumstances from incorporating Taoist principles into their lives.
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A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.5