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icarusandthesun's reviews
140 reviews
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.5
so. beautiful. great heavens.
first of all, the motive behind this book is absolutely heartwarming and i am so in love with the characters. they were unique and seething with beauty and life. especially yunjae was deeply relatable for me, and i thought it was an absolute treat to explore his brain and how he perceives things. it was so nice to read about loss and feelings from an objective point of view.
i'm also a huge fan of short chapters, since they just keep me going, which this one undoubtedly did. the relationship dynamics were really nice as well, adventurous and new.
the only thing i didn't quite like was the love interest. her character is fine and has some depth, however yunjae falling for her so easily felt strangely out of character and i thought it ruined the idyll of his character a little bit. the love interest simply wasn't necessary in my opinion.
the ending totally made up for that though. it was soooo sad and satisfying. such a gracious book.
:) my fav quote:
first of all, the motive behind this book is absolutely heartwarming and i am so in love with the characters. they were unique and seething with beauty and life. especially yunjae was deeply relatable for me, and i thought it was an absolute treat to explore his brain and how he perceives things. it was so nice to read about loss and feelings from an objective point of view.
i'm also a huge fan of short chapters, since they just keep me going, which this one undoubtedly did. the relationship dynamics were really nice as well, adventurous and new.
the only thing i didn't quite like was the love interest. her character is fine and has some depth, however yunjae falling for her so easily felt strangely out of character and i thought it ruined the idyll of his character a little bit. the love interest simply wasn't necessary in my opinion.
the ending totally made up for that though. it was soooo sad and satisfying. such a gracious book.
:) my fav quote:
so i don't know why people laugh or cry. joy, sorrow, love, fear—all these things are vague ideas to me. the words "emotion" and "empathy" are just meaningless letters in print.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol
Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this book was certainly... an experience.
basically a semi-autobiographical exploration of all the protagonist's loves and friends, this was a fun read with a very cynical main character and his cynically realistic views and thoughts.
i thought it was quite a smooth and rather quick read with interesting lore and depth where it's needed. however, it wasn't quite anything extraordinary - special, yes, in the way every autobiographical book is sort of special. but ehh, i don't know. it was profound, but in a sort of goofy way and it was funny and interesting, the way i imagine drugs would be. it's fun when you're doing it but the aftermath always strikes you as a bit silly.
basically a semi-autobiographical exploration of all the protagonist's loves and friends, this was a fun read with a very cynical main character and his cynically realistic views and thoughts.
i thought it was quite a smooth and rather quick read with interesting lore and depth where it's needed. however, it wasn't quite anything extraordinary - special, yes, in the way every autobiographical book is sort of special. but ehh, i don't know. it was profound, but in a sort of goofy way and it was funny and interesting, the way i imagine drugs would be. it's fun when you're doing it but the aftermath always strikes you as a bit silly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse
The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this was so nice to read. an ode to friendship and love and a great way to explore how life used to be.
also very emotional and extremely fruity.
also very emotional and extremely fruity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho, Alan R. Clarke
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
seldom have i read such a wise and thoughtful book. it undoubtedly is 'a fable about following your dream'. it's adventurous and romantic and so peaceful. absolutely enticing!
the message about following your heart and 'personal legend' was a little repetitive, which made the last third of the book somewhat boring, but the ending was quite satisfying nevertheless.
the message about following your heart and 'personal legend' was a little repetitive, which made the last third of the book somewhat boring, but the ending was quite satisfying nevertheless.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the art style, expressions and colors were absolute perfection and extremely immersive.
not sure how much i liked the contemporary setting and characters though. the author and i seem to have very different ideas of how the greek gods and goddesses would act and how their personalities would be. that put me off quite a bit. just a personal problem though.
not sure how much i liked the contemporary setting and characters though. the author and i seem to have very different ideas of how the greek gods and goddesses would act and how their personalities would be. that put me off quite a bit. just a personal problem though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
a very nice concept that was executed well. the fact that all of the stories were connected made it quite a fascinating read. yet i still thought it was a little bit boring. the "twist" at the end was shocking tho, in a good way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
If Cats Disappeared From The World by Genki Kawamura
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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? No
4.0
so. good.
a deeply emotional and beautifully written book. it was devastating as much as it was hopeful.
if you're scared of dying and death in general, this is the book for you, and it will change your whole perspective. except for the story being a bit slow sometimes, this is a perfect piece of art. adventurous, sad, sweet, calming.
a deeply emotional and beautifully written book. it was devastating as much as it was hopeful.
if you're scared of dying and death in general, this is the book for you, and it will change your whole perspective. except for the story being a bit slow sometimes, this is a perfect piece of art. adventurous, sad, sweet, calming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
2.5
an eating disorder recovery story featuring a queer woman with mommy issues. the chapters are very short (most of them only a page or two long), which was lovely, and the plot kinda strange but intriguing.
couple of intimate scenes.
it was quite alright, just got a little bit boring as the story progressed.
couple of intimate scenes.
it was quite alright, just got a little bit boring as the story progressed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Fatphobia
The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
nishino is a complete weirdo, literally a rapist and the stories were boring and followed the same storyline every single time: the women don't love nishino, don't even like him, but they fuck and wish they were in love and suddenly they are, though nishino has no redeeming qualities whatsoever and treats women like garbage.
he's a cheater who is always super vague in everything he says and the fact that women keep falling for him is unrealistic imo.
the characters are so bland and the book just feels so misogynistic. also, the guy is in love with his sister and she literally breastfed him when he was already a teenager.
i get and usually like weird concepts and strange situations, but nishino was simply so unlikable, i hated everything he said and did.
and yet his behavior is portrayed as something normal, or even desirable. horrendous.
also he's such a man-child, crying when he doesn't get what he wants.
the only plus-point is the writing style and format. i fairly enjoyed the short chapters and quick prose.
he's a cheater who is always super vague in everything he says and the fact that women keep falling for him is unrealistic imo.
the characters are so bland and the book just feels so misogynistic. also, the guy is in love with his sister and she literally breastfed him when he was already a teenager.
i get and usually like weird concepts and strange situations, but nishino was simply so unlikable, i hated everything he said and did.
and yet his behavior is portrayed as something normal, or even desirable. horrendous.
also he's such a man-child, crying when he doesn't get what he wants.
the only plus-point is the writing style and format. i fairly enjoyed the short chapters and quick prose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, and Alcohol
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
horrible book - extremely boring, no real plot, long unimportant descriptions and uninteresting details. i'm very angry and very disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol