kajasversion's reviews
178 reviews

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

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

4.0

A very interesting character exploration, I really liked the story and the way the characters were written. I am a bit confused about the ending, but I would read it again. 
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Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

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

3.5

It was a fun read, clearly YA but it didn’t feel like the book had any stakes. The characters weren’t developed enough for me to be able to say i felt the urgency or the sadness they were feeling. I liked the premise of teenage reapers, but it was ultimately irrelevant considering the story didn’t focus on it at all, only on the love story. Even the ending was a bit ridiculous, and I’m disappointed the story ended so predictably. Overall it was okay, but I wouldn’t read it again. 
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A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

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emotional inspiring sad 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

4.75

This is almost as bad as A Little Life. I was abused, I have not cried this hard in months. 
The book is very evidently YA, especially from the way it is written, and from the unrealistic portrayal of the relationship, but I loved it nonetheless. The pain this book caused me will require therapy. 
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Perzepolis: zgodba o vrnitvi by Marjane Satrapi

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challenging dark inspiring sad fast-paced

4.5

I have the same praise for the sequel as I did for the first novel. I would just add that I love the way the narrative voice and the topics dealt with mature with the character. 
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Perzepolis: Zgodba o otroštvu by Marjane Satrapi

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adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, despite knowing very little about Iranian history. It took me out of the story a little bit at first, but the narrator revealed enough information throughout the novel, without it being a forced exposition, that I found myself more immersed in the story and knowledgable about the topic. The story itself is heartbreaking, and the author portrays the heavy emotions masterfully. I am sad to see the end of her childhood end on such a sad note, and I am even more saddened by the fact a lot of people have lived through what Satrapi has lived through, and still do to this day. 
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Alamut by Vladimir Bartol

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

2.0

This book sucks ass. Bartol is incapable of getting to the point without repeating the same thing a minimum of five times for the life of him. The whole dragged on for so long and it was absolutely unnecessary, it could’ve been reduced to 150 pages in my opinion. The way the author talks about women in this novel is just blatant misogyny, even beyond the point of just cultural context and a different time period. You can tell the views in the book are definitely a reflection of the author himself. There was also a lot of racism remarks made about black people, which were absolutely not relevant to the plot, they were there for the sake of being there ig. Overall the story itself had a good premise, but Bartol`s attempt at its execution is laughable at best and pathetic at worst. Would not recommend, it put me to sleep more times that I can count. 
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The Stranger by Albert Camus

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

4.0

I really enjoyed it, I thought it was a perfect reflection of Camus’ philosophy. It’s definitely a book that makes you think after you’ve finished and I was able to connect with the views of the main character. Over sll i liked it a lot, I found it to be very entertaining and accessible. 
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Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

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adventurous dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

It started off strong, I really love it. But then it just went downhill, I’m really disappointed. The lessons at the start were really impactful but the second half was basically just her worshipping the USA and praising christianity, none of which are things I can get behind. 
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The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Beautifully written, made me question my life. It’s 5pm on a tuesday. 
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My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

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adventurous dark emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

I thought it was a really interesting insight into the modeling industry and all that happens behind closed doors. The overaching story of growth and acceptance fills you with hope and yet you’re hurting for the past version of her who had to go through all that trauma. Beautiful. 
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