lowkeymarie's reviews
557 reviews

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

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

4.25

Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring tense 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? Yes

4.5

After rereading book 2 and being a bit underwhelmed by it, this was a much needed return to form. It was funny, action-packed, full of tension and high stakes, and even made me tear up at the end, ngl.

There's another book (or two?) on the way and I'm very curious to see what direction Alston is steering us next, especially as this was a pretty satisfying conclusion to the story so far.
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

My first Octavia Butler, finally! I'm gonna need to sit with my feelings on this one for a while. But wow, I definitely get why Butler is so highly regarded. I will absolutely be continuing this series and reading more of her other works.
Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi Nwabineli

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

The depth and complexity of these characters and relationships was truly spectacular. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
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Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals Around the World by Julia Rothman

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adventurous informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

Bunny by Mona Awad

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dark slow-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

1.0

I can see why some readers enjoy this so much, but my god, this was insufferable. The pacing was awkward. The main character was flat and vapid. I found the repetitiveness of the prose irritating. Sometimes it felt like there were too many plot elements going on, but maybe that was just because I didn't care about any of them. I read this on Kindle, where I am a chronic over-highlighter, and I did not feel the urge to highlight a single damn word of this. 

(I really wish I had DNF'd but I needed to fulfill a prompt for my library reading challenge.)
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Dear Bi Men: A Black Man's Perspective on Power, Consent, Breaking Down Binaries, and Combating Erasure by J.R. Yussuf

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

(Before I get to my review, standing ovation to my local library system for maintaining a diverse collection for the community!👏😭)

Let me start off with the fact that, as a white bi woman, I am not the intended audience for this book, so please don't let me be the last word on whether or not you choose to read or recommend it.

This book is an absolute treasure trove of information and resources for bisexual men, especially black bisexual men, as well as an extremely valuable resource for anyone wanting to be better allies to them. It covers so much ground, from safe and consensual sex, dealing with religious trauma, examining your biases, etc., etc. I also really appreciate the importance he places on black feminist values and holding oneself accountable for the ways that bi men still benefit from and participate in misogyny, among other things. Yussuf's writing is confident, honest, and encouraging. I feel like I not only learned a lot, but I now have new avenues to explore to continue learning.
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The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson

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

3.75

Well. That was something.
Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

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

4.25

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