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m4rtt4's reviews
373 reviews
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Soooo wholesome once again (and relatable, both for when I was 16 and now at 21). I could never not like this series or anything Oseman writes, but this volume was a bit bland regarding the plot? My favourite parts were the snippets of Tori and Michael <3
Kirjallisuuden kiihottava historia by Silvia Hosseini
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
En varsinaisesti lähtisi vaihtamaan mitään, mutta minun puolestani teos olisi saanut olla laajempi. Ainakin näin kirjallisuuden opiskelijana tunsin tyylisuuntausten peruspiirteet ja monet Hosseinin käsittelemät teokset jo ennestään, jolloin en päässyt nauttimaan uuden oppimisesta niin paljoa kuin olisin halunnut :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Night, Again: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam by Trần Ngọc Tuấn, Bảo Ninh, Linh Dinh, Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, Thế Giang, Phạm Thị Hoài, Lê Minh Khuê, Đức Ban, Nguyễn Thị Ấm, Đỗ Phước Tiến, Mai Kim Ngọc, Trần Vũ, Nguyễn Minh Châu, Đỗ Kh., Dương Thu Hương
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Incest, Rape, Sexual content, and War
Komtuurin surma by Haruki Murakami, Juha Mylläri
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Not necessarily bad, but boring and wayyyy too long. The magical realism was good as always, too bad there was so little of it.
If I took a shot every time Murakami mentions breasts, I would have died of alcohol poisoning only a couple of chapters in. It also disgusted me that Akikawa Marie existed as a character only so that he could sexualize a 13-year-old🫠
If I took a shot every time Murakami mentions breasts, I would have died of alcohol poisoning only a couple of chapters in. It also disgusted me that Akikawa Marie existed as a character only so that he could sexualize a 13-year-old🫠
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Stalking, and War
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Secret Shanghai is officially one of my favourite world's I've ever visited, and I'm glad to know the story doesn't end here. I enjoyed almost everything — the monster plotline could have been executed a little better — but I'm only taking 0.5 stars off for that. My absolute favourite thing in addition to the dynamic between Juliette and Roma was everything about the brain-infesting insects (I'm a biology student...), though I must say the science stuff also felt a bit off and/or too modern for the time, for example the term 'viral' wasn't really used until the 1940s, and what were those machines in Lourens's lab, how did they work? I need more specific answers, I'm curious — in all seriousness, I'm just a nitpicking nerd. Nevertheless, Gong has done an excellent job researching and creating all this, big kudos to her <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Racism, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Transphobia, and Alcohol
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.25
I think this book should be primarily marketed as a trauma story, as it was quite dark rather than funny in my opinion. It made me smile as well, and those darker parts gave the story the depth it needed, but that's just because I do not have ptsd myself — please consider the trigger warnings carefully.
Since the story was such a slow-burning one, I wouldn't have minded had it been a bit longer as the ending felt a bit abrupt. And Eleanor really grew on me, it pains me to let her go :( <3
The English audiobook narrator did an excellent job portraying the characters, I'd highly recommend the audio version over the text!
Since the story was such a slow-burning one, I wouldn't have minded had it been a bit longer as the ending felt a bit abrupt. And Eleanor really grew on me, it pains me to let her go :( <3
The English audiobook narrator did an excellent job portraying the characters, I'd highly recommend the audio version over the text!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5 stars, yet it took me a whole month to finish this book — I wanted to savour it slowly, and I didn't have those special occasions frequently enough when I felt ready to immerse myself in the story. Maggie O'Farrell has such a way with words. I'll never forget this experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness and Pandemic/Epidemic
Kuolemanspiraali by Leena Lehtolainen
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Better than I initially expected! There was too much pregnancy stuff for my liking, but I can't really complain as pregnant crime investigators are basically nonexistent in literature (the voice was important to hear). You can see that the book was written in the 90s by the way some stuff is outdated and many serious issues are not handled adequately (by today's standards), but the book also offered an interesting insight into the last decade of Finnish history that I didn't yet exist to experience. Can't believe that restraining orders weren't a thing here in 1997, wth??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Alcohol
They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A very average YA thriller — not the best plot, but it kept me hooked at times. Noah is an asshole.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Abortion
Idän pikajunan arvoitus by Agatha Christie
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I first read this book 6 years ago in middle school, it was my first Christie and I absolutely loved it. The reading experience was nice this time as well, as I didn't remember the ending at all — but dare I say, this time I was disappointed by it. The build-up was compelling, but I like it when murder mysteries offer me all the clues to try to solve the mystery myself, and this story unfortunately failed at that, as much of the crucial information was only blurted out by Poirot in the very end. This time I also picked up more racist undertones that annoyed me, such as "Englishmen don't use knives because they are civilized" etc. Overall not a bad reading experience, but I was a bit let down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail