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sarah2438's reviews
1046 reviews
Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood
2.0
What exactly is the point of an Ali Hazelwood story without the obvious slowburn and "obnoxiously quirky but still relatable enough" characterization to make me care about the characters before they do their thing? This is just randos bonking. Terrible. Can't wait to read the other two.
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
2.5
Just not a standout. It's a BOTM book and it has that same general feel. Nothing particularly shocking or emotional for me.
Together We Will Go by J. Michael Straczynski
Had to sit back and digest this and then I forgot to write a reciew--oops! I think this is a really neat idea where the execution was occasionally flawed. The genderqueer character gives some overly simplistic views of gender that I didn't love. Vaughn's dark secret seemed to be treated more lightly than it should be. I also didn't like how the suicide-by-cop scene was treated. And of course one of our characters' chronic pain magically goes away when they meet their soulmate. All of these things gave me the ick to varying degrees. But despite that, I thought the story was really interesting and I liked the format that was used. I just wish it had been tweaked a bit further.
3.5
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
2.5
I'm actually so annoyed at these books. I've been so hyped up for this for years and it had the nerve to be mediocre?? Weird decisions with audiobook narrators (different narrators on each section, regardless of POV) and I couldn't get emotionally invested in any characters because we either already knew what was going to happen to them, didn't spend enough time with them to care, or both. I thought Glass Hotel would be an exception, not setting the standard for her others. At this point I just want to read Station Eleven to get St. John Mandel's works off my TBR already.
Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Damian Duffy, Octavia E. Butler
3.0
I did a companion read of this one + the regular copy. It's helpful for giving a visual and keeping track of all the characters, especially toward the end, but by nature leaves a lot out.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
4.0
Can't decide between 4 or 5 stars right now so I'm compromising. I may also need more time to sit with this. Summary of my feelings right now is that I love the plot but on a personal level the writing style wasn't always for me-- occasional sentences that I'd have to reread a few times for awkward phrasing, deliberately not including the details of things (letters, calls, interviews) that are referenced. But these are pretty complaints and the plot was fantastic, and the pacing very good for such a long story.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
4.0
Bleak but beautiful. The post-apocalyptic trek through a depressing wasteland almost reminds me of The Road, except I actually liked it.
Shelter by Kevin Tyler Norman
3.0
There were some good poems in here but the drawings were pretty cringey. Rupi Kaur did something new with her books and now everyone is trying to copy that style with the simplistic illustrations, but not everyone can draw. Additionally, this was almost 3.5 but as I got closer to the end, I started to feel a little uncomfortable with the attitudes Kevin had. My understanding from the poetry is that his partner had a secret relationship with another man while they were dating long distance. Once duscovered, the partner picked the other man over Kevin. There is a LOT of bitterness and anger directed at the other man, who Kevin himself even seems to acknowledge was clueless of the situation. If true, I don't love the idea of writing a book of poetry and using part of it to slam an innocent bystander. Obviously I don't know the full situation, but it's natural to draw conclusions from the information available, and this is the picture this book ultimately draws.
The Face by Ruth Ozeki
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Heavy on the Zen philosophy, not really what I was looking for.