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kaabtik's reviews
367 reviews
Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.5
Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
I had high hopes for this - a transmasc retelling of Pride and Prejudice? Come on, it felt like it was made for me. But getting through the book, albeit short, made be slowly fall into a reading slump and I found myself just skimming the pages after reading this line in Chapter 11.
I truly wanted to like this - I really did. But this did not spark joy at all and I would just stay away from retellings ngl.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
"You have such beautiful childbearing hips," Collins said the moment said the moment they stepped into the center of the room, apparently managing to think of the worst possible thing to say.
I had high hopes for this - a transmasc retelling of Pride and Prejudice? Come on, it felt like it was made for me. But getting through the book, albeit short, made be slowly fall into a reading slump and I found myself just skimming the pages after reading this line in Chapter 11.
- Trying to write in the style of Jane Austen is difficult, so the writing being slightly modern was no concern to me. However, it wasn't consistent throughout the book, with some chapters leaning into that old style of writing while others reading completely like a modern contemporary romance book.
- The insta-romance between Oliver and Darcy in their first meeting during the fair was what irked me as it completely threw off the pacing of the development between the two. I had adored Pride and Prejudice because of the longing, pining, and slow burn and the back and forth banter. Diha palang sugod nawadan na kog gana and giatay kabalo na ka asa siya padulong
- To elaborate on 2, Darcy was completely different person with Oliver when he's not dressing as his mother wishes him to. And while it can most likely be that Darcy is a boykisser from the get-go (/lh), it once again undoes the core theme of the original work wherein Darcy has to face his own pride and prejudice and come to terms with his feelings and expressions.
- The changes with the side characters personalities was polarizing. I adored how Charlotte was also queer and with a flourishing love life of her own - but I absolutely detested the blatant villainization of Collins the moment he was introduced. I don't recall him being as outwardly infuriating and degrading in the original novel - he was more of a buzzing fly interrupting the daily lives of the Bennets - but his first few lines in this novel was painting him out to be a bigger threat than he had been in the original novel.
I truly wanted to like this - I really did. But this did not spark joy at all and I would just stay away from retellings ngl.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
doomed by the narrative, the buendias live their lives with the undercurrent of tragedy — following each other's steps into their eventual ruin.
reading this book has been nothing short of a journey. spanning several months, i finally had the time to sit down and reach the end of the story. honestly, the time it took to read this book is poetic in and of itself.
i found it quite difficult to read as nuchbof its plot is in really long one-sentence-paragraphs that i usually have to reread to get it through my brain.
the prose is beautiful the story and family tree convulting and stressful but overall such an experience
reading this book has been nothing short of a journey. spanning several months, i finally had the time to sit down and reach the end of the story. honestly, the time it took to read this book is poetic in and of itself.
i found it quite difficult to read as nuchbof its plot is in really long one-sentence-paragraphs that i usually have to reread to get it through my brain.
the prose is beautiful the story and family tree convulting and stressful but overall such an experience
Red Queen by Christina Henry
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I remember reading the first book of the series and it was - at best - alright. The prose was a bit jarring to read with the horrors happening - a juxtaposition of the fairytale style narrative with its actual events. That's probably what the first book, Alice, was going for but it fell too short for me.
Red Queen however, was a blast to read through. It leaned heavily on the fairytale and the magic. The narrative really fit the story and really made every scene alive. I will say though that I found it a bit too fast paced / short for my liking - I finished it in just an afternoon and had a bit of trouble coming back down HAHAHAH.
Also, the author made a choice of having the yearning between Alice and Hatcher be so mundane that at first I was annoyed. Christina Henry clearly has the writing prowess to highlight the charged scene between them during their encounter at the abandoned village - but she chose not to. At the time of reading, I had expected that the opportunity would be more highlighted, so it was a bit ??? to me na wala diay.
The way Alice talks about Hatcher in her mind - I get it. Though I would have loved to see their dynamic more sa gawas sa City, basin makitan nato siya sa next book if there's ever more coming. I do hope there are because I would love to actually.
That is to say I really enjoyed this book and it definitely knocked me back to loving reading again.
Red Queen however, was a blast to read through. It leaned heavily on the fairytale and the magic. The narrative really fit the story and really made every scene alive. I will say though that I found it a bit too fast paced / short for my liking - I finished it in just an afternoon and had a bit of trouble coming back down HAHAHAH.
The way Alice talks about Hatcher in her mind - I get it. Though I would have loved to see their dynamic more sa gawas sa City, basin makitan nato siya sa next book if there's ever more coming. I do hope there are because I would love to actually.
That is to say I really enjoyed this book and it definitely knocked me back to loving reading again.
Goosebumps Monster Edition #1 by R.L. Stine
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
nothing like a good RL Stine book to drive away the reading slump.
Daylan and the River of Secrets by Edd Tello
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Told in beautiful verse, Daylan and the River of Secrets by Edd Tello follows Daylan as he navigates nightmares - bullies in the morning, and the Cihuamichin at night. When a new classmate comes along, something stirs within the town, with Daylan facing the crossroads: to face his fears and save his community.
The story is short yet engaging, something that had me engrossed the entire time I was reading it. I haven't read a lot of stories written in verse, but there was a musicality in it that I appreciated. each change in the formatting really set the scene and helped with visualizing the gravity of the situation.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC!
The story is short yet engaging, something that had me engrossed the entire time I was reading it. I haven't read a lot of stories written in verse, but there was a musicality in it that I appreciated. each change in the formatting really set the scene and helped with visualizing the gravity of the situation.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC!
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25