#april book review

[theraininthestars]

Violeta review

Hello darlings, I am very excited about this book. The reading was selected by a friend who had not read the book, but we both read another book by the author. The selected book is Violeta by Isabel Allende. The novel recounts:

Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family of five boisterous sons. From the start, her life will be marked by extraordinary events, for the ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives at the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth.

Through her father's prescience, the family will come through that crisis unscathed, only to face a new one as the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known. Her family loses all and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. There, she will come of age, and her first suitor will come calling...

She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life will be shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women's rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.

Isabel Allende has a beautiful narrative that describes Latin America from the perspective of someone who loves her land, from its beautiful mountains and charismatic smiles to its ruthless wars and challenging culture. She is able to portray the complexities of Latin American culture while describing historical events, delving into those realities. The characters are interesting and fit the story very well.

There are certain moments where I feel the bad things like misogyny, capitalism, war and other things come to the fore. It's not a bad thing that it's exemplified, but I feel like it could have been a more subtle way.

I loved this book, it is a great reading to delve into Latin American literature. Isabel Allende is an incredible author who deserves all the recognition for her work in literature. I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. An excellent recommendation, and I hope you read the novel.

Have you read any latinx literature, and which do you recommend? How many books have you read thus far this year?

[reedreadsbooks]

Book Review: Dreadnought by April Daniels ✨🏙️⚡️

rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

(5/5)

After Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero, is killed in combat, closeted trans girl Danny Tozer inherits his powers and is transformed to have the body she’s always wanted to have. Now she has to deal with having superpowers and being an out trans woman, all the while hunting down the supervillain who murdered her predecessor.

This book was phenomenal, and I’m kind of at a loss for words to describe how much I liked it.

To start, I love the world of this book. This is such a classic superhero story. Daniels uses the conventions of the genre without making things feel like a parody and subverts tropes just enough to make the story distinct.

I also really love Dreadnought as a trans narrative. This book doesn’t shy away from transphobia. Between Danny’s parents, kids at her school, and other heroes she meets, we get a pretty broad and realistic representation of the types of abuse a young trans woman might face. There’s also so much trans joy in this book. It was really nice to see Danny come into herself, and it was cathartic to watch her realize that no one could take her transition away from her. This is the type of story that will give trans kids hope for the future.

I would recommend this book to literally everyone. In fact, I plan on recommending this book to literally everyone. But because that’s not helpful, I’ll be more specific and say I highly recommend this book to fans of Andrew Joseph White. Obviously, it’s very different from his work, genre-wise, but I think the themes are really similar. If you like Hell Followed with Us and The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth, I can definitely see you liking Dreadnought.

[andreai04]

It was starting to sink in that for the rest of my life, the people I met, the people I became close to—there would always be a chance that they saw me as a payout.

[ofliterarynature]

FEBRUARY 2024 WRAP UP

[loved liked ok nope dnf (reread) book club*]

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years • The Memory Librarian • Pixels of You* • Arch-Enemies • Moby Dyke • Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures • A Sinister Revenge • Lud in the Mist • Crying in H Mart • Something Close to Magic • Hula • (Renegades) • The Divorce Colony • Foundryside • Earthlings • A Far Wilder Magic

total: 13 books (12 audiobook, 1 print)

Not as many books this month! And not just because February has fewer days, I was really in a funk this month and struggling to pay attention to my audiobooks (and enjoy them). You wouldn't think there's such a thing as too many books, but I think the overtime hours at work are hitting their peak mental health destruction. Here's to hoping things improve in March!

The Divorce Colony (4.5 stars) - genuinely can't believe this was my 3rd nonfic of the year already! I picked a print copy of this up at a library sale in December after hearing about divorce colonies in the early 20th century on a recent episode of the 99% Invisible podcast. Turns out this book was actually about the beginning of the moment that took place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the 1800's. Western states had shorter residency periods and less strict divorce laws, so women (and the occasional man) would travel west and live there for several months in order to obtain a divorce. This book tracks the movement through the stories of 4 of the more infamous cases to make the papers, and does an incredible job of weaving in the surrounding political and religious discussions. Would recommend, and has a great cover to boot!

Renegades (3 stars) - a reread, and for some reason it was torture. I originally read this back in 2018 and loved it, and wanted to tackle it again and actually finish the rest of the series. But I kept getting worked up and frustrated this time around! It kept trying to take itself seriously while also being very YA and kind of superhero-camp, and I was absolutely overthinking it lol. I found the strength to press on into book two, Archenemies (3.5 stars). I liked it a bit more! Something about it being new, the story being a bit more settled and maybe getting a better grasp on its message/politics, the characters growing more, me figuring out that I shouldn't listen to the audiobook for more than an hour or so at a time, lmao. Not great, but fun, and possibly worth reading? I'll keep y'all updated when I finish book 3.

Hula (5 stars) - incredible. Part generational family story, part history, part discussion of what it means to be Hawaiian, culturally and legally. Not always the easiest of reads, but it was so so worth it. It was also doing something very interesting with parts of the narration voiced by a collective "we" (culture/community?) that I would love to get a look at in print. Highly recommend, I'll definitely be getting myself a copy.

Something Close to Magic (4.5 stars) - an absolute delight! The Gail Carson Levine comp on this one is not entirely unearned, anyone who's a fan of fairy tale type fantasies will enjoy this, I had a great time! Very interestingly, it has characters who are in their mid to late teens, but is written in a way where they're still allowed to be young, to the point I'm surprised it didn't get shoehorned into MG instead of YA. If the author writes any more of these I'd be happy to read them.

Crying in H Mart (3.5 stars) - nonfic number 4! I'm sure everyone's heard of this one by now, which is why I finally picked it up. It's fine (which is why it got an extra .5 star), but on the scale of take it or leave it, I'd leave it. It just wasn't for me and I kind of wish I'd dnf'd it. A great cover though.

Lud-in-the-Mist (3.5 stars) - this one seems to be considered a sort of early precursor to fantasy and fairy tale type stories from the early 20th century, and I was eager to try it! While I definitely don't think it would feel out of place amongst it's more recent fellows (think the Last Unicorn, Robin McKinley, DWJ, etc), I absolutely could not get into it. Probably the chief recipient of "my brain doesn't want to cooperate, sorry," so maybe I'll give it another shot someday.

A Sinister Revenge (4 stars) - enjoyable as always! Not to hide this deep in my reviews or anything, but have the Emily Wilde people tried Veronica Speedwell yet?

Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures (3 stars) - This one's been sitting unread on my shelf for a while, and since I was on a bit of a Maggie Stiefvater run, I figured it was perfect! Well. Unless you are like 7, this was so bad. Not good. Having previously read and not liked a book by Maggie's co-author Jackson Pearce, I think it would not be unreasonable for me to assume she did most of the writing while Maggie did the illustrations - if the audiobook had been any longer than 4 hours I'd have absolutely DNF'd it, and I have no intention of continuing the series.

Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in the Country (4.5 stars) - part of me was wondering what I was doing trying this lol, not being someone who drinks or goes to bars, OR, as previously mentioned, is not the biggest fan of memoirs. It was not, as I hoped, also part research project, but it is a travelogue, and as a consequence has a strong narrative thread. It also has a lot of discussions about issues in the LGBTQ+ community, and overall I really liked it once I figured out what it was doing!

Pixels of You (3.5 stars) - a very short sapphic rivals-to friends-to lovers graphic novel about a human-form AI and a human with an android eye competing for a photography internship at an art gallery. The creators clearly put SO much thought into their characters and worldbuilding, but sadly there is nowhere near enough length here to do it all justice, and a number of elements felt very odd or under explored. The relationship parts are great! I just think this needed to be twice as long to really given everything its due, or maybe explored in prose instead.

The Memory Librarian (3.5 stars) - to start, I know nothing about the musical album this is related to, so I don't know how much that might have affected my reading. Overall I wasn't super impressed - when I discovered that the first story was cowritten by Alaya Dawn Johnson - no shade to her - I almost dropped it then, I just really didn't like her writing style in the one book I've read. But I stuck through it. Of the five stories, only one really stuck in my mind - Nevermind, cowritten by Danny Lore, which I could have read an entire novel about. I wish I could recommend it on its own, but overall I just don't quite understand the world Monae has created.

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years (3.5 stars) - I probably should say more about the book, it was fine, I was surprised to find that it's set in relatively current day, I found myself a lot more interested in the second narrative about the house's history, which did make me cry a bit. Mostly though, I really just want to let you know how MUCH of a non-entity the djinn was in this story, I have no idea why it was there and why it was included in the title of the book. All the author had to do was make the house a little more sentient and haunted and it would be fine, idk. Read it if you want, but it's not one I would rec.

DNF'S

Foundryside - I was so ready. I had the first two audiobooks checked out, I had the third one on hold. I started this but oh, the writing. bleh. I was looking thought reviews and someone referred to it as something like "21st century internet speak." In a high fantasy novel. I noped out at just 10%.

Earthlings - I've considered the author's other book before but haven't read it, but thought maybe a sci-fic book would work better for me? The beginning was odd but not uninteresting, and I might have continued if it had stayed that way. But then the main character was in school(?) and her teacher started getting handsy after class and I wasn't invested enough to stick it out.

A Far Wilder Magic - the success of Something Close to Magic made me a little too hopeful I think, bc while I'm still a little leery around YA, I know people have liked this. And it sounded interesting, truly, and I love the cover. But first it was the religion stuff. And I didn't really like the characters. Then it's like, oh, this is the same plot as The Scorpio Races, but nowhere near it's quality in any shape or form. I decided to stop while I was ahead, before I started to actually dislike it. (anyway here's your PSA to go read The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, I recommend doing it in October if you can).

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (The Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers

I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf, calling out to me with cosmic noise, since at least 2017, and now that I've finally picked it up, I'd like to ask myself: WHAT WERE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU FOOL?

I deserve a swift, jet-fueled kick to the hiney because this was nothing short of a wayfaring space opera delight! So fun! So inventive! It was escapism at its finest, imbuing me with the awed feeling of rushing through the stars with a motley crew of characters from various parts of the galaxy. I couldn't help but love them or their rundown clunker of a spaceship, the Wayfarer, which was giving Millennium Falcon vibes in the best way.

Chambers created a lavish, diverse world that was all about tunneling wormholes through space, found family, and interspecies cooperation. The narrative was more character-driven than action driven, but I preferred that. I think it's what gave the story its richness, its inventiveness. Part of what made it so fun is the detail the author paid to the characters and the species/places they hailed from, giving them all unique appearances, behaviors, relationships, and evolutionary space histories. I particularly loved that she wasn't afraid to play with gender norms or interspecies coupling, either. It added a futuristic otherworldliness to everything as well as underlined how human constructs are just that - constructs.

All of the characters were great, some quirkier and easier to love straight away than others, but even so, I can't declare a favorite because they all (Sissix, Rosemary, Ashby, Dr. Chef, Corbin, Jenks, Lovey, and Ohan) cemented themselves in my heart by the end. They're a crew, a family, and it's impossible to see them any other way.

Needless to say, I am SO looking forward to the rest of the series!

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[wearethekat]

April Book Reviews: Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Reread for book club (they didn't like it, boooo). Lowly captain Kel Cheris is sent to fight an unwinnable battle with a secret weapon-- the ghost of the immortal general Jedao in her head. Unfortunately, Jedao is known for two things-- his tactical genius, and the one time when he inexplicably betrayed his own side and murdered millions of people.

This is a bloody and spiky military sci-fi. I love Ninefox Gambit for its utter refusal to hold the reader's hand and its gorgeous imagery. Yes, what if the universe collapsed when not based on the number six and spaceships were giant moths. What if you were a queer woman and you had a dead person in your brain (a classic). What if!!

Not for the faint of heart or for people who like to have explanations for things. I love it anyway. A classic of the Lesbian Space Atrocities genre.

[torisdiary]

reading update – 

this was heavy and heartbreaking and i really liked it but every time James opened his mouth i wanted to punch him in the face. 4 stars.

[heavenlyyshecomes]

agree so much with this review of babel like what i didn't realise about my indifference of the book was how all the characters had a much more modern mindset and vocabulary for a book that is set in the 19th century (not in a progressive modern way but more of a 2020s internet speak modern way) the characters just felt like puppets for what rf kuang wanted to say and whatever she wanted to say was very much influenced by how these dialogues would be dissected and shared online. I've said before that kuang is not subtle and that whole part about letty weaponizing her white womanhood after That twist etc etc felt so heavy handed i could tell she was envisioning all the reviews booktwt was going to write applauding her for that

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

April Monthly Recap:

This month, I was participating in Magical Readathon by BookRoast on Youtube, and I smashed it! I read 13 of the 14 class prompts, as well as 4 quest books, plus four that didn’t count for the readathon, bringing me up to a total of 21 books this month! Clearly life is calming down a little bit and I have more time to read than February/March. Unfortunately, despite my reading quantity, my quality wasn’t awesome - my average rating this month was 3.6, compared to my typical average rating of around 4. This was also my first month without a 5-star read this year. However, I did read and really enjoy Babel, Half a Soul, and Unnatural Magic.

Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian: 4.25/5

Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams: 2/5

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske: 4.5/5

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater: 4.75/5

Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher: 4.5/5

Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian: 4.5/5

Babel by R. F. Kuang: 4.75/5

The Kraken’s Sacrifice by Katee Robert: 1.75/5

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: 2/5, dnf

The Bright Ages by David M. Perry & Matthew Gabriele: 3/5, dnf

An Embarrassment of Witches by Jenn Jordan & Sophie Goldstein: 2.5/5

Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking by Marianne Eloise: 2.5/5, dnf

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: 4.5/5

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho: 3/5

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo: 4/5

Umbertouched by Livia Blackburne: 4/5

Silver Moon by Catherine Lundoff: 2.5/5

The Councillor by E. J. Beaton: 4.25/5

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore: 4.25/5

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin: 4/5

Unnatural Magic by C. M. Waggoner: 4.75/5

Goal progress below the cut:

23 in 2023: 10 [+3]

Read 100 books: 63 [+21]

Translated works: 1 [+0]

Physical TBR: 8 [+5]

Top of TBR: 3 [+1]

Books in Spanish: 0

Read 40% AOC: 22.2% [-4.0%] *BOY is this going in the wrong direction

Discworld books: 1 [+0]

Series: 9 started vs. 16 caught up on/finished [+6/+4]

Storygraph recs: 1 | avg. 3/5 [+0]

Indigenous authors: 1 [+0]

[starplanes]

I had the chance to read Otherwordly by F. T. Lukens before its release! Here's my review:

Otherwordly was a delightful read. I found the dynamic between Knox and Ellery especially enjoyable (fans of black cat/golden retriever relationship tropes will too). Knox's charisma enthralled me from the start, and Ellery's grumpiness quickly became endearing. The pair's budding connection also balances well with the larger plot of fixing an endless winter. The story is neither low nor high stakes, managing to be that middle ground of cozy yet gripping. I liked the magic of the world and all the weird creatures within. I'm a sucker for a good found family story, and Otherwordly certainly delivered. Some beats of the romance were fairly quick moving, and I wanted the climax to run a little longer before its resolution, but neither broke the immersion of the story. Love happens fast sometimes! If you're looking for a read that isn't too complicated, this book is great. If you come expecting a lot of depth, you might be disappointed. Personally, I had a great time. Also, shout out for excellent use of they/them pronouns throughout the book. I adore the nonbinary rep!

[booksworthreviewing]

The Red Deal by The Red Nation

So, I just finished The Red Deal by The Red Nation. I highly recommended it if you're invested in collective liberation. Through the lens of indigenous knowing, this book explores how all of our liberation is tied up in indigenous sovereignty and ecological justice through land back, collective caretaking and the restoration of native rights.

This book is so accessible and really delineates how, in order to save our planet, we must divest from carcerality, colonialism, and imperialism and reinvest in collective care of ourselves and the planet. It is broken up into five sections, introduction, part one: divest: end the occupation, part two: heal our bodies: reinvest in our common humanity, part three: heal our planet: reinvest in our common future, and conclusion. Each of the main three sections are broken up into smaller "areas" which allows this book to be read in small, bite sized pieces so even y'all with shorter attention spans can engage with the text meaningfully. Each area in the last section even comes with recommendations of how you can work to further each goal the Red Nation puts forward.

The book is unabashedly anticapitalist, abolitionist, and centers indigenous communities and those in the global south. The book posits that "its decolonization or extinction" and then backs up this claim with evidence and solutions.

If you want to read one book about saving the planet, I'd recommend this one.

If you want to read this book and can't get it at your local indie bookshop, I'd recommend checking out the publisher's website, as they have "solidarity packages" available where you can buy a copy for yourself and one (or several) donated copies will go to Indigenous schools, libraries, organizations, and community centers chosen by the Red Nation. Getting books like this into the hands of indigenous youth is key to building hope and self determination in these communities that are under the constant oppression of colonization and exploitation.

[theraininthestars]

Next Book...

For April, I will be reading Violeta by Isabel Allende

[andreai04]

I had to pay the price. I had taken, and now I must give. Nature demanded balance.

[book-buni]

all the books I read in april 2024

❤️- decent reading/would maybe recommend; ⭐️- favorite

1. “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” by Victor Hugo - 7/10 (❤️)

2. “Sorcery of Thorns series” by Margaret Rogerson - 6/10 (❤️)

3. “The Fountains of Silence" by Ruta Sepetys - 7.8/10 (❤️)

4. “Gumiho” series by Kat Cho - 6/10 (❤️)

5. “Caraval” trilogy by Stephanie Garber - 3/10*

6. “Realm Breaker” trilogy by Victoria Aveyard - 7/10 (❤️)

7. “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy - 9/10 (⭐️)

8. “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen - 6/10 (❤️)**

9. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin - 8/10 (⭐️)

*technically I read the first two books last month but let’s pretend I read all of the books in april

** would’ve been around 8/10ish if it weren’t for who Fanny ended up with…

note: honestly, I could’ve read more. but I was in sort of a reading slump where even though I didn’t actually want to be on my phone, I was on it. it sort of feels worse how little books I read compared to last month, even though I know Anna Karenina is a lengthy book and just because I don’t read one book a day doesn’t mean I’m someone who doesn’t love reading books.

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

I won't lie, this one bludgeoned my heart wide open. Yet there was still something about it that was therapeutic, poignant, necessary. It's probably the saddest and most emotionally loaded of Emily Henry's latest offerings, so it hurt in ways I wasn't anticipating. It was messy, and deep, blowing the dust off unhealed parts of myself so I had to look at them bare-faced and really evaluate what growth and change and self-worth mean to me, because that answer, as the characters in this book show so well, is different for everyone.

Figuring out who you are, trying to be happy, allowing yourself to love and be loved--these things are neither linear nor easy to achieve. They're often long winding journeys in our lives that are populated with errors, with miscalculations and uncertainties, and I love how Emily Henry gave these characters - her little found family - room to explore that. She never shies away from the messiness of human emotion. The confusion, the contradictions, the decisions we can't bear to make but do. She leaned into that with her little hexagonal friend group, and I appreciated the authenticity of each of their arcs because of that.

Harriet and Wyn love each other so intensely. There is no disputing that. Even as they fake date their way through a Maine vacation with friends, pretending they're still together when they're not, you can still feel the pain of their breakup as if it's a physical wound they're both trying (and failing) to close. There's something so heartwrenching about Wyn's need to feel like he matters, like he's important enough to keep around, and Harriet's terror that she will let down the people that she loves most, because it ends up being the force that comes between them. It's the emotional blockade that keeps them apart. Yet, at the same time, it's their mutual struggle to overcome these self-limiting beliefs about themselves which makes their journey back to each other all the more beautiful and moving to witness.

Harriet and Wyn's love is hard won. Not only is it chosen but it's conscious, and for that reason it feels real.

(Hence why I'll be over here crying about it for the next 100 years. 😭)

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[sophiesbookishthings]

January Reads

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

My non fiction read for the year! I listened to the audio book for this one which I definitely recommend. Jennette McCurdy deserves only good things for the rest of her life.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

Wayward Children #5! Such an underrated series. Jack and Jill and the moors are my favorite. Also it's gay.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Queer cozy fantasy! I loved how chill and kind this book was.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I think about this book daily. The way everything tied together in this book was brilliant. I loved the concept of the reveurs in particular.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Ah the faerie books. I finally gave in and read this. It was fine. It was very basic fantasy romance. It wasn't bad, it was just unfortunately overhyped. Don't love the mc though she's kinda annoying.

3.75/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️

Return of the King by JRR Tolkien

Lord of the rings my beloved! I could scream about any lotr book forever so I'm just gonna say Samwise Gamgee is the character ever and I love faramir and he deserves only good things forever. Also the ending of this series takes my heart out and stomps on it.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

Tj Klune is a master of found family and I will read everything he writes forever. This book also had an autistic ace mc, an anxious roomba, and a sadistic nurse droid and I adored every single one of them.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

I feel like I should like this book more than I did. The mc just felt too perfect and like a societal ideal of masculinity that I really didn't care about that much. And I think to some extent it may have been the point but it still felt off to me. Started this in print and switched to audio cause the writing was not my favorite. Idk if I'll continue this series or not.

3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

I went into this thinking it was about a satyr because of the cover. I was disappointed a few chapters in when I realized it was not. I did however really enjoy this book anyway. Very interesting how it resolves.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Definitely better than acotar. Feyre's somewhat less annoying. Still think this series is overhyped but I do get it now. Also I don't get why everyone acts like this is straight porn. It's so tame lol but I read fanfic so 🤷. I do appreciate that this book went more into the politics of the world. Definitely made it more interesting.

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️