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cw: rape, incest, child abuse, talk about suicide, fatphobia, self harm, depression, mentions of eating disorder, throwing up, ptsd, a mention of harry potter.
2.5
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Before I explain my rating I just need to state a few trigger warnings.
Domestic abuse, Rape, Prostitution/Dehumanization of Women, and a little bit of Animal Slaughter.
So if you personally are triggered by ANY of these please go into this book knowing that. Don't just read a book because of hype, if you know that it has triggering topics that you are personally triggered by please don't read it.
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Okay now onto the review.
So going into this book I already had a feeling of what was going to happen, because I did look up some reviews prior to reading it. I will say this that I was taken by surprise by some of the things that happened in this book. The writing was beautiful and it made me feel like I was in Indravalli with Poornima and Savitha. I felt the pain that they were going through. This book is so Emotional and Important because it shows you how life is in a different country. How easy it is to be taken into sex trafficking. It made me be so thankful that I live in a country where women are treated a bit more equally. yes women are STILL struggling to have equal rights as men, but at least things are better than other places where women are dehumanized and treated like complete trash. I'm not going to lie this book was mad boring at times, and it did put me into a slump. But I am not going to discredit the beauty of this book that shows two strong women and their friendship. I loved Poornima and Savitha so much, I swear if y'all dont know if y'all want to read this book or not. Please do just for their story(if you're not triggered by any of the tw I said earlier) I promise you won't regret it.
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Thank you to Flatiron Books for sending me this book for review
What
The
Actual
HECK
I don't even know what to say tbh except I loved it and I will be reading the sequel soon
As a person who does not normally enjoy short stories. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Toni Morrison truly has a way with words. She makes you care for characters, even if you're only with them for a short amount of time. The introduction analysis by Zadie Smith was phenomenal. She helps the reader understand the text. I recommend reading the short story first before the introduction. I believe it's best to go into it without any preconceived notions. So you can form your own opinions and then read what Smith has to say.
The question of which character is who is such a brilliant idea. It makes the reader think about their internal prejudices and reasonings. I don't know which character is which and I think that was Morrisons' intent. I might even say they can be interchangeable if you think about it. This is why I loved this story so much. There's no one right answer and that's fascinating to me.
Before I give this story a final rating I'd like to reread and analyze it.
CW: death, suicide, xenophobia, c-section, and blood
Rep: Chinese American MC, Queer POV (mlm couple), Egyptian side characters.
2.5
I was uninterested until the last 20% I think its because it's been a while since I finished the first book. I might need to reread the series after I finish book 3. I really like binti as a character and the writing & world. But it's just so short I literally want more. I will be reading book 3 and her akata duology soon because I really enjoy Nnedi's writing.
I loved the series when i was in high school, I really like the graphic novel but I can't get over the amount of cringy scenes
“And listen to me love, when a woman risks her place, her very life to speak a truth the world despises? Believe her. Always.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS
sexual assault, misogyny, physical torture, victim blaming, slut shaming, murder, betrayal, and suicidal thoughts.
I don't even know where to begin with this because wow. This book was such a surprise for me. I was expecting to not like it as much as i did. I was expecting to rate it 3 to 4 stars just because I'm really picky with the books i give the big 5 to, you feel me. And even when I finished it i fist gave is 4 stars. But then after thinking about it non stop and wanting to reread it i knew.... this was it.
Artemisia's story was so hard to read but oh so powerful. This is a story about what is like in the 1600s where being a woman was a crime in itself. Women couldn't do what they wanted just do what men wanted them to do. And men could do or take whatever they pleased. This book tells the realities of an era where women were raped and were put to death or were shamed if they spoke out about it. Yes it was infuriating to read, but when a book can bring out so many different emotions out of me at the same time. That's when I know it will be a book that sticks with me for a long time.
I don't really want to write a long review for this right now because i want to reread it and annotate my copy of it. But y'all if you aren't triggered by any of the topics that I mentioned and haven't yet read it, please read it!
“I will show you what a woman can do.”
this was such a great read. perfect for the season in my life that i'm in right now. i've never read a Angelou novel but now i want to read more of her works. Angelou's writing is so beautiful and filled with so much wisdom.
CW: PTSD, blood, mentions of sexual assault, substance abuse, kidnapping, murder, vomiting.
Okay so it's done ?????
There's so much I want to say yet I don't really know what to say. I liked how the author tied in things from the other books into this. It was brilliant how they made small details that were maybe deemed insignificant in the other books. And we're actually part of the bigger picture. But that ending was so rushed and a bit out of character for pip. I don't know how I feel about it.
Also is there going to be another book? I would love more tbh but these characters have already been through hell and back. They need a break, maybe a novella of there they are now, a vacation or something
CW: hate crime, murder, death. colorism, fatphobia, fatphobic comments, body shaming, eating Disorders. use of the f slur, misgendering, suicidal ideation, self-harm, blood.
Oh God yall don't know how badly I wanted to love this book. A literary fiction novel about two Dominican women fighting against gentrification. I thought this was going to be my perfect book. Sadly, I was wrong.
Let me start with the good before I start ranting.
Natera's writing stunning. She has such a way with words. I tabbed and highlighted so many quotes that I will look back on them for a long time. I was thrilled to see so much Dominican culture in this. I felt so seen within the mentions of my cultural foods and the “dichos” that are widely known in my country. I saw my family in each member of the community. That is one of the many things I appreciate about this book.
Now the not so good.
This was a mess. While the writing was great, the plot and story building was lacking. It fell into this thing that tends to happen in some debut literary fiction novels. And that is trying to tackle a lot of different topics at once. The conversation and development surrounding gentrification were interesting until we got to the last third of the book. It took me on a rollercoaster ride of events that felt so odd and took me out of the story. It felt like the author was trying to make the story take a dark turn when I didn't need to. It felt like one of those overly dramatic movies. Where the first half of it is chill with a sprinkle of drama here and there. And then, all of a sudden, a hurricane of events occurs, and you're left wondering what's going on. That is exactly how I felt. The twists were shocking in all the wrong ways. Like I said, a whole mess.
Also, there was an unnecessary amount of fatphobic comments that made me feel so uncomfortable as a fat person myself.
I will be reading whatever the author releases in the future. I think that she has the potential of writing something amazing in the future!
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the e-arc.
This collection of poetry covers American Black history from the '50s-‘60s. Weaving powerful poetry with heartbreaking historical facts. The author brings up things that I've never known about our history. They succeed to make it accessible for a teen audience. I will definitely be giving this book to my siblings to read.
this book read like a christmas romance movie. i already casted the main couples i. my head and everything 😂