Scan barcode
bookishlymonique's reviews
94 reviews
Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
I can’t wait to get a physical copy of this book. It’s such a beautiful work and I think everyone should read it! It’s insightful and inspiring and so full of love!
The Follower of Flowers by Natalia Hernandez
adventurous
emotional
4.5
This was a fantastic sequel to The Name Bearer! I was just as impressed in the story telling and the character development! I can’t wait to dig into book 3!
Our MC is still on her journey from the first book, but we now have a couple new characters as well as some new POVs from the past. I loved how the stories are told in parallel against the backdrop of the main plot.
There were some good little twists that really added some depth to the story. You never get too comfortable in the best way! Exciting and full of heart!
Our MC is still on her journey from the first book, but we now have a couple new characters as well as some new POVs from the past. I loved how the stories are told in parallel against the backdrop of the main plot.
There were some good little twists that really added some depth to the story. You never get too comfortable in the best way! Exciting and full of heart!
A Certain Slant of Light by C.P. Du Toit
Thank you, C. P. Du Toit for allowing me to read a digital ARC for this story!
A Certain Slant of Light is a New Adult Fantasy based in an alternate reality where the continent of Africa was never colonized. The story follows Shale, a regular Black girl who finds herself transported to a new realm on her 20th birthday. Her entire life as she knows is completely and irrevocably changed.
I really enjoyed reading this story! After about the first 25% I did not want to stop reading.I appreciated the way the author handled the exposition when the main character lands in a new realm. You really get a sense of the world through multiple senses, partible visually with the author’s use of color. I would love to go back and tab up a physical copy with all of the instances of color. The dusty browns for the more common and subservient, the gold and greens and shades of red for royalty and landscape. The play of colors and patterns relating to the court as well as the land of Izwe. I really think Du Toit nailed the imagery for me. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of my reading experience.
Overall the story had a great balance of plot and character development. I really felt like Shale was captured well for her age and circumstances. Her choices and reactions were believable (and relatable). Her stubbornness was laughable and infuriating in the best way!
I also loved how Du Toit handled Shale’s various relationships. Every main side character had their own independent relationship with the MC and it was clear which connects were strong and filled with love and which one’s gave the MC pause. I also enjoyed hte interplay of the different side characters with each other. I believe this will be at least a duology so I feel the author has left plenty of room to grow with the characters, but also I felt invested enough in the relationships that were portrayed by the end of the book.
As far as plot goes, there was enough suspense and action sprinkled throughout the relationship building and spark of romance. I am looking forward to more detail on how the magic system fits into this world and hoping to see more of it on page in the future. Even though there was not much detail about the magic system, I was still glad it was there and am hopeful that it will play a bigger role later on.
I would recommend this book if you’d like:
Favorite Quotes
“Or perhaps this was a wild dream, one where everything looked and felt and tasted real—so real that when you woke up, you almost swear that reality was the dream, and the dream was the truest life that had ever existed.”
“One day, I would make a piece of art with my gathered seashells and the whole would take form as something new entirely.”
“...but it also taught me about who I was. It brought my parents, their parents, and their parents before them to life. And through knowing them, I began to know myself just slightly.”
“Sometimes you have to make happiness for yourself.”
“I could feel, in my bones, that this place was me. My blood ran through the soil and stone. My breath was the wind that whipped over the palace.”
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you, C. P. Du Toit for allowing me to read a digital ARC for this story!
A Certain Slant of Light is a New Adult Fantasy based in an alternate reality where the continent of Africa was never colonized. The story follows Shale, a regular Black girl who finds herself transported to a new realm on her 20th birthday. Her entire life as she knows is completely and irrevocably changed.
I really enjoyed reading this story! After about the first 25% I did not want to stop reading.I appreciated the way the author handled the exposition when the main character lands in a new realm. You really get a sense of the world through multiple senses, partible visually with the author’s use of color. I would love to go back and tab up a physical copy with all of the instances of color. The dusty browns for the more common and subservient, the gold and greens and shades of red for royalty and landscape. The play of colors and patterns relating to the court as well as the land of Izwe. I really think Du Toit nailed the imagery for me. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of my reading experience.
Overall the story had a great balance of plot and character development. I really felt like Shale was captured well for her age and circumstances. Her choices and reactions were believable (and relatable). Her stubbornness was laughable and infuriating in the best way!
I also loved how Du Toit handled Shale’s various relationships. Every main side character had their own independent relationship with the MC and it was clear which connects were strong and filled with love and which one’s gave the MC pause. I also enjoyed hte interplay of the different side characters with each other. I believe this will be at least a duology so I feel the author has left plenty of room to grow with the characters, but also I felt invested enough in the relationships that were portrayed by the end of the book.
As far as plot goes, there was enough suspense and action sprinkled throughout the relationship building and spark of romance. I am looking forward to more detail on how the magic system fits into this world and hoping to see more of it on page in the future. Even though there was not much detail about the magic system, I was still glad it was there and am hopeful that it will play a bigger role later on.
I would recommend this book if you’d like:
- medium-paced, new adult fantasy
- lush alternate world with a “strong female lead” who is still figuring herself and her life (in quotes because strength comes in many forms)
- setting in a diverse world with a kingdom at the cusp of great change
- dash of romance and unconventional found family dynamics
- Black Girl Magic
- supporting indie publishing and authors
Favorite Quotes
“Or perhaps this was a wild dream, one where everything looked and felt and tasted real—so real that when you woke up, you almost swear that reality was the dream, and the dream was the truest life that had ever existed.”
“One day, I would make a piece of art with my gathered seashells and the whole would take form as something new entirely.”
“...but it also taught me about who I was. It brought my parents, their parents, and their parents before them to life. And through knowing them, I began to know myself just slightly.”
“Sometimes you have to make happiness for yourself.”
“I could feel, in my bones, that this place was me. My blood ran through the soil and stone. My breath was the wind that whipped over the palace.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse
Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protest, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
5.0
White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad
challenging
informative
fast-paced
5.0
The Name-Bearer by Natalia Hernandez
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Just my initial thoughts after finishing at 4am:
This story had me locked in from the beginning! I loved the cast of characters and the setting. The world fill rich and defined but not too much is revealed at once. A good balance of exposition and moving the story forward.
There was enough tension (plot and between characters) to keep me turning pages, but so many sweet moments between characters that really balanced out the story.
Enjoyed the significance of names and naming and the way culture is explored group to group.
Can we have a moment for the gorgeous cover as well?!? I mean… it really is emotional and evocative especially upon finishing the book!
This story had me locked in from the beginning! I loved the cast of characters and the setting. The world fill rich and defined but not too much is revealed at once. A good balance of exposition and moving the story forward.
There was enough tension (plot and between characters) to keep me turning pages, but so many sweet moments between characters that really balanced out the story.
Enjoyed the significance of names and naming and the way culture is explored group to group.
Can we have a moment for the gorgeous cover as well?!? I mean… it really is emotional and evocative especially upon finishing the book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Alcohol
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
Artfully written. A beautifully, tragic story with wonderful symbolism and imagery.
Four Treasures of the Sky covers a part of American history that has been significantly limited in public education and general history. Similar to Black History and Indigenous history and the history of many marginalized groups in the US. I barely learned about the Chinese Exclusion Act and this book was able to highlight how it affected the everyday Chinese people who it was inflicted upon.
The use of magical realism created tension and hope. Although the story focuses on the main character, Daiyu, the story becomes even richer as each side character is introduced. These characters help build a more realistic picture of Chinese life in America during the mid-to-late 1800s as well as illuminate multiple aspects of the MC’s culture and experience.
Favorite Quotes
“I am beginning to realize that everyone has two faces to them: the face they show to the world and the one on the inside, that keeps all its secrets. I still do not know who my faces are, or which one is which.”
Favorite Quotes
“I am beginning to realize that everyone has two faces to them: the face they show to the world and the one on the inside, that keeps all its secrets. I still do not know who my faces are, or which one is which.”
“English, it seems, is a matter of timing and chaos.”
“The inkstone asks for destruction before creation—you must first destroy yourself, grind yourself into a paste, before becoming a work of art.”
“I am the constellation of all the names within me, of every name I have ever inhabited. And this is the truth I see for the first time: I have only been able to survive because of my name.”
“I never thought about it before, but every cloud I have ever seen must have been on its way to somewhere. Those who witness clouds only ever see a moment of their journey. In this way, I could call myself a cloud.”
Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana
adventurous
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
The perfect blend of fantasy and romance! Just what I needed!
Lore was a character I could definitely root for! The cast of characters was pretty well balanced and wasn’t too much to keep up with.
Overall the plot moved pretty quickly, so for fantasy this was a nice change. There was some world building but not a lot of exposition and description as you’d normally expect in a fantasy. Major plot points jumped to the next fairly quickly but the pacing was great for the length of the story. (Under 350 pages!) I would have loved more details, but again it was a great pace for the length and the shorter length made for a refreshing change in pace.
I’m hopeful for the next book and can’t wait to see the side characters fleshed out a bit more as we get to know them better.
Lore was a character I could definitely root for! The cast of characters was pretty well balanced and wasn’t too much to keep up with.
Overall the plot moved pretty quickly, so for fantasy this was a nice change. There was some world building but not a lot of exposition and description as you’d normally expect in a fantasy. Major plot points jumped to the next fairly quickly but the pacing was great for the length of the story. (Under 350 pages!) I would have loved more details, but again it was a great pace for the length and the shorter length made for a refreshing change in pace.
I’m hopeful for the next book and can’t wait to see the side characters fleshed out a bit more as we get to know them better.