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kimschouwenaar's reviews
340 reviews
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leigh bardugo, you are my religion <3
a little dubious about some turns the story took, but in the end there is nothing — NOTHING — I would want to see done differently. this was such a treat and is one of my new all-time-faves.
a little dubious about some turns the story took, but in the end there is nothing — NOTHING — I would want to see done differently. this was such a treat and is one of my new all-time-faves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, and Slavery
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
holy crap, this was wild — an absolute “roller coaster ride” of a book (thank you angela carter).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
for real, you’re going to leave us with an open ending to a stand-alone???
now, for the review, there are elements I liked and disliked. the main aspect I despised is the insta-love. a large part of the story takes place in the first ten days after the narrators meet, and they’re talking about love like ten seconds after they’ve met. not my kinda vibe.
however, this book will keep you in a chokehold. you know there will be betrayal, it’s evident in each chapter, but who, when, why, how? some plot twists you’ll see coming, others will leave you questioning your deduction-abilities.
overall, an enjoyable read that was clearly influenced by the picture of dorian gray, but veers off in an exciting, unexpected direction for readers of the original. excited to start my thesis on this.
now, for the review, there are elements I liked and disliked. the main aspect I despised is the insta-love. a large part of the story takes place in the first ten days after the narrators meet, and they’re talking about love like ten seconds after they’ve met. not my kinda vibe.
however, this book will keep you in a chokehold. you know there will be betrayal, it’s evident in each chapter, but who, when, why, how? some plot twists you’ll see coming, others will leave you questioning your deduction-abilities.
overall, an enjoyable read that was clearly influenced by the picture of dorian gray, but veers off in an exciting, unexpected direction for readers of the original. excited to start my thesis on this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
with the content warning, I’m never sure whether to classify them as extreme, moderate, or minor. although most are moderate, as it is still a ya novel, I did classify them as graphic as J can easily see someone be triggered by them. proceed with caution.
Blasted by Sarah Kane
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Honestly, I do not know how to rate this play. It's gripping, shocking, and does not shy away from horrifying truths. Not many plays have been able to draw this much emotion from me, and I do not know how I feel about it yet.
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I'll Be Home For Christmas by Mason Deaver
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
content warning: although they have come a long way, ben’s anxiety plays a central role in this novella
ben and nathan hold such a special place in my heart. mason, thank you for writing such a cute, short little novella. it reads like a cliché hallmark movie, which was exactly what I was hoping for.
ben has come such a long way since the start of IWYATB, but also since the end of it.
“other people‘s discomfort with who I am is no longer my problem.”
mason deaver has quickly become one of my instant-purchase authors. doesn’t matter what they write, I will buy it. very excited for all future material. <3
ben and nathan hold such a special place in my heart. mason, thank you for writing such a cute, short little novella. it reads like a cliché hallmark movie, which was exactly what I was hoping for.
ben has come such a long way since the start of IWYATB, but also since the end of it.
“other people‘s discomfort with who I am is no longer my problem.”
mason deaver has quickly become one of my instant-purchase authors. doesn’t matter what they write, I will buy it. very excited for all future material. <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
ben’s anxiety plays a very big role in this book, and they are misgendered once.
Possession by A.S. Byatt
challenging
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
y’all, what the hell… slowest book I’ve ever read with an extremely dissatisfying ending. maud and roland’s story was captivating, but dragged out unnecessarily. and the innumerable references to well-known historical writers (john donne is one my absolute favourite metaphysical poets, so I was very happy to see him again) shows the author took this chance to kind of… brag about her knowledge. I think that’s how I would phrase it.
it reads more like an extremely long research article than the fictional work of art I was hoping it to be. disappointed and glad to have finished it.
it reads more like an extremely long research article than the fictional work of art I was hoping it to be. disappointed and glad to have finished it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Pregnancy
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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? No
4.0
check the content warnings before reading
THAT’S IT?! AJW, please give me more. Hell Followed with us is 100% justified queer rage and I absolutely adored it.
this would’ve been great as a duology. there is so much more to tell. I want to know more about Benji, about Nick, about the rest of the survivors, about what happens next.
“It’s harder for someone to pin you down as a girl when they need a moment to pin you down as human.”
honestly, Benji has my whole heart. the only reason this doesn’t have a five-star rating, is the lack of coherence in the writing, the dissatisfying unveiling of some secrets, and the rushed ending. the final showdown is crammed in less than 50 pages. as I wrote, this would’ve been great as a duology, or with the addition of an epilogue.
THAT’S IT?! AJW, please give me more. Hell Followed with us is 100% justified queer rage and I absolutely adored it.
this would’ve been great as a duology. there is so much more to tell. I want to know more about Benji, about Nick, about the rest of the survivors, about what happens next.
“It’s harder for someone to pin you down as a girl when they need a moment to pin you down as human.”
honestly, Benji has my whole heart. the only reason this doesn’t have a five-star rating, is the lack of coherence in the writing, the dissatisfying unveiling of some secrets, and the rushed ending. the final showdown is crammed in less than 50 pages. as I wrote, this would’ve been great as a duology, or with the addition of an epilogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Transphobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt