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electrifyingpenguin's reviews
56 reviews
The Summer You Were There Vol. 6 by Yuama
This is definitely one of the best yuri manga I've read. It's not afraid to handle serious themes and highlight the fleeting nature of life. I really hope this gets an anime!!!
dark
emotional
sad
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
A beautiful story that is equally devastating and full of love. Shizuku and Kaori's story is so heartbreaking, but I love how the author doesn't avoid or undermine any character's feelings and experiences. I love the care that they put into the art - the gestures, expressions, and all the lovestruck ways Shizuku and Kaori gaze at each other.
This is definitely one of the best yuri manga I've read. It's not afraid to handle serious themes and highlight the fleeting nature of life. I really hope this gets an anime!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi
I love how this collection centers Black voices to tell their own small pieces of American history. While not a super in-depth reference on African America, this community-centered history is accessible for anyone.
challenging
informative
4.0
An expansive collection of short stories, essays, and poems covering African American history. The bite-sized pieces of writing are perfect for a brief overview for someone who is not familiar with Black history without turning it into a dry textbook of names and events.
I love how this collection centers Black voices to tell their own small pieces of American history. While not a super in-depth reference on African America, this community-centered history is accessible for anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-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
4.0
A very powerful and thought-provoking commentary on the U.S. prison system through a dystopian world where gladiator death matches between prisoners are streamed for entertainment. The author uses footnotes to provide obituaries for fallen fighters and real-world facts on the mass incarceration of Black and trans people, criticizing the system that fails to actually help communities while also humanizing the characters, especially ones who've committed acts like rape or murder.
The book is too short to deeply explore the wide range of characters, from the viewers to the fighters and even the emcee, but the author is still able to show how most of them are capable of change and compassion amid all the violence they're participating in. The audiobook is also narrated very wonderfully, with a large cast that uses different accents and dialects for the various characters that get to tell their part of the story.
The book is too short to deeply explore the wide range of characters, from the viewers to the fighters and even the emcee, but the author is still able to show how most of them are capable of change and compassion amid all the violence they're participating in. The audiobook is also narrated very wonderfully, with a large cast that uses different accents and dialects for the various characters that get to tell their part of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, and Police brutality
Cold Sands by 牧云岚卿
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.0
I came for the emotional damage and stayed for the political drama and nail-biting battle scenes. I was never really sold on the chemistry between the male leads, but Han Xin is such a compelling character that I can't help but be moved by his story. This is doomed yaoi enemies and lovers; the characters were bound by their clashing destinies from the start.
A note for historical fiction lovers: the writing style uses modern colloquialisms, and it did bother me, but it gets better in the second half as the tone becomes more serious.
A note for historical fiction lovers: the writing style uses modern colloquialisms, and it did bother me, but it gets better in the second half as the tone becomes more serious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
A wonderful memoir full of perseverance and hope for a better future for trans people. It's incredible to see Geena's journey from trans beauty pageants in the Philippines to being a supermodel in New York to advocating for trans rights around the world.
So many people in her life have placed their trust, faith, and support on Geena to enable her to come this far, and she never fails to give love back to her wonderful support systems throughout the book. Above all, her book highlights the power of community—to pull her up from moments of doubt or despair, to rekindle her ambitions, and to trace her precolonial Filipino roots to accept her own transness.
So many people in her life have placed their trust, faith, and support on Geena to enable her to come this far, and she never fails to give love back to her wonderful support systems throughout the book. Above all, her book highlights the power of community—to pull her up from moments of doubt or despair, to rekindle her ambitions, and to trace her precolonial Filipino roots to accept her own transness.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Transphobia, and Death of parent
Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Still one of my favorite books ever. I'm no longer in university, but the narrator's thoughts are still so very relatable - her inability to love well, falling into despair when thinking about the future, even her occasional thoughts of what makes life worth living, despite the struggling or because of it?
This is definitely not a book to read if not mentally well, but the writing, characters, and their relationships are all so beautiful and layered and complex, with some wonderful queer friendships as well. Definitely a must-read lesbian classic.
This is definitely not a book to read if not mentally well, but the writing, characters, and their relationships are all so beautiful and layered and complex, with some wonderful queer friendships as well. Definitely a must-read lesbian classic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug abuse
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
A deeply personal record of the author's therapy sessions with her psychiatrist, but the book being mostly comprised of transcripts of those sessions with limited commentary or reflection holds it back as a memoir. I appreciate how candid the author is during the sessions, but the book ultimately doesn't dive too deep into the causes of her anxiety or depression.
It's not a great memoir, but it is a good record or example of how therapy works, and how it's a constant work in progress. The author ends the book with a sense of improvement, and that is nice to see.
It's not a great memoir, but it is a good record or example of how therapy works, and how it's a constant work in progress. The author ends the book with a sense of improvement, and that is nice to see.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Reading this felt like reading a badly written porno; the characters are so deranged that I probably would've liked them if they were given more development and personality, but in such a short novella, it just feels like gratuitous gore and body horror and abuse, all in the form of emails, message board posts, and chat records. The whole thing felt like reading a cringey 4chan thread where everyone tries to one-up each other in grossness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (Novel) Vol. 3 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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
4.5
[Review of volumes 1–3] Basically, this is the AO3 tag "Crack treated seriously." Shen Qingqiu is such a hilarious narrator who develops along with the story he transmigrated into as his actions trigger changes in the characters and world around him. The characters become more sympathetic and complex as SQQ gives them the opportunity to break free from their archetypes. Luo Binghe changes, most of all, from a toxically masculine male harem protagonist into a lovesick fool who yearns for his shizun. Everything is wrapped up in SQQ's hilariously scathing and meta commentary on web fiction tropes to make this a super fun and engaging read. Very excited to get to the extras!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Slavery
Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
You know when you read the final page and burst into tears that this book hits different. Those last few pages HURTED. Oof. That said, the middle section with the activist was so difficult to get through, man. This MC can be really hard to sympathize with sometimes. The most interesting parts were his relationships with Jaehee and Gyu-ho. It was the closest to pure, unconditional love that the MC ever experienced, and with all else, slipped away from his reach. Devastating. But I also hope he can find love again.