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heartgummi's reviews
18 reviews
Where's Molly by H.D. Carlton
dark
mysterious
fast-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
1.0
Giving 1 ⭐️ for the prose, which is genuinely beautiful and lovely to read. However, this book is … bad.
This book is squarely what I would call "white woman dark romance" and I mean that in a very negative way. While I love dark themes in books, this novel trivializes them and pushes them to near-parodic levels. Molly's trauma isn't a facet of her character but rather a plot device that is poorly used to give her the mysterious, tragic waif vibe. While I can appreciate a character who is hardened by the abuse she's endured and the steps she takes to survive (in fact, messy female characters are my favourite to read and write), it just gives me "white person's fanfiction foray into sexual reclamation" … and it's not well done. It's downright disrespectful at times.
The worst part and what cemented me into this opinion was the casual mention that Molly's father raped her. This gets about half a page of exposition, and then is sidelined as just another assault in a long line of sexual abuse and trauma she's faced before she even became an adult. I don't think these topics have to be treaded upon lightly, nor should I think we have to look away from the stark reality they present, but I also don't think we can convert these issues into tropes that we toss aside either. I don't know. It just gives me the ick. I was thoroughly uncomfortable every step of the way to the end.
My last complaint is with Cage. He sucks. He brings nothing to the narrative, and I don't even think he meshes well with Molly's character either. He's just there to be the obligatory sexy love interest, and offers nothing with the plot. There are also times when he exudes the "You're verbally saying no but I know you want it" energy (or outright says it aloud), which adds even more to how insensitively I think the author tackled the concept of a pedophilia and rape survivor who's slowly learning to enjoy sex and delve into intimacy again. Sorry, I'm just not the kind of person who can read this sort of fiction and not feel gross about it in some way.
This book is squarely what I would call "white woman dark romance" and I mean that in a very negative way. While I love dark themes in books, this novel trivializes them and pushes them to near-parodic levels. Molly's trauma isn't a facet of her character but rather a plot device that is poorly used to give her the mysterious, tragic waif vibe. While I can appreciate a character who is hardened by the abuse she's endured and the steps she takes to survive (in fact, messy female characters are my favourite to read and write), it just gives me "white person's fanfiction foray into sexual reclamation" … and it's not well done. It's downright disrespectful at times.
My last complaint is with Cage. He sucks. He brings nothing to the narrative, and I don't even think he meshes well with Molly's character either. He's just there to be the obligatory sexy love interest, and offers nothing with the plot. There are also times when he exudes the "You're verbally saying no but I know you want it" energy (or outright says it aloud), which adds even more to how insensitively I think the author tackled the concept of a pedophilia and rape survivor who's slowly learning to enjoy sex and delve into intimacy again. Sorry, I'm just not the kind of person who can read this sort of fiction and not feel gross about it in some way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
Kindling by Traci Chee
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
A huge fan of this book—I feel like it hit every niche I search for, especially in a low fantasy setting. I enjoyed the easy worldbuilding, especially done through the eyes of several characters learning to heal after being forged into child soldiers have left them unable to reconcile with the world at large. The depiction of trauma is visceral—everyone is messy, and better-written for it. The characters were all likeable in their own ways, and I was absolutely gutted when so many of my favourites died in the end . That's how you know a character is well-written: you laugh when they laugh, cry when they cry, and feel tense when they find themselves in dire situations. You root for them in many ways; and in this book, you root for all of them to succeed and earn their happy endings.
My only criticism is that with 7 characters who you explore the viewpoints of equally, the 500-page runtime feels like it isn't enough to spend with all of them, despite the novel's relatively slow pacing. There were a lot of characters who I felt like we could've spent more time with, but the book was done before we really got to do so.
This novel isn't a happy one. But it is hopeful. Kindling breaks your heart and then picks up the pieces and mends it back with you. I'm grateful to have found a story that hit so many of my specific interests and left me so satisfied but saddened.
My only criticism is that with 7 characters who you explore the viewpoints of equally, the 500-page runtime feels like it isn't enough to spend with all of them, despite the novel's relatively slow pacing. There were a lot of characters who I felt like we could've spent more time with, but the book was done before we really got to do so.
This novel isn't a happy one. But it is hopeful. Kindling breaks your heart and then picks up the pieces and mends it back with you. I'm grateful to have found a story that hit so many of my specific interests and left me so satisfied but saddened.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book changed my life as a queer teenager a decade ago. Perhaps that's why it gets such a high rating at my current age: it was informative and influential at a time when queerness as a topic wasn't openly broached in teen literature.
Sáenz's writing is simple, concise, but hard-hitting, perfectly capturing the struggles of feeling alienated and angry at the world when you're young.
Ari and Dante are so near and dear to my heart. I love this book with every fibre of my being!
Sáenz's writing is simple, concise, but hard-hitting, perfectly capturing the struggles of feeling alienated and angry at the world when you're young.
Ari and Dante are so near and dear to my heart. I love this book with every fibre of my being!
Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
This book seems the type to either be your cup of tea or not; unfortunately for me, it staunchly was not. While I enjoy magical realism and esoteric writing styles, I felt lost in many different ways while reading it. And though I also understand its intent, its vulgarity was just too much for me to handle. If you want to read about shit and piss every other page, then this is the book for you.
Regardless, Chang's prose is genuinely beautiful and reflective, evoking emotions that reflect the state of the characters. I just wish I knew what was going on, and why we needed to talk about feces all the time, but I digress. Might look into her other books for her writing style alone.
Regardless, Chang's prose is genuinely beautiful and reflective, evoking emotions that reflect the state of the characters. I just wish I knew what was going on, and why we needed to talk about feces all the time, but I digress. Might look into her other books for her writing style alone.
A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
I sort of wish there was more to this book than its shallow messages and plot, but I also understand that it wasn't meant to be super duper deep. This is mainly a translation thing, but the simple and straightforward prose also help kept me grounded, and not to take what it was saying too seriously.
Regardless, the climate it's set against in a metatextual sense (i.e., written by a Korean woman post-lockdown in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile towards minorities) makes it something that aligns very well with the history of the magical girl genre, fitting it squarely alongside its contemporaries, though not in a way that makes it stand out.
The translator's note also rang poignant to me: "Magical girls exist because justice does not."
Perhaps in a world where magical girls do not exist, standing up for what is right is a superpower in of itself.
Regardless, the climate it's set against in a metatextual sense (i.e., written by a Korean woman post-lockdown in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile towards minorities) makes it something that aligns very well with the history of the magical girl genre, fitting it squarely alongside its contemporaries, though not in a way that makes it stand out.
The translator's note also rang poignant to me: "Magical girls exist because justice does not."
Perhaps in a world where magical girls do not exist, standing up for what is right is a superpower in of itself.
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was a wild ride from start to finish—equal parts humorous and dark, I enjoyed watching Vesper's character develop and grow as the book went on. A few of the "twists" were predictable, but they made sense for the plot and characters, and I do believe in a lot of ways, predictable twists which utilize established worldbuilding concepts are better than ones that miss the mark.
The prose also reads like butter—smooth, clean; a page-turner for sure!
The prose also reads like butter—smooth, clean; a page-turner for sure!
The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This book gutted me like a fish. A necessary read, especially for middle grade-aged kids.
As someone who not only lost their own dad, but whose younger sibling was around the same age as the main character's when it happened, this book made me sob profusely when the "reveal" came around. I couldn't stop crying when I finished it. I wish I could erase my memory of reading it so I could finish it for the first time again and again and again.
Maeve Fly by CJ Leede
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Technically, the sexual assault scenes would've brought this down to something more like a 4.75 ⭐, but this book has genuinely not left my head since I read it, and I keep searching for things similar to it wherever I go, so ...
My controversial hot take is that if Maeve was a man, the reviews for this book would look different. It's a blatant satire à la American Psycho, and the "cringe" parts felt like they were purposely written to evoke grimace than anything else. This novel was super enjoyable, but some of the scenes where the main character maims and commits sexual violence on others characters felt unnecessary at best, and edgy shock value content with no substance at worst.
Still, I'm locked in and loaded for Leede's next book. I want more female protagonists who suck.
My controversial hot take is that if Maeve was a man, the reviews for this book would look different. It's a blatant satire à la American Psycho, and the "cringe" parts felt like they were purposely written to evoke grimace than anything else. This novel was super enjoyable, but some of the scenes where the main character maims and commits sexual violence on others characters felt unnecessary at best, and edgy shock value content with no substance at worst.
Still, I'm locked in and loaded for Leede's next book. I want more female protagonists who suck.
The House in Fata Morgana by NOT A BOOK
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book successfully manipulated me in many ways—and I love it for this.
But seriously, what the fuck (said reverently).
But seriously, what the fuck (said reverently).