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emmaraeempowered's reviews
411 reviews
Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism: Transform, Heal, and Remember with the Power of Plants and Ancestral Medicine by Karen M. Rose
informative
5.0
This book was so informative with out feeling overwhelming. I really loved how each chapter was broken up. I loved all the information on plants both spiritually and scientifically. This is one I will continue referencing in my herbalism journey cause I was already going back through it while reading it haha.
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Just not at all a fan of this writing.
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
The Fox Wife was a very well paced fantasy/mystery. I loved the chosen povs for this story, we have the pov of a woman who is a fox tracking down someone for the purposes of revenge. And the pov of an older detective with a particular gift that makes detective work quite easy for him. What's the mystery he is tracking?...hmm, guess you'll have to read and find out. But let’s s just say it goes deeper than he thought.
This is a story that would get me excited to wake up and read and I would read at night until I fell asleep. I loved how much fox lore I learned and I enjoyed how many characters had different opinions about foxes. Some loved and worshipped, some despised and outwardly spoke about their despise of them. Others were leery and just tried to keep a safe distance.
Choo's writing felt so vivid and lifelike. I was hanging onto every word and every page. If you're someone who visualizes things while reading you will get a very detailed painting of every setting and every description in this book.
This is a story that would get me excited to wake up and read and I would read at night until I fell asleep. I loved how much fox lore I learned and I enjoyed how many characters had different opinions about foxes. Some loved and worshipped, some despised and outwardly spoke about their despise of them. Others were leery and just tried to keep a safe distance.
Choo's writing felt so vivid and lifelike. I was hanging onto every word and every page. If you're someone who visualizes things while reading you will get a very detailed painting of every setting and every description in this book.
Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I was really excited to read this, however I got to the 100+ page mark and I just don't think this book is for me. I found myself not feeling as interested as I thought I would be while reading. I didn't get characters motivations and had a hard time following the story line. There are 3 perspectives ecitves that are quickly introduced and I had a very hard time following if they were all present day, flash back, or a story within a story situation.
Closer to 100 I'm pretty sure they are happening at the same present moment.
Some key character moments happened so fast I didn't realize they would be big issues later on. I realize I'm being quite vague here haha, the biggest example is at the beginning the main character looses a copy of a book in the sea. However, the scene was moving so fast and pointing things out that I thought it was just a "oh dang he so clumsy" moment. Then when other characters were upset and explaining why that was a big deal I was thrown off with how I had tossed out the importance in my mind due to how fast the book went. Maybe that sequence of events will make sense to other readers but for me it just left me confused and unconnected to the story.
I just don't think I'm the right audience for this book.
Closer to 100 I'm pretty sure they are happening at the same present moment.
Some key character moments happened so fast I didn't realize they would be big issues later on. I realize I'm being quite vague here haha, the biggest example is at the beginning the main character looses a copy of a book in the sea. However, the scene was moving so fast and pointing things out that I thought it was just a "oh dang he so clumsy" moment. Then when other characters were upset and explaining why that was a big deal I was thrown off with how I had tossed out the importance in my mind due to how fast the book went. Maybe that sequence of events will make sense to other readers but for me it just left me confused and unconnected to the story.
I just don't think I'm the right audience for this book.
Shutter by Ramona Emerson
4.0
Shutter was a thrill to read! The synopsis immediately told me what I needed to hear to know that this was a book I would enjoy. A Navajo crime scene photographer who can see and communicate with ghosts. Yep time to dig in!
I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. We flip every other chapter from present day to Rita's childhood. However this frequent flashback style did not take away from the story, in fact it expertly enhanced it. I felt that I was getting to know the character(s) in both time lines and I loved every bit of it.
This story was fast pace, I didn't want to put the book down! I just had to know what was happening to Rita and those around her. I loved all the scenes with Rita's grandmother, she reminded me of someone I know irl and how she would be with her grandchildren once they are older. It was endearing to make that connection.
I also really enjoyed learning more about Navajo beliefs and practices. I loved how Rita responded to these practices throughout the book. She goes through a wave of emotion like "okay fine lets do this" to "I'm going to put as much power as I can into this moment". It felt so real and was very fitting for the ages when this was happening. (this sounds so vague LOL but I'm trying not to spoil anything).
I think this took a quick peak in to MMIW and the way that police turns a blind eye or are quick to define a case without all of the information.
I also felt emotional whenever cultural beliefs were immediately chucked out the window and people were deemed "crazy". I hold tight to the cultural beliefs that I have and whenever they are treated as unworthy because it doesn't align with Western belief it just gets my blood boiling.
I was elated to find how that here is a second book in Rita's world and I can't wait to read that one soon.
I'm so glad I read this! This applies to the January prompt of the Stoodis Readathon created by Kim from @NativeLadyBookWarrior! Check out the readathon here on StoryGraph!
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/eaaa4ede-5a18-4ba3-9a63-6da7cf5a61ca?fbclid=PAY2xjawHyUz1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpiKMiuxPczFP2hJfYLsZX-DMsKLQATY2k8tsJ-bWfM1d2tURP7acTrjfIw_aem_h5ZvnoCfQm3RAqLEWXZ5GQ
I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. We flip every other chapter from present day to Rita's childhood. However this frequent flashback style did not take away from the story, in fact it expertly enhanced it. I felt that I was getting to know the character(s) in both time lines and I loved every bit of it.
This story was fast pace, I didn't want to put the book down! I just had to know what was happening to Rita and those around her. I loved all the scenes with Rita's grandmother, she reminded me of someone I know irl and how she would be with her grandchildren once they are older. It was endearing to make that connection.
I also really enjoyed learning more about Navajo beliefs and practices. I loved how Rita responded to these practices throughout the book. She goes through a wave of emotion like "okay fine lets do this" to "I'm going to put as much power as I can into this moment". It felt so real and was very fitting for the ages when this was happening. (this sounds so vague LOL but I'm trying not to spoil anything).
I think this took a quick peak in to MMIW and the way that police turns a blind eye or are quick to define a case without all of the information.
I also felt emotional whenever cultural beliefs were immediately chucked out the window and people were deemed "crazy". I hold tight to the cultural beliefs that I have and whenever they are treated as unworthy because it doesn't align with Western belief it just gets my blood boiling.
I was elated to find how that here is a second book in Rita's world and I can't wait to read that one soon.
I'm so glad I read this! This applies to the January prompt of the Stoodis Readathon created by Kim from @NativeLadyBookWarrior! Check out the readathon here on StoryGraph!
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/eaaa4ede-5a18-4ba3-9a63-6da7cf5a61ca?fbclid=PAY2xjawHyUz1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpiKMiuxPczFP2hJfYLsZX-DMsKLQATY2k8tsJ-bWfM1d2tURP7acTrjfIw_aem_h5ZvnoCfQm3RAqLEWXZ5GQ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, Murder