julieuh's reviews
381 reviews

The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft

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4.0

Emi has to be the most realistic narrator/main character I've ever read and it's incredible that Croft was able to write this in a way that isn't completely unbearable. 
The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A.

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5.0

how lucky we are that this was created and then published. long live Jules and Casper! 
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher

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4.75

shout out to women with access to and knowledge of the world of the wealthy but without the bank accounts to match the red bottoms. the depiction of obsession with personal hygiene and the warped, hyper specific ideas of what is clean and what is dirty that comes with the obsession is really spot on
Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
my fault tbh, took too long to read this
Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

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5.0

this was great, but I can't help but feel like this was supposed to be a 500+ page tome that got edited down a bit too much. still, though! Felker-Martin's ability give us a bleak world - barely different from our own, relentlessly crushing the most vulnerable - that still has room for love and empathy and reasons to keep living is incredible. the care that goes into her characters, specifically the interest she has in their physicality beyond just their appearances, is what differentiates Cuckoo (and Manhunt) from similar works in my mind. John and Shelby will stay with me for a long time and I'm grateful to have them. also, this has what is probably my favorite prologue ever - a hint of cosmic horror entwined with all-too-real domestic horror, a perfect teaser of what's to come.
What Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Red Pill by Hari Kunzru

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4.0

existentially disturbing! I think this might be the first novel I've read that is explicitly about the 2016 election and it takes such a winding path that when we finally arrive on the day of, the date is dropped like the defining reveal of a thriller. the third section is particularly hard to read now, in spring 2024. but it's almost funny to reflect on the beginning of this book and how it's about a guy to didn't read the description of a writing fellowship closely enough and now finds himself stuck in a nightmare of open floor plan office spaces and communal dinners. this book is incredibly restrained, which is kind of surprising given the provocative title.