mauricekofi's reviews
46 reviews

Tista, Vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

adventurous challenging mysterious 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

Leckie has absolutely blown me away. It is safe to say that this is one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time, and one of the best I've read this year (don't worry, Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy still takes top). Truly though, Leckie masterfully writes a story that exposes the fallacies inherit to law and order, war, and the assumptions of "superior" societies. From beginning to end, she lays out the contradictions obvious to everyone except the Radchaai, but contains it all within a character whose lack of humanity in the eyes of those around her make her the most human of all.

Leckie, in my opinion, is at the level of those such as Frank Herbert and N.K. Jemisin, using sci-fi to communicate elements of the human condition that we often ignore, with the implications of how they shape or societies and define our decisions. Ann Leckie deserves the accolades she has received. My only regret is that it took me so long to pick up this book, despite having heard about it years ago.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Slavery, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Tista, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

Spy x Family, Vol. 12 by Tatsuya Endo

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Morrison writes a classic that examines the condition of the black man in an absurd and mystic world. Rooted in the cynicism and superstitions of African-Americans, Morrison's lessons and story of the imperfect victim(s) underserving of the hate, violence and prejudice they receive will force the readers to understand the nuanced position black people are familiar with. At the very least that's my take on this story, thorns and roses of it all.

My heart breaks for each character, even Hagar, but except Macon Dead.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

Jemisin is forever one of my favorite authors. This closer to the broken earth trilogy is a fantastic and fitting end to a story of loss, anguish, anger, pain, but ultimately love. It is well worth the ride that Jemisin takes you through, as she masterfully weaves her message and allegory in this final chapter to Essun's story, the fact that no matter, how we react to the flaws and wrongs of this world are ultimately up to each of us, especially among the oppressed. However, the conclusions we come to are wholly our own, defined by our communities, families, friends, and those we love.

To refrain from spoiling how amazing this book is, I simply implore you to begin at the end of the world, and end at the beginning of a new one.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

5.0

Ocean's Godori by Elaine U. Cho

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

I would say that this book is a strong start as a debut for a new author. It's fun to read and the story is relatable in its nuances with relationships and finding oneself within their cultural context. However, the pacing was a bit off in some areas of the book, especially a quarter of the way in in my opinion. I also feel like Cho could have taken more time to develop the world and her characters a bit, especially explaining the geopolitical tensions of the solar as she describes it. Looking forward to reading more of her work, and I'm excited to see another WOC make a name for herself in science fiction. Lord knows we need more voices like hers.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous challenging funny hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

I may be a bit harsh in my rating of the book, but to be honest sometimes the book was kind of funny and entertaining, but most of the time it felt corny and like the wet dream of white boy sci-fi nerd. Nothing wrong with that, just that it definitely pales in comparison to Weir's other two books so far. I was able to get through it and finish it eventually, it was still pretty good read, but it did take longer than what I am usually used to and at times I just could not stand reading the main character. He was kind of hard to relate to for me, and it felt like I was reading the story of someone who plays at being humble but really feels like he knows better than everyone around him.

He was indeed an arrogant coward, and a barely entertaining one at that.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cannibalism

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.

The writing feels like he's just going through an elementary student's checklist for "how to write good". I'm not engaged in the story or his prose, and the concept seems quite simple to be honest. He made a caste system the setting, not the theme or the antagonist, and it holds little utility as to why we the reader should feel conflicted alongside the character. It's a trope that's been done over and over again, and unless my library misplaced the book, should definitely not be in adult fiction.