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micaelamariem's reviews
708 reviews
The Spice Gate by Prashanth Srivatsa
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I’m so thankful to the author and HarperCollins for granting me this arc to review. All thoughts are my own.
This was an epic fantasy with the very creative idea of having kingdoms be separated by “spice gates” and only those with the mark can travel through these gates and trade spices between kingdoms. Those with the mark however are also treated as lowly, like the main character, Amir, who is fighting to change this and stumbles on a much bigger political conspiracy in the process.
I thought the concept of the plot was awesome and creative. There was a lot to it when the different kingdom leaders got involved, but at the heart, it was truly about the way people misrepresent religion to look down on others and how that is a system that needs to change.
I also really liked the writing style. The descriptions were beautifully done and at first, the book was comforting to read.
However, I lost interest about a third of the way through the 450 pages. Some of the worldbuilding was a bit too complex to follow, the characters’ relationships seemed unbelievable, and even though this was a story based around spice, there may have been too much of it.
While I thought this book was super promising, I think there were scenes and lines that could have been cut that would’ve made the story a more compelling read.
This was an epic fantasy with the very creative idea of having kingdoms be separated by “spice gates” and only those with the mark can travel through these gates and trade spices between kingdoms. Those with the mark however are also treated as lowly, like the main character, Amir, who is fighting to change this and stumbles on a much bigger political conspiracy in the process.
I thought the concept of the plot was awesome and creative. There was a lot to it when the different kingdom leaders got involved, but at the heart, it was truly about the way people misrepresent religion to look down on others and how that is a system that needs to change.
I also really liked the writing style. The descriptions were beautifully done and at first, the book was comforting to read.
However, I lost interest about a third of the way through the 450 pages. Some of the worldbuilding was a bit too complex to follow, the characters’ relationships seemed unbelievable, and even though this was a story based around spice, there may have been too much of it.
While I thought this book was super promising, I think there were scenes and lines that could have been cut that would’ve made the story a more compelling read.
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
This was a heartbreaking story set in the backdrop of the Iranian revolution and our two friends, one more politically minded than the other but both want reform in their own ways. The book expertly navigates the themes of coming of age, family, friendship, feminism, and even jealousy with the idea of an “evil eye.”
The book had me enraptured. It was well written, descriptive, had compelling characters that caused me to care about them despite their flaws, and taught me more about Iranian history that I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know. And the sad thing is, Iran is still facing the same unfair policies today. If I learned anything from the book, is that we must keep fighting for what’s right, no matter the cost.
The book had me enraptured. It was well written, descriptive, had compelling characters that caused me to care about them despite their flaws, and taught me more about Iranian history that I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know. And the sad thing is, Iran is still facing the same unfair policies today. If I learned anything from the book, is that we must keep fighting for what’s right, no matter the cost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you so much to HarperCollins and to the author for providing this ARC for me to read and review! These thoughts are my own.
Between Friends & Lovers is an adorable romance that follows 29-year-old Jo and her quest to get over her unrequited love for her best friend by dating the next eligible bachelor. In a world of fame and social media, though, love triangles are not so simple.
What I appreciated most about this book was that it’s not just about the romance. The biggest overarching theme was the mental health awareness. All of the characters seemed to experience their fair share of trauma and depression and worked to normalize these experiences, and this is something we should be doing more of these days. As someone with depression, I very much related to Jo’s episode.
The problem with the book, or maybe just me, is the romance itself didn’t captivate me. I was bored with it. Maybe there wasn’t enough drama. The book was well written, the characters well built, but for some reason I just couldn’t be entertained.
However, that may just be a “me” problem. I think most people who will read this will love it, especially if they’re a fan of cute romances!
Between Friends & Lovers is an adorable romance that follows 29-year-old Jo and her quest to get over her unrequited love for her best friend by dating the next eligible bachelor. In a world of fame and social media, though, love triangles are not so simple.
What I appreciated most about this book was that it’s not just about the romance. The biggest overarching theme was the mental health awareness. All of the characters seemed to experience their fair share of trauma and depression and worked to normalize these experiences, and this is something we should be doing more of these days. As someone with depression, I very much related to Jo’s episode.
The problem with the book, or maybe just me, is the romance itself didn’t captivate me. I was bored with it. Maybe there wasn’t enough drama. The book was well written, the characters well built, but for some reason I just couldn’t be entertained.
However, that may just be a “me” problem. I think most people who will read this will love it, especially if they’re a fan of cute romances!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was mind-blowing. I’ve always been interested in string theory on a very basic level and that’s what this book plays around with. What if there’s a version of us for every decision we make? What if there is an infinity of universes out there? I loved the thrill of watching the character grapple with this. The characters were multifaceted. And there’s a word limit on here now so I guess that’s it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
There’s no denying this is a powerful book and it felt like I was reading a classic.
Problem was…it felt like I was reading a classic. It was slow reading, some things hard to parse through because I felt like I was missing something. There is a lot of trauma, sexism, racism, and torture in this book to provide an accurate representation of the 1930s Deep South, but that also meant I could only take so much of it at a time.
While some of the characters were certainly admirable in standing up for both justice and mercy, learning to forgive themselves and move forward, I still also had a hard time reading about these white characters side by side with black characters who were treated even more poorly. I get that’s part of the point, but I was more interested in their point of view and their hope.
I don’t know, I just had a bit of a hard time with this one. But it was still well done.
Problem was…it felt like I was reading a classic. It was slow reading, some things hard to parse through because I felt like I was missing something. There is a lot of trauma, sexism, racism, and torture in this book to provide an accurate representation of the 1930s Deep South, but that also meant I could only take so much of it at a time.
While some of the characters were certainly admirable in standing up for both justice and mercy, learning to forgive themselves and move forward, I still also had a hard time reading about these white characters side by side with black characters who were treated even more poorly. I get that’s part of the point, but I was more interested in their point of view and their hope.
I don’t know, I just had a bit of a hard time with this one. But it was still well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Pregnancy
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
I adored this book! It was the perfect touch of whimsical while still revealing important lessons with quirky characters. The descriptions were vivid and the dialogue fun.
My one critique is that I think some of the turnaround (or bubble popping) in characters happened a bit too quickly.
Otherwise it was a great book!
My one critique is that I think some of the turnaround (or bubble popping) in characters happened a bit too quickly.
Otherwise it was a great book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Cursing
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
Happy Place by Emily Henry
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a heartwarming book. I love the theme, an important life lesson of letting yourself be vulnerable to the people you love. The travel aspect I always love and I’m a sucker for a found family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Song of the Forever Rains by E.J. Mellow
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was drawn in by the pretty cover and convincing blurb. The writing style was so prosaic and beautiful at first that it had me hooked for a while. Then it kind of fell flat. I think my first disappointment was that for something that’s labeled a “dark fantasy” it really wasn’t all that dark. The characters made choices that rendered them more like YA characters than adult characters (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I found it to be unbelievable for their experience and circumstances). I think the dialogue tags ruined the dialogue as well. Their spoken words alone were fine but when added with these adult women “grumbling” and “puffing” while trying fight against certain death, it just doesn’t feel like the right timing.
Plus the book was full of cliches, I could practically guess what would happen next, at least with the love interest. But idk if it’s the book or if I’m just in some weird slump and hating everything.
But I really do think the biggest thing is it needed to be darker. I’ve read YA fantasy’s not labeled as dark fantasy and they were darker than this. I probably unfortunately won’t continue the series.
Plus the book was full of cliches, I could practically guess what would happen next, at least with the love interest. But idk if it’s the book or if I’m just in some weird slump and hating everything.
But I really do think the biggest thing is it needed to be darker. I’ve read YA fantasy’s not labeled as dark fantasy and they were darker than this. I probably unfortunately won’t continue the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ahhhhh! I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this! It was a slow start for sure but that made me appreciate the characters for who they were and the writing style as well. I love the “you’ve got mail” type of concept (but make it ✨ magic ✨). I also appreciated the World War Two parallels—the propaganda, the banning of music, the bombs and bunkers, the sirens. It was like looking at history with a fantasy lens in a fantasy world. The friendships were heartwarming and the romance adorable.
And the cliffhanger plot twist ending??? I need more omg. I’m so nervous for these cinnamon roll characters and there are still so many questions I have about the war and the myths and the impeccable Worldbuilding. I need the sequel now.
And the cliffhanger plot twist ending??? I need more omg. I’m so nervous for these cinnamon roll characters and there are still so many questions I have about the war and the myths and the impeccable Worldbuilding. I need the sequel now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism