simonlorden's reviews
1363 reviews

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders

4.5

Short but very informative book about the history of the rainbow flag, with beautiful illustrations. I knew about Gilbert Baker and the two extra stripes, but I didn't know Harvey Milk much.

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

4.0

 

Maya is an ex-thief who wants to get away from that life, but instead she's put in a situation where she has to choose between saving her friend's species or her own. A story of space exploration with heists, with interesting alien worldbuilding, no romance, but lots of friendships. There's also food for thought about the ethics of interacting with foreign cultures.

I really liked the main cast of characters and there's definitely a found family vibe. 

A kalóz királylány by Csenge Virág Zalka

5.0

Szép, izgalmas mesék. Különösen érdekes, hogy így az egész sorozat elolvasása után látszik, mennyi hasonló mese van aminek majdnem ugyanaz a szerkezete, de mégis mások a részletei vagy akár a vége is.

Hollókisasszony by Anna T. Szabó, Audrey Niffenegger

4.5

Nagyon érdekes mese, szép illusztrációkkal. Azt hittem, az anyuka holló alakváltó lesz vagy ilyesmi, így van egy-két kérdésem :) De érdekes és tragikus a hollólány története, aki kívülről ember, de belülről teljesen holló. A srácnak meg a maga dolgával kellett volna törődni.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

4.0

I am very sad. I liked Giovanni, even if he's a mess, and this whole story was just really tragic. David wasn't obligated to stay with Giovanni, but he was kind of an asshole about it. And the ending is just. Tears.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce

4.5

A lot of character development for Alanna, learning to trust and use her magic, as well as trust other women. Jon has become a cartoon villain, though. What is this guy thinking? More, what is Thom thinking?

George, Miles and Faithful are forever the best.

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

4.0

I can absolutely see why this was special at the time and influential even today, even if it's not personally my style. The sentences were so long that I forgot the beginning by the time I reached the end, but I'm told these are actually short for Gothic fiction? 

It's a good story, but like with a lot of classics, it's less impactful to read today because I've already read many similar ones.

I loved Kingfisher's take a lot though, Poe should have made the main character trans too.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

5.0

Native American magic clashes with new, invasive European monsters, like vampires, Oberon, and more. There's a creepy town with a lot of secrets, and a main character with a ghost dog as a pet. What else do you need? A story about family, magic, and also about Native American lives and how much they are worth.

I liked Darcie Little Badger's other book I read, but this was even better.

Tempting the Ogre's Heart by Lyonne Riley

4.5

Knowing the Ogre's Heart by Lyonne Riley

4.5

Finally a bit fresher plotline in this series :) Friends to lovers with a gentle giant who is clueless about a lot of things, and a long captivity.