The Dragon Republic is R.F. Kuang’s second installation to The Poppy War series, and a hard-hitting punch that fantasy needed so badly. This book has been so unpredictable, so action-packed throughout. It is, undeniably, a striking display from an enormously talented writer—600 pages of pure, readable goodness, chock full of ferocious rage and…
As much as I enjoy classics, I haven’t picked up Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein until around last month. The work spans about 300 pages, making it a fairly short novel. I got through it pretty quickly. Of course, it was interesting reading Frankenstein as how it was intended to be written. I’ve realized that retellings…
Emily Henry’s Book Lovers is a delightful mix of banter, steam, and layers. It made for the perfect, easy read for me to get out of my reading slump. Book Lovers is told from the perspective of Nora Stephens, who works as a literary agent in New York City. She’s…
Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, masterfully translated by Sophie Hughes, is an absolutely entrancing, visceral read. It spans just over a hundred pages and is densely layered with complex themes written in Melchor’s pitiless prose, from ideas of classism, racism, and misogyny to the macabre acts of rape and murder. This…
The existence of fae in A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas should have been a warning sign enough for me to avoid this book. I’ve had bad experiences with fae in the past—namely, The Cruel Prince. And people loved the series, despite my developing an aversion…
“If there is a hell, we’re in it. And if there’s a heaven, we’re already there. This is it.” Mieko Kawakami Shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize and gaining rise on media platforms, Heaven by Mieko Kawakami has been on my radar for a while. I’m a sucker for…
“What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry uplike a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore—And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over—like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.Or does it explode?” Langston Hughes in Harlem A Raisin in the Sun…
“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” Chuck Palaniuk The first rule about Fight Club is that you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of the fight club is that you do NOT talk about Fight Club. Only two guys to a…
“Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew…
“I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.” R.F. Kuang As a reader, I know that determining how good a book is can be a difficult task. Some books aren’t objectively good, yet they impact…