Jen

Muddled Word Salad

Revisado: 02-25-25

If you've never read anything on the 4F trauma responses, you might get something out of this book. If you have, though, probably skip it.

This is basically an entire book trying to explain the 4F responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) using only three of the Fs (fight, flight, freeze). It then tries to make up for the gap by randomly sprinkling traits of the missing fawn throughout the other Fs, which quickly becomes nonsensical and self contradictory. It tries to cover this up by using a bunch of charts that are little more than random word associations.

There are a lot of better resources out there. Probably look for one of those instead.

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Beautiful. Deeply beautiful.

Revisado: 12-07-24

Every part of this book is beautiful, wholesome, and from the heart. I have talked for hours and hours with others who read this book and have still not tapped the depths of the feelings this book has gifted me.

If you like magical school, alchemy, or dragons, go read this book. Go read it now.

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Really full of itself

Revisado: 06-26-24

For someone who spent so much time studying non-western culture, there's a whole lot of low key racism in here. Definitely did not enjoy this read.

Here's just one hint (one that stood out to me as especially egregious): lumping all of "native" culture into one bucket is no better than lumping all of "asian" culture into one bucket. Just stop. And for the love of all things good on this earth, did we really have to treat the two wolves trope like a profound piece of transcendental wisdom? Holy shit.

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A White Girl 80's Punk Story Pretending to be Half Mexican

Revisado: 03-01-24

The diaspora felt pasted on and cringey as heck, as if written by an outsider who'd only ever heard of people not being white, but had never seen one, let alone talked to one.

The violence is also over the top and extremely graphic. If you're into 80's punk and/or slasher, you'll probably like this. If you don't, you'll probably hate it.

In a similar vein to Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Based on this book, I personally am going to hard skip this author going forward. I don't mind dark and violent stories (see RF Kuang), but I do mind crossing that with shallow minority fetishization.

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Absolutely amazing. Must read. And reread.

Revisado: 10-08-22

This book is an easy reader and a warm companion, but one that will challenge the reader with powerful and often painful emotions.

I started out immediately detecting the notes of colonialism and hesitating, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. The entire thing, in the end, turns out to be a commentary on existing as a person of mixed descendany, pinned between the world of white colonialism and a darker complected world of kinship and connections.

It's too soon for me to have deep thoughts on it. I need time to digest it before I'll be able to articulate why I love it so much, but for now I just know that I DO love it so much. I'm going to have to immediately read it again because it was just too good.

I think I'm going to be rereading it a few more times before the sequel comes out next month.

Dang.

My best shot at a spoiler-free synopsis is this: typical YA set-ups of magical realism on a college campus, revolving around a modern day Arthurian mythos and a couple of cute boys. But it doesn't stop there. It examines generational transfer within the American context, and especially generational loss that is never quite as lost as it first seems.

I felt my grandmother's hand on my shoulder while reading this. Heard her admonishments and felt her love. The women that came before us are never truly gone as long as we daughters continue to walk forward.

Now, some will complain that the magic systems weren't fully explained at all times, but I find I enjoy that. The feeling of discomfort it generates is a common feeling among people whose culture has been disrupted by whiteness, whose stories of why this is done or why that happens have been intentionally disrupted from their regular generational transfer.

If you are sneering at that "missing" info as if it were a lack of rigor rather than an intentional statement about generational loss, take a second look at the cast here and ask yourself whose actions you really want to be emulating.

Edit: I have now re-read this dang book back-to-back 5 times in a row, and with each re-read I love it more. There is so much beautiful foreshadowing and hidden detail that only becomes apparent on a re-read, and that makes the journey as much fun, if not more fun, when you already know what's coming.

I can't get enough. I'm reading it again for the 6th time now and telling everyone I know to pick up this book ASAP.

My only complaint is that these characters aren't real people for me to hang out with. 😉 I love them all so much and want to spend more time with them.

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Lovely sweet tale of self-acceptance

Revisado: 01-24-22

Lovely sweet tale of learning to accept those things we see as "flaws," which are often not flaws at all, but only the character which makes each of us unique and precious in this world.

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Probably my favorite book.

Revisado: 01-12-22

I don't know how many times I've listened to this book now, but it's a lot. I'm not a believer in the existence of "the perfect story," since tastes are so varied adhd subjective, but this is A perfect story.

Every detail is just in the right place, and every twist is laid out such that your heart knows the truth before your mind can catch up with it. The characters are varied and unique, with such delightfully distinct voices. And above all else, the bountiful story threads all come together so cleanly in the end, with not a thing left dangling.

Oh, and who doesn't love a little math and knitting as magic? ;)

I love, love, love this book. I come back to it time and again and it fills me with joy anew every time.

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Holy heck, what a ride

Revisado: 07-26-21

This book is such a roller coaster. It grabs you by the heart and won't let go. Such high highs and such low lows. Pain and beauty, hope and betrayal, love and hate, all mixed up together in a knot to that you're crying but not sure for which reason.

I love this book so much.

I immediately need to re-read it.

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Gripping, tragic, real

Revisado: 07-21-21

This story hurts. It cuts. It digs deep and examines the intertwined natures of trauma and suffering and escape.

The lust for vengeance feels real, as does the weight of its fires which, once set, cannot be slowed or stopped.

This is an excellent story, but definitely one that requires the mental/emotional space to process some dark topics.

Save it for when you're ready for it.

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An absolutely amazing story

Revisado: 07-03-21

This story was lovely and real and touching and brilliant.

It's not my normal fortay, but it's so well done that it's hard not to fall in love with it. I can't wait to read more by this author.

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