Maya

💬: “You don’t look that threatening. Just … very different.”

“Different is threatening to most species,” Nikanj answered. “Different is dangerous. It might kill you. That was true to your animal ancestors and your nearest animal relatives. And it’s true for you.”

Butler, Octavia E.. Dawn (The Xenogenesis Trilogy Book 1) (p. 211). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: sci-fi, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, aliens, horror, speculative fiction

📚Page Count: 248

🎧Audiobook Length: 09h 20min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

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Dawn by Octavia E. Butler is my first finished read of 2023! It was my first time reading this piece of work, and I really enjoyed it.

I have a phobia of aliens, which I've mentioned in the past. I was very creeped out going into this book, but I couldn't put the book down once I started (I finished it in two days!)

This book explores themes of gender, society, humanity - and what that means, sexuality, and I'm sure I'm missing some.

I enjoyed the world building. <spoiler>The aliens and the ship were all so creatively designed.</spoiler> This story just had so many great working parts, and it all came together to make a creepy but wonderfully written story.

I knocked off .5 stars because of how heteronormative the story was, with all the males trying to find a female within their groups to "hook up" with. Someone pointed out that was a unrealistic that everyone was so heteronormative, and I agree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 Stars

Rounding up from 2.5 stars
I didn't like that the main character was drunk when she hooked up with the main love interest that one time. I also don't like how the love interest cusses at the main character so much. I'm just not a fan of the love interest, he rubs me the wrong way. I shouldn't have read this back to back with another spicy romance novel because the last thing I read over shadows this story by a lot.

Wow, this was really spicy! There were some parts that I didn't care for, like when the sex was too rough. I.E - He tells her that he's going to “take” anal from her if she doesn't give it to him and that made my skin crawl. Father Bell also talked about God a lot, I understand that he's a priest but I wish we got more scenes of him just doing non priest related things (other than fking Poppy!).

I'm an atheist and I still really enjoyed this story. I took a star off for the things mentioned above. The story even made me teary-eyed towards the end. I can't wait to read the rest of the series !

I enjoyed the art in this comic so much! It's to the point of wanting printings of the different individual issue covers! I need to give the book 4 stars based on the art alone. I don't think I'll give it the final star because I think the story needed to be fleshed out a bit more. For example, I think that the storyline about Akai being murdered by the police needed to be discussed more, nothing happened as far as justice or punishments. Akai got to live again because of his mother so that is an ending that I really like.

EDIT- 2 hours later //

So I give this 5 out of 5 stars because I've been introduced to a new perspective!
This book is about who we identify with, both of these people are trying to survive and they're trying to take this plant back to earth but I needed to be reminded that this book was through the perspective of North. Of course she's going to seem like the hero but as the story progresses you start to question if she even IS the hero or not?

—–

It was a bit difficult to rate this for me because I wasn't sure if I should give it a 4 Stars or a 5 Stars so I decided on a 4.5 Stars! There was only one part in the story that I disliked and that's why I took .5 Stars off!

This was a beautifully made book, I love the cover art on the book on the dusk jacket and underneath the dust jacket. The art is stunning and the color palette is just gorgeous. I like how the chapters were split up, the panels and images looked really nice with the large roman numerals overlaid on them, it was very dramatic and I enjoyed it.

I loved the Guardian system (which is the AI assistant) and how it worked, I think it's interface was really interesting and that was something I definitely appreciated! I loved the characters and the world building.

Overall this is definitely worth a read! Check your local library or your local book store!

Thank you to Chronicle Books, Darian Symonè Harvin, Monica Ahanonu, & NetGalley for this advanced readers copy (ARC) of Black Icons of Herstory in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 Stars
This is a book about women who are 19th & 20th century icons!
I like the format of this book,
I really enjoyed the illustrations, I think they're beautiful. I love the individual descriptions or “blurbs” that come before the illustrated images. There's so much information packed in just one page!

I expected and was happy to see trans women in this book, we definitely need more trans inclusion in our books. I also liked that there were several Afro Latinas!There were also a few gay women!

This is a horror, thriller, slice of life manga and I'm not the biggest fan of slice of life. That being said this was entertaining enough and I enjoyed the increase in encroaching creepiness as the manga goes on. If you're looking for something creepy with a slow burn, this is it!

★★★ / 2 ½ Stars rounded up!

This was really confusing and because of that I was left feeling disappointed when I finished reading this. I have little knowledge of what actually was going on in the storyline and the ending was also confusing. This is such a let down because I really enjoyed the first volume.

This volume was trying too hard to introduce new characters every other page, they should have focused on already existing characters.

I also wish we had gotten an answer or explanation about certain things. First example is what happens to Boza, his state of mind isn't explained at all so we don't get a full understanding of why Boza does what he does towarda the end of the comic.

We also never got an explaination as to where Lena is from or what language she speaks. Why is she ethereal and why does she glow blue? No answers, unfortunately.

I enjoyed the art and the world building so I gave this ★★ ★/ 2 ½ Stars rounded up!

This book is about Sierra Santiago, a teen artist who lives in New York. She starts to notice that the town murals are fading and some are even crying, she senses that there's something wrong. Then , shortly after she makes her observation she gets attacked by some sort of husk or zombie like corpse.

I enjoyed this book, I really loved all the commentary on “boys clubs”, racism, and bigotry. I'm excited to read the sequels to this!

This story is like cyber punk in Mexico City and that was new and cool. I wish we got more descriptors relating to the futuristic environment but I didn't mind it so much because of the amazing clan building when it came to the different kinds of vampires. I really loved Domingo, he was so sweet that I got teary eyed while reading. Domingo is definitely my favorite character. I basically have an issue with the main character being 23 and her love interest being 17 and that's why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5.

I had to look up what some of these covers were supposed to be in reference to, I sort of wish there was an image of the original album on the side of each rework. Other than that, this artbook was fantastic !

This is a comic dedicated to Wonder Woman and it's a view into the future! What does Wonder Woman look like in the future ? Three stories of what Wonder Woman looks like in the future; Nubia, Wonder Girl/Brazilian Wonder Woman, and Immortal Wonder Woman! The art in the comic book is stunning, all of it!~ Absolutely breathtaking!

(SPOLIERS BELOW____)


Nubia ★★★/3½ Stars
Nubia fights Grail over some enchanted artifacts, these artifacts (when pieced together) have the ability to summon gods, minor gods , as well as do other powerful things. Nubia asks her aunt for help and ends up getting help from someone big towards the end! This comic was okay, the most exciting part is when Nubia tells Grail to “fuck around and find out!”. I really wanted to like this more but it just wasn't very exciting. I really love the art here, I especially love the depiction of Nubia's beautiful hair.

Brazilian Wonder Woman ★★★★/4 Stars
This is our first introduction to Brazilian Wonder Woman! In this story Wonder Woman, Yara Flor, is trying to get to the underworld so she can find her sister and so she can save her sister from Hades and the underworld. I really enjoyed the ups and downs of this comic, I loved and passion and flaws that Yara displays. This was definitely worth reading!

Future State: Wonder Woman/Superman ★★★★/4 Stars
This was interesting and really creative. I enjoyed this story because we get to see more of Yara and we meet a new Superman

Good intro!

My husband is asexual and I got this book to learn more about asexuality. Through this book I learned that I'm demisexual, which is on the asexuality spectrum. This graphic novel truly was short and informative, I enjoyed it. 5/5 stars

Interesting...

No one actually reads this to their kids, right? I didn't care too much for it, the art was cute.

Concrete Park Vol 1 is a really interesting sci fi graphic novel about a planet that happens to be home to “criminals” that have been shipped off from Earth. The “New Earth Correctional Colony City Number 2” or “Scare City” is what the area is known as. We follow what seems to be the narrative of two different protagonists or anti heroes. Although there seem to only be two main characters there are lot of side character and that sort of makes things a little confusing at more than one point.

Towards the end though the volume starts to come together and make more sense. I gave this 4 stars because I enjoyed the setting, world building, and some of the characters. I didn't give it that 5th star because the comic was confusing at times and I didn't like the trope that was used at the very start of the comic.

I'm giving this a 3 ½ stars but rounding down to 3 stars because I loved the art but I didn't like how the magic system wasn't really explained! The story was okay, it was a little predictable. I wish there was more back story on the mother and I wish the last few chapters had a little more explanation. All in all it was an okay comic book

The art in this book is wonderful! I think there was a lot going on with this book information wise, I think there might have been too much information shoved into a book that has a little less than 200 pages. For a second or two I felt a bit overwhelmed but that passed and I ended up really enjoying the book!

I gave this 5 stars because it was written, illustrated, and colored really well like all the other Saga volumes/issues before it. This volume broke my heart, I screamed out loud and sobbed and sobbed until I finally accepted what transpired. I'm hesitant to read any of the next issues, I think I'd like to wait for the next volume to come out. I'm so sad, I'm trying to remind myself that this story is worth finishing even if it makes me sad sometimes (most of the time).

💬: "He wiped everything he had typed and began again on a clean form, “YOU MUST ESCAPE! THERE’S AN EPIDEMIC BREWING HERE! WE MUST GIVE WARNING, GET TREATMENT!” She was shaking her head again.

Butler, Octavia E.. Clay's Ark (The Patternist Series Book 3) (p. 57). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: adult, science fiction, speculative fiction, thriller, dystopian

📚Page Count: 214

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 22min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

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TW - <spoiler>Death, Death of parent, Incest, Sexual assault, Gore, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Rape, Cancer, Car accident, and Abandonment</spoiler>

This is my second time reading Clay's Ark by Octavia E Butler but this is my first time writing a review for it. The first time around I gave it 4 stars, I loved the suspense and the thriller elements of this book so much. This time around I'm keeping my rating the same at 4 stars. I'm not giving this 5 stars though because of the gratuitous sexual violence in the book.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the world and character building throughout the book.

I had really high hopes for this book but I just didn't love it, I barely liked it. It goes at a very slow place, I just remember wishing something entertaining would happen but the writing is just so slow. I was happy that it had queer representation (as seen with the main characters two mothers). The relationship the main character ends up having herself has no depth, it's really unfortunate. I plan on reading the sequel because towards the end of the book things picked up and became more interesting,

💬: "One thing I truly knew—knew it in the pit of my stomach, in the center of my bones, knew it from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, knew it deep in my empty chest—was how love gave someone the power to break you."

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon (The Twilight Saga Book 2) (p. 219). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires, werewolves

📚Page Count: 566

🎧Audiobook Length: 14h 51min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5

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New Moon is the second installment in the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. This book has some of the same issues that the first book, Twilight, has. Bella and Edward seem to still have a toxic relationship, both Bella AND Edward still has some serious dependency issues, and once again, there's a big chunk of this book where nothing really happens. In New Moon, Bella and Edward spend almost the duration of the book separated. This leaves a lot of space for the third part of the love triangle to come in, and that's Jacob Black.

Unfortunately, their relationship is still toxic, or rather Edward still has abusive tendencies. Here's an example,

“No! No! NO!” Edward roared, charging back into the room. He was in my face before I had time to blink, bending over me, his expression twisted in rage. “Are you insane?” he shouted. “Have you utterly lost your mind?” I cringed away, my hands over my ears.

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon (The Twilight Saga Book 2) (p. 535). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.

This was towards the end of the book, when Edward got upset about a decision Bella made. Edward also does this.

“Carlisle?” I turned to look at him. Edward grabbed my face in his hand, forcing me to look at him. His other hand was out, palm toward Carlisle.

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon (The Twilight Saga Book 2) (pp. 535-536). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.

This is right after Edward starts yelling at Bella and throwing his tantrum. I understand being upset, but I don't think that's really acceptable behavior. He's scaring her and purposefully being intimating.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

In this book, Bella and Edward spend a significant time away from each other and they both act like they're dying because of it. I won't spoil why they spend time apart or how the situation comes to be, but I will say that Bella basically goes catatonic for a while. She has constant nightmares that she awakes from screaming. She goes into a deep depression. Then she starts hearing Edward's voice in her head whenever she would do something deemed "dangerous" or "life threatening". Instead of seeing a doctor or specialist, she decides to keep doing dangerous things so she can continue to hear his voice in her head. Yeah, okay. I always thought this part of the saga was weird, concerning, and not romantic in the slightest.

Once again, this book goes on for about 45% (200 pgs) before anything interesting or exciting happens. This is the second book in the series that has pacing issues that make almost the majority of the book, boring. I always have to remind myself that the movie adaptation is superior to the books, because wow. Most of this was boring.

There were some interesting parts in this story, like the stuff near the end of the book. I shouldn't have to read almost half of your book for anything to happen Mrs. Meyer. I also still hate the dynamic Bella and Edward have, but I do like the side characters a lot. Overall, this book was better than the first. I'm giving this 2.5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [LibbyApp.com]

💬:“I’ve been trying to breathe underwater too long. It’s time to get some fresh air into my lungs."

Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater (p. 189). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fiction, teens, young adult, abuse, romance

📚Page Count: 229

🎧Audiobook Length: 5hrs 09mins

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn is a young adult novel about an abusive relationship that two high schoolers are in, this book is from the perspective of the abuser. This book was first published in 2001, I read this in 2002 at the age of 12. I don't think 12 years old is old enough for this book, I definitely think this book is for older teens/young adults. I will say that I did learn a lot from this book as a pre-teen, I learned what an abusive relationship could possibly look like and that helped me in the long run.

This book would be really helpful for young males in particular, because this story is from the point of view of a young male teen. Some of the readers might see themselves in the main character Nick, or even in his girlfriend Caitlin. It's possible that they might see themselves in Nick's best friend, Tom. There are so many possibilities for how this story could connect to older teens/adult readers.

*MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW*

My only issue with this story is that Nick learns that HE was abusive through journaling, counseling, but mostly the murder/suicide of his friend Leo and Leo's girlfriend, Neysa (two Latine characters). I don't like how Neysa was killed off just for Nick to learn his lesson. Nick even says after he finds out that they're dead that he can't even remember what Neysa looked like, she was just a stand in for Caitlin.

"Neysa. What did she look like, even? But I see Caitlin’s face, Caitlin’s blue eyes, staring."

Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater (p. 177). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Overall, I think the story was solid in it's depiction of abusive relationships, abusive behaviors, and child abuse. I'm going to give this 4 out of 5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]