
Dora Reads is the book blog of a Bookish Rebel, supporting the Diversity Movement, bringing you Queer views and mental health advocacy, slipping in a lot of non-bookish content, and spreading reading to the goddamn world! :) (All posts may contain Amazon links, which are affiliate, unless marked otherwise. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. USA ONLY - please do not make UK purchases with my links)
Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Review! - Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of The Faun by Guillermo Del Toro and Cornelia Funke

Friday, 28 August 2020
From My TBR: 15 Young Adult and Middle Grade Books By Black Authors
(Warning: this post references racism and police brutality)

There are three important reasons for me writing this post:
1. Black Lives still Matter.
2. It's always a good time to highlight diverse books.
and 3. There are so many amazing Black creators out there, who don't always get the recognition they deserve.
So here's a small selection of some of the Young Adult (YA) and Middle Grade (MG) books on my TBR list that were written by Black authors.
For those of you who don't know the book-blog lingo - a TBR is a 'to-be-read' list. Mine is immortal and cannot be stopped. Send help.
For those of you who are British like me, and/or haven't heard the book blogging term, Middle Grade books are those aimed at (roughly) ages 8-12, or 8-14, depending who you ask.
(Quick disclaimer: obviously, I haven't read these books, just their synopses, so I don't know what they're like in terms of content, quality, etc.)
I hope you find something to add to your own TBR, and remember to support Black authors, and other Black creators.
There're so many talented Black authors out there who deserve our attention!
Friday, 20 December 2019
I Watched The Film First! *Gasps* - 5 Books That I Read Because I'd Seen The Adaptations
...that voice doesn't know me at all.
I read a butt-tonne of books.
Like, I read at the 200-per-year kind of speed.
But I watch loads of film and TV adaps. before I read the book.
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Mini-Review! - Dat's Love and Other Stories by Leonora Brito
Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Review Time! - Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Author: Sarah Waters
Genres: Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+ (see below for rep,) (Modern) Classics, Romance(-ish)
Amazon: UK - USA
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Really Mini-Reviews! - The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
I have two reviews for stunning collections of short stories by Asian-American writers for you today dear nerdlets!
Check out my reviews of The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu:
Friday, 3 August 2018
Friday Fics Fix - Da Vinci, Like Never Before
'"What did they do to you?" he whispered. "What have you done to yourself?" he added without thinking. Words tumbling out of his mouth like the thoughts that used to tangle in his mind. "What did I do?"'
This week's fic is for a TV show I absolutely adore, and which was cut short too soon after just 3 series.
Da Vinci's Demons is a highly underrated show.
It's basically like Game of Thrones with real historical people, but keeping the weird-a** paranormal/fantasy elements.
So it's kind of like an alternate version of history, with a young bad-boy Leonardo Da Vinci.
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Month in Review(s) - July 2018
Where did July go?!
Like... I know sometimes time goes quick, but really?!
I think it's the heat.
I spent most of the month slouching around the house, trying to cool down, and being a generally not-nice person to be around.
Me + heat = grump monster! Lol.
Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Mini-Review! - The Girls by Emma Cline
(Warning: this post discusses and refers to serious topics such as rape and child abuse. Please be careful my nerdlets.)
Title: The Girls
Adult Fiction*, Historical Fiction*, Crime*, LGBTQ+ (M/F, F/F)*✢
✢ The LGBTQ+ and F/F rep isn't great (neither is a lot of the M/F tbh,) see main review.
Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Month in Review(s) - August 2017
Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Review! - Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan by Hildi Kang
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Month in Review(s) - April 2017
April started sh**ty for yours truly - as you'll know if you read my March wrap-up, I've been having depression problems again.
Wednesday, 12 April 2017
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Review Time! - The Voices of Martyrs by Maurice Broaddus
These short stories are tales of strength, pain, sacrifice, and life. These are the voices of martyrs.
Monday, 13 February 2017
Review Time! - Santa Muerte by Lucina Stone
Author: Lucina Stone
This does not affect the content of my review; my review is fair and honest.
Premise:
This can't be happening. She can't be in the 1920s... right?
Dani doesn't get this time period, has no idea about magic, and, with a farm-girl named Daphne in tow, is being chased by a bunch of people who want her dead - or at least in jail.
All she wants is to go home to her mothers, but that seems almost impossible from here...
And the time travel element is well done! DID YOU HEAR THAT???? THE TIME TRAVEL ELEMENT IS WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!
Too often, time travel gets unnecessarily messy, or even just plain naff, but not here.
Here we have the reality of suddenly finding yourself in a world full of racism and rigid gender rules (Daniela ends up posing as a dude because of her short hair and trousers.)
And it's an element which is missing from your average time travel plot: the day-to-day-ness of living in that period, especially as a person of colour (PoC) in the USA.
I liked the Mexican variations on the stalwarts of urban fantasy.
All of the different species of the paranormal and urban fantasy worlds - vamps, wolves, witches, etc. are removed from their White European stereotypes and instead seen through the lens of Mexican folklore.
Most notably we have the brujas - the Mexican witches - who are written with skill and intrigue, and are far removed from the average urban fantasy witch-chick (who is normally a white goth-girl and/or biker-chick.)
The depression representation is good overall, devastatingly realistic as a whole - but I did have a minor issue with it, which I'll write about in the next section.
The sense of hopelessness and worthlessness depicted is accurate and heart-breaking, and Daniela doesn't magically get better the moment she ends up in 1923, meaning it's not treated as just a plot point.
And we get a same-sex, lesbian, parenting couple - which is awesome.
- depression
- attempted suicide
- suicidal thoughts
- hanging
- abusive relationships
- low self-worth/self-esteem
- racism
- racial slurs (including the 'n' word)
- the KKK
- lynching
- segregation and discrimination
- sexual abuse
- child abuse
- sexual assault
- rape
- torture
- kidnapping
- burning (as a form of torture)
- attempted murder
- homophobia
- grave-robbing
- missing persons investigation
There's swearing and violence; if you can handle all the other stuff though... *shrugs*
At one point, the phrase totem pole is used in as a metaphor in a non-native setting, which is seen as cultural appropriation, affecting some First Nations tribes (this piece by Robin R R Gray explains more.)
It was only once, but was still disappointing, and I hope won't occur again in future books.
Also, and this one is more of a personal preference, the relationship between Dani's mothers is referred to as a lifestyle. I don't like this.
I'm aware that a lot of LGBTQ+ people are ok with it (especially from older generations,) but I am personally not a big fan of the term.
But then, a lot of LGBTQ+ people find the term queer very offensive, but I personally identify as both sexually fluid and queer.
I guess you just have to understand that some people will be offended by both of these terms, and you need to examine how and why AND WHETHER YOU SHOULD use them in any given context.
Occasionally it felt like the representation of Daniela's depression was a little bit hit-and-miss, simply because at the times when it wasn't affecting her so much it was almost as if it didn't matter any more.
Honestly though, the representation of depression was, overall, heartbreakingly affective.
If you're an urban fantasy fan, this is a must. But those not so familiar with the genre will love it too.
UPDATE 22nd APRIL 2017:
A couple of people have raised issues with the lesbian and depression representation in this book, as well as a few other matters. Some people have equated Dani's lesbian mother having sex with a man with biphobia.
I personally don't agree with the lesbian rep/biphobia criticism - because if anyone knows that sexuality is fluid, it's yours truly. But I see the validity of the points made.
For an overview of the issues that some people have with this book, see C T Callahan's Goodreads review.
I do find C T Callahan more than a little harsh on this book, but you guys all know that I believe in having all the cards on the table so that you can make up your own minds.
- My 7 Top Picks of 2016's Books
- Review Time! - Eyes of Persuasion by Adrienne Monson
- Review Time! - Nina Is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi
- Review Time! - Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Tuesday, 6 December 2016
Month in Review(s) - November 2016
All we did was leave the EU... maybe... with no real plans, and a strong sense that nobody WAS LISTENING TO THE INFO ABOUT WHAT THE F**K THEY WERE VOTING FOR.
America decided to go bigger, and elected Trump. *sighs*
Still, we are so, so, so sorry America. We did let Farage faff around your country spreading his toady hatred by campaigning for Trump.
He's now wrecked two countries and potentially the whole world - maybe we shouldn't have given that man a passport.
But, my dearest nerdlets - if you're scared, if you're feeling hurt or alone, please understand this: THERE ARE PEOPLE ACROSS THIS ENTIRE PLANET WHO LOVE YOU AND ARE THINKING OF YOU. I promise.
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Review Time! - Eyes of Persuasion by Adrienne Monson
Author: Adrienne Monson
The whole thing is just... fun... in the way of any swashbuckling entertainment with a side of fantasy, and just a smidge of crime as our intrepid heroine faffs about in boy's clothing as an early type of private investigator.
Unfortunately, there were places where the writing felt sticky and clunky - like it didn't flow right.
In places, it just felt like the author had gripped the prose too tightly, and that can make it feel awkward.
There's violence, a lot of domestic abuse from Isabeau's uncle, as well as references to attempts to force her into prostitution.
There might've been swearing, but I honestly can't remember (note to self: pay more attention to the naughty words.)