Reviews

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

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jackleopards's review against another edition

5.0

This book is genuinely authentic at its core.
I’ve been longing to read this book for a long time and luckily, it didn’t let me down after reading it. I may be a little biased towards this book considering that it took place in the Philippines (my motherland), but I could say that the author didn’t fell short and didn’t held back towards addressing some of the most important and controversial topics in the country that are still relevant today and that are rarely scrutinized: political issues, poverty, corruption, the war on drugs, police brutality, and press freedom.

The imagery being used in depicting the slums, busy streets, and the provinces in the country is delicately accurate as well as each of the characters being shaped by their distinct character traits, morals, and values which made them all the more realistic. This book also talks about religion and contains lgbtq representations which are interesting as we follow the characters uncover and deal with the ugly truths, dreadful secrets, and their grief throughout the story. I find this book a bit info-dump at some point since there are a lot of Filipino culture being talked about — history, food, beliefs, and norms — but overall, this book is a solid five for me and I hope more people will stumble upon this eye-opening book!

thomasr417's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

eli3li's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

annabeth324's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

haileycj's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Touched my queer Fil-Am heart as I cried several times. His relationship with his family was super relatable and I could put myself in his shoes. Really liked how it depicted the views on the Marcos Regime from the PH vs. the States and that it is still relevant today. Heartfelt and educational at the same time.