I really liked the first book, but quite honestly this one was boring. There wasn’t much development of characters or deepening of relationships, we dI really liked the first book, but quite honestly this one was boring. There wasn’t much development of characters or deepening of relationships, we didn’t get answers to the lore/worldbuilding questions I collected during the first book, Mary suffered from a complete lack of agency, we didn’t have any awesome action sequences, there wasn’t much tension or suspense of any kind…
Even Moira Quirk’s narration couldn’t hold my attention (and not just because the male narrator had significantly more chapters).
I’m still interested in Long’s Norse mythology inspired backlist, but I probably won’t return to this series.
{Thank you Recorded Books for the ALC in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}...more
I somehow wasn’t aware of how, uh, religious this book was going to be? This is very much a me thing but I really don’t like organized religion and fiI somehow wasn’t aware of how, uh, religious this book was going to be? This is very much a me thing but I really don’t like organized religion and find it very oppressive - particularly when it’s not weaponized exactly but used to exert a negative influence (like in this story). In a lot of stories that deal with religious trauma (or in this case the use of religion to perpetuate trauma), I expect a distance from or renouncement of the religion and we didn’t get that. It’s also a memoir so it’s not my place to judge the author’s relationship with his religion.
However, the emotional core of the story, Corey’s interiority and doubt of the world his mother painted for him, made for a very compelling story.
{Thank you FSG for the complementary copy in exchange for my honest review!}...more
We’ll say this is 3.5. I still enjoyed it, but I want to draw attention to the difference between this and book one.
It’s well written at the sentence We’ll say this is 3.5. I still enjoyed it, but I want to draw attention to the difference between this and book one.
It’s well written at the sentence level; there’s no doubt in my mind that Bracken has worked hard to hone her talent. My problem with this book was how much of Tamsin’s attention was focused on Emrys rather than every other character at our disposal. (I have nothing in particular against Emrys; as far as book boyfriends go, I’d even say I rather like him, but he should not have been the focus of this book in my opinion.)
When a book starts out with a new found family of teenage girls licking their wounds and weaving friendship bracelets and vowing forever, I really wanted more of THAT dynamic. Unfortunately for all involved, our fearsome foursome are separated in bits and bobs pretty early and often either physically or emotionally, which leaves more and more room for Emrys to become Tamsin’s consummate distraction.
And one of the other things that I really liked about Silver in the Bone was how unexpectedly brutal it was. This one didn’t quite have that same level of darkness that I was craving.
{Thank you Knopf for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
This would have been a great novella. It had the story beats of a novella but it was stuffed with a whole lot of nothing. Scenes dragged, characters hThis would have been a great novella. It had the story beats of a novella but it was stuffed with a whole lot of nothing. Scenes dragged, characters had the same conversations over and over, the banter between the FMC and MMC was stiff and their chemistry was nonexistent, 30% of the book is seemingly spent traveling from one place to another but there’s nothing particularly relevant about the act of traveling.
Bayron writes movement/action (her horror books and short stories are a great example!) and mother-daughter relationships (This Poison Heart) so well but this book only skimmed the surface. It felt like we were told (instead of shown) Eve’s close relationship with her mother and expected to be shocked when everything fell apart. The stuff with the “who is the fairest in the land” came out of left field because we just didn’t understand their relationship beyond what Eve told us in exposition (and even Eve was confused by mom’s supposed vanity).
It just felt so surface level, and I’m lowkey devastated.
{Thank you Bloomsbury for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}...more
This is my first Chuck Tingle but certainly won’t be my last. It goes hard with the horror as a metaphor and doesn’t shy away from bringing the audienThis is my first Chuck Tingle but certainly won’t be my last. It goes hard with the horror as a metaphor and doesn’t shy away from bringing the audience in on what that metaphor stands for - even bringing up past horror stories and their real-life goals. We get talk of Hollywood’s obsession with queer tragedy (from the title and opening scene), the abrupt about-face where only joy will do, the villains as manifestations of trauma, the rules of the genre and what the horror genre really means. Plus there’s the whole AI-as-artists fundamentally warping the art until it’s unrecognizable - which is very timely.
Misha is a really interesting protagonist - both his role as a writer and also his role as adult partially-closeted queer person from a conservative upbringing. He’s a great vehicle through which to tell the story.
The sections done by the other narrator (in the audiobook) were bizarre and honestly I couldn’t really follow them, but they didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and engagement with the story.
{Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}...more
While short and very easy to read quickly, I found some of the pacing questionable (with the frequent flashbacks especially in the beginning, it was rWhile short and very easy to read quickly, I found some of the pacing questionable (with the frequent flashbacks especially in the beginning, it was rather difficult to follow the passage of time). It also felt like there was a lot happening but we never dug particularly deep into it? Especially the last section - there’s something of a twist that might explain some things but it’s kind of left hanging there. Plus there’s a lot of really convenient things that don’t make a lot of sense in this “real world” setting.
Where the story shines is with the way the various characters interact. Ji-won is a bit of an outlier, but the way other people talk to her and interact with her and each other just really felt very grounded. The lecherous George, the weaponized-tears of her Umma, Ji-hyun’s anxiety, Geoffrey’s red flags, Alexis’s confusion/support.
It felt like it took a little too long to get to the “horror” parts - but man I will probably never think about human eyeballs the same way again.
{Thank you Erewhon Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
This one wasn’t as full and rich as the earlier stories - and I think that’s more because Greta wasn’t at the center than because it was a novella.
AlsThis one wasn’t as full and rich as the earlier stories - and I think that’s more because Greta wasn’t at the center than because it was a novella.
Also it’s 2024 do we really need HP references in books? Especially books by queer authors?? Ridiculous and unnecessary. Also why is that the only modern book mentioned? Everything else is classics. There’s so much more vampire (and other monster) canon that a 10 year old would actually read and WANT to read and enjoy.
{Thank you Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}...more
After the disaster that was the anime adaptation, I’ll admit I was more than a little worried about how this would play out. Honestly it took the compAfter the disaster that was the anime adaptation, I’ll admit I was more than a little worried about how this would play out. Honestly it took the complete opposite approach to the anime by focusing almost entirely on the big picture and the trials and darkness that Ryza and company face. Of course, that means we lose a lot of the little details of the interpersonal relationships, but the core of the story was there and we hit all of the major plot milestones. I’d be interested to know what someone who didn’t play the game(s) or watch the anime would think.
As for the art, I think it was fantastic - it’s highly detailed and keeps all of the silly quirks of these JRPG character designs while also letting the characters be expressive. I would have liked to see a bit more scenery, though I suppose that’s more important for the two later games which may, hopefully, get manga adaptations of their own.
Nothing beats the level of detail in a video game that you can spend dozens of hours playing, but this manga does a very good job of distilling this story down to its most important parts and conveying them in a way that’s true to the original.
{Thank you Udon Entertainment for the complementary copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
What a messy, complicated, heartbreaking, fascinating story. At first, things felt unbalanced with the four “wild” girls and the one “normal” one, allWhat a messy, complicated, heartbreaking, fascinating story. At first, things felt unbalanced with the four “wild” girls and the one “normal” one, all dealing with their trauma in a messy spaghetti pile of pain and hope and anger and grief. I still think I would have liked a lot more from Grace and Rhi in the middle when the tangled whirlwind of the wild girls’ thoughts felt so overwhelming, but that too felt like a metaphor. And when we finally cracked Rhi open, spreading apart her ribs to see all the messy, scarred insides, I think Grace was the perfect one to witness.
This book is a heavy one, and there’s a good list of content warnings provided by the author at the beginning of the book.
Part of me really liked that we didn’t get all of the answers, and part of me wanted more. Because in the real world we very rarely get an answer for everything, but fiction has the freedom to be so much neater. Kinda wish we got to know which of the girls was writing the memoir we got excerpts from throughout, though; I think I have an idea, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Overall, a very solid offering with a lot to think about (and mourn)
{Thank to Dreamscape Select for the ALC and Zando Young Readers for the DRC in exchange for my honest review}...more
It was weird to read this at the same time as The Wilderness of Girls because they were essentially opposite takes on a really similar story. WilderneIt was weird to read this at the same time as The Wilderness of Girls because they were essentially opposite takes on a really similar story. Wilderness had 4 “wild” girls and 2 “normal” girls doing “normal life” - whereas Graces had 5 celebrities and 1 “normal” (but also comparatively “wild”) girl stranded in a hostile wilderness.
Where this book is really successful is with the descriptions of the island, the changes to the girls’ bodies, and the gore (of which there is little, but it’s done well enough).
Where this book doesn’t really succeed (for me) is in the timeline (consistently showing us sequential full days and then saying “oh it’s been a few weeks”) and the complete lack of chemistry between the MC and the love interest. I also feel like there was one girl too many in the main cast, because there was always one person who was kind of ignored in any given scene (usually Rosa or Celia).
{Thank you Katherine Tegan Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
I stand by my preference for Kingfisher’s horror over her fantasy. Imagine my delight when this book dipped a toe into horror in the last 25%! The litI stand by my preference for Kingfisher’s horror over her fantasy. Imagine my delight when this book dipped a toe into horror in the last 25%! The little bit of gore and grotesquerie was perfect and just what I was hoping for in a story that lacked Kingfisher’s usual wit and humor. Obviously a story about abuse isn’t meant to be funny, though.
Cordelia’s timidity made the book feel too long and too slow, and a lot of the more dramatic happenings (like a family’s brutal murder) were kind of offhand or out of focus or told as sort of an aside so the impact wasn’t entirely felt. Though the dynamic between Cordelia and her mother (aka abuser) was palpable and ever present from the very first page.
{Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Tor for the DRC; all thoughts are my own}...more
I think I ended up liking the concept more than the execution. So much time was spent on the Cabaret Girl lifestyle that when we did actually dig intoI think I ended up liking the concept more than the execution. So much time was spent on the Cabaret Girl lifestyle that when we did actually dig into gangs, gods, magic, and corruption, it felt a bit hollow because we didn’t have enough context for those things. Jingwen doesn’t interact with the gangsters and her grandmother nearly enough to give the ending the weight it needs. It also makes the story drag quite a bit in the middle.
In all honesty, Jingwen doesn’t feel present in her own story. And I think that works when she’s at the dance hall, but it does a disservice to the emotional impact and especially the ending.
However, the writing style is gorgeous - showing off the glitz and shadows in equal measure, giving us hints of magic and wonder as well as the grotesque.
{Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review}...more
I think the only thing that kept me from really loving this book was the pacing. It had historical fiction pacing, even if there was fantasy-level actI think the only thing that kept me from really loving this book was the pacing. It had historical fiction pacing, even if there was fantasy-level action in certain scenes. When I realized that the whole book took place over the course of about 3 months, it kind of took the wind out of my sails like “wow, we really haven’t accomplished all that much, have we?”
Things I loved: main cast full of queer characters of color, found family, challenging racism and sexism even when it has only the briefest mention, brutal fight scenes.
Things I didn’t like: pacing/timeline (notable particularly when it comes to injuries that the characters sustain and seemingly shake off), Florián’s character, not really getting to know a lot of the cast (Lennox, Elizabeth, Anne, and more).
{Thank you Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}...more
Candice Fox books always promise a good time - tense pacing and a premise that is more than a little bananas. This one won’t go down as a favorite FoxCandice Fox books always promise a good time - tense pacing and a premise that is more than a little bananas. This one won’t go down as a favorite Fox book, but for people who love a good procedural (especially one that doesn’t follow procedure at all) will certainly enjoy it.
Unlike most of Fox’s books, this one felt holey- like it didn’t answer all of the main questions I would ask myself as I was going through it (or those answers were so thin you could see right through them). But again, you can’t beat Fox’s pacing, the dashes of humor, the real human darkness in the pages.
{Thanks Macmillan Audio for the ALC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review}...more
I’ll be honest, this one did not engage me. So much time was kind of wasted on nonsense things (it’s not team building if they don’t actually build thI’ll be honest, this one did not engage me. So much time was kind of wasted on nonsense things (it’s not team building if they don’t actually build the team) that the pacing, particularly in the second half, just couldn’t hold water. And once one half of our main duo took a hiatus for pretty much half the book, the entire story, pacing, character development, EVERYTHING suffered for it. The last two main characters barely got enough screentime to make them feel like more than a collection of character quirks (I mean, go Emerald for claiming and defending the word “fat” but when your entire personality is “Theater Kid” there’s not much to latch onto).
This book had the bones of a book I really should have enjoyed, but the substance was sorely lacking. Also, for the audiobook specifically: Frankie Corzo was a much better narrator than the other guy, and she has maybe 25% of the total narration.
{Thank you Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}...more
A romp in space with mecha leanings (they start rather late in the book though, and our MC Hwa Young and the rest of them are whirlwind expert pilots)A romp in space with mecha leanings (they start rather late in the book though, and our MC Hwa Young and the rest of them are whirlwind expert pilots). I thought there was great tension in certain scenes - the opening, the fall of Serpentine, and Hwa Young’s first lancer battle - but otherwise we pretty much skated along the surface. We couldn’t really get a handle on how Hwa Young felt about much of anything, even though we do get her thoughts from the first person narration. She doesn’t dig into any complicated feelings about her origins or her rivalry with Bae or the very transactional nature of her friendship with Geum.
The bones of a REALLY GOOD story were there, but we just didn’t go deep enough to really get it. I have enjoyed other books by Lee, so I will probably continue the series as it comes out, if only to see if we do take the dive into deeper and messier territory.
{Thank you Delacorte Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
As always, McLemore’s writing is beautiful, and I think that gave me a better impression of the book overall than I might have had otherwise. It’s a pAs always, McLemore’s writing is beautiful, and I think that gave me a better impression of the book overall than I might have had otherwise. It’s a pretty quiet story, without much physical movement, but there’s a lot of really nice “grotesque” imagery and quite a lot of unexpected turns in the story. I kept thinking I knew what was happening until something changed and the cycle repeated.
Where this really falls short though is the relationships between characters. I didn’t feel like we understood Renata, Paz, or Carina - but Isla was enough to get us through, especially with the writing style.
Also: INTERSEX REP!
{Thanks Fierce Reads for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
The art is absolutely stunning. Each panel feels like a painting and the use of color (particularly wherever there’s contrast) was absolute magic. MakThe art is absolutely stunning. Each panel feels like a painting and the use of color (particularly wherever there’s contrast) was absolute magic. Makes me really want to go read the other graphic novels by this team (Wicked + Divine and DIE) if only for the art.
Lori made a great apocalyptic protagonist - prickly and cynical with survival always the first (and usually only) thing on her mind. Combine that with Annette who’s bubbly and hopeful and brave in a way that is wholly unfamiliar and inscrutable to Lori. I wish we understood Beatrice better; instead she felt more like a means to an end.
This could have done so much more if it was longer, but even at only 100 pages, it feels complete - though not so conclusive that the world and characters couldn’t be revisited in the future.
{Thanks Image Comics for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
I liked the second half significantly more than I liked the first half (setting the scene took way too long and honestly wasn’t as relevant as I wouldI liked the second half significantly more than I liked the first half (setting the scene took way too long and honestly wasn’t as relevant as I would have expected) but what kept me from truly enjoying it was that the timeline made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
I got so wrapped around the axel trying to puzzle through the 90-40-20 years ago events when almost every character is old enough that the 20 years ago events should have been at least in living memory but that go completely unacknowledged? Plus in the 91-hours timeline, I don’t think everything that happened would be feasible.
So as great as the Emory/Clara/Seth dynamic ended up being (and as awesome and complicated and messy as Thea’s whole character was), I couldn’t resolve enough of the framework of the story to buy into everything that was built on it.
{Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}...more
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