Wow these books are gorgeous. They’re so lovely and atmospheric to live in. This one definitely had a clearer and more consistent plot, which I apprecWow these books are gorgeous. They’re so lovely and atmospheric to live in. This one definitely had a clearer and more consistent plot, which I appreciated, and I loved getting to see the world through Silver’s eyes. I still find some of Tesh’s writing to be confusingly organized but I’ll get over it for the sake of the vibes.
CW: drugging, claustrophobia, dead body, decapitation (past), blood, body horror, drowning...more
I had no idea where to set my expectations for this book, and initially picked it up with equal amounts of interest and skepticism. But I never would I had no idea where to set my expectations for this book, and initially picked it up with equal amounts of interest and skepticism. But I never would have guessed it would have blown me away the way it did.
Following an unlikely crew of three very different characters who carry three different family burdens, WHEN AMONG CROWS is a gorgeous and captivating urban fantasy tale about regret, repentance, and responsibility.
I was prepared for an action-packed folkloric urban fantasy. But I was not prepared for the deep commentary in this book about immigration, cultural ties, and Christian imperialism. And I was even less prepared for Roth to tackle all of these elements with such nuance and tact while creating a blossoming and tender achillean romance and found family amidst the cast of utterly lovable characters.
I almost want to say I wish it was longer, but not because it needed to be (arguably one of the best paced novellas I’ve ever read), but just because I fell so in love with these characters and this world and would read a whole series of this.
If you are a fan of political and folklore-heavy narratives like THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN, and want that type of story in the length of a novella, I highly recommend WHEN AMONG CROWS.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
CW: blood & gore, body horror, violence, grief, self-inflicted harm (for sacrifice), religious guilt, death of mother (past), death of father (past), alcohol consumption...more
THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE is a story brimming with potential. Its marketing is bold, with comparisons to era-defining love stories such as SOTHE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE is a story brimming with potential. Its marketing is bold, with comparisons to era-defining love stories such as SONG OF ACHILLES. This pitch has been ambitious, and set my expectations for this book high.
Across various lifetimes, THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE tells the tale of reincarnated lovers stuck in an endless loop, their romance forever star-crossed as fate tangles them together time and again.
My favorite types of stories are the kind that transcend their singular telling, which is why I’m so drawn to reincarnation-based plots. I’m nothing if not a sucker for stories that say “love (not always romantic!!!) conquers all” or that celebrate the interconnectedness of culture and humanity. They always make me feel a part of something larger than myself and/or bring me some comforting sense of hope. And this book sets itself up to be one of these stories: one that discusses love, romance, and human relationships across distant lands and time.
Which is why it was so disappointing.
The story starts out promising, its scope wide but its strokes confident, painting a canvas full of folkloric imagery and setting up the bones of something stuffed with yearning, queerness, and transformation. While reading the first chapter, I vividly remember thinking: “oh. I’m going to love this.” But this command begins and ends with that first chapter, the rest of the book featuring only glimpses into this level of storytelling.
The majority of this book’s journey is oddly timid and disjointed. Its folkloric and fantastical elements are scattered, isolated to mere moments without any profound impact on the world-building or the story as a whole. The prose feels the same, as the story sometimes halts to insert moments of lovely meaningful writing sandwiched between tentative plot points.
Despite the book’s claim to tell some grand story that transcends time and space, it struggles to hold an overarching narrative, functioning through individual moments. This book isn’t one story told across separate timelines or even three stories told simultaneously, but rather is three fractions of a story on rotation, with minimal narrative distance covered by any of the individual timelines. It reminds me of those children’s stereoscopes I played with growing up, clicking through reels of scenes only connected by their shared concept.
This book tells us that these characters are trapped in a cycle of reincarnation spanning thousands of years and hundreds of lifetimes, so the fact that this book only provides some inconsequential sliver of insight into three (THREE!) of them was baffling to me. I desperately wanted even the slightest peek into another lifetime to help understand the magnitude of this supposed epic, transcendent romance. The story would have been served so much better with interludes between chapters that share even vague glimpses into other lifetimes. Or it needed to express why these three lifetimes are significant turning points at the absolute least. It desperately needed some tangible portrayal of the weight of these thousands of years.
There isn’t even that much interconnectivity between the three portrayed timelines, and the connections that are present feel more like wink wink nudge nudges rather than actual links. It reads as though nothing really changes in this relationship over lifetimes and, well, nothing IS actually changing in this relationship over lifetimes! Which makes me ask, why reincarnation then?
Because you’re telling me that you have lived hundreds of lifetimes, thousands of years, and you… what? have sex and then reincarnate again? There is just literally nothing greater going on between these characters. Not a singular piece of ground, over thousands of years, is covered in progressing… what, exactly?
Which, let’s get into that, shall we? As we find out later on in the story, there’s supposedly some curse that’s tied to a specific object that one of the main characters is trying to track down in the modern timeline. And we don’t even really know what this curse is, who placed it or why, or how to break it. There’s just… a “curse”and it’s supposedly causing their reincarnation in some way. It’s all very noncommittal. This explanation feels literally just dropped in there as an attempt to justify their reincarnation, but actually has no real impression on the nonexistent plot.
As you can probably surmise from my description so far, the rules of the world are just vague. Not in any kind of an interesting way, but in a way that feels like the author is just hesitant to touch world-building or logic, which resulted in fragmented, confusing connections between elements and uncertain stakes. Because there is no part of the plot here we can really root for! There is no real end goal!
Without any understanding behind this “curse” or the circumstances these characters are in, we have absolutely nowhere to go. There is no wrong to be righted, because the provided information about this supposed “wrong” is minimal at best, and there is no known way to “right” it. (There’s one that’s implied, but it's really confusing and the characters never actually take major strides to fulfilling it.) And it’s not even clear what the punishment or consequence for the “wrong” is, because it just seemed like it’s reincarnation, which doesn’t seem all that bad, since there was nothing wrong happening to them due to reincarnation.
(Sidebar! It’s officially now time for me to bring in THE quote. The quote that this book is being marketed around. Because this quote makes absolutely no sense with this story, and it is a great example as to how this book confuses itself with its logic.
“What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?”
So let’s begin counting the things that make no sense with this quote! Problem 1: If these characters’ reincarnation loop is something they’re doomed into, why is the feeling of reincarnation being equated to love, which is something we’re supposed to view as a positive? Problem 2: If the characters are in love and therefore want to be together, why would we stop the reincarnation, which is supposedly what is giving them the feeling of love?)
Now let’s talk about this book’s only real obstacle: a third character who gets between our main characters.
I absolutely hate this third character. He essentially rapes one of the main characters over multiple timelines, and yet his relationship to the two main characters seems to be narratively framed as a love V, his role being to keep a character torn between loyalty and lust. So he never quite works as a villain because he’s also set up as a love interest, but never works as a love interest because he is a controlling rapist. I didn’t know what to make of him and his presence in the story really put me off. There are also like two or three chapters in which the characters spend nearly the whole scene scheming about killing this guy off and then there's never any actual follow through on that, ever? There's never any attempt made on his life and there's never a moment where they decide not to kill him off. Fully just forgotten.
(Quickly back to the quote! Problem 3: If love is the feeling of metaphysical recognition, and this other character is reincarnating with the main two, shouldn’t the main two characters both be in love with this character? Wouldn’t they all three be amorously in love after living hundreds of lifetimes in orbit?)
In general, I’m not a fan of the erotica in this book. I really don’t mind explicit sexual content, and I had been warned ahead of time about the amount of sexual content in this book, but I found myself SO uncomfortable. I think this is primarily because there are good sex scenes, neutral sex scenes, and bad sex scenes, and then there are consensual sex scenes, dubious sex scenes, and nonconsensual sex scenes, with little to no correlation between those different factors. The story seems to have no invested interest in consent when it comes to sexual content. Until there is one attempted rape scene in one of the timelines, when it is clear the audience is meant to be thinking: “oh no, he’s going to rape him, that’s bad!” But this doesn’t hold any actual weight because so many of the other sexual scenes are nonconsensual or dubious and are treated as normal or even kind of sexy by the narrative.
The language of these scenes is also just… so cringey? I was confused by the combination of explicit descriptions of sexual acts and the coy substitution of certain sexual words and body parts. I just could not take “influence” and “pink plum” seriously. If you’re going to be that explicit with the sexual actions of your characters, and you’re not trying create some profound metaphorical imagery, then stop using code words! It was cute the first time and then it got annoying!
Anyways, back to the reincarnation issues because AGAIN, the world-building in regards to the rules of this don’t make any sense. To recap: we’re initially told that only the two characters are doomed in a loop because of the “curse.” (And also because they’re in love? Unclear.) And then, of course, we find out that this third character is also reincarnating with them.
But actually, the story also suggests that there are more people reincarnating along with these other characters. At some points in the novel, a character in one timeline is clearly hinted at in another, but these connections are never expanded upon beyond that.
(Problem 4: How can their romance be epic because they keep reincarnating and therefore creating this growing feeling of true love, when potentially everyone around them is someone they know from previous lives?)
And you know what? I’m actually VERY down for an ensemble cast. I think this book would have flourished so much more if this was fleshed out. It would have created a clearer arc between the three POVs and maybe even would have helped craft a better and more constant rhetoric about love and community.
(If it weren’t for that dastardly curse that literally contradicts everything, what the fuck is that?)
But truly, the most frustrating thing about this book is that it doesn’t seem that these characters are actually… in love. I’m concerned that Huang doesn’t know the difference between romantic attraction, sexual attraction, and love. We’re told A LOT that these two men have some “special feeling” between them that transcends lifetimes, and that that feeling is “true love,” but the only thing we’re really shown between them is some really great sex.
In fact, the greatest examples of love I can point to in the book are shown by side characters in the modern timeline–characters, who don’t as far as I’m aware, have any parallels between timelines.
(Problem 5: If love is metaphysical recognition, does this only count for romantic and/or sexual love? Problem 6: If the answer to problem 5 even is yes, one of the side characters has romantic AND sexual AND platonic love for one of the main characters, but doesn’t seem to appear in other timelines, so is he not actually feeling love? Problem 7: Is no one able to feel love for someone they aren’t reincarnated with? Problem 8: If this side character is feeling unrequited love, does that mean he was reincarnated with the main character, but the main character was not reincarnated with him? How does that make sense? Problem 9: By the time it rolls around to the modern timeline, we never see these characters in love, just very sexually attracted to each other, while other characters show their love through genuine compassion and support and patience, but their love is not as valued by the main character, so is love just the feeling of finding someone really hot? Problem 10: If they’re trapped by this curse of reincarnation, and metaphysical recognition is love, how could they have fallen in love in their first lifetime? Check. mate.)
Now, it’s possible there is some sort of commentary here about the way we define love, and how we should be looking to the people who support us rather than staying caught up in the cycles of the past, but… I’m not sure that the book really supports this. It seems, above all, to value undying loyalty.
By the final chapters (without spoiling it, I promise), the book practically falls apart, all its final choices undermining every message this story initially sets out to portray without any shift of perspective. It constantly contradicts itself, leaving a muddied, frustrating, and inconclusive messaging. We lose the plot line of the curse entirely, there’s still barely any narrative distance covered across any of the three timelines, and the romance is just…??? It lacks closure, and I really love an open ending but there isn’t even a final beat or question for us to ponder on that carries us off and away from this book.
At the end of it all, I think this book just has no clue what it is trying to say. There is no guiding hand, leaving the audience to saunter aimlessly through this garden of ideas.
I don’t know where the blame for these issues lie, with the author or the editor or both or neither, but wow was this one a disappointment. When you have a narrative brimming with this much potential, you need to make sure you have a strong grip on it. A shaky hand only causes spillage, making a mess of the story and your reader.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: sexual content (including dubious and nonconsensual content), drug use, drugging, alcohol, animal death, homophobia, death, mind control, gun violence, blood, death of father (past), death by cancer (past), infidelity (mention), alcoholism (mention), suicide (mention), fatphobic comment...more
Cemetery Boys meets Noah Kahan in this YA house book.
A really sweet and spooky YA story with a nuanced and unbelievably lovable trio of main characterCemetery Boys meets Noah Kahan in this YA house book.
A really sweet and spooky YA story with a nuanced and unbelievably lovable trio of main characters. Complete with a magical realism-style metaphorical magic system, a lovable achillean romance, and a house that represents the walls we build out of trauma.
CW: death of mother (past), grief, animal death, confinement, racism, child abandonment, blood, hospitalization, fire, electrocution...more
this wasn’t a bad book by any means and i think a lot of people will enjoy it, but the F.T. Lukens comp led me to think this would be a littdnf p. 145
this wasn’t a bad book by any means and i think a lot of people will enjoy it, but the F.T. Lukens comp led me to think this would be a little more campy and silly than it was, and instead it was taking itself a little too seriously and just had an excessive use of inner monologuing and the word “‘tis”
“My tables—meet it is I set it down That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain— At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark.” -Hamlet
SMILE AND BE A V“My tables—meet it is I set it down That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain— At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark.” -Hamlet
SMILE AND BE A VILLAIN is a self-published historical fantasy that reimagines the story of Hamlet, starting with the young prince’s departure to Wittenberg prior to the plot of Shakespeare’s play and following both Hamlet and Ophelia. Featuring rich fantastical lore and a diverse cast, and informed by a historical landscape of violence, religion, and politics, SABAV serves as a stunning debut from Yves Donlon.
Especially for an indie title, the prose is fairly tight and has a beautiful flow. The imagery is vivid, the characterization is clear, and it has an original style and rhythm without taking away from legibility. The world building is really well-informed. The political climate of Hamlet isn’t often heavily emphasized in adaptations or retellings, especially when it comes to complex religious dynamics, the treatment of marginalized communities, and (surprisingly) the trauma of war. So for Donlon to bring these factors–and their impressions on the world and the characters–to the forefront is wonderfully refreshing and adds a fascinating lens to a story I thought I already knew so well.
But the thing I really want to gush about here is the representation. Bisexual Hamlet, aspec Ophelia, trans Rosencrantz, Black Guildenstern, and even queer Jewish Horatio! (I absolutely did cry about queer Jewish Horatio.) I really appreciated not only the presence of these identities, but the way they shape the characters’ choices and alliances. I especially appreciate the queer-platonic relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia. The way this story utilizes the constraints and expectations of their genders in this society as a complication on their dynamic (for better or for worse) is so clever.
One of my favorite elements of the original story of Hamlet is its ambiguous perspective, and I felt like this is well represented in the use of magic in this world. Throughout the story, we–as the audience–witness characters’ different opinions on and relationships to magic and are left unsure what to believe in a way that is really intriguing. I’m really curious whether this intentional ambiguity will continue in book two or solidify into a clearer message.
I do think that the second half of this book is better than the first half, but mostly because that second half’s structure is INCREDIBLE. Donlon’s crafting genius really shines in their ability to end this book and prepare us for the next. SMILE AND BE A VILLAIN starts with the beginnings of Hamlet’s threads, and slowly but surely, they are pulled and strung this way and that, seemingly at random, until all of a sudden they snap into place. Suddenly, the stage is set, the actors are in the wings, and the curtain is rising.
I can’t wait to see how all of these pieces fit together in the next installment. Based on the way they handled this first book, I have no doubt Donlon will provide a masterful narrative payoff of the themes and discussions they’ve set up for the sequel.
So if you’re wanting to read a Hamlet retelling centering a queer and diverse cast, political intrigue, a mysterious magic system, and lovely writing, I highly recommend SMILE AND BE A VILLAIN.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CW: war, violence, illness, death by illness, blood & gore, alcohol, homophobia, misogyny, emesis infidelity, antisemitism (mention), death of mother (past), death of sibling (past), slavery (mention)...more
I think (adult!) fans of Andrew Joseph White would probably be really drawn to this story due to its themes and atmosphelet’s go trans monster schlong
I think (adult!) fans of Andrew Joseph White would probably be really drawn to this story due to its themes and atmosphere.
Featuring terrifying religious bigotry, small town horror, trans rage, and gender euphoria through monstrous metamorphosis, this book has a lot of amazing and well-executed elements. I do think too much of the plot was saved for the very end, leaving some of the dropped pieces of candy in the earlier parts of this narrative tale to feel more confusing than impactful and causing a meandering and slow pace, but I overall really enjoyed this little novella.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: religious bigotry, violence, blood & gore, sexual content, rape (off-page), sexual violence, pregnancy, abortion (offpage), death in childbirth, medical content, needles, gun violence, drowning, cannibalism, murder, transphobia, misgendering, misogyny, animal death, dismemberment, hallucinations, fire, eugenics, racism, war (past), insects, child death (mention), antisemitism (mention)...more
I came for the gorgeous cover by Marlowe Lune and stayed for the deeply charming tale of Oliver Bennet.
Making Darcy a gay man who doesn't hate women bI came for the gorgeous cover by Marlowe Lune and stayed for the deeply charming tale of Oliver Bennet.
Making Darcy a gay man who doesn't hate women but just isn't interested in pretending to like them and making Elizabeth Bennet a trans man living a double life was SUCH a brilliant way to interpret this timeless and beloved story. I found myself giggling and gasping and screeching with excitement and tension in all the right moments as I rooted for these characters and their happiness amidst the social obstacle course that is higher society of 19th century England.
The pacing was quick and consistent and the writing was so engaging that had I not been so busy these past few days, I have no doubt I would've finished this in one sitting. My only wish is that the end had maybe one more chapter somewhere amidst the last few scenes, as it felt like it needed just a little more meat to finish fleshing itself out. (Perhaps a moment with Jane? I just found myself craving a bit more, though I find that a testament to the strength of the rest of the story.)
Overall, an adorable and tender romance about how there isn't really such thing as a right time to be yourself, but there is such a thing as a right way to be yourself.
Andrew Joseph White has become quite the horror phenomenon since his debut, well-known for his poignant, thoughtful young adult stories full of gore, Andrew Joseph White has become quite the horror phenomenon since his debut, well-known for his poignant, thoughtful young adult stories full of gore, trans rage, and cutting commentary. And his foray into the adult literary world delivers no less than the expectations his previous work promises.
YOU WEREN’T MEANT TO BE HUMAN explores the politicalization of the body, emphasizing the way “othered” bodies are turned into battlegrounds or prisons or tools by governing bodies, individual and collective. It asks questions about control, self-determination, and freedom under systems of oppression. And it does so with exquisite, multi-layered, heart-wrenching storytelling.
I got to read an early version of this book as a sensitivity reader, and it was such an honor to catch a glimpse behind the curtain of White’s brilliance. Though this book is unbelievably nauseating and–as is standard in White’s work–unflinching (I had to get a lot of fresh air while reading this one, do not read it around a meal), it truly captures the heart of horror. It's hard to peel apart the many elements of this story for examination, as its tendrils all tangle together, themes and messages and plots and characters all bleeding into one narrative entity. I regularly experienced multiple feelings at once, often even contrasting ones, while trying to digest this squirming tale. But at the end, per usual for an AJW book, I was left agog, comforted, empowered, and grossed out in equal measure.
CW: pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, cannibalism, insects, suicidal ideation, self-mutilation, sexual content, sexual violence/dub-con sexual content, abusive relationship, murder, blood & gore, dead body, injury detail, emesis, dysphoria, transphobia (including internalized), drowning, slurs, deadnaming, infidelity, needles, death by cancer (past), war (past)...more
I absolutely adore books that are just silly brain-off stories. This book looked stupid and gay (complimentary) and I was so ready to have the time ofI absolutely adore books that are just silly brain-off stories. This book looked stupid and gay (complimentary) and I was so ready to have the time of my life.
Generally, I think this book had a lot of issues, but was indeed a really fun read.
I’ll go ahead and list the things I like:
-Despite being insta love-y (or maybe insta crush-y?) I think the romance pacing REALLY worked for me. The stakes and the meeting of the characters were set up in such a way that I really just bought it. If I was super drunk and having a breakdown in an alley and was kissed by a hot person who immediately vanished into thin air as if by magic I think I’d obsess over it too. I was so compelled by these characters on the page together and it was mainly what propelled me through this book.
-The friendly banter. The group chat elements of this story were really what reminded me of Red White and Royal Blue and made me understand that comp. The teasing and inside jokes were such a joy.
-The commentary about capitalism. So in this book, Christmas is sort of monopolizing holiday joy in a way that brilliantly mimics the way that business do indeed use Christmas as a way to capitalize off of people’s joy and are constantly steamrolling over other holidays because Christmas is such a great financial tool. We constantly see people nowadays complaining that it feels like Christmas is starting earlier and earlier (with decorations coming out practically at the same time as Halloween) and the way that this is manifested in this book is so funny and so smart.
But I did have some problems with this book’s writing and world-building. (Time for a lil rant.)
-So I’ll start pretty simply with a writing issue, which is that we’re constantly told rather than shown information about the characters. And worse than that, that information is not actually often reflected in the characters’ behavior. For example, with Coal, he has this supposed history of insincerity and mockery and deflection, but we only ever see him being really caring and sincere. Even the inciting event of the story was supposed to be a “prank gone wrong” according to other characters, but it wasn’t ever actually a prank. It was Coal trying to do something genuinely very kind but was misinformed. So his character growth and relationship developments don’t work very well because we only ever see this “better” version of him.
-I’d say my biggest problem with this book, however, is its approach to religion (or lack thereof). This book is constantly trying to omit religion as a factor in the holidays. Which… doesn’t make sense because this book takes place in our world. Christmas is inseparable from its origins. It is practiced specifically by Christian people. So it feels weird for this book to talk about the way that Christmas is constantly reaching new countries and cultures that didn’t celebrate Christmas before while ignoring the inherent Christian imperialism and colonialism that would be tied to that outreach. I appreciate that it was trying to focus itself on capitalism, but to ignore the fact that this has a harmful (and historically violent) impact on real people was frustrating. Plus this book was constantly talking about the “other big joyous holidays” which were… just other Christian holidays. Literally non-Christian or secular holidays were NEVER mentioned. It just didn’t feel like there was room for non-Christian perspectives or religions to exist in this story and world (which is supposed to be our own) and it caused me to feel a bit uncomfortable.
-And to continue off of that last point, despite this book attempting to omit religion from holidays, it utilizes heavy religious language! So as much as I would like to be generous and maybe suspend my belief to take this world as one that isn’t religious (which again, Christmas is inherently Christian and practiced by Christian people and can’t be separated from its origins and history but whatever), I can’t even do that. Romantic scenes between the leads constantly employ heavy religious description. There are constant mentions of priests and worship and idolatry and prayer. And so it creates this really uncomfortable friction in the world building to heavily utilize religion when talking about the way the characters feel about each other but to pretend it doesn’t exist when it comes to the function of religious holidays in the real world.
All in all, I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I think it was a really fun time and I would probably recommend it to Christian folks (or folks who participate in secular Christian culture), but I couldn’t really escape the pit in my stomach of feeling deliberately erased from my own world as a Jewish person. I didn’t need to be included (I'm not a fool, I understand this is a story about Christmas), but to comment on the history of Christmas dominating cultures and countries while severing it from its religious origins, as well as creating an entire political sphere of holidays that exist in our world but not including or even off-handedly acknowledging a single Jewish, Muslim, etc. one just didn’t sit right with me. I’m not saying this book is “problematic” because I don’t think it is. But I think it wasn’t for me. It might be for some of you instead.
Thank you so much to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: sexual content, grief, death (past), death of sibling (past), car accident (past), alcohol...more
SHADOW AND BONE meets FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST but make it Jewish and about sexual trauma in this new queer, Jewish, dark fantasy (NOT a romantasy!).
Our stSHADOW AND BONE meets FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST but make it Jewish and about sexual trauma in this new queer, Jewish, dark fantasy (NOT a romantasy!).
Our story takes place in a post-war world, like a sea after a rough storm, residual debris floating to the surface and now adrift. Dimitri, the self-exiled Tsar, is struggling as he copes with the loss of his husband, Alexey, in more ways than one. He's surrounded by his friends who all want to support and love him the best they can, but his violent past with Alexey makes it hard for him to accept tenderness. Alexey is now the acting Tsar, furious at his husband's betrayal and hungry for power. With the help of the Holy Science, he intends to remake the world as he remade himself, as the Chosen One of the Lord, a vessel between realms. Vasily watches Dimitri ache, determined to take down Alexey and provide Dimitri with the happiness and freedom he deserves. But in order to make that happen, he'll have to craft an elaborate plan. One that involves risking his life and getting incredibly close to the enemy.
This violent yet resilient story wonderfully explores the effects of trauma, especially from abusive relationships, and how we write our scars deep into the bones of our identity, carrying the blame of a fault that was not our own.
My only critique of this book is less of a critique, but more something that if I was editing this book, I would suggest as a way to elevate the narrative. The story begins in the aftermath of a war, with most of the present stakes and circumstances informed by a complex backstory. With that in mind, I wish information about what exactly occurred in the past was divulged slowly in small, intentional moments. This post-war environment could have had a stronger impact and helped with pacing if the audience had been kept stewing in obscurity for longer, gathering up the shattered pieces bit by bit to make a full picture. Especially if Alexey had been kept vague, with only hints at his POV up until a certain point in the story. These changes definitely would have allowed for a stronger balance of intrigue and drama.
But other than that, I really enjoyed this story and found it full of such vivid and nuanced commentary about trauma and abuse.
I don't recommend this book lightly, as I found myself often nauseous from the violence and gore or deeply upset by the graphic sexual abuse. A third of the narration is told from the mind of an abuser, and witnessing his cruelty in high definition is not the easiest feat, nor is that of witnessing the other characters sacrifice their all in the name of their country's freedom and safety. But if these contents are something you're able to handle, it really is all worth it in the end. I can't wait to see how the story continues in the sequel.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: sexual violence, abusive relationship, blood & gore, violence, injury detail (graphic), body horror, human experimentation, trauma, sexual content, character death, gun violence, drug use, war (past), torture (mention), child death (mention), death of father (past), emesis, alcohol...more
Thank you to the publisher and GetUnderlined for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely adored the concept of this book. I Thank you to the publisher and GetUnderlined for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely adored the concept of this book. I think there is an untapped well of potential for collaborative literature that makes me want to become an editor myself just to make it happen, and this book felt like a glimpse into that world.
But unfortunately, I think the execution fell a bit flat for me. The writing of each individual author and of the story itself wasn't bad at all, and I found some new (to me) authors I want to read more of, particularly Hafsah Faizal and Darcie Little Badger. But this format just held the story back. It was almost Sisyphean in the way we hit a narrative refresh at every hour of the story. With each new chapter, the boulder rolled back down the hill, as each author had to start from scratch with character introduction and explaining a corner of this world and a magic system. It was exhausting.
I think this could've worked MUCH better if there were maybe... a third of the amount of authors, each writing a few chapters from their characters' POVs. With 18 perspectives being introduced until the very tail end of the story, I was spending more of my mental energy trying to keep track of the characters and the world-building than figuring out the actual mystery at hand. Every 20 pages or so, we were given a new POV that had to establish a new character, a unique magic system, a backstory, their relationship to the dead professor, relationships with other students, and tell a concise story with a beginning, middle, and end. It was just too convoluted and kept my head swimming and overwhelmed with unnecessary information.
Besides melting my brain a bit, this continued introductory format also hurt the storytelling itself. With the way information was handed to us, it wasn’t woven together enough for a mystery, which caused the first half of the story to feel entirely obsolete, with many of the early plot threads either turning out to be red herrings or remaining entirely unresolved. I honestly had more questions than answers at the end.
Finally, this structure hurt the climax, making it still feel out of nowhere, despite the attempt at building a through-line, just because we were being still introduced to entirely new characters and plots in literally the last pages. And with that, it lacked an ability to give the audience a final button to weave together the thematic conversations of the story. What are we supposed to take away from this world? I’m still not quite sure.
If we had less authors and a few chapters from each character, I think the pay-off would have been much more satisfying, and the world-building would've shone much more. This school and its characters were really drew me in, but it was just sand slipping through my fingers with this many POVs and storylines. It was just too much to keep track of and so much fell through the cracks.
CW: (I'm just listing them all together because the stories are so intertwined) murder, death, dead body, injury detail, fire, violence (brief), panic attacks, mental illness, hallucinations, blood, poison, kidnapping, grief, mentions of: loss of loved one, ableism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, bullying, colonization, war, generational trauma, spiders...more
Shakespeare meets Batman in this hilarious comic book featuring blindingly gorgeous art I could stare at for hours, anachronistic bullshit and utter tShakespeare meets Batman in this hilarious comic book featuring blindingly gorgeous art I could stare at for hours, anachronistic bullshit and utter tomfoolery, and Shakespearean banter galore. Not to mention it’s all in iambic pentameter. NO HOLDS BARD is purely the goofiest thing I’ve read in ages (complementary).
Do you ever read something so large, so impactful, that the work itself feels like a tsunami wave crestSOMEONE GET MIYAZAKI ON THE LINE IMMEDIATELY!!!
Do you ever read something so large, so impactful, that the work itself feels like a tsunami wave cresting over you? Its dazzling mass soaring above your head so that your vision is filled with nothing but its utter majesty, so that even the most blinding sunlight is fractured and scattered by its thick undulating form until everything is blue blue blue?
Well that’s how this book feels. Epic. Mythological. Tremendous. This is a work of art. This is a piece of theater wedged inside a novel. This is storytelling at its most profound.
This is a love story down to its blade-dented bone.
Our tale takes place in the Inverted Theater, a stage that exists between the planes of life, run by the love-child of the Moon and the Water, and upon which the greatest stories and greatest performances are portrayed. Mortals may attend this theater through their dreams and when they visit the theater, they will find themselves witness to the right story at the right time. But. They cannot choose the timing of their visit, and upon waking from their dream, the memories of their experience in the Inverted Theater will have dissolved into nothing but a vague feeling of satisfaction.
And as our main character finds himself in this liminal performance space, he witnesses the story of two boys transporting an ancient god across a broken land, determined to end the tyrannical rule of her descendants.
The story we then witness alongside our main character is unlike any other. Its cruelty is as haunting as its utter beauty. It’s romantic and tender and violent and ethereal. There’s something of a Ghibli quality to it, especially in the way it unravels itself as a gorgeous expression of love for people, land, culture, and the relationships between. I found myself listening to the Princess Mononoke soundtrack while reading it and fantasizing about the breathtaking adaptation Miyazaki would make if someone would do the honor of putting this book in his hands. (I HIGHLY recommend listening to the Mononoke soundtrack when reading this for a transcendent experience. I even more highly recommend telling Miyazaki to read this book.)
My overall experience with THE SPEAR CUTS THROUGH WATER was mystifying, like I myself was a dreaming visitor of the Inverted Theater, put in a trance and taken on a journey through a life-defining tale that would forever alter my world.
Thank you Simon Jimenez for reminding me why I love reading. For showing me what it can mean to thread myself into the tapestry of life and lose myself in the rhythm of the world.
As the tsunami of this story crested over my head and broke its way through my tear ducts and flooded down my cheeks, I knew–wracked with heavy sobs–that I would emerge from its depths to find myself forever changed. And for a moment, I was so certain I would find myself brought back to my own plane of existence to have lost the memory of this tale. That this story, like all others told in the Inverted Theater, would be one that only exists in the spaces it’s left behind. That its only relics would be the puddles of toilet paper tissues scattered on the floor of my room, the crowded rows of goosebumps like tiny headstones up and down my arms, and a hunk of negative space in my memory in the shape of something equally yearning and fulfilling. Oh, but how lucky we are, that Simon Jimenez has pressed the Inverted Theater onto paper so we may maintain its memory.
CW: violence, drowning, decapitation, blood & gore, body horror, death, grief, murder, cannibalism, war, animal death, ableism, drug use, emesis, death of grandmother, death of child, death of parent, suicide (mention)...more
Gilman twists and warps and twirls early modern language into something mystical and beyond itself, wI have no idea what I just read or if I liked it.
Gilman twists and warps and twirls early modern language into something mystical and beyond itself, walking a tight line between masterful and convoluted mess.
This story holds such a playful relationship with its sources, and one of the reasons I was so excited to pick this book up is because of its experimental formatting, designed to mimic the appearance of a early modern quarto. But I actually think Gilman could have leaned even further into this mimicry in certain textual aspects that would’ve served the story AND offered an aid to the reader. I would’ve loved a dramatis personae, as I kept getting the characters confused. And some scenes were so dialogue heavy that they practically begged to be formatted as a play script.
I definitely think I would need to read this at least 2 more times to actually understand it, and this is coming from someone who reads a lot of Elizabethan and Jacobean text and scholarship. But wow, what a weird little story.
I'm definitely in the minority here in that this book didn't entirely work for me, and I'm unsure if I'll be continuing on in the series.
The largest sI'm definitely in the minority here in that this book didn't entirely work for me, and I'm unsure if I'll be continuing on in the series.
The largest success of this book is its mystery. Mystical and filled with tension, I found the plot unique and captivating, and it was largely what kept my attention. I would definitely recommend this book for fans of The Magnus Archives and Thistlefoot in terms of its atmosphere and charm.
On the other end of the spectrum, this book's weakest point is its characters. They either have extremely exaggerated characterization or practically none at all, and the book constantly feels off-balance because of it. Not to mention, there is pretty much no growth in a single character from the start of the book to the end.
I also really enjoyed the 1920's setting and ambience but holy smokes is it heavy-handed. This book is a little too obsessed with constantly reminding its audience of its time period, with 3-4 references per page whether they be exaggerated lingo, shoe-horned in mentions of events of the time, or even whole lists of figures living in the 20's name-dropped just because. Some of these references would be fine, great even, but the text is just drowning in it and it suffocated the story at hand.
I also found this obsession with staying overly present in the 20's inhibits the narrative's intentions. At its core, The Diviners is about the corrupt eugenicist ideals that motivate American society and religious fanaticism. And of course, these ideals and systems have not only never been dismantled but continue to spin their webs into modern-day America, which is what makes this story feel so urgent in the 2020’s. So I feel that it would be to the story's advantage to allow in moments of timelessness, to help bridge the gap between then and now, rather than what it does, which is digging its heels firmly into the 20's. I really loved these messages and themes but felt they weren’t quite supported in their delivery. Maybe this gets better over the series.
I can appreciate a book that functions best within the context of its series, but I felt this one struggling to make its own mark.
CW: murder, dead bodies, human sacrifice, blood, alcohol, fire, sexual assault, emesis, hallucinations, cults, claustrophobic, drugging, eugenics, self-immolation (past), illness (past), death of sibling (past), war (past, recounted), death of mother (past), animal death, grief, domestic violence (past, recounted), rape (past, recounted), abortion (past), gun violence, suicide (past), injury detail, police brutality, hospitalization (past), medical content (past), child abandonment (past), needles, xenophobia (brief), racism (brief), antisemitism (brief), homophobia (brief)...more
Loading...
