Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H.S. Valley

2 reviews

lyraparledor's review against another edition

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Extremely weirdly fanfiction-coded for a book that isn't marketed as fanfiction-adjacent. The Harry Potter references and/or allusions are numerous and after a while the character cast starts to feel like a generic stand-in for specific Harry Potter characters. 
I'm pretty sure I read an undercover drarry fic masquerading as a queer book, targeted at queer folks, and knowing the joke that is Rowling's opinion on trans people, this felt particularly callous.
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emily_mh's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book had everything! An underground magical boarding school! Two queer boys who are perfect for each other and have found-family with an enchanted egg! A lot of pining and being heartsick!! Sex positivity!! And something that made my heart sing - IT IS SET IN AOTEAROA. It was weirdly thrilling to experience reading a book and having BEEN to the places it talked about, and understanding and relating to the society it was set in. Even mention of The Warehouse made me smile. More importantly, the main character, and author, are Māori. This kind of rep is so important not just in Kiwi lit, but in literature in general, and we need a whole lot more of it. 

The only tiny criticism I had was that I felt like Tim's relationship with his father needed more space at the end. But this wasn't the focus of the book so it wasn't enough to dock the overall 5 star rating I've given it!
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