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comfynight's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Real fun and fast read 🎇
Full cast of different people. Feels like a big ass adventure book in this small novella. Thats some great storytelling right here.
Full cast of different people. Feels like a big ass adventure book in this small novella. Thats some great storytelling right here.
mrobison576's review
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The things that reminded me of Monster of the Week were fun!
On the other hand, this book had a lot of telling vs. showing, and even more telling me things that did not ring true in execution. The characters are in their thirties, but they were constantly acting like teenagers. A lot of giggling about crushes and using phrases like “but do you liiiike her?”, and far too much miscommunication drama for characters who are ostensibly adults. The characters are allegedly punks, but talk about drugs and alcohol like they’re teenagers trying to be cool. They’re ostensibly really good friends who live together, but their dialogue is stilted and formal, and anything approaching banter would have all this checking in and clarifying and “I didn’t mean that offensively” about things no average reader would think to find offensive (like calling the full moon a “wolf moon,” which could exclude shifters who aren’t wolves). The two romantic leads also suffered from this level of stilted dialogue, and as a result had zero chemistry, absolutely none.
I also got fed up with the fact that the book introduces a Baba Yaga themed band within the first few pages, but then later when a mysterious bad guy is leaving Baba Yaga themed clues around town, no one thinks of this band until halfway through the book?! How was that not insanely obvious to everyone involved???
The final showdown was paced agonizingly slowly for how few pages it actually was, and then the death-protection necklaces removed any remaining stakes. I was basically just pushing myself to get to the end for the sake of getting to the end.
You know all those tumblr posts that are like “Can we talk about punk witches? Mixing a potion with tequila in a red solo cup. Broken coffee stirrers for wands. Sigils in eyeliner that’s smeared from being slept in. Dog-eared spell books on a bookshelf with cheap paperbacks. An annoyed roommate because you tried to pay the rent with crystals. Punk witches, guys. Punk witches.”? Reading one of those will give you pretty much the exact experience of reading this book. It’s not so much a plot with characters as it is the textual equivalent of a Pinterest board. Vibes do not a story make…
On the other hand, this book had a lot of telling vs. showing, and even more telling me things that did not ring true in execution. The characters are in their thirties, but they were constantly acting like teenagers. A lot of giggling about crushes and using phrases like “but do you liiiike her?”, and far too much miscommunication drama for characters who are ostensibly adults. The characters are allegedly punks, but talk about drugs and alcohol like they’re teenagers trying to be cool. They’re ostensibly really good friends who live together, but their dialogue is stilted and formal, and anything approaching banter would have all this checking in and clarifying and “I didn’t mean that offensively” about things no average reader would think to find offensive (like calling the full moon a “wolf moon,” which could exclude shifters who aren’t wolves). The two romantic leads also suffered from this level of stilted dialogue, and as a result had zero chemistry, absolutely none.
I also got fed up with the fact that the book introduces a Baba Yaga themed band within the first few pages, but then later when a mysterious bad guy is leaving Baba Yaga themed clues around town, no one thinks of this band until halfway through the book?! How was that not insanely obvious to everyone involved???
The final showdown was paced agonizingly slowly for how few pages it actually was, and then the death-protection necklaces removed any remaining stakes. I was basically just pushing myself to get to the end for the sake of getting to the end.
You know all those tumblr posts that are like “Can we talk about punk witches? Mixing a potion with tequila in a red solo cup. Broken coffee stirrers for wands. Sigils in eyeliner that’s smeared from being slept in. Dog-eared spell books on a bookshelf with cheap paperbacks. An annoyed roommate because you tried to pay the rent with crystals. Punk witches, guys. Punk witches.”? Reading one of those will give you pretty much the exact experience of reading this book. It’s not so much a plot with characters as it is the textual equivalent of a Pinterest board. Vibes do not a story make…
jugglingpup's review against another edition
5.0
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This one of the books available in the Pride Bundle. Thank you Tachyon for giving me a copy.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this one. I am not a fan of shifters. I find there is a lot of bad science around animals, especially wolves. There are also tons of consent issues. So shifters usually are a big no for me. Thankfully Harlen does neither of these things. I need to read more queer shifters instead of gay men written by cis women shifters it seems.
First off, almost every character is queer. I am talking trans punks of various flavors. I would gladly be a werecoyote if this were the pack I could join (despite their band sounding terrible. I don’t like the random objects as instruments thing). The shifters felt real and loud. This is the trans rep I want. I want messy, good hearted, anti-capitalist shifter punks.
The romance was fast, but also one I was all for. Goth lead singer werewolf pack leader love interest? Yes, please. Just sign me up. I don’t need to know more. But there is more. THERE ARE WERECHICKENS. I have never seen those before and they are my favorite shifters now. Utterly bloodthirsty, viscous monsters, finally a shifter that actually inspires fear.
This all felt super rambly, but know that this was a fast read that really made me excited from the first page to the last. I highly recommend it.
This one of the books available in the Pride Bundle. Thank you Tachyon for giving me a copy.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this one. I am not a fan of shifters. I find there is a lot of bad science around animals, especially wolves. There are also tons of consent issues. So shifters usually are a big no for me. Thankfully Harlen does neither of these things. I need to read more queer shifters instead of gay men written by cis women shifters it seems.
First off, almost every character is queer. I am talking trans punks of various flavors. I would gladly be a werecoyote if this were the pack I could join (despite their band sounding terrible. I don’t like the random objects as instruments thing). The shifters felt real and loud. This is the trans rep I want. I want messy, good hearted, anti-capitalist shifter punks.
The romance was fast, but also one I was all for. Goth lead singer werewolf pack leader love interest? Yes, please. Just sign me up. I don’t need to know more. But there is more. THERE ARE WERECHICKENS. I have never seen those before and they are my favorite shifters now. Utterly bloodthirsty, viscous monsters, finally a shifter that actually inspires fear.
This all felt super rambly, but know that this was a fast read that really made me excited from the first page to the last. I highly recommend it.
freckled_frog_boi's review
The plot was wonderful, and god, look at that cover! I will say that I felt it could use a bit of editing, and some parts were not as well written as others. And to be honest, as a punk-adjacent myself, not everything felt as true to form, more like fanfiction of the punk-goth scene, but I'm glad we're getting stories like this.
needleclicker's review
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
cran's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
keegan_leech's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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? No
5.0
Wow, this was such a charming, wonderful, fun story. Absolutely great. Highly recommended. Go read it! More than anything else, the characters are genuine, well-written, and a joy to encounter.
The story is not very complex and that's fine. It's a novella which already includes several separate sub-plots; for each of them to be satisfyingly resolved within the space of the novella requires that they're relatively straightforward. The real joy here is getting to spend time with the characters.
Queens of Noise includes some of the best-written queer characters I've ever read. I can't over-estimate just how much they feel like people I might actually meet at a local queer event or in the pit at a punk show. If for nothing else, the book is worth reading just to get to hang out with Mixi and their crew of queer, punk misfits. What better fun could you ask for than queer romance, punk music, lycantrhopy, witchcraft, and a battle of the bands?!
(Also, I think its very funny that the Mangy Rats are a literal band of were-coyotes.)
The story is not very complex and that's fine. It's a novella which already includes several separate sub-plots; for each of them to be satisfyingly resolved within the space of the novella requires that they're relatively straightforward. The real joy here is getting to spend time with the characters.
Queens of Noise includes some of the best-written queer characters I've ever read. I can't over-estimate just how much they feel like people I might actually meet at a local queer event or in the pit at a punk show. If for nothing else, the book is worth reading just to get to hang out with Mixi and their crew of queer, punk misfits. What better fun could you ask for than queer romance, punk music, lycantrhopy, witchcraft, and a battle of the bands?!
(Also, I think its very funny that the Mangy Rats are a literal band of were-coyotes.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Dysphoria
The animal cruelty is the most likely to be upsetting, althoughpandatheist's review against another edition
3.5
Fun. Like others I’ve read from the 2020 Neon Hemlock novella series it suffers from some pretty distracting proofreading issues(thankfully gone in later books)
milointhewoods's review against another edition
4.0
this is a cute comforting short read about the queer punk magical scene which honestly is not a niche that is filled enough