Reviews

Queens of Noise by Leigh Harlen

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miloblue's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review against another edition

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3.0

A delightful mix of queer punk, paranormal shifters, and battle of the bands. Mixi is the leader of a pack of werecoyotes who are queer / trans found family and a punk band. When they discover their favourite dive bar venue has been bought by gentrifiers, they go on a hunt to find out the culprit and save their space. I really liked how the the main group was family, band, and pack; it highlighted how each unit is an alternative family in its own way.

I would have loved to see this polished more: there were a number of small typos that distracted me. Plus I would have liked a bit more nuance and depth to the characterization and plot, with showing rather than telling.

This would definitely appeal to fans of Buffy who would appreciate the addition of queer and trans punk musicians!

greeniezona's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A book of shifters and magic and found family and the music scene and small venues and a Scooby Doo mystery and queer feels and finding out who you are. A fun read with a queer punk aesthetic that keeps high energy throughout. I am delighted to be working with Leigh on another project!

trickster_wolfe's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced

4.5

svenseven's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

rorikae's review

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adventurous tense 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

'Queens of Noise' by Leigh Harlen is a fun novella about a punk band made up of queer werecoyotes, who must band together with a group of werewolves to save their local venue from witches.
Mixi and their band, the Mangy Rats, are focused on winning Battle of the Bands. They are close to achieving their dream by being in the final three when they learn from the owner of their local venue that the bar is in the process of being purchased so it can be demolished. Sensing something amiss, the Mangy Rats team up with one of the fellow bands in the final three to get to the bottom of who is trying to buy the venue and how they can stop it.
This novella is fast paced and super fun. Harlen has created a great group of characters, that despite the short length of the novella, are easy to care for. The story is just off kilter enough to be absolutely wild, while also retaining a lot of fun. I've read two novellas from Neon Hemlock and both of them have been great. I can't wait to check out more by their press and by Harlen in the future.

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