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bacteriosage's review
0.5
the last thing i’ll say is HOWWW are these characters in their FORTIES???? they read like teenagers steeped in the deepest trenches of tumblr discourse. almost DNF’d at finding out the love interest works for AO3, then again with supernatural fanfic jokes, then again with an “assigned cop at birth” joke. admittedly i don’t tend to enjoy when books date themselves, just a personal preference, but i absolutely loved tamsyn muir’s pop culture references in tlt — this felt like a horribly ham-fisted version of that.
maybe i will try to put together a more coherent review later because i think what sucks (pun intended) the most is that the concept of a transmasc, vampire archivist is SO COOL and there were even a few pages that connnected those themes in really interesting ways, but the overall thread of them was totally lost in the story as a whole for me and i just felt like i was stuck listening to the two most obnoxious characters on earth talk ad nauseum and still say absolutely nothing. i couldn’t even tell the difference in character voices honestly, they all just felt like different vessels for the author because they all speak the same. i don’t think i’ve ever finished a book so quickly just because i needed it to be over.
okay TRULY the last thing i’ll say but there was absolutely no trans joy in this book that was not in some way connected to dysphoria, and i think we deserve better than that, especially when the book is written by a trans author.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Car accident
the d*ke slur is used repeatedly in this book, it does not appear to be used as a slur in the context but given the overall deeply lesbophobic themes in the book it does read that way in my opinionelxla's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
As a queer archivist, I had really high hopes for this book! It was written well, and I enjoyed the various epistle episodes and in world interludes. unfortunately, I struggled with the vampirism metaphor and like many of the reviewers, felt that the exploration of gender and sexuality was difficult to navigate (and leaned into stereotypes and vague lesphobia and transphobia). I wish the pacing had been a little more consistent- much of the book felt rushed, but all in separate ways. Fellman presents a very melancholic view of the archives.
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Blood
thecolouryes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Transphobia, Blood, Outing, and Dysphoria
Minor: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
aiyam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Outing, and Dysphoria
hobbithopeful's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
In hindsight I should have DNF this book, and I regret not doing that. Truly the only redeeming factor is the excellent cover. (Which this book does not deserve!)
I have three main problems with this book.
- Dry Writing Style
- Harmful Rhetoric
- Plot? What Plot?
I read the first chapter and thought "Hmmm, some books have a rough beginning, I'm sure it will pick up." I was broken out of reading so many times while trying to slog my way through this drivel. I had to push myself to keep reading, hoping at some point the writing style would improve, the characters would suck me in, or there would be some kind of engaging writing. (I was wrong.) The closest example I could give you to what the reading style is like, is this. Imagine you are in school and you get assigned reading of your History textbook, and that textbook was written a million years ago and is incredibly outdated, dull, and overall seems to be a lesson in how long the author can drone on about a hallway. (Yes it was that bad.)
Next issue I have.
The author seems to have a personal hang up regarding Lesbians, specifically "Butch Lesbians." I don't even know to how to begin approaching this issue other then stating that Isaac Fellman (the author), has some clear personal hang-ups regarding people of that sexuality and presentation. The misogyny shines through in the writing, and in simpler terms: it gave me the ick. I could go more in depth on this and how it was represented in the book, but really it's not worth my time.
Finally
The plot? Where is it? After successfully slugging my way through this book, I couldn't even tell you what it is about. Other then of course, vampires. I'd say romance, but the utter lack of chemistry didn't even feel close to that word for me. Narratively speaking Fellman often transitioned to a show that Sol really enjoyed, and truly it was not a needed addition.
Overall, save your time, read a different book. (For searchers of Transgender/Monster symbolism I recommend Hell Followed With Us, an excellent read)
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Blood
solspringsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Even so, the actual plot of this book is pretty interesting. It somehow manages to be exactly as advertised (vampire archivist!) and not at all what is advertised and then also more than what is advertised. The relationship between the main characters burns incredibly fast and is very intense, and like many other readers, I’m not sure I really… liked the main relationship. Not that I’m even sure that I’m supposed to? It’s complicated.
This is a book about very messy, flawed people trying to work through their chaos together. It’s not trying to be healthy or idealized, and that’s pretty great! We deserve to have messy queer characters figuring out who they are. I really appreciated what this book was doing thematically, even if the execution wasn’t my favorite. This book can also be very emotionally taxing if you, too, are a messy, flawed person trying to work through your chaos. Please check the trigger warnings before picking this one up.
Graphic: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Dysphoria
bookishvicky's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Deadnaming and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Outing
woweewhoa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Deadnaming, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Medical content, Grief, Outing, and Dysphoria
Minor: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
bibliophage_teamage's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia
dizzymissliz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
from the perspective of a cis woman i think that this was an excellent recreation of the trans experience that really helped me to understand the fluidity and development of gender. there was also some truly beautiful prose that made me go "wow." and the ending was very beautifully written.
that being said.
the characters were barely fleshed out and felt like cardboard cutouts or characters in an educational video serving no purpose except to make Sol 3-dimensional. Else was super cute but I did not like Sol that much. Honestly I was kind of neutral about both of them but leaning negative, like, I would not like them in real life.
The main thing that made me have a sour outlook on this book was the author's treatment of lesbians, and women in general.
for one thing, the author (a MAN) continually uses the d- slur to describe characters, which is a slur he can't reclaim. also, lesbians are just treated very poorly and women are continually described in a way that kind of made me uncomfortable? Sol himself seems to love women sexually but doesn't like them very much otherwise which made me dislike him. I know that as a trans person there is some discomfort with your AGAB but DAYUM the author didn't have to be weird about it.
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Car accident and Lesbophobia