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sapphisms's review
2.0
I received this book through NetGalley and Less Than Three Press in exchange for an honest review
This book is a collection of short stories written by different people, so, instead of reviewing it as a whole, I'll be reviewing them story-by-story.
Overall, the quality of this collection was incredibly poor. Issues with the stories ranged from relationships that straddled the line between obligation and actually wanting to be in the relationship to flat out rape. I only enjoyed two of the six stories (Strait of Monsters and Mandelbrot), which were the only ones with decent writing and a good plot. I also think it's ridiculous that there is only one story where there are women loving women- it makes the rest of the stories seem like they're attempting to fetishize gay men (considering the sheer amount of sexual content in the collection, and the lack of consent, this isn't exactly unlikely).
When Shadows Touch Mountains: 2/5 stars
[Shelves: arthurian legend, classism, erotica, fast track romance, historical fiction, internalized homophobia, lgbtq, ok writing bad plot, unhealthy relationships, unnecessary prose, world building, mlm]
There's something that just doesn't... sit right with me with this tale. The writing isn't that good- it's rife with grammatical and spelling errors and there's so many male characters that it doesn't even pass the Bechdel test. On top of that,. Could've been good, but the random erotica at the end of it had me rolling my eyes... Next.
Strait of Monsters: 4/5 stars
[Shelves: lgbtq, trans characters, mythology, beautiful characterization, wlw]
In all honesty, I was really ready to give up on this collection of stories... This one definitely repaired my faith- trans woman main character in a relationship with Medusa, topped with mythology interpretation??? This one hooked me back in again, and I'd go as far to say that it's maybe the best in the collection.
Famished: 1/5 stars
[Shelves: you're better off not reading this, fast track romance, bad writing bad plot, unnecessary prose, mlm]
You know this is bad when it made me almost drop the entire collection. It's just so long and nothing of substance actually happens- you just get tired of reading purple prose with nothing concrete to back it up.
Vinc: 2/5
[Shelves: tell not show, casual misogyny, addiction, bad writing bad plot, world building, mlm]
Got gay in the last 2% of the story, and the rest of it wasn't too great either. It had me worried that the whole weresalamander thing was just gonna be a metaphor for being gay, which isn't something I should have to worry about. Awful, and not even in a hilarious way.
Good Things: 2/5
[Shelves: erotica, pedophilia {not central, but mentioned/discussed}, slutshaming, explicit sexual assault {sleeping characters cannot consent}, good writing bad plot, mlm, homophobia {against the main character}, asian characters, hypersexualization of gay people]
You know what, the writing for this was actually pretty good. It was very explicit and very uncomfortable but I mean, this is a book about queer characters so I kinda expected the hypersexualization at some point. The thing that made it unbearable, though, was the sheer amount of rape in it- and it's explicitly stated to be rape, so there's no dodging the question! The whole concept of incubi could've been executed without the rape if only they asked before the sex (and that's even more in line with the mythos!). -2 for the constant rape, -1 star for the incubus talking about a little girl hitting puberty and explicitly talking about raping her.
Mandelbrot: 5/5
[Shelves: heroes, mlm, good writing good plot, casual misogyny {not shown in a positive light}, unhealthy relationships]
Okay, so this is one of two stories that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. Honestly, the 'villain falls in love with superhero's love interest because the hero is a douchebag' premise is the one way straight to my heart (or... not so straight, if I'm joking around). I loved Lew, I loved Evander, and I wanted to kick George in the throat. I probably would've been more satisfied with this story if it was a 300 page novel though.
This book is a collection of short stories written by different people, so, instead of reviewing it as a whole, I'll be reviewing them story-by-story.
Overall, the quality of this collection was incredibly poor. Issues with the stories ranged from relationships that straddled the line between obligation and actually wanting to be in the relationship to flat out rape. I only enjoyed two of the six stories (Strait of Monsters and Mandelbrot), which were the only ones with decent writing and a good plot. I also think it's ridiculous that there is only one story where there are women loving women- it makes the rest of the stories seem like they're attempting to fetishize gay men (considering the sheer amount of sexual content in the collection, and the lack of consent, this isn't exactly unlikely).
When Shadows Touch Mountains: 2/5 stars
[Shelves: arthurian legend, classism, erotica, fast track romance, historical fiction, internalized homophobia, lgbtq, ok writing bad plot, unhealthy relationships, unnecessary prose, world building, mlm]
There's something that just doesn't... sit right with me with this tale. The writing isn't that good- it's rife with grammatical and spelling errors and there's so many male characters that it doesn't even pass the Bechdel test. On top of that,
Spoiler
Kirth, Tusandro, and Mordred's relationship comes off as extremely unhealthy, as Kirth's attraction to Mordred and Tusandro felt a lot like it was forced due to their proximityStrait of Monsters: 4/5 stars
[Shelves: lgbtq, trans characters, mythology, beautiful characterization, wlw]
In all honesty, I was really ready to give up on this collection of stories... This one definitely repaired my faith- trans woman main character in a relationship with Medusa, topped with mythology interpretation??? This one hooked me back in again, and I'd go as far to say that it's maybe the best in the collection.
Famished: 1/5 stars
[Shelves: you're better off not reading this, fast track romance, bad writing bad plot, unnecessary prose, mlm]
You know this is bad when it made me almost drop the entire collection. It's just so long and nothing of substance actually happens- you just get tired of reading purple prose with nothing concrete to back it up.
Vinc: 2/5
[Shelves: tell not show, casual misogyny, addiction, bad writing bad plot, world building, mlm]
Got gay in the last 2% of the story, and the rest of it wasn't too great either. It had me worried that the whole weresalamander thing was just gonna be a metaphor for being gay, which isn't something I should have to worry about. Awful, and not even in a hilarious way.
Good Things: 2/5
[Shelves: erotica, pedophilia {not central, but mentioned/discussed}, slutshaming, explicit sexual assault {sleeping characters cannot consent}, good writing bad plot, mlm, homophobia {against the main character}, asian characters, hypersexualization of gay people]
You know what, the writing for this was actually pretty good. It was very explicit and very uncomfortable but I mean, this is a book about queer characters so I kinda expected the hypersexualization at some point. The thing that made it unbearable, though, was the sheer amount of rape in it- and it's explicitly stated to be rape, so there's no dodging the question! The whole concept of incubi could've been executed without the rape if only they asked before the sex (and that's even more in line with the mythos!). -2 for the constant rape, -1 star for the incubus talking about a little girl hitting puberty and explicitly talking about raping her.
Mandelbrot: 5/5
[Shelves: heroes, mlm, good writing good plot, casual misogyny {not shown in a positive light}, unhealthy relationships]
Okay, so this is one of two stories that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. Honestly, the 'villain falls in love with superhero's love interest because the hero is a douchebag' premise is the one way straight to my heart (or... not so straight, if I'm joking around). I loved Lew, I loved Evander, and I wanted to kick George in the throat. I probably would've been more satisfied with this story if it was a 300 page novel though.
that_little_drop_of_poison's review
2.0
I'm usually not a fan of anthologies, because it's hard to keep the quality of the stories and it's almost impossible for a reader to enjoy every one of them. There will always be better stories and worse stories, and I don't know if i'm ok with that.
I'm sure glad you asked, Lieutenant.
Let me start with telling you that when I read about this book I was delighted! Short stories on villains? Count me in.
When Shadows Touch Mountains - 4/5
I actually enjoyed this story and I'm glad it was the first one because it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
There was no real connection between the characters, but it was still nice.
I loved the twist on Camelot/Avalon story.
Strait of Monsters - 2/5
It wasn't VERY bad but it wasn't good really.
I liked the trans main character, but that's pretty much all. Again, there was no connection between the chcracters and when the story ended I was just thinking why on Earth it ended like that. There was no sense whatsoever.
Famished - 2/5
I would have given this story 3 stars if there wasn't a summary at the beggining of it. The summary was very detailed and had a description of the ENDING. Well, thank you for that.
The story itself was interesting, even if the language used in it was outdated. Come on, who speaks like that? What is it, XIX century?? I know that the author wanted to show how sophicticated was Elwyn, but HELLO!
Vinc - 1/5
I have one word for you: were-salamander.
Enough said.
Good Things Come - 1/5
The worst story in the entire book. And it says a lot if THIS was worse that pryromariac were-salamander story.
There was no plot whatoever except of very detailed sex scenes. I'm, cool with sex scenes, but come on, give me something! A plotline! Emotion! Something!
The main character was so annoying I felt like slapping him (and I don't mean it in a fun kinky way). I have no idea why would he ever come back to Jeff? Why would he risk everything for a dude he met like 5 minutes ago. Insta-love (or maybe insta-lust) at its finest.
The ending is just preposterous. Please, don't make me explain.
Mandelbrot - 4/5
I enjoyed this story VERY much. I loved the superhero/villain twist.
Extra point for properly self-recongizing (is that even a word? or did I just make it up?) Stockholm syndrome.
I loved the connection the characters had, I enjoyed their interactions very much. They grew and developed, which is always appreciated.
The one thing that bothered me, was the name of the Villain. He has this Polish name - Lew. Ok, first of all, what is he? 70? I know no one under that age with that name. Besides it's not Polish name, really. Russian maybe. Or Ukrainian. Then, he had this huge problem with picking his villain name. I have a resolution for you. You know what "lew" means? Lion. Here you are - The Lion, The Storm Lion. Easy as that. Everything would be better than Maldelbrot (which was very witty nontheless).
Overall, I didn't particulary enjoyed that book (with the exception of 2 stories, well ok, 2.5) so I can't possibly give it more than 2 stars.
I had high expectiations, but I felt like I was hoping for getting Anne Rice and got Stephenie Meyer instead.
Oh, and just so you know - there are some nice sexytimes scenes, so if you're gay hating person, then this book is not for you and don't bother picking it up.
I received this book form the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I'm sure glad you asked, Lieutenant.
Let me start with telling you that when I read about this book I was delighted! Short stories on villains? Count me in.
When Shadows Touch Mountains - 4/5
I actually enjoyed this story and I'm glad it was the first one because it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
There was no real connection between the characters, but it was still nice.
I loved the twist on Camelot/Avalon story.
Strait of Monsters - 2/5
It wasn't VERY bad but it wasn't good really.
I liked the trans main character, but that's pretty much all. Again, there was no connection between the chcracters and when the story ended I was just thinking why on Earth it ended like that. There was no sense whatsoever.
Famished - 2/5
I would have given this story 3 stars if there wasn't a summary at the beggining of it. The summary was very detailed and had a description of the ENDING. Well, thank you for that.
The story itself was interesting, even if the language used in it was outdated. Come on, who speaks like that? What is it, XIX century?? I know that the author wanted to show how sophicticated was Elwyn, but HELLO!
Vinc - 1/5
I have one word for you: were-salamander.
Enough said.
Good Things Come - 1/5
The worst story in the entire book. And it says a lot if THIS was worse that pryromariac were-salamander story.
There was no plot whatoever except of very detailed sex scenes. I'm, cool with sex scenes, but come on, give me something! A plotline! Emotion! Something!
The main character was so annoying I felt like slapping him (and I don't mean it in a fun kinky way). I have no idea why would he ever come back to Jeff? Why would he risk everything for a dude he met like 5 minutes ago. Insta-love (or maybe insta-lust) at its finest.
The ending is just preposterous. Please, don't make me explain.
Mandelbrot - 4/5
I enjoyed this story VERY much. I loved the superhero/villain twist.
Extra point for properly self-recongizing (is that even a word? or did I just make it up?) Stockholm syndrome.
I loved the connection the characters had, I enjoyed their interactions very much. They grew and developed, which is always appreciated.
The one thing that bothered me, was the name of the Villain. He has this Polish name - Lew. Ok, first of all, what is he? 70? I know no one under that age with that name. Besides it's not Polish name, really. Russian maybe. Or Ukrainian. Then, he had this huge problem with picking his villain name. I have a resolution for you. You know what "lew" means? Lion. Here you are - The Lion, The Storm Lion. Easy as that. Everything would be better than Maldelbrot (which was very witty nontheless).
Overall, I didn't particulary enjoyed that book (with the exception of 2 stories, well ok, 2.5) so I can't possibly give it more than 2 stars.
I had high expectiations, but I felt like I was hoping for getting Anne Rice and got Stephenie Meyer instead.
Oh, and just so you know - there are some nice sexytimes scenes, so if you're gay hating person, then this book is not for you and don't bother picking it up.
I received this book form the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
thequeerbookish's review
3.0
I was really happy to see a book with a focus an villains. Finally a look at the other side of the story. Here we have six different stories/villains and I have six different opinions.
When shadows touch mountains (3 stars): It's a new take on the usual Merlin/Arthur story and in theory very interesting. Sadly the characters had no chemistry with each other and it felt kinda unfinished.
Strait of monsters (5 stars): My favourite story in this collection! At first I thought 'oh no...', but then there's Medusa and I just really felt with her. I liked the romance as well and it even features a trans* woman.
Famished (2 stars): Utterly boring. Because first thing you'll read is a summarization of everything that's going to happen. At first I thought Famished is a second part to something and you'll get a 'this is what happened before', but now. The romance was boring as well.
Vinc (2 stars): I was confused. Not enough world building explanation in my eyes. And I didn't get the romance, because suddenly they were a thing? Or weren't they?
Good things come (3 stars): I thought it was rather funny and interesting, but it would have worked so much better as a novel... because the ending is rather abrupt, but maybe it'll get its own book. One can hope. There is a big focus on sex, though. A little bit too much sex for this short story.
Mandelbrot (4 stars): This is your usual comic book villain. There definitely was some chemistry between both guys and it was a fun read. Thought provoking, too, I'd say.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
When shadows touch mountains (3 stars): It's a new take on the usual Merlin/Arthur story and in theory very interesting. Sadly the characters had no chemistry with each other and it felt kinda unfinished.
Strait of monsters (5 stars): My favourite story in this collection! At first I thought 'oh no...', but then there's Medusa and I just really felt with her. I liked the romance as well and it even features a trans* woman.
Famished (2 stars): Utterly boring. Because first thing you'll read is a summarization of everything that's going to happen. At first I thought Famished is a second part to something and you'll get a 'this is what happened before', but now. The romance was boring as well.
Vinc (2 stars): I was confused. Not enough world building explanation in my eyes. And I didn't get the romance, because suddenly they were a thing? Or weren't they?
Good things come (3 stars): I thought it was rather funny and interesting, but it would have worked so much better as a novel... because the ending is rather abrupt, but maybe it'll get its own book. One can hope. There is a big focus on sex, though. A little bit too much sex for this short story.
Mandelbrot (4 stars): This is your usual comic book villain. There definitely was some chemistry between both guys and it was a fun read. Thought provoking, too, I'd say.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
jamesflint's review
3.0
Galley provided by publisher
Rep: wlw and mlm characters, trans characters, non-white characters
Overall rating is averaged from individual ratings
When Shadows Touch Mountains by Helena Maeve ★★★★
This was a solid one to start the anthology off with. It's basically the story of King Arthur, or part of it, but with the reader seeing things from the side of Mordred. It's told from the point of view of Kirth, a man who killed his father and was handed over to a slaver, who subsequently hands him over to Mordred in an attempt to gain favour.
This is one of those ones that works very well as a short story. It felt a bit like a snippet of a longer story, and my one big issue with it was that it wasn't longer. It could easily be a whole book in itself (which I would happily read...).
There was one point where the skip between locations seemed a little abrupt, and there could have been something spent on the time in between, but that was about the only part where I felt it could have been improved.
I loved the inclusion of polyamory, too. It was a nice departure from all the monogamous relationships, and also a great way to avoid those pesky love triangles.
Strait of Monsters by Stephanie Rabig ★★★
More like 2.5.
To be honest, I was a little bored by this one. It told the story of Chryssa, a member of a crew who's ship gets wrecked by Scylla and Charybdis, and who ends up surviving after she is marooned on Medusa's island. Here, she falls in love with Medusa, and decides to stay. That's about all there is to the plot - minus the bit where Perseus shows up to try kill Medusa, and then Chryssa and Medusa fly off on Pegasus to save Andromeda.
I'm not entirely sure what it was lacking for me, though perhaps the characters were a bit flat and unrealistic. I did love that Chryssa was trans though, there is that.
Famished by Cassandra Pierce ★★
This one was just plain weird. There was this house with a basement of dead monks' ghosts who ate people and the owner of the house was perfectly willing (with the help of his creepy butler) to feed them. Until someone he's attracted to shows up at which point he's like hell no.
Again, it was kind of boring and the writing wasn't great. The clubbing scene was kind of strange, and almost didn't fit with the rest of the story. Also, Clive's "big secret" wasn't actually that shocking in the context of the story. I mean, what's one poxy little murder when your boyfriend regularly feeds people to ghosts?
There was also a stifling case of instalove, made even worse by the fact that it's a short story. And the scene where Clive confesses he's gay, he brings it up by saying "I'm not like other blokes...". Sorry to break it to you, bud, but you're not that special.
Then also, this line: "Clive went on hunching his hips and massaging Blaylock's silky throat muscles."
Vinc by Michelle Chow ★★★
Never did I think I would somewhat enjoy a story about a weresalamander, but here I am, proven wrong. It's a little light on the plot, but it was nice to see that there is no instalove whatsoever (thank you, thank you). All that happens is that they start dating, which is loads more realistic than most stories.
I thought perhaps that this story needed a little more context in it as well, because it's light on that too. Like, why are people suddenly becoming infected with this were-virus? Where did it come from?
There was also a magical mystical know-it-all vet, who told the main character to "find his anchor". Teen Wolf much?
Good Things by Sumi ★
This is by far the worst story of the whole anthology. It was about an incubus who suddenly realises that women don't do it for him, he's in fact gay. Which would be OK, but the whole incubus/succubus thing is steeped in dubious consent, and that made this story very uncomfortable.
The whole Erigus/Jeff thing is gross. For one, it's hugely dubious consent, bordering on rape almost, and Jeff does bring that up at one point, but it's never mentioned again. Erigus spends a whole scene mocking Jeff still being a virgin, and the fact that he has a girlfriend even though he's gay. And then, he offers to take Jeff to Hell to be with him forever (which he eventually does to once Jeff's girlfriend-now-wife dies because why not). Just generally, it's pretty messed up.
There's also some pretty dubious comments about Jeff's ethnicity like: "Erigus liked fucking Asian guys because they usually had barely any hair." and "I'm a total lightweight. Asian." O-k-a-y.
Mandelbrot by A. D. Truax ★★★★★
This one was by far my favourite of the whole anthology. It's about Evander, the secret boyfriend of the city's hero, who keeps getting kidnapped by the "villain" who actually just wants to get the hero's attention but it's not working. It reminds me quite a lot of Hero by Perry Moore, which is a great book, and a Disney/Pixar film I can't recall the name of, and probably this story rescues the anthology for me.
Again, it works well as a short story, but equally feels like it could be a longer story too. The characters are great, and the plot is just right for a short story - it doesn't try to fit too much in, but also doesn't skimp on it. I would say, read this anthology just for this story, because it's one of the (few) highlights.
Rep: wlw and mlm characters, trans characters, non-white characters
Overall rating is averaged from individual ratings
When Shadows Touch Mountains by Helena Maeve ★★★★
This was a solid one to start the anthology off with. It's basically the story of King Arthur, or part of it, but with the reader seeing things from the side of Mordred. It's told from the point of view of Kirth, a man who killed his father and was handed over to a slaver, who subsequently hands him over to Mordred in an attempt to gain favour.
This is one of those ones that works very well as a short story. It felt a bit like a snippet of a longer story, and my one big issue with it was that it wasn't longer. It could easily be a whole book in itself (which I would happily read...).
There was one point where the skip between locations seemed a little abrupt, and there could have been something spent on the time in between, but that was about the only part where I felt it could have been improved.
I loved the inclusion of polyamory, too. It was a nice departure from all the monogamous relationships, and also a great way to avoid those pesky love triangles.
Strait of Monsters by Stephanie Rabig ★★★
More like 2.5.
To be honest, I was a little bored by this one. It told the story of Chryssa, a member of a crew who's ship gets wrecked by Scylla and Charybdis, and who ends up surviving after she is marooned on Medusa's island. Here, she falls in love with Medusa, and decides to stay. That's about all there is to the plot - minus the bit where Perseus shows up to try kill Medusa, and then Chryssa and Medusa fly off on Pegasus to save Andromeda.
I'm not entirely sure what it was lacking for me, though perhaps the characters were a bit flat and unrealistic. I did love that Chryssa was trans though, there is that.
Famished by Cassandra Pierce ★★
This one was just plain weird. There was this house with a basement of dead monks' ghosts who ate people and the owner of the house was perfectly willing (with the help of his creepy butler) to feed them. Until someone he's attracted to shows up at which point he's like hell no.
Again, it was kind of boring and the writing wasn't great. The clubbing scene was kind of strange, and almost didn't fit with the rest of the story. Also, Clive's "big secret" wasn't actually that shocking in the context of the story. I mean, what's one poxy little murder when your boyfriend regularly feeds people to ghosts?
There was also a stifling case of instalove, made even worse by the fact that it's a short story. And the scene where Clive confesses he's gay, he brings it up by saying "I'm not like other blokes...". Sorry to break it to you, bud, but you're not that special.
Then also, this line: "Clive went on hunching his hips and massaging Blaylock's silky throat muscles."
Vinc by Michelle Chow ★★★
Never did I think I would somewhat enjoy a story about a weresalamander, but here I am, proven wrong. It's a little light on the plot, but it was nice to see that there is no instalove whatsoever (thank you, thank you). All that happens is that they start dating, which is loads more realistic than most stories.
I thought perhaps that this story needed a little more context in it as well, because it's light on that too. Like, why are people suddenly becoming infected with this were-virus? Where did it come from?
There was also a magical mystical know-it-all vet, who told the main character to "find his anchor". Teen Wolf much?
Good Things by Sumi ★
This is by far the worst story of the whole anthology. It was about an incubus who suddenly realises that women don't do it for him, he's in fact gay. Which would be OK, but the whole incubus/succubus thing is steeped in dubious consent, and that made this story very uncomfortable.
The whole Erigus/Jeff thing is gross. For one, it's hugely dubious consent, bordering on rape almost, and Jeff does bring that up at one point, but it's never mentioned again. Erigus spends a whole scene mocking Jeff still being a virgin, and the fact that he has a girlfriend even though he's gay. And then, he offers to take Jeff to Hell to be with him forever (which he eventually does to once Jeff's girlfriend-now-wife dies because why not). Just generally, it's pretty messed up.
There's also some pretty dubious comments about Jeff's ethnicity like: "Erigus liked fucking Asian guys because they usually had barely any hair." and "I'm a total lightweight. Asian." O-k-a-y.
Mandelbrot by A. D. Truax ★★★★★
This one was by far my favourite of the whole anthology. It's about Evander, the secret boyfriend of the city's hero, who keeps getting kidnapped by the "villain" who actually just wants to get the hero's attention but it's not working. It reminds me quite a lot of Hero by Perry Moore, which is a great book, and a Disney/Pixar film I can't recall the name of, and probably this story rescues the anthology for me.
Again, it works well as a short story, but equally feels like it could be a longer story too. The characters are great, and the plot is just right for a short story - it doesn't try to fit too much in, but also doesn't skimp on it. I would say, read this anthology just for this story, because it's one of the (few) highlights.
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