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A review by _mia_mia_
A Lady Who Looks Good When She's Crying by Dan Ackerman
This is an absolutely wonderful paranormal detective story with some of the best lgbtq+ representation I have ever read. It’s the story of an angel who was sent to earth many years ago to find and kill the antichrist. Well, fast forward some decades and said angel is nor running a paranormal detective agency with a demon (who may or may not be the actual antichrist) in New York City. The book follows them on their adventures that include exiled mages in the sewers beneath the city and a deal or two with the Devil. All the while, they finally dare to start figuring out just how much they really mean to each other.
I adored both Sunshine and Felix so much. They are such complex, wonderful characters that just felt so real and nuanced. By the end of the book I just wanted to wrap Felix up in a blanket and feed him cookies and tell him that things would be okay. There were also a lot of amazingly developed supporting characters. The world building was immaculate, the pacing was great and the story was so full of humor, but also so deeply emotional. I felt almost hungover after reading the book, because it was such a rollercoaster-ride.
Beside the wonderful lgbtq+ representation, the book also touches on mental health issues, important political debates, workplace harassment and discrimination, on what it means to be human, on family and on identity. It is honestly baffling how the author managed to touch on all of these matters in such a profound and deeply meaningful way without the book ever reading like it was preaching/trying to make a political point. It just all flowed so naturally and was such an integral part of the story and the characters, just masterfully done.
The world built here is quite complex and yet there was never any info-dumping or too much exposition. We are introduced to the world in such an organic way that it just slowly unfolds in front of your eyes. So well done!
I honestly cannot tell you how much I loved this. If you like speculative fiction at all, I say give this a go. And of you, like me, think that we desperately need more good lgbtq+ representation in speculative fiction, then I would recommend it even more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I adored both Sunshine and Felix so much. They are such complex, wonderful characters that just felt so real and nuanced. By the end of the book I just wanted to wrap Felix up in a blanket and feed him cookies and tell him that things would be okay. There were also a lot of amazingly developed supporting characters. The world building was immaculate, the pacing was great and the story was so full of humor, but also so deeply emotional. I felt almost hungover after reading the book, because it was such a rollercoaster-ride.
Beside the wonderful lgbtq+ representation, the book also touches on mental health issues, important political debates, workplace harassment and discrimination, on what it means to be human, on family and on identity. It is honestly baffling how the author managed to touch on all of these matters in such a profound and deeply meaningful way without the book ever reading like it was preaching/trying to make a political point. It just all flowed so naturally and was such an integral part of the story and the characters, just masterfully done.
The world built here is quite complex and yet there was never any info-dumping or too much exposition. We are introduced to the world in such an organic way that it just slowly unfolds in front of your eyes. So well done!
I honestly cannot tell you how much I loved this. If you like speculative fiction at all, I say give this a go. And of you, like me, think that we desperately need more good lgbtq+ representation in speculative fiction, then I would recommend it even more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.