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etemp 's review for:
Disco Witches of Fire Island
by Blair Fell
the word that comes to mind with this book is unapologetic. the type of unapologetic that feels like a drunk girl in the bar bathroom or a child explaining the lore of all their favorite toys. except in this book the unapologetic entity happens to be gay witches who twirl to disco music thereby casting protective magic. it's wacky but it works somehow.
initially, i was worried that this book (which is set during the late 80's when HIV/AIDS had already taken so many lives) was going to skew more towards sad and hopeless than i typically look for in my fiction, but honestly i think the author does an incredible job at balancing the dark with the light. howie and lenny especially help to lighten the mood whenever they're around, and without them, i think this book would have been that sad, hopeless thing that i feared.
i thought that the mystery and unraveling of events was really captivating and well written! the pacing was good and my GOD the audiobook narrator deserves all the flowers for that performance! it was giving nathan lane in 'birdcage'! absolutely stunning!
joe's character is extremely messy and immature and lost throughout the entire novel, and given what we learn about ronnie, i kind of wish that joe hadn't been the main character. i think it would have made the reveals a little more impactful if it was ronnie's perspective from the top, but ronnie is also extremely messy and immature and lost, so who knows. i wasn't really rooting for either of them except that they would grow up a little, and to their credit, they did. a little.
while we're discussing what could have been, i also wish that we would have learned more about the original witches! why wasn't that the main story? the flashbacks and reminiscences were a bit heavy handed in explaining the context for the coven, and i think they could have easily had a very interesting story all on their own.
re: the sexual assault/harassment tw's, these are 90% referring to how every. single. person. tries to take joe's shirt off without asking and objectifies him, but there is also a non-consensual kiss early on, some groping, and an extremely-dubious-consent sexual encounter involving drugs and suicidal ideation (but no actual penetration) at the climax of the book. it's a bit difficult to tell what the author is presenting as assault versus what the author is presenting as something the characters expect to experience on fire island in the 80's versus what joe actually wants. just be aware that icky stuff happens but it's not really centered.
so yea, then the romance between joe and fergal was such a mess. even their reunion and 'consummation' was a mess and it was supposed to be them at their healthiest! idk man, i just wish we would have gotten more from ronnie and vince. or from the lesbians. even though i liked the book, i think almost any other character would have been a more exciting MC than joe. sorry.
initially, i was worried that this book (which is set during the late 80's when HIV/AIDS had already taken so many lives) was going to skew more towards sad and hopeless than i typically look for in my fiction, but honestly i think the author does an incredible job at balancing the dark with the light. howie and lenny especially help to lighten the mood whenever they're around, and without them, i think this book would have been that sad, hopeless thing that i feared.
i thought that the mystery and unraveling of events was really captivating and well written! the pacing was good and my GOD the audiobook narrator deserves all the flowers for that performance! it was giving nathan lane in 'birdcage'! absolutely stunning!
joe's character is extremely messy and immature and lost throughout the entire novel, and given what we learn about ronnie, i kind of wish that joe hadn't been the main character. i think it would have made the reveals a little more impactful if it was ronnie's perspective from the top, but ronnie is also extremely messy and immature and lost, so who knows. i wasn't really rooting for either of them except that they would grow up a little, and to their credit, they did. a little.
while we're discussing what could have been, i also wish that we would have learned more about the original witches! why wasn't that the main story? the flashbacks and reminiscences were a bit heavy handed in explaining the context for the coven, and i think they could have easily had a very interesting story all on their own.
re: the sexual assault/harassment tw's, these are 90% referring to how every. single. person. tries to take joe's shirt off without asking and objectifies him, but there is also a non-consensual kiss early on, some groping, and an extremely-dubious-consent sexual encounter involving drugs and suicidal ideation (but no actual penetration) at the climax of the book. it's a bit difficult to tell what the author is presenting as assault versus what the author is presenting as something the characters expect to experience on fire island in the 80's versus what joe actually wants. just be aware that icky stuff happens but it's not really centered.
so yea, then the romance between joe and fergal was such a mess. even their reunion and 'consummation' was a mess and it was supposed to be them at their healthiest! idk man, i just wish we would have gotten more from ronnie and vince. or from the lesbians. even though i liked the book, i think almost any other character would have been a more exciting MC than joe. sorry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Racism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment
Minor: Gaslighting, Classism