allymute's reviews
299 reviews

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

5.0

 Lamya H's memoir is a intimate and painful read that weaves together stories from the Quran with stories on their gender identity, sexuality, and immigration to the United States. This memoir is a fantastic read on its own, but is a lovely homage to Leslie Feinberg's pivotal novel Stone Butch Blues. Both of these texts are must reads. 

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Margot Douaihy's debut novel follows Sister Holiday, a nun in a New Orleans convent who fled her wild life in New York City. Sister Holiday finds that her past follows her, as well as her self-destructive habits. This is a slow building mystery that takes its time with character development, and has an earnest perspective on faith's ability to center us. Douiahy's earnestness is balanced with the cynicism and realism of this novel. It is a great start to this series.

Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

 I’m grateful to Alcove Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

The Manor House Governess is a contemporary gothic novel that is an ode to Jane Eyre and other English classics. Bron is a gender fluid main character who is hired as a tutor for a young child at a Cambridge estate. When a mysterious fire breaks out, Bron is caught in a story like the gothic novels they know and love.

Parts of this novel were strong, and other parts were puzzling. When the novel discusses LGBTQ+ analysis on literary canons, it is excellent and insightful, and Bron’s unrealistic expectations on Romantic and gothic stories merging with real life. Other than that, this story doesn’t work for me. I thought the romance was forced and at times uneasy, while the plot of this novel was anticlimactic. I would read something by C.A. Castle again, but the Manor House Governess was not quite what I expected. 

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

 I’m glad I took my time with this novel. It’s a fierce and masterful work that the reader really needs to chew on. I didn’t understand some of the more subtle effects of the dictatorship and unrest on the storyline as much as a South American reader probably would, but I do not fault the author for that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Child abuse, and Death

Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns

adventurous challenging funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This novel is fast paced and has a lot of bite in its narrative. When Damani's anger comes more into the forefront of her narrative, this novel soars. Guns asks the reader to consider who is allowed to be angry at injustice and how we allow certain people to cope. Fabulous debut. 

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This is a really fun start of a series. My only reason for three stars is because I felt like it’s climax was rushed, and could’ve used more development.

Mrs. S by K. Patrick

challenging mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to review this book! Thank you to Europa Editions and Netgalley. The premise of the book entices me, it's similar to what I've read before. Unfortunately, I got around halfway through the book and was not able to finish it. Its writing is curt and difficult to get through. The reader is not given much character development, which could've made the book a bit more captivating. Maybe this book is for someone else, but not for me.

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz

challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

After Sappho is an invigorating but challenging read. This novel chronicles the lives of numerous Sapphic women living in 1880s - 1920s Western Europe. While this book became tedious near its middle, it started to pick up around the turn of the century. Some people have criticized this novel for being too white focused, which is a valid critique. Given its time and place, I didn’t expect anything else. There is certainly a larger conversation to be had about the academic and financial privilege of studying Greek literature, and maintaining the lives these women led. I would certainly read something else by this author. 

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

Ace is an accessible read that discusses general concepts of asexuality, along with its intersections into race, gender, disability, and other social categories. I’d definitely recommend this book for folks who are wanting to learn more, regardless of their previous knowledge.