aruarian_melody's reviews
440 reviews

Sounds Fake But Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything Else by Kayla Kaszyca, Sarah Costello

informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

2.0

I'm so grateful to the publisher for supporting this wave of books on ace/aro identities and I have also enjoyed episodes of the podcast by the authors before. Still, this book wasn't at all what I was hoping for. Who is the audience for this? It is simultaneously too general and too specific, as it skips over the most important and interesting aspects (like the split attraction model) that would make it easier to understand the gist of the topic. Quite often they would say "we could write so much about this but we won't" - why? The book is super short, a little more depth wouldn't even have led to a large/challenging book. Instead, they include half a page on why not abandoning Harry Potter as a fandom is valid, despite criticism of JKR. I would have loved some actual recommendations in the media section, instead of this defence of JKR out of left field (by two cis people). Overall, this skimmed the surface of many topics and taught me more about the authors than about asexuality and aromanticism. I appreciate the effort, but the podcast is probably the better medium for their style of storytelling. 

Message Of Tomorrow by Elia Emory
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

I think someone who likes action packed fantasy stories might really enjoy it but since that is the opposite of what I tend to reach for I decided to put it down. Picked it up for some ace representation but didn't get to that part. I appreciate the rep regardless. 

None of the Above: Reflections on Life beyond the Binary by Travis Alabanza

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Such a small book that is packing quite a big punch. I took my time with this as many things made me want to pause and reflect for a bit. The author effortlessly blends memoir with societal commentary. I thought the mix was great, as any empathic reader gets a very specific personal perspective to connect to themes that might be more or less familiar to the reader themselves. I just really like their writing style and their openness and honesty. Picked this one up after their essay stood out to me in an anthology (We can do better than this) and enjoyed spending more time with their experiences and ideas. As someone who perpetually lives in grey areas of different queer identities, I appreciated the depiction of being unsure and how our choices (and perceived options to choose from in the first place) are impacted by society around us. 

It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo

challenging dark informative reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Engaging read that made me (and many other international readers) aware of the crisis in Venezuela. The writing stile is a bit of a weird mix between (often not quite successfully) hard hitting literary prose and straight forward storytelling. At times it felt like the language was crass just for shock value's sake or to make the book seem more serious. There was one scene in particular that involved the sexualisation of children that made me question if that was really necessary to include. While it reads like it was written mainly for people who do not know much about Venezuela and its crisis, it is still a fiction book that doesn't really give a lot of context. While I took away that there is a crisis and people are suffering, I also wasn't quite sure how much is reality and how much is exaggerated. Still, I think it is an engaging read that made me (and probably many other readers) dive into some articles after reading the book. 

An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

The concept sounded really cool but I just didn't connect with this and decided to move on to something else. The literature references often felt like pretentious name-dropping rather than meaningful additions to the story. The jumping around made everything feel very disconnected. 

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

Gave the author another shot after I loved the first book I read of hers (The Once and Future Witches) but didn't like her other work. The premise of this and the excellent narrator of the audiobook were too tempting to not at least try. I still haven't figured out why just one of her books worked for me but this one was another miss. I'm 1/5th in and I don't care about anything that is happening or the characters. I often felt like there was potential for intrigue and atmosphere that just didn't quite connect. 

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.

Very early on it becomes very clear that this is the debut work. I loved The Broken Earth but all the reasons for why I love it are missing in this one. Since I really dislike the writing style in this one and know from reviews that the focus isn't what I am normally interested in, I will move on and keep an eye open to new work from Jemisin. 

Common Bonds: An Aromantic Speculative Anthology by C.T. Callahan, B.R. Sanders, Claudie Arseneault, RoAnna Sylver

adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

Like most anthologies, this one was a mixed bag for me. While I appreciate the effort to collect these aro-focused stories, the quality and my enjoyment of the stories varied immensely. It also wasn't always clear to me who the aro character was supposed to be. Still, any representation is welcome and I imagine it wasn't easy to even find aro stories in the first place. 

I especially liked "Fishing over the Bones of the Dragon" by Jeff Reynolds and "Half a Heart" by Ren Oliveira. Both of which stood out for their atmosphere. 

Aimée & Jaguar: Eine Liebesgeschichte, Berlin 1943 by Erica Fischer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 57%.

Oof. Sicher ein wichtiges Zeitzeugendokument aber der hin und her springende Schreibstil und der Fokus auf ALLE möglichen Details sorgend dafür, dass der rote Faden fehlt. 

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.

Dnf mostly because I'm not on the mood for this kind of book