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astravars's reviews
124 reviews
Another Kind of Game by D.N. Bryn
please note that the author is racist, i discourage you from supporting them
i was already in possession of this prior to finding out (and enjoyed it a lot but ... well)
if you want to read their books, make sure you get them second hand
i was already in possession of this prior to finding out (and enjoyed it a lot but ... well)
if you want to read their books, make sure you get them second hand
The Spells We Cast by Jason June
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
i had an arc of this so this is unfortunate but i suppose jason june is kind of a hit or miss for me
i liked his writing style in "out of the blue", but here it just wasn't for me
i'm generally more of a poetic prose kinda guy so don't let this discourage you; i'd say the writing lacks that, but that doesn't make it bad, just... not for me
(and i didn't like the main character, there might have been a character arc, i wanted to keep reading to find out, but i didn't end up having motivation, my arc is expired, and i don't like the book enough to buy it)
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
i had an arc of this so this is unfortunate but i suppose jason june is kind of a hit or miss for me
i liked his writing style in "out of the blue", but here it just wasn't for me
i'm generally more of a poetic prose kinda guy so don't let this discourage you; i'd say the writing lacks that, but that doesn't make it bad, just... not for me
(and i didn't like the main character, there might have been a character arc, i wanted to keep reading to find out, but i didn't end up having motivation, my arc is expired, and i don't like the book enough to buy it)
Initiation: Sex Wizards, Book 1 by Alethea Faust
i don't know what to tell you but this was... quite something (in the best way possible)
olbric actually has my heart and him and dom (and honestly gal) are so <33
did i skip a certain horse chapter? yes
but this book was actually so endearing, i love how much they care about consent and how little they care about gender and how much they care for each other
definitely reading the rest of the series (and thanks for convincing me to read this, remus)
4.25
i don't know what to tell you but this was... quite something (in the best way possible)
olbric actually has my heart and him and dom (and honestly gal) are so <33
did i skip a certain horse chapter? yes
but this book was actually so endearing, i love how much they care about consent and how little they care about gender and how much they care for each other
definitely reading the rest of the series (and thanks for convincing me to read this, remus)
Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydís Moon
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
proper review to come soon!
i love freydís moon's books so much?? especially the trans. inclusive. smut.
bishop, colin, i love you but we do need to have a conversation about safe sex... you dug up A BODY... do not, i repeat, do not insert your fingers into someone after doing that... i don't care that bishop licked them off, there was probably grave dirt under your nails colin, i hope bishop is okay FOR FUCKS SAKE wash your hands
i love freydís moon's books so much?? especially the trans. inclusive. smut.
bishop, colin, i love you but we do need to have a conversation about safe sex... you dug up A BODY... do not, i repeat, do not insert your fingers into someone after doing that... i don't care that bishop licked them off, there was probably grave dirt under your nails colin, i hope bishop is okay FOR FUCKS SAKE wash your hands
Three Kings by Freydís Moon
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
my HEART
full review to come soon
full review to come soon
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Infertility
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Death
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
emotional
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i will never get tired of fantasy books with trans main characters – there are way too few of them
"the sunbearer trials" is a suspenseful book about ten semidioses competing in a trial that determines one sacrifice (the person who loses) and one person to kill them (the sunbearer) in order to keep the sun fueled and their people shielded from evil
i want to start this by saying how much i loved the world building! especially how the dioses weren't estranged from their children (like in percy jackson) and the whole concept of having three different "kinds" of dioses (naturally, the jades were my favourites)
then there was, of course, the whole part about the sacrifice. i'm gonna be honest here, it was infuriating.
at one point teo and aurelio have this conversation about how "if being the sacrifice is such an honour, it should the winner of the trial" and honestly teo has a point!!
that said, as a plot point, i thought it was amazing (just the right amount of drama and high stakes)
the plot was so suspenseful i had to stay up all night just to finish this book.
to be fair, i did guess the plot twist, especially after they were at the temple BUT i didn't think that took away from my experience at all (especially because the rational part of my brain kept convincing me i must be wrong because no that would be painful – i wasn't wrong and it was indeed painful)
however, my favourite thing were, as usual, the characters!
my personal favourites were teo and aurelio, closely followed by niya and xio.
they're all so so well developed and loveable and i just want to hug all of them so badly.
by the end of the book, i even had a soft spot for auristela and ocelo... however that happened (ocelo was definitely because of the jaguars and i think aurelio my beloved changed my mind about his sister).
who i do hate with a passion is lumbre, she SUCKS
the slow burn friends to enemies to lovers between teo and aurelio 😩
MY HEART
the candy scene 🤭 oh my gods
i also wanted to take a quick moment to mention TEO'S WINGS
and i want whatever marino and dezi have going on (i also love them both they're such sweethearts)
there were a few scenes with discussions about dysphoria and transness in general, one of them the sweetest scene between teo and xio, and i loved that so much!! especially how it wasn't a huge plot point but just a part of their identity <33
the ending... i'm really not okay i NEED book two immediately help
but also... i don't know how to say this without spoiling the ending of the book so i'll be very vague: i don't blame any of them (except maybe lumbre for shutting teo down)
if you haven't read this book... what are you doing? drop everything and read it NOW (i know i preordered this and read it almost a year later but that doesn't mean you can)
"the sunbearer trials" is a suspenseful book about ten semidioses competing in a trial that determines one sacrifice (the person who loses) and one person to kill them (the sunbearer) in order to keep the sun fueled and their people shielded from evil
i want to start this by saying how much i loved the world building! especially how the dioses weren't estranged from their children (like in percy jackson) and the whole concept of having three different "kinds" of dioses (naturally, the jades were my favourites)
then there was, of course, the whole part about the sacrifice. i'm gonna be honest here, it was infuriating.
at one point teo and aurelio have this conversation about how "if being the sacrifice is such an honour, it should the winner of the trial" and honestly teo has a point!!
that said, as a plot point, i thought it was amazing (just the right amount of drama and high stakes)
the plot was so suspenseful i had to stay up all night just to finish this book.
to be fair, i did guess the plot twist, especially after they were at the temple BUT i didn't think that took away from my experience at all (especially because the rational part of my brain kept convincing me i must be wrong because no that would be painful – i wasn't wrong and it was indeed painful)
however, my favourite thing were, as usual, the characters!
my personal favourites were teo and aurelio, closely followed by niya and xio.
they're all so so well developed and loveable and i just want to hug all of them so badly.
by the end of the book, i even had a soft spot for auristela and ocelo... however that happened (ocelo was definitely because of the jaguars and i think aurelio my beloved changed my mind about his sister).
who i do hate with a passion is lumbre, she SUCKS
the slow burn friends to enemies to lovers between teo and aurelio 😩
MY HEART
the candy scene 🤭 oh my gods
i also wanted to take a quick moment to mention TEO'S WINGS
and i want whatever marino and dezi have going on (i also love them both they're such sweethearts)
there were a few scenes with discussions about dysphoria and transness in general, one of them the sweetest scene between teo and xio, and i loved that so much!! especially how it wasn't a huge plot point but just a part of their identity <33
the ending... i'm really not okay i NEED book two immediately help
but also... i don't know how to say this without spoiling the ending of the book so i'll be very vague: i don't blame any of them (except maybe lumbre for shutting teo down)
if you haven't read this book... what are you doing? drop everything and read it NOW (i know i preordered this and read it almost a year later but that doesn't mean you can)
How To Bite Your Neighbor & Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn
5.0
is this a 5 star read objectively? i don't know
subjectively i'm screaming
i can't stop thinking about this book i'm starving for more
subjectively i'm screaming
i can't stop thinking about this book i'm starving for more
They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i have this habit of underestimating romance books.
now, for this one i already had very high expectations but holy shit did it exceed them!
i want to start this by telling you that i was sobbing during some parts of this book and i mean this in the best way possible.
I grew attached to the main characters very quickly and i would now do anything to ensure their happiness.
the first thing i loved, which is perhaps the most obvious based on the premise of the book, was the romance dynamic. i feel like with the rising popularity of hate-to-love relationships, a lot of them tend to be lazily done and unrealistic.
i thought amanda woody did such a great job with it!
both jonah and dylan had perfectly valid reasons to dislike each other that they were able to work on and past by getting to know each other better – through the forced proximity their fake dating scheme provided them with.
consent was also a prominent topic, so another thing i appreciated.
however, my favourite thing about this book was the mental health representation.
our two main characters have gone through a lot and this book reflects on how these parts of their lives have affected and shaped them.
i related deeply to dylan's fear of rejection if he showed his struggles – that it has scared people away in the past and he doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. this made jonah's effortless acceptance hit all the harder. the first time he helped dylan through a panic attack while they had not really softened towards each other quite yet made my heart melt.
it made me realise that mental illness doesn't have to be something to be ashamed of and hide, and that there are people who understand and won't judge you for it.
speaking of melting hearts, the storylines with the sibling relationships...
the one between dylan and his older brother was so touching, and jonah's sisters?? i loved them so much.
+ i really appreciated the casual trans rep in one of jonah's sisters and how she was provided with such a good support system <33
"they hate each other" is definitely a new favourite and one of the best books i've read this year!
if you haven't already, i highly recommend you hurry and get yourself a copy from the bookstore or library or wherever you get your books and read it!!
on that note, i listened to the audiobook and i highly recommend it as well, the narrators did such a great job! (and i mean that, i don't listen to bad audiobooks, no matter how good the book itself is)
now, for this one i already had very high expectations but holy shit did it exceed them!
i want to start this by telling you that i was sobbing during some parts of this book and i mean this in the best way possible.
I grew attached to the main characters very quickly and i would now do anything to ensure their happiness.
the first thing i loved, which is perhaps the most obvious based on the premise of the book, was the romance dynamic. i feel like with the rising popularity of hate-to-love relationships, a lot of them tend to be lazily done and unrealistic.
i thought amanda woody did such a great job with it!
both jonah and dylan had perfectly valid reasons to dislike each other that they were able to work on and past by getting to know each other better – through the forced proximity their fake dating scheme provided them with.
consent was also a prominent topic, so another thing i appreciated.
however, my favourite thing about this book was the mental health representation.
our two main characters have gone through a lot and this book reflects on how these parts of their lives have affected and shaped them.
i related deeply to dylan's fear of rejection if he showed his struggles – that it has scared people away in the past and he doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. this made jonah's effortless acceptance hit all the harder. the first time he helped dylan through a panic attack while they had not really softened towards each other quite yet made my heart melt.
it made me realise that mental illness doesn't have to be something to be ashamed of and hide, and that there are people who understand and won't judge you for it.
speaking of melting hearts, the storylines with the sibling relationships...
the one between dylan and his older brother was so touching, and jonah's sisters?? i loved them so much.
+ i really appreciated the casual trans rep in one of jonah's sisters and how she was provided with such a good support system <33
"they hate each other" is definitely a new favourite and one of the best books i've read this year!
if you haven't already, i highly recommend you hurry and get yourself a copy from the bookstore or library or wherever you get your books and read it!!
on that note, i listened to the audiobook and i highly recommend it as well, the narrators did such a great job! (and i mean that, i don't listen to bad audiobooks, no matter how good the book itself is)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders