astravars's reviews
124 reviews

Golden Boys by Phil Stamper

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Vows of Empire by Emily Skrutskie

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

that ending is so perfect for them <33

this plan of theirs? the way emily didn't let us know the entirety of it and let us forget things might be part of the plan at some points? it was agonising and i loved it so much

i highly recommended this trilogy!!

Oaths of Legacy by Emily Skrutskie

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

i would do anything for these characters <33
they're complex and flawed and they own my heart

and the politics plot?? the space war scheming?? that was so fun (though painful at times)

i can't wait to start book three!

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• 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

star-crossed lovers, hidden identities, best friends to lovers to enemies, gay pining, space politics, a rainbow umbrella as a weapon - this book has it all

I went into this book expecting a fun little gay space book, I did not expect it to be THIS EMOTIONAL

"Bonds of Brass" follows Ettian, a boy who's lost everything when the Umber Empire conquered, destroyed and remade his home-world, the Archon Empire. Now, seven years later, he's one of the top pilots in an umber military academy and has found himself a best friend (or maybe more than that?) called Gal. But then, because of an assassination attempt on Gal Ettian can barely save him from, his best friend's true identity gets revealed: He's the Umber Heir, prince of the very empire having shattered Ettian's whole world.

The whole book Ettian's top priority is ALWAYS to keep Gal safe, to get him to his parents and on the throne, in the hopes of him changing the empire for the better. Even when circumstances make him question his loyalty, torn between the the pain he feels for losing everything, the rage he feels for his empire's conquerors and his love for Gal. Their love is so sweet and they confess fairly early so the conflict revolves more around the star-crossed lovers dynamic, them not feeling like they CAN be together despite the mutual pining.

As for the space politics... I really loved the portrayal of Ettian's struggles. On one hand, of course he wants to avenge the Archon Empire, but on the other hand he doesn't want the civilians to have to go through another war and he's also aware of what this would mean for the boy he loves.

There are a bunch of well done plot twists that only make their situation more difficult, testing their relationship. I won't tell you any specifics because spoilers but this one plot twist at the very end of the book basically makes everything impossible between Ettian and Gal and it's PAINFUL.

Then there's this girl they meet on their journey: Wen. She's very chaotic and slightly unhinged and i love her so much. Her (very sibling-like) relationship with Ettian was so precious, them understanding each other on a different level through shared trauma. <33

In conclusion, excuse me while I inhale the other two books in the hopes of my beloveds getting a happy ending after all after everything that went down at the end of this book, and please please everyone read bonds of brass I need someone to talk to and scream about this!

The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

5.0

this book was a rollercoaster from start to finish

there were so many plot twists and every time i thought the villain couldn't get any worse he proved me wrong
   that said the plot itself was so well written and believable as well?? like everything was perfectly logical and there were always parts i wasn't able to predict

and the CHARACTERS especially noam and dara! i cared so much, felt so scared for them, connected to them so so well; i just wanted them to be happy, especially after what they'd already been through in book one and maybe... maybe they do get that in the end

something else i really appreciated was how much was talked about trauma and mental health, including but not limited some heavy topics like domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, grooming and addiction (i would highly suggest checking the trigger warnings before reading)
  while i don't have any personal experience with any of those, there were still tiny fractions of their struggles i could relate to and, as i've mentioned before, it didn't matter much because i felt for them anyways 

i might have a few tiny complaints, not enough to reduce this from its 5 star rating
   

first of all i don't care how much sense it makes for the plot (and it did in this case) but i can't stand the trope of characters losing their magic... but that is just personal preference and i did think it was well handled here

   secondly i wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, mostly because it happened so fast?? i was actually surprised when it was just... over;
it's partially personal preference here again because i don't like open endings and while this one wasn't entirely open it wasn't fully resolved either

BUT the epilogue definitely saved it <33

in conclusion: if you're in for a lot of pain and gay pining you should read these books, you might regret it at some points in the story but i promise it's worth it in the end

+ honourable mention: jewish main characters <33

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Rape

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

i really want to finish this but it's sending me into a reading slump because it's been blocking my physical currently reading

i think i simply don't have the energy for this at the moment and i've read enough of it to hold my presentation about it (and dark romantic literature, mary shelley) regardless so i'm taking a break for now

i'll be coming back to it later this year! so far i'm really enjoying it :)

predicting a 4 ish star rating 

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.

*paused

i really want to finish this soon skdjsks possibly in spring, outside?

books about trans rage >>>

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

*paused

i'm sensing a five star read or at least 4.5 👀

i love the focus on friendship!
the only reason i stopped is because i was in a reading slump and i read it outside in spring and i want to keep those vibes so now i'll have to wait for next spring (which is soon so)

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

*paused

i like the representation! the romance went a little fast from hate to love but let's see how this continues, i'll definitely be finishing it at some point!

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.

*paused

i'm enjoying this so far!
i like the short chapters and the ✨vibe✨

no idea why i haven't finished it yet it's so short