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beforeviolets's reviews
431 reviews
The Atheist's Tragedy by Cyril Tourneur
It's one thing knowing in theory that Hamlet by William Shakespeare isn't incredibly original and rather is very aligned with the early modern trends of revenge tragedy, and it's another thing to read one of those revenge tragedies and say "wow this is just like Hamlet but if it was less gay, kinder to its female characters, EXTREMELY horny, and if Claudius was an atheist used by the narrative to push anti-atheist agendas."
Henry IV, Part 2 by William Shakespeare
This story really did NOT need to be separated into two parts. This was a whole lot of excess nonsense to flesh out Henry IV's death into a whole play tbh
Tale of the Flying Forest by R.M. Romero
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
Very few people could convince me to read middle grade these days, but without question, R.M. Romero is one of them.
Marketed as a "Jewish Narnia," this sweet portal fantasy about the meaning of family absolutely gripped my heart. All throughout reading it, I was torn between whether I wished to have a young person in my life to read this to or whether I wished to be able to send this book back in time to have been read to myself as a child.
If you're looking to comfort your inner child with an utterly hopeful, Jewish story, or maybe if you have a child in your life who you like to read heartfelt, adventurous, and empowering stories to, I highly recommend TALE OF THE FLYING FOREST.
Oh, and of COURSE, I have to mention the stunning illustrations by E.K. Belsher. They took me back to a time in my childhood when I would flip through books I'd already read and trail my fingers across the illustrations, perhaps hoping to soak them up into myself, or step through the artwork and into the scene. Any good book illustration serves as a portal into the narrative, and Belsher did this beautifully.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: death of mother, grief, character death, imprisonment, war, violence (light)
Marketed as a "Jewish Narnia," this sweet portal fantasy about the meaning of family absolutely gripped my heart. All throughout reading it, I was torn between whether I wished to have a young person in my life to read this to or whether I wished to be able to send this book back in time to have been read to myself as a child.
If you're looking to comfort your inner child with an utterly hopeful, Jewish story, or maybe if you have a child in your life who you like to read heartfelt, adventurous, and empowering stories to, I highly recommend TALE OF THE FLYING FOREST.
Oh, and of COURSE, I have to mention the stunning illustrations by E.K. Belsher. They took me back to a time in my childhood when I would flip through books I'd already read and trail my fingers across the illustrations, perhaps hoping to soak them up into myself, or step through the artwork and into the scene. Any good book illustration serves as a portal into the narrative, and Belsher did this beautifully.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: death of mother, grief, character death, imprisonment, war, violence (light)
The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Alexa, play Nobody's Soldier by Hozier
I am constantly looking for something new, that breaks away from expectations and trends, and this book was just that: wholly unique. This theater kid epic, full of intrigue and curiosity, is hard to pin down. Berry spends this one-of-a-kind novel celebrating the ability of story to shape the world we live in, and the power held in carving a story of your own. It had me mystified, pulling me through this narrative not by a need to find answers to its questions but by a joy of traversing the unknowns.
Theater kids, lovers of language, storytellers of all kinds, folks who are fans of the journey rather than the destination, I implore you to check out this dystopian literary fantasy.
Thank you so much to Jedediah and TOR for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I am constantly looking for something new, that breaks away from expectations and trends, and this book was just that: wholly unique. This theater kid epic, full of intrigue and curiosity, is hard to pin down. Berry spends this one-of-a-kind novel celebrating the ability of story to shape the world we live in, and the power held in carving a story of your own. It had me mystified, pulling me through this narrative not by a need to find answers to its questions but by a joy of traversing the unknowns.
Theater kids, lovers of language, storytellers of all kinds, folks who are fans of the journey rather than the destination, I implore you to check out this dystopian literary fantasy.
Thank you so much to Jedediah and TOR for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek
Howl's Moving Castle but make it a folkloric Polish fantasy in a sentient forest AND sentient house? yes please!
If you're a fan of fairytale retellings (Beauty and the Beast in this case), lush prose, tender romances, folklore and legends, the Howl's Moving Castle Ghibli movie, and atmospheric settings, I think this book will be just as up your alley as it was mine. An absolutely gorgeous debut from A.B. Poranek.
CW: (I was listening partially on audiobook, so did not keep full track, take these with a grain of salt.) violence, blood & gore, confinement, character death, grief, death of father (past), religious bigotry, minor/ancient being relationship, fire, dead bodies, child abuse (mention), domestic abuse (past)
If you're a fan of fairytale retellings (Beauty and the Beast in this case), lush prose, tender romances, folklore and legends, the Howl's Moving Castle Ghibli movie, and atmospheric settings, I think this book will be just as up your alley as it was mine. An absolutely gorgeous debut from A.B. Poranek.
CW: (I was listening partially on audiobook, so did not keep full track, take these with a grain of salt.) violence, blood & gore, confinement, character death, grief, death of father (past), religious bigotry, minor/ancient being relationship, fire, dead bodies, child abuse (mention), domestic abuse (past)
Gallathea (Malone Society Reprints , No 161) by John Lyly
Yield Ladies, yield to love Ladies
What a joyfully queer play. Performed in 1592 in front of the Queen of England, this play follows two young virgins, who are dressed in drag and sent into the woods by their fathers, who are afraid that they're so beautiful and fair that they'll be sacrificed to Neptune.
In the woods, Cupid plays pranks on Diana and her nymphs, causing them to experience love for the two young "men," for which Diana retaliates by making Cupid her servant. We also stumble upon some men reminiscent of the Midsummer Mechanicals, off on a journey of apprenticeships under an astronomer, alchemist, and fortune teller. Meanwhile, the two young women heavily suspect that the other is also just a woman in drag (and are both VERY bad at hiding it, trying to flirt with each other as women), and pretty immediately have the hots for each other.
At the end of the play, all the characters meet, Venus shows up and demands Cupid back, and Neptune agrees not to sacrifice anymore virgins. The girls in drag are "revealed" to be girls in drag (it was always obvious) and they announce, in front of everyone, that they are in love. Everyone seems to be baffled but also kind of okay with it and Venus says she can change one of them into a boy to allow them to be married, but the girls do not care about gender, so Venus says it'll be a surprise which one! (Then one of their dads says "hey, if we can just... change genders of people, can we make my wife a man?" which is really iconic.) Then they all go offstage and we have an iconic epilogue by our titular character telling all the women of the audience to be lesbians (including the quote mentioned above).
So yeah, great play. Thanks Lyly for the lesbians.
What a joyfully queer play. Performed in 1592 in front of the Queen of England, this play follows two young virgins, who are dressed in drag and sent into the woods by their fathers, who are afraid that they're so beautiful and fair that they'll be sacrificed to Neptune.
In the woods, Cupid plays pranks on Diana and her nymphs, causing them to experience love for the two young "men," for which Diana retaliates by making Cupid her servant. We also stumble upon some men reminiscent of the Midsummer Mechanicals, off on a journey of apprenticeships under an astronomer, alchemist, and fortune teller. Meanwhile, the two young women heavily suspect that the other is also just a woman in drag (and are both VERY bad at hiding it, trying to flirt with each other as women), and pretty immediately have the hots for each other.
At the end of the play, all the characters meet, Venus shows up and demands Cupid back, and Neptune agrees not to sacrifice anymore virgins. The girls in drag are "revealed" to be girls in drag (it was always obvious) and they announce, in front of everyone, that they are in love. Everyone seems to be baffled but also kind of okay with it and Venus says she can change one of them into a boy to allow them to be married, but the girls do not care about gender, so Venus says it'll be a surprise which one! (Then one of their dads says "hey, if we can just... change genders of people, can we make my wife a man?" which is really iconic.) Then they all go offstage and we have an iconic epilogue by our titular character telling all the women of the audience to be lesbians (including the quote mentioned above).
So yeah, great play. Thanks Lyly for the lesbians.
Richard III by William Shakespeare
I've really been sleeping on this one, huh?
Shakespeare's histories have always intimidated me, leaving me to put off tackling them. And though I saw this play many years ago, I hadn't remembered much about it. But that must have been a fault of the production because I can't believe that this complex and stunning play could have escaped my mind.
Comprable to Hamlet and Macbeth, Richard III is an incredible tragic historical work about cycles of violence, hubris, revenge and even ableism. Definitely worth tackling the histories for this one.
Shakespeare's histories have always intimidated me, leaving me to put off tackling them. And though I saw this play many years ago, I hadn't remembered much about it. But that must have been a fault of the production because I can't believe that this complex and stunning play could have escaped my mind.
Comprable to Hamlet and Macbeth, Richard III is an incredible tragic historical work about cycles of violence, hubris, revenge and even ableism. Definitely worth tackling the histories for this one.
Caraway of the Sea by Madeline Burget
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy and a PR package of this book! These are my honest opinions!
Caraway of the Sea is a sweet self-published pirate story featuring a diverse cast and found family. I enjoyed the writing, and for a self-pub book, I found the work to be quite polished and readable! I loved our MC, Caraway, who is so incredibly snarky and stubborn and guarded, and her journey throughout the story was really compelling.
Though this isn't a fault of Burget's writing, as this is a pirate book, I was expecting more of a plot-heavy fast narrative with lots of swashbuckling adventure and sailing action, but the majority of the story takes place on land (and the parts that are on a boat are just mostly in contained rooms below cabin, so we don't get much of a feel for the ship itself) and is driven by slow-burn interpersonal conflict. I think that for folks who aren't super into pirate-y content but want the general vibe, or people who want to dip their toes into pirates but prefer more intimate dynamics, this book may be up your alley. But because I pick up pirate books to be immersed in the pirate ship ambience, the sailing lingo, and gritty action, I felt this one wasn't quite as much up mine.
I also want to mention that this book is marketed as fantasy but it isn’t. It’s a second world book, but without any actual fantasy elements or worldbuilding, this just seems like a tool to avoid handling any historical elements. It takes away rather than adds imo.
I'm really grateful I was sent a copy and got to have a little taste of a pirate story this summer (no summer is complete without one pirate book imo), and I'm happy to see on here that this book seems like it's found its audience!
CW: violence, blood & gore, sexual assault, drowning, dismemberment, character death, death, anxiety, emotional abuse, physical abuse, manipulation, PTSD, gun violence, injury detail, confinement, depression, narcissism, alcohol, alcoholism
Caraway of the Sea is a sweet self-published pirate story featuring a diverse cast and found family. I enjoyed the writing, and for a self-pub book, I found the work to be quite polished and readable! I loved our MC, Caraway, who is so incredibly snarky and stubborn and guarded, and her journey throughout the story was really compelling.
Though this isn't a fault of Burget's writing, as this is a pirate book, I was expecting more of a plot-heavy fast narrative with lots of swashbuckling adventure and sailing action, but the majority of the story takes place on land (and the parts that are on a boat are just mostly in contained rooms below cabin, so we don't get much of a feel for the ship itself) and is driven by slow-burn interpersonal conflict. I think that for folks who aren't super into pirate-y content but want the general vibe, or people who want to dip their toes into pirates but prefer more intimate dynamics, this book may be up your alley. But because I pick up pirate books to be immersed in the pirate ship ambience, the sailing lingo, and gritty action, I felt this one wasn't quite as much up mine.
I also want to mention that this book is marketed as fantasy but it isn’t. It’s a second world book, but without any actual fantasy elements or worldbuilding, this just seems like a tool to avoid handling any historical elements. It takes away rather than adds imo.
I'm really grateful I was sent a copy and got to have a little taste of a pirate story this summer (no summer is complete without one pirate book imo), and I'm happy to see on here that this book seems like it's found its audience!
CW: violence, blood & gore, sexual assault, drowning, dismemberment, character death, death, anxiety, emotional abuse, physical abuse, manipulation, PTSD, gun violence, injury detail, confinement, depression, narcissism, alcohol, alcoholism
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
This is the fourth book by Andrew Joseph White I've read, and the second of this year alone. And in the most complementary way, I've reached a point with his work that writing a review is hard because I've already said it all. It's hard to find new ways to say that White is revolutionizing YA and writing some of the most important social horror stories of our modern age. Once again, AJW writes a brutal, unflinching and poignant story that pulls absolutely no punches. Once again, he writes brilliant and complex characters that make me feel seen and loved amidst (and because of) their struggles. Once again, he absolutely crushes it.
White shoots to kill and has never once missed the mark. And this bullseye is a stunning love letter to the Southern working class about class warfare, systemic oppression, generational trauma, and family.
Thank you so much to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: violence, blood & gore, gun violence, injury detail, fire, immolation (past), addiction and withdrawal, child death, police brutality, animal death (not the dog on the cover, I promise), death, outing, transphobia, deadnaming, midgendering, bullying, hospitalization, emesis, medical content, car accident (past), underage drinking, internalized ableism, death of family members
White shoots to kill and has never once missed the mark. And this bullseye is a stunning love letter to the Southern working class about class warfare, systemic oppression, generational trauma, and family.
Thank you so much to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: violence, blood & gore, gun violence, injury detail, fire, immolation (past), addiction and withdrawal, child death, police brutality, animal death (not the dog on the cover, I promise), death, outing, transphobia, deadnaming, midgendering, bullying, hospitalization, emesis, medical content, car accident (past), underage drinking, internalized ableism, death of family members
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
I JUST remembered I never wrote a review of this. I was planning on fully mapping out my thoughts and I'm so sorry to say that it's been long enough that I don't think it's going to happen at this point. I will, briefly say:
This story is so bizarre and slow and atmospheric, and I really enjoyed it. I feel uncertain about its ending, but overall confident in its storytelling, and I think fans of Our Wives Under the Sea or literary horrors would really enjoy this Appalachian family gothic.
CW: death of father, cancer, suicide attempt (offpage), loss of mother (past), self harm (for magic), blood, alcohol, sexual content, pregnancy, childbirth (brief)
This story is so bizarre and slow and atmospheric, and I really enjoyed it. I feel uncertain about its ending, but overall confident in its storytelling, and I think fans of Our Wives Under the Sea or literary horrors would really enjoy this Appalachian family gothic.
CW: death of father, cancer, suicide attempt (offpage), loss of mother (past), self harm (for magic), blood, alcohol, sexual content, pregnancy, childbirth (brief)