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1463 reviews
Translation State by Ann Leckie
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TRANSLATION STATE is best read after the Imperial Radch trilogy and PROVENANCE, as some of the worldbuilding details reveal conclusions to situations encountered in those books. That being said, TRANSLATION STATE is a self-contained story which delves into the Presger in a manner beyond the scope of the previous stories. The series as a whole focuses on questions of personhood and community, different ways people can be connected, and ways that identity can be complicated by, or unrelated to, one’s physical form.
I continue to be impressed with the worldbuilding in this series. This explains thing things about the Presger Translators which are completely consistent with events in previous books, making it clear that much of the underlying situation had been thought out well in advance. I love it when an author clearly has already figured out their world at a level of detail that I usually don’t have to worry about as a reader. The internal consistency is so nice.
Enae was eir grandmaman's caretaker, but grandmaman is dead, and Enae is sent to find a Presger Translator who has been missing for 200 years. No one expects e to find them, but e wants to do a good job anyway.
Qven is meant to mate and become a Preger Translator; all of their development has been aimed at this goal. An incident leaves them altered in a way that the adults do not find acceptable, and their life is in jeopardy. If they cannot be useful, then they will never mate and they will die. One of the translators hopes to salvage the situation by making Qven merge with a newly discovered juvenile who grew up among humans.
Reet is adopted, just like his many siblings, but he’s always seemed odd to other people. His thoughts are filled with entrails and viscera, he desires to pull and tear to see the gorey insides of those around him. As part of some attempt at belonging, Reet ends up assigned to escort Enae around when they visit following the centuries old trail of the missing translator.
I like the three main characters, they comprise a great trio of perspectives. Even though their initial proximity is forced, I like the way Qven and Reet interact. They fit well with each other, and I hope to get more of them in future books.
While not a direct sequel, this provides a lot of information about the Presger Translators, details which explain several things from the previous books. The main storyline is entirely new, introducing and resolving the assorted troubles of the three main characters. There are various background details in this book, and the previous ones which will likely require several more stories to fully resolve, so I would be very surprised if this is intended to be the final book. Someone could quite easily start here and have a very satisfying reading experience: the kinds of things which are explained in detail are no better or worse of an entry point to the series, other than that they canonically happened after the previous four books. I can’t think of anything important that was explained enough detail to feel like a spoiler for someone who begins here and then later goes back for the other books.
Things I love, in no particular order: Qven's descriptions of growing up; the way the Presger Translators seem to have conflated being human with being Radchai – particularly the way that understanding shapes which humans ceremonies they practice.
I continue to be impressed with the worldbuilding in this series. This explains thing things about the Presger Translators which are completely consistent with events in previous books, making it clear that much of the underlying situation had been thought out well in advance. I love it when an author clearly has already figured out their world at a level of detail that I usually don’t have to worry about as a reader. The internal consistency is so nice.
Enae was eir grandmaman's caretaker, but grandmaman is dead, and Enae is sent to find a Presger Translator who has been missing for 200 years. No one expects e to find them, but e wants to do a good job anyway.
Qven is meant to mate and become a Preger Translator; all of their development has been aimed at this goal. An incident leaves them altered in a way that the adults do not find acceptable, and their life is in jeopardy. If they cannot be useful, then they will never mate and they will die. One of the translators hopes to salvage the situation by making Qven merge with a newly discovered juvenile who grew up among humans.
Reet is adopted, just like his many siblings, but he’s always seemed odd to other people. His thoughts are filled with entrails and viscera, he desires to pull and tear to see the gorey insides of those around him. As part of some attempt at belonging, Reet ends up assigned to escort Enae around when they visit following the centuries old trail of the missing translator.
I like the three main characters, they comprise a great trio of perspectives. Even though their initial proximity is forced, I like the way Qven and Reet interact. They fit well with each other, and I hope to get more of them in future books.
While not a direct sequel, this provides a lot of information about the Presger Translators, details which explain several things from the previous books. The main storyline is entirely new, introducing and resolving the assorted troubles of the three main characters. There are various background details in this book, and the previous ones which will likely require several more stories to fully resolve, so I would be very surprised if this is intended to be the final book. Someone could quite easily start here and have a very satisfying reading experience: the kinds of things which are explained in detail are no better or worse of an entry point to the series, other than that they canonically happened after the previous four books. I can’t think of anything important that was explained enough detail to feel like a spoiler for someone who begins here and then later goes back for the other books.
Things I love, in no particular order: Qven's descriptions of growing up; the way the Presger Translators seem to have conflated being human with being Radchai – particularly the way that understanding shapes which humans ceremonies they practice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED follows Sam, a manager of a bed-and-bath retailer whose boss, Jonathan, is a dick. His royal dickishness. Generally a frustrating person to work for, someone who is currently determined to fire a number of people proportional to how much Sam has managed to irritate him during Sam's visit to the main branch. Except, right after Jonathan fires everyone in Sam's branch, Sam trips, hits his head, and accidentally lets Jonathan think he has amnesia. Then he purposefully lets him think he has amnesia. What he definitely has is a head injury/concussion, so Sam needs to spend a few weeks at Jonathan's place so someone is looking after him. Jonathan has an enormous, empty house that he refuses to let be filled with his (loud, often annoying) family for Christmas.
They key to the success of 10 THINGS as a(n enemies to lovers) romance is that Jonathan has reasons, very understandable ones, for all the frustrating things he does. Sometimes he's probably right, sometimes he's just very wrong and hasn't had anyone willing to endure his ire long enough to show him a different (gentler) way to do things. He lives for his work, barely uses his enormous house, and only contacts his housekeeper via text message. Even when he is right, he doesn't seem willing to take the time to explain his reasons, which makes him look like a petty tyrant. Sam can't live like that, not even for a couple of weeks. As Sam tries to make a good impression so that Jonathan won't fire everyone for real at the end of this, he starts to understand Jonathan and genuinely like him as a person.
This is the start of a new series, but a few details midway through establish this as occurring in the same universe as BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, some time after the events of HUSBAND MATERIAL. It's not enough to spoil either of those books in any way, but specific enough to be an obvious reference.
This has a lot of genuine sweetness in it, with a melancholy thread which pays off towards the end. The main plot resolves in a way which doesn't specifically indicate what might happen next, I could easily see this series continuing to follow Sam and Jonathan, or following a new couple where at least one person was present in this first book.
Things I love, in no particular order: Sam's cat, everyone listing exact models of the bed/bath furnishings, Jonathan's family, the way the fake amnesia is handled.
They key to the success of 10 THINGS as a(n enemies to lovers) romance is that Jonathan has reasons, very understandable ones, for all the frustrating things he does. Sometimes he's probably right, sometimes he's just very wrong and hasn't had anyone willing to endure his ire long enough to show him a different (gentler) way to do things. He lives for his work, barely uses his enormous house, and only contacts his housekeeper via text message. Even when he is right, he doesn't seem willing to take the time to explain his reasons, which makes him look like a petty tyrant. Sam can't live like that, not even for a couple of weeks. As Sam tries to make a good impression so that Jonathan won't fire everyone for real at the end of this, he starts to understand Jonathan and genuinely like him as a person.
This is the start of a new series, but a few details midway through establish this as occurring in the same universe as BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, some time after the events of HUSBAND MATERIAL. It's not enough to spoil either of those books in any way, but specific enough to be an obvious reference.
This has a lot of genuine sweetness in it, with a melancholy thread which pays off towards the end. The main plot resolves in a way which doesn't specifically indicate what might happen next, I could easily see this series continuing to follow Sam and Jonathan, or following a new couple where at least one person was present in this first book.
Things I love, in no particular order: Sam's cat, everyone listing exact models of the bed/bath furnishings, Jonathan's family, the way the fake amnesia is handled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
MORTAL FOLLIES is a story of curses and romance, narrated by a faerie intimated to be Robin/Puck of A Midsummer Night's Dream. While it is set in 1814, Puck seems to be telling the story from some time further in the future, possibly in the 21st century. Maelys seems to be cursed, and keeps running into a woman nicknamed "the Duke of Annadale" who is rumored to have murdered her own father and brothers. She's also rumored to know magic, and seems to be Maelys's only chance at getting rid of the curse (as long as she's not really the one who cast it).
The romance was fun, and the stakes escalated appropriately. I liked the story but found Puck frustrating as a narrator. Because they are recalling these events from so far in the future, their interjections kept me from sinking completely into the 19th century setting. It seems like these may form some overarching story which moves between books, but it happened to hit upon a style I don't personally enjoy.
The romance was fun, and the stakes escalated appropriately. I liked the story but found Puck frustrating as a narrator. Because they are recalling these events from so far in the future, their interjections kept me from sinking completely into the 19th century setting. It seems like these may form some overarching story which moves between books, but it happened to hit upon a style I don't personally enjoy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Death of parent, War, and Classism
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
Disobedience by Daniel Sarah Karasik
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
DISOBEDIENCE feels like an extended worldbuilding exercise, especially in the first half of the book. The pace of events is pretty slow, and most things involve a lot of explanation or Shael thinking through how they feel about some dynamic in play. Feeling like a fable, the first half seemed too densely detailed to actually be a story, through this did change towards the end as the consequences of some things set up earlier began to play out. There are strong themes of justice, consequence, and the nature of punishment, as well as explorations of gender dynamics in who is expected to serve the needs of the society. and how NIMBY attitudes play out in a small community. The camp where Shael was born is a prison, with strict gender roles and frequent punishments. The community they escape to has its own strict gender roles, meant to counteract the early programming of those who came from the camp or the mountains, but which in practice seem to encourage thinking along gendered lines. Most of the Betweens (loosely encompassing nonbinary, genderqueer, etc.) in the community live together because even here they are othered. They're treated as a third gender in a way that was frustrating to read, but which underscores this point that there is no perfect middle way that fixes everything.
I like this overall! I'm interested in reading more by this author, especially if future work expands on the world established here.
DISOBEDIENCE feels like an extended worldbuilding exercise, especially in the first half of the book. The pace of events is pretty slow, and most things involve a lot of explanation or Shael thinking through how they feel about some dynamic in play. Feeling like a fable, the first half seemed too densely detailed to actually be a story, through this did change towards the end as the consequences of some things set up earlier began to play out. There are strong themes of justice, consequence, and the nature of punishment, as well as explorations of gender dynamics in who is expected to serve the needs of the society. and how NIMBY attitudes play out in a small community. The camp where Shael was born is a prison, with strict gender roles and frequent punishments. The community they escape to has its own strict gender roles, meant to counteract the early programming of those who came from the camp or the mountains, but which in practice seem to encourage thinking along gendered lines. Most of the Betweens (loosely encompassing nonbinary, genderqueer, etc.) in the community live together because even here they are othered. They're treated as a third gender in a way that was frustrating to read, but which underscores this point that there is no perfect middle way that fixes everything.
I like this overall! I'm interested in reading more by this author, especially if future work expands on the world established here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Transphobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
HUSBAND MATERIAL, the sequel to BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, shows Oliver and Luc two years onwards, surrounded by friends who are tying the knot. They start to feel like they should get married too, but it's hard to figure out a ceremony which will represent both of them. Oliver doesn't feel connected to what Luc thinks of as "queer culture" and Oliver perceives as encroaching Americanisms. Luc's dad is as disappointing as always, his mom is very strange but supportive, and Oliver's parents are frustrating and controlling. Things are getting tense and they don't know how they'll hold it together under all this pressure. Bridget and Tom are getting married, and Luc's shitbag ex-boyfriend has invited him to his wedding, for some reason. Those are just the first of several weddings around them, all between very different people with vastly different goals for their lives. It makes it hard for Luc and Oliver to figure out what they want for themselves, especially for an event which at times feels like it's for everyone else.
I especially like how this deals with grief, and the complex emotions of losing someone who has been a major force in one's life, especially when they've mostly been a negative influence. Someone can be terrible and important, and that's often hard to deal with. The shape of their absence can leave an enormous wound, even if their presence was slow suffering.
HUSBAND MATERIAL could kind of make sense for someone who hadn't read BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, but the emotional roller coaster of the first book means that a lot of processing and establishing of various relationship dynamics took place in BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, with the characters moving forward here after a time jump and a new status quo to be disrupted by all these weddings.
I like the ending, it fits Oliver and Luc as individuals and as a couple. They are figuring out their relationship, not anyone else's, but it takes a while for them to understand what they actually want from the socially proscribed steps and ceremonies on the relationship escalator.
I especially like how this deals with grief, and the complex emotions of losing someone who has been a major force in one's life, especially when they've mostly been a negative influence. Someone can be terrible and important, and that's often hard to deal with. The shape of their absence can leave an enormous wound, even if their presence was slow suffering.
HUSBAND MATERIAL could kind of make sense for someone who hadn't read BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, but the emotional roller coaster of the first book means that a lot of processing and establishing of various relationship dynamics took place in BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, with the characters moving forward here after a time jump and a new status quo to be disrupted by all these weddings.
I like the ending, it fits Oliver and Luc as individuals and as a couple. They are figuring out their relationship, not anyone else's, but it takes a while for them to understand what they actually want from the socially proscribed steps and ceremonies on the relationship escalator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Excrement
Their Heart A Hive by Fox N. Locke
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I wanted to like THEIR HEART A HIVE, but things started to go downhill when I realized the protagonist was not the immortal genderqueer aristocrat, but a fourteen-year-old boy (Lowen) who is summoned to pay off his debt for accidentally killing one of their bees. The narrative seemed to act like there was some big mystery that Lowen was gradually unraveling, but I found myself quite unimpressed. The synopsis spoils that the genderqueer noble is immortal, the title spoils that their heart is full of bees, and the remaining mystery as to exactly which historical person they might have been was so uninteresting that I didn't even realize it was supposed to be a mystery. The answer to why no one is allowed on the second floor, a trope endemic to gothic literature, was ultimately boring. There's a message towards the end about all the servants being like one big family, but that fell flat when Lowe eats almost all his meals alone and mostly doesn't interact with more than one person at a time.
The topic of sexual content in YA books is a tricky one, because many real teenagers do have sex, and some will argue that stories for teens should reflect that reality. This one handles it with antiquated euphemisms, tending to elide over aspects of Lowen's past that seem to include sexual abuse from an older noble boy several years ago.
This is one where I can't tell if the story didn't accomplish what it meant to do, or it did manage it and I just don't like it. Either way, this wasn't for me.
The topic of sexual content in YA books is a tricky one, because many real teenagers do have sex, and some will argue that stories for teens should reflect that reality. This one handles it with antiquated euphemisms, tending to elide over aspects of Lowen's past that seem to include sexual abuse from an older noble boy several years ago.
This is one where I can't tell if the story didn't accomplish what it meant to do, or it did manage it and I just don't like it. Either way, this wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
MOST ARDENTLY is a retelling of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, where Oliver is a trans boy whose family still thinks his name is Elizabeth. When he meets Darcy originally, Oliver is dressed as a girl and the other boy is very dismissive of him. A day or so later, he's at a local fair as himself and ends up spending the day with Darcy and Bingley. As the two sides of his life collide, soon he has to choose whether to declare himself or to let nefarious actors force the issue for him.
One of my favorite parts of this retelling is the way that it provides an explanation beyond plot convenience for Darcy to have inconsistent reactions to Oliver. Instead of Darcy being hot and cold to someone who seems to be the same person, his reactions around Oliver as a girl are impacted by getting to spend time with Oliver as a boy and maybe starting to fall for him. For those not familiar with the original story, this stands on its own and doesn't require any prior knowledge in order to make sense.
I enjoyed this as a retelling and as its own story, a great addition to the Remixed Classics series!
One of my favorite parts of this retelling is the way that it provides an explanation beyond plot convenience for Darcy to have inconsistent reactions to Oliver. Instead of Darcy being hot and cold to someone who seems to be the same person, his reactions around Oliver as a girl are impacted by getting to spend time with Oliver as a boy and maybe starting to fall for him. For those not familiar with the original story, this stands on its own and doesn't require any prior knowledge in order to make sense.
I enjoyed this as a retelling and as its own story, a great addition to the Remixed Classics series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Dysphoria, and Classism
Moderate: Deadnaming, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While WAITING FOR THE FLOOD is technically a sequel to GLITTERLAND in the Spires Universe, if there were any overlapping characters I didn't notice them, and the stories are so far unconnected as far as I can tell. I loved the first third of WAITING FOR THE FLOOD and was a bit nervous for the remainder of the book when Edwin and Adam seemed to have reached a very happy place and a good equilibrium so early on. It turns out that the rest of the edition I read is filled with another novella, "Chasing the Light", which is a sequel to "Waiting for the Flood".
"Waiting for the Flood" follows Edwin, who is living in the house he'd shared with the partner of ten years who suddenly left him. Edwin hadn't seen it coming and thought they were happy, until, apparently, it turned out Marius hadn't been. Now, a flood is anticipated (the rain is already here), and a flood engineer named Adam is directing the emergency infrastructure efforts (sandbags, organizing people, telling everyone not to go through standing water, etc.). The story is themed around various rooms in Edwin's house, as conveyed through the chapter titles. Adam is steady and kind, patient with Edwin in the ways he needs it most (and several he hadn't realized were possible). Edwin has a stutter, and it frustrates his words (especially when he's stressed). He appreciates the way Adam (unlike his previous partner) gives him the space to talk, not rushing to fill the space with guesses at his words or cutting off his speech. I love their dynamic, and was frequently touched by the story.
"Chasing the Light" is a sequel novella from the perspective of Marius, the man who suddenly left Edwin after ten years together. It opens with Marius upset to see that his mother invited his ex and the ex's new boyfriend to Christmas. Frustrated and not able to express his feelings calmly, Marius takes a walk in the snow and slips next to the river, injuring himself. Leo finds him and lets him stay in his boat until he's ready to return to land, tending his injured ankle in the meantime. Their attraction is immediate, and they become intimate without waiting for Marius's ankle to heal. Marius has been the bad guy, the abrasive one, the one who can't just be happy for so long that the idea someone could like him as he is without trying to soften him is a strange one. Ultimately, he has to decide whether his time with Leo is just temporary, or if it could be the beginning of something new.
I love the way that "Chasing the Light" complements "Waiting for the Flood". In Flood, Marius is pretty unambiguously the bad guy, for all that Edwin has had trouble moving on from what they had. Edwin needs to heal and figure out how to be himself and not just someone that Marius left behind. By giving Marius's perspective in Light, it complicates the picture in a way that makes both stories better, creating a more detailed image of what happened, why, and what it means for both of them moving forward. It acknowledges that once you've been with someone for a decade, moving on isn't simple, and it doesn't require pretending that those years never happened.
The stories are wonderful and moving, and I'm so glad I got to read them together. I'm very much enjoying the Spires Universe, and I'll definitely read more as I can find them.
"Waiting for the Flood" follows Edwin, who is living in the house he'd shared with the partner of ten years who suddenly left him. Edwin hadn't seen it coming and thought they were happy, until, apparently, it turned out Marius hadn't been. Now, a flood is anticipated (the rain is already here), and a flood engineer named Adam is directing the emergency infrastructure efforts (sandbags, organizing people, telling everyone not to go through standing water, etc.). The story is themed around various rooms in Edwin's house, as conveyed through the chapter titles. Adam is steady and kind, patient with Edwin in the ways he needs it most (and several he hadn't realized were possible). Edwin has a stutter, and it frustrates his words (especially when he's stressed). He appreciates the way Adam (unlike his previous partner) gives him the space to talk, not rushing to fill the space with guesses at his words or cutting off his speech. I love their dynamic, and was frequently touched by the story.
"Chasing the Light" is a sequel novella from the perspective of Marius, the man who suddenly left Edwin after ten years together. It opens with Marius upset to see that his mother invited his ex and the ex's new boyfriend to Christmas. Frustrated and not able to express his feelings calmly, Marius takes a walk in the snow and slips next to the river, injuring himself. Leo finds him and lets him stay in his boat until he's ready to return to land, tending his injured ankle in the meantime. Their attraction is immediate, and they become intimate without waiting for Marius's ankle to heal. Marius has been the bad guy, the abrasive one, the one who can't just be happy for so long that the idea someone could like him as he is without trying to soften him is a strange one. Ultimately, he has to decide whether his time with Leo is just temporary, or if it could be the beginning of something new.
I love the way that "Chasing the Light" complements "Waiting for the Flood". In Flood, Marius is pretty unambiguously the bad guy, for all that Edwin has had trouble moving on from what they had. Edwin needs to heal and figure out how to be himself and not just someone that Marius left behind. By giving Marius's perspective in Light, it complicates the picture in a way that makes both stories better, creating a more detailed image of what happened, why, and what it means for both of them moving forward. It acknowledges that once you've been with someone for a decade, moving on isn't simple, and it doesn't require pretending that those years never happened.
The stories are wonderful and moving, and I'm so glad I got to read them together. I'm very much enjoying the Spires Universe, and I'll definitely read more as I can find them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
BOYFRIEND MATERIAL is a fake-dating-turned-real-feelings story between two gay men who both need the appearance of a relationship long enough to get through some big upcoming events. A mutual friend pairs them up for their fake relationship, and somehow this fake boyfriend thing is one of the most stable relationships Luc has ever had.
This is the first book in a series, which slightly hints at the direction of the ending. The ending fits their relationship very well, and I like their overall dynamic. The ongoing status of their relationship is established for future books, and several major plot points are resolved. There are secondary plots related to each of their relationships with their parents. Luc's father walked out of his life twenty-five years ago, and has walked back into it with no warning and a declaration that he has cancer and would like to get to know Luc better. Luc's mother, who was also abandoned by Luc's father (her husband and musical collaborator), is supportive of any decision Luc might make, all the way from reconciliation to telling his father to go fuck himself. I adore Luc's mother, she's written very well and I love the audiobook performance for her. Oliver's parents only appear briefly, during the event for which he needed Luc as a fake boyfriend, but they cast a long shadow which has implications for later books.
The dung beetle charity and Luc's co-workers there are an endless source of exasperation and delight for me. Between his co-workers, his friends, and Oliver's friends, there are so many vibrant and specific people that it wasn't difficult for me to keep track of anyone. Normally I have trouble keeping track of characters (let alone their names) when the cast gets past five or so, but I had no issues here.
Things I love, in no particular order: Luc telling jokes to Alex, everything dung-beetle-related, Oliver being pedantic about law, Luc's friends, Bridget's publishing fiascos.
This is the first book in a series, which slightly hints at the direction of the ending. The ending fits their relationship very well, and I like their overall dynamic. The ongoing status of their relationship is established for future books, and several major plot points are resolved. There are secondary plots related to each of their relationships with their parents. Luc's father walked out of his life twenty-five years ago, and has walked back into it with no warning and a declaration that he has cancer and would like to get to know Luc better. Luc's mother, who was also abandoned by Luc's father (her husband and musical collaborator), is supportive of any decision Luc might make, all the way from reconciliation to telling his father to go fuck himself. I adore Luc's mother, she's written very well and I love the audiobook performance for her. Oliver's parents only appear briefly, during the event for which he needed Luc as a fake boyfriend, but they cast a long shadow which has implications for later books.
The dung beetle charity and Luc's co-workers there are an endless source of exasperation and delight for me. Between his co-workers, his friends, and Oliver's friends, there are so many vibrant and specific people that it wasn't difficult for me to keep track of anyone. Normally I have trouble keeping track of characters (let alone their names) when the cast gets past five or so, but I had no issues here.
Things I love, in no particular order: Luc telling jokes to Alex, everything dung-beetle-related, Oliver being pedantic about law, Luc's friends, Bridget's publishing fiascos.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Glitterland by Alexis Hall
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ash Winters is frequently a mess and thinks he's unlovable. With BPD driving a mix of depression and anxiety, he's given up on actually feeling emotions and being interested in anyone longer than a one-night stand. Some guy from Essex was supposed to be such a one-night stand, it wasn't supposed to matter that he has a name (Darian), or that he is annoyingly upbeat, or that he's from Essex, because it was supposed to be over. But it's not. Ash runs into Darian again and wants that spark of some emotion again, because he's pretty sure it was a good emotion.
Ash and Darian genuinely work well together, I love how their relationship develops. Ash is just as much of an asshole by the end of the book as the start, but he's more sure of himself and more willing to take risks for Darian than it seems like he was for his other friends. Due to his high anxiety, "taking risks" includes, in this case, going to the store, spending the night in the same bed, and being emotionally vulnerable. Neither of them are people it's necessarily easy to be around (Ash moreso than Darian), and that shows up in many different ways.
The ending caught me off guard, especially the incident which precedes it. I was pleasantly surprised by how things end up, but the story lingers in an uncomfortable situation for far longer than I can normally handle reading. Part of what helped is the way the narrative had handled anxiety and tension up until that point, I had built up enough trust in the author that I was able to wait for how things shook out.
Ash and Darian genuinely work well together, I love how their relationship develops. Ash is just as much of an asshole by the end of the book as the start, but he's more sure of himself and more willing to take risks for Darian than it seems like he was for his other friends. Due to his high anxiety, "taking risks" includes, in this case, going to the store, spending the night in the same bed, and being emotionally vulnerable. Neither of them are people it's necessarily easy to be around (Ash moreso than Darian), and that shows up in many different ways.
The ending caught me off guard, especially the incident which precedes it. I was pleasantly surprised by how things end up, but the story lingers in an uncomfortable situation for far longer than I can normally handle reading. Part of what helped is the way the narrative had handled anxiety and tension up until that point, I had built up enough trust in the author that I was able to wait for how things shook out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent