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booksthatburn's reviews
1463 reviews
A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams by Dax Murray
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content
Deny Me, the Nightshade Boy by Mary VanAlstine
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual assault
A Vermilion Curse by D.C. Guevara
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Cursing, Death, and War
The Doctor's Discretion by E.E. Ottoman
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Slavery
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
In the two years since Normandy, Viola's best friend, Gracewood, has thought she was dead. In reality, Viola was figuring out how to be herself rather than the boy she was raised to be, and assumed that her best friend would move on with his life when she was no longer in it. Instead, she discovered that in his grief he had turned to drink and laudanum, terrifying his sister and staff with the depths of his despair.
When Gracewood finally learns that Viola and his best friend are the same being, a new set of complications arise, as the social pressures on the lives of a duke and a lady's companion are deeply felt, and seem inescapable. As a trans person, it's tough to read what seems like transphobia coming from the love interest, even briefly, but the way it's handled and how both characters react to that moment serves to make the story stronger overall.
I like the care paid to developing Gracewood's relationship with his sister, dealing with the trouble has in relating to a teenage girl when he is a man who was raised to give orders rather than to listen. Viola and Gracewood were both changed by the war, but Gracewood's experiences left him visibly scarred and mentally shaken in ways that affect him on a daily basis. This is handled variously throughout, as Gracewood gradually becomes confident to not accept casual ableism from others, but it takes a while.
I love how Gracewood slowly notices more and more of Viola's wardrobe, appreciate that she designs and sews/embroiders it herself. It's made clear that Viola hasn't had previous sexual experiences because she would have either had to have them as a man (which she was uncomfortable doing, even before figuring out her gender), or would need a partner who was not scared off by her body after meeting her as a woman. The eventual sex scenes with Gracewood are careful and intimate, treading the line between being specific about the logistics involved involved and giving Viola space to be feminine and sexual without triggering dysphoria. More than that, with Gracewood's support as a partner she gets to feel good about her body in a sexual context, that it is a woman's body because it is hers, and not based on whether it aligns with some standard of gender presentation.
Things I love, in no particular order: Viola's sister-in-law, and her interactions with her nephew; the audiobook narrator's excellent performance; the way the b-plot gradually becomes more important as the initial tension from the social difficulties of Viola and Gracewood's relationship fade in the face of their care for each other.
A LADY FOR A DUKE is self-contained and ends very satisfactorily, but it does appear that a sequel is planned (which I will eagerly await). Everything I could want handled is covered either in detail, or implicitly by the epilogue, which is set several years after the events of the main story. It seems that future books would be unlikely to feature Viola and Gracewood as main characters, but, based on the title of the sequel I think it will involve one of their relatives (which would be great, I'd love to have them play a role again after they were so wonderful here).
When Gracewood finally learns that Viola and his best friend are the same being, a new set of complications arise, as the social pressures on the lives of a duke and a lady's companion are deeply felt, and seem inescapable. As a trans person, it's tough to read what seems like transphobia coming from the love interest, even briefly, but the way it's handled and how both characters react to that moment serves to make the story stronger overall.
I like the care paid to developing Gracewood's relationship with his sister, dealing with the trouble has in relating to a teenage girl when he is a man who was raised to give orders rather than to listen. Viola and Gracewood were both changed by the war, but Gracewood's experiences left him visibly scarred and mentally shaken in ways that affect him on a daily basis. This is handled variously throughout, as Gracewood gradually becomes confident to not accept casual ableism from others, but it takes a while.
I love how Gracewood slowly notices more and more of Viola's wardrobe, appreciate that she designs and sews/embroiders it herself. It's made clear that Viola hasn't had previous sexual experiences because she would have either had to have them as a man (which she was uncomfortable doing, even before figuring out her gender), or would need a partner who was not scared off by her body after meeting her as a woman. The eventual sex scenes with Gracewood are careful and intimate, treading the line between being specific about the logistics involved involved and giving Viola space to be feminine and sexual without triggering dysphoria. More than that, with Gracewood's support as a partner she gets to feel good about her body in a sexual context, that it is a woman's body because it is hers, and not based on whether it aligns with some standard of gender presentation.
Things I love, in no particular order: Viola's sister-in-law, and her interactions with her nephew; the audiobook narrator's excellent performance; the way the b-plot gradually becomes more important as the initial tension from the social difficulties of Viola and Gracewood's relationship fade in the face of their care for each other.
A LADY FOR A DUKE is self-contained and ends very satisfactorily, but it does appear that a sequel is planned (which I will eagerly await). Everything I could want handled is covered either in detail, or implicitly by the epilogue, which is set several years after the events of the main story. It seems that future books would be unlikely to feature Viola and Gracewood as main characters, but, based on the title of the sequel I think it will involve one of their relatives (which would be great, I'd love to have them play a role again after they were so wonderful here).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
adventurous
funny
fast-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 AFFAIR OF THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER is a Sherlock Holmes retelling which is witty and delightful, with Watson (Captain John Wyndham) as a trans man, Sherlock (Ms. Shaharazad Haas) as a bisexual woman, and Irene Adler (Miss Eirene Viola) as a former lover being blackmailed in her engagement. The setting is fantastical, time travel is a matter of connection and logistics, other dimensions are distant but accessible, and Captain John Wyndham is too aghast to actually write how many times Shaharazad says "fuck" (though he faithfully chronicles his reticence at every turn). I adore retellings, and this was a special treat since, having begun with Sherlock Holmes in a queernorm fantasy setting, it pulled in pieces of at least two other stories I could identity, weaving them in to give me no fewer than three retellings in one.
As a narrator, Captain John Wyndham is torn between fascination with Shaharazad's hedonism and a need to maintain his own sense of propriety. He grew up in a strictly religious environment, implicitly having chosen to live away from home due to some degree of transphobia which he never quite describes. I like how his words convey so much of his personality along with Shaharazad, making his paraphrases of her language quite clear and not just pretending she has more decorum than she does. He also makes reference to the serial release of this story's chapters, discussions with his editor, and the fact that he's writing this several decades after the events. Instead of just infodumping, he flags any particularly dense descriptions as skippable for a reader who is already familiar with the setting and recent history, at once providing guidance for readers who dislike dense descriptions, and also deepening the sense of immersion by making the reader party to the world.
Things I love, in no particular order: The clever use of parts of Dracula; the resolution to Eirene Viola's problem; the way Wyndham keeps so tightly to propriety even when it's comically unsuitable to the situation; the narrative style, Shaharazad's bravado and continual attempts to plan as little as possible and still have things work out well enough.
As a narrator, Captain John Wyndham is torn between fascination with Shaharazad's hedonism and a need to maintain his own sense of propriety. He grew up in a strictly religious environment, implicitly having chosen to live away from home due to some degree of transphobia which he never quite describes. I like how his words convey so much of his personality along with Shaharazad, making his paraphrases of her language quite clear and not just pretending she has more decorum than she does. He also makes reference to the serial release of this story's chapters, discussions with his editor, and the fact that he's writing this several decades after the events. Instead of just infodumping, he flags any particularly dense descriptions as skippable for a reader who is already familiar with the setting and recent history, at once providing guidance for readers who dislike dense descriptions, and also deepening the sense of immersion by making the reader party to the world.
Things I love, in no particular order: The clever use of parts of Dracula; the resolution to Eirene Viola's problem; the way Wyndham keeps so tightly to propriety even when it's comically unsuitable to the situation; the narrative style, Shaharazad's bravado and continual attempts to plan as little as possible and still have things work out well enough.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Self harm, Sexism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and War
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Elena has been trying to live as a human, but it quickly becomes apparent (to the reader, if not to herself) that her life in Toronto among the humans and with a boyfriend has been an exercise in making her smell self small enough to fit into what she thinks a human woman ought to be. When a mutt (a werewolf outside the pack) starts trespassing and leaving dead humans in the Pack's woods, Elena is called back to help them track down the mutt and put a stop to their activities. For all its dangers, she clearly revels in the camaraderie and safety provided by the pack. Her relationship with Clayton is tumultuous, vibrant and toxic by turns, but it's obvious both how much each of them care for the other, and how hard it is for him to change.
I read this because one of my favorite authors recommended the third book in this series, and I'm a completionist who wouldn't be able to stand starting with book three, so I began here. I'm very glad I did. While some of the relationship dynamics haven't aged particularly well, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it holds up in content, structure, and tone. It's also a snapshot of the 1990's, with cell phones available but low in signal quality, and only a hint of the internet. Elena is the sole female werewolf, a detail that I thought was a bit of a gimmick until I learned that in this series there are fewer than 50 werewolves in the world at any one time. This is possible because hereditary werewolves are all male, interbreeding with humans to produce offspring who then grew up in the pack. It's a neat way of having a small, scrappy species with numbers that edge close to extinction but aren't actually in danger of succumbing to a genetic bottleneck. The other way to create new werewolves is to bite a human, which is what happened to Elena a decade before the story begins. Her survival made her the only female werewolf, as the odds of surviving the bite generally are low, and she was bitten under the best possible conditions to have support through her first few changes.
As the first book in the series, this has a self-contained narrative which arrives at a new status quo by the end. Several major plot points are resolved, but the possibilities created by the ending make me very interested in what the sequels might hold. I like narratives where two very stubborn people gradually try to fit together. While I wouldn't actually want to be in this relationship, it's very fun to read about.
I love the audiobook narrator's performance, especially the voice for Clayton, his tone is captured perfectly. I plan to keep reading the series, and am interested in where it goes next.
I read this because one of my favorite authors recommended the third book in this series, and I'm a completionist who wouldn't be able to stand starting with book three, so I began here. I'm very glad I did. While some of the relationship dynamics haven't aged particularly well, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it holds up in content, structure, and tone. It's also a snapshot of the 1990's, with cell phones available but low in signal quality, and only a hint of the internet. Elena is the sole female werewolf, a detail that I thought was a bit of a gimmick until I learned that in this series there are fewer than 50 werewolves in the world at any one time. This is possible because hereditary werewolves are all male, interbreeding with humans to produce offspring who then grew up in the pack. It's a neat way of having a small, scrappy species with numbers that edge close to extinction but aren't actually in danger of succumbing to a genetic bottleneck. The other way to create new werewolves is to bite a human, which is what happened to Elena a decade before the story begins. Her survival made her the only female werewolf, as the odds of surviving the bite generally are low, and she was bitten under the best possible conditions to have support through her first few changes.
As the first book in the series, this has a self-contained narrative which arrives at a new status quo by the end. Several major plot points are resolved, but the possibilities created by the ending make me very interested in what the sequels might hold. I like narratives where two very stubborn people gradually try to fit together. While I wouldn't actually want to be in this relationship, it's very fun to read about.
I love the audiobook narrator's performance, especially the voice for Clayton, his tone is captured perfectly. I plan to keep reading the series, and am interested in where it goes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Alex is still unsettled by the events at the house of Usher, but is looking forward to a reunion with Miss Potter and a chance to show her their home in Gallacia. Trying to not let their newly-rooted fear of mushrooms damped their joy in the mycologist's company, Alex instead downplays rumors of a breath-stealing being who can be a woman or a swarm of moths. WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT is a story of haunting and fear, of stolen breath and terrible dreams. It's an excellent sequel to WHAT MOVES THE DEAD, building on Alex's previous experiences but featuring an entirely new disturbance to their life.
This doesn't specifically wrap up something left hanging, but it continues several of the relationships first developed in WHAT MOVES THE DEAD. The main storyline is new, and the breath-stealing threat is both introduced and resolved. Alex's narration somehow contains even more stories of their fondness for and exasperation with Gallacia as a place they don't want to inhabit but can't seem to leave behind. The actual narrative can stand on its own, and Alex conveys the relevant backstory succinctly enough, but certain elements of Alex's fear will resonate much more to a reader who is familiar with the events of the previous book.
I enjoyed this and look forward to where Alex's frightful travels take them next!
This doesn't specifically wrap up something left hanging, but it continues several of the relationships first developed in WHAT MOVES THE DEAD. The main storyline is new, and the breath-stealing threat is both introduced and resolved. Alex's narration somehow contains even more stories of their fondness for and exasperation with Gallacia as a place they don't want to inhabit but can't seem to leave behind. The actual narrative can stand on its own, and Alex conveys the relevant backstory succinctly enough, but certain elements of Alex's fear will resonate much more to a reader who is familiar with the events of the previous book.
I enjoyed this and look forward to where Alex's frightful travels take them next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and War
Don't Call Us Dead: Poems by Danez Smith
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Sexism, and Transphobia