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callmrsmuise's reviews
16 reviews
The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book made me swoon I stg. Don’t let any dystopian fiction or fantasy trope you come across deter you. I died of pure gay wlw overload. The characters motivations were believable, and the chemistry between the two main characters was well written. I also want to note that I loved the side characters as well. I think they were placed very expertly within the story and served the overall narrative with entertaining purpose. Meanwhile, the plot was interesting and exciting, and I was a big fan of the worldbuilding. I absolutely can't wait to read the second book when it comes out!
Audiobook review: The audiobook is well read and well produced. At first I didn’t like the voice for the main character but I realized that it totally suits her!
Audiobook review: The audiobook is well read and well produced. At first I didn’t like the voice for the main character but I realized that it totally suits her!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Ruinsong by Julia Ember
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Lots of interesting worldbuilding involving singing as a way of making magic. I liked the strong female presence and the wlw characters.
I find that the story is incredibly sad all the way through. I was getting kind of upset about it for a bit. With zero reprieve from the abuse inflicted on the protagonists I was waiting impatiently for it to end… or for something NOT sad to happen. Additionally, I was a little confused about the character’s motivations for doing certain things. In a way, this made their feelings seem contrived.
Audiobook review: Reading was somewhat monotone with only slight differences in the voices. Again, a nitpick. Audio was well produced.
I find that the story is incredibly sad all the way through. I was getting kind of upset about it for a bit. With zero reprieve from the abuse inflicted on the protagonists I was waiting impatiently for it to end… or for something NOT sad to happen. Additionally, I was a little confused about the character’s motivations for doing certain things. In a way, this made their feelings seem contrived.
Audiobook review: Reading was somewhat monotone with only slight differences in the voices. Again, a nitpick. Audio was well produced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book wasn’t my favorite, but there were pros and cons! Pro: It gets really creepy after a while which I liked. Con: I feel like there were a few loose strings (plot holes?) that are left untied in the end. Pro: Enemies to lovers trope, always a plus. Con: It’s not immediately clear that the characters are wlw and the romance happens much later in the story. Pro: Both are BIPOC and wlw!
Overall, scared lesbians = pretty entertaining.
Audiobook review: I’m not a huge fan of the way the book is read but doesn’t make or break the book for me. I did think that the author intended for one character to be butch, with a bit more bravado. The reader gave her a much softer, feminine voice. This is a nitpick.
Overall, scared lesbians = pretty entertaining.
Audiobook review: I’m not a huge fan of the way the book is read but doesn’t make or break the book for me. I did think that the author intended for one character to be butch, with a bit more bravado. The reader gave her a much softer, feminine voice. This is a nitpick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Mental illness and Vomit
Dust by Elizabeth Bear
adventurous
challenging
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
So this book was absolutely buck wild. I have absolutely no idea why some of the reviews here mention "incestuous undertones". The undertones are overtones. It's blatant and rampant, which is something I wish I'd known before I started it. I don't personally care if worldbuilding makes it so that you can't have genetic mutations from inbreeding. Call me crazy but I think it's pretty gross to copulate with your siblings whether or not it begets genetic mutation.
I had a really hard time enjoying any of the relationships in this book. Incest aside, I didn't feel the emotional connections between the characters. The story was so plot driven that the pathos was utterly lost. I sometimes felt that the author tried to replace this lack of pathos with sexuality, which is not the same. Examples from the story below:
At the beginning of the story, the author uses nudity as another means to spark Rien's (and the reader's) interest in Perceval on a level of fascination with her body instead of her character. I find this very telling of the overall story. As another example, The God/Angel-like entities of Dust and Samael both happen to be interested in the girls as pawns to play but also because they're attracted to them... I guess??? Whether or not one character will have or has had sex with another character seems to be a background focus in this book. MOST importantly: I love diversity in a book. I love LGBTQIA characters. But when the one intersex character is also portrayed as one of the most overtly sexual characters (eg. she tries to seduce both main characters, she's in the only sex scene in the book, her sex organs are described in detail in a way that no other characters' are), I roll my eyes. It's uninteresting and damaging to intersex people who are so rarely portrayed in media.
I'm giving this book two stars for imaginative worldbuilding and involved use of prose. As soon as I realized the incest wasn't going away I put the audiobook on double speed just to get through it. I should add that I wasn't a huge fan of how the audio was produced either. It seemed to me that there were moments when the reader stopped for a second to take a breather, and the flow was interrupted, which is something I felt could have been fixed in post production.
I had a really hard time enjoying any of the relationships in this book. Incest aside, I didn't feel the emotional connections between the characters. The story was so plot driven that the pathos was utterly lost. I sometimes felt that the author tried to replace this lack of pathos with sexuality, which is not the same. Examples from the story below:
At the beginning of the story, the author uses nudity as another means to spark Rien's (and the reader's) interest in Perceval on a level of fascination with her body instead of her character. I find this very telling of the overall story. As another example, The God/Angel-like entities of Dust and Samael both happen to be interested in the girls as pawns to play but also because they're attracted to them... I guess??? Whether or not one character will have or has had sex with another character seems to be a background focus in this book. MOST importantly: I love diversity in a book. I love LGBTQIA characters. But when the one intersex character is also portrayed as one of the most overtly sexual characters (eg. she tries to seduce both main characters, she's in the only sex scene in the book, her sex organs are described in detail in a way that no other characters' are), I roll my eyes. It's uninteresting and damaging to intersex people who are so rarely portrayed in media.
I'm giving this book two stars for imaginative worldbuilding and involved use of prose. As soon as I realized the incest wasn't going away I put the audiobook on double speed just to get through it. I should add that I wasn't a huge fan of how the audio was produced either. It seemed to me that there were moments when the reader stopped for a second to take a breather, and the flow was interrupted, which is something I felt could have been fixed in post production.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Incest