clockworkstars's reviews
558 reviews

Room to Dream by Kelly Yang

3.75

Three Keys by Kelly Yang

4.0

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

4.5

Such a good middle grade book

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

dark emotional tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

“The only way you'll get me to leave this state is in a body bag. For all its problems, it's mine. For all the overdose deaths, environmental disasters, and reactionary politics, West Virginia is mine.” 

5☆|5 

 

I believe that this is one of the best books I have read in a very long time, and it's starting to be an issue as it's the third time in ten days that I've said those very specific words. What is the common point with all of these times? I was always talking about Andrew Joseph White's book. Some authors become better with each work, and so far, it seems to be the case for White. I read his novels in chronological order, and I loved each one a bit more than the previous one. Every time. 

 

Unlike his other books, I do not believe that Compound Fracture qualifies as horror, and I wouldn't call it fantasy either. We are in for following Miles Abernathy, a 16-year-old trans autistic boy in 2017, living in West Virginia and loving his land behind being a socialist in this mostly conservative place. His county has been ruled by the same family for hundreds of years. And let's just say that they are not the most sympathetic people to exist. One of them was responsible for killing his great-great-grandfather, all back in 1917, executing him after that he was responsible for a miners’ rebellion. And now, Miles has proof that the current sheriff is responsible for the accident that injured his dad, killed his friend's mom, and injured others. To add to that, the night he came out to his parents, the son of the said sheriff found the evidence and followed him into the woods to nearly beat him to death with his friends. When he wakes up at the hospital, there is the ghost of a miner looking at him, and the sheriff threatening him to silence… 

 

This book is for queer people. Queer angry people, leftists who are angry at the world but still love their country. Still wish they could change it. This book has a lot of anger in it. It's about a family that has been living in fear for the last hundred years, and another family that made them and the entire city live in that fear. This book was about being hurt for entire generations and making it stop, finally. 

 

It is brutal. It might not be horror, but it's still heavy — I put you the author's TW at the end of the review — and has an aspect of paranormal that is deeply enjoyable. Our main character, Miles, is an incredible person. He is amazingly written and deeply human. I said it already, but reading White's transgender and autistic character always makes me feel something. And Miles was not the exception. He is wonderful, and how the author wrote his self-discoveries made me want to cry — in a good way. Also, he has an amazing dog, Lacy, and she's such a good girl, I love her. But as I said before, he lives in a conservative place. And while his parents are parents in gold, I can't really say that his coming out went amazingly well. So among the TW, I need to insist on the transphobia in this story. It is really heavy. Please read carefully. 

 

But back to the characters, I love how the author wrote them. Next to Miles, we had his parents, who I really liked. They are not perfect, but they are trying. And it's so important to me. I especially loved his dad, but his mom was nice too. We also got Cooper, his ex-friend, with whom he is going to reconnect in the book. I won't say a lot about their relationship in order to avoid spoilers, but I liked it. I liked how White is able to write complex characters, to the point where at the end of the book I still don't have a definitive opinion on some of them. Truly, I love morally grey characters so much. Also, we got Dallas, who is my new favourite character because they are extraordinary. They are openly queer and anarchist and honestly slay. I love them. About the antagonists, I believe that they are my favourite out of AJW's books. It might come from the fact that I stand on the left politically speaking and that I care enough about politics than to have strong opinions, but I really liked despise Sheriff Davies. He was well-written, even though that the fact he seemed to be the only wealthy person out of this town was a bit weird. 

 

This book is brilliant. It is amazing, it is once again unique. I truly loved its plot and how the author dealt with his story. I read it in a day, and couldn't put it down unless I was forced to. This book is for me, as the two previous books of the author were, a favourite. After about 20% of the book, I knew that this author was now a favourite of mine, and I am happy with this information. I have one last thing to say, but it's semi-spoilers. It's about the identity of a character and self-discovery. If you don't consider that as a spoiler, then you are free to read it. But, if you rather go into the book while knowing as little as possible/rather living the self discovery while reading the book — as I did, 10/10 experience, then skip the next paragraph, and we'll see each other after that for the conclusion and the trigger warnings. 

 

Miles has two major self-discoveries in this story, but I would to go back on the fact that, during the story, he is going to discover that he is on the aromantic spectrum. And this, this part of the book, is for me so well-written and important. It helped make this book a 5-star book in my eyes. Firstly, aromantic representation is so essential in literature nowadays, especially in YA and NA books. And it is even more significant that Miles is aro, not aroace. As with most of the thematics talked about by AJW, this felt so natural. This felt so well-written. 10 out of 10 representation and writing for this point. 

 

In conclusion, I do not believe that this book is perfect. No, it has defaults, every book does. But this book remains brilliant. It remains one of the best books that I read in the last few years. It remains an incredible read. It is for me Andrew Joseph White's best book so far, but this may be totally subjective (it is). Compound Fracture will be out on September 3, and I deeply recommend going to grab a copy then — I most definitely will. Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for sending me an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review :) 

 

TW: 

*Graphic violence, with a focus on politically motivated, cyclical feud violence involving law enforcement and/or children 

*Queerphobia and transphobia: deadnaming, misgendering, family conflict regarding trans identity (resolved), internalized queerphobia from a character on the aromantic spectrum (resolved) 

*Opioid dependency and its effects on family; main character uses opioids after surgery and undergoes withdrawal after quitting without medical supervision 

*Physical force and emotional manipulation by intimate partner 

*Animal harm (butchering deer, off-page revenge killing of a dog) 

*Discussions of ableism, including internalized ableism; brief mention of disfiguremisia 

*Emetophobia (vomiting) warning 

Castle Swimmer, Volume 1 by Wendy Martin

3.75

Castle swimmer volume 1 - Wendy Martin 

 

“You are a beacon, a light that shines for others. There are many prophecies in this world. You will have a key role to play in each one. The world is waiting for you. Go to the prophecies and fulfil your destiny!” 

3.75☆|5 

 

This was a really quick read, the pages were flipping between my fingers — figuratively, I read this on a screen —and I couldn't let it down. In fact, I read it in one sitting. Because if there is one thing that I will always recognize to this comic, it's that it is addictive. There's something so beautiful in the art style that made us unable to leave Siren and Kappa. 

 

This first volume is very obviously a setup; we learn about the universe and how we ended up in this situation, and we learn a bit about the characters — even though it stays a bit superficial, I hope that we will learn more deep things about them later! And yet, enough things happen, the premise is intriguing, and it seems like it is going to be well done. So we stick to it and want to know what is going to happen. In fact, I am not even sure that I will be able to wait for the second volume, and I might really well go read the next chapters directly on Webtoon. 

 

One of the major highlights of this story is its characters. I just love Siren and Kappa, they are opposed yet very similar. And even though I feel like the light romance developing between them is quick, it is cute to read about those two mermen having small crushes when they actually need to kill or be killed by the other. This comic is truly adorable, and I love the art. 

 

I will make sure to read what happens after this volume, and I definitely recommend it if you want a quick, adorable read with nice art and prophecies. Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Graphic for sending me an eARC of this book, it will be out on October 22. 

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

5.0

“There is a difference between horrible things that have gone on forever, because you can almost convince yourself of the inevitably of an age-old cruelty, or almost its necessity. But not a new one. With a new one, the change is too great, the wound too new, and you cannot convince yourself that it is simply the way of the world.” 

5☆|5 

 

This book is amazing. It is as brilliant as the author's first book, even though it is different. In fact, if you want my honest opinion, I believe this one is even better than Hell followed with us. 

 

In this historical paranormal gothic horror novel, we are following Silas, a 16-year-old trans autistic boy, who wants to be a surgeon, in a late 1800s society where women are not accepted in medicine, and where both transidentity and autism are not known — or accepted — things. As he is caught acting as a boy to get his medium's seal, he is going to be diagnosed with veil sickness, a sickness that only affects women with purple eyes. For that, he is going to be sent away to a sanitarium right after meeting his fiancée, the only child of Lord Luckenbill, the president of the Speakers, the royal society that controls the violet-eyed mediums. 

 

Andrew Joseph White's writing is exceptional. It is addictive, it takes us along with his characters, trapping us in his book and making us devour the novel as the pages flip. It took me a few pages to get into the book — understand a few days — but once I was in it, I became addicted to it. I couldn't put it down and ended up ending it in one day. Not only does the author have beautiful prose, but he uses it to give life to amazingly human characters. Silas and Daphne — but also Mary and Isabella, whom I really liked — were amazing. The author's way of writing autistic and transgender characters is wonderful, and it made me want to cry multiple times. It may be helped by the fact that he is both autistic and transgender himself. Also, the romance in this book was very welcome to contrast the absolute gory horror of the story. The romance was T4T, and for some reason, those always manage to touch me right into the heart. Seeing Silas being able to recognize himself in someone else and seeing that he was not alone really made me emotional. 

 

The plot in this book is so very well-crafted that I want to kiss the author's brain for even imagining it. I had no idea where this was going or how it was going to end, and the author managed to surprise me while dealing really well with his plot and pacing. The whole concept was incredible, and how the thematics were written is, to my eyes, pure genius. As I am writing those lines, I cannot think of something that I didn't like in this book. I believe that my first reaction after closing it was “What the fuck” really quickly followed by an “Oh lord, it was amazing, I love it”. This is a 10 out of 10 to me, an 11 even, and I do not think that my review can do it justice. So my last resort will be to just tell you to read it because it is brilliant and one of the best books I have read this year. But also mind the trigger warnings, because this was a really heavy reading. In conclusion, it is a perfect book, and I recommend it deeply. 

 

Thanks to Netgalley and Daphne Press, for sending me this ARC, this is my honest opinion, the book is going out on August 6th. 

CW: extensive medical gore, medical experimentation, eye horror, sexual assault/rape (implied, on-page), sexual harassment, abortion, forced institutionalization, confinement, conversion therapy, sexism, transphobia, deadnaming/misgendering, pedophilia, forced marriage, character death, dead body, death of mother (past), death of father, abusive parents, vomiting, miscarriage (mention) 
 

Rep: trans boy autistic main character; trans girl love interest; lesbian side characters; autistic side character 

Les fleurs les plus dangereuses n'ont pas d'épines by Lydie Tabarin

3.75

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

“Live, laugh, shed blood” 

4☆|5 

 

Don't murder the locals. It's rude and it disturbs the peace. Therefore, it is Sam's — serial killer in a small town — first rule. But one day, a resident of her lovely town is murdered… This town is not big enough for two psychopaths, she needs to find — and stop — them. 

 

What a fun graphic novel! I don't know what I expected when I picked up this book, but it certainly wasn’t to be that amused from this reading. This book qualifies as horror — there are multiple graphic gore elements — but mostly as mystery. And it was really fun to read! I loved trying to guess who could be the murderer or even the next victim. 

 

This book is short, around 150 pages, and yet it is more than enough to get attached to characters, especially the side characters that end up being murdered. And even for the main characters, I really like them, their motivations and stories! To that, you can add a really well-crafted story, which makes it hard to put the book down. 

 

And all that can be found amongst a charming art style, which gave nearly cosy vibes to that murderous story. The murders were bloody and gruesome but next to that, we had a pretty and soft art style with really well-used colours. The fact that all the characters were animals was also a nice point, and the artist drew them very well. 

 

The only negative point that I can point out is the fact that the end happened a bit quickly, but it wasn’t enough to take away the satisfaction provoked by the reading of this graphic novel and it is easily comprehensible considering the length of the book. All in all, it was truly a unique reading and I do recommend it a lot! 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for sending me this arc, all opinions expressed are my own <3 

 

TW: blood ; murder ; dismemberment ; gun violence 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence

The Every Body Book of Consent by Rachel E. Simon

4.0

As a queer psychology student who intends to work with children later, this is such an incredible and necessary book. I am going to buy a copy later if it's ever translated into my 1st language because it is a must-have in a therapist's office. 

This is very well done and informative, I love the fact that a lot of different types of bodies are included (especially the parts about intersex, pronouns and wheelchair users). Please put it into school libraries and gift it to parents and children, it is necessary and amazingly done.

Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig

informative reflective

5.0

 “We don’t want to include disabled perspectives just because it’s nice or fair to the “handicapped” people. We want to weave these stories into the collection, we want to consider disabled folks as worthy of their own, ordinary storylines, because without them, we are less robust, less flexible, and less equipped for the ride we’re already on.” 

5☆|5 

 

I never read non-fiction books, but if they were all like this one, I would only read those for the next few months. This was everything I wanted—the absolute perfection of a memoir. I read Rebekah Taussig's memoir from the Instagram account @sitting_pretty for a book club organized by @the_reading_gang . This book was chosen for Disability Pride Month, and I believe that it was a great choice. 

 

This was both informative and also very funny. Taussig has an incredible way of writing and has managed to give us the feeling that we now have so much more information about disability and what is the experience of disabled people, and yet without feeling overwhelmed. If anything, we are left with the - correct - impression that we only have opened the 1st door and that there is still so much to learn. 

 

The author doesn’t have the pretension of being THE voice of the disabled community, nor to know everything, or to teach us everything. She said it herself in her book, but she is only a member of the community and has been handed a microphone, so she is going to use it. Still, her writing is part of what makes this book so pleasant to read. She has a way of taking us into her subjects that makes it even more interesting. Rebekah Taussig puts her personal life into it, and with her brilliant style gave us a new point of view on disability, pointing out biases that most of us never even thought about. 

 

I hope that the world is going to become more accessible systematically and systemically for all types of bodies, but I will certainly act in that direction. This is an essential read, and I cannot recommend or praise it enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism