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crafty_goblin's reviews
73 reviews
Me by Elton John
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I had so much with Elton and Taron. I like the fact that Elton opened and closed the audiobook by reading the first and last chapter and Taron (actor playing Elton John in the movie) the rest of the book. The rhythm is great, it's entertaining like only pop/rock stars from the 50’s to the 80’s always is. You move from laughing out loud when Elton recalled his most fun moments, to feeling heartbreaking by the stories of those monstrous artists who marked our pop culture and music history by their talent while they were destroying themselves, badly impacted by AIDS, addiction, shady and toxic people around them and all that the darker side of the music and entertainment industry, especially in the 70's and 80's. I especially loved the fact that it is raw and not censured. Elton didn't try to paint a better image of himself and the era during which his career exploded, but really offer an honest, transparent and not filtered recalling of those events and stories. It's full of glamour, sparkles and laughs but also full of difficult moments, regrets, remorse and descent to hell sometimes. I really recommend the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcohol
The Devil's Colony by Marie Lestrange
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I was aware of the Roanoki Colony's stories and speculation around the lost colony, and the idea to read an horror fiction around it was why I requested the ARC. I am a big fan of folk horror stories working with puritan and witchcraft subjects. So I thought I would enjoy the ride. But I didn't. Or at least not enough to recommend it.
The general idea is good, the journal entries format allowing to introduce smoothly different POVs definitely worked for me, I really like this part. It is mostly well written, though the book definitely needs editing. I Highlighted so much weird structures, typos, names written differently from one chapter to another, that I guessed several time if the story had been beta read or not. This, is a super bad point for me. My neurospicy brain tend to focus on this only then, and i cannot enjoy the rest.
I loose focus here and there because of some weird jumps allowing too much lost information for the plot to be coherent all the way from beginning to the end.
A warning for cannibalism, child death and graphic sex should be added. I don't read SMUT or romantasy/romance (just because I don't like how the relationship are painted most of the time and how bad the women are depicted pushing further lenient misogyny) but I don't have issue with graphic sex in case of ritual, for example, in horror. But here, it just felt like the spice had been added as an after thought to contempt the crowd and fit the trend. Unfortunately this part wasn't good, in my opinion. It adds nothing to the story and as it wasn't announced in the warning it made me almost DNF it at the first intercourse because it felt out of place.
The bigger issue, for me, in this book, is how women are painted. Absolutely every one of the female character has been poorly written and/or badly developed (or maybe just not enough). Of course, I don't speak about the position of women per se, as it was a tough period for women. But fitting the moeurs, bigotry and religious believes of the era doesn't mean butchering the character development. I would advise to take a look at Gerald Brom's female Character development in Slewfoot to have an example of what I meant by witchcraft/puritan era and excellent female character development.
All together, it think that a revision of the text for all the typo and a beta reading session, to have a second opinion about the character development and about the "world building" would have been enough to make of this book a great one. That's a really good first attempt but it feels raw still.
I was aware of the Roanoki Colony's stories and speculation around the lost colony, and the idea to read an horror fiction around it was why I requested the ARC. I am a big fan of folk horror stories working with puritan and witchcraft subjects. So I thought I would enjoy the ride. But I didn't. Or at least not enough to recommend it.
The general idea is good, the journal entries format allowing to introduce smoothly different POVs definitely worked for me, I really like this part. It is mostly well written, though the book definitely needs editing. I Highlighted so much weird structures, typos, names written differently from one chapter to another, that I guessed several time if the story had been beta read or not. This, is a super bad point for me. My neurospicy brain tend to focus on this only then, and i cannot enjoy the rest.
I loose focus here and there because of some weird jumps allowing too much lost information for the plot to be coherent all the way from beginning to the end.
A warning for cannibalism, child death and graphic sex should be added. I don't read SMUT or romantasy/romance (just because I don't like how the relationship are painted most of the time and how bad the women are depicted pushing further lenient misogyny) but I don't have issue with graphic sex in case of ritual, for example, in horror. But here, it just felt like the spice had been added as an after thought to contempt the crowd and fit the trend. Unfortunately this part wasn't good, in my opinion. It adds nothing to the story and as it wasn't announced in the warning it made me almost DNF it at the first intercourse because it felt out of place.
The bigger issue, for me, in this book, is how women are painted. Absolutely every one of the female character has been poorly written and/or badly developed (or maybe just not enough). Of course, I don't speak about the position of women per se, as it was a tough period for women. But fitting the moeurs, bigotry and religious believes of the era doesn't mean butchering the character development. I would advise to take a look at Gerald Brom's female Character development in Slewfoot to have an example of what I meant by witchcraft/puritan era and excellent female character development.
All together, it think that a revision of the text for all the typo and a beta reading session, to have a second opinion about the character development and about the "world building" would have been enough to make of this book a great one. That's a really good first attempt but it feels raw still.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation
The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul
funny
inspiring
4.25
An honest, funny, but also heartbreaking autobiography written and read by Ru. It doesn't cover all their life but the early discovery of themselves before celebrity really kicked. It's straightforward, honest and transparent for the bad and good moments of their life. Its also funny and full of family and love dramas. A good view of what being gay, black and on the effeminate side was at this period with a gay community either closeted or following a toxic masculinity model to fit the more possible with straight norms. Freedom, travel, love, discovery of sexuality and understanding that as much as queer people feel the need for community due to the biased hetero norms of the society and the feeling to be out of place, looking for meaningfull friendship in the queer community isn't totally reachable as it is searching for people only based on sexuality instead of focusing of what people are outside labels. As mama Ru said : "my need for community wasn't fulfilling as the only thing I had in common with other gays is loving dicks". I really like the psychology part of what Ru explained in this book. And the social approach of the queer community linked to events that actually happened to RuPaul. They are pretty much aware of how they were seen even inside the queer circle and more often than not, hated for what they were (still are) As queer myself, I can understand the need for representation even if I tend to just use queer as umbrella term as I don't feel the need to labelize myself further ; the feeling I always had and more with everything happening now in and against the queer community, and I found resonance of that in Ru's words, is that labelisation is st the end just a way to try to fit in cis hetero norms and society instead of finding out our own way outside of it. A lesbian should be ..., you are not aromantic if ..., am I asexual if... This need to over label everything and everyone doesn't mean that you fit better. And it causes harm more often than not. At the end the queer community can be as exclusive, intolerant and harmful than every cishet bigot you csn meet everywhere in the world, in it needs to be seen by the rest of the cishet white people with hypocrite "bonne moeurs" and biases as proper member of the society. As Ru said in this book, as a black effeminate gay in USA he wasn't at all as privileged and accepted as the white "proper" gay men looking male, male as what white cishet male considered the definition of male (looks, behaviour, stereotype, acts,...). And even rejected by those gays because he was the "flamenco dancer disrupting their closet toxic masc gay dance". And it is the same when the Trans aren't accepted in the queer community, or the bisexual designed as closeted gay/lesbian and so on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Alcohol
Moderate: Racism
Autumn Bleeds Into Winter by Jeff Strand
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
First Strand's story I tried and I liked it. Characters are believable and lovable in some weird demented way. It's well written. I listen to the audiobook and i don't regret it as the narration what pretty good and the atmosphere was neat, mysterious, weirdly and murderously neat. Intense and dark. though, I found the end kind of rushed. But all together a good book. Enough for me to take a look at the rest of Strand's work in a near future.
Bad ink by Riki Anne Wilchins
informative
inspiring
tense
4.5
I spent more time than usual on a 300 or so pages because I wanted to take seriously the monstrous work done on this book. I researched and double-checked the information provided in the book along my read and it was rather easy as Riki didn´t just wrote a magnificent book but also provide so much sources and fact-check footnotes, that it threw me in a rabbit hole of research about Trans care and all the misinformation campaign ran in background (or not so much "background") by the white christian groups. I was already pretty educated on the subject but this book pushed me so much deeper and farther. This should be a mandatory reading at least for people leading to a journalistic career and for those with a media platform in political and social fields. ++++Bonus for the wit and sarcasms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Dysphoria
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was my first Brom's and definitely not the last. I always had something for writers who are also artist and are able to create their own cover and story illustrations. It's like having a second way to go deeper in the writer's mind and understand their creative process. But I'm a visual reader so it could be just my feeling. That's something I definitely found in Slewfoot. The woman lead is a big plus for me. And as much as I am picky with male authors writing woman lead, as they more often than not, butcher them and let so much lenient sexist stereotypes infuse in their character's depiction that I cannot focus on anything else and the plot is lost for me. Fortunately, Abitha is brilliantly developed and Brom managed to create a main woman character who is flawed, brave, witty, strong and badass in her witchy damned way without the classic Marie Sue and/or misogynistic stereotypes. The plot is rather simple but works effectively, everything is carefully built on historical events or facts that gives you enough of a context to set the vibes and the atmosphere without having to do a complete and detailed wold building. I'm usually more the character driven + world building combo kind of reader but Brom managed to hooked me with half of that while pushing all my buttons. Damn, I almost threw my Kobo several time by frustration and sometimes rage against the bigot puritans of this story or the injustice against women and especially against Abitha. Halfway through it, you are rooting so much for this witch that you just wait impatiently for her to start behind a revenge wraith. And you'll not be deceived.
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I'm not sure if I liked this story or not. The author's preface kind of hooked me with the thematics she approached but the story, kind of let me behind prettty early. I like the idea, the set up was pretty cool and it's definitely well written. But the plot didn't really hook me. I finished it all the way without feeling forced, I mostly enjoyed the ride and can give a summary of it but I don't have any really memorable parts in mind. I was excited by what the author said in the preface about sleep depravation delirium and the scary stories you totally make up in your mind making you jumpy and paranoiac and over thinking everything when you are in this state, that's something I can relate with 😁. But I found that nowhere in the story, or at least the effect wasn't triggered in me during the audiobook. So it's a mitigated review for me.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I love all the horror books by T. kingfisher but this book was too YA for me even if I move fantasy
Voices in the Snow by Darcy Coates
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I'm quite frustrated with this one as i was ready for a uncanny mystery based on the tags and at the end it's more focus romance. It's not bad, it's actually pretty good until 81% when it's full of cheesy lyrical paragraph focus on the romance. The plot and the sold building is not enough for my taste. Tough, it is definitely a question of taste. I don't read romance so it's always putting me off. But the story is interesting before that. I just would have preferred to see a tag romance to avoid the reading. I won't go for the rest of the series but not a bad book.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
The book was well written and developed but i guess i just wasn't able to hook for the main character and i lost track so many time during the ebook and then the audiobook format that i can barely remember it except for the first few chapters. Definitely a question of taste though. The book itself wasn't bad.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood