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dhrish's reviews
123 reviews
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
2.0
This is definitely a 2.75 stars.
Not because I hated it but because it didn't pull through. It didn't deliver and I don't think it is an important read (in terms of representation or plot). It paints a very rosy picture of two-party country and fails to bring any nuanced dialogue to the conversation. I definitely have very similar political leanings to what the book presents and I didn't buy into it.
I didn't hate-read this book, but I kind of wished I did because then I feel like my dislike may have felt justified. However, if you do want a rosy queer read, where love wins, I think this may be your book.
Personally, I would have loved to see more of Rafael Luna's story. I think it would have been a better canvas for Casey to write more of the politically nuanced conversation this book was trying to go for. If they do write it I'm keen to read it.
A part of what makes me hesitant to read queer stories is that I grew up reading my queer stories online places, by people who published on writer websites such as Wattpad, ff.net and AO3. So I expect published stories to give me something better than I have read on those sites. While I appreciate this wasn't a trauma read (this point legit saved the story), it also did nothing for me apart from giving me a story I've read a million times before only using politics as a mechanism. It kind of makes me mad that traditional publishing houses are only looking at queer stories like this now when it could have read as original five years ago. I want to love this book and the fact that I don't even like it when looking through a nostalgia lens is really sad.
The story itself is fine. It's not revolutionary, it didn't leave me wanting more of Alex and Henry's story. I loved the audiobook which definitely made the reading experience more enjoyable. I enjoyed the bi-rep, the diverse character use, the side-characters and their stories, and the high-stakes relationship. The outing of the main characters relationships was definitely traumatic, but none of this read as trauma p*rn so I lived.
What I couldn't get behind is the fact that this book wants to read as a New Adult while giving us a YA storyline. It didn't have the complexity of a NA story. It read as good guys v bad guys, with none of the characters having tangible flaws or character development. There were a million nuggets of story-plot that could have been used a million times better. This story tried to do too much but not enough and I kind of wish the author hadn't chosen a romance route to tell this story because we lost very important moments of even the relationship because of this.
I think had the main character, Alex, not been the First Son or lived with his dad, we would have gotten a much more nuanced dialogue of the issues both Alex and Henry are passionate about and why their relationship complicates their lives.
It gets to me that this book has everything I like about queer stories and just manages to land so flatly.
If you are looking for a romance read then maybe this is for you. Personally, this book really wasn't it. It wasn't self-contained enough to read as a cute romance and it wasn't politically nuanced enough to read as a drama. I'm definitely sad I felt this way. Though I must say I'm eager for McQuinston's next book. The premise sounds lovely.
Not because I hated it but because it didn't pull through. It didn't deliver and I don't think it is an important read (in terms of representation or plot). It paints a very rosy picture of two-party country and fails to bring any nuanced dialogue to the conversation. I definitely have very similar political leanings to what the book presents and I didn't buy into it.
I didn't hate-read this book, but I kind of wished I did because then I feel like my dislike may have felt justified. However, if you do want a rosy queer read, where love wins, I think this may be your book.
Personally, I would have loved to see more of Rafael Luna's story. I think it would have been a better canvas for Casey to write more of the politically nuanced conversation this book was trying to go for. If they do write it I'm keen to read it.
A part of what makes me hesitant to read queer stories is that I grew up reading my queer stories online places, by people who published on writer websites such as Wattpad, ff.net and AO3. So I expect published stories to give me something better than I have read on those sites. While I appreciate this wasn't a trauma read (this point legit saved the story), it also did nothing for me apart from giving me a story I've read a million times before only using politics as a mechanism. It kind of makes me mad that traditional publishing houses are only looking at queer stories like this now when it could have read as original five years ago. I want to love this book and the fact that I don't even like it when looking through a nostalgia lens is really sad.
The story itself is fine. It's not revolutionary, it didn't leave me wanting more of Alex and Henry's story. I loved the audiobook which definitely made the reading experience more enjoyable. I enjoyed the bi-rep, the diverse character use, the side-characters and their stories, and the high-stakes relationship. The outing of the main characters relationships was definitely traumatic, but none of this read as trauma p*rn so I lived.
What I couldn't get behind is the fact that this book wants to read as a New Adult while giving us a YA storyline. It didn't have the complexity of a NA story. It read as good guys v bad guys, with none of the characters having tangible flaws or character development. There were a million nuggets of story-plot that could have been used a million times better. This story tried to do too much but not enough and I kind of wish the author hadn't chosen a romance route to tell this story because we lost very important moments of even the relationship because of this.
I think had the main character, Alex, not been the First Son or lived with his dad, we would have gotten a much more nuanced dialogue of the issues both Alex and Henry are passionate about and why their relationship complicates their lives.
It gets to me that this book has everything I like about queer stories and just manages to land so flatly.
If you are looking for a romance read then maybe this is for you. Personally, this book really wasn't it. It wasn't self-contained enough to read as a cute romance and it wasn't politically nuanced enough to read as a drama. I'm definitely sad I felt this way. Though I must say I'm eager for McQuinston's next book. The premise sounds lovely.
Makeup and Mayhem by Ava Zuma
3.0
I love cozy mysteries. They definitely fall under my guilty pleasure reads. This book is set in Cape Town and while it definitely aids the story sometimes the author broke my illusion by the use of "dollars" to describe currency or the way in which the characters spoke sometimes felt clumsy.
I think this could have benefited from fifty more pages. Just so that the story didn't feel too rushed. I will admit that the villain reveal was pretty cool and I loved it.
This is definitely a fun short read.
I think this could have benefited from fifty more pages. Just so that the story didn't feel too rushed. I will admit that the villain reveal was pretty cool and I loved it.
This is definitely a fun short read.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
I never met a duology where the second book surpassed my expectations. I always have higher expectations for the second book of a duology, because its job is to round off the story. "Crooked Kingdom" surpassed all expectations that I have had for it.
The book seemed to hit all the notes that the last one completely missed for me. I think the fact that this book is set solely in Ketterdam helped. The characters are more at home in this setting and it shows in the ease of reading.
The action itself is more believable and definitely streamlined to the fact that all the characters are eighteen and under. Which "Six of Crows" struggled to make me believe.
Inej and Nina's friendship will forever be one of the highlights of this duology. There is such a genuine love for each other and every time I read an interaction of theirs my heart just bursts into a million pieces because healthy female friendships, I personally think, are just an underutilised writing trope.
The addiction plotline was one of the best I've read in YA. It captured just how difficult an addiction is, how the people around may not understand and the craving for more even if it isn't the best decision. Also, the many different forms of addiction that can take place.
I don't think I'm ever going to get over Matthais death. I was like the rest of the characters. Expecting everyone to get back and then when he was shot, it broke my heart for everyone. The biggest piece was for Nina. In the graveyard battle when he took charge of the situation it finally felt like he was a part of the team. Permanent and there to stay. To have someone in a found family die hurts a lot because you choose each other.
The romance sold it. All three couples were built around the tiny moments and at times it felt like I shouldn't have been privy to the conversations they were having. I haven't seen such solid romances built around a lack of physical content. Because a lot of YA tends to focus on the physical aspects of a relationship, which I do like. However, it was refreshing to read something different.
The conversations around religion and money were honestly really insightful especially since Ketterdam prizes economy above all else and seeing characters who weren't used to this understand that was interesting to watch. Especially Inej and Matthais who hold their respective religions close to them. I was even surprised to see how seriously those in Ketterdam take religion and superstition. It made for a wonderful interplay between church, state and business, which I appreciated.
Sometimes the multiple perspectives drowned out moments that would have been better fleshed out with fewer voices. The political and commercial intrigue of the duology along with its commentary made for and interesting and fast-paced read.
I definitely liked "Crooked Kingdom" far more than "Six of Crows". I don't know if it would have been effective as a stand-alone though.
The book seemed to hit all the notes that the last one completely missed for me. I think the fact that this book is set solely in Ketterdam helped. The characters are more at home in this setting and it shows in the ease of reading.
The action itself is more believable and definitely streamlined to the fact that all the characters are eighteen and under. Which "Six of Crows" struggled to make me believe.
Inej and Nina's friendship will forever be one of the highlights of this duology. There is such a genuine love for each other and every time I read an interaction of theirs my heart just bursts into a million pieces because healthy female friendships, I personally think, are just an underutilised writing trope.
The addiction plotline was one of the best I've read in YA. It captured just how difficult an addiction is, how the people around may not understand and the craving for more even if it isn't the best decision. Also, the many different forms of addiction that can take place.
The romance sold it. All three couples were built around the tiny moments and at times it felt like I shouldn't have been privy to the conversations they were having. I haven't seen such solid romances built around a lack of physical content. Because a lot of YA tends to focus on the physical aspects of a relationship, which I do like. However, it was refreshing to read something different.
The conversations around religion and money were honestly really insightful especially since Ketterdam prizes economy above all else and seeing characters who weren't used to this understand that was interesting to watch. Especially Inej and Matthais who hold their respective religions close to them. I was even surprised to see how seriously those in Ketterdam take religion and superstition. It made for a wonderful interplay between church, state and business, which I appreciated.
Sometimes the multiple perspectives drowned out moments that would have been better fleshed out with fewer voices. The political and commercial intrigue of the duology along with its commentary made for and interesting and fast-paced read.
I definitely liked "Crooked Kingdom" far more than "Six of Crows". I don't know if it would have been effective as a stand-alone though.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
3.0
3.75 stars
I took me a couple of false attempts to get into this book. So I read the first few chapters along with the audiobook to get a feel of how the story was meant to be read. Which helped me get into the book more easily. I think the Dutch-sounding words got to me since they were so similar to Afrikaans but the translations got mangled in my head. Once I stopped trying to translate it was definitely more enjoyable.
A lot of people rave about this book and I didn't see why until the latter half. The world-building alone was gorgeously done. I loved that it didn't rely on food to do so, but rather the languages, practices and the people themselves were a good representation of where they had come from and how that made them different.
"Six of Crows" benefitted immensely from the multiple perspectives of the characters used in this story. It allows for everyone to stand on their own and tell their story from a perspective. I love how it shows the value of a found family and the transactional nature of relationships from multiple perspectives.
My favourite part of the book was easily the friendship between Inej and Nina. It was the female friendship, I never thought I needed. The friendship read naturally, no catty undertones and showed a sense of solidarity that I didn't expect. Wylan, Mattias, Kaz and Jesper were lovely to read as well, I would have loved more chapters from Wylan's perspective though.
The action sequences were gorgeous. But I think the talk of war, commerce, addiction and the after-effects of all these things was where this book really shone. It simplified complex ideas enough to make them believable but without detracting from the ideas themselves. This is something I don't see often in the books I read.
Personally, it wasn't a four-star read. Maybe because I read it out of hype, I kind of expected more from it. I guess the closest feeling I could use to describe it, is watching a Marvel movie. Part of the experience is the hype, but from a distance, there are just certain moments that crack the illusion or don't live up to it.
For all the wonderful things this book does, it drags in the first three chapters. I genuinely considered DNF'ing after them because the book couldn't keep me invested at all, at that point. I felt that it did it again in the battle scenes. With so many things happening and so many perspectives, in action moments, the action itself becomes muddled because it is being read from so many different directions. I can see it working in a tv show but definitely detracted a bit from my reading experience.
I would suggest picking it up solely because the characters themselves are diverse and they all read with such a unique voice that makes their diversity believable.
I took me a couple of false attempts to get into this book. So I read the first few chapters along with the audiobook to get a feel of how the story was meant to be read. Which helped me get into the book more easily. I think the Dutch-sounding words got to me since they were so similar to Afrikaans but the translations got mangled in my head. Once I stopped trying to translate it was definitely more enjoyable.
A lot of people rave about this book and I didn't see why until the latter half. The world-building alone was gorgeously done. I loved that it didn't rely on food to do so, but rather the languages, practices and the people themselves were a good representation of where they had come from and how that made them different.
"Six of Crows" benefitted immensely from the multiple perspectives of the characters used in this story. It allows for everyone to stand on their own and tell their story from a perspective. I love how it shows the value of a found family and the transactional nature of relationships from multiple perspectives.
My favourite part of the book was easily the friendship between Inej and Nina. It was the female friendship, I never thought I needed. The friendship read naturally, no catty undertones and showed a sense of solidarity that I didn't expect. Wylan, Mattias, Kaz and Jesper were lovely to read as well, I would have loved more chapters from Wylan's perspective though.
The action sequences were gorgeous. But I think the talk of war, commerce, addiction and the after-effects of all these things was where this book really shone. It simplified complex ideas enough to make them believable but without detracting from the ideas themselves. This is something I don't see often in the books I read.
Personally, it wasn't a four-star read. Maybe because I read it out of hype, I kind of expected more from it. I guess the closest feeling I could use to describe it, is watching a Marvel movie. Part of the experience is the hype, but from a distance, there are just certain moments that crack the illusion or don't live up to it.
For all the wonderful things this book does, it drags in the first three chapters. I genuinely considered DNF'ing after them because the book couldn't keep me invested at all, at that point. I felt that it did it again in the battle scenes. With so many things happening and so many perspectives, in action moments, the action itself becomes muddled because it is being read from so many different directions. I can see it working in a tv show but definitely detracted a bit from my reading experience.
I would suggest picking it up solely because the characters themselves are diverse and they all read with such a unique voice that makes their diversity believable.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
4.0
My reading experience of this book definitely unusual at least for me. I had about three false starts, a lowkey breakdown and spent a solid two weeks listening to the piece by clipping. before even attempting to read it.
This book is a slow read, it kind of tears you open, makes you linger and talks about hopes and horrors. I had to read this book slowly, savour almost every word, just to make sure I was keeping up and I'm still not sure if I did keep up. I'm sure a lot of references flew over my head and I can see myself rereading this book only to have a totally different experience the next time.
My favourite theme was how it dealt not only with generational trauma but the burden of remembering one's history. Are we empty vessels if we no longer understand or are keepers of our own history?
I think through all of this, I am in awe of how a fully fleshed out story is so closely intertwined with the music that inspired it. There were parts where history, music and story seemed to meld into one and at some points, I just couldn't keep up.
Most of all "The Deep" makes me excited to try more of Solomon's work. To try and see the world they bring through their writing. The writing itself is so cleverly crafted that I still find my self thinking back to moments I read days ago. There is a haunting quality to it.
I'd recommend anyone who's interested in sea-creatures, lore and history pick up this book. For me, it definitely offered a new perspective on what I assumed was a very linear piece of sea lore.
This book is a slow read, it kind of tears you open, makes you linger and talks about hopes and horrors. I had to read this book slowly, savour almost every word, just to make sure I was keeping up and I'm still not sure if I did keep up. I'm sure a lot of references flew over my head and I can see myself rereading this book only to have a totally different experience the next time.
My favourite theme was how it dealt not only with generational trauma but the burden of remembering one's history. Are we empty vessels if we no longer understand or are keepers of our own history?
I think through all of this, I am in awe of how a fully fleshed out story is so closely intertwined with the music that inspired it. There were parts where history, music and story seemed to meld into one and at some points, I just couldn't keep up.
Most of all "The Deep" makes me excited to try more of Solomon's work. To try and see the world they bring through their writing. The writing itself is so cleverly crafted that I still find my self thinking back to moments I read days ago. There is a haunting quality to it.
I'd recommend anyone who's interested in sea-creatures, lore and history pick up this book. For me, it definitely offered a new perspective on what I assumed was a very linear piece of sea lore.
Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden
2.0
Trigger warnings: dead-naming, sexual harassment/assault, working with the person who committed sexual harassment/assault, colourism, transphobia, lots of patriarchy
I'm dropping a star because of colourism along with other reasons (stated below) are concerns I should not have shrugged off. While I don't think this was the author's intention, upon reflection, there was a strong sense of colourism in this story. The "good" characters have almost all euro-centric features including light skin and eyes. Colourism makes a lot of people's lives a thousand times more difficult than it needs to be. A simple glance at Bollywood and the fairness cream industry should tell anyone that. For all that Boyden may have done right, this is too big of a concern for me to give this book a higher rating.
"I chose to live my life as my true self, and this was what the world did to me as a result." This line sums up Stealing Thunder's story so eloquently.
I'm a queer desi, I was not brought up in South Asia though. I can't speak on the trans representation and have tried to scour the internet for a trans desi reviewer of this book who is in South Asia with no luck. So if anyone does find a review coming from that perspective I would like to know.
Firstly, this book definitely isn't high fantasy. In fact, from my understanding, the only fantasy element of the book is the use of zahhak (which read similarly to dragons). I would kind of put this book in the adventure-romance category.
So I really don't get when people say that there is too much terminology in the book like an overbearing amount. I'm one of those people who struggles a lot with sci-fi and high fantasy to the point where Rick Roirdon's book series may take a long time for me to get into. While I do come from a background of understanding some South Asian terms used, the terms themselves were not in my mother-tongue. I read predominantly North American and European authors, so my baseline with the terminology is probably that of an average white person who decided to pick up the book.
While cross-checking terminology, most of it was used correctly (i.e. placed properly and read naturally) and I have so much gratitude to the author for going out and doing the research, believe me when I say that the research shows. I think a reader may struggle with the South Asian names of characters though if they aren't familiar with them. I do praise Boyden for using South Asian names for her characters especially because it would feel like a cop-out and would've leaned more strongly into appropriation territory had she not done so.
If you do struggle with the terminology and character names read the glossary first before diving into the book, every non-English word/sounding word, region and character name is in there with pronunciation guidelines, also take a look at the map if possible to familiarise yourself with the geography of the area because it plays a small role.
Boyden, herself is white, and she tries so hard to make the terminology palatable while paying tribute to the places where she took her inspiration from. I respect that a lot.
I agree with people who say until we actually get a desi trans reviewer (hopefully more than one) reviewing this book there is no way to say how accurate Razia's representation was. From the limited knowledge I do have, representation of the hijra characters, seems to be consistent with my understanding (but take that statement with a pinch of salt).
I will say that this book reads like it is heavily inspired by South Asia, the inspiration itself is very loosely used in the reading experience which for the most part is quite painless. The book, for me, bordered on appreciation rather than appropriation.
Boyden has gifted us with this beautiful book about a trans woman whose transition isn't the plotline. Razia for all her foot-in-mouth syndrome and Mary-Sueness at times was a wonderful main character. Her storyline read beautifully. Also, major kudos to the action sequences, they were some of the best that I had read in a long time. I still had a few issues with this book apart from the trigger warnings.
The question of "Would a South Asian trans writer/author from the hijra community be able to release a book like this?" played often in my head as I was reading this book. Every single time the answer in my head was "no".
There is a certain sense of privilege about being able to write a book like this, about being able to draw inspiration from a culture that isn't your own and having someone believe in that idea and story enough to publish it. I will never discount how difficult this process must've been for the author. However, I still can't get over the fact that had a South Asian trans writer/hijra writer wanted to do the exact same fantasy story and release this book into a Western market at this scale, they probably would not have been able to.
Another issue I had was with the author's writing style. I think the book could have benefitted with another round of editing just because sometimes the author would use an absolutely unnecessary verbose word that would push me as the reader out of the universe. This happened a few times and was detrimental enough to the reading experience.
All that being said Razia is definitely a protagonist I look forward to reading about again. I hope that should early releases and arcs for the sequel be released; that we actually get some trans desi reviewers for it, especially from the hijra community, because the lack of reviewer voices from those two groups is what initially put me off from reaching for this book.
I'm dropping a star because of colourism along with other reasons (stated below) are concerns I should not have shrugged off. While I don't think this was the author's intention, upon reflection, there was a strong sense of colourism in this story. The "good" characters have almost all euro-centric features including light skin and eyes. Colourism makes a lot of people's lives a thousand times more difficult than it needs to be. A simple glance at Bollywood and the fairness cream industry should tell anyone that. For all that Boyden may have done right, this is too big of a concern for me to give this book a higher rating.
"I chose to live my life as my true self, and this was what the world did to me as a result." This line sums up Stealing Thunder's story so eloquently.
I'm a queer desi, I was not brought up in South Asia though. I can't speak on the trans representation and have tried to scour the internet for a trans desi reviewer of this book who is in South Asia with no luck. So if anyone does find a review coming from that perspective I would like to know.
Firstly, this book definitely isn't high fantasy. In fact, from my understanding, the only fantasy element of the book is the use of zahhak (which read similarly to dragons). I would kind of put this book in the adventure-romance category.
So I really don't get when people say that there is too much terminology in the book like an overbearing amount. I'm one of those people who struggles a lot with sci-fi and high fantasy to the point where Rick Roirdon's book series may take a long time for me to get into. While I do come from a background of understanding some South Asian terms used, the terms themselves were not in my mother-tongue. I read predominantly North American and European authors, so my baseline with the terminology is probably that of an average white person who decided to pick up the book.
While cross-checking terminology, most of it was used correctly (i.e. placed properly and read naturally) and I have so much gratitude to the author for going out and doing the research, believe me when I say that the research shows. I think a reader may struggle with the South Asian names of characters though if they aren't familiar with them. I do praise Boyden for using South Asian names for her characters especially because it would feel like a cop-out and would've leaned more strongly into appropriation territory had she not done so.
If you do struggle with the terminology and character names read the glossary first before diving into the book, every non-English word/sounding word, region and character name is in there with pronunciation guidelines, also take a look at the map if possible to familiarise yourself with the geography of the area because it plays a small role.
Boyden, herself is white, and she tries so hard to make the terminology palatable while paying tribute to the places where she took her inspiration from. I respect that a lot.
I agree with people who say until we actually get a desi trans reviewer (hopefully more than one) reviewing this book there is no way to say how accurate Razia's representation was. From the limited knowledge I do have, representation of the hijra characters, seems to be consistent with my understanding (but take that statement with a pinch of salt).
I will say that this book reads like it is heavily inspired by South Asia, the inspiration itself is very loosely used in the reading experience which for the most part is quite painless. The book, for me, bordered on appreciation rather than appropriation.
Boyden has gifted us with this beautiful book about a trans woman whose transition isn't the plotline. Razia for all her foot-in-mouth syndrome and Mary-Sueness at times was a wonderful main character. Her storyline read beautifully. Also, major kudos to the action sequences, they were some of the best that I had read in a long time. I still had a few issues with this book apart from the trigger warnings.
The question of "Would a South Asian trans writer/author from the hijra community be able to release a book like this?" played often in my head as I was reading this book. Every single time the answer in my head was "no".
There is a certain sense of privilege about being able to write a book like this, about being able to draw inspiration from a culture that isn't your own and having someone believe in that idea and story enough to publish it. I will never discount how difficult this process must've been for the author. However, I still can't get over the fact that had a South Asian trans writer/hijra writer wanted to do the exact same fantasy story and release this book into a Western market at this scale, they probably would not have been able to.
Another issue I had was with the author's writing style. I think the book could have benefitted with another round of editing just because sometimes the author would use an absolutely unnecessary verbose word that would push me as the reader out of the universe. This happened a few times and was detrimental enough to the reading experience.
All that being said Razia is definitely a protagonist I look forward to reading about again. I hope that should early releases and arcs for the sequel be released; that we actually get some trans desi reviewers for it, especially from the hijra community, because the lack of reviewer voices from those two groups is what initially put me off from reaching for this book.
This Coven Won't Break by Isabel Sterling
3.0
3.5 stars
I enjoyed This Coven Won't Break far more than I enjoyed its prequel. Sterling's writing and plot progression were a lot better in this book and it shows. There were less pointless action sequences and dramatic reveals. Every moment felt deliberate and carefully calculated in order to create a somewhat plausible story.
While I heavily criticised the prequel, it did its job well in introducing the reader to the main characters of this story. Sterling definitely used this to her advantage and managed to build on wonderfully from the first book especially in terms of characterisation.
Character building, in my opinion, is definitely one of the stronger points in this book. The new characters we were introduced to stand up well against characters we had already met. This also shows in their interactions with the other characters and the relationships they have with each other.
Why this book doesn't get higher than 3.5 stars for me, is that it just didn't bring the plot together in a manner that made sense (from a logic standpoint; the story progression was pretty good) and lack of visibility of non-white characters.
Spoilers ahead
Hannah's processing of grief was surprisingly realistic and I didn't expect that. That being said, I didn't think she made a good canvas to use a "Chosen One" trope on. It wasn't her age that bugged me, rather her experience and lack of magical training. Especially in comparison to Morgan and Alice, who made sense in the roles they were placed.
When we are introduced to Hannah in this book, she still hasn't completed enough training to make the calls she is allowed to make. It kind of bothered me that Sterling didn't use the first book to establish Hannah's credibility in that sense.
Hannah gets to make wild accusations, flaunt the rules of her coven and make judgement calls beyond her position. She goes on missions even if she isn't prepared. None of the other characters gets to do this in a non-teaching moment. While I am all for children, teenagers especially getting heard and listened to, the story itself made it very difficult to suspend my belief because of how the other characters around Hannah's age were expected to act in comparison.
spoiler ends
As always Sterling delivered in the department of queer representation and platonic queer relationships, which I love to see. We also see a bit more of Cal's struggles as a transman which broke my heart in a million ways that it was shown in this book. It is done incredibly respectfully and effortlessly (at least to someone who isn't a represented by that group).
Lastly, this book did better in terms of visibility of non-white characters than it's predecessor I still wasn't all that happy with its representation in that aspect. While we did get Elder Hudson, the Elemental Witch Elder and Alexis Scott, two Black characters who play relatively big roles towards to end of the story, I would've liked to see a bit more of how magic is practised differently for them, since magic in this story is practised like religion. And from my understanding race and ethnicity do play a part in how religion is practised in most cases by people.
That being said I definitely think you should pick this duology up if you want a quick, summer witch-focused, slightly sapphic read.
I enjoyed This Coven Won't Break far more than I enjoyed its prequel. Sterling's writing and plot progression were a lot better in this book and it shows. There were less pointless action sequences and dramatic reveals. Every moment felt deliberate and carefully calculated in order to create a somewhat plausible story.
While I heavily criticised the prequel, it did its job well in introducing the reader to the main characters of this story. Sterling definitely used this to her advantage and managed to build on wonderfully from the first book especially in terms of characterisation.
Character building, in my opinion, is definitely one of the stronger points in this book. The new characters we were introduced to stand up well against characters we had already met. This also shows in their interactions with the other characters and the relationships they have with each other.
Why this book doesn't get higher than 3.5 stars for me, is that it just didn't bring the plot together in a manner that made sense (from a logic standpoint; the story progression was pretty good) and lack of visibility of non-white characters.
Spoilers ahead
Hannah's processing of grief was surprisingly realistic and I didn't expect that. That being said, I didn't think she made a good canvas to use a "Chosen One" trope on. It wasn't her age that bugged me, rather her experience and lack of magical training. Especially in comparison to Morgan and Alice, who made sense in the roles they were placed.
When we are introduced to Hannah in this book, she still hasn't completed enough training to make the calls she is allowed to make. It kind of bothered me that Sterling didn't use the first book to establish Hannah's credibility in that sense.
Hannah gets to make wild accusations, flaunt the rules of her coven and make judgement calls beyond her position. She goes on missions even if she isn't prepared. None of the other characters gets to do this in a non-teaching moment. While I am all for children, teenagers especially getting heard and listened to, the story itself made it very difficult to suspend my belief because of how the other characters around Hannah's age were expected to act in comparison.
spoiler ends
As always Sterling delivered in the department of queer representation and platonic queer relationships, which I love to see. We also see a bit more of Cal's struggles as a transman which broke my heart in a million ways that it was shown in this book. It is done incredibly respectfully and effortlessly (at least to someone who isn't a represented by that group).
Lastly, this book did better in terms of visibility of non-white characters than it's predecessor I still wasn't all that happy with its representation in that aspect. While we did get Elder Hudson, the Elemental Witch Elder and Alexis Scott, two Black characters who play relatively big roles towards to end of the story, I would've liked to see a bit more of how magic is practised differently for them, since magic in this story is practised like religion. And from my understanding race and ethnicity do play a part in how religion is practised in most cases by people.
That being said I definitely think you should pick this duology up if you want a quick, summer witch-focused, slightly sapphic read.
These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling
3.0
I really flew through the story and it is a super easy read. Hannah, as the protagonist, read as a 17-year-old who is trying to get over her ex (Venessa) which I loved. Although the things that happen to Hannah made me raise my eyebrow quite a bit.
We very rarely get to see a story centred around a lesbian character who is trying to get over their ex, in a relatively healthy way. Vanessa is written as a bad person for Hannah and not a bad person in general, which I appreciated a lot.
I kind of wished the story chose to focus on that side of the story more. I loved to have seen a more nuanced discussion on relationships romantic and otherwise. Because discussions around relationships and boundaries are where the book shone for me.
My biggest issue came with the adventure/more thriller style plot points. It felt like the story was giving me too much with not enough detail. While this may be fine for some, I felt like fewer twists would have made more a better-written story. A lot of things felt like one dramatic reveal after another and I got bored. Especially since so much still needed to happen after I had lost interest.
I could not have been reading closely enough but apart from Cal's boyfriend and a paramedic, I don't think the story gave another non-white character. Which, for me, was incredibly disappointing.
Overall, would recommend to anyone who wanted a story about a lesbian witch getting over her ex during the summer and the events that follow.
We very rarely get to see a story centred around a lesbian character who is trying to get over their ex, in a relatively healthy way. Vanessa is written as a bad person for Hannah and not a bad person in general, which I appreciated a lot.
I kind of wished the story chose to focus on that side of the story more. I loved to have seen a more nuanced discussion on relationships romantic and otherwise. Because discussions around relationships and boundaries are where the book shone for me.
My biggest issue came with the adventure/more thriller style plot points. It felt like the story was giving me too much with not enough detail. While this may be fine for some, I felt like fewer twists would have made more a better-written story. A lot of things felt like one dramatic reveal after another and I got bored. Especially since so much still needed to happen after I had lost interest.
I could not have been reading closely enough but apart from Cal's boyfriend and a paramedic, I don't think the story gave another non-white character. Which, for me, was incredibly disappointing.
Overall, would recommend to anyone who wanted a story about a lesbian witch getting over her ex during the summer and the events that follow.
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
4.0
This series has definitely become one of my favourites of the year.
Maggie is still one of my favourite female characters ever but I loved the inclusion of Ben and Rissa. It was such a realistic portrayal of female friendships which I appreciated. There was such an emphasis on full characters and trying to not present anyone as part of a monolith if possible.
I really love the parts I love about this book and it would definitely have been a 5 star read if the book went into the cult aspects a bit more.
Maggie is still one of my favourite female characters ever but I loved the inclusion of Ben and Rissa. It was such a realistic portrayal of female friendships which I appreciated. There was such an emphasis on full characters and trying to not present anyone as part of a monolith if possible.
I really love the parts I love about this book and it would definitely have been a 5 star read if the book went into the cult aspects a bit more.
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
4.0
Diné Writer's Collective piece on the use of Diné culture in "The Sixth World series" While I did enjoy this book, I do think it is important to note that Roanhorse is not of Diné ancestry although she is Native American, from my understanding she is part of a different Nation.
Maggie Hoskie is everything I love about the main character and I do love her. While I can't speak to of the representation in this book,, the elements that were used were written in such a way that it was easy for me to follow (I usually struggle to follow books like this).
If I did have to pick a description of the book is that it reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson but definitely not for a middle-grade audience, could push into YA but I think it's a bit older than that. It had blood, gore and just enough emotions sprinkled to keep me turning to the next page.
I didn't expect to enjoy reading this book, but I did and it made me happy to be apart of its universe. That said, all the good things you've heard about this book are true and if you like anything about the synopsis do pick it up.
Maggie Hoskie is everything I love about the main character and I do love her. While I can't speak to of the representation in this book,, the elements that were used were written in such a way that it was easy for me to follow (I usually struggle to follow books like this).
If I did have to pick a description of the book is that it reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson but definitely not for a middle-grade audience, could push into YA but I think it's a bit older than that. It had blood, gore and just enough emotions sprinkled to keep me turning to the next page.
I didn't expect to enjoy reading this book, but I did and it made me happy to be apart of its universe. That said, all the good things you've heard about this book are true and if you like anything about the synopsis do pick it up.