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honeycupreads's reviews
55 reviews
Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
I honestly don’t know where to start with this review, I hated this book so much. There are so many things about this book that pissed me off that I genuinely lost count. I originally was going to DNF it but then it got so bad that I knew I needed to finish it so I could write this review tearing it to shreds.
Starting, I just want to say as a cis white woman I won’t be going into much detail about how race or transphobia were handled in this book because I don’t believe it is my place. However, what I will say is that I feel like both topics were handled pretty poorly. Within the first chapter, we meet our MMC, Arjun, and immediately Boyden chooses to use food to describe his eye color and I knew it would be downhill from there. It’s pretty well known that when writing poc, you shouldn’t use food as descriptive words, but even if Boyden was unaware when starting this novel, one quick Google search would tell you that. As for transphobia, I cannot say much seeing as Boyden is trans so I don’t feel as though I should critique the way she chooses to write about the trans experience. What I can talk about, however, is how incredibly useless and vile the male characters were in this book.
Arjun is one of the most horribly written male characters I have come across and I was reading Wattpad fanfiction in 2013. In the very beginning of this book when he finds out that Razia is the heir to the throne of Nizam and promises that he will keep her and her secret safe, he then chooses to spend the rest of the book doing the exact opposite. Over the next two days, he says nothing while his father repeatedly makes vile transphobic comments about her and then he lets her identity become the knowledge of not only his father and his court but the man who sexually assaulted Razia when she was eleven. Her identity is revealed several more times throughout the book and every time he stands there without even attempting to protect her. One particular moment of Arjun’s that made me want to light this book on fire is when he and Razia are discussing the attack on the Firangi ships and she expresses the grief she feels for the zahhaks that were killed and he says “I think you made the right choice becoming a hijra, Razia.” as if being trans was just a choice she decided to make one day.
I honestly don’t know if I fully want to get into how much Karim and Udai suck but in the hopes that someone who is contemplating reading this book comes across this review and decides to not pick it up, I will continue. I will start with Udai because I think I will be able to keep his shorter (this is not a promise). We meet Udai shortly after meeting Arjun and immediately he is horrible, repeatedly making transphobic comments and treating Razia as if she is weak and not worthy of basic respect. Any time he begins to show the smallest, most basic signs of respecting Razia he says something disgusting about her to follow it up or it’s just the most backhanded compliment of all time. The thing that pissed me off the most about his character progression is that the closer we get to the end of the book the “nicer” he becomes, even hugging her when they make it back from stealing the thunder zahhaks. None of this respect came for free though, he couldn't be kind to her until she “proved” herself repeatedly before almost dying by scaling a 200-foot cliff.
Shockingly enough as terrible as he is Karim is so much worse somehow. We meet Karim in chapter 9 right after we find out that he SA’d Razia when she was younger and unfortunately, he is there like a parasite for the rest of the book (and no he doesn't get killed off, although that might’ve bumped this from .25 stars to .5 stars). I think I could find a million different things to hate about him and his role in this book but I will try and keep this as short as possible. After he finds out Razia's identity the first thing he says is that “the breasts are a nice touch.” and she “was a pretty little thing even then, and I knew you wanted it.” The next day they go to his home and he then reveals her secret to his father and a dozen of his father's guards (being utterly useless again, Arjun says nothing. I mean if nothing else at least he’s consistent). After a meeting with their fathers, where Karim deadnames her for probably the 20th time, he asks Arjun to accompany him for some wine knowing that Razia will have to come along. It is in this scene that Karim's blatant disrespect and transphobia are boiled down to JEALOUSY. If you think you read that wrong I am here to clarify that you most certainly did not, the big reason that Karim is being gross and transphobic isn't because he is simply a piece of shit, no, it’s because he is jealous, and wants Razia for himself. As if everything I’ve already said about him wasn’t bad enough it seems as though Boyden was trying to redeem him in the last half of this book. When they are stealing the thunder zahhaks there are at least two times where Razia talks about helping her friends get into the palace, not “my friends and Karim” no, just “my friends” as if she simply no longer cared about what Karim did to her. There are also two additional scenes where it becomes pretty obvious that we are supposed to see a “change” in Karim, the first being when they are flying into battle and he says “You’ve already proved me wrong,” which is then followed up by Razia's inner monologue where she says “which was a more generous gesture than I’d ever expected from him. I still hated him for what he’d done to me, but I supposed maybe he’d done the growing up my cousin Rashid hadn’t." as if sexually assaulting someone is a result of being young and that rapist’s simply “grow out of it”. The second scene also shows again how useless Arjun is and how no one in this book shows Razia basic human respect until she has “proven herself worthy.” When the battle has ended and they are speaking with Razia’s father, he states that he plans to kill her, who comes to her defense you ask? Not Arjun, not even Udai, it’s Karim who starts singing her praises as if he hasn’t been horrible to her throughout this entire book, and even before that.
Honestly, there is so much more I could say about this book but I simply feel as if what I have already said wasn’t enough to dissuade you from reading it nothing I say further will change your mind. The premise of this story had so much potential but it was executed in the worst way possible I feel bad for Razia because she deserved so much better in every sense of the word.
(Thank you to my friends Adi, Ani, and Marz [@starzreads] for proofreading this review for me!!)
Starting, I just want to say as a cis white woman I won’t be going into much detail about how race or transphobia were handled in this book because I don’t believe it is my place. However, what I will say is that I feel like both topics were handled pretty poorly. Within the first chapter, we meet our MMC, Arjun, and immediately Boyden chooses to use food to describe his eye color and I knew it would be downhill from there. It’s pretty well known that when writing poc, you shouldn’t use food as descriptive words, but even if Boyden was unaware when starting this novel, one quick Google search would tell you that. As for transphobia, I cannot say much seeing as Boyden is trans so I don’t feel as though I should critique the way she chooses to write about the trans experience. What I can talk about, however, is how incredibly useless and vile the male characters were in this book.
Arjun is one of the most horribly written male characters I have come across and I was reading Wattpad fanfiction in 2013. In the very beginning of this book when he finds out that Razia is the heir to the throne of Nizam and promises that he will keep her and her secret safe, he then chooses to spend the rest of the book doing the exact opposite. Over the next two days, he says nothing while his father repeatedly makes vile transphobic comments about her and then he lets her identity become the knowledge of not only his father and his court but the man who sexually assaulted Razia when she was eleven. Her identity is revealed several more times throughout the book and every time he stands there without even attempting to protect her. One particular moment of Arjun’s that made me want to light this book on fire is when he and Razia are discussing the attack on the Firangi ships and she expresses the grief she feels for the zahhaks that were killed and he says “I think you made the right choice becoming a hijra, Razia.” as if being trans was just a choice she decided to make one day.
I honestly don’t know if I fully want to get into how much Karim and Udai suck but in the hopes that someone who is contemplating reading this book comes across this review and decides to not pick it up, I will continue. I will start with Udai because I think I will be able to keep his shorter (this is not a promise). We meet Udai shortly after meeting Arjun and immediately he is horrible, repeatedly making transphobic comments and treating Razia as if she is weak and not worthy of basic respect. Any time he begins to show the smallest, most basic signs of respecting Razia he says something disgusting about her to follow it up or it’s just the most backhanded compliment of all time. The thing that pissed me off the most about his character progression is that the closer we get to the end of the book the “nicer” he becomes, even hugging her when they make it back from stealing the thunder zahhaks. None of this respect came for free though, he couldn't be kind to her until she “proved” herself repeatedly before almost dying by scaling a 200-foot cliff.
Shockingly enough as terrible as he is Karim is so much worse somehow. We meet Karim in chapter 9 right after we find out that he SA’d Razia when she was younger and unfortunately, he is there like a parasite for the rest of the book (and no he doesn't get killed off, although that might’ve bumped this from .25 stars to .5 stars). I think I could find a million different things to hate about him and his role in this book but I will try and keep this as short as possible. After he finds out Razia's identity the first thing he says is that “the breasts are a nice touch.” and she “was a pretty little thing even then, and I knew you wanted it.” The next day they go to his home and he then reveals her secret to his father and a dozen of his father's guards (being utterly useless again, Arjun says nothing. I mean if nothing else at least he’s consistent). After a meeting with their fathers, where Karim deadnames her for probably the 20th time, he asks Arjun to accompany him for some wine knowing that Razia will have to come along. It is in this scene that Karim's blatant disrespect and transphobia are boiled down to JEALOUSY. If you think you read that wrong I am here to clarify that you most certainly did not, the big reason that Karim is being gross and transphobic isn't because he is simply a piece of shit, no, it’s because he is jealous, and wants Razia for himself. As if everything I’ve already said about him wasn’t bad enough it seems as though Boyden was trying to redeem him in the last half of this book. When they are stealing the thunder zahhaks there are at least two times where Razia talks about helping her friends get into the palace, not “my friends and Karim” no, just “my friends” as if she simply no longer cared about what Karim did to her. There are also two additional scenes where it becomes pretty obvious that we are supposed to see a “change” in Karim, the first being when they are flying into battle and he says “You’ve already proved me wrong,” which is then followed up by Razia's inner monologue where she says “which was a more generous gesture than I’d ever expected from him. I still hated him for what he’d done to me, but I supposed maybe he’d done the growing up my cousin Rashid hadn’t." as if sexually assaulting someone is a result of being young and that rapist’s simply “grow out of it”. The second scene also shows again how useless Arjun is and how no one in this book shows Razia basic human respect until she has “proven herself worthy.” When the battle has ended and they are speaking with Razia’s father, he states that he plans to kill her, who comes to her defense you ask? Not Arjun, not even Udai, it’s Karim who starts singing her praises as if he hasn’t been horrible to her throughout this entire book, and even before that.
Honestly, there is so much more I could say about this book but I simply feel as if what I have already said wasn’t enough to dissuade you from reading it nothing I say further will change your mind. The premise of this story had so much potential but it was executed in the worst way possible I feel bad for Razia because she deserved so much better in every sense of the word.
(Thank you to my friends Adi, Ani, and Marz [@starzreads] for proofreading this review for me!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Rape, and Transphobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, War, and Pedophilia
Minor: Death, Ableism, and Misogyny
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
I loved this book so much. I love Teo dearly and wish nothing bad would ever happen to him, like he is my son. This book was amazing and there’s not a single thing I wish was different.
I found myself tearing up multiple times in this book,especially when Teo's wings changed in the first trial , I had to take deep breaths to keep it together or I wouldn't have been able to see the pages to continue reading. I didn't want to put this book down I was hooked from the very beginning these characters are so amazing, even the ones I loved to hate.
Aurelio... The scene where he tells Teo about his relationship with Auristela and how she's the only person he can truly rely on and how his mom views him as a failure for something beyond his control my heart shattered. Such an amazing character I cannot wait to see how he grows in the next book.
I also think we should kill Lumbre with hammers.
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
"You never said I could."
I loved this book so much. I love Teo dearly and wish nothing bad would ever happen to him, like he is my son. This book was amazing and there’s not a single thing I wish was different.
I found myself tearing up multiple times in this book,
Aurelio...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Dysphoria, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death and Child death
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
All I can say is if you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for?
My second read for the 2024 Trans Rights Readathon!
challenging
dark
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
"In what world was their God ever a benevolent one?"
All I can say is if you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for?
My second read for the 2024 Trans Rights Readathon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Transphobia, Body horror, and Vomit
Moderate: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Genocide
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
My first read for the 2024 Trans Rights Readathon!
I really enjoyed this book! I love these characters so much especially Remy. Remy is a such a wonderful character I was instantly attached to him. His struggles with his past, feeling as though he owes his father everything, the way he feels that no one loves him without needing something from him in return. My heart hurt for him immensely.
The only reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars is because of Zidan and Remys back and forth. How many times were really necessary to try and put something between them? I get it, in a way, it benefited Zidan and Remys characters to show some of their biggest flaws but at the same time it was kinda frustrating to watch it happen multiple times.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
I really enjoyed this book! I love these characters so much especially Remy. Remy is a such a wonderful character I was instantly attached to him. His struggles with his past, feeling as though he owes his father everything, the way he feels that no one loves him without needing something from him in return. My heart hurt for him immensely.
The only reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars is because of Zidan and Remys back and forth. How many times were really necessary to try and put something between them? I get it, in a way, it benefited Zidan and Remys characters to show some of their biggest flaws but at the same time it was kinda frustrating to watch it happen multiple times.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual content, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, and Vomit
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death, and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death, Torture, and Abandonment
Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is kind of a review for Foul Lady Fortune and Foul Heart Huntsman because it didn’t feel right to talk about them separately. I don’t think I could be any happier with the conclusion to a universe I love so dearly. I started this journey with Roma and Juliet and ended it with Rosaline and Orion and I’ve truly loved every second, even when I was sobbing so badly I couldn’t continue to read because I couldn’t see. Chloe Gong has created a universe that I will always cherish in my heart and I can’t even begin to describe my love for it. Foul Heart Huntsman is truly such a beautiful ending for this universe.
When I started reading Foul Lady Fortune I was afraid I wouldn’t love the characters as much as I loved the ones from These Violent Delights but it was so easy to fall in love with them. The relationships between these characters are so interesting to watch, from the complex sibling relationships to the lovely romantic relationships. I loved Rosalind and Orion so much that it was almost unbearable at times. Rosalind is such a beautifully written character, someone who spends every day of her life trying to make amends fora death that never really happened and a mistake that she was fooled into making by a man who told her he loved her and used her. When Juliet asks her how long she’s been carrying the guilt of walking out on her that night unknowing that it would be the last time she saw her my heart broke. Orion on the other hand was equally as tragic, motivated by pain and duty, he truly gives his all to his missions and is still suspected of not truly being loyal.
Oliver and Celia… I don’t even know where to begin. I love them so dearly, I loved every scene between them and don’t think I could ever get enough. Chloe Gong if you ever see this please consider writing a novella for them I’m not above begging and groveling. There were so many times I had to set the book down and kick my feet or take a lap around the room because I just couldn’t handle the emotions I felt watching them dance around their feelings. Even when one of them would say something the conversation would just carry on as if nothing happened and I just wanted to jump into the book and yell at them to SPEAK (I loved every minute of them being emotionally constipated little shits).When Oliver said “You can’t ask me not to love you by keeping me at arm’s length. I’ll love you anyway.” in Foul Lady Fortune I almost threw up (in a good way I promise). I could honestly go on and on about these two like there wasn’t a moment that passed between them that didn’t affect me in one way or another. When Oliver told Celia he would make her his altar and put her above everything else in the world I seriously thought I was going to die like I couldn’t breathe (I don’t know how Celia survived that).
#AlisaMontagovaFansTexas!! I loved Alisa in the first duology but love her even more here. She blossomed in this duology and I couldn’t be more fortunate to have witnessed it. The way she truly solidifies herself as a character in this duology is so great, she proves time and time again how vital she is to the success of the mission.When she and Roma reunited it was wonderful, my heart felt so full, especially after reading how much Roma missed her in A Foul Thing. When they are talking at the kitchen table Roma says “ I would have found you anywhere. Across the world and under it. No matter how well you hide. It doesn’t matter where you go. I’ll always find you. Understand?” I couldn’t stop crying.
I have a lot of feelings for Phoebe and I don’t know where to even begin. I loved her yet I also truly hated her at times, always caught between one emotion or the other never feeling neutral. One thing I did love about her character was seeing the relationship between her and her mother and how it truly affected the trajectory of her life. Everything Phoebe was, stemmed from her mother, and seeing her come to terms with the fact that her mother was never who she thought she was, was incredibly fascinating to witness. Silas on the other hand… I adored him the whole way. He was constantly ready to give all of himself for Phoebe and Orion, which was so beautiful.Even when he was believed to have betrayed them he genuinely did everything for them.
I think I could ramble on about this duology for ages but unfortunately (or fortunately for whoever is reading this) I have no words left. I think the last thing I would like to say is thank you Chloe Gong for letting us spend at least a little time with these beautiful characters you have created. I have sincerely loved this journey and will cherish it always.
When I started reading Foul Lady Fortune I was afraid I wouldn’t love the characters as much as I loved the ones from These Violent Delights but it was so easy to fall in love with them. The relationships between these characters are so interesting to watch, from the complex sibling relationships to the lovely romantic relationships. I loved Rosalind and Orion so much that it was almost unbearable at times. Rosalind is such a beautifully written character, someone who spends every day of her life trying to make amends for
Oliver and Celia… I don’t even know where to begin. I love them so dearly, I loved every scene between them and don’t think I could ever get enough. Chloe Gong if you ever see this please consider writing a novella for them I’m not above begging and groveling. There were so many times I had to set the book down and kick my feet or take a lap around the room because I just couldn’t handle the emotions I felt watching them dance around their feelings. Even when one of them would say something the conversation would just carry on as if nothing happened and I just wanted to jump into the book and yell at them to SPEAK (I loved every minute of them being emotionally constipated little shits).
#AlisaMontagovaFansTexas!! I loved Alisa in the first duology but love her even more here. She blossomed in this duology and I couldn’t be more fortunate to have witnessed it. The way she truly solidifies herself as a character in this duology is so great, she proves time and time again how vital she is to the success of the mission.
I have a lot of feelings for Phoebe and I don’t know where to even begin. I loved her yet I also truly hated her at times, always caught between one emotion or the other never feeling neutral. One thing I did love about her character was seeing the relationship between her and her mother and how it truly affected the trajectory of her life. Everything Phoebe was, stemmed from her mother, and seeing her come to terms with the fact that her mother was never who she thought she was, was incredibly fascinating to witness. Silas on the other hand… I adored him the whole way. He was constantly ready to give all of himself for Phoebe and Orion, which was so beautiful.
I think I could ramble on about this duology for ages but unfortunately (or fortunately for whoever is reading this) I have no words left. I think the last thing I would like to say is thank you Chloe Gong for letting us spend at least a little time with these beautiful characters you have created. I have sincerely loved this journey and will cherish it always.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Medical content
Minor: Car accident, Torture, and Transphobia
Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love these characters so much! I’m so glad we got to spend some more time with them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Suicide
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75