hwesta's reviews
411 reviews

Dare to Bird: Exploring the Joy and Healing Power of Birds by Melissa Hafting

3.0

Hafting is an amazing and dedicated birder, a phenomenal photographer, and a mediocre essayist. I enjoyed the photos and how they tied in the the stories, but the essays felt unfocused and didn't do a good job of convincing me of the importance of birds if I didn't already agree. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold

3.5

Still enjoying it, but didn't find the Lakewalker camp politicking as interesting

Passage by Lois McMaster Bujold

4.0

I enjoyed the larger cast and the ensuing variety in interactions and character growth. It was a full boat! Fawn, Dag, Whit, Berry, Bo, Hawthorn, Hod, Barr and Remo all got time to shine. Dag is getting pretty good-at-everything skilled, but I'm still enjoying the ride.

Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Definitely a fantasy romance - I really enjoyed both the worldbuilding (malices! Groundsense! Lakewalkers vs farmers!) and the romance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Violence, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and War

Large age gap in main romance - she's 18, he's 54 - but enthusiastically consensual on both sides.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

adventurous emotional lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked this! It had a little too many YA elements for my taste - a number of impetuous decisions that still turned out fine, lots of romantic drama - but still fun and interesting. I still disagree with the Xingyin about

Wenshi, I think he was pretty reasonable and don't get why she hates him so much

but I'll still try the sequel 

作りたい女と食べたい女 1 by ゆざきさかおみ, Sakaomi Yuzaki

emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This was delightful! An adorable tale of two ladies who bond over food - Nomoto loves making tons of it and Kasuga loves eating huge amounts. I loved seeing them both be nervous about making a new friend as an adult (relatable!) and still reaching out to make it happen. This is also the start of a queer romance, and I'm looking forward to seeing that develop in future books. 

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 125, October 2020 by John Joseph Adams

3.5

Read "The Virtue of Unfaithful Translations" https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-virtue-of-unfaithful-translations/

A great fake academic history of a war averted by the translators colluding to change the translations of official missives to mislead rulers. Clever, cute, and with a great postscript 

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

3.5

Light and silly but overall didn't grab me. Definitely some stuff to catch on the second read if I wanted, now that I know the bug reveals 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent

スキップとローファー 1 [Skip to Loafer 1] by Misaki Takamatsu

lighthearted reflective relaxing

4.0

I enjoyed this! A light, relatively quick read. The main character is trying to fit in at her new Tokyo high school after moving from a more rural area. It's a lot of fun to meet her classmates and their different opinions of each other. Everybody has nuance, and it's funny along the way.

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

adventurous challenging dark mysterious

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I don't know what to say about this book. It's a fascinating and bizarre blend of fantasy and modern. The main character has no shadow and meets his boyfriend on a dating app. The world is simultaneously familiar and strange. 

I absolutely did not see the reveal on who the narrator was<spoiler/>