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ironfang's reviews
26 reviews
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
5.0
(4.5, rounded up)
Short and sweet: beautifully written and a complicated sapphic romance. Really adored going into this with very little knowledge of where the plot was going.
Short and sweet: beautifully written and a complicated sapphic romance. Really adored going into this with very little knowledge of where the plot was going.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
3.0
I didn’t mesh super well with the pacing personally, though I did find that the second half of the book picked up for me. Yetu’s experiences with the memory of grief and trangenerational trauma through the lens of mercreature existence was interesting, as were similar experiences with supporting characters.
Despite not clicking with the writing style 100% this is a hauntingly written book and I would recommend it if the premise of it speaks to you! Super strong concept that I felt the writing did not completely deliver on at times.
Despite not clicking with the writing style 100% this is a hauntingly written book and I would recommend it if the premise of it speaks to you! Super strong concept that I felt the writing did not completely deliver on at times.
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
5.0
Really dithered on the rating for this but settled on 5 as of my admittedly limited reading on asexuality and ace issues this is currently the one I consider the best. May revisit that in the future.
An informative book without feeling dry, with a nice combination of anecdotal narratives from people from multiple demographics and some interesting discussions about asexuality and intersectionality. As an ace reader I personally feel that a strong book involving my specific sexuality is one that both feels validating and also leaves me with more to consider about the experiences of others which this book did deliver on.
With a good combination of basic introductory elements and digging into more specific aspects of ace experience I feel this is a good place to start if asexuality is something a reader is unfamiliar with (and an interesting read if you’re ace, because it’s obviously not a universal experience!)
An informative book without feeling dry, with a nice combination of anecdotal narratives from people from multiple demographics and some interesting discussions about asexuality and intersectionality. As an ace reader I personally feel that a strong book involving my specific sexuality is one that both feels validating and also leaves me with more to consider about the experiences of others which this book did deliver on.
With a good combination of basic introductory elements and digging into more specific aspects of ace experience I feel this is a good place to start if asexuality is something a reader is unfamiliar with (and an interesting read if you’re ace, because it’s obviously not a universal experience!)
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
3.0
Although it’s a little before my time this captures the era really well and I enjoyed that thoroughly. Hendrix really captured the voice of a young girl through to her teenage years, leaving the chapters with a fun mix of young person “this is very serious” internal narrative over relatively mundane things and humour until things start to get much darker.
The way the bond between Abby and Gretchen through so much infuriating bullshit (and possession) was tested was fascinating, and I adored how much Abby’s connection with Gretchen came across. The writing did let me truly believe that she loved Gretchen (whether or not that’s intended to be romantic or not is YMMV I think).
Waffled between 3 and 4 stars, landed on 3 as I think there were little bits of narrative I didn’t super jive with. The ending bodied me in a way I wasn’t expecting though, really captured something melancholic and beautiful about being so entwined in someone else’s life. I think if the book had more of that I’d push it up a rating.
Partially listened to via audiobook, no complaints on the narration but nothing hugely stood out either.
The way the bond between Abby and Gretchen through so much infuriating bullshit (and possession) was tested was fascinating, and I adored how much Abby’s connection with Gretchen came across. The writing did let me truly believe that she loved Gretchen (whether or not that’s intended to be romantic or not is YMMV I think).
Waffled between 3 and 4 stars, landed on 3 as I think there were little bits of narrative I didn’t super jive with. The ending bodied me in a way I wasn’t expecting though, really captured something melancholic and beautiful about being so entwined in someone else’s life. I think if the book had more of that I’d push it up a rating.
Partially listened to via audiobook, no complaints on the narration but nothing hugely stood out either.
Welcome to Country youth edition by Marcia Langton
3.0
Writing this review a little early as the writing style is unlikely to change -
A very solid 3/5. An informative book but that's not always necessarily an interesting read.
The writing is very reminiscent of a textbook in many regards, which is fine if this is intended to be a reference material. If it is, it's a relatively effective one as the organisation of the book makes it easy enough to find what specific information you're looking for and I felt the information presented was fairly thorough. Welcome To Country definitely will teach you something, I'm confident of saying that regardless of someone's background.
Perhaps as an extension of feeling like a textbook, the general tone and writing of this book is incredibly dry. Sometimes, this felt entirely appropriate as it's difficult to discuss things such as the implications and significance of legal recognition in a way that isn't spending time telling the reader how property law or Native Title work, for example. However, feeling as though the chapters about art and performance that represent both present culture and some 65,000 years of human history were entirely uninspiring left me feeling like the writing style really missed the mark. This stood out to me particularly with the 'youth edition' label as while a lot of what the book covers is important and may not necessarily be covered thoroughly in schools, I don't feel the writing would really interest the average young person reading outside of being presented to them in lesson time.
I don't think I'd actively steer anyone away from picking this up if they have a genuine interest in what it covers, though. Definitely expect to treat it like a textbook despite being published by under a travel label though!
A very solid 3/5. An informative book but that's not always necessarily an interesting read.
The writing is very reminiscent of a textbook in many regards, which is fine if this is intended to be a reference material. If it is, it's a relatively effective one as the organisation of the book makes it easy enough to find what specific information you're looking for and I felt the information presented was fairly thorough. Welcome To Country definitely will teach you something, I'm confident of saying that regardless of someone's background.
Perhaps as an extension of feeling like a textbook, the general tone and writing of this book is incredibly dry. Sometimes, this felt entirely appropriate as it's difficult to discuss things such as the implications and significance of legal recognition in a way that isn't spending time telling the reader how property law or Native Title work, for example. However, feeling as though the chapters about art and performance that represent both present culture and some 65,000 years of human history were entirely uninspiring left me feeling like the writing style really missed the mark. This stood out to me particularly with the 'youth edition' label as while a lot of what the book covers is important and may not necessarily be covered thoroughly in schools, I don't feel the writing would really interest the average young person reading outside of being presented to them in lesson time.
I don't think I'd actively steer anyone away from picking this up if they have a genuine interest in what it covers, though. Definitely expect to treat it like a textbook despite being published by under a travel label though!
Tentacles & Triathlons by Ashley Bennett
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
No rating as I don’t feel I read enough to give one
Putting this on the DNF shelf after a few months of making no progress and having no motivation to do so. Did not especially love either viewpoint character as they both felt a bit flat and my interest in romance heavy books lives and dies on whether I feel the characters have solid chemistry. Coupled with a couple of tropes I don’t love and it wasn’t enough for me to get into.
Three cheers for gay monster/human romance though and I’m sure this is someone’s cup of tea, just not mine!
Putting this on the DNF shelf after a few months of making no progress and having no motivation to do so. Did not especially love either viewpoint character as they both felt a bit flat and my interest in romance heavy books lives and dies on whether I feel the characters have solid chemistry. Coupled with a couple of tropes I don’t love and it wasn’t enough for me to get into.
Three cheers for gay monster/human romance though and I’m sure this is someone’s cup of tea, just not mine!