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jaybird_reads's reviews
13 reviews
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
adventurous
dark
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Read the book you will NOT regret it!! A dark, gorey fantasy with a cast of fully dimensional female characters and a well-done enemies-to-lovers romance. I don’t even want to say much else because it’s just such a good read. I loved the main character and the love interest is babygirl to me!!
Readers who dislike religion (even in the fictional setting) may want to pass this one over because it’s such a heavy theme but I thought it was delicious.
The critique: the author LOVES purple prose and cannot stop herself from writing as many metaphors as possible. This is a pro or con depending on personal taste imo.
PS there’s a pronunciation guide at the back of the book lol
Readers who dislike religion (even in the fictional setting) may want to pass this one over because it’s such a heavy theme but I thought it was delicious.
The critique: the author LOVES purple prose and cannot stop herself from writing as many metaphors as possible. This is a pro or con depending on personal taste imo.
PS there’s a pronunciation guide at the back of the book lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit
Ariah by B.R. Sanders
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A wonderful creation of fantasy cultures and settings, and an exploration of different forms of intimacy that I haven’t seen in any other book.
It takes a moment to be pulled into the narrative style, but it’s well worth the read! Once you get to Sorcha everything is great. The book is far more character driven than plot driven, but we are shown a vast amount of the fantasy world that Sanders has created.
Main gripe is a lack of strong female characters. Lots of gay men but no gay women, let alone women that actually talk to each other.
It takes a moment to be pulled into the narrative style, but it’s well worth the read! Once you get to Sorcha everything is great. The book is far more character driven than plot driven, but we are shown a vast amount of the fantasy world that Sanders has created.
Main gripe is a lack of strong female characters. Lots of gay men but no gay women, let alone women that actually talk to each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was the first book that made me find my love for reading again after years of missing that old friend. It is also possibly the first time I’ve felt particularly seen by a book. The PNW setting probably encouraged this.
Lund’s work is beautifully crafted. Her narrative style feels unique in the best way, and she creates a vivid setting and cast of characters.
Toxic and healthy masculinity are key focuses in this book, which I haven’t seen other reviews mention. The “lineage of men who take up space” versus Owen’s uncle telling him that his (Owen’s) father was “like us. Gentle.”, followed by the entire character of Clyde are my favored bits of that.
I’ve seen many people ask what exactly the bird is supposed to symbolize if the other queer characters don’t have one, but I think it’s fairly obvious that the bird is symbolic of being transgender (I mean just read Lund’s interview at the end.) Even if Owen himself isn’t trans, the feeling of being different from everyone around you and having to hide that fact from those peers and also institutions of power (Army of Acronyms) is very much the trans experience, especially since despite all of this pain that Gail causes Owen, Owen loves Gail and could literally not live without her.
The biggest treasure of this book are the character relationships and Owen himself.
Lund’s work is beautifully crafted. Her narrative style feels unique in the best way, and she creates a vivid setting and cast of characters.
Toxic and healthy masculinity are key focuses in this book, which I haven’t seen other reviews mention. The “lineage of men who take up space” versus Owen’s uncle telling him that his (Owen’s) father was “like us. Gentle.”, followed by the entire character of Clyde are my favored bits of that.
I’ve seen many people ask what exactly the bird is supposed to symbolize if the other queer characters don’t have one, but I think it’s fairly obvious that the bird is symbolic of being transgender (I mean just read Lund’s interview at the end.) Even if Owen himself isn’t trans, the feeling of being different from everyone around you and having to hide that fact from those peers and also institutions of power (Army of Acronyms) is very much the trans experience, especially since despite all of this pain that Gail causes Owen, Owen loves Gail and could literally not live without her.
The biggest treasure of this book are the character relationships and Owen himself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury