ladybird4prez's reviews
132 reviews

Oath of Fire by K. Arsenault Rivera

3.0

Psyche is a therapist and influencer feeling a little lost after losing her job, ruining her reputation, and having issues with her family. When she receives a personal invitation to a mysterious party from an alluring stranger, she figures she has nothing to lose. The party is more than just a little mysterious, as Psyche finds herself thrown into the world of Courts, suddenly surrounded by entirely new worlds, oaths, gods, and plenty of new rules. Among the gods is Eros, the embodiment of passion, desire, and love itself. Eros is instantly drawn to Psyche and her interest is only further piqued by Psyche’s boldness and selflessness, even when it comes to gods, and she immediately swears an oath to protect her. Psyche becomes further entwined with Eros and consequently, the rest of the gods as well.

I should probably preface this by saying I don’t tend to read fantasy. However, I’m willing to give any genre a shot, as long as it’s queer, so I was still interested in this. I thought some aspects ended up falling flat though and probably made it more of a 2.5 star read for me. 

One thing I loved was Eros’ devotion to Psyche, but it would’ve been more impactful if their relationship had felt more developed. I get that she’s a god so things are going to play out a little differently and develop more quickly, but as a reader, to feel more invested, I need them to have more of a reason for being so devoted to each other. The oath sort of gets rid of that need but again, from the outside, I need more. Having a deeper development for them would’ve made the more emotional scenes hit harder. 

I also had an issue with the occasional overly ornate prose. I could’ve understood if it came more from the gods, but it would just be thrown in completely random, simple scenes like Psyche going to sleep. I did like the way the gods and their Courts were described though. Like I said, I don’t read much fantasy, so I could have easily had difficulty picturing some of the aspects, but I think everything was detailed enough to really allow me to imagine how grand, fantastical, and otherwordly everything looked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Exes & Foes by Amanda Woody

3.0

Caleb and Emma used to be best friends until a sudden falling out led to them avoid speaking to each other at all costs. However, they can’t keep avoiding each other when they both have to confront a bully who’s targeting the new girl, Juliet. The ex-friends are both instantly drawn to Juliet and devise a competition to see who can win her over first.

I don’t know why the premise of two people competing over a mutual love interest ultimately for the other’s attention always sounds so compelling in a book description, only to be a bit disappointing in practice. To be fair, every character acknowledges how gross it is, but that doesn’t stop anything. Besides being slightly off-putting, it also doesn’t allow for the love interest, Juliet, to have a personality for most of the book because she’s only there to serve as a propellant for the two MCs relationship. Caleb and Emma seem to immediately fall in love with Juliet for no reason other than she’s pretty and so unbelievably ~quirky~. I understand why she felt so unconfident and was self-deprecating but it felt a bit grating to read, and I couldn’t understand why it was supposedly so endearing. 

Like in Amanda Woody’s debut, They Hate Each Other, both MCs have heavy issues to deal with, and it’s nice to see how Caleb and Emma develop individually and support each other while working through everything. There were a few moments that made me laugh, and I know from THEO how funny Woody is, but I think maybe the whole quirkiness factor weighed that down in Exes & Foes. There wasn’t as much opportunity for their humor to shine through here.

My favorite character was hands down Caleb’s mom. She was about to make me cry with how loving, supportive, and caring she was, and I just really loved her. I also thought the friend group that started forming had a lot of potential, and I would’ve appreciated seeing more of them. Overall, I thought there were some sweet and interesting characters and dynamics that may have had more of a chance to shine with possibly a different handling of the premise and some further character development. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All Hail the Underdogs by E.L. Massey

This was cute, but I had forgotten the details of the book description by the time it came off hold at my library and I just dove right in. So, I was very thrown off when it was mentioned they were still in high school. This fact only became more surprising considering the responsibilities they took on later. These are actual babies doing all this? I get why they wanted to, but I don’t know if it’s all that realistic. Also, it’s extremely light on the hockey. In fact, Maura’s signature Habs hat may be the most consistent hockey we get. The pacing and development felt a bit off at the beginning but I thought it started improving, only for the latter half to delve into everything I thought was unrealistic for teenagers. Also felt like maybe some aspects and characters were underdeveloped, but I think I felt that way about the first book in the series too. 
I guess I’m never beating the heartless allegations but I swear it was cute! I kept picking it up! I just don’t know how I feel about it altogether.

The War Poems by Siegfried Sassoon

dark emotional reflective

5.0

Raw, poignant, incisive, mournful, and unrelenting, Sassoon details his time in the war (and the haunting aftereffects) through this collection of piercing poems.

The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh

informative reflective slow-paced

A semi-autobiographical story/account of the English Public School system that could only be written by someone simultaneously nostalgic for his time at the school and bemoaning the disillusionment with the system experienced near the end of his time there. The sheer level of detail seems to be shaped by Waugh’s nostalgia. It’s so detailed, in fact, that it reaches the point of monotony, especially when it comes to the recounts of all the sporting matches. This makes for a bit of a slow read, but again, I get the sense that this amount of detail only comes from a place of sentimentality. The characters are also all overly concerned with sports, which may explain its heavy focus, as well. 

The accounts of daily life are interspersed with explicit critiques of the school system, and it’s interesting to see these alongside each other. Considering this was written before Waugh entered the army, all the mixed feelings make sense. Nostalgic for “simpler” times while reflecting on all the failings of the school’s culture and the school system, itself. Lamenting the time lost focusing on inconsequential schoolwork, pranks, sports, house loyalties, etc., now to be sent to the trenches. Reckoning with the system meant to set you up to be a successful adult, and “coming of age” at a time when it’s more likely that you’ll never even reach adulthood.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

I don’t think I would’ve picked this up on my own, but I read this for a book club, and I feel like maybe I’m heartless for not loving this? The children are certainly endearing and it’s sweet, but I kept having to check if this was a children’s book. All the moral lessons lacked any subtlety and felt repetitive. It also felt like there was no faith in the readers being able to make connections ourselves, and everything had to be spelled out.

Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu

funny hopeful lighthearted

Cuteee!! I really think I liked this one a lot better than the first one. It has a more cohesive structure that allows storylines to develop over several comics instead of cutting each one off to fit into a single comic. I thought this one was funnier and I laughed out loud multiple times. Also, I’m sure already knowing the character only furthered my enjoyment. This was also longer which worked better to get to know Bitty and everyone but I didn’t know I had gotten to the last page and got sad when I realized it was over :( 

Absolutely sugary sweet but it does deal with some real issues. The difference an accepting environment and family and friends can make, what it means to put yourself out there in order to be a role model for others, and how risking everything to be your true self can end up shifting a culture. 

Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

funny hopeful lighthearted

I wanted to read both books before I wrote a review and after reading the second, I do think this one has a bit more of a disjointed storytelling structure. This friend group is very charming but I felt the way each comic was spread out took away a lot of context and any time that could’ve been spent getting to know the characters better. The tweets at the end actually helped fill in some of the gaps though (but wow Bitty tweets way too much😭). I still don’t really know how to rate graphic novels though. 

Overall, just a really fun, cutesy, what if this super bro-y group of hockey players were really wholesome actually, little comic collection. 

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

This has a lot going on which, in a way, provides a feeling of authenticity but also feels cramped and unfocused at times. But this touches on several aspects of growing up queer and I think brings some unique perspectives to queer literature. I know this must be a story close to the author’s heart, and you can tell by how much nuance and complexity these characters are portrayed with.

The specific isolation that comes with trying to figure out your gender as well as your sexuality. Having a deep, all-consuming feeling that you’re queer, but appearing straight to everyone else. Maybe not even being able to parse the intricacies of your identity, especially if you have no models to help you understand yourself. The loneliness of being a queer teen and falling into weird, intense, psychosexual obsessive relationships with the only other queer people at your school. I actually wasn’t expecting this to be so dark but James Frankie Thomas fully leaned into the intensity of these relationships. I think that was what kept me so engrossed in the story. Everyone was manipulative and secretive and selfish and mean and struggling and lonely. Or maybe it was just the inherent dark energy of theatre kids (kiddinggg).

When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History by Hugh Ryan

informative reflective

Well-researched, informative, and engaging, When Brooklyn Was Queer provides a look into decades of long-forgotten and erased history of often overlooked, vibrant queer communities. It was fascinating to learn about the oscillating LGBTQ+ acceptance as impacted by wars, economic opportunities, gentrification, suburbanization, moral policing, eugenics, and our understanding of gender, sex, and sexual orientation as separate but related concepts. Through it all, queer love or “the resourcefulness of queer desire,” as Hugh Ryan puts it, persisted, despite large barriers, heavy setbacks, and attacks on the community.

Ryan does a great job of exploring the rich queer history of Brooklyn. Still, it’s frustrating to think about just how much history was lost because queer people’s experiences weren’t properly recorded, preserved, or valued. I love what he said in the epilogue though, that he looks forward “to having a future where we already have a past.”