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laurel00's reviews
319 reviews
Graveyard of Lost Children by Katrina Monroe
dark
emotional
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
You know when you finish a book, and it dawns on you that you've just had the privilege of experiencing absolute genius? Or when a book makes you remember all over again why you love a specific genre? Monroe did all of that and more with this true gem of horror and literature.
This novel in particular was personally horrifying to me. I am terrified of the very concept of motherhood, and I never want to experience it myself, as just the thought of being pregnant or having to raise a child sends a shiver down my spine. So this book was essentially my biggest fears staring back at me through the pages. And usually I would think that this kind of story is so far removed from my existence that it wouldn't actually affect me that much. However, having a queer woman take on that bone chilling role of motherhood and seeing from the beginning how terrified she was of being a mother, made her extremely relatable to me and I found it impossible to remove myself from the narrative. I felt so deeply connected to her and it made the entire reading experience so incredibly potent.
Of course, as I do with every horror novel, I read this in the pitch darkness of my bedroom, with nothing but one creepy candle by my bedside and my chilling horror album to keep my company. And I have genuinely been haunted for the past couple of weeks. I see the monster from this story in the corner of my eye and in every dark shadowy space. My brain makes up jump scares that take me by surprise on random brightly lit weekday afternoons. For most I would assume that this would not be a positive thing, but I have had such a fun and exciting experience with this. And the only reason it took me so long to get through it is that it was quite emotionally draining, and I needed to take my time to understand the depth of every message Monroe communicates to the reader.
Monroe also makes a genius literary choice by having Olivia's chapters, the young mother, be written in third person POV and Shannon's, the older mother, in first person POV. It so completely skewed with your perception of who was losing their sanity, who could be trusted, who was lying, and who was seeing the truth. It was so effective and it was only when I was discussing the book with a friend that I even realized that there was a POV switch, and just how incredible of a move it was.
The whole book is an amazing allegory for the complexities of motherhood: the way others treat you, the way you start to treat yourself, the doubt, the fear, the unwavering and unconditional love you have for your child and how that very love is the most terrifying thing a human can experience. I really do not have a better word for this novel other than simply genius.
I cannot recommend it enough and I will be thinking about this book, probably forever. It's going straight to the top of my horror recommendation list and I will scream about it until I have run out of breath.
Source: NetGalley
This novel in particular was personally horrifying to me. I am terrified of the very concept of motherhood, and I never want to experience it myself, as just the thought of being pregnant or having to raise a child sends a shiver down my spine. So this book was essentially my biggest fears staring back at me through the pages. And usually I would think that this kind of story is so far removed from my existence that it wouldn't actually affect me that much. However, having a queer woman take on that bone chilling role of motherhood and seeing from the beginning how terrified she was of being a mother, made her extremely relatable to me and I found it impossible to remove myself from the narrative. I felt so deeply connected to her and it made the entire reading experience so incredibly potent.
Of course, as I do with every horror novel, I read this in the pitch darkness of my bedroom, with nothing but one creepy candle by my bedside and my chilling horror album to keep my company. And I have genuinely been haunted for the past couple of weeks. I see the monster from this story in the corner of my eye and in every dark shadowy space. My brain makes up jump scares that take me by surprise on random brightly lit weekday afternoons. For most I would assume that this would not be a positive thing, but I have had such a fun and exciting experience with this. And the only reason it took me so long to get through it is that it was quite emotionally draining, and I needed to take my time to understand the depth of every message Monroe communicates to the reader.
Monroe also makes a genius literary choice by having Olivia's chapters, the young mother, be written in third person POV and Shannon's, the older mother, in first person POV. It so completely skewed with your perception of who was losing their sanity, who could be trusted, who was lying, and who was seeing the truth. It was so effective and it was only when I was discussing the book with a friend that I even realized that there was a POV switch, and just how incredible of a move it was.
The whole book is an amazing allegory for the complexities of motherhood: the way others treat you, the way you start to treat yourself, the doubt, the fear, the unwavering and unconditional love you have for your child and how that very love is the most terrifying thing a human can experience. I really do not have a better word for this novel other than simply genius.
I cannot recommend it enough and I will be thinking about this book, probably forever. It's going straight to the top of my horror recommendation list and I will scream about it until I have run out of breath.
Source: NetGalley
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall, I think Kuang did an amazing job with this book! I did have high expectations for it, and while I don't know if I could say it surpassed those expectations, I do think it is a great novel and absolutely worth the read.
The most noteworthy element of this story is June's absolutely unwavering hypocrisy. She lacks such a ridiculous amount of insight into her thoughts, values, ideas, but Kuang managed to write her in a way that isn't cartoonish or caricatural. There are definitely people in the world who have said the exact same things that June does in this book, which made her that much more infuriating of a character.
There are so many instances in which she directly contradicts herself, and yet consistently convinces herself that she is right. At times she criticizes a woman for being misogynistic towards her, but then proceeds to be just as, if not more misogynistic towards other women, specifically Asian women who do not agree with her. She claims that some authors are cancelled for the "right reasons" such as using racial slurs, but cannot in any way shape or form recognize that her actions were so much worse. Her story flips flops non stop between "I never stole from Athena" to "This was a collaboration" to "It's okay if I took her work, so that it could get published and seen by the world" to "Yes I did steal her story, but it's fine because Athena stole from everyone too, myself included". And not once does she recognize how contradictory and hypocritical she is being all throughout the story. It was extremely effective and evocative as a novel.
I will say, although it is hard to compare books throughout different genres, I did miss Kuang's usual prose. This is a contemporary novel, and doesn't have quite as lyrical of a narrative voice. And while I understand that stylistic choice, one of the reasons The Poppy War is one of my favourite novels is specifically for the writing and how much it made me feel. I didn't have quite that same experience with Yellowface, and I don't think it necessarily set out to give me that, but I did feel like the story was dragging on and getting a little redundant at times.
Nonetheless, I absolutely, 100% do recommend this novel!
Source: NetGalley
The most noteworthy element of this story is June's absolutely unwavering hypocrisy. She lacks such a ridiculous amount of insight into her thoughts, values, ideas, but Kuang managed to write her in a way that isn't cartoonish or caricatural. There are definitely people in the world who have said the exact same things that June does in this book, which made her that much more infuriating of a character.
There are so many instances in which she directly contradicts herself, and yet consistently convinces herself that she is right. At times she criticizes a woman for being misogynistic towards her, but then proceeds to be just as, if not more misogynistic towards other women, specifically Asian women who do not agree with her. She claims that some authors are cancelled for the "right reasons" such as using racial slurs, but cannot in any way shape or form recognize that her actions were so much worse. Her story flips flops non stop between "I never stole from Athena" to "This was a collaboration" to "It's okay if I took her work, so that it could get published and seen by the world" to "Yes I did steal her story, but it's fine because Athena stole from everyone too, myself included". And not once does she recognize how contradictory and hypocritical she is being all throughout the story. It was extremely effective and evocative as a novel.
I will say, although it is hard to compare books throughout different genres, I did miss Kuang's usual prose. This is a contemporary novel, and doesn't have quite as lyrical of a narrative voice. And while I understand that stylistic choice, one of the reasons The Poppy War is one of my favourite novels is specifically for the writing and how much it made me feel. I didn't have quite that same experience with Yellowface, and I don't think it necessarily set out to give me that, but I did feel like the story was dragging on and getting a little redundant at times.
Nonetheless, I absolutely, 100% do recommend this novel!
Source: NetGalley
Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
"And don't ever get to the end of anything wishing you'd done more. Felt more."
I knew this was going to make me emotional, because the author's note already had me in tears, and I am happy to confirm that Villa really did deliver on vulnerability, pain, and hope.
There are some truly beautiful passages in this book, the writing hits deep into your soul. The way that the characters talk about love and family and belonging made me feel so much, it was such an amazing experience. I loved all the types of relationships that were highlighted in this, from passionate romance, to protective family ties, to unwaveringly reliable friendships. It just felt so good to put yourself in the main characters' shoes and feel surrounded by all the love they have in their life.
Of course, as beautiful and full of love as this book was, it was also filled with some very authentic, very distressing realities. And I think Villa did a great job of showcasing those realities, of getting the pain and the fear and the panic that the characters experience across to the reader. It was heartbreaking, and the last 80 pages or so had me sobbing my way through half a tissue box. And I appreciate that while the novel stayed true to the realities of our world and didn't perfectly resolve all our characters' issues in a miraculous flick of a magic wand, it did also create a sense of hope and possibility that I absolutely adored.
My one "issue" with this book was the pacing. And I put "issue" in quotes because I think some people may actually see this as a positive selling point for them. But there were definitely some chapters in the middle of the story that I found were kind of unnecessary. It was very slice-of-life for a moment, which isn't bad in and of itself, it just didn't do much for me. It didn't give me any new insight into our main character or their relationships or their future or any other part of the plot, message, or character development. (view spoiler) But there was definitely a moment while I was reading that I was considering rating this 3.5 stars or even DNFing it. The ending completely redeemed it for me, so I am confident in giving it 4.25 stars now, but the pacing did get in the way of my reading experience.
All that being said, I do absolutely recommend this novel and I am so happy that I had the chance to pick this up.
Source: NetGalley
I knew this was going to make me emotional, because the author's note already had me in tears, and I am happy to confirm that Villa really did deliver on vulnerability, pain, and hope.
There are some truly beautiful passages in this book, the writing hits deep into your soul. The way that the characters talk about love and family and belonging made me feel so much, it was such an amazing experience. I loved all the types of relationships that were highlighted in this, from passionate romance, to protective family ties, to unwaveringly reliable friendships. It just felt so good to put yourself in the main characters' shoes and feel surrounded by all the love they have in their life.
Of course, as beautiful and full of love as this book was, it was also filled with some very authentic, very distressing realities. And I think Villa did a great job of showcasing those realities, of getting the pain and the fear and the panic that the characters experience across to the reader. It was heartbreaking, and the last 80 pages or so had me sobbing my way through half a tissue box. And I appreciate that while the novel stayed true to the realities of our world and didn't perfectly resolve all our characters' issues in a miraculous flick of a magic wand, it did also create a sense of hope and possibility that I absolutely adored.
My one "issue" with this book was the pacing. And I put "issue" in quotes because I think some people may actually see this as a positive selling point for them. But there were definitely some chapters in the middle of the story that I found were kind of unnecessary. It was very slice-of-life for a moment, which isn't bad in and of itself, it just didn't do much for me. It didn't give me any new insight into our main character or their relationships or their future or any other part of the plot, message, or character development. (view spoiler) But there was definitely a moment while I was reading that I was considering rating this 3.5 stars or even DNFing it. The ending completely redeemed it for me, so I am confident in giving it 4.25 stars now, but the pacing did get in the way of my reading experience.
All that being said, I do absolutely recommend this novel and I am so happy that I had the chance to pick this up.
Source: NetGalley
Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
So, I have to admit, I was actually pleasantly surprised by this!
I was super excited to get an arc of this book, but it was more because of what it represented and how iconic the idea of it was. Once I actually started reading it, it immediately dawned on me that, as talented of a singer-songwriter Kiyoko may be, this is not an author who has been honing their writing craft for years.
The beginning did feel quite slow and I wasn't expecting a whole lot, plot-wise. But at about the 25% mark, we started to discover more about our MC, and I became actually quite wrapped up in her story. I will say that, in fact, I far and above preferred reading about the MC's relationship with her parents and her emotional journey towards accepting that she is loved, rather than the main romance plot.
Maybe not the deepest, most complex novel I've ever picked up, but I will admit that I shed a couple of tears, the book itself is a fast and easy read, and had fun with it! It was nice to remember parts of the music video that were directly referenced or copied in the book, so I think it accomplished what it set out to do.
That being said, the writing does need work. There were definitely some moments that I kind of sped through because the writing wasn't at the caliber necessary to get me to feel the full weight of emotions that I was supposed to be feeling. There were some big climaxes and confessions that fell kind of flat for me.
The quality of the writing also fluctuated a lot, which threw me off. There were some scenes or passages that I thought were actually really well written, and the very next chapter, it would fall back into awkward, clunky narration and dialogue. The ending also felt very rushed, and the rest of the novel wasn't good enough to make up for a too-quick conclusion, so the whole thing felt quite anticlimactic.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to just anyone, but if you go into it specifically expecting a book-version of the Girls Like Girls music video and that's want you want, I think you'd enjoy yourself and have fun with it!
Thank you so much, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for an advance reader copy of this novel. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was super excited to get an arc of this book, but it was more because of what it represented and how iconic the idea of it was. Once I actually started reading it, it immediately dawned on me that, as talented of a singer-songwriter Kiyoko may be, this is not an author who has been honing their writing craft for years.
The beginning did feel quite slow and I wasn't expecting a whole lot, plot-wise. But at about the 25% mark, we started to discover more about our MC, and I became actually quite wrapped up in her story. I will say that, in fact, I far and above preferred reading about the MC's relationship with her parents and her emotional journey towards accepting that she is loved, rather than the main romance plot.
Maybe not the deepest, most complex novel I've ever picked up, but I will admit that I shed a couple of tears, the book itself is a fast and easy read, and had fun with it! It was nice to remember parts of the music video that were directly referenced or copied in the book, so I think it accomplished what it set out to do.
That being said, the writing does need work. There were definitely some moments that I kind of sped through because the writing wasn't at the caliber necessary to get me to feel the full weight of emotions that I was supposed to be feeling. There were some big climaxes and confessions that fell kind of flat for me.
The quality of the writing also fluctuated a lot, which threw me off. There were some scenes or passages that I thought were actually really well written, and the very next chapter, it would fall back into awkward, clunky narration and dialogue. The ending also felt very rushed, and the rest of the novel wasn't good enough to make up for a too-quick conclusion, so the whole thing felt quite anticlimactic.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to just anyone, but if you go into it specifically expecting a book-version of the Girls Like Girls music video and that's want you want, I think you'd enjoy yourself and have fun with it!
Thank you so much, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for an advance reader copy of this novel. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude
emotional
hopeful
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I'm... speechless.
I genuinely don't think I have the words to express the effect this book had on me. I am exhausted. I suddenly believe in true love. How am I supposed to go on just living my day-to-day as if the trajectory of my very existence hasn't completely shifted? I'm going to message everyone I have ever known and tell them I love them. I am nothing but the shell of a man, and yet simultaneously I feel like I have finally discovered the true meaning of life.
This book drained me of everything that I have. I know I'm an easy crier when I read, but for a novel to make me not just shed a few tears, but full on sob from the very first page to the last... Before the first page actually, because just from the author's note I was already in shambles. It's for sure one of my top reads this year (and possibly, ever) and it's going to be so incredibly difficult for another book to top it. Thank you, Jen St. Jude, for the experience of a lifetime, truly.
I loved everything about this of course: the premise, the characters, the relationships—the family dynamics, the friendships, the romance. Even though I couldn't necessarily relate to everything the main character was going through, every line hit so deep and so personal, I felt it in my bones. It definitely touches on a lot of heavy themes, but I think St. Jude did an amazing job with all of it. The way they wrote the main character's depression and her religious trauma... it's hard to say that it was "wonderful" because that's such a positive word for an otherwise terribly devastating life experience, but their writing skills really are stellar.
I also have to shout out St. Jude for writing a butch love interest in such a beautiful way. For making her her own person with her own story and an existence outside of the main character's life. For using the term "butch" often, and for letting the main character call her "handsome" on multiple occasions. For showcasing a relationship with gender and masculinity that, even though it wasn't a central plot point, was touching and realistic.
This book is simultaneously one of the most heartbreaking, soul shattering, depressing books I have ever picked up, as well as one of the most hopeful and beautiful things I have ever read. I feel like my entire body doesn't know how to react to what I just experienced other than crying some more.
I really don't have more words to describe this book. I'm going to be talking about this non-stop, probably for the rest of my life. I don't know if I have ever so confidently recommended a novel. This is, truthfully, a spectacular piece of literature.
Source: NetGalley
I genuinely don't think I have the words to express the effect this book had on me. I am exhausted. I suddenly believe in true love. How am I supposed to go on just living my day-to-day as if the trajectory of my very existence hasn't completely shifted? I'm going to message everyone I have ever known and tell them I love them. I am nothing but the shell of a man, and yet simultaneously I feel like I have finally discovered the true meaning of life.
This book drained me of everything that I have. I know I'm an easy crier when I read, but for a novel to make me not just shed a few tears, but full on sob from the very first page to the last... Before the first page actually, because just from the author's note I was already in shambles. It's for sure one of my top reads this year (and possibly, ever) and it's going to be so incredibly difficult for another book to top it. Thank you, Jen St. Jude, for the experience of a lifetime, truly.
I loved everything about this of course: the premise, the characters, the relationships—the family dynamics, the friendships, the romance. Even though I couldn't necessarily relate to everything the main character was going through, every line hit so deep and so personal, I felt it in my bones. It definitely touches on a lot of heavy themes, but I think St. Jude did an amazing job with all of it. The way they wrote the main character's depression and her religious trauma... it's hard to say that it was "wonderful" because that's such a positive word for an otherwise terribly devastating life experience, but their writing skills really are stellar.
I also have to shout out St. Jude for writing a butch love interest in such a beautiful way. For making her her own person with her own story and an existence outside of the main character's life. For using the term "butch" often, and for letting the main character call her "handsome" on multiple occasions. For showcasing a relationship with gender and masculinity that, even though it wasn't a central plot point, was touching and realistic.
This book is simultaneously one of the most heartbreaking, soul shattering, depressing books I have ever picked up, as well as one of the most hopeful and beautiful things I have ever read. I feel like my entire body doesn't know how to react to what I just experienced other than crying some more.
I really don't have more words to describe this book. I'm going to be talking about this non-stop, probably for the rest of my life. I don't know if I have ever so confidently recommended a novel. This is, truthfully, a spectacular piece of literature.
Source: NetGalley
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I had so much fun with this! I think it does a really good job of setting up a horror / comedy setting that is indeed funny without taking away from the otherwise horrific imagery or the depth of the story.
I also think that it's a great novel for people to pick up when they're just starting to discover horror fiction. It really effectively showcases the relationship between queerness and monstrosity, which is in itself so central to the genre as a whole. It's laid out really obviously in this book, without however being too overtly simplistic. There's a lot of great passages that hit deep, especially as a queer person, with regards to the feeling of being ostracized, pushed to the outskirts of society, forced to announce and expose yourself "for the safety of others". I loved the whole allegory and it's definitely all that more effective with the main characters all being queer themselves.
Which leads me to the main group of girls: I loved them. I really did. I loved that they were all dealing with their "monstrosity" in very different ways. They had very different relationships with their sense of self as well as with other people around them. They viewed their ghoulishness through such different (and at times opposing) lenses. Once again, I think it tied in super well with the queer allegory and it made it really easy to fall in love with each one of them. Cottingham did a great job of diving into each of their backstories without dragging the worldbuilding along too much. And of course, I adored their friendship and the unconditional love they have for one another. It was super sweet and brought tears to my eyes more than once.
However, I will say that some of the book was a little too on the nose for me. The comparison to COVID was very clearly obvious, but I also feel like there wasn't much to be said about that specific theme. I don't know if the novel really added anything to the conversation and it did kind of feel like just a random nod the pandemic. Some of the passages read like "oh hey this is kinda like that thing we've all been living through the past few years! funny!" and it just felt kind of awkward. I would've appreciated just a bit more subtext or at least a more specific reason to have made the comparison in the first place.
And a lot of the elements brought up in the book (people wanting the ghouls to identify themselves in some obvious way so that "regular" people can protect themselves—even though it isn't contagious—, people claiming that ghouls are an abomination to god, parents disowning their ghoulish children) didn't really fit into the COVID narrative. In fact, to me, it would have made way more sense as an allegory for the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Actually, for a big chunk of the novel, I genuinely thought that was the point of the book. But based one what I've seen from Cottingham, their focus was really on COVID and I just don't know what the point of that general reference was.
All in all, I do absolutely recommend the novel, especially for readers who are new to the horror genre, and I had a lot of fun with it! But I do think there were some ideas that could have been better executed.
Source: NetGalley
I also think that it's a great novel for people to pick up when they're just starting to discover horror fiction. It really effectively showcases the relationship between queerness and monstrosity, which is in itself so central to the genre as a whole. It's laid out really obviously in this book, without however being too overtly simplistic. There's a lot of great passages that hit deep, especially as a queer person, with regards to the feeling of being ostracized, pushed to the outskirts of society, forced to announce and expose yourself "for the safety of others". I loved the whole allegory and it's definitely all that more effective with the main characters all being queer themselves.
Which leads me to the main group of girls: I loved them. I really did. I loved that they were all dealing with their "monstrosity" in very different ways. They had very different relationships with their sense of self as well as with other people around them. They viewed their ghoulishness through such different (and at times opposing) lenses. Once again, I think it tied in super well with the queer allegory and it made it really easy to fall in love with each one of them. Cottingham did a great job of diving into each of their backstories without dragging the worldbuilding along too much. And of course, I adored their friendship and the unconditional love they have for one another. It was super sweet and brought tears to my eyes more than once.
However, I will say that some of the book was a little too on the nose for me. The comparison to COVID was very clearly obvious, but I also feel like there wasn't much to be said about that specific theme. I don't know if the novel really added anything to the conversation and it did kind of feel like just a random nod the pandemic. Some of the passages read like "oh hey this is kinda like that thing we've all been living through the past few years! funny!" and it just felt kind of awkward. I would've appreciated just a bit more subtext or at least a more specific reason to have made the comparison in the first place.
And a lot of the elements brought up in the book (people wanting the ghouls to identify themselves in some obvious way so that "regular" people can protect themselves—even though it isn't contagious—, people claiming that ghouls are an abomination to god, parents disowning their ghoulish children) didn't really fit into the COVID narrative. In fact, to me, it would have made way more sense as an allegory for the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Actually, for a big chunk of the novel, I genuinely thought that was the point of the book. But based one what I've seen from Cottingham, their focus was really on COVID and I just don't know what the point of that general reference was.
All in all, I do absolutely recommend the novel, especially for readers who are new to the horror genre, and I had a lot of fun with it! But I do think there were some ideas that could have been better executed.
Source: NetGalley
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This was so cute, I loved it!
Small disclaimer: I think I would have liked this more had I not already read The Henna Wars. Inevitably I was going to compare the two books, and The Henna Wars just means so much to me. It fundamentally changed me as a person, but Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating didn't have quite that same effect on me. It's still a good book and I still had a lot of fun with it and it still definitely made me emotional. But it had big shoes to fill and it didn't quite meet the mark.
That being said, Jaigirdar is a genius when it comes to writing genuinely hate-inspiring characters. Aisling, Deirdre, the goddamn school principal... I was listening to the audiobook on my commute and developing a truly bone-chilling loathing for them at like 8am on a Tuesday. Every time they so much as breathed in Hani or Ishu's general direction I would feel myself seething. I almost wanted more from the ending of the novel, revenge-wise, but I understand that this is a YA contemporary romance and not an adult high-fantasy war story so... Nonetheless, hats off to Jaigirdar for some extremely effective writing.
The best character is by far, no competition, Hani's mom. I love her to death, with every cell in my body and every fiber of my being. Most of the time that I teared up while reading this was when her mom was just being a generally comforting presence for her daughter and the fact that she's not a real person who can give me a real hug is heart-wrenchingly devastating.
Of the two MCs, I think I prefer Ishu. I related to her story more, regarding her parents' expectations for her future and molding herself in ways that don't resemble her at all just to make them proud of accomplishments that, in the long run, really aren't all that important. I also think that she was just overall a more interesting character and, I have to admit, Hani kind of annoyed me sometimes.
Now, fair enough, they're high schoolers, so a lot of what she did does make sense and is very realistic. But it really did start to annoy me that she needed so much convincing to finally let go of her friends. I understand that her and Aisling have known each other for years and it's hard to let go of a friend, especially at that age. But I mean, how many people do these two girls have to screw over before Hani finally decides to stand up to them?
I did really like the conversations that the book tackled regarding bisexuality, doing things for yourself, prioritizing your happiness, not bending over backwards to have people (whether that be friends or family) respect and accept you.
I do think I started getting a bit bored at some point. I'm not sure if it's because I listened to the audiobook or if that would have been the case with a physical copy as well. I think the narrators did a good job and I appreciated the fact that the two POVs weren't voiced by the same person. So I have nothing specific to argue against the audiobook, I just feel like maybe I would have been more engaged in the story had I picked up the physical novel.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book, but it does take 2nd place for me behind The Henna Wars in my ranking of Jaigirdar's work.
Small disclaimer: I think I would have liked this more had I not already read The Henna Wars. Inevitably I was going to compare the two books, and The Henna Wars just means so much to me. It fundamentally changed me as a person, but Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating didn't have quite that same effect on me. It's still a good book and I still had a lot of fun with it and it still definitely made me emotional. But it had big shoes to fill and it didn't quite meet the mark.
That being said, Jaigirdar is a genius when it comes to writing genuinely hate-inspiring characters. Aisling, Deirdre, the goddamn school principal... I was listening to the audiobook on my commute and developing a truly bone-chilling loathing for them at like 8am on a Tuesday. Every time they so much as breathed in Hani or Ishu's general direction I would feel myself seething. I almost wanted more from the ending of the novel, revenge-wise, but I understand that this is a YA contemporary romance and not an adult high-fantasy war story so... Nonetheless, hats off to Jaigirdar for some extremely effective writing.
The best character is by far, no competition, Hani's mom. I love her to death, with every cell in my body and every fiber of my being. Most of the time that I teared up while reading this was when her mom was just being a generally comforting presence for her daughter and the fact that she's not a real person who can give me a real hug is heart-wrenchingly devastating.
Of the two MCs, I think I prefer Ishu. I related to her story more, regarding her parents' expectations for her future and molding herself in ways that don't resemble her at all just to make them proud of accomplishments that, in the long run, really aren't all that important. I also think that she was just overall a more interesting character and, I have to admit, Hani kind of annoyed me sometimes.
I did really like the conversations that the book tackled regarding bisexuality, doing things for yourself, prioritizing your happiness, not bending over backwards to have people (whether that be friends or family) respect and accept you.
I do think I started getting a bit bored at some point. I'm not sure if it's because I listened to the audiobook or if that would have been the case with a physical copy as well. I think the narrators did a good job and I appreciated the fact that the two POVs weren't voiced by the same person. So I have nothing specific to argue against the audiobook, I just feel like maybe I would have been more engaged in the story had I picked up the physical novel.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book, but it does take 2nd place for me behind The Henna Wars in my ranking of Jaigirdar's work.
This Is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
At first, I was having a lot of fun with this. I thought the characters were interesting, of course I loved all the queer and disability representation that was featured in the book. I was excited to see where exactly the story was going!
But a bit more than halfway through the novel, things started to get... weird. And listen, I am huge fan of weird. Things throwing me for a complete loop in the middle of a book is one of my favourite things to experience. But if you're going to do a switch like that, you need to make sure your writing is up to par. And sadly, I don't think that was the case here.
I haven't read any of Wilde's other works, so I'm only basing myself off of this novel, but I think their writing works great for regular, contemporary settings, and loses itself once the narrative deviates from that. The narration and the dialogue both suddenly felt really awkward and it took me out of the story. So, even though the things that were happening in the second half of the book were way crazier than in the beginning, it was somehow much more boring to read through. I became almost instantly unattached to the characters and I didn't really care what happened to them, which made the ending very anticlimactic.
I also am not a fan of books that try to send a message of some kind, but then explicitly spell out what the message is in the text itself. Even if it's a YA novel, I believe that you need to give your readers the opportunity to make the necessary connections and reach the important conclusions themselves through the storyline and the character development. If not, the writing feels lazy and weak.
I far and above preferred the first half of this book: just getting to know everyone and setting up the backstory. For a good portion of it, I was sure I was going to give this book a 4-star rating, and I was having a lot of fun! But upon having read the whole thing, the second part was so lackluster, I can't give this more than 3 stars.
Thank you Wednesday Books for an advance reader copy of this novel. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
But a bit more than halfway through the novel, things started to get... weird. And listen, I am huge fan of weird. Things throwing me for a complete loop in the middle of a book is one of my favourite things to experience. But if you're going to do a switch like that, you need to make sure your writing is up to par. And sadly, I don't think that was the case here.
I haven't read any of Wilde's other works, so I'm only basing myself off of this novel, but I think their writing works great for regular, contemporary settings, and loses itself once the narrative deviates from that. The narration and the dialogue both suddenly felt really awkward and it took me out of the story. So, even though the things that were happening in the second half of the book were way crazier than in the beginning, it was somehow much more boring to read through. I became almost instantly unattached to the characters and I didn't really care what happened to them, which made the ending very anticlimactic.
I also am not a fan of books that try to send a message of some kind, but then explicitly spell out what the message is in the text itself. Even if it's a YA novel, I believe that you need to give your readers the opportunity to make the necessary connections and reach the important conclusions themselves through the storyline and the character development. If not, the writing feels lazy and weak.
I far and above preferred the first half of this book: just getting to know everyone and setting up the backstory. For a good portion of it, I was sure I was going to give this book a 4-star rating, and I was having a lot of fun! But upon having read the whole thing, the second part was so lackluster, I can't give this more than 3 stars.
Thank you Wednesday Books for an advance reader copy of this novel. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I genuinely don't think I will ever recover.
It took a while for me to get through this, only because life kept getting in the way. Under normal circumstances, I would've finished it in one weekend. But as I was making my way through it, I kept seeing people talking about this book, saying specifically that it absolutely devastated them in the most heart-wrenching way. I'm always so nervous when I hear these types of comments, because I cry a lot even for novels that are pretty tame emotionally speaking, so to hear people hype up a book like this, it was setting up these huge expectations for me. I promised myself that I wouldn't give it 5 stars unless it drained me of every tear my body could muster.
And, goddamn, it did.
I am exhausted. I have cried so much in the last few days as I made my way through the second half of the story. I have been destroyed, mind, body, and soul. I mean, this is what sci-fi should be; this is how you do it.
I think I could write three separate novels discussing everything that was addressed in this book: every message, every dilemma, every part of our MC's character arc. There is so much depth to it, and the story itself, while being complex and rich and full of content, was also very clear. Everything was laid out in a way that made it easy to understand, while still giving you space to make your own connections, reach your own conclusions, develop your own opinions and ideas about it all.
I loved every single character, in so many different ways. I'm obsessed with SFF novels that use their characters to talk about what it means to be "good" or "bad". People who are simultaneously severely unlikeable and yet also extremely relatable. They hate each other and themselves, and you hate them all but also you feel more love for them than you thought you could for a fictional character. And I hated how consistently this book called me out, but I also loved every minute of it. Why go to therapy when you can just get obliterated by this masterpiece of a story?
I will probably never shut up about this book, for as long as I live. A part of me is sad that it isn't a 20-part series because I would have read every single page of that. But I also think it was a genius decision on Tesh's part to write this as a stand-alone; it was perfection. I am truly obsessed with it and from now on, this is the standard to which I will be holding all other sci-fi novels I pick up.
Without a doubt, you need to read this as soon as humanly possible. I will never be able to recommend it enough.
Source: NetGalley
It took a while for me to get through this, only because life kept getting in the way. Under normal circumstances, I would've finished it in one weekend. But as I was making my way through it, I kept seeing people talking about this book, saying specifically that it absolutely devastated them in the most heart-wrenching way. I'm always so nervous when I hear these types of comments, because I cry a lot even for novels that are pretty tame emotionally speaking, so to hear people hype up a book like this, it was setting up these huge expectations for me. I promised myself that I wouldn't give it 5 stars unless it drained me of every tear my body could muster.
And, goddamn, it did.
I am exhausted. I have cried so much in the last few days as I made my way through the second half of the story. I have been destroyed, mind, body, and soul. I mean, this is what sci-fi should be; this is how you do it.
I think I could write three separate novels discussing everything that was addressed in this book: every message, every dilemma, every part of our MC's character arc. There is so much depth to it, and the story itself, while being complex and rich and full of content, was also very clear. Everything was laid out in a way that made it easy to understand, while still giving you space to make your own connections, reach your own conclusions, develop your own opinions and ideas about it all.
I loved every single character, in so many different ways. I'm obsessed with SFF novels that use their characters to talk about what it means to be "good" or "bad". People who are simultaneously severely unlikeable and yet also extremely relatable. They hate each other and themselves, and you hate them all but also you feel more love for them than you thought you could for a fictional character. And I hated how consistently this book called me out, but I also loved every minute of it. Why go to therapy when you can just get obliterated by this masterpiece of a story?
I will probably never shut up about this book, for as long as I live. A part of me is sad that it isn't a 20-part series because I would have read every single page of that. But I also think it was a genius decision on Tesh's part to write this as a stand-alone; it was perfection. I am truly obsessed with it and from now on, this is the standard to which I will be holding all other sci-fi novels I pick up.
Without a doubt, you need to read this as soon as humanly possible. I will never be able to recommend it enough.
Source: NetGalley
The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
1.5
Yeah, this was definitely not what it could have been. When I heard that we were getting a sapphic fantasy Rapunzel retelling, I was excited. My mind was brainstorming all the possible ways that that premise could be taken, and I couldn’t wait to see what Flores was going to do with it.
However, I could tell from very early on that I wasn’t going to like this book. I read the entire thing, because I kept waiting for it to get better and I thought maybe I just had to wait for the story to pick up. But I really didn’t care about a single thing that happened in this novel.
The plot, honestly, barely made any sense to me, and not in the high fantasy way where there’s a lot of politics that can be a little difficult to wrap your head around. I just don’t think the writing in this is good. The exposition and world building were really awkward, making it hard to follow along, especially at the beginning. The narration is not smooth, so it hops from one thought to another without any transition. I kept thinking that I had accidentally skipped a page because of how unnaturally it flowed from one paragraph to another. Flores kept dropping in random lore about a character or the story at the most random times, I felt like I was getting whiplash.
And the problem is that because the writing wasn’t good from the start (and, sadly, didn’t get much better throughout the book), I wasn’t invested enough to care about anything. It’s hard to get me not to care about a sapphic couple, but my god I was in no way, shape or form invested in these two characters. It didn’t matter how gay a scene was, I was unbelievably bored, which is insane to me.
I got to the point where I was reading just to get it over with, so I have to admit that I eventually lost track of what was going on. It was just a bit all over the place, in a way that made me feel like way too much was happening and yet, simultaneously, it felt like nothing was happening at all.
I wanted to like this, but I would be hard pressed to find something nice to say about this reading experience…
Source: NetGalley
However, I could tell from very early on that I wasn’t going to like this book. I read the entire thing, because I kept waiting for it to get better and I thought maybe I just had to wait for the story to pick up. But I really didn’t care about a single thing that happened in this novel.
The plot, honestly, barely made any sense to me, and not in the high fantasy way where there’s a lot of politics that can be a little difficult to wrap your head around. I just don’t think the writing in this is good. The exposition and world building were really awkward, making it hard to follow along, especially at the beginning. The narration is not smooth, so it hops from one thought to another without any transition. I kept thinking that I had accidentally skipped a page because of how unnaturally it flowed from one paragraph to another. Flores kept dropping in random lore about a character or the story at the most random times, I felt like I was getting whiplash.
And the problem is that because the writing wasn’t good from the start (and, sadly, didn’t get much better throughout the book), I wasn’t invested enough to care about anything. It’s hard to get me not to care about a sapphic couple, but my god I was in no way, shape or form invested in these two characters. It didn’t matter how gay a scene was, I was unbelievably bored, which is insane to me.
I got to the point where I was reading just to get it over with, so I have to admit that I eventually lost track of what was going on. It was just a bit all over the place, in a way that made me feel like way too much was happening and yet, simultaneously, it felt like nothing was happening at all.
I wanted to like this, but I would be hard pressed to find something nice to say about this reading experience…
Source: NetGalley