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leonidskies's reviews
148 reviews
Mothers of Fate by Lynne Hugo
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.
This is a really solid book. It's not super my thing, but I think it was good in what it was doing.
This is a book about people who make a lot of mistakes while they're thinking mostly about themselves and very little about the people they love. Each character was complicated and made some truly painful (in a satisfying way) choices and a lot of them were genuinely difficult to like for most of the novel, making this an experience less where I was hoping something specific would happen and more where I was watching very messy people ruin things but didn't have to feel guilty about being entertained by the suffering of real people.
The book itself was a pretty fast read and largely easy to digest - the only real stumbling blocks for me were elements where the prose needed another round of edits. There were several mistakes, but I'm reading this book months before release so I don't think they'll all be in the final book.
This is a really solid book. It's not super my thing, but I think it was good in what it was doing.
This is a book about people who make a lot of mistakes while they're thinking mostly about themselves and very little about the people they love. Each character was complicated and made some truly painful (in a satisfying way) choices and a lot of them were genuinely difficult to like for most of the novel, making this an experience less where I was hoping something specific would happen and more where I was watching very messy people ruin things but didn't have to feel guilty about being entertained by the suffering of real people.
The book itself was a pretty fast read and largely easy to digest - the only real stumbling blocks for me were elements where the prose needed another round of edits. There were several mistakes, but I'm reading this book months before release so I don't think they'll all be in the final book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Sexism, Abortion, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse and Homophobia
Dudes Rock: A Celebration of Queer Masculinity in Speculative Fiction by Jay Kang Romanus
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! It was a mixed collection, but with more good than average and more average than meh, so really solid overall.
There's sort of something for everyone in this collection - there's sexy paranormal horror and contemplative familial sci fi and comedic fantasy job applications. It's all very very queer and a LOT of it was very trans, so it was super up my alley a lot of the time. And sometimes, when it wasn't, it just wasn't my kind of genre/story!
I highly recommend this collection if you want some speculative short stories with queer men, especially if you're an existing fan of any of these authors! When I was done with the stories I followed a bunch of them on social media and I'm excited to see what they do next 👀
There's sort of something for everyone in this collection - there's sexy paranormal horror and contemplative familial sci fi and comedic fantasy job applications. It's all very very queer and a LOT of it was very trans, so it was super up my alley a lot of the time. And sometimes, when it wasn't, it just wasn't my kind of genre/story!
I highly recommend this collection if you want some speculative short stories with queer men, especially if you're an existing fan of any of these authors! When I was done with the stories I followed a bunch of them on social media and I'm excited to see what they do next 👀
Peerless: Wushuang (Novel) Vol. 1 by Meng Xi Shi
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This seems like a pretty solid start to a series! This is the first part of five (!!) but it makes a good start to establishing what I can only imagine will be a decently slow burn romance.
I've read Qian Qiu/Thousand Autumns and this, loosely, follows a lot of similar tropes, down to 'prideful, powerful man with no real morals bullies a significantly less powerful, disabled man, and does this mostly through flirting'. It's an acquired taste for sure, and Feng Xiao is (thus far) not all that interesting and is mostly just annoying and cruel.
Cui Buqu is far more interesting a character, and I enjoyed the side characters he's operating alongside a lot too. The politics of it all hasn't really grabbed me so far - the politics of empire expansion isn't really that interesting to me - but the pettier squabbles are fun. I'm interested to see where it goes, but it might be a while before I pick another volume of this one up.
I've read Qian Qiu/Thousand Autumns and this, loosely, follows a lot of similar tropes, down to 'prideful, powerful man with no real morals bullies a significantly less powerful, disabled man, and does this mostly through flirting'. It's an acquired taste for sure, and Feng Xiao is (thus far) not all that interesting and is mostly just annoying and cruel.
Cui Buqu is far more interesting a character, and I enjoyed the side characters he's operating alongside a lot too. The politics of it all hasn't really grabbed me so far - the politics of empire expansion isn't really that interesting to me - but the pettier squabbles are fun. I'm interested to see where it goes, but it might be a while before I pick another volume of this one up.
Bisection by Sheila Jenné
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
I read a copy of this book as a judge for the Self Published Sci Fi Competition - these are my personal thoughts rather than an indication of the book's overall performance in the competition.
I really, really enjoyed this book! The characters were intriguing and even the minor characters have their chance to shine, though Tria and Resa are the stars of the show. Their journey was both interesting and emotional, and I really liked what Jenné did throughout with them.
This book has a lot of heart, and took a different approach than I'm used to thinking about when it comes to first contact stories - something that initially focuses on two non-human species. It was clearly extensively thought out and there was so much going on, I was immediately drawn in and the book managed to hold my attention really consistently throughout with a well-paced plot.
I'll admit I was a little disappointed about one of the plot directions it took, but it resolved that direction well and the logic within the story made sense so it's not exactly a complaint, just a preference.
Overall, I think this is a really good book and definitely worth reading if you're looking for a super interesting and queer-inclusive take on a first contact story.
I really, really enjoyed this book! The characters were intriguing and even the minor characters have their chance to shine, though Tria and Resa are the stars of the show. Their journey was both interesting and emotional, and I really liked what Jenné did throughout with them.
This book has a lot of heart, and took a different approach than I'm used to thinking about when it comes to first contact stories - something that initially focuses on two non-human species. It was clearly extensively thought out and there was so much going on, I was immediately drawn in and the book managed to hold my attention really consistently throughout with a well-paced plot.
I'll admit I was a little disappointed about one of the plot directions it took, but it resolved that direction well and the logic within the story made sense so it's not exactly a complaint, just a preference.
Overall, I think this is a really good book and definitely worth reading if you're looking for a super interesting and queer-inclusive take on a first contact story.
Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll
informative
fast-paced
4.0
This is an incisive, interesting read about the influences of the far right on science fiction, common tropes, and the way the far right read sci fi. It was a short work, and I read it in two sittings and it was just generally a really good read (and free, available on the publisher's website!). I found it a little difficult to read in places - I never want to see the word Faustian again - but it was a very informative and clearly well-researched piece.
It unfortunately dates itself in calling itself dated at the end 😅 but otherwise a super solid piece of work.
It unfortunately dates itself in calling itself dated at the end 😅 but otherwise a super solid piece of work.
Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book begins scrabbling for something that seems unremarkable. No one seems particularly kind or compelling; interesting, maybe, but little more than intriguing. I picked it up for a take on a speculative future historian of our modern day. It's so, so much more.
I consider myself someone who dislikes post-apocalyptic fiction. There's something I fear in the desperate anger of a world of scarcity and loss. Notes from the Burning Age is neither and both of those things, and I adored it.
It feels hard to say much about what sits at the heart of this novel without unveiling the way it reaches its core. It's very unlikely this book is what you will think it is for the first fifty, or hundred pages. It blossoms into something brutal and endlessly special. Filled with pain, it carves out hope. It breathes meaning into the lost and love into despair without trivialising what is lost and gained.
This is the best book I've read this year. It's a hard read - not snappy, not fun, careening endlessly towards ever deeper horrors. It's unflinching but avoids gratuitousness. For me, I think its meaning will stick.
I consider myself someone who dislikes post-apocalyptic fiction. There's something I fear in the desperate anger of a world of scarcity and loss. Notes from the Burning Age is neither and both of those things, and I adored it.
It feels hard to say much about what sits at the heart of this novel without unveiling the way it reaches its core. It's very unlikely this book is what you will think it is for the first fifty, or hundred pages. It blossoms into something brutal and endlessly special. Filled with pain, it carves out hope. It breathes meaning into the lost and love into despair without trivialising what is lost and gained.
This is the best book I've read this year. It's a hard read - not snappy, not fun, careening endlessly towards ever deeper horrors. It's unflinching but avoids gratuitousness. For me, I think its meaning will stick.
Colliding Forces by Niranjan
hopeful
fast-paced
1.25
I read a copy of this book as a judge for the Self Published Sci Fi Competition - these are my personal thoughts rather than an indication of the book's overall performance in the competition.
Colliding Forces is juggling a lot of balls. I think, if you're a really huge fan of all the balls - characters in a secret service, magic in family bloodlines, hidden identities and heritage, soulmates, and chosen family - then this book could work really well for you. I like quite a few of those things, but didn't enjoy the execution in this book.
The prose is very straightforward and made for a quick read. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on at all times, mostly because the approach was very much for telling over showing - sometimes to the extent that the most major events simply happened between chapters.
I didn't enjoy this book, however. While I understood what the plot and characters was going for, I didn't find it compelling as the characters were flat and seemed to just change to get the fastest route to the end of the book. There was no tension and everything resolved itself very easily, despite repeated insistence from every character that it was going to be nearly impossible.
This book likely has an audience, but I'm not that audience.
Colliding Forces is juggling a lot of balls. I think, if you're a really huge fan of all the balls - characters in a secret service, magic in family bloodlines, hidden identities and heritage, soulmates, and chosen family - then this book could work really well for you. I like quite a few of those things, but didn't enjoy the execution in this book.
The prose is very straightforward and made for a quick read. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on at all times, mostly because the approach was very much for telling over showing - sometimes to the extent that the most major events simply happened between chapters.
I didn't enjoy this book, however. While I understood what the plot and characters was going for, I didn't find it compelling as the characters were flat and seemed to just change to get the fastest route to the end of the book. There was no tension and everything resolved itself very easily, despite repeated insistence from every character that it was going to be nearly impossible.
This book likely has an audience, but I'm not that audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Rape
Moderate: Torture
Synthetic Sea by Franklyn S. Newton
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
2.75
I read a copy of this book as a judge for the Self Published Sci Fi Competition - these are my personal thoughts rather than an indication of the book's performance in the competition.
This book has a lot to offer - a strong sense of place and deliciously created atmosphere, a very sweet romance (t4t!!!!), and super interesting work relating to synthetic bodies and everything attached to a world where that's possible.
I really enjoyed those parts of the book, and revelled in what felt like the author's joy in writing them. I especially adored the transness of this book and its romance - Guin and Ryoma are both a delight and the queernormativity was effortless.
Unfortunately, this book really needed a much more thorough edit, on both a copy editing and developmental editing level. If you're happy to look past the comma splicing and want to enjoy a romance book with a sci fi setting based on its vibes, though, this is probably a strong contender for you!
This book has a lot to offer - a strong sense of place and deliciously created atmosphere, a very sweet romance (t4t!!!!), and super interesting work relating to synthetic bodies and everything attached to a world where that's possible.
I really enjoyed those parts of the book, and revelled in what felt like the author's joy in writing them. I especially adored the transness of this book and its romance - Guin and Ryoma are both a delight and the queernormativity was effortless.
Unfortunately, this book really needed a much more thorough edit, on both a copy editing and developmental editing level. If you're happy to look past the comma splicing and want to enjoy a romance book with a sci fi setting based on its vibes, though, this is probably a strong contender for you!
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This is an enrapturing, horrifying, and thoughtful book. It's very short, but incredibly precise - it does what it means to do and it does it well.
I'm not the biggest fan of Lovecraftian horror - a book about the same Cthulu mythos was my only DNF last year, but this book is like day to its night. It's tense, mysterious, and cuts close to its unfathomable horror without teetering into absurdity.
It's short - I read it in about two hours - and well worth your time. Its sparing use of physical gore pairs well with its more 'mundane' but equally horrifying attention to police brutality. I'm really glad I took the time to read this novella.
I'm not the biggest fan of Lovecraftian horror - a book about the same Cthulu mythos was my only DNF last year, but this book is like day to its night. It's tense, mysterious, and cuts close to its unfathomable horror without teetering into absurdity.
It's short - I read it in about two hours - and well worth your time. Its sparing use of physical gore pairs well with its more 'mundane' but equally horrifying attention to police brutality. I'm really glad I took the time to read this novella.
A Crimson Covenant by Aimee Donnellan
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.
This is a book I took a little while to warm up to, but GOSH once it warmed up it was so good. The character complexity here - especially the reality of the way relationships developed - was so, so good. This is some of the best character work I've read all year, and a really good piece of dual-perspective writing.
I also loved the way queernormativity and mental health were presented in a fantasy world - I really liked the way the use/lack of use of specific terminology was handled alongside making it clear what individual characters were struggling with. I was not a huge fan of the way a nonbinary character was near-immediately killed off, but if you're okay with that then the rest of this novel is well worth your time.
It also worked wonderfully as the start of a series - the setup didn't detract from the narrative, but in the back third of the novel the world of the setting really expanded into something I'd be happy to read more of.
The only reason this isn't 5* for me is the comparatively weaker opening and occasionally clumsy writing/editing mistakes (the worst of which is the misgendering of a nonbinary character in the narration), the latter of which might not be reflected in the book when it's released. Otherwise, a really wonderful book and well worth picking up if you want to read a sapphic romantasy with a queernormative world and compelling character arcs.
This is a book I took a little while to warm up to, but GOSH once it warmed up it was so good. The character complexity here - especially the reality of the way relationships developed - was so, so good. This is some of the best character work I've read all year, and a really good piece of dual-perspective writing.
I also loved the way queernormativity and mental health were presented in a fantasy world - I really liked the way the use/lack of use of specific terminology was handled alongside making it clear what individual characters were struggling with. I was not a huge fan of the way a nonbinary character was near-immediately killed off, but if you're okay with that then the rest of this novel is well worth your time.
It also worked wonderfully as the start of a series - the setup didn't detract from the narrative, but in the back third of the novel the world of the setting really expanded into something I'd be happy to read more of.
The only reason this isn't 5* for me is the comparatively weaker opening and occasionally clumsy writing/editing mistakes (the worst of which is the misgendering of a nonbinary character in the narration), the latter of which might not be reflected in the book when it's released. Otherwise, a really wonderful book and well worth picking up if you want to read a sapphic romantasy with a queernormative world and compelling character arcs.