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leootherland's reviews
160 reviews
Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ARC copy they provided.
C.G. Drews never disappoints.
Literally.
C.G. Drews never disappoints.
Literally.
Never.
She made me love her characters in The Boy Who Steals Houses, stole my soul and tore out my heart in Don’t Let the Forest In, and has utterly ripped me from the clutches of the safe indoors to toss me into the decaying dirt with Hazelthron. The very first line invited me to savor the soil on Evander’s tongue, feel the grit between his teeth. And every line thereafter held me captive.
Evander was at once relatable, both in his rage and in the total despair he escaped from when his bedroom door was inexplicably unlocked. Standing opposite Evander, Laurie was instantly loveable with his standoffish swagger. I never wanted to see the two of them stop bickering.
But of course, C.G. Drews packs as many secrets into her books as the garden of Hazelthron packs poisonous plants, and also like the garden, she gives none of her secrets away for free. Very few authors have the capacity to surprise me with their writing, but C.G. Drews is one who does. There were whole sections of Hazelthorn I did not expect and that left me breathless and longing for more.
Did I spend many nights reading this with the lights out and jumping at bumps in the dark? Yes. Do I recommend everyone else do the same? Also yes.
Unless you can read it out in a garden after dark, with nothing but the moon to light your page. You should totally do that if you can.
You won’t regret it.
Or maybe you will when a plant infested butler comes out of the shadows to chase you.
Either way, it’ll be time well spent. Just don’t drink the tea.
A Spell for Heartsickness by Alistair Reeves
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
*the content warnings at the beginning of the book: I had to hurt my characters in order for the coziness to feel cozy*
*me who's read way too much fan fiction: So, you're telling me this is hurt/comfort, that's what you're telling me?? Gimme!*
I picked up this book expecting a soft, cozy read. What I got was a soft, cozy, spicy, unexpectedly dark read that I couldn't put down and absolutely consumed me. Alistair Reeves has my attention, my iterest, and my devoltion. I will be here for further books.
*me who's read way too much fan fiction: So, you're telling me this is hurt/comfort, that's what you're telling me?? Gimme!*
I picked up this book expecting a soft, cozy read. What I got was a soft, cozy, spicy, unexpectedly dark read that I couldn't put down and absolutely consumed me. Alistair Reeves has my attention, my iterest, and my devoltion. I will be here for further books.
Final Harvest: A Limited Edition Collection by Stephanie Barr, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Helena Novak, J.P. Uvalle, Elle Ryan, Majanka Verstraete, Amber Garr, Summer Davis, Joe Quackenboss, Nikolai Wisekal, Z. Xolton
5.0
I had the wonderful pleasure of being an arc reader/reviewer for "Inkling of Death," Nikolai Wisekal's piece in this collection, so I will start there with my thoughts. "Inkling of Death" may be one of the shorter pieces you will find in this book, but it is not short on feeling and story. Nikolai paints a quiet and not unkind picture of Death, even as he weaves together small, intricate details that will link "Inkling of Death" to other, upcoming stories. If you are looking for a large story in a small word count, "Inkling of Death" will serve it.
That said, all the pieces I've read in this book have been incredibly pleasing in a variety of ways. Final Harvest weaves together myriad tales of how Death finds us and what comes after. Demons and Reapers and children of Death all gather in these pages to show us varied interpretations of that one invariable event that connects all living beings. All around, and fabulous fall-time read.
That said, all the pieces I've read in this book have been incredibly pleasing in a variety of ways. Final Harvest weaves together myriad tales of how Death finds us and what comes after. Demons and Reapers and children of Death all gather in these pages to show us varied interpretations of that one invariable event that connects all living beings. All around, and fabulous fall-time read.
The Pizza-Pyre by Charleigh Brennan
5.0
The first moment I heard this idea I knew I wanted to read the book when it was done. It's strange hearing about a book when it is being written and waiting over a year for it to be finished, edited, and published. But this book was very much worth the wait. Charleigh Brennan wove a modern tale of the unwilling individual not only discovering the unknown arcane is REAL, but that it had irrevocably changed them. The Pizza-Pyre is on the surface a story about vampires, but underneath it is about acceptance and learning to move on when one thing ends. I loved every minute of this book's alternatingly amusing and bitter-sweet twists, and when I came to the end I wished there was more. A fabulous read and definitely a must read for any lover of modern vampires.
Your Body is not Your Body by Matt Blairstone, Alex Woodroe
5.0
I'm sitting here writing this review several days to a week after finishing Your Body Is Not Your Body with the book lying here on my desk beside my keyboard. I pulled it out of my draw to look at it and smell it and get reacquainted with it while I wrote this. They way any good reader might with a favored book. Your Body Is Not Your Body is something I watched all through its creative process. When Tenebrous Press put out the submission call I wanted to write for it but knew I lacked the time, so I contented myself with watching in anticipation of having this book in my hands when it came out.
I was not disappointed.
Your Body Is Not Your Body was well worth the wait and I devoured the whole book in what I think was about three days of fevered reading between customers at my day job. As a whole, Your Body Is Not Your Body is a wild mix of tantalizing body horror and bittersweet longing and bad ass avengery (yes I know I'm making up words). Every story, every poem, ever well crafted piece of art blends into a twisting, turning corridor of new weird delight. I can foresee myself coming back to reread this book in the future both in whole and in little bits and pieces of my favorite parts.
Like any anthology your likely to read there were pieces of Your Body Is Not Your Body that stuck out for me. And yes, these bits are biasedly based on my own option but I can't resist sharing the names of a few pieces that I can't get out of my head. So, in order of appearance in the book, I give you "Those bits I can't stop thinking about."
Tonsilstonespunksplatter666! What a ride this one was. I think another reviewer compared it to some form of neurodivergent experience and I have to say they are correct. This is what being stuck in my own neurodivergent head feels like some of the time and seeing that blended with the other elements of this story... well it's a ride. You'll love it.
High Maintenance. A friend and I were reading Your Body Is Not Your Body together and he said this one made him cry. I saw why the moment I read it. Pure, terrifying melancholy.
The Infinite Being. I. Don't. Read. Poetry. And yet I connected to this piece instantly. I loved the flow and the twisting of the storyline.
Brother Maternitas. A view on how two different people see their bodies turned into something else before their eyes. I keep pondering it no matter how immersed in other stories I become.
The Same Thing That Happened To Sam. I felt this in my soul. The anger, the frustration, the singular oppression followed by resistance. This piece is short but once you read it you won't forget it.
Why We Keep Exploding. Let me clarify, I'm a trans man pre-transition. Despite the fact I do not identify as a woman I've had to live my life seen as one and this story... Reading this felt like the truest thing I had experienced in a long time. When I was through I had to put the book down and stare at nothing for awhile. And then weird author that I am, I picked up my phone and messaged my publisher that she needed to read this one. That I thought it reminded me of one of her own stories and they she NEEDED to read it. Yeah. This one is that good.
Fencing Chestplate. I really don't know how to put into words what I feel about this one. It spoke to me as a trans man and my own feelings about my body. This is how it feels. At least for me.
The Divine Carcass. A strange, undulating tale full of kaleidoscope colors and significant body horror.
#MOTHERMYHEM. Another short one that got lodged in my head. Horror that makes you think.
The Lives of Scavengers. Body horror? Yes. Something bordering on dark fantasy? Also yes. Of all the stories in here I wished this one was longer. I would have read a book, or several for that matter, set in this world.
The Simulacrum. This has to be one of my favorite pieces of my favorite pieces. Evil government scientists and experiments that get their revenge and their freedom. You can't go wrong.
Stench. This one also got stuck in my head when I initially didn't think it would. The imagery made me consider in ways I liked and now this one is a facet of my brain.
Tiny Magic. I've had the pleasure of getting to "know" the author of this one on Twitter and their work definitely deserves a mention. I loved being in their character's head further loved the nuance of magic being just about anywhere we find it. We make our magic.
So if you haven't read it. I recommend reading it. Your Body Is Not Your Body is well worth it.
I was not disappointed.
Your Body Is Not Your Body was well worth the wait and I devoured the whole book in what I think was about three days of fevered reading between customers at my day job. As a whole, Your Body Is Not Your Body is a wild mix of tantalizing body horror and bittersweet longing and bad ass avengery (yes I know I'm making up words). Every story, every poem, ever well crafted piece of art blends into a twisting, turning corridor of new weird delight. I can foresee myself coming back to reread this book in the future both in whole and in little bits and pieces of my favorite parts.
Like any anthology your likely to read there were pieces of Your Body Is Not Your Body that stuck out for me. And yes, these bits are biasedly based on my own option but I can't resist sharing the names of a few pieces that I can't get out of my head. So, in order of appearance in the book, I give you "Those bits I can't stop thinking about."
Tonsilstonespunksplatter666! What a ride this one was. I think another reviewer compared it to some form of neurodivergent experience and I have to say they are correct. This is what being stuck in my own neurodivergent head feels like some of the time and seeing that blended with the other elements of this story... well it's a ride. You'll love it.
High Maintenance. A friend and I were reading Your Body Is Not Your Body together and he said this one made him cry. I saw why the moment I read it. Pure, terrifying melancholy.
The Infinite Being. I. Don't. Read. Poetry. And yet I connected to this piece instantly. I loved the flow and the twisting of the storyline.
Brother Maternitas. A view on how two different people see their bodies turned into something else before their eyes. I keep pondering it no matter how immersed in other stories I become.
The Same Thing That Happened To Sam. I felt this in my soul. The anger, the frustration, the singular oppression followed by resistance. This piece is short but once you read it you won't forget it.
Why We Keep Exploding. Let me clarify, I'm a trans man pre-transition. Despite the fact I do not identify as a woman I've had to live my life seen as one and this story... Reading this felt like the truest thing I had experienced in a long time. When I was through I had to put the book down and stare at nothing for awhile. And then weird author that I am, I picked up my phone and messaged my publisher that she needed to read this one. That I thought it reminded me of one of her own stories and they she NEEDED to read it. Yeah. This one is that good.
Fencing Chestplate. I really don't know how to put into words what I feel about this one. It spoke to me as a trans man and my own feelings about my body. This is how it feels. At least for me.
The Divine Carcass. A strange, undulating tale full of kaleidoscope colors and significant body horror.
#MOTHERMYHEM. Another short one that got lodged in my head. Horror that makes you think.
The Lives of Scavengers. Body horror? Yes. Something bordering on dark fantasy? Also yes. Of all the stories in here I wished this one was longer. I would have read a book, or several for that matter, set in this world.
The Simulacrum. This has to be one of my favorite pieces of my favorite pieces. Evil government scientists and experiments that get their revenge and their freedom. You can't go wrong.
Stench. This one also got stuck in my head when I initially didn't think it would. The imagery made me consider in ways I liked and now this one is a facet of my brain.
Tiny Magic. I've had the pleasure of getting to "know" the author of this one on Twitter and their work definitely deserves a mention. I loved being in their character's head further loved the nuance of magic being just about anywhere we find it. We make our magic.
So if you haven't read it. I recommend reading it. Your Body Is Not Your Body is well worth it.
The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews
5.0
Sometimes I just lack the energy to write the review a book deserves. The boy Who Steals Houses by far deserves a longer and more in-depth review then I currently have the energy to conjure out of my tired brain. I rarely pick up a book I cannot put down these days, but The boy Who Steals Houses was the book for me. I read it to the point I was late leaving work one night because I forgot what time it was. The characters were instantly alive and relatable from the first page, the emotions were true and vibrant, and when the book was done I wished for more. As one does with any good book. This tale touched me and left me wondering about myself in ways stories seldom do. Overall, this was simply a joy to read in all ways, especially the small touches of queerness scattered throughout. I could relate to my favorite side character simply because he, like myself, was queer. I highly recommend.
The Forest God by Jamie Lackey
5.0
I picked this book up and could not put it down again. I think I read it all in a day, just sitting in my swivel chair during a particularly slow day at my day job. The entire made me smile like an idiot and laugh at all the right times. But more then that, it touched me on a more profound note as someone who follows old gods and finds their place with a wild deity. This book is far from religious, but for a moment it made me feel connected to myself and the god who called me. Exceptionally well written and captivating. I loved every minute of it.