librarymouse's reviews
430 reviews

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam

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hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was a really interesting look back on trans history and how it intersects with the history of other identities, past and present. I appreciate how the author made sure to define the shape of where they understand their boundaries and empathy to stop, and where the voices of others must take over in order to be fully understood. Overall, this was a good introduction/overview to a variety of identities that we, in western communities, would understand as queer and/or trans.
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The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

There were some aspects of this book that I really enjoyed and others I did not. Aspects of this novel relied heavily on romance tropes and scenes very familiar to digital natives and those who've spent any significant stretch of time familiarizing themself with Tumblr in the 2010s - this is most overtly recognizable in the tattoo scene in which Lottie calls Marigold a good girl. That scene and dialogue is taken almost word for word from a Tumblr post inspired by a tweet from Twitter user @FloralSappho (https://www.reddit.com/r/CuratedTumblr/comments/p8w33h/r_tattoo/?rdt=62663). I think in some ways this is an ingenious move, especially in new, sapphic romance, to bring in new and more relevant tropes than what is used in straight romance novels and romance novels aimed at an older audience. However, the pacing of the novel and Marigold's characterization are wildly inconsistent. It remains hard to track the movement of time as events in the novel progress, and throughout the events of the novel, Marigold oscillates rapidly between being a highly sympathetic character to being insufferably entitled and in some cases actively unkind.

The introduction to the novel sets up an interesting magic system and mysteries with a lot of promise, only to throw those away the moment Marigold leaves with her grandmother. The curse is explained in the beginning of the novel in a way that is quite different from the actuality of what the curse means for Marigold. Initially, it's explained as if Marigold is unable to fall in love, admit it, and give into it without sacrificing her powers. However, as the novel progresses
the actual impact of the curse is to cause immediate, and in some cases fatal harm to her true love. People can love her and she can love them, but they cannot act on it. This isn't how the curse is explained to Marigold at the start of the novel, and Marigold spends the whole novel believing that she's literally unlovable because of the curse, only for Lottie to be stupidly devoted and ready to kill herself to sleep with Marigold
The foreshadowing for the uses of different types of honey is very heavy handed. The writing does get better as the novel progresses, but do be warned that the last quarter takes a hard left turn away from cottage core romance into explicit description of torture, kidnapping and severe fire injury.

Overall, I don't regret reading this book, but the poor structuring and inconsistencies of the magic system were disappointing for me. The formality of the language was also striving for the beauty of something like Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, but ended up mostly just being in dire need of some contractions to make the dialogue sound like something real people would say.
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System Collapse by Martha Wells

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adventurous dark funny reflective 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

These books are so comforting and so easy to read. I didn't realize this was the last one currently out in this series. I almost definitely plan on rereading this series soon. Murderbot is a fantastic narrator and I really enjoy its journey towards learning to accept that it is loved and loves others in return. This book expanded in really interesting ways on the variances in human culture in corporate systems vs places of refuge like the Preservation Alliance and ART's university. Great world building and engaging storytelling to bring ART's crew further into the fold.
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Encounter at Farpoint by David Gerrold

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adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

A great novelization of the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. So much of the show's subtext is just text on the page, and I enjoyed getting glimpses of other characters' perspectives.
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

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dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I read this for a Halloween reading challenge. It's a fine read, but I've enjoyed retellings of it far more in the past.
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Undeath & Taxes by Drew Hayes

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adventurous dark funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

The format of this series is so endearing. Fred sharing his journal entries to make sure other newly turned vampires, whom he adamantly believes to be good people, don't feel alone. Fred, his friends, and his adamance at continuing his normal life as much as possible make this series so entertaining and enjoyable, while still holding true to vampire, etc. lore. I like the wrench in the machine that is Gideon.
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The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes

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dark funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was a fun take on vampires and fantasy lore. Initially, I was somewhat resistant to the way Hayes, and by proxy, Fred was describing Krystal. It read like a slightly less skeevy version of Jim Butcher's male gaze, making all women out to be sex objects and manic pixie dream girls, but as I read on, Krystal grew into a round and dynamic character. She isn't just pretty. She's pretty in a surprising way to Fred because of who they both were growing up, and that plays into her abilities and job requirements as an agent. I also really enjoyed that this series is set in a city other than New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. I also am liking the vignette format. It reads like a connected collection of short stories, glossing over the boring parts of life. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
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M Is for Monster by Talia Dutton

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a wonderfully nuanced retelling of Frankenstein, in which Frankenstein's creation is loved, but not for who she truly is, and in which she has a guide who walks her through what is to be expected of her in the life she is inhabiting. M being curious, gentle, creative, and childlike is such a sweet take on Frankenstein's creation, with her being embraced by the community and by Gin, even as her deviance from Maura's mannerisms is rejected by Frances. Giving Frances a partner who is given equal agency in their life and within the story to interact with M and to offer feedback, criticism, and love to Frances sets her on a far better and less internally and externally destructive path than her namesake in Mary Shelley's novel.
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When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

3.0

This was an informative and interesting glimpse into the program that blossomed into the GI bill, which opened up higher education to the masses. Every time I read about World War II, I understand patriotism. However, whatever feelings of patriotism I've had peter out and die when faced with the reality of American politics both then and now. The red tape implemented by the government in terms of acquisition and distribution, and the attempts to halt service members from voting while overseas is sickening. Service members finding comfort and escape from the horrors of war in books makes these historical figures into the humans they were.
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Fox 8 by George Saunders

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Fox 8 is so cute, and so sad. I love having a fox as a non-human narrator. Fox 8's grasp of English makes for such a sweet, funny, and heartbreaking perspective on curiosity, life, death, and the cruelty of humans.
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