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librovermo's reviews
227 reviews
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Masquerade truly surprised me. I thought Òdòdó’s story would be a couple steps above a story about a damsel in distress: one where the damsel saves herself instead of waiting to be saved by someone else. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. She’s one of the most powerful and ambitious main characters I’ve come across. Òdòdó’s character arc went places I could never have guessed as I learned she’s not one to simply exist as a king’s beautiful captive and I loved it.
I also really enjoyed the contrast between the vibrant and colorful world of Masquerade and the dark political intrigue and unrest building just beneath its surface. There was a lot of mystery, some unexpected twists, and that ending… it gave me chills.
In some ways, the book is as much about West African mythology as it is about Òdòdó. It’s so interesting to me that I ended up looking into these things independently of the book and I learned a lot about this period in history. Masquerade is a great starting point if you have interest in learning about the mythology, especially!
The majority of the books I’ve read this year have been by debut authors and Sangoyomi has to be among the best. Her writing is so engaging and the story so fascinating, that even though it isn’t super fast-paced and there were plenty of slower parts that would have been a good place to take a break, I couldn’t stand to put this book down. If Sangoyomi never releases another book, I will cry.
I also really enjoyed the contrast between the vibrant and colorful world of Masquerade and the dark political intrigue and unrest building just beneath its surface. There was a lot of mystery, some unexpected twists, and that ending… it gave me chills.
In some ways, the book is as much about West African mythology as it is about Òdòdó. It’s so interesting to me that I ended up looking into these things independently of the book and I learned a lot about this period in history. Masquerade is a great starting point if you have interest in learning about the mythology, especially!
The majority of the books I’ve read this year have been by debut authors and Sangoyomi has to be among the best. Her writing is so engaging and the story so fascinating, that even though it isn’t super fast-paced and there were plenty of slower parts that would have been a good place to take a break, I couldn’t stand to put this book down. If Sangoyomi never releases another book, I will cry.
Broken by K.A. Riley
5.0
Welp, I did it again. I started reading Broken and didn’t stop until it was finished. I wonder if this is a thing with just the Thrall series, or if I’ll have this wonderful problem with all of K.A. Riley’s books. I’ll have to do some experimenting.
So, because this is a sequel and I want to stay away from spoilers, I can’t really touch on the plot a whole lot but I will say that I really like the direction the story has taken (and the one in which it seems to be headed).
My love for the characters has only grown and new characters were a welcome addition. I especially like Valira, a member of the Royal Guard. She’s interesting and has mysterious motivations, so her interactions with Shara were fun. One character in particular has a lot more depth than I was expecting, which was pleasantly surprising, and I’m hoping there will be more on that in the third book.
Of course, Shara and Thorne managed to spice it up a few times even though it is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. And I’m happy to report that once again, I was not thinking about ladies while I read the spice. I think my biggest takeaway from the fact that these spice scenes aren’t a turn off is that I really appreciate when the woman isn’t hyper-focused on how muscular the man is. I just don’t give a shit about muscles and man do they ever like to focus on muscles in a lot of the romance-type books I’ve tried. Anyway…
Shara got some answers in Broken, even to some questions she didn’t know she had, but she also ended up with even more questions that omg had better be answered in the next book, which can’t come soon enough! I need to know what happens next, I’m dyinggggg!
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht
funny
3.25
I enjoyed both the snark and the drawings within the pages of this field guide. And I didn’t think I’d actually learn anything, but I did!
Btw my new favorite bird is the capuchin. Why is its head like that!?
Btw my new favorite bird is the capuchin. Why is its head like that!?
In the Shadows by Joan Ellis
2.0
I’m participating in The Queer Liberation Library’s Mega Queer Summer Reading Bingo, and one of the squares is queer pulp fiction. The cover of In the Shadows is incredible and the blurb sounded interesting, but I was deceived!
This is less a book about a passionate affair as the blurb suggests, and more a book about desire, self-hatred, and repeated SA by horny men of the 1960s who didn’t understand how a woman could possibly be single. And while that’s alright, I wish there had also been more (or any) of what the blurb promised, especially since the story that was there fell really flat for me.
Despite the fact that I didn’t like the book itself, it was interesting to read and think about the wide variety of queer books we have freely available now (Well, for the most part. Looking at you, book bans). We have access to way more books that are written by people who can provide an accurate portrayal of the queer experience than ever before, and the number is only growing. And books with with queer people in them aren’t always strictly about the queer experience - they often just exist as regular characters in a story about whatever. Reading In the Shadows was like exploring a part of history that provided a great reminder of how far we’ve come in the book space and it made me feel proud.
Anyway. That’s it. I’m just feeling really happy about so many books that exist 😊
Oh wait, that’s not it actually. I forgot to mention that the digitized version is full of errors. There are grammatical errors as well as straight up typos, like “fife” instead of “life” for example, and there were many more I didn’t bother taking note of.
This is less a book about a passionate affair as the blurb suggests, and more a book about desire, self-hatred, and repeated SA by horny men of the 1960s who didn’t understand how a woman could possibly be single. And while that’s alright, I wish there had also been more (or any) of what the blurb promised, especially since the story that was there fell really flat for me.
Despite the fact that I didn’t like the book itself, it was interesting to read and think about the wide variety of queer books we have freely available now (Well, for the most part. Looking at you, book bans). We have access to way more books that are written by people who can provide an accurate portrayal of the queer experience than ever before, and the number is only growing. And books with with queer people in them aren’t always strictly about the queer experience - they often just exist as regular characters in a story about whatever. Reading In the Shadows was like exploring a part of history that provided a great reminder of how far we’ve come in the book space and it made me feel proud.
Anyway. That’s it. I’m just feeling really happy about so many books that exist 😊
Oh wait, that’s not it actually. I forgot to mention that the digitized version is full of errors. There are grammatical errors as well as straight up typos, like “fife” instead of “life” for example, and there were many more I didn’t bother taking note of.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Sexual harassment
Bondage by Shane Joaquin Jimenez
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Thank you Shane Jimenez for the gifted copy of Bondage!
When I was in my early 20s, my boyfriend and I spent Friday nights (or, Friday Highdays, as we called them) smoking and eating junk food while watching over the top violent action movies. From the very beginning, Bondage provides nonstop, high-stakes action, and it brought back fond memories of the very best Friday Highdays.
Brought up in the desert by a revolutionary (and paranoid) mother, Che was trained to fight and she’s, uh, pretty good at it, so she shows off her skills by being a total badass 100% of the time. While the situations she finds herself in might not be totally believable (but hi, hello, it’s fiction, and the crazy situations made the book super fun to read), I found Che herself to be a realistic and relatable character, torn between doing what she believes is right and what she was taught is right in the almost cult-like environment in which she was raised.
There was a (very true) message throughout the book about how women are often underestimated, and the idea that we can turn that around and use it as a weapon. I admit I took a few notes.
Of course, a thrilling book needs some twists, and in my opinion, the twists within Bondage were not super predictable. The very last one led to a great ending I definitely didn’t see coming, in which Che proved once and for all who she truly is. Whether it was for better or for worse, you’ll have to read yourself to find out.
I would not have agreed to read and review Bondage if I didn’t think I’d like it, but I ended up enjoying it even more than I thought I would, and I hope to read more from Jimenez in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Minor: Sexual assault
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who skips prologues and happens to read Mortal Follies. The book’s prologue provides an important introduction to our narrator, a hobgoblin who has been cast from Oberon’s court. Not only is he an amazing storyteller, worthy of Oberon’s forgiveness, but he’s extremely funny, and I was already laughing before chapter one began.
The way the Mortal Follies was written—excuse me, told by a hobgoblin, it reads a bit like an Austen novel but with magic. There are curses, old gods, sacrifices, witches, and there may or may not be kelpies.
The narrator wasn’t the only reason Mortal Follies was funny. I was laughing the whole way through, at the narration, the hijinks of the characters and the situations they found themselves in, and, well, Miss Bickle. Miss Mitchelmore’s best friend, Lysistrata Bickle, is an absolute delight and I will fight anyone who tries to harm a hair on her head. She’s a great friend and though she’s more than a bit naive, she’s quirky in all the best ways. She needs her own book about her adventures. I can’t decide if I wanted a friend like Miss Bickle, or I wanted to be a friend like Miss Bickle. The answer is both. I want both.
One of my favorite bits of the book was Miss Mitchelmore’s character arc. The ways in which she changes from the beginning of the story, when she’s a prim and proper young lady of high society who finds that she’s been cursed, to the end of the story when, well, she’s in love with a woman and shit is seriously going down… it’s impressive.
I loved that the story was told by this hobgoblin, who added in his own thoughts and opinions as events unfolded. By doing that, he became a character in his own right, and I really enjoyed getting to know him. I look forward to hearing his next story, Confounding Oaths (which, let’s be real, I’m going to start reading as soon as I’m done writing this 😂).
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who skips prologues and happens to read Mortal Follies. The book’s prologue provides an important introduction to our narrator, a hobgoblin who has been cast from Oberon’s court. Not only is he an amazing storyteller, worthy of Oberon’s forgiveness, but he’s extremely funny, and I was already laughing before chapter one began.
The way the Mortal Follies was written—excuse me, told by a hobgoblin, it reads a bit like an Austen novel but with magic. There are curses, old gods, sacrifices, witches, and there may or may not be kelpies.
The narrator wasn’t the only reason Mortal Follies was funny. I was laughing the whole way through, at the narration, the hijinks of the characters and the situations they found themselves in, and, well, Miss Bickle. Miss Mitchelmore’s best friend, Lysistrata Bickle, is an absolute delight and I will fight anyone who tries to harm a hair on her head. She’s a great friend and though she’s more than a bit naive, she’s quirky in all the best ways. She needs her own book about her adventures. I can’t decide if I wanted a friend like Miss Bickle, or I wanted to be a friend like Miss Bickle. The answer is both. I want both.
One of my favorite bits of the book was Miss Mitchelmore’s character arc. The ways in which she changes from the beginning of the story, when she’s a prim and proper young lady of high society who finds that she’s been cursed, to the end of the story when, well, she’s in love with a woman and shit is seriously going down… it’s impressive.
I loved that the story was told by this hobgoblin, who added in his own thoughts and opinions as events unfolded. By doing that, he became a character in his own right, and I really enjoyed getting to know him. I look forward to hearing his next story, Confounding Oaths (which, let’s be real, I’m going to start reading as soon as I’m done writing this 😂).
Thrall by K.A. Riley
5.0
Last night I was looking through K.A. Riley’s books and got this violent urge to read Thrall. It would not go away, no matter what I did, so I dropped everything and read it. The entire book. And it was awesome.
I love books based on fairytales and Thrall is a dystopian (enemies to lovers!) romance based on Cinderella that goes in a really fun direction.
The world building and the concept of the Tethered was intriguing from the very start and I really enjoyed experiencing Kravan along with Shara as she left the Tower for the first time. I loved that Shara is feisty and inquisitive in a world that wants her to shut up and be a harmless little maid.
The enemies to lovers relationship Shara has with Thorne was satisfying and I am beyond happy the miscommunication trope did not make an appearance. Also, as someone who prefers f/f spice, Thrall had one of the only m/f spicy scenes I’ve read that I didn’t make me wish I was reading something sapphic instead 😂
There was a fun twist I thought I had figured out but I totally did not, so that was cool. And then the book ended not with a heavy cliffhanger but with a promise of an exciting sequel, which I immediately downloaded, then crashed because I’d been up all night reading.
I love books based on fairytales and Thrall is a dystopian (enemies to lovers!) romance based on Cinderella that goes in a really fun direction.
The world building and the concept of the Tethered was intriguing from the very start and I really enjoyed experiencing Kravan along with Shara as she left the Tower for the first time. I loved that Shara is feisty and inquisitive in a world that wants her to shut up and be a harmless little maid.
The enemies to lovers relationship Shara has with Thorne was satisfying and I am beyond happy the miscommunication trope did not make an appearance. Also, as someone who prefers f/f spice, Thrall had one of the only m/f spicy scenes I’ve read that I didn’t make me wish I was reading something sapphic instead 😂
There was a fun twist I thought I had figured out but I totally did not, so that was cool. And then the book ended not with a heavy cliffhanger but with a promise of an exciting sequel, which I immediately downloaded, then crashed because I’d been up all night reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Moon Soul by Nathaniel Luscombe
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I discovered a love of Cozy Sci-Fi/Fantasy in March when I read another indie with my little chaotic readalong group (The Crossing by Laurie Janey). I’ve been passively looking for another book in that genre since then and was excited to find this one. It’s very cozy, but also very heartfelt and emotional.
Our main character, August, lives a lonely, unsatisfying life, and when she decides to make some changes, we get to come along for the ride. I instantly connected with August and it was a joy to see her making connections of her own. Her issues with her mother reminded me of my own issues with my father and I may have shed some tears as she reflected on their relationship. Yeah, I definitely shed some tears. Luscombe’s letter to the reader at the end of the book made me cry again, btw. I was kind of a mess there at the end. But a good mess.
I like to highlight lines in a book that I resonate with so deeply I could have written them myself, or they feel like they were written to or about me, and I was highlighting this one all over the place. So many things spoke to me in a way many books do not and it felt really good, like being given a hug by someone who truly understands how I feel.
If you’re anyone, you should give this book a read. But if you’re feeling or have ever felt burned out, stuck, or unseen, you might find a bit of yourself in August and especially enjoy Moon Soul.
Our main character, August, lives a lonely, unsatisfying life, and when she decides to make some changes, we get to come along for the ride. I instantly connected with August and it was a joy to see her making connections of her own. Her issues with her mother reminded me of my own issues with my father and I may have shed some tears as she reflected on their relationship. Yeah, I definitely shed some tears. Luscombe’s letter to the reader at the end of the book made me cry again, btw. I was kind of a mess there at the end. But a good mess.
I like to highlight lines in a book that I resonate with so deeply I could have written them myself, or they feel like they were written to or about me, and I was highlighting this one all over the place. So many things spoke to me in a way many books do not and it felt really good, like being given a hug by someone who truly understands how I feel.
If you’re anyone, you should give this book a read. But if you’re feeling or have ever felt burned out, stuck, or unseen, you might find a bit of yourself in August and especially enjoy Moon Soul.