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logarithms's reviews
167 reviews
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
3.0
************
*As usual i might return to edit this
************
hmmm. It was a decent read, but I didn't like it all that much for two reasons (mainly): not the right time in my life, and I didn't like the writing style.
Right now, I'm already in university. I'm having a good time (mostly?), and my friends have also gone through the uni decision struggle already (mostly). We're done and dusted (for now). So I guess I wasn't all that interested in the subject matter...
Writing style was so BORING. The chapters were ridiculously short. It felt like reading someones vent tumblr? Usually I LOVE casual writing but like. This was too easy. People are saying it reflects how teens speak/think and maybe it does but....it's a book not a teens diary...I feel like it should have a bit more complexity and nuance to the writing?
Also the metaphors and stuff felt so weak and flat...like YES the green plimsolls represent Aleds individuality and desire to express it and follow his own desires, but it was so overdone, I was so bored of it...and YES UniverseCity is a cry for help...get him out of university...but it was so obvious it just felt repetitive. And Carys being February Friday seemed extremely clear from the start...when Frances was like 'oh its daniel' I was no COME ON u dumb shit...clever girl brains where...
The descriptions of the clothes/shoes/hair all the time...saying 'clothes/hair a window to the soul' but not revealing anything about the characters personality? Where's the soul?? Also a lot of the references reminded me of old tumblr posts that would read like 'wearing my Rolling Stones tee, docs and lying on the bed listening to The Eagles...I was born in the wrong era :/'. Also how uniformly are teens in England dressing that a jacket that says 'Tomboy' on it and patterned leggings are SO WEIRD and OUT OF PLACE that ppl feel uncomfortable wearing them out? I found that aspect kinda hard to believe.
Actually a lot of the drama of the story was kinda hard to believe. It was just...too big. ESPECIALLY the 'discovering their identities' drama. Ok so they hit 100k subs. You'd be lucky to find people in your city who know about your channel, let alone your school? 100k subs is not all that widespread in the big scheme of the internet...so Aled getting mobbed by ppl at school just seemed way too unrealistic.
Author was almost onto something with Raine, when Frances realised that she's not actually shallow and has a personality too. I wish that part was more fleshed out...the whole 'we're looking for deep personal connections but only see ourselves as complex and don't bother trying to truly understand others'
I'm being way too mean to this book. I did like the character interactions, and the friendships/relationships. It's still a nice read.
Notes/things I tabbed:
- "I wonder, if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?" p1 (classic if a tree falls in a forest)(i kinda like how this comes back when Aled says 'if people stopped talking to me, i probably wouldn't ever speak again')
- jumpcut writing! There's like, 4 pages preparing for Frances' speech, and then in cuts to the next chapter which dedicates 1 line to saying 'i said my speech'. Why the build up then?
- Aled is one of those ppl who asks for free art cause you'll get 'exposure'...tsk tsk..
- "Aled and Daniel had been inseparable their whole lives, despite the fact that Daniel was an uppity, opinionated dickhead and Aled spoke maybe fifty words per day" (this is a hilarious character dynamic...also Aled, same.)
- "It sounds a bit like they're trying to steal your art if they're not even gonna pay you" Frances' mum knows what's up!!!
- "whenever I wasn't doing schoolwork I felt like I was wasting my time" OK MOOD
- "And my drawings were all pointless anyway. It wasn't like I could sell them.""It wasn't like they'd get me into Cambridge" YEA MOOD AGAIN. Parents/school/culture really...instill that into your head. Your interests/hobbies aren't worth doing unless they can get you money or a job...
- "I'm off to drink the alcohols, do lots of the drugs and have lots of the sex" I've probably said this word for word to my mum in the past. Good line. :P
- "I wished I had the guts to say something funny, but I didn't because I wasn't a funny person when I was around them. I was just boring." AHHH. MOOD. F*CK. The entire 'School Frances' aspect of this book was a hard punch in the gut for me, cause that's exactly how I feel about myself. But then I get stuck on 'what if the boring me is all there is' :/ (I think that comes up later in the book too and at that point i honestly wanted to puke)
- "LOGARITHMS" haha. oh its not about me? not a direct address? ok. (this chapter was sweet tho I enjoyed the development)
- "He'd sit through me screaming along to Moulin Rouge" ROOXXAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA[violins]AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE [violins snapping] [choir screaming] rrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOXAAAAAAAANNNNNEE
- "the fact of the matter was that I didn't really know how to behave around friends at all" thought this line was p interesting cause it gets into how friendship is really different with diff people, since everyone has varying needs/wants from a relationship, so its hard to access 'how to behave around friends'
- "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOU'RE FEELING PARTY AF""LOVE U LOADS U BEAUTIFUL MAN" this isn't cringe this is what ill be sending all my friends this year. thank u for the inspiration. usually i just send 'happy day old man' followed by emojis but this is much more powerful
- Alfoyan and Frances office conversation. WHy would she be so against all those things when she grew up in a poor, rural Nigerian village and had to fight her way up to her postition. "grow our own vegetables? End capitalism?" UH YEA? your village was in poverty because of capitalist exploitation? Dr Alfoyan was extremely difficult to believe as a character, it felt more like a random add in to create more drama in the story...
- "She texted back a thumbs up, several salsa-dancing girls and a four leaf clover." What a mum move. I love her.
- I didn't tab anything past there cause it was all. SO much drama. But I did like the ending. It kinda followed into a found family, live with your friends situation and I LOVE THAT SHIT
*As usual i might return to edit this
************
hmmm. It was a decent read, but I didn't like it all that much for two reasons (mainly): not the right time in my life, and I didn't like the writing style.
Right now, I'm already in university. I'm having a good time (mostly?), and my friends have also gone through the uni decision struggle already (mostly). We're done and dusted (for now). So I guess I wasn't all that interested in the subject matter...
Writing style was so BORING. The chapters were ridiculously short. It felt like reading someones vent tumblr? Usually I LOVE casual writing but like. This was too easy. People are saying it reflects how teens speak/think and maybe it does but....it's a book not a teens diary...I feel like it should have a bit more complexity and nuance to the writing?
Also the metaphors and stuff felt so weak and flat...like YES the green plimsolls represent Aleds individuality and desire to express it and follow his own desires, but it was so overdone, I was so bored of it...and YES UniverseCity is a cry for help...get him out of university...but it was so obvious it just felt repetitive. And Carys being February Friday seemed extremely clear from the start...when Frances was like 'oh its daniel' I was no COME ON u dumb shit...clever girl brains where...
The descriptions of the clothes/shoes/hair all the time...saying 'clothes/hair a window to the soul' but not revealing anything about the characters personality? Where's the soul?? Also a lot of the references reminded me of old tumblr posts that would read like 'wearing my Rolling Stones tee, docs and lying on the bed listening to The Eagles...I was born in the wrong era :/'. Also how uniformly are teens in England dressing that a jacket that says 'Tomboy' on it and patterned leggings are SO WEIRD and OUT OF PLACE that ppl feel uncomfortable wearing them out? I found that aspect kinda hard to believe.
Actually a lot of the drama of the story was kinda hard to believe. It was just...too big. ESPECIALLY the 'discovering their identities' drama. Ok so they hit 100k subs. You'd be lucky to find people in your city who know about your channel, let alone your school? 100k subs is not all that widespread in the big scheme of the internet...so Aled getting mobbed by ppl at school just seemed way too unrealistic.
Author was almost onto something with Raine, when Frances realised that she's not actually shallow and has a personality too. I wish that part was more fleshed out...the whole 'we're looking for deep personal connections but only see ourselves as complex and don't bother trying to truly understand others'
I'm being way too mean to this book. I did like the character interactions, and the friendships/relationships. It's still a nice read.
Notes/things I tabbed:
- "I wonder, if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?" p1 (classic if a tree falls in a forest)(i kinda like how this comes back when Aled says 'if people stopped talking to me, i probably wouldn't ever speak again')
- jumpcut writing! There's like, 4 pages preparing for Frances' speech, and then in cuts to the next chapter which dedicates 1 line to saying 'i said my speech'. Why the build up then?
- Aled is one of those ppl who asks for free art cause you'll get 'exposure'...tsk tsk..
- "Aled and Daniel had been inseparable their whole lives, despite the fact that Daniel was an uppity, opinionated dickhead and Aled spoke maybe fifty words per day" (this is a hilarious character dynamic...also Aled, same.)
- "It sounds a bit like they're trying to steal your art if they're not even gonna pay you" Frances' mum knows what's up!!!
- "whenever I wasn't doing schoolwork I felt like I was wasting my time" OK MOOD
- "And my drawings were all pointless anyway. It wasn't like I could sell them.""It wasn't like they'd get me into Cambridge" YEA MOOD AGAIN. Parents/school/culture really...instill that into your head. Your interests/hobbies aren't worth doing unless they can get you money or a job...
- "I'm off to drink the alcohols, do lots of the drugs and have lots of the sex" I've probably said this word for word to my mum in the past. Good line. :P
- "I wished I had the guts to say something funny, but I didn't because I wasn't a funny person when I was around them. I was just boring." AHHH. MOOD. F*CK. The entire 'School Frances' aspect of this book was a hard punch in the gut for me, cause that's exactly how I feel about myself. But then I get stuck on 'what if the boring me is all there is' :/ (I think that comes up later in the book too and at that point i honestly wanted to puke)
- "LOGARITHMS" haha. oh its not about me? not a direct address? ok. (this chapter was sweet tho I enjoyed the development)
- "He'd sit through me screaming along to Moulin Rouge" ROOXXAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA[violins]AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE [violins snapping] [choir screaming] rrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOXAAAAAAAANNNNNEE
- "the fact of the matter was that I didn't really know how to behave around friends at all" thought this line was p interesting cause it gets into how friendship is really different with diff people, since everyone has varying needs/wants from a relationship, so its hard to access 'how to behave around friends'
- "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOU'RE FEELING PARTY AF""LOVE U LOADS U BEAUTIFUL MAN" this isn't cringe this is what ill be sending all my friends this year. thank u for the inspiration. usually i just send 'happy day old man' followed by emojis but this is much more powerful
- Alfoyan and Frances office conversation. WHy would she be so against all those things when she grew up in a poor, rural Nigerian village and had to fight her way up to her postition. "grow our own vegetables? End capitalism?" UH YEA? your village was in poverty because of capitalist exploitation? Dr Alfoyan was extremely difficult to believe as a character, it felt more like a random add in to create more drama in the story...
- "She texted back a thumbs up, several salsa-dancing girls and a four leaf clover." What a mum move. I love her.
- I didn't tab anything past there cause it was all. SO much drama. But I did like the ending. It kinda followed into a found family, live with your friends situation and I LOVE THAT SHIT
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
1.0
Hmm I was very bored by the book and the main character....it was tiring and unsatisfying to read.
Maybe I could not relate at all because I'm not 50 or male but still. Eh
Maybe I could not relate at all because I'm not 50 or male but still. Eh
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
4.0
Cool book! I liked the chapters on dark matter/energy - very digestible :P
Glossed over a lot of interesting topics which is sad but also entirely expected of a book 'for people in a hurry'
**NTS: quotes/notes taken in coptic grid notebook. (haha. a note to self that points to other notes to self. fun e)
Glossed over a lot of interesting topics which is sad but also entirely expected of a book 'for people in a hurry'
**NTS: quotes/notes taken in coptic grid notebook. (haha. a note to self that points to other notes to self. fun e)
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
4.0
enjoyed it! we love a rag tag team of heroes found family setup in this house.
feel good scifi! faith in the goodness of people! this book isn't very heavy but still carries some good messages.
i found this book interesting since it wasn't very plot heavy, and really relied on the characters to keep it rolling. It felt like a 'follow these characters and their adventures over the course of a year' type of account and i enjoyed the format.
(the sticky tabs i used weren't all that sticky and just as i got close to finishing the book most of them FELL OUT ajfajsdfj so now i dont know what i knew then...no notes remain)
feel good scifi! faith in the goodness of people! this book isn't very heavy but still carries some good messages.
i found this book interesting since it wasn't very plot heavy, and really relied on the characters to keep it rolling. It felt like a 'follow these characters and their adventures over the course of a year' type of account and i enjoyed the format.
(the sticky tabs i used weren't all that sticky and just as i got close to finishing the book most of them FELL OUT ajfajsdfj so now i dont know what i knew then...no notes remain)
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
3.0
I enjoyed this book and how personal it seemed to the author's experiences. Since I don't have OCD or anxiety, I couldn't relate like many others, but what I found interesting was how tired I got just reading the thoughts going through Aza's head, which I think really shows how well this book relates to a broader audience in helping them understand those things.
Plot-wise I didn't really care for the book (but it's meant to be character driven and I see this). All in all, 3 stars because I enjoyed it and thought it was interesting, but it's not for me.
I picked this book up because I know the title is a famous astrophysics story, so my only expectation (i.e seeing the story referenced) was fulfilled :-P
Sidenote: Why was Daisy so into Rey x Chewbacca....it's not even a good ship....stormpilot is right there and she writes this....why
Plot-wise I didn't really care for the book (but it's meant to be character driven and I see this). All in all, 3 stars because I enjoyed it and thought it was interesting, but it's not for me.
I picked this book up because I know the title is a famous astrophysics story, so my only expectation (i.e seeing the story referenced) was fulfilled :-P
Sidenote: Why was Daisy so into Rey x Chewbacca....it's not even a good ship....stormpilot is right there and she writes this....why
On Guerrilla Gardening: The Why, What, and How of Cultivating Neglected Public Space by Richard Reynolds
3.0
picked up at random from the uni library.
a cool read! definitely gained a recruit for the cause...i'm very invested in this idea ;O
nice and informative! though now i have to pick up a few books on gardening...or go interrogate my grandma i guess :P
the book itself was a bit slow though - could've been a bit shorter imo
my fave part of the book is the photo on page 143...that girl has so much energy and it's so dynamic i almost started crying (ok im a bit unstable at the moment so that may be why)
a cool read! definitely gained a recruit for the cause...i'm very invested in this idea ;O
nice and informative! though now i have to pick up a few books on gardening...or go interrogate my grandma i guess :P
the book itself was a bit slow though - could've been a bit shorter imo
my fave part of the book is the photo on page 143...that girl has so much energy and it's so dynamic i almost started crying (ok im a bit unstable at the moment so that may be why)
Timekeeper by Tara Sim
3.5 but rounded up because I don't wanna be mean. nvm im rounding down because after writing this long ass block of text i knew this was a 3.5 rounded down
I keep feeling like I need to add more to this review but it's long and rambly enough as is...i'll return...
I read this book very quickly - it's a really easy read and gets you hooked. It uses one of my fave styles of exposition in writing, where the reader generally pieces together the next twist a few pages before the characters - not too obvious but you still get the satisfaction of figuring it out. And there's enough hints thrown to create theories, but I didn't find the end super obvious or predictable.
I LOVE the concept of time as an element/power - time just has a lot of good potential, and this book gave it a lot of interesting uses. Fellow STEM readers: just stop trying to bring physics and relativity into this. We need to stop. It's fantasy.
Time + blood is a really interesting combo....nicely done (though I'd love to see more of it - and the reasons behind the connection)
The writing in this book was pretty good - mostly I liked the descriptions of 'the accident', they were so vivid and had the strongest visual imagery (for me at least). I liked the descriptions of the old gods.
I'm in love with Daphne. reaaally wish we could've seen more of her - she's so cool and has so much potential. the author is half indian and daphne is quarter indian - coincidence? i think not - sounds to me like a nice juicy character plotline to explore based on authors personal experiences. Then the questions...what's with the diamond tattoo? why is her mum in the asylum? hows the stigma surrounding mental health in timekeeper england and what effect does that have on her and her mum? did her dad die in an airship explosion or did i miss something and hes still alive? why did the beach tower spirit show herself to her and what connection do they have? is she gay and if so is she available? If i open the second book and she doesn't have a major role in it im dropping. same sentiment stands for cassie i love her and i need more focus on the female characters.
I liked the enduring theme that there is no real villian because relationships and events over time (hehe) get complicated and unclear (though there was a pretty clear villian in the end - like just because he used to be good doesn't mean he can't change into a true villian by the end)
I liked how Danny's character was written w PTSD and anxiety (granted i don't know all that much about either i've only taken one undergraduate psych course lmaoo). Just the fact that his emotions weren't pushed under the carpet and he was actively dealing with them. Also - his angry outbursts and aggresive behaviour (fights, throwing shit, wrecking matthias' house, more examples i cant remember but im sure exist) were (in my opinion) a great thing to include, since the anger that generally accompanies PTSD tends to be less written about. Also, he was never the uwu shy awkward boy i was afraid he would be. His anxiety played out in different ways, and made for a more realistic character.
Things I feel should've been addressed in the first book/addressed moving into the second:
why did christopher rat matthias out and how will he react to danny and colton? (this ones the big whammy)
now that the enfield townsfolk know about colton do they come to visit? do they hang out and form a bond with their clock? (personally i think this would be super cute - and encouraging since colton still cant leave his town, but now atleast he can be a part of it)
if phones in timekeeper england are only for emergency lines or mechanics then why does cassie have one and why do the people asking leila for an interview have one? shouldn't they still be using the post? or just have danny/cass live close by so they can run to each others house.
can colton or any clock spirits be considered 'human'? like yea they feel emotions but is this different to human emotions? how essential is having a living flesh suit and a concept of life/death/passing time to the human experience in relation to treating the clock spirits as human? should we leave this to the android sci-fi books to muse over or put a tad of it in this series? time will tell. ;)
Let's get into some complaints:
ok i've read like 3 books so take this with a grain of salt but WHY is there so much historical fantasy(?)(im bad at genres) set in London. We have other countries. Like yea london is easy to write about cause its history is familiar and well documented but...just try another city for once im begging. I thiiink the next book is set in India(??) which would be cool to read (if true)
the very sparsely placed POV switches were very strange to read and kinda came out of nowhere. The second we switched to Lucas' pov and he was suddenly framed as a nice guy after being The Bully for the whole start of the book i knew he was getting killed off then and there.
I wasn't a fan of the main relationship...like it was cute and they make each other happy, so good for them, but I didn't feel much substance to the relationship at all. It made some of the scenes towards the end pretty lackluster - like 'im willing to fight for love' (or something like that) fell pretty flat cause I was thinking....love? where is it? this is more like a mutual crush? It also fell victim a bit to the 'born sexy yesterday' trope...I'm much more lenient of it because it's gay and thats a different situation but still - never a fan of those 'you're the first human i've ever talked to' stories because it means theres no standards for the relationship and puts the human character in a position of power that i'm not too comfy with...(but really it wasn't handled badly in this book or anything i'm just not into it)
Matthias/Evaline...that felt pretty damn abusive to me, and it was never really addressed? Like, he kept her in his house and never let her leave or see anybody, he withheld crucial information from her so she couldn't make decisions of her own, he LOCKED HER IN THE ATTIC SO SHE COULDNT LEAVE/NO ONE WOULD FIND HER? Hello??? He was so possessive of Eva and it clearly did a number on her, and her arcs resolution is just...the guy gets put in jail and she gets put in her tower...they even say something along the lines of 'time will heal, but whats time to a clock spirit', basically saying that she CANT heal? excuse me??? And no follow up on her is mentioned - Danny doesn't visit, Christopher doesn't visit....they don't send her anyone to talk to or help address her guilt they just...let her dwell there on her own. Anyways. Justice for Evaline.
Steampunk vibes for me are getting a bit...snzz...I guess i just really want to read something solarpunk because that's 100% the aesthetic i'm about. Imagine enjoying the thick steam clouds polluting london (this was mentioned sooomewhere in the book i remember)? whack. I'll be searching...
notes:
i love the millennial author she made playlists and a pinterest board and features fanart and makes mcelroy gifsets on her twitter for her books. she wrote the books but shes basically like part of fandom. theres fall out boy on the playlists. i knew bleeding out would be on there as well because thats exactly the amv 2014 me wouldve made for this book (complete with a imovie slideshow of uncredited fanart)
i am so glad (i repeat SO GLAD) that the author didn't go down the 'touching/repairing the clock is a metaphor for sexy times' route. I was worried. very worried that i would have to see a 'he stroked the cogs gently and colton moaned'. I was living in fear and I'm glad it didn't come true.
3.0
I keep feeling like I need to add more to this review but it's long and rambly enough as is...i'll return...
I read this book very quickly - it's a really easy read and gets you hooked. It uses one of my fave styles of exposition in writing, where the reader generally pieces together the next twist a few pages before the characters - not too obvious but you still get the satisfaction of figuring it out. And there's enough hints thrown to create theories, but I didn't find the end super obvious or predictable.
I LOVE the concept of time as an element/power - time just has a lot of good potential, and this book gave it a lot of interesting uses. Fellow STEM readers: just stop trying to bring physics and relativity into this. We need to stop. It's fantasy.
Time + blood is a really interesting combo....nicely done (though I'd love to see more of it - and the reasons behind the connection)
The writing in this book was pretty good - mostly I liked the descriptions of 'the accident', they were so vivid and had the strongest visual imagery (for me at least). I liked the descriptions of the old gods.
I'm in love with Daphne. reaaally wish we could've seen more of her - she's so cool and has so much potential. the author is half indian and daphne is quarter indian - coincidence? i think not - sounds to me like a nice juicy character plotline to explore based on authors personal experiences. Then the questions...what's with the diamond tattoo? why is her mum in the asylum? hows the stigma surrounding mental health in timekeeper england and what effect does that have on her and her mum? did her dad die in an airship explosion or did i miss something and hes still alive? why did the beach tower spirit show herself to her and what connection do they have? is she gay and if so is she available? If i open the second book and she doesn't have a major role in it im dropping. same sentiment stands for cassie i love her and i need more focus on the female characters.
I liked the enduring theme that there is no real villian because relationships and events over time (hehe) get complicated and unclear (though there was a pretty clear villian in the end - like just because he used to be good doesn't mean he can't change into a true villian by the end)
I liked how Danny's character was written w PTSD and anxiety (granted i don't know all that much about either i've only taken one undergraduate psych course lmaoo). Just the fact that his emotions weren't pushed under the carpet and he was actively dealing with them. Also - his angry outbursts and aggresive behaviour (fights, throwing shit, wrecking matthias' house, more examples i cant remember but im sure exist) were (in my opinion) a great thing to include, since the anger that generally accompanies PTSD tends to be less written about. Also, he was never the uwu shy awkward boy i was afraid he would be. His anxiety played out in different ways, and made for a more realistic character.
Things I feel should've been addressed in the first book/addressed moving into the second:
why did christopher rat matthias out and how will he react to danny and colton? (this ones the big whammy)
now that the enfield townsfolk know about colton do they come to visit? do they hang out and form a bond with their clock? (personally i think this would be super cute - and encouraging since colton still cant leave his town, but now atleast he can be a part of it)
if phones in timekeeper england are only for emergency lines or mechanics then why does cassie have one and why do the people asking leila for an interview have one? shouldn't they still be using the post? or just have danny/cass live close by so they can run to each others house.
can colton or any clock spirits be considered 'human'? like yea they feel emotions but is this different to human emotions? how essential is having a living flesh suit and a concept of life/death/passing time to the human experience in relation to treating the clock spirits as human? should we leave this to the android sci-fi books to muse over or put a tad of it in this series? time will tell. ;)
Let's get into some complaints:
ok i've read like 3 books so take this with a grain of salt but WHY is there so much historical fantasy(?)(im bad at genres) set in London. We have other countries. Like yea london is easy to write about cause its history is familiar and well documented but...just try another city for once im begging. I thiiink the next book is set in India(??) which would be cool to read (if true)
the very sparsely placed POV switches were very strange to read and kinda came out of nowhere. The second we switched to Lucas' pov and he was suddenly framed as a nice guy after being The Bully for the whole start of the book i knew he was getting killed off then and there.
I wasn't a fan of the main relationship...like it was cute and they make each other happy, so good for them, but I didn't feel much substance to the relationship at all. It made some of the scenes towards the end pretty lackluster - like 'im willing to fight for love' (or something like that) fell pretty flat cause I was thinking....love? where is it? this is more like a mutual crush? It also fell victim a bit to the 'born sexy yesterday' trope...I'm much more lenient of it because it's gay and thats a different situation but still - never a fan of those 'you're the first human i've ever talked to' stories because it means theres no standards for the relationship and puts the human character in a position of power that i'm not too comfy with...(but really it wasn't handled badly in this book or anything i'm just not into it)
Matthias/Evaline...that felt pretty damn abusive to me, and it was never really addressed? Like, he kept her in his house and never let her leave or see anybody, he withheld crucial information from her so she couldn't make decisions of her own, he LOCKED HER IN THE ATTIC SO SHE COULDNT LEAVE/NO ONE WOULD FIND HER? Hello??? He was so possessive of Eva and it clearly did a number on her, and her arcs resolution is just...the guy gets put in jail and she gets put in her tower...they even say something along the lines of 'time will heal, but whats time to a clock spirit', basically saying that she CANT heal? excuse me??? And no follow up on her is mentioned - Danny doesn't visit, Christopher doesn't visit....they don't send her anyone to talk to or help address her guilt they just...let her dwell there on her own. Anyways. Justice for Evaline.
Steampunk vibes for me are getting a bit...snzz...I guess i just really want to read something solarpunk because that's 100% the aesthetic i'm about. Imagine enjoying the thick steam clouds polluting london (this was mentioned sooomewhere in the book i remember)? whack. I'll be searching...
notes:
i love the millennial author she made playlists and a pinterest board and features fanart and makes mcelroy gifsets on her twitter for her books. she wrote the books but shes basically like part of fandom. theres fall out boy on the playlists. i knew bleeding out would be on there as well because thats exactly the amv 2014 me wouldve made for this book (complete with a imovie slideshow of uncredited fanart)
i am so glad (i repeat SO GLAD) that the author didn't go down the 'touching/repairing the clock is a metaphor for sexy times' route. I was worried. very worried that i would have to see a 'he stroked the cogs gently and colton moaned'. I was living in fear and I'm glad it didn't come true.
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
2.0
I wish I could've liked this book more, but I was just kinda bored by the plot and the writing style :'\
I really enjoyed the three main characters though!
I really enjoyed the three main characters though!