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mweis's reviews
929 reviews
How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica
4.0
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Clearly 2024 is my year of sad gay lit because I really liked this and it broke my heart. Written in the form of letters to a lost love, Daniel recounts their relationship from beginning to end to work through his grief. I loved the narrative framework and the prose was a perfect mix of touching but a little awkward in the way that I think really suited a coming of age story. There are moments that are so poignant and then there are moments that are like yes I would fully believe a grieving 19 year old boy would say that.
I think part of what made me enjoy this book so much was that I could see aspects of my own history in what he was experiencing and it made me really sit with how universal grief is and how healing isn't nonlinear. Andrés Ordorica is definitely a voice I will be keeping an eye on after this debut.
Clearly 2024 is my year of sad gay lit because I really liked this and it broke my heart. Written in the form of letters to a lost love, Daniel recounts their relationship from beginning to end to work through his grief. I loved the narrative framework and the prose was a perfect mix of touching but a little awkward in the way that I think really suited a coming of age story. There are moments that are so poignant and then there are moments that are like yes I would fully believe a grieving 19 year old boy would say that.
I think part of what made me enjoy this book so much was that I could see aspects of my own history in what he was experiencing and it made me really sit with how universal grief is and how healing isn't nonlinear. Andrés Ordorica is definitely a voice I will be keeping an eye on after this debut.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
2.5
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I have such mixed feelings about this book. The cover is stunning and I am a sucker for the reincarnation trope but I'm not sure how successful this is a romance so I think marketing it as one does the book a disservice.
I enjoyed the three timelines equally and found how the intertwined really interesting. I also love the use of culture and casual queerness. Unfortunately, I ultimately think this was a sort of forgettable novel and I found the ending disappointing.
That being said, I like the bones of this and the prose is beautiful so I'd be willing to give the author another chance.
I have such mixed feelings about this book. The cover is stunning and I am a sucker for the reincarnation trope but I'm not sure how successful this is a romance so I think marketing it as one does the book a disservice.
I enjoyed the three timelines equally and found how the intertwined really interesting. I also love the use of culture and casual queerness. Unfortunately, I ultimately think this was a sort of forgettable novel and I found the ending disappointing.
That being said, I like the bones of this and the prose is beautiful so I'd be willing to give the author another chance.
Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash
3.5
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I was initially intrigued by the cover and title of this book and then I saw "part murder mystery, part gay international-fugitive love story—set against the ’90s Satanic Panic" and knew I had to read this.
While I don't think that summary is wrong, I also don't think it set the right expectations in my head for what this book would be. I wouldn't call this a thriller for one. It's a slow moving book and goes into the psychology of cults but the suspense comes from the relative naiveté of Lacey being a young child when her parents get accused. In that respect, I'd almost categorize this as a coming of age story/bildungsroman over a thriller.
I liked the exploration of hysteria and how damaging "witch hunts" become and I loved how affirming Lacey was with Dylan's gender identity. That being said, while I liked a lot of aspects of this book, I struggled through other aspects. There is a time break about 60% of the way through the book that while it makes sense in the context of the story I found quite jarring to experience and it made the back half of the book feel less immersive.
I was initially intrigued by the cover and title of this book and then I saw "part murder mystery, part gay international-fugitive love story—set against the ’90s Satanic Panic" and knew I had to read this.
While I don't think that summary is wrong, I also don't think it set the right expectations in my head for what this book would be. I wouldn't call this a thriller for one. It's a slow moving book and goes into the psychology of cults but the suspense comes from the relative naiveté of Lacey being a young child when her parents get accused. In that respect, I'd almost categorize this as a coming of age story/bildungsroman over a thriller.
I liked the exploration of hysteria and how damaging "witch hunts" become and I loved how affirming Lacey was with Dylan's gender identity. That being said, while I liked a lot of aspects of this book, I struggled through other aspects. There is a time break about 60% of the way through the book that while it makes sense in the context of the story I found quite jarring to experience and it made the back half of the book feel less immersive.