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queer_bookwyrm's reviews
499 reviews
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: bullying
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston is book two in the Supernatural Investigations series. This was a great second book! I'm loving all the world building and the expanding cast of characters.
We follow up with Amari at the start of summer when she learns her best friend Elsie will be going to school in a different country, so this is their last summer at the Bureau summer camp. The summer isn't off to a great start, but then a time freeze happens at the Supernatural Congress, and the acting Prime Minister is blaming magicians and other Unwanteds. Amari and her friends try to solve the mystery and prove that not all magicians are bad. Meanwhile, Amari also has to deal with the League of Magicians trying to get her to become their leader.
Amari gets wrapped up in the dangerous Great Game against Dylan Van Helsing in order to win the crown and become the league's leader. All this while still worried about her brother's curse and how other Unwanteds are being treated in the world. This story continues themes on oppression and judging people for just being who they are. There are such strong friendships in this, and it's super heart warming.
The end had me right on the edge! It's a good thing the third book just came out, because I need to know what happens next. Elsie must be protected at all costs. Also, I want Jayden's ability so bad!
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston is book two in the Supernatural Investigations series. This was a great second book! I'm loving all the world building and the expanding cast of characters.
We follow up with Amari at the start of summer when she learns her best friend Elsie will be going to school in a different country, so this is their last summer at the Bureau summer camp. The summer isn't off to a great start, but then a time freeze happens at the Supernatural Congress, and the acting Prime Minister is blaming magicians and other Unwanteds. Amari and her friends try to solve the mystery and prove that not all magicians are bad. Meanwhile, Amari also has to deal with the League of Magicians trying to get her to become their leader.
Amari gets wrapped up in the dangerous Great Game against Dylan Van Helsing in order to win the crown and become the league's leader. All this while still worried about her brother's curse and how other Unwanteds are being treated in the world. This story continues themes on oppression and judging people for just being who they are. There are such strong friendships in this, and it's super heart warming.
The end had me right on the edge! It's a good thing the third book just came out, because I need to know what happens next. Elsie must be protected at all costs. Also, I want Jayden's ability so bad!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
The Rose Society by Marie Lu
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, death, gore, child abuse mention
The Rose Society by Marie Lu is book two in the Young Elites series. This book was so much darker than the first book, but I still loved it! I love having a series all about the villain, and a villain Adelina certainly is.
We pick up with Adeline and her sister Violetta after she has been cast out from the Dagger Society. Adelina seeks to find more Elites to join her own society in order to take over Kenettra. Adelina's ambition has taken over as the darkness inside her grows. She finds Magiano, an elusive Elite who is a thief guided by greed and has the ability to mimic another Elite's power, and Sergio another Elite who was cast out of the Daggers and controls the rain and storms. Together they are a fearsome group with grey morals. Now they must defeat the Inquisition Axis and free the malfettos.
The Daggers are still reeling from the loss of their leader, but also want to defeat the Inquisition Axis. However, they are doing this by allying with the rival nation of Beldain and their Young Elite Queen. Rafaelle has also discovered something shattering about Elites and the consequences of their powers. Both groups clash as they fight for the same thing.
Adelina descends further into madness as her illusions become more unpredictable, and she struggles to figure what is real and what are just the whispers in her head. She's such a great character, although not someone we are particularly rooting for. I do like that this book doesn't clearly give us a good guy or a hero.
Looking forward to seeing how this story wraps up and what will be Adelina's (and Kenettra's) fate.
The Rose Society by Marie Lu is book two in the Young Elites series. This book was so much darker than the first book, but I still loved it! I love having a series all about the villain, and a villain Adelina certainly is.
We pick up with Adeline and her sister Violetta after she has been cast out from the Dagger Society. Adelina seeks to find more Elites to join her own society in order to take over Kenettra. Adelina's ambition has taken over as the darkness inside her grows. She finds Magiano, an elusive Elite who is a thief guided by greed and has the ability to mimic another Elite's power, and Sergio another Elite who was cast out of the Daggers and controls the rain and storms. Together they are a fearsome group with grey morals. Now they must defeat the Inquisition Axis and free the malfettos.
The Daggers are still reeling from the loss of their leader, but also want to defeat the Inquisition Axis. However, they are doing this by allying with the rival nation of Beldain and their Young Elite Queen. Rafaelle has also discovered something shattering about Elites and the consequences of their powers. Both groups clash as they fight for the same thing.
Adelina descends further into madness as her illusions become more unpredictable, and she struggles to figure what is real and what are just the whispers in her head. She's such a great character, although not someone we are particularly rooting for. I do like that this book doesn't clearly give us a good guy or a hero.
Looking forward to seeing how this story wraps up and what will be Adelina's (and Kenettra's) fate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: cursing, homophobia, transphobia, bullying, racism, death of a parent, grief, AIDs mentions
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is book two in the Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of Universe duology. I read book one years ago, and loved the story and the writing, and I felt much the same about this one. It gave some much needed depth to the characters.
We continue to follow Ari and Dante's relationship in the summer of 1988 before their senior year of high school. We see a lot more character development and growth from Ari, who has become much more introspective and mature. We see him discover that his parents and other adults in his life are people too, which sounds obvious, but I think as teenagers we fail to see anyone but ourselves. His relationship with Dante deepens and becomes more complicated. I think it's important to see that even good relationships have complications.
I love that Ari finally gets out of his own way enough to actually have friends and come out of his shell a little bit. We also get to learn more about his dad and their relationship. I think these books are great for people who may need perspective on what it was like to be gay in the 80s during the AIDS pandemic, and the constant fear and worry that the world would never accept you.
I did think this was a bit longer and slower than it needed to be since there was no real over arching plot. It was all character focused. The writing was beautiful and made up for that a bit. Glad I picked this one up.
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is book two in the Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of Universe duology. I read book one years ago, and loved the story and the writing, and I felt much the same about this one. It gave some much needed depth to the characters.
We continue to follow Ari and Dante's relationship in the summer of 1988 before their senior year of high school. We see a lot more character development and growth from Ari, who has become much more introspective and mature. We see him discover that his parents and other adults in his life are people too, which sounds obvious, but I think as teenagers we fail to see anyone but ourselves. His relationship with Dante deepens and becomes more complicated. I think it's important to see that even good relationships have complications.
I love that Ari finally gets out of his own way enough to actually have friends and come out of his shell a little bit. We also get to learn more about his dad and their relationship. I think these books are great for people who may need perspective on what it was like to be gay in the 80s during the AIDS pandemic, and the constant fear and worry that the world would never accept you.
I did think this was a bit longer and slower than it needed to be since there was no real over arching plot. It was all character focused. The writing was beautiful and made up for that a bit. Glad I picked this one up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Racism
Faye and the World's End by Nicole Bailey
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) g*noc!de, violence, PTSD, prejudice, alcohol use, bullying, sexual harassment, death of a parent, homophobia, death, sexual assault mention
Faye and the World's End by Nicole Bailey is book three in the Faye and the Ether Series. This is a good continuation of this story. We get a little more plot this time than last book now that we aren't focusing solely on Faye's PTSD, but it still is a bit slower than I think it needed to be. We spend a lot of time with our characters and their mundane moments, which makes for a nice palette cleanser between tougher reads.
We pick up after the events of the previous book with Faye grieving and still trying to figure out her magic. She's also trying to figure out her feelings for Telanes while poor Marious has to settle for unrequited love. We get a bit more progress with the war between Faye's group of beings and the dragons and sirens under her father, Heracles. We get to meet a few more of beings of the Ether as the Protectors try to gather them to their cause against Typhon and Heracles.
There is a lot here about prejudice and overcoming it for a common cause, and not judging a being solely on the group they belong to. As always with Nicole, it was an emotional rollercoaster there near the end. I am looking forward to seeing how the story progresses, since this book could have served as a final book without feeling like anything was unfinished.
It's been so nice reading her backlog and seeing how much her writing has changed over the years. This is a fun series, and I'll definitely continue reading, but I think I prefer her adult series.
Faye and the World's End by Nicole Bailey is book three in the Faye and the Ether Series. This is a good continuation of this story. We get a little more plot this time than last book now that we aren't focusing solely on Faye's PTSD, but it still is a bit slower than I think it needed to be. We spend a lot of time with our characters and their mundane moments, which makes for a nice palette cleanser between tougher reads.
We pick up after the events of the previous book with Faye grieving and still trying to figure out her magic. She's also trying to figure out her feelings for Telanes while poor Marious has to settle for unrequited love. We get a bit more progress with the war between Faye's group of beings and the dragons and sirens under her father, Heracles. We get to meet a few more of beings of the Ether as the Protectors try to gather them to their cause against Typhon and Heracles.
There is a lot here about prejudice and overcoming it for a common cause, and not judging a being solely on the group they belong to. As always with Nicole, it was an emotional rollercoaster there near the end. I am looking forward to seeing how the story progresses, since this book could have served as a final book without feeling like anything was unfinished.
It's been so nice reading her backlog and seeing how much her writing has changed over the years. This is a fun series, and I'll definitely continue reading, but I think I prefer her adult series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Genocide, Homophobia, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, death, torture, sexual content
"We are but fevered stars. Here a little while, bright with promise, before we burn away."
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse is book two in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy. Although I thought this installment was a bit slower, it was still a great book. I love the continued world-building and raising of the stakes. Potential spoilers for book one ahead.
The Watchers are dead, but Naranpa is not, and emerges with the new found powers of the Sun god to mirror Serapio's Crow god. She works to figure out what her role will be in the coming war. Serapio is injured, and isn't welcomed into Carrion Crow with open arms as he thought. The clans strive for power. Unbeknownst to most of the clans, sorcerers and spearmaidens plot their war against Tova. Meanwhile, Xiala tries to find her way back to Serapio and come to terms with her dangerous Song.
I love that we continue to see that neither Serapio or Naranpa are either the hero or villain. We get to see them have more in common than not. It was fascinating to learn more about the magic in the world of shadow and stone. We learn about the history of the last war brought on by the spearmaidens that led to the current treaty among the clans. There was a lot of political intrigue in this book. I still hold that I want an entire book about Xiala and the Teek. I'm thinking we will get more about them in the final book.
I just want Serapio and Xiala to be happy 😭! Looking forward to book three!
"We are but fevered stars. Here a little while, bright with promise, before we burn away."
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse is book two in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy. Although I thought this installment was a bit slower, it was still a great book. I love the continued world-building and raising of the stakes. Potential spoilers for book one ahead.
The Watchers are dead, but Naranpa is not, and emerges with the new found powers of the Sun god to mirror Serapio's Crow god. She works to figure out what her role will be in the coming war. Serapio is injured, and isn't welcomed into Carrion Crow with open arms as he thought. The clans strive for power. Unbeknownst to most of the clans, sorcerers and spearmaidens plot their war against Tova. Meanwhile, Xiala tries to find her way back to Serapio and come to terms with her dangerous Song.
I love that we continue to see that neither Serapio or Naranpa are either the hero or villain. We get to see them have more in common than not. It was fascinating to learn more about the magic in the world of shadow and stone. We learn about the history of the last war brought on by the spearmaidens that led to the current treaty among the clans. There was a lot of political intrigue in this book. I still hold that I want an entire book about Xiala and the Teek. I'm thinking we will get more about them in the final book.
I just want Serapio and Xiala to be happy 😭! Looking forward to book three!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
An Unreliable Magic by Rin Chupeco
adventurous
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, ICE and children in cages, minor homophobia, death
An Unreliable Magic by Rin Chupeco is book two in the A Hundred Names for Magic series. I enjoyed this second book, but honestly I thought it was too long. I think 20% could have been shaved off or done more efficiently.
We continue following Tala and the other Banders now in Avalon as they continue to try to help incoming immigrants in America from ICE detention centers while also still trying to figure out how to defeat the Snow Queen. On top of that, now portals are popping up all over Avalon with monsters coming through. We also get some themes about corporate greed and how rich people always get away with everything. All of the social issues are pretty on the nose.
All the while the Banders are each trying to figure out their own Dooms or trying to prevent them. I thought some of the stuff happening with Dooms and relationships was a little obvious, but I did enjoy the character moments. I just don't think the Dooms storylines need to be dragged out so much. The Banders finally figure out who has betrayed them, even though it was telegraphed pretty heavily at the end of book one.
Although these books aren't terribly difficult to read or deep, they are fun and enjoyable. A great palette cleanse series for sure!
An Unreliable Magic by Rin Chupeco is book two in the A Hundred Names for Magic series. I enjoyed this second book, but honestly I thought it was too long. I think 20% could have been shaved off or done more efficiently.
We continue following Tala and the other Banders now in Avalon as they continue to try to help incoming immigrants in America from ICE detention centers while also still trying to figure out how to defeat the Snow Queen. On top of that, now portals are popping up all over Avalon with monsters coming through. We also get some themes about corporate greed and how rich people always get away with everything. All of the social issues are pretty on the nose.
All the while the Banders are each trying to figure out their own Dooms or trying to prevent them. I thought some of the stuff happening with Dooms and relationships was a little obvious, but I did enjoy the character moments. I just don't think the Dooms storylines need to be dragged out so much. The Banders finally figure out who has betrayed them, even though it was telegraphed pretty heavily at the end of book one.
Although these books aren't terribly difficult to read or deep, they are fun and enjoyable. A great palette cleanse series for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, sexual content
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco is book two in the Kingdom of the Wicked series. I think this book suffered from second book syndrome. It was a lot slower than the first book, but we got more character moments and a lot more spice. The ending made it up to me though. Possible spoilers for book one ahead.
We follow Emilia as she enters the underworld with Wrath so she can marry the devil. She must fight through many sins, and her character and strength are tested. Although she seems most aligned with wrath, I felt that lust was a close second with the way she desires Prince Wrath the entire book. Emilia is still set on her scheme to figure out her sister's murder, while solving the mystery of enchanted skulls that keep getting sent to her.
We get to see more of the other princes in this book, but mainly we learn the most about Wrath. He gets a lot of development along with Emilia in this book. I also like him a lot more in this book than I did last time. I appreciated Emilia exploring her sexuality and coming to terms with the shame she has been taught to have about it in the mortal world. There were some deliciously spicy moments in this book that I quite enjoyed. Some parts of the book were so slow, those moments were what kept me engaged.
The ending made up for the weird pacing in the story, and definitely had me intrigued for how this will all end.
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco is book two in the Kingdom of the Wicked series. I think this book suffered from second book syndrome. It was a lot slower than the first book, but we got more character moments and a lot more spice. The ending made it up to me though. Possible spoilers for book one ahead.
We follow Emilia as she enters the underworld with Wrath so she can marry the devil. She must fight through many sins, and her character and strength are tested. Although she seems most aligned with wrath, I felt that lust was a close second with the way she desires Prince Wrath the entire book. Emilia is still set on her scheme to figure out her sister's murder, while solving the mystery of enchanted skulls that keep getting sent to her.
We get to see more of the other princes in this book, but mainly we learn the most about Wrath. He gets a lot of development along with Emilia in this book. I also like him a lot more in this book than I did last time. I appreciated Emilia exploring her sexuality and coming to terms with the shame she has been taught to have about it in the mortal world. There were some deliciously spicy moments in this book that I quite enjoyed. Some parts of the book were so slow, those moments were what kept me engaged.
The ending made up for the weird pacing in the story, and definitely had me intrigued for how this will all end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Moderate: Violence
Among the Cursed and Divine by Nicole Bailey
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) grief, loss, death, animal death, mild gore, animal sacrifice, coarse language, sexual content
Among the Curse and Divine by Nicole Bailey is book two in the Legend of Gilgamesh duology. Wow, Nicole really wrecked me with this one. I love how Nicole is able to take one of the most well known stories in the world and make it completely her own with rich, relatable, and flawed characters. She really poured a lot of her own grief into this story, and it is evident in every word. Possible spoilers for book one ahead.
We pick up with Gilgamesh and Enkidu not long after they defeated the Bull of Heaven and brought Inanna's retribution down upon them. Enkidu has been cursed to die in one year's time, and Gilgamesh is not handling it well. That is a major understatement of course. He is utterly consumed with premature grief. All he wants is to find a way to break the curse, but the gods refuse to intercede.
Finally, Enkidu and Gilgamesh go on a journey into the Divine Realm to try and find Gilgamesh's immortal ancestor in hopes that he will grant them immortality, thus saving Enkidu. Enkidu, too pure for this world as usual, rescues an orphaned lion, and names him Urmah. Gilgamesh is the grumpy dad who says he doesn't want anything to do with the cat, and they become best friends. Throughout the novel Enkidu and Gilgamesh struggle to come to terms with dying and grief respectively. It was like finding out a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness with no cure.
The lessons from the book are simple, but profound: treat every moment like it's precious, live each day to the fullest with your loved ones while you can, and don't linger on the future on futile pursuits. I cried so hard during the entire last 10% of this book. As always, Nicole is an expert at crafting characters you can't help but love, which means all the more devastation.
If you are familiar with the Epic of Gilgamesh, read these books. If you're not familiar with that story, but love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, read these books. Just read these books.
Among the Curse and Divine by Nicole Bailey is book two in the Legend of Gilgamesh duology. Wow, Nicole really wrecked me with this one. I love how Nicole is able to take one of the most well known stories in the world and make it completely her own with rich, relatable, and flawed characters. She really poured a lot of her own grief into this story, and it is evident in every word. Possible spoilers for book one ahead.
We pick up with Gilgamesh and Enkidu not long after they defeated the Bull of Heaven and brought Inanna's retribution down upon them. Enkidu has been cursed to die in one year's time, and Gilgamesh is not handling it well. That is a major understatement of course. He is utterly consumed with premature grief. All he wants is to find a way to break the curse, but the gods refuse to intercede.
Finally, Enkidu and Gilgamesh go on a journey into the Divine Realm to try and find Gilgamesh's immortal ancestor in hopes that he will grant them immortality, thus saving Enkidu. Enkidu, too pure for this world as usual, rescues an orphaned lion, and names him Urmah. Gilgamesh is the grumpy dad who says he doesn't want anything to do with the cat, and they become best friends. Throughout the novel Enkidu and Gilgamesh struggle to come to terms with dying and grief respectively. It was like finding out a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness with no cure.
The lessons from the book are simple, but profound: treat every moment like it's precious, live each day to the fullest with your loved ones while you can, and don't linger on the future on futile pursuits. I cried so hard during the entire last 10% of this book. As always, Nicole is an expert at crafting characters you can't help but love, which means all the more devastation.
If you are familiar with the Epic of Gilgamesh, read these books. If you're not familiar with that story, but love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, read these books. Just read these books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing
Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) mental illness, ableism, self harm mention, suicide mention, violence, gore, body horror, sexual violence mention, sexual abuse of a minor mention, abuse, domestic abuse mention, transphobia mention, homophobia mention, references to slavery and genocide, animal death
Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon is book one in the Ourobouros duology. I really enjoyed this book. It's more visceral and raw, but just as messy as their previous duology. It's also queer AF.
We follow Gem Echols, a Seminole trans masculine kid in Gracie, Georgia dealing with their mental illness, and wanting to get out of their small town to live with their best friend Enzo in New York. When a mysterious person named Willa Mae shows up at school and acting like she's known Gem all her life, Gem is thrown into a bunch of weird memories and visions of their past lives, including ones from another world. Turns out Gem and Willa Mae are gods from another world.
Once Gem starts remembering who they have been, they want to just be human again. With other gods showing up trying to kill them, and trying to figure out their feelings for both Willa Mae and Enzo, Gem's just got infinitely more complicated.
Like Edgmon 's last series, the main character is incredibly messy and very morally gray. Gem isn't necessarily a likeable person; they are selfish, whiny, and full of self-loathing. They are a complicated and layered character that I think a lot of people might be able to relate to. There is a lot in here about balance and justice, and how justice isn't necessarily the same thing as being fair. There is also a theme about breaking cycles, of violence and of grudges. But we also see a theme of the characters having the choice to be better, and deciding to do the opposite. I don't think any of the characters in this book could be considered the hero or the "good guys."
I love the way Edgmon has written an entirely new pantheon of gods and what they represent. Edgmon has also given us a look into what it's like growing up in a small southern town riddled with racism, transphobia/homophobia, and colonialism. It's also made clear that not all people in the south are bad people, but the history and propaganda there hasn't made it easy on anyone.
This book tackles a lot. None of the plot went the way I thought it would. It kept me on my toes the entire time, and I can't wait to read The Merciless Saviors.
Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon is book one in the Ourobouros duology. I really enjoyed this book. It's more visceral and raw, but just as messy as their previous duology. It's also queer AF.
We follow Gem Echols, a Seminole trans masculine kid in Gracie, Georgia dealing with their mental illness, and wanting to get out of their small town to live with their best friend Enzo in New York. When a mysterious person named Willa Mae shows up at school and acting like she's known Gem all her life, Gem is thrown into a bunch of weird memories and visions of their past lives, including ones from another world. Turns out Gem and Willa Mae are gods from another world.
Once Gem starts remembering who they have been, they want to just be human again. With other gods showing up trying to kill them, and trying to figure out their feelings for both Willa Mae and Enzo, Gem's just got infinitely more complicated.
Like Edgmon 's last series, the main character is incredibly messy and very morally gray. Gem isn't necessarily a likeable person; they are selfish, whiny, and full of self-loathing. They are a complicated and layered character that I think a lot of people might be able to relate to. There is a lot in here about balance and justice, and how justice isn't necessarily the same thing as being fair. There is also a theme about breaking cycles, of violence and of grudges. But we also see a theme of the characters having the choice to be better, and deciding to do the opposite. I don't think any of the characters in this book could be considered the hero or the "good guys."
I love the way Edgmon has written an entirely new pantheon of gods and what they represent. Edgmon has also given us a look into what it's like growing up in a small southern town riddled with racism, transphobia/homophobia, and colonialism. It's also made clear that not all people in the south are bad people, but the history and propaganda there hasn't made it easy on anyone.
This book tackles a lot. None of the plot went the way I thought it would. It kept me on my toes the entire time, and I can't wait to read The Merciless Saviors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, and Transphobia
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5 ⭐ CW: (from the author) grief, suicide, mental health issues, death of a parent, sex, violence
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber is a YA fantasy Standalone. I have loved everything I've read by this author so far, and this is no different. This book, however, is much darker than all her other books. It focuses most on grief and mental illness.
We follow Estela, a girl living a transient life with her parents in the US until a mysterious tragedy strikes the subway they are riding, and 25 people died including Estela's parents, making her the sole survivor. Estela experiences deep grief and despair while inside a mental institution, until she finds out she isn't a US citizen and is claimed by an unknown aunt in Spain.
When Estela gets to Spain, her aunt's house is a massive Gothic castle that is creepy AF, and so is her aunt Beatriz. There are only two rules: don't invite anyone into the castle, and don't explore the closed off sections of the house. These rules are of course immediately broken. Estela finds hidden rooms in the castle along with a vampire only she can see. She is pulled into family secrets, supernatural plots, and a whirlwind love.
This was very dark, and had many twists that I didn't see coming. It was kind of like a mystery as well, with Estela fancying herself a bit of a detective. Everything about this story was wild. The romance wasn't my favorite thing with its whole "love conquers all" theme, but everything else more than made up for it. I love a creepy Gothic castle shrouded in lore and family secrets, and hidden realms.
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber is a YA fantasy Standalone. I have loved everything I've read by this author so far, and this is no different. This book, however, is much darker than all her other books. It focuses most on grief and mental illness.
We follow Estela, a girl living a transient life with her parents in the US until a mysterious tragedy strikes the subway they are riding, and 25 people died including Estela's parents, making her the sole survivor. Estela experiences deep grief and despair while inside a mental institution, until she finds out she isn't a US citizen and is claimed by an unknown aunt in Spain.
When Estela gets to Spain, her aunt's house is a massive Gothic castle that is creepy AF, and so is her aunt Beatriz. There are only two rules: don't invite anyone into the castle, and don't explore the closed off sections of the house. These rules are of course immediately broken. Estela finds hidden rooms in the castle along with a vampire only she can see. She is pulled into family secrets, supernatural plots, and a whirlwind love.
This was very dark, and had many twists that I didn't see coming. It was kind of like a mystery as well, with Estela fancying herself a bit of a detective. Everything about this story was wild. The romance wasn't my favorite thing with its whole "love conquers all" theme, but everything else more than made up for it. I love a creepy Gothic castle shrouded in lore and family secrets, and hidden realms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent