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readerpants's reviews
1876 reviews
Prize Money by Celeste Castro
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Greywalker by Kat Richardson
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Gosh, what a time capsule! A noir detective/urban fantasy that's as much of its time as the descriptions of pioneer square and an affordable steak in Seattle.
Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Placeholder: have to write a real review for netgalley.
Regency-esque sapphic romance revenge heist in space! SUCH A ROMP.
Regency-esque sapphic romance revenge heist in space! SUCH A ROMP.
Icarus by K. Ancrum
This is one where I just want to write "review to come" but I know I'd never get to it, so I'll jot down some disconnected thoughts instead.
- shout out to that cover designer who was like "the body keeps the score cover but make it an intense YA" - good job, we see you what did there and also it looks fantastic
-Kayla Ancrum's storytelling is so particular, I feel like I'd recognize it anywhere. There's a blend of found family, explicit mutual caretaking. The unpredictable threat of adults and a sense of creeping dread from their power and unpredictability but then also some who are there offering support and insight from the edges. There was a moment in this one where a character said something like "I talked to my mom and she said that especially if something has been iffy in the past you need to ask for explicit consent each time," and that felt so much like many teens I know (and their moms) - not every kid can trust or talk to the adults in their lives, but many can and do, especially now.
-the particular fraught, overwhelming, almost drowning role of Feels - the mortifying ordeal of being known - there are other YA authors who do this, but I still think that Ancrum's style is one I'd recognize immediately.
-so very queer. Not just LGBTQIA+ rep but with a specifically *queer* sensibility. It's queer in the way adrienne maree brown's work is queer, with a throughline of future dreaming for collective liberation.
I'm going to have to think about readers to search out and rec this to, but I know it's gonna happen and it'll be 🤯😍😭.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is one where I just want to write "review to come" but I know I'd never get to it, so I'll jot down some disconnected thoughts instead.
- shout out to that cover designer who was like "the body keeps the score cover but make it an intense YA" - good job, we see you what did there and also it looks fantastic
-Kayla Ancrum's storytelling is so particular, I feel like I'd recognize it anywhere. There's a blend of found family, explicit mutual caretaking. The unpredictable threat of adults and a sense of creeping dread from their power and unpredictability but then also some who are there offering support and insight from the edges. There was a moment in this one where a character said something like "I talked to my mom and she said that especially if something has been iffy in the past you need to ask for explicit consent each time," and that felt so much like many teens I know (and their moms) - not every kid can trust or talk to the adults in their lives, but many can and do, especially now.
-the particular fraught, overwhelming, almost drowning role of Feels - the mortifying ordeal of being known - there are other YA authors who do this, but I still think that Ancrum's style is one I'd recognize immediately.
-so very queer. Not just LGBTQIA+ rep but with a specifically *queer* sensibility. It's queer in the way adrienne maree brown's work is queer, with a throughline of future dreaming for collective liberation.
I'm going to have to think about readers to search out and rec this to, but I know it's gonna happen and it'll be 🤯😍😭.
Redsight by Meredith Mooring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
DNF'd at 60% (!). I just couldn't finish - I rarely give up on a book so far in just because at that point there's a sunk cost feeling, but I just can't do another 40%.
This wasn't TERRIBLE, but neither was it good. The worldbuilding was patchy enough that it was hard to stay in the story, and the inconsistencies just made that worse. A character shifts into a snake creature; the first few times she has to take her clothes off, then weirdly she doesn't. Same character, thousands of years old and deeply rooted in her love for her beliefs/people is suddenly like "oh no this person saw the monstrous shape of my real snake creature self," when there's absolutely no indication that she had that kind of self-loathing previously. Also, some of the mechanics of vision or lack thereof just didn't make sense? She needs tactile text to read, and there are tools that can help translate other types of physical writing into tactile writing, cool -- but then she's able to see and analyze the visual projection of the map that's shown in a big ship officers meeting? Also, I'm definitely not a fan of the hand-wavy, unexamined (as of 60% through) insta love and then sexy times of a 20-year-old with a millennia old character.
Maybe it was kind of terrible. This had a massively long hold list on it at the public library so obviously it's working for some folks... YMMV.
This wasn't TERRIBLE, but neither was it good. The worldbuilding was patchy enough that it was hard to stay in the story, and the inconsistencies just made that worse. A character shifts into a snake creature; the first few times she has to take her clothes off, then weirdly she doesn't. Same character, thousands of years old and deeply rooted in her love for her beliefs/people is suddenly like "oh no this person saw the monstrous shape of my real snake creature self," when there's absolutely no indication that she had that kind of self-loathing previously. Also, some of the mechanics of vision or lack thereof just didn't make sense? She needs tactile text to read, and there are tools that can help translate other types of physical writing into tactile writing, cool -- but then she's able to see and analyze the visual projection of the map that's shown in a big ship officers meeting? Also, I'm definitely not a fan of the hand-wavy, unexamined (as of 60% through) insta love and then sexy times of a 20-year-old with a millennia old character.
Maybe it was kind of terrible. This had a massively long hold list on it at the public library so obviously it's working for some folks... YMMV.
Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution by Carlo Rovelli
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Rec from Doc V.
Absolutely worth the time and mental work, especially as we got into the third section. I definitely didn't retain all the why of the science, but I feel like I'm still holding on to the fundamentals... and they are extraordinary. This is one I'd like to come back to, and I'd love to read others' thoughts about the ways it connects to art and activism and mutual care and future dreaming.
Absolutely worth the time and mental work, especially as we got into the third section. I definitely didn't retain all the why of the science, but I feel like I'm still holding on to the fundamentals... and they are extraordinary. This is one I'd like to come back to, and I'd love to read others' thoughts about the ways it connects to art and activism and mutual care and future dreaming.
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
A tightly plotted, satisfying, classically puzzle-y mystery - read it all in one (briefly interrupted) sitting.
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Hmm - I think that when adults talk disparagingly about YA, this is what they are thinking of, something written by a very young writer who is stronger in plot than craft. The writing style was a real challenge for me to get through because it was so clunky and unpolished, but I loved WHAT she was doing: page turning, twisty, soapy Pretty Little Liars -style melodrama with mostly queer BIPOC teens, written initially as an undergrad herself. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for that, the mystery, and that gorgeous cover. This is going to be a fun one to booktalk to my teen readers.
NB : I do think it's odd, from a current popular author, to not have any content warnings going in. I wonder if she didn't want to give any spoilers? But sexual assault plays such a massive role that I think most of my readers would want to be prepared.
NB : I do think it's odd, from a current popular author, to not have any content warnings going in. I wonder if she didn't want to give any spoilers? But sexual assault plays such a massive role that I think most of my readers would want to be prepared.
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
That was Good Fun. A fast-paced, funny, rollicking up-all-night-to-get-this-done fantasy adventure with the fun, complex, and never heavy-handed worldbuilding I've come to anticipate from P Djeli Clark. I love how his universes feel so consistently fresh while still bringing in classic elements.
Eveen is an undead assassin -- it's a living with some clear rules, she's great at it and there's minimal angst -- who finds herself on the run with her intended victim after it all goes sideways. There's a mystery ("what's going on?" mostly), snappy banter, and some neat character building.
The end feels a little rushed -- lots of details and threads that got squished into too few pages -- but not so much that it detracts from the fun of reading it. And (hooray) no cliffhangers! Definitely one I'll be adding to my high school library and booktalking widely. Recommended!
Eveen is an undead assassin -- it's a living with some clear rules, she's great at it and there's minimal angst -- who finds herself on the run with her intended victim after it all goes sideways. There's a mystery ("what's going on?" mostly), snappy banter, and some neat character building.
The end feels a little rushed -- lots of details and threads that got squished into too few pages -- but not so much that it detracts from the fun of reading it. And (hooray) no cliffhangers! Definitely one I'll be adding to my high school library and booktalking widely. Recommended!
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
adventurous
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Student rec. Fun, engaging mystery in space: basically a locked room but with all the characters clones missing their memories. Some solid worldbuilding.