sarahbearas's reviews
45 reviews

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Legendborn is YA fantasy at its best and I mean that so sincerely. This is one of my favorite YA fantasies I’ve read in a while and I can't believe it took me this long to pick it up. I’ve been missing out!!!! For so long!!!!

I came into this book without a lot of prior knowledge, which I've been doing nowadays since that seems to bring out a different, more enjoyable reading experience for me. All I knew was that 1) this was highly loved and 2) it's a fantasy. That's about it. Read no blurbs or plot summary because apparently, that's how I operate now. So, as a kid who really enjoyed Arthurian legends growing up, I just about nearly screeched when I realized that this was a twist on that.

It's rare that a first page really gets me hooked on a story; I’ve become accustomed to the idea that a book takes a chapter or two to really get going and pull the reader in. When I tell you that this story drops you in immediately, I do; I’ve never started caring for a main character as fast as I have for Bree. At the core of this story, it's really about her grief and she learns to cope and live with it. And kudos to Tracy Deonn for handling such topics with the care and grace that should be used when talking about grief.

With regards to the fantasy aspect, I felt as though I understood everything in the moment but the further we got along the more I was like “do I actually understand this magic system?????”. Alas, I think it's just the nature of a dense magic system to lose some details on the first read. I never felt like anything was too info-dumpy, I personally would have to go back and re-read a lot to really understand the concept of the Order and Root as well. It’s really excellent, once you start to grasp the ideas presented.

My only true gripes are 1) there's so many side characters that they kinda got lost in a sea of names, for me personally 2) I’m not a huge fan of love triangles 3) Sel gets on my nerves. Me and Sel have beef. Truly. But am I going to go ahead and devour Bloodmarked after finishing this review? Why yes. Yes, I am.

I highly, highly recommend this book, especially if you're itching for a well-written YA fantasy right now. Or if you want to try someone new outside of the genres you typically enjoy, I feel like this is a great pick. I’m so deeply excited to see where this series goes, and whatever future works Tracy Deonn puts out, I will definitely pick it up.

Content Warnings

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I really, really wanted to love this book, but ultimately my feelings are that it’s just fine. It does nothing egregious but does nothing to stand out either. I really should’ve DNF’ed around the 50% mark but I pushed through because I liked the ideas that were presented.

Let’s start with the things I kinda liked:

This was my first introduction to silkpunk, and I think it was an excellent introduction to this genre.
This book reads very much like a C-drama, and that appealed to me.

What I didn’t like:

The writing felt clunky, and a little juvenile for the content itself.
The pacing was all over the place.
The execution of this concept/idea just simply wasn’t my cup of tea.

To be more specific about what I said above…

Amber Chen takes on the ambitious job of introducing a complex fantasy world that’s based in the silkpunk genre. I keep mentioning this because it’s important to make a distinction between steampunk and silkpunk, especially since it is so explicitly stated that this is what this book is. In the words of Lyndsie Manusos from the Book Riot article on silkpunk:

“It’s more organic than steampunk. With silkpunk, form is just as important as function [...] It’s not a big chunk of metal coughing steam. It is beautiful. It is art.

The “punk” part, however, is pretty classic to the other “punk” sub-genres. Resistance and rebellion against authority are key elements.”

Ying’s resistance is obvious at first; secretly entering a guild that has only ever exclusively recruited and taught men, and succeeding despite everything thrown at her. Her choice, at the end of the novel, feels very in tune with resistance and rebellion, to me.

I remember while I was reading having the exact thought “This totally feels like a C-drama.” And lo and behold! That was the point. Having grown up around C-dramas and watching a few myself, I loved having that exact vibe shine through. That was very entertaining.

This has the bones of a good story. However, I don’t love the writing half the time, and the dialogue was often the sore thumb sticking out. It felt awkward, stilted, and unnatural. This was often the problem between Ye-yang and Ying and it made their scenes a drag. And speaking of dragging…the pacing was never consistent. I got about 50% and really struggled with how slow everything felt, especially since the story started incredibly fast.

All of this, the things I disliked, stem from a middling execution of the story. This really could’ve used a second look before publication, just to clean up sections of the story that feel slow, and really focus in on the themes. I have a hard time figuring out who to recommend this to; the content is not too heavy, but there are violent moments that don’t necessarily match up tonally with the writing. I’d say this is appropriate for the middle-older end of YA, and for those who wanted to experience a different punk subgenre, with C-drama vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Viking Books for Young Readers for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings

Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens

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adventurous lighthearted fast-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

2.5

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, & Margaret K. McElderry Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

It pains me to say that my rollercoaster with F.T. Lukens’ novels continues.

I’ve read everything they’ve published so far, with my favorite being So This Is Ever After, which was actually my first 5-star read of 2024, in January! However, with how middling my feelings have been about their previous novels, I tempered my expectations going into this. To be clear: this is a finely written book, with sweet queer/non-binary representation, and is a cozy, fast-paced read for fans of light urban fantasy. This will definitely appeal to some people, but it fell below expectations for me.

I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of Lukens’s books that their style of writing tends to lean “straightforward”; with little to no purple prose, succinct, and very easy to read. I don’t mind that and appreciate it every so often between denser books. I think their writing style feels very appropriate for the genres and categories they write in. However, for this particular book, it felt much more spoon-fed-y than usual. Very much like: “They went to door. They picked up their keys and left. Then they went to their car, got in, and started up the car.” Which felt very out of the norm for Lukens and was surprised to see that kind of writing quality here. It felt like the type of writing you do when need to meet a word count minimum on an essay, which is something I don’t love to see in the books I read.

In terms of the concept for this novel, I’d say it was a just fine execution of the idea. A skeptic and and a magical familiar make an unlikely duo, creating a bargain in order to figure out the mystery of a five-year frost that has taken over the city their in. Great concept, and a good hook. The prologue and first chapter did such an excellent job of creating the atmosphere. It was magical and mysterious and got me pulled in. Ellery’s introduction in the first chapter was a welcome change of pace from previous characters in Lukens’s novels; Ellery is their most pessimistic by far, in my opinion, and was set up to be a great contrast to Knox. However, after the prologue and first chapter, things start stagnating. The atmosphere Lukens sets up seems to disappear while Knox and Ellery become less compelling. Great setup, with little payoff.

The plot was…confusing? Confusing as in, my expectations were not the reality. I came into this novel expecting to follow a story that was much more high stakes (though, that’s not really Lukens’ MO from what I observed, so I don’t know why I expected that) and this ended up feeling like more of a cozy story. It felt high stakes in the beginning when Knox is in danger, and once the bargain is struck between Knox and Ellery, it’s kinda just us as the readers following them around as check things off the bargain list. Which, yeah, that’s the point, but also, weird to set up high stakes and then forget about them until the end. Which, by the way, we get sort of Eurydice and Orpheus-eqsue towards the end which is random! I did gasp a little bit at that, I won’t lie, but also, very random.

However, one thing I really appreciated this time around with F.T. Lukens is that their side characters were much more distinct and present in this book! I’ve struggled to connect to some of their side characters, and a lot of them have been wildly underdeveloped (I’m looking at you, random babysitter from the last 30% of Spell Bound. I don’t even remember your name.) But! I could very clearly see who Charley, Zada, Lorelai, Bram, and even Hale were! They brought color and life to the world, and that was great to see.

Ultimately, while this has some excellent improvements from previous novels F.T. Lukens has written, it fell short for me in so many ways, especially in their writing. This is certainly an anomaly for me, and I hope their future books resonate with me more. Again: if you want a lighthearted, romance-focused urban fantasy, with queer/non-binary representation, this will probably work better for you.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

What to say about this book…

I’m having a hard time articulating just how much this book has lived in my brain. It’s been almost a month since I’ve read it, and I’ve only just sat down to write my review. I usually write my reviews right away to get my thoughts to paper as quickly as possible before I forget, but I didn’t know how to feel about this. I didn’t really know what to say. Now, if you asked me to describe this book, I would say it’s the most hopeful and most devastating book, all at once. And I really, really love it.

As a reader, dystopian/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic fiction are some of my favorite genres to read; specifically, the wave of YA dystopia in the 2010’s is what got me hooked onto reading in the first place. Parable of the Sower came highly recommended from reviewers I follow. However, this was somehow everything I expected and somehow nothing what I thought it would be at all.

I love this book a lot. I really do. It’s not often I remember a book long after reading it, and that’s not to disparage anything I’ve read before, it’s just how it is. But when I think about Parable of the Sower, it’s because I’m looking at the world around me and realizing that this piece of fiction is not necessarily fiction at all. It’s really silly of me to say, considering that all good apocalypse and dystopia just takes what’s really happened in the world and puts it into a novel. But goddamn, seriously, sometimes I think Octavia E. Butler was an oracle or something, and we didn’t listen to her closely enough. I think part of the reason this novel feels so close to home right now is because it really is; images coming out of the world right now resemble close to the events happening in the novel, to the life that Lauren lives. And just on, like, a practical level, this novel begins in 2023/2024 and that’s just crazy to be reading in the years that Butler wrote of the downfalls of America. Sometimes I’d read a particular passage and say “Well, that’s crazy, we don’t live like that.” And then I’d sit and stare at my wall for a while and then go, “Well, actually…”.

There are the things about the novel that I don’t completely love; the subject of Lauren’s hyper-empathy comes and goes, and doesn’t seem to have as much plot relevance as I anticipated. I felt the same about Lauren’s religion, Earthseed - relevant until it wasn’t, and then relevant again, even though that’s. There is a large cast of side characters that bring good life to the world, but there are just so many that really don’t go anywhere. A part of me feels like because this was intended to be a trilogy (hexology????) that this was the set-up for the payoff that would come in the following books. My jaw literally dropped when the book ended, I really sat there and was like “Hello!?!?! There’s got to be more???” A part of me hesitates reading the second book, just because I know this universe was left unfinished, but I really do like Butler’s writing. Very easy to read, never too simplistic or too flowery, for my tastes. Even if I don’t pick up Parable of The Talents (which I probably will, lol) I’ll definitely be reading everything she has to offer.

I really love this book. Highly, highly recommend it.

Content Warnings

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Gosh, I love queer regency romances. I LOVE QUEER REGENCY ROMANCES!!!!!!!!!

I’ll admit that I wasn’t certain if I would like this book just because I’ve had to put down Gabe Cole Novoa’s other work - The Wicked Bargain - because I couldn't get invested in the writing style. I chalked it up to not being in the mood; Most Ardently arrived on my Libby shelf not long after and my god I am obsessed and I seriously need to read everything else Novoa has written. He gets my vibes! I feel like somehow he went traipsing through my brain and pulled out almost everything I want in a queer regency romance! Like!?!??

For a moment I was afraid I wouldn't get through the novel, as I have a nasty habit of avoiding things that make me emotional or are difficult to read. Take serious heed of Novoa’s note at the beginning; Oliver, our protagonist, is constantly deadnamed and referred to as the second eldest Bennet daughter (never in narration, only by other people in the novel). Reading Oliver’s experience and the headspace he's in because of this frequent misgendering is very difficult. Once I pushed myself to dive back in, however, I was so delighted the entire time reading. The moments of euphoria are truly worth it.

I can’t speak on how much of this Pride and Prejudice remix is true to the original story and how much it deviates. I haven't read the original or any other adaptations. This remix has certainly motivated me to pick up the original, just so I can come back and reread to find the similarities and differences in terms of plot beats and scenes!

If I had to be incredibly nitpicky, I wish there was more genuine discussion around misogyny in this novel. I understand that's not entirely the point of this remix, but I felt that the discussion around the treatment of women and the unfairness of it was sort of…I don’t know? We scratched the surface but did not dig any deeper. There’s plenty of women in the novel and in Oliver’s life that could've added more perspective. Charlotte, Oliver’s best friend, provided an interesting dueling perspective about marriage as a queer woman, but I still felt like this part of the story was a little undercooked, you know what I mean? This may come from the fact that a lot of the side characters, including Charlotte, Jane, and Mrs. Bennet, all were more two-dimensional than I would've liked. I attribute this to the fact the book comes in at a whopping 304 pages (in print), so it's brisk and leaves little breath for lengthy examinations of, like, most things.

The other thing that I’m gonna nitpick on, which is not a big deal but gave me a good laugh, is how cartoonishly evil Wickham is. And Mr. Collins, too, to an extant. They just really say the most outlandish things about women. I know it's the regency era but wow. Wild. “You have such beautiful childbearing hips.” Wild. Absolutely wild. This was…a little heavy handed, but I did laugh.

I wish there was a tad more Oliver and Darcy but every instance they interacted I was indeed screaming so, still happy. I wish there was just more in general, you know? More room to explore and breathe in this world, allowing for nuance and depth. However, I am not unhappy with this book at all. It’s definitely an imperfect book, but it spoke to my little queer heart in a big way.

Content Warnings

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

wasn't the time, wasn't my vibes. this book will find me again when i need it

Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy

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Did not finish book.

not my vibes, you know? may this book be the one for someone else

The House Witch by Delemhach

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Did not finish book.

has everything I usually like but now is not the vibes, you know?

So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH ALL MY FEELINGS WHAT DO I DO NOWWWWW WHAT DO I DO NOWWWWWWWWW

Edit after ten minutes:

The way I had no idea how this book would make me feel. I was so ready for another 3 star read. I thought I would dislike the anachronistic language, the lack of explanation around the magic system, the heavy handedness with regards to the D&D of it all and guess what I’m literally in a puddle. I’m a puddle of a human. I thought the miscommunication was going to kill me. The amount of times I annotated the book and said “they're idiots, they're actual idiots” was insurmountable. But I ate this shit right up.

This is definitely one of those books that is so specifically good for me, and definitely not other people's cup of tea, and I don’t blame them. But I’m partying dude, I’m having so much fun.

Having read In Deeper Waters and Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens already, I came in with a specific set of expectations. I’d probably get some okay world building and plot, good characters that I’d like, and that I’d have a good reading experience. I cannot believe just how much I loved this. I love D&D, I love queer people, I love romcoms, and so I loved this. There was something about the struggles and values of the characters presented to me that made them jump off the page; more so than either of the previous Lukens books I read. The humor in this book actually made me laugh out loud. Like genuinely. Not in a hyperbolic way, I was giggling.

Of course I have my nitpicks; I don’t love the miscommunication trope. It's usually the trope that turns me off from a book. If Arek and Matt had one honest conversation, this book would be 300 pages shorter. As I mentioned earlier, the diction used is very anachronistic to the quasi-kinda-not-really medieval setting we're in. At times it feels very young, despite our cast of characters being on the older side, and our MC being seventeen. Weaker worldbuilding and unexplained magic system, as mentioned before. When I tell you these characters carried the book, I mean they were like Atlas. However, I do wish the side characters (the rest of the party) were more developed. Especially Rion and Lila. The writing itself, I think is great; has that straightforward quality I expect from Lukens, with no overly flowery prose. Many people have said Lukens’ writing has fanfic quality to it and hey, I see it. They literally say “toe off his boots” at one point. I know one when I see one.

However, I am not immune to things that I love (see: my third paragraph above) and so I can’t help but love this book. It feels like an off the rails episode of Dimension20. It's the type of fantasy I love. It's a little a fanfic-y, it's got a horrible miscommunication trope, it's so - literally asinine sometimes. And I love it so much.

tldr; This book is silly and I’m a silly goose. We are a match made in heaven. 5/5, even with its imperfections.

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

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challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book made me feel a lot of things - compassion, anxiety, sympathy, despair - but ultimately I felt a bit empty at the end. Maybe I just need to sit with this book for longer, synthesize the story more in order to come to a more complete understanding. And confession: I got about 200 pages in and then realized I was not reading a memoir. I don’t even know how to explain myself. But here’s what I will say: As a queer woman myself my God, some parts of the story just made me want to take a walk around the block (in a good way - Arafat is a very compelling author). I think the book does a good job in tackling the complexity of addiction, of our habits and defenses, and how it's rooted in our upbringing. How the cycle of self destruction is perpetuated and the effort it takes in order to break it. By the very nature of the topics at hand, the story is cyclical, and I will go as far as to say it's repetitive. The last hundred or so pages I was feeling like it was a slog. I just wish there was more urgency as it felt there was the first 80%. It felt too long and too quick all at once (the last 20% I mean).

Again, having just finished this recently, I think my feelings will change a little bit the more I sit and digest this. I think even with my dissatisfaction with the last bit of the book, I think it's still a very good read. The narrator feels very close to the reader, and I was very invested in the journey she took.

Solid 3 from me!

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sarahbearas's reviews 45 reviews

sarahbearas's reviews
45 reviews