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tinyelfarcanist's Reviews (326)

I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vol. 04

Okura

4.0

emotional funny lighthearted 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: No

I liked that in this number there was a highlight on platonic relationships. I love the aromantic representation with Yuri, he’s my favourite character.

I can see slow character growth in some of the characters and I want to see where they get to.

Content Warnings

I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vol. 03

Okura

5.0

emotional 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: No

I love how it defies gender roles. It portrays homophobia while tackling the romanticization of gay relationships and stereotypes of gay men.

Still, the general vibes are super wholesome. I just wish Mom wasn't as soft and intervened on her husband's homophobic remarks.

Content Warnings

The Sparrow and the Oak Tree

Jamie Jackson

4.0

adventurous funny lighthearted 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: Yes

In the original legend, Princess Iseult (or Isolde) is escorted by a knight named Tristan for her marriage to a King. On their way there, they ingest a love potion, eliciting a forbidden affair between them.

In The Sparrow and the Oak Tree, Isolde is not a princess, but a courtly Sorceress. She’s not sent to marry, but with a darker mission of taking care of a mysterious child that arrived in the town of Perdition.

Isolde’s companion isn’t initially Tristan, but a mercenary who calls himself Bear. She is soon taken by a Fae, and the pact they make works as the “love potion” in this story. At first, it only compels them to get involved sexually, but their passion evolves into a different type of feeling; this leads to some insta-love mechanics that make the romance not fully work for me. But for a book that works on the premise of being impelled to act by stronger forces, it has a nice message on autonomy.

My favourite part was definitely Bear. He’s determined and smart and he worries Isolde is being coerced to get involved with the Fae. As the third wheel, he takes it upon himself to chaperone (and cockblock when necessary) and has a horse that at times appears to be more than that.

With melting zombies and horny Fae, this book certainly is something different. It’s funny and sexy and I really enjoyed it, but I would’ve liked some details to be explored more as some questions were left unanswered.

Content Warnings

Unanimity

Alexandra Almeida

4.5

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Full of parallelisms to Le Petit Prince and delivered in lush prose, Unanimity supplies hard truths and defies the status quo. Spiral Worlds is a relevant story in today’s social climate and a cautionary tale of the future.

At first, the characters seem stereotypical, but their flaws and motivations become apparent as we delve into their pasts. Their lives are intertwined through decades of events, and their relationships are filled with as much pain as love.

The reluctance of the characters to curse (frack, ship, Leo the second) peeved me a little. And it isn’t ideal that the only nonbinary character is a non-human originally designed as androgynous.

I don’t usually read sci-fi or stories in contemporary settings, but this book is a great reminder to read out of my comfort zone: good stories are independent of genre.

Read my full review: https://tinyelfarcanist.wordpress.com/2023/03/07/unanimity-alexandra-almeida/

Content Warnings

A Crucible of Fire and Steel

Jamie Edmundson

4.5

adventurous dark funny 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

Part I is full of court drama and I loved every moment of it. It was interesting seeing familiar characters in more powerful positions.

In Part II we follow an old hero, hunted from their loss, but I found myself dreading their chapters. It felt more targeted to readers of the first saga.

Part III brings a new POV from one of my favourite characters and I’m very intrigued with their future in the series.

Read my full review: https://tinyelfarcanist.wordpress.com...

Content Warnings

The Gatekeeper's Staff

Antoine Bandele

3.0

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I’m not a fan of MG and I believe this played hugely into my enjoyment of it. This probably shows this was more of a me problem rather than the book itself. Having said that, it wasn’t without its flaws.

• Condescending teachers.
• Fatphobia with a character named Joshua, who’s smelly and gross and all he thinks and talks about is food. And while Josh is friendly, the other overweight character is a bully.
• Some teenager with bursting pimples is called “Juice”.
• One boy is insinuated to be gay because he’s always seen with girls.

Teenagers are already insecure enough to be taught that having acne or being fat is enough reason for people to talk about them behind their backs to say how disgusting they are.

Even when I haven’t read enough MG, the tropes were undeniable and they weren’t done in an original manner, making it very derivative.

It also could have been shorter. It caught my attention only after the halfway mark. It felt longer than it actually is, and it could be a problem to catch the attention of younger readers. Fortunately, the audiobook was more lively with the narrator portraying different voices and accents. Though I can’t comment on the accuracy of the accents, I enjoyed the narration, otherwise, I would’ve DNF.

I think the story would work fine as a TV series. Of course, after dealing with all the problematic stuff.

Content Warnings

The Orc Who Saved Christmas

Michelle Franklin

4.0

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted 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: No

There is no doubt Michelle Franklin likes her monsters huggable.

Another standalone in the series. This is longer than Werewolves don’t celebrate Hanukkah, and the language feels a little more complex for a children's story. It's still as wholesome and has a lovely message of friendship and acceptance.

Meet Karla, the girl who listened to her heart instead of the crowd's loud voices, and Darryl, the (half-)orc who saved Christmas, and get to see the best orc-decorated Christmas tree. You might also learn (and fail to articulate) the correct pronunciation for Orcmas.

Content Warnings

Seasons of Albadone

Christopher Warman, Élan Marché

5.0

dark emotional 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: Yes

The cover may be misleading, so don't expect a lighthearted adventure tale. This novella has a tone reminiscent of classic fairytales. Comprised four interconnected stories, each one progressively darker.

Authors created a world rich in folklore. With gratifying twists and fully-fledged characters, Seasons of Albadone is mystical and painful in equal measure.

Content Warnings

The Prince of Daybreak

Lou Wilham

4.0

adventurous funny 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: Yes

When I read The Prince of Starlight, I totally related to Prince Cricket. This author seems to know me too well, as now I’m convinced she read my mind to write Yoshi.

Takayoshi’s hand tightened around his mug of tea, hating the necessity of speaking to people.

This is some of the best neurodivergent representation I’ve read. I understand what it is to be aware of every reaction you have while being clueless about social expectations. There are multiple instances where Takayoshi bites back a retort he thinks won't be well received, and sometimes he resorts to thinking "What would [neurotypical person] do?".

While it follows the same structure as the first book in the series, it felt different and I appreciated the introduction of new characters.

I'm glad Yoshi finally starts to open up and makes some friends. But as much as I love him, I would’ve wanted to see more of what was going on on Cricket’s side.

The ending was the least exciting part. After all the challenges they went through, it felt a little anticlimactic.

Content Warnings

The Misadventures of Myndil Plodostirr

Michelle Franklin

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

This book's humour is accurately compared to that of Pratchett's books.

God gave you free will so he could punish you. If God made everyone love him, God would not have a job.

Myndil is a neurodivergent young man too good for his own well-being. This hero's superpower is loving anything and anyone who crosses his path. Oh, and he also talks to God and God talks back to him.

He enjoys sleeping on some big lady’s bosom, rambles to whoever has ears, and befriends fae. He’s surrounded by wacky characters with unpronounceable names, and there also may be a couple of goodbois interested in attending Hanukkah.

When I started the book, Myndil reminded me of myself (without the God stuff). I too was a weird kid who was too much and knew more than I should. But I can only wish to be half as kind and pure as Myndil.

He also reminded me of Anne of the Green Gables: everything is extraordinary and he just can't shut up about it. Give Myndil a chance. You, like most people he encounters, will love to hate him and hate to love him.

Content Warnings

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