verumsolum's reviews
2704 reviews

Once Upon a Princess by Harper Bliss, Clare Lydon

4.5

This was a really good book… which left me caught between tropes. Because one trope was the attraction that made me pick this book up (well, that, and having enjoyed books from both co-authors, as well as other books they'd co-written together, I believe). But… I also got impatient with the another trope in this book. There were a few days where I was reading much less than usual from this book because it was annoying me. (If you get annoyed and don't like when you want to yell at characters to "Just tell her, already," this might not be the book for you. But…)

But… I understand that conflict makes books interesting, even though it's not what I come to romance for. So I persevered. And… I'm glad I did. As always, the authors made me love their characters too much, leaving me wanting more (though the final chapter made a nice resolution… other authors sometimes leave me feeling like I went through the annoying parts of the conflict and then got hardly any resolution… I don't want all of the HEA to be from my head; make sure to show me some before you leave me to other books)

A Sign of Affection, Volume 4 by suu Morishita

4.75

Another great volume from this series. The final-page cliffhanger is the main reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars (even though I believe this wasn’t originally published in book form). I definitely will continue to read!

Augur Issue 7.1 by Kerry C. Byrne, Toria Liao

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To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

4.0

This book didn't grab me like I had expected it to. The characters were interesting, but the plot lost me. I kept with it until the end and… it was ok, but… I didn't understand so much of the "why" of the book. Both why things happened in its world, but also why was this book written? What was the author's point? If its point or its plot had been clearer, I wouldn't have minded its length, but it felt like about twice as many pages than it actually contained.

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 6 by Negi Haruba

4.5

I really like this series, but … I’m hopelessly confused about where things are right now between the tutor and the father of the quints (as well as multiple other plot threads). I don’t know whether that’s a deficiency of the writing or whether it’s my poor comprehension or my lack of experience with Japanese culture and/or with manga. What I do know is that I care a lot about our main characters and that is pushing me to continue to read more of their story together!

Inclusive Future Magazine: Visions from a Gender-Inclusive Future by Mantha Pratt, S.H. Aeschliman, Lydia Rogue

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The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

4.0

I found this story… didn't grab me. I continued reading through to the finish, but… I found it very opaque: I didn't know what was going on much of the time, even once it had happened. I don't quite understand why it didn't work: I think something about the way it was structured didn't work with me, which is disappointing, because there were things I liked about it, too; just not enough for me to wish to continue with this series

The Sundered Realms by Casey Blair

5.0

Wow! Just wow… There were some things in the blurb that made me a little wary: types of characters that I tend not to enjoy reading about, for example. But… I had recently read another trilogy from this author and, while this wasn't set in the same world, I wasn't ready to leave the author's brain. This certainly isn't the same as the Tea Princess Chronicles, but it is every bit as good as that trilogy, both in terms of its central relationship and in its creative magic. I only wish the second book were available… but good things come to readers who wait…

How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 2 by Tamifull

4.5

A Tyranny of Queens by Foz Meadows

4.5

I have really enjoyed these books. But I have to confess, as I reach the end of this book, that I feel like I understood little of what was happening. And I don't know how much of that is my brain and how much of that is this book, but it is a testament to the author that, despite that, I really enjoyed my time in these worlds, and that the characters and my affection for (most of) them (there, of course, being certain characters for whom the author does not intend affection to be her readers' response) pulled me happily through despite my inability to understand. I very much recommend this book if this type of book would be appealing to you