alouette's Reviews (258)

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I did, it was a lot of fun. From pigeon races to bowerbird architecture to bird divorce rates, I loved how chapters were structured and how facts were introduced in easily understandable ways. There really was a lot of insight into human behaviour, in a narrative that went far beyond birds.

as everyone else has, i must start out by saying just how beautiful the art is. the touches of colour, the shading, the muted tones- all of it is downright enchanting. the character designs were also pretty cool, and i liked the concept/world a lot. unfortunately the story itself was pretty straightforward, and though the mystery did keep me reading, it left me disappointed at the end. things weren't really resolved, yet there seems to be no plans for a sequel. not to mention that the character decisions felt pretty random.

still, a fairly high star rating for the gorgeous art alone!!

What an absolutely beautiful read! Valera's debut novel is full of so much emotion, a lesbian romance that was absolutely heart-wrenching, and many twists and turns. I've been reading some plot heavy novels lately, but this one perfectly balanced character depth and exploration with a plot that took me by surprise with its reveals. I love the worldbuilding as well- the history of the War of Kinds and the different ways Automae see humans was really fascinating. The pacing was excellent as well, with lots happening but moments of respite (the tide pool scene!!!!) that kept it from feeling too fast.

Going back to the romance though- the descriptions of how Ayla and Crier see each other, the overlapping moments and POV switches giving their different perspectives, all of it was breathtaking. No matter what happened, I was always cheering them on and wishing the best for them. I can't wait to continue doing so in the sequel.

music pairing: moonday by flor

As expected, I really loved this book. An own voices story about a trans latinx kid, filled with magic and mystery and romance? Beautiful premise, and well executed to boot, if not a bit cheesy at times. The character dynamics and the characters themselves were probably my favourite part, but of course I also loved the descriptions of the rich culture behind Día de Muertos and all of Yadriel's family (despite their flaws). Yadriel himself was a very lovable, relatable character, same with Julian and Maritza in their unique ways. And the twist, while I saw it coming, was absolutely fascinating and engaging. While I usually have qualms with books that only take place over a few days, the pacing of this one was magnificent as well, and (mostly) believable.

Before I stop myself from going on too much of a ramble, I have to mention how the way Yadriel's deadname was never said made me very happy. He wasn't reduced to who people expect him to be, who they thought he was- he's Yadriel, and he's awesome, and no one can take that away from him.

music pairing: domestic bliss by glass animals

I knew I was going to love this book because, gay space adventure, duh. But it was even more enjoyable than I had hoped! The supporting cast was pretty strong (Wen is especially awesome), the plot was super fun, and I loved the ending twist. It has one of my favourite tropes- I mean, I hesitate to call it a trope, because I've only seen it in one other book so far, but I don't know what else to call it. Anyways, it was fantastic. I also loved the science explanations as well as the action scenes.

And the main pairing actually communicated with each other! Though I did have some other problems with their character motivations (

they really were going to kill all those people? I understand Gal being prepared to, but Ettian? Makes little sense for him

), I still greatly enjoyed their story and the whole novel in general.

Very diverse and beautiful, but definitely a difficult read with a lot of tragedy. I have a lot of respect for the how the topics of racism, poverty, ableism, and more were handled. But I did find fault in how many of the side characters existed only to prop up the main character. Obviously they're his friends, but they felt very one dimensional compared to his (Moss') complexities. 

Even if the ending is slightly ambiguous, it gives a strong message about a fight that's not over and how it will be fueled by support for each other- and anger, in the best way.

i had lots of jumbled thoughts about this book so i made a list to sort them out!
likes:
- super unique premise, i really liked the pacing and the plot was very well constructed (especially the mystery aspect of it)
- protagonist, noam, had strong character development and motivations
- the magic system was really cool, and i love how noam's ability was integrated into the story
- the climax was tense and the reveals were interesting (a bit predictable but i don't mind that because the hints suggesting it were well placed)
dislikes:
- world building was a bit lacking, i love the idea of the world but there were intricacies about a dystopia like this that were very muddied. that made the first half of the book fairly confusing
- barely any development for side characters, like taye or linda
- the romance was a bit odd to me, i feel like they didn't have enough meaningful interactions. the lack of communication between them was also frustrating (though it did make sense at the end)

all in all i enjoyed this book because it had some really good themes (immigration, fascist politics, abuse of power, discussion of utilitarianism, etc) and two of my favourite genres. can't wait to read the sequel! 

p.s. there are a few triggering themes as well, such as abuse- content warnings can be found on the author's website