I think I liked this one more than the last? Idk I think it kept my attention a little better and I liked the way it went with some of the ideology (especially considering that this is a YA book, I understood why a lot of the issues were not as complexly discussed as they could be). I think it's a great way to get people younger than me thinking about these kinds of things, especially with the author's note about community at the end. Still, regarding actual plot, I don't know. My brain got a bit scrambled at the end, and it felt a bit rushed. I think there could've been a little more time spent on it, and maybe less time spent in previous chapters. It felt like elements of the story weren't there until they suddenly were (political talk, relationship w Qin Zheng, etc), though for some of them that made sense (like Yizhi). I'm struggling to put all my thoughts into words, but I think I did like this more than the first, though I desperately miss Shimin as a character.

I have such mixed feelings on this book. I am exhausted with Bree being a damsel in distress except when her powers suddenly blow up. I'm glad it seems like the next book will actually be focusing on her getting better with her abilities, because this book kind of acted like she was going to but she never actually got to. It feels like the magic system is barely more understandable in this book either. I want a lot of clarification. I also personally get annoyed by love triangles and I want that to work out but also I get that they have other things going on right now. I don't know how I felt about the whole

possession arc and the ending.

I'm hoping I'll like the next book better - I really want to love this series and the way it's playing with mythos and history, and I love when the book touches on those (Dr. Hazel, Valec, and all the people she met during that section of the book were some of my favorites), but I'm sick of Bree basically being dragged around and constantly scolded.

I understand why this book is like required reading for queer Americans. This was such an amazing read that gave me insights on so much, while also not being an incredibly difficult text. It's a great example of teaching theory through story. I do think probably every queer person should read this, but it's especially important for lesbians. The afterword in my edition really pushed this to the 5 star point for me. Please read this!

I don't know how I felt about this book. I liked it at a lot of points and didn't like it at others. I loved the polyamory solution to the love triangles that plague YA novels, and I did find a lot of the characters endearing. It was a very hard feminist push, which I don't hate at all and did make sense for the world, but it was a little repetitive sometimes. Still, I got Zetian's shock of realizing something like that, and I think it aligns well with established 'biological realities' in our world. I would recommend it to a younger audience, but definitely not an older one. Still, it definitely kept my attention, and I will be reading the next one.

This book was pretty good! A bit longer than it needed to be I think, but also made sense with the stretch of time Circe's story takes. Miller does a great job getting inside the minds of characters/people who existed long ago, and making these Greek myths more appealing for a modern audience. Still, it struggled to keep my attention the way her other books have.

The book as an entire concept is good, and major props to Limón for thinking to put it together and her selection of poems. Many of the poems do feel somewhat pretentious/made for academic analysis and not the average reader, but also many of them I found enjoyable/inspiring even if I had to take a minute (or a google search) to understand. Definitely go into this with an open mind and preparing to select out poems that really hit you.

I know I'm rating this somewhat lower, but I did really enjoy this! It's hard for me to step outside the world and rate it after reading, honestly. The beginning was such a rough start to get into (just very slow), and I felt all 400 pages of this book. Still, I'm glad I pushed through, and the last part definitely left me excited to read the next.

Cutting this book a lot of slack considering the time period it was written. As I'd expect from many books written by a white person in the 1920s, there's a fair amount of racism in here. Disappointing to me for sure, because I think lesbians of color deserve to have a novel like this, showing that they existed in this time period. 

Still, I really liked what this book made me think about. Looking into the perspectives of lesbians/gay people in this time period was very thought provoking for me, as it's a time I haven't explored much independently. I wish I could've read this in an academic setting, honestly. I didn't appreciate this novel as much for what's in it but more what it is, which is a look into this time period.

Stephen herself is a mildly interesting character. Somewhat hard to like, but also I was rooting for her the entire book, and finding some of her experiences relatable almost a hundred years later was interesting (becoming friends with a man and then coming to the horrible realization he just wants to date you is a prime example). 

I do recommend this book, but also recommend that it's read almost informatively, rather than as something fun.

I enjoyed getting to read and understand Le Guin's thought process behind her works, and especially how they relate to her theories about the Other and other feminist/racial concepts. A lot of it has already been said in her afterwords, which I read, but reading it all together in essay/speech format really brought it all together for me. She was such a wonderful speaker/writer.

A very emotional ending for Ged, and I was glad to read it, especially posthumously. It kind of shows the story dying with her, which I think I like, honestly. Thank you Le Guin 🤍