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caseythereader
Ivy Gamble is a hardboiled private eye who definitely loves tracking cheating spouses and is definitely not bitter that her sister Tabitha was born with magic while she was not. However, when a teacher is mysteriously, magically murdered at the high school for mages where Tabitha teaches, Ivy can't resist the opportunity to get closer to magic and maybe reconcile with her sister.
MAGIC FOR LIARS takes tropes from noir, fantasy, YA, and mystery novels and weaves them all together in a way that both subverts them and loves them deeply. This book is an absolute joy for anyone who loves any of these genres (and their flaws). The particular highlight for me was seeing the boy who was the subject of the Chosen One trope from an adult perspective. I couldn't stop laughing at Ivy skewering his brooding self-importance. This book is HARRY POTTER grounded in reality. It's what THE MAGICIANS thought it was. It's funny and gross and heartfelt and queer and great.
I absolutely loved how the plot turned on an abortion and no one was ever shamed for it. It was treated as something that happens when you put a bunch of teenagers together at a boarding school. Of course, being a piece of a murder mystery, it wasn't a completely smooth and trauma-free event, but I deeply appreciated the lack of pearl-clutching.
MAGIC FOR LIARS takes tropes from noir, fantasy, YA, and mystery novels and weaves them all together in a way that both subverts them and loves them deeply. This book is an absolute joy for anyone who loves any of these genres (and their flaws). The particular highlight for me was seeing the boy who was the subject of the Chosen One trope from an adult perspective. I couldn't stop laughing at Ivy skewering his brooding self-importance. This book is HARRY POTTER grounded in reality. It's what THE MAGICIANS thought it was. It's funny and gross and heartfelt and queer and great.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Tor Books for the free advance copy of this book.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, newly minted Lyctor, has been drafted by God to fight a battle to save the cosmos. But picking up her sword makes her sick, and nothing quite seems to be as it should be. Something is off, and Harrow doesn't have the time or the brainpower to figure out what.
Okay, I will begin this review by admitting that I am still trying to work out what the heck happened in this book. If you think GIDEON THE NINTH threw you in with minimal explanation, buckle up. HARROW THE NINTH explains less and adds nonlinear storytelling to the mix. The pieces do begin to fall together about halfway through, but the only way to get there is to trust Muir to guide you.
The writing is as gross and sharp and sarcastic as ever. I hesitate to comment on any plot points, even early in the book, as I think it's best for readers to go in with nothing. Let's just say that Muir could have quite easily replicated the formula created with GIDEON and we would have all been satisfied, but instead she takes a hard left turn with this book and knocks it out of the park. I cannot wait to see what she dishes up for the conclusion of this trilogy.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, newly minted Lyctor, has been drafted by God to fight a battle to save the cosmos. But picking up her sword makes her sick, and nothing quite seems to be as it should be. Something is off, and Harrow doesn't have the time or the brainpower to figure out what.
Okay, I will begin this review by admitting that I am still trying to work out what the heck happened in this book. If you think GIDEON THE NINTH threw you in with minimal explanation, buckle up. HARROW THE NINTH explains less and adds nonlinear storytelling to the mix. The pieces do begin to fall together about halfway through, but the only way to get there is to trust Muir to guide you.
The writing is as gross and sharp and sarcastic as ever. I hesitate to comment on any plot points, even early in the book, as I think it's best for readers to go in with nothing. Let's just say that Muir could have quite easily replicated the formula created with GIDEON and we would have all been satisfied, but instead she takes a hard left turn with this book and knocks it out of the park. I cannot wait to see what she dishes up for the conclusion of this trilogy.
Thanks to Saga Books for the free advance copy of this book. Review to come.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Riverhead Books for the free advance copy of this book.
Big Burr, Kansas, is a small town proud of their family values. But when a national LGBT nonprofit pinpoints them as the most homophobic town in America and sends a task force to begin changing hearts and minds, no one is quite ready for what happens next.
UNDER THE RAINBOW is sharp, funny, and heartfelt. I worried that this premise might mean a book full of character stereotypes, and while some minor characters certainly are, Laskey manages to bring an impressive breadth and depth of experiences to this fairly short book. We see the upheaval from so many points of view, both from locals and from task force members, and no two stories are the same.
I also appreciated that while the book did end on a warm, changed-life note, it wasn't a sappy "now everyone in town is liberal and open minded" story. Throughout the book it all still felt pretty real, with some folks remaining stubbornly hateful. That didn't keep the book from being funny, though, which was quite the balancing act.
Big Burr, Kansas, is a small town proud of their family values. But when a national LGBT nonprofit pinpoints them as the most homophobic town in America and sends a task force to begin changing hearts and minds, no one is quite ready for what happens next.
UNDER THE RAINBOW is sharp, funny, and heartfelt. I worried that this premise might mean a book full of character stereotypes, and while some minor characters certainly are, Laskey manages to bring an impressive breadth and depth of experiences to this fairly short book. We see the upheaval from so many points of view, both from locals and from task force members, and no two stories are the same.
I also appreciated that while the book did end on a warm, changed-life note, it wasn't a sappy "now everyone in town is liberal and open minded" story. Throughout the book it all still felt pretty real, with some folks remaining stubbornly hateful. That didn't keep the book from being funny, though, which was quite the balancing act.
Known at the time as only Emily Doe, Chanel Miller's words took the world by storm when her victim impact statement to her assailant, Brock Turner, was posted on BuzzFeed and went viral. KNOW MY NAME is Miller's memoir of that period, and with this book she is taking her body and her life back.
KNOW MY NAME is one for the history books. It is a landmark work, depicting not only the lasting effects of the trauma of an assault but the way that trauma ripples and recurs. Miller pulls no punches - this book is graphic in terms of descriptions of bodily violations but also in mental violations, describing the months upon months when she felt unsafe in her home and within herself.
I think one of the most important things about KNOW MY NAME is how Miller shows how thoroughly the trial process upends one's life. It's a constant state of existing in the unknown - when the next step will happen, who will be there, how long it will take - all while knowing that when the time does arrive, you'll be forced to relive terrible experiences in minute detail.
I do think everyone should read this book if they feel they can. I myself am not an assault survivor and I could still only manage a few pages at a time before needing to take a break. While I do believe in the importance of witnessing, please do not feel like you must. The wonderful thing about this book existing is that thousands of people are here to take up that burden, and you are not alone.
KNOW MY NAME is one for the history books. It is a landmark work, depicting not only the lasting effects of the trauma of an assault but the way that trauma ripples and recurs. Miller pulls no punches - this book is graphic in terms of descriptions of bodily violations but also in mental violations, describing the months upon months when she felt unsafe in her home and within herself.
I think one of the most important things about KNOW MY NAME is how Miller shows how thoroughly the trial process upends one's life. It's a constant state of existing in the unknown - when the next step will happen, who will be there, how long it will take - all while knowing that when the time does arrive, you'll be forced to relive terrible experiences in minute detail.
I do think everyone should read this book if they feel they can. I myself am not an assault survivor and I could still only manage a few pages at a time before needing to take a break. While I do believe in the importance of witnessing, please do not feel like you must. The wonderful thing about this book existing is that thousands of people are here to take up that burden, and you are not alone.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Chloe Brown is chronically ill and she is tired of letting that limit her life. She decides to move out of her family home and begin checking items off her Get A Life list, and she winds up enlisting the help of her very handsome building supervisor, Red.
Holy cats, I loved this book! Chloe and Red are just wonderful, each both headstrong and vulnerable in their own ways. I loved that this book took them seriously. Chloe's fibromyalgia and Red's past abusive relationship weren't just minor obstacles in the way to their happy ending. These facts were integral to who they were - this book could not have existed without those aspects of their characters.
And on top of that, this book doesn't read like A Lesson On How To Treat Others As Human, though it's wonderful to see both Chloe and Red find someone who does. It's funny and snappy and wildly sexy, and I’m already busy reading everything Talia Hibbert has ever written.
Holy cats, I loved this book! Chloe and Red are just wonderful, each both headstrong and vulnerable in their own ways. I loved that this book took them seriously. Chloe's fibromyalgia and Red's past abusive relationship weren't just minor obstacles in the way to their happy ending. These facts were integral to who they were - this book could not have existed without those aspects of their characters.
And on top of that, this book doesn't read like A Lesson On How To Treat Others As Human, though it's wonderful to see both Chloe and Red find someone who does. It's funny and snappy and wildly sexy, and I’m already busy reading everything Talia Hibbert has ever written.
Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time, and when she gets an invite to battle in The Ring, she's on her way to living that dream. But with her rap legend father dead, her mother is struggling to keep the lights on. Bri not only wants to make it, but fears she may have to in order to keep her family afloat.
I was nervous going in to this book because I thought there was no way Thomas would be able to match the vibrancy THE HATE U GIVE had, and I am so glad I was wrong! ON THE COME UP feels just real, and is perhaps even more complex. The way Bri and her family dealt with overlapping issues and oppressions brought even more layers to the world of the Garden.
I was especially drawn in by the central issue - this complex knot of Bri rapping about guns and violence because that's what white people expect of a poor black girl, which in turn makes her money, which in turn makes people think she really is a gang member, and on and on in a destructive loop. I don't know if I've ever seen this issue examined so closely in a YA novel before.
I also really loved that Bri was a prickly character. She wasn't a meek girl - she said what was on her mind, especially when what was on her mind made her angry. She kind of reminded me a bit of Meg from A WRINKLE IN TIME.
I was nervous going in to this book because I thought there was no way Thomas would be able to match the vibrancy THE HATE U GIVE had, and I am so glad I was wrong! ON THE COME UP feels just real, and is perhaps even more complex. The way Bri and her family dealt with overlapping issues and oppressions brought even more layers to the world of the Garden.
I was especially drawn in by the central issue - this complex knot of Bri rapping about guns and violence because that's what white people expect of a poor black girl, which in turn makes her money, which in turn makes people think she really is a gang member, and on and on in a destructive loop. I don't know if I've ever seen this issue examined so closely in a YA novel before.
I also really loved that Bri was a prickly character. She wasn't a meek girl - she said what was on her mind, especially when what was on her mind made her angry. She kind of reminded me a bit of Meg from A WRINKLE IN TIME.