Reviews by caseythereader | The StoryGraph

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caseythereader

Stars, Hide Your Fires

Jessica Mary Best

4.75

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Thanks to Quirk Books for the free copy of this book.

- Eeeee, STARS, HIDE YOUR FIRES is such a fun ride! I loved this world Best created, populated with scrappy, snarky characters trying to both get by and to make the universe a better place.
- The mystery is great, and with several twists and turns the action is constant and clever. Even if you figure it out first (as is maybe common for adults reading YA), it's still a fun ride to the end.
- The best thing about this book is that it's a takedown of capitalism led by queer underdogs. I am really looking forward to whatever Jessica Mary Best does next.

Content Warnings

Primal Animals

Julia Lynn Rubin

2.0

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

A Song of Salvation

Alechia Dow

DID NOT FINISH: 67%

Too much repeating the same few facts over and over again, both in each character’s internal monologue and in dialogue. It made the book feel like it was hardly advancing even when the action was moving fast.

Horse Barbie

Geena Rocero

4.5

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Thanks to The Dial Press for the free copy of this book.

- HORSE BARBIE is such a unique memoir. It's the (unfortunately) rare trans narrative that is full of joy and hope. You can hear Rocero's energy and enthusiasm for her passions and for building the best life for herself (and literally hear it, if you read the audiobook!)
- There is a lot of tough stuff in this book, though. Rocero doesn't fully escape transphobia and misogyny, and the complete reversal of how she is accepted culturally and legally between the Philippines and the U.S. is a lot to swallow. Rocero explores it all with sharp analysis and deep tenderness.

Content Warnings

The Archive Undying

Emma Mieko Candon

DID NOT FINISH: 39%

I can't really grasp what's going on because nothing is explained, not even through context clues over time. I like the characters and the setting but it all feels purposely opaque.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb

Cat Sebastian

4.25

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

Content Warnings

Old Enough

Haley Jakobson

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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: Yes

Thanks to Dutton Books for the free copy of this book.

- My goodness, this book. OLD ENOUGH absolutely took my breath away. It's doing so much that it shouldn't work, but somehow it does and it steals your heart in the process.
- Sav and her friends are the queer found family I always hope for in literary fiction but never find. They're loud and messy and loving, projecting a confidence they don't always have but are working to gain.
- I do want to be really clear that this is a book about reckoning with assault and its lasting effects. It's a hard subject and Jakobsen handles it with nuance and care, even when her characters can't or don't.

Content Warnings

Where Echoes Die

Courtney Gould

3.25

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free copy of this book.

- WHERE ECHOES DIE is an intriguing YA supernatural thriller that digs deep into how grief can warp a life.
- One of my favorite things about this book is how Beck's queer identity simply is - it does play a role in the book, but it's not the whole book.
- I was quite drawn in to the strangeness of the setting and the time-bendy effects the characters experience. I'm not quite sure it all hangs together in the end, but the atmosphere was perfect.

Content Warnings