Reviews by cassianlamb | The StoryGraph

782 reviews by:

cassianlamb

The Constellations Are Unrecognizable Here

Andrew Joseph White

4.0

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

Beholder

Ryan La Sala

3.0

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

The Shark Handbook: Third Edition: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World

Greg Skomal

4.0

informative fast-paced

Content Warnings

Pageboy

Elliot Page

2.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Content Warnings

The Transition

Logan-Ashley Kisner

3.5

challenging dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I got the privilege of being one of the early reviewers for Old Wounds as well, and I honestly liked this one more. It's a similar type of horror, but with one POV and fear going beyond just the risk of death. It's definitely triggering, so please pay attention to the trigger warnings Kisner provides at the beginning.

I believe that Kisner is good at reflecting what trans kids are most scared of. Between Old Wounds being about being outright killed and this one about forcible transition, he clearly knows what it is the trans community needs to see dealt with. While he as one person cannot fix this country, he can take that fear and turn it into a monster. I think that is what we need as we try to get through this.

Hunter is not a perfect character, but he is realistic, and is allowed to change. I especially loved the casual representation in this book, as it is always a great surprise to find something like that that you don't expect.

My main issue is there are some factual/medical inaccuracies that I assume won't be changed before final publication. The main characters are teenagers so a lot of it can be forgiven I think, but it was something that irked me. They in no way truly impacted the book.

Overall, this is a book well worth reading. While I think a lot of people will enjoy it once it comes out.

Content Warnings

The Bones Beneath My Skin

TJ Klune

4.5

adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

Forever

E. Davies

1.5

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book had a good premise. The execution, however, leaves so much to be desired.

My main complaint is that the author has absolutely zero knowledge behind what he's talking about. The author claims right off the bat that hysterectomies are required after being on T for a certain amount of time. That is simply not true, most trans people on T never get surgeries like that simply from the side effects. Furthermore, he says long term effects of T are unknown, however people have been doing hormone treatments for nearly 100 years. He also keeps saying that T removes fertility, which is also inaccurate. Plenty of trans men have gotten pregnant while on T. He goes so far as to say "it kinda is" a birth control, which is blatantly inaccurate. It even goes beyond trans healthcare. For a good chunk of the book Davies acts like morning sickness ends exactly at noon, as if nausea gives a shit what time it is.

The relationship of these characters also makes zero sense. Jake essentially loses his independence in this but it's supposed to be all fine, because he and Tristian love each other so much despite meeting not even a year ago. Meanwhile Tristian, who is supposed to be this super sweet and understanding cis guy, outs his stealth friend (which is later forgotten) and allows his pregnant boyfriend to be misgendered so he can stay closeted. I'm all for people coming out when they want, but this is impacting someone else. If he didn't want to come out he shouldn't have volunteered to be a dad.

There's also typos and contradictions galore in this book, especially in one of the sex scenes, almost like the author was ~distracted~ writing it, and couldn't be bothered to read it through once to edit it.

The last thing worth mentioning is it is very unbelievable that Jake has actually wanted to be a dad for years. Everything feels last minute, even apart from the poor timing. He doesn't even know if he's a mom or a dad by being pregnant (the answer is dad. There are trans men fine with being mom but pregnancy does not automatically mean mom).

The only two redeeming qualities are the author seems to be one of the few people who knows you need a condom for everything, and how the kid was treated once they were born. There were other okay moments, but none of them enough to make a decent book.

Content Warnings

The Lilac People

Milo Todd

5.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

He Bears the Cape of Stars

A.L. Heard, Adrian Harley, Nina Waters, Lacey Hays, A. Reilly

3.5

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

Idlewild

James Frankie Thomas

0.25

dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

There is a lot that I hated about this book, but only one thing I think worth mentioning. There still are not a lot of trans books, and we're currently in a time period where we're fighting to be allowed to exist. So to have the one trans character have it be a life ruining fact, and to go off the rails like that feels deeply wrong.

Content Warnings

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