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citrus_seasalt
Solid 4 stars!! Dhionelle Clayton had me hooked from the first page, and Camille was an interesting protagonist! Clayton’s descriptions were super interesting, although some might not like the flowery imagery described for most of the book (again, depends on your taste, but I think it worked well with Camille’s views and how they shifted throughout the plot). Thematically, it had a lot of parallels to Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, which I appreciated because I have a lot of nostalgia linked to that series, and it seemed to also have a healthy dosage of Hunger Games inspiration(that “may you always see beauty” or something like that motto def had “may the odds ever be in your favor” vibes). (It felt like the dystopia I would’ve ate up in middle school and doodled the characters all over my math homework!)
Plot twists weren’t too surprising though, and I was extremely disappointed they technically went with the Bury Your Gays route(as a queer reader it was very upsetting to me). (I do think this was just misguided and not malicious on the author’s part though, as Dhionelle Clayton included a snippet of trans-positive worldbuilding, and not outing the killed off character was presented as the morally correct choice for Camille?) (makes me wonder how beauty standards affect the transgender population of The Belles’ world, as a transmasc reader. Huh. Good idea for a fanfic premise?) Also, first half is more introductory stuff, second half is where most of the events of the story happen(the first half did kind of feel like it dragged on after a while).
When stuff REALLY got bad though and we had the stakes in place in the second half, phew! I was nauseous from stress, I was literally counting down the pages until the end haha but at least the last 30 or so were lighter. Anyhow. Despite its flaws, I want to see where Camille’s story goes next in the second and third book, and to see how Clayton’s writing has improved because this series has been written over the course of several years (the initial idea being something the author thought of in the 90’s? dedication), with the newest and presumably last installment being released this year (2023, at the time of this review).
Plot twists weren’t too surprising though, and I was extremely disappointed they technically went with the Bury Your Gays route(as a queer reader it was very upsetting to me). (I do think this was just misguided and not malicious on the author’s part though, as Dhionelle Clayton included a snippet of trans-positive worldbuilding, and not outing the killed off character was presented as the morally correct choice for Camille?) (makes me wonder how beauty standards affect the transgender population of The Belles’ world, as a transmasc reader. Huh. Good idea for a fanfic premise?) Also, first half is more introductory stuff, second half is where most of the events of the story happen(the first half did kind of feel like it dragged on after a while).
When stuff REALLY got bad though and we had the stakes in place in the second half, phew! I was nauseous from stress, I was literally counting down the pages until the end haha but at least the last 30 or so were lighter. Anyhow. Despite its flaws, I want to see where Camille’s story goes next in the second and third book, and to see how Clayton’s writing has improved because this series has been written over the course of several years (the initial idea being something the author thought of in the 90’s? dedication), with the newest and presumably last installment being released this year (2023, at the time of this review).
i absolutely chewed up, devoured, cried on and threw up this book!! EWAUGH!!!! 5/5 stars for sure
4 stars! This was the first book I’ve read by Akwaeke Emezi, and I don’t know how much of their writing style in this story was due to this being their YA debut but I really loved it! I’ve seen “darkly whimsical” be a descriptor floating around for this book and it fits a lot of the dialogue and Pet as a character very well. And Jam was really great trans representation(although I’m transmasc, not transfemme, I was happy to see it)!! And, for a relatively short book, Lucille was a fleshed out world of its own with the history to go along with it.
That, however, is where the problems lie: the worldbuilding is good, but takes up a chunk of the book. I wish that it was longer! That way we could have more time to properly explore the city of Lucille.
That, however, is where the problems lie: the worldbuilding is good, but takes up a chunk of the book. I wish that it was longer! That way we could have more time to properly explore the city of Lucille.
4.5 stars (rounded up for the review, wow I wish that Goodreads had halves available that’d be incredibly convenient)!! When it isn’t packing emotional punches and pulling on your heartstrings with its very vivid and real descriptions of trauma, the destruction of war, and death, “As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow” is a beautifully written story of perseverance, and the presence of hope even if it initially seems futile. All of this, of course, ties into this being a cultural insight into the 2011 Syrian Civil War(although fictional characters are used to convey that). Sure, there’s a few timeline changes(creative liberties?) to make the events work within the plot, as detailed in the author’s note, but they are few, and this story still added not just a window into the atrocities Syrians have suffered through and survived, but a layer of humanity and heart. That layer was something that I hadn’t gotten to learn/read about as an American who’d only seen straightforward headlines and the occasional statistic.
For all the hardships and tragedies within its plot, somehow, it felt as if Zoulfa’s writing was still offering out a hand of hope to help the readers get up to go through the remaining pages. Perhaps that was the work of the frequent references to Studio Ghibli movies, which become not just a part of the main (romantic) relationship but also a coping mechanism to these characters. While some may find this to be clashing with the tone or other elements, I disagree, Ghibli movies are known for making something lively and magical out of the mundane and that suits the kind of escapism Salama is trying to find in the moments where she can hope to find the mundane.
But, this was not an easy read by any means, if the subject matter wasn’t any indicator. The medical gore really got to me multiple times, and I couldn’t bring myself to finish this in one sitting. Regardless, I think it’s a worthwhile read! I just cannot say that I enjoyed it or had fun like I did with some of my other highly rated books.
For all the hardships and tragedies within its plot, somehow, it felt as if Zoulfa’s writing was still offering out a hand of hope to help the readers get up to go through the remaining pages. Perhaps that was the work of the frequent references to Studio Ghibli movies, which become not just a part of the main (romantic) relationship but also a coping mechanism to these characters. While some may find this to be clashing with the tone or other elements, I disagree, Ghibli movies are known for making something lively and magical out of the mundane and that suits the kind of escapism Salama is trying to find in the moments where she can hope to find the mundane.
But, this was not an easy read by any means, if the subject matter wasn’t any indicator. The medical gore really got to me multiple times, and I couldn’t bring myself to finish this in one sitting. Regardless, I think it’s a worthwhile read! I just cannot say that I enjoyed it or had fun like I did with some of my other highly rated books.
Just finished this book, and all I can say is that it was such a journey to go on. The suspense in the slowly revealed mystery described in Leah’s chapters of flashbacks, the themes of grief and realizing when you’re starting to truly loose a person, the tenseness I felt as I read and the unsettling nature of (most of) the words I saw unfold on the pages. What’s more, Armfield doesn’t use the horror genre as a way to demonize her lesbian relationship: not only is it a central part of the plot itself, but it brings a kind of heart and tenderness to this story that made it emotional.
I also forgot this was a debut novel several times as I was reading!! Beautifully written, and I loved the way marine biology contributed to the story and Leah’s thoughts/flashbacks. Having two editors worked in the favor of this book, it made it feel polished. It wasn’t just poetic or lyrically written, but felt meaningful and weighed on my heart when I reached the end and closed it to store it on my shelves until it’s returned to the library. I don’t think I could’ve picked a better book to be my first true blue horror read!!
This is definitely something I’ll reread years after this review is published, looking for ways to analyze the text whether that be mystery-related or just about the characters themselves. (Probably mostly about the mystery though, we got few answers in true horror fashion.)
I also forgot this was a debut novel several times as I was reading!! Beautifully written, and I loved the way marine biology contributed to the story and Leah’s thoughts/flashbacks. Having two editors worked in the favor of this book, it made it feel polished. It wasn’t just poetic or lyrically written, but felt meaningful and weighed on my heart when I reached the end and closed it to store it on my shelves until it’s returned to the library. I don’t think I could’ve picked a better book to be my first true blue horror read!!
This is definitely something I’ll reread years after this review is published, looking for ways to analyze the text whether that be mystery-related or just about the characters themselves. (Probably mostly about the mystery though, we got few answers in true horror fashion.)
