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diamondxgirl
The Slow Fade
Kiersten White, Matthew Cody, Gwenda Bond, E.C. Myers, Carrie Harris, Andrea Phillips
This week's episode basically came out of left field and I am SO here for it. At this point, I'm pretty sure Holden is my favorite (though I'm Umta-curious). The Slow Fade is a Holden-centric episode and that's a-ok with me.
He stepped closer. “I want answers.” “Ask me questions.” “Why are we here?” Arcadia cocked her head. “To rest and recuperate.”
The question we've all been waiting to have answered...How the heck did these kids get from dead (?) to ReMade and why were they chosen? I won't spoil it for you but I will tell you that we get to find out this episode and it is WAY crazier (and cooler) than I thought. All of me was like, "ohhhhh yes ok I get it now" when the big reveal came.
“We can keep talking, but I need you to do something for me first. I reached out to you alone because I’ve been watching you, Holden. Out of everyone, I knew you would be the most open to hearing what I have to say. But it’s not without consequences. Real consequences that will affect every one of you.”
Arcadia, the sentient AI who's been the driving force behind the ReMade's safety, has a request of massive proportions. And she chooses Holden to decide. Having recently read We are the Ants and having it still rattle inside my head, I feel for Holden's decision. At best, we are all still human and those pesky emotions can really be killer at times. Did Holden make the right decision, and is it the right decision for one or for all?
He stepped closer. “I want answers.” “Ask me questions.” “Why are we here?” Arcadia cocked her head. “To rest and recuperate.”
The question we've all been waiting to have answered...How the heck did these kids get from dead (?) to ReMade and why were they chosen? I won't spoil it for you but I will tell you that we get to find out this episode and it is WAY crazier (and cooler) than I thought. All of me was like, "ohhhhh yes ok I get it now" when the big reveal came.
“We can keep talking, but I need you to do something for me first. I reached out to you alone because I’ve been watching you, Holden. Out of everyone, I knew you would be the most open to hearing what I have to say. But it’s not without consequences. Real consequences that will affect every one of you.”
Arcadia, the sentient AI who's been the driving force behind the ReMade's safety, has a request of massive proportions. And she chooses Holden to decide. Having recently read We are the Ants and having it still rattle inside my head, I feel for Holden's decision. At best, we are all still human and those pesky emotions can really be killer at times. Did Holden make the right decision, and is it the right decision for one or for all?
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Rucka and Sharp have done a beautiful job untangling the web of lies woven in Diana's history. I appreciate that they're bringing her back to her original story while also addressing issues that persisted with it. Can't wait to see where they take it next.
SDCC is in full swing this weekend and The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love is a love letter to all things con! As someone who attends many many cons and met their husband at a con(cert but let's be real, a music festival is basically a con for music lovers), this book stole my heart the way one steals glances at their favorite celebrities walking through the crowd.
Every geek has a price...
Our two main characters are Graham and Roxy, two high school juniors who are self described "all-arounders" aka nerds that are equally into comics, books, movies, video games, and tv. They're both invested in their academics and their nerdy extracurriculars, which includes writing/inking a comic together. Graham is a redheaded stepchild (no, really, he lost his mom and his dad has remarried. His stepfamily is lovely, though, and everyone respects each other! He's also literally a redhead.) and Roxy is his BFF who is originally from Iran and helped him through the loss of his mom. Both characters are easily likable and stay that way through the book, as do all of the supporting characters (parents, friends, and others along the way). He's in love with her, she's in love with inking (that's part of the comic book process, for those of you who are new to comics), and together they're in love with John Hughes movies, a canceled comic series from the 90s (The Chronicles of Althena), and New York Comic Con (NYCC), which is where most of the book takes place.
Sarvenaz created a teen rom-com set within the boundaries of the NYCC, a four day con focused on fandoms of all sorts. This allows her to explore the characters and their interactions within a familiar setting, designed to enhance the parts about themselves that they most love. This is arguably Graham's "80's movie" story of "will the nerd get the girl?", and the NYCC setting is just too perfect. I'm envisioning the movie now - Is Graham Roxy's Duckie or will be her Blaine? He's doing his best to tell her he loves her, first thwarted by crowds stampeding into a ticketed event (where he had planned to get Roxy tickets to see a long hermited writer of Althena), then by the suave (and also geeky) Devin who begins to tag along and catches Roxy's eye, and then again by some bad karaoke that turns a bad day into the worst night. Graham is not easily discouraged and continues his plight throughout the book. While exploring the world of cons and fandoms, Sarvenaz also explores how a friendship could develop into a romance, and why that might be a bad idea. Or a good idea. Or maybe just an idea period.
This book is filled with quotable lines and passages that make you want to tab or highlight them. Anyone who has done a con the "hard core" way (waiting overnight for a panel, being the ticket RIGHT AFTER the last one is given out, or wearing an obscure costume and being thrilled when someone recognizes you) will appreciate the things that happen in the story. If I had to describe the experience, it is definitely relatable. I'm a fan of contemporaries set in familiar situations (much as You Know Me Well is set during Pride Week), so this appealed to me even more. All in all, this is an adorable homage to 80s rom-coms, fandoms, and fans of anything and everything adorable.
Every geek has a price...
Our two main characters are Graham and Roxy, two high school juniors who are self described "all-arounders" aka nerds that are equally into comics, books, movies, video games, and tv. They're both invested in their academics and their nerdy extracurriculars, which includes writing/inking a comic together. Graham is a redheaded stepchild (no, really, he lost his mom and his dad has remarried. His stepfamily is lovely, though, and everyone respects each other! He's also literally a redhead.) and Roxy is his BFF who is originally from Iran and helped him through the loss of his mom. Both characters are easily likable and stay that way through the book, as do all of the supporting characters (parents, friends, and others along the way). He's in love with her, she's in love with inking (that's part of the comic book process, for those of you who are new to comics), and together they're in love with John Hughes movies, a canceled comic series from the 90s (The Chronicles of Althena), and New York Comic Con (NYCC), which is where most of the book takes place.
Sarvenaz created a teen rom-com set within the boundaries of the NYCC, a four day con focused on fandoms of all sorts. This allows her to explore the characters and their interactions within a familiar setting, designed to enhance the parts about themselves that they most love. This is arguably Graham's "80's movie" story of "will the nerd get the girl?", and the NYCC setting is just too perfect. I'm envisioning the movie now - Is Graham Roxy's Duckie or will be her Blaine? He's doing his best to tell her he loves her, first thwarted by crowds stampeding into a ticketed event (where he had planned to get Roxy tickets to see a long hermited writer of Althena), then by the suave (and also geeky) Devin who begins to tag along and catches Roxy's eye, and then again by some bad karaoke that turns a bad day into the worst night. Graham is not easily discouraged and continues his plight throughout the book. While exploring the world of cons and fandoms, Sarvenaz also explores how a friendship could develop into a romance, and why that might be a bad idea. Or a good idea. Or maybe just an idea period.
This book is filled with quotable lines and passages that make you want to tab or highlight them. Anyone who has done a con the "hard core" way (waiting overnight for a panel, being the ticket RIGHT AFTER the last one is given out, or wearing an obscure costume and being thrilled when someone recognizes you) will appreciate the things that happen in the story. If I had to describe the experience, it is definitely relatable. I'm a fan of contemporaries set in familiar situations (much as You Know Me Well is set during Pride Week), so this appealed to me even more. All in all, this is an adorable homage to 80s rom-coms, fandoms, and fans of anything and everything adorable.
One of my goals for winter break was to read Hold Me Like a Breath, which is the first in the series that birthed my favorite book of the year (Break Me Like a Promise). They're standalones within the series so they can be read independently, though Break Me does take place after the events in Hold Me.
It was AMAZING. I devoured it yesterday in one sitting.
Hold Me is inspired by The Princess and the Pea, emphasis on how badass the princess is. The plot lines revolve around one of three crime families, who deal in the organ trading business. While it's not without the effects of being in the crime business, it is also not dark. At heart, there is romance.
Hold Me stars Penelope, who has a disease that causes her platelets to be eaten up by her body. This is what causes her bruising - which is where the light Princess and the Pea retelling comes in.
I'm fascinated by the crime families and how the daughters rise to power in the absence of their fathers and brothers.
It was AMAZING. I devoured it yesterday in one sitting.
Hold Me is inspired by The Princess and the Pea, emphasis on how badass the princess is. The plot lines revolve around one of three crime families, who deal in the organ trading business. While it's not without the effects of being in the crime business, it is also not dark. At heart, there is romance.
Hold Me stars Penelope, who has a disease that causes her platelets to be eaten up by her body. This is what causes her bruising - which is where the light Princess and the Pea retelling comes in.
I'm fascinated by the crime families and how the daughters rise to power in the absence of their fathers and brothers.
In this one, the princess saves herself.
I had been reading this in single issues since the start of the series. I was drawn to it by the gorgeous art, the concept, and the inspirations. I stuck around for all of those things plus the fact that this creative team really works.
I had been reading this in single issues since the start of the series. I was drawn to it by the gorgeous art, the concept, and the inspirations. I stuck around for all of those things plus the fact that this creative team really works.
The level of the beauty that is this book is unmatched. Stacey Lee's writing is flawless and I'll never get enough of it.
Scientists say smell is our most complex sense, stirring people to act instinctually, often without us even realizing it.
The Secret of a Heart Note has one of the most unique worldbuilding because while it is a contemporary novel, the world is set up not by visual sights but by the smells in the world. We see the world in through the eyes of a nose.
Aromateur is my name, and love is my game.
Featured cover model is Mimosa, the teenage daughter of the famous love witch. Mim is tasked with carrying on her family's trade, one that belongs solely to her. Much to her mother's chagrin, Mim wants to do normal teenage stuff like make friends, go to school, and maybe fall in love. GASP. Enter Court, the cute jock who might be the only one who's not charmed by the love witch's charms (but is still mad about her).
Stacey's writing seriously could not be more beautiful in this book. It's poetry without being excessively whimsical. You'll fall in love with it as much as you'll fall in love with Mim and Court and the whole smelly world around them.
Scientists say smell is our most complex sense, stirring people to act instinctually, often without us even realizing it.
The Secret of a Heart Note has one of the most unique worldbuilding because while it is a contemporary novel, the world is set up not by visual sights but by the smells in the world. We see the world in through the eyes of a nose.
Aromateur is my name, and love is my game.
Featured cover model is Mimosa, the teenage daughter of the famous love witch. Mim is tasked with carrying on her family's trade, one that belongs solely to her. Much to her mother's chagrin, Mim wants to do normal teenage stuff like make friends, go to school, and maybe fall in love. GASP. Enter Court, the cute jock who might be the only one who's not charmed by the love witch's charms (but is still mad about her).
Stacey's writing seriously could not be more beautiful in this book. It's poetry without being excessively whimsical. You'll fall in love with it as much as you'll fall in love with Mim and Court and the whole smelly world around them.
Mehhhhh. This story is slow and boring for 80% of it. The romance is typical and predictable. There are way better space operas out there.
I loved this creative team's take on Black Canary. The art is incredible!