haileylouise's Reviews (167)

This shit was so cute and I learned more about hockey from reading this than attending any hockey game I've gone to (which is several).

Bittle is also so relatable! I definitely think that freshman year focuses a lot on hockey itself and the struggles he finds with checks (or the physical part of hockey). In sophomore year, it does focus a lot more on the team as a whole and general life within the Haus. This comic is one my favorites and I love the subtle hints (or even obvious ones) that reveal parts of Bittle’s and Jack’s relationship growing. I hope to see more of that develop in the next book!

DNF @ 100 pages
Personally, I don’t like Julie as a main character and the writing feels bland to me. People can grieve however they want, but I didn’t like how she handled Sam’s death and acted impulsively. She’s hurt people who were also close to Sam while she was grieving. 

I think while it’s fine to have a flawed character, I just don’t like Julie. Like of course it’s from the perspective of a teenager and everything revolves around them, but I think the lack of sympathy and empathy to herself and others is what turns me off. And it just makes me wonder what’s so likable about her in the first place because she’s so pessimistic, even before she meets Sam. 

Not an enjoyable read, made me bored, do not care how this will end.

single issue time babyyyyy

Didn’t realize that saga wasn’t done yet and I don’t love that the single issues count as books in my reading goal, but you do what you gotta do. 

Edit: I should have read another thirty or so pages when I first picked this up because it really started to get interesting then! I was also wayyyy too harsh on this book taking its time for the plot to begin. There’s a lot of exposition and world building to let you understand how the planets and politics connect in the beginning but it’s necessary to the plot. I love the fact that the mystery and investigation pairs well with the romance subplot. It’s usually one or the other but it’s handled beautifully in this novel. Looking forward to reading the second book in this world!!

This was the book of the month for the reading club I'm in. And while I had high hopes for this book, it's very slow and more political science fiction than queer romance. There were repeating mentions of how important the Thean treaty was important, the symbols for genders, and the thoughts between Kiem and Jainan all within the first 100 pages. Unification Day hadn't even happened yet and yet it's mentioned heavily within the first chapter. I found the miscommunication/assumptions of both characters to be exhausting. It's clear that Kiem was a carefree, partying, mischievous prince who does not pay attention to the empire and royalty duties until his marriage. And it's clear that Jainan is stoic, only talks when spoken to, anxious, and is an overthinker due to how Taam treated him during their marriage. While reading the synopsis of the book, does state that Jainan is a suspect in Taam's death, but even 100 pages in, that suspicion is not stated by the guards or the Resolution. I just kept thinking to myself, "When does it actually start?" Maybe I can try picking up this book again later on... but for now, I think I would rather put it down to read something else. 

This was absolutely one of the worst things I’ve read. 

I decided to pick this up while I was watching indie horror game play-throughs (Fears to Fathom) on YouTube. And it felt more like an unfiltered crazy gory story one of your friends heard about and told you because they were bored one day. Especially with the scenes of Agnes describing the salamander, the priest and the cat, and the baby christ stories. This book was depicted as a piece of true crime, however these events are not real. It was an interesting concept to go through all of the emails and chat room things (reminded me of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), but lacked so much in what could have been a better plot and understanding of wlw relationships. While the author could have gotten away with using the mental health illnesses both characters had to explain the Dom/Sub contracting, Agnes wanting to bear children, and the whole tapeworm fiasco, those aspects were still poorly executed. Or maybe there’s just so little detail about Zoe, that makes it more horrible.

After Agnes tells Zoe that she wants to meet and Zoe says no, I immediately thought to myself that she said no because they aren’t actually “Zoe” or a woman, but a creepy old man preying on a random person online to live out their Fifty Shades fantasy. It’s also the fact that we never get details about Zoe, Agnes sent a picture of herself to Zoe after the red dress task. 

Another point I wanted to bring up was Agnes wanting to bear children while also explicitly stating that she’s gay and that she’s contemplated suicide before. I am so unsure if that’s even a possibility for someone without any negative consequences. It’s one thing to want to have children while in a same sex relationship but also a complete 180 to equate a tapeworm parasite to a pregnancy. There was no mention of like even talking about other options like insemination or anything, just straight into “I love you but we can’t have a baby together, but I will get tapeworm for you.” It was just so frustrating to me. 

I also believe that it’s one thing to be so traumatized and to romanticize this person who’s offered you more help than you deserve, but another to blatantly listen and follow every single thing they tell you to do out of love that further harms your work life, physical health, and mental health whilst also knowing you’ve been suicidal/contemplated suicide before.

The only thing this book made me feel was disgusted with the random horror stories Agnes told and how it had so much potential to be good, had it been worked on for longer and with more research done on what wlw are actually like and not some male fantasy/male gaze on wlw relationships. 

Oh my god!!!! I was screaming, crying, and kicking my feet at how good this book was. The characters were amazing; Kadou's anxiety was so accurately and well written, Evemer slowly letting down his walls and falling in love, Tadek and Tenzin being hilarious, Eozena was the caring mother-like figure, and Siranos and Sylvia had the typical sibling-rivalry. There was quite a cast of queerness throughout the book without any homophobia or bigotry, including nonbinary people, pansexuality (I'm looking at you Tadek), I believe asexuality (Malek), and probably a lot more that I may not have caught. This book had everything I've ever wanted. It was the perfect slow-burn queer fantasy story to start the year off. 

Watching Evemer fall in love with Kadou and him admitting that he'd be loyal, stay by his side, and lay down his life for him no matter what while kneeling in front of him. I screamed and kicked my feet from that moment on. That was the scene that made this book a 5-star read for me. (And it's totally not because I want someone as loyal as Evemer). My early predictions for this story were also correct in the sense that Siranos obviously had something to do with all of the counterfeit coins going around, but I'm not even mad about that because his interactions with Sylvia were so funny. And although there were stereotypical tropes throughout the book (i.e. forced proximity, sharing a bed, "forced" marriage, kissing to avoid the enemy, the stoic, guarded character falling hard for the soft, anxious character, the list goes on), it's so well done to the point where I'm happy that they were all included. Although this is a standalone book, I wish we could get more of Kadou and Evemer because the way Rowland describes their romance and tension is just so beautiful.