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howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)
Absolutely adorable - in fact, I think I liked this one even better than Volume 1! I love that we got to meet Asako's family. Her younger brother Keita was immediately so lovable for me, as I'm a total sucker for those stoic, overly protective sibling characters, and I loved her parents and lil' Marosuke. I'm obsessed with how sweet and communicative Asako and Koutaro are! I love that they're open to each other about their insecurities and fears, even though the relationship is still so new. ♥ I have Volume 3 on hold from the library, but I'm tempted to go ahead and put the next few volumes on hold at the same time so I can just binge read!
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Volume 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Volume 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This volume was absolutely adorable - maybe 10% less adorable than Volume 1, but still totally precious. I did think the plot got a bit messy at one point, but it was all wrapped up well in the end (and I cried a little over the twist at the end). I really loved when we got to meet the girls' school's version of the Backstagers crew and how they were all semi-mirrored characters of our main cast.
I love this series and these characters. ♥
✨ Representation: multiple BIPOC characters, most (possibly all?) primary characters are queer, plus-size love interest
✨ Content warnings for:
Spoiler
mentions of a dead teen, grief———
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I'm just going to echo all the other reviewers who said it: this entire premise is so bizarre and I genuinely expected something painfully cringe-inducing, but... instead, I got a really adorable, laid-back slice-of-life romance with two very lovable characters?
I dunno, but I'm definitely continuing the series.
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I dunno, but I'm definitely continuing the series.
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The art in this graphic novel is incredibly lovely, but that's about the only thing that worked for me. I couldn't bring myself to invest in the characters (who all felt very shallow), the plot was somehow both predictable and confusing in ways (mainly the off-shoots regarding a side character that felt very out of place), and I genuinely loathed the ending.
✨ Representation: BIPOC side characters
✨ Content warnings for:
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✨ Representation: BIPOC side characters
✨ Content warnings for:
Spoiler
alcoholism, infidelity, sexual harassment, fat-shaming (challenged AND unchallenged), weight-related insecurity———
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This is a tough book to rate and review because my feelings on Stolen Tongues are a bit scattered at the moment, so bear with me, folks.
If I rated Stolen Tongues solely on the horror element, it would be a 5-star read. There are descriptions in this book that gave me chills, had me looking over my shoulder at night, and made me nervous to peek out the window (especially because my windows all face the woods!). Felix knows how to tap into the primal elements of what freaks us out, and I'm impressed by how well he kept it up — despite a few slow moments, for the most part, I was unsettled from start to finish.
That said, I can't rate an entire novel solely on the creep factor. Most of the characters in this book felt flat and uninspired, as well as frequently self-contradictory. There are a great number of plot threads that are left loose in the end, and I was left with more questions than answers.
The most frustrating element of Stolen Tongues, however, was the Native American representation. I'd read social media posts where the author discussed his desires to provide positive, nuanced characters and to avoid making the mistakes that we see so often, so I went into this with a (mostly) open mind. That said, I can't help but feel like Felix ultimately made the exact same mistakes he preached against: the Native American representation lacked depth, felt halfway stereotypical, and — spoiler alert, click the spoiler tags at your own risk —
As you can tell, I have a lot of feelings about Stolen Tongues. Native American representation is important to me, not only because diversity in stories matters, but also on a personal level (my grandmother, who helped raise me, was half-Sioux; while I'm certainly too white-passing to even pretend that I know what it feels like to be marginalized for being a Native American, I still find immense joy in good rep, and frustration when it's poorly done). With that in mind, do I recommend Stolen Tongues? I honestly don't know. I did really enjoy the scary elements in this story, but so much of it left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I personally don't believe I'll be reading other books from this author.
✨ Representation: three side characters are Native American (see review for notes on this)
✨ Content warnings for: possession, being stalked by an entity; spoiler-y warnings:
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If I rated Stolen Tongues solely on the horror element, it would be a 5-star read. There are descriptions in this book that gave me chills, had me looking over my shoulder at night, and made me nervous to peek out the window (especially because my windows all face the woods!). Felix knows how to tap into the primal elements of what freaks us out, and I'm impressed by how well he kept it up — despite a few slow moments, for the most part, I was unsettled from start to finish.
That said, I can't rate an entire novel solely on the creep factor. Most of the characters in this book felt flat and uninspired, as well as frequently self-contradictory. There are a great number of plot threads that are left loose in the end, and I was left with more questions than answers.
The most frustrating element of Stolen Tongues, however, was the Native American representation. I'd read social media posts where the author discussed his desires to provide positive, nuanced characters and to avoid making the mistakes that we see so often, so I went into this with a (mostly) open mind. That said, I can't help but feel like Felix ultimately made the exact same mistakes he preached against: the Native American representation lacked depth, felt halfway stereotypical, and — spoiler alert, click the spoiler tags at your own risk —
Spoiler
two of the three Native characters served as nothing more than fulfilling the "wise Native man becomes a sacrifice to save the white people" trope.As you can tell, I have a lot of feelings about Stolen Tongues. Native American representation is important to me, not only because diversity in stories matters, but also on a personal level (my grandmother, who helped raise me, was half-Sioux; while I'm certainly too white-passing to even pretend that I know what it feels like to be marginalized for being a Native American, I still find immense joy in good rep, and frustration when it's poorly done). With that in mind, do I recommend Stolen Tongues? I honestly don't know. I did really enjoy the scary elements in this story, but so much of it left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I personally don't believe I'll be reading other books from this author.
✨ Representation: three side characters are Native American (see review for notes on this)
✨ Content warnings for: possession, being stalked by an entity; spoiler-y warnings:
Spoiler
grief, child loss, stillbirth———
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I feel like I say this all the time, but sometimes you find a story that is so hyped, and has this gorgeous cover, and loads of marketing coverage, and between all of that, people start thinking, It’s got to be good, right? And then, the reviews start rolling in, and the responses are less excitable than we all hoped they would be, and I find myself wondering how many stories were given no marketing at all—better stories, stories that deserved the hype—to make room for one that didn’t.
Sadly, this book is a prime example of that scenario. I almost passed on this one altogether, because my gut feeling was that it would be a disappointment, but when it went up on “read now” status on Netgalley, I decided I’d take a gamble, and man, did I regret that decision. I almost DNFed this so many times, but it was a quick enough read, with enough things that made me downright angry, that I had to finish it (plus, my buddy read partner and I agreed that it was opening up the floor for some hilariously salty rants/conversations, at least).
My single biggest problem with this was the world-building—or the complete lack thereof, I should say. There’s a very important magic system in the story, yet we make it through almost the entire first half of the book before we get even a touch of history or explanation, and what we are given is nothing more than bread crumbs. The only things we learn about the world are vague explanations given through political debates, and the plot holes are absolutely blaring.
There are some interesting aspects to the plot—such as the involvement of the Vulgar Arts, which one of our three ladies has committed herself to despite risk of certain execution—but even these bits weren’t explored nearly enough. I understand that it’s only the first book in the series, but I don’t believe in saving all of your world-building for the second book; to me, that’s not a sign of good writing.
On top of the writing itself, very little of what happens lends to any suspension of disbelief. Characters constantly do big things and receive small consequences, if anything. One character takes on a fight she should realistically never win, and then nearly does win via cheating—which everyone is aware she is doing, yet nobody investigates. Even at the base level of the plot, when the three girls learn the big twist that they’re royalty, none of them are surprised or spend even a second’s thought in denial; they just go along with it without hesitation, which struck me as not only naïve, but also incredibly bizarre. The list goes on, but I won’t keep you here all day.
The biggest things I want to talk about are the content warnings that I’m seeing very few reviews mention. This book deserves a huge content warning for self-mutilation, which is literally the basis of the magic that everyone in the story utilizes. On top of that, there are themes of child abuse, alcoholism, kidnapping, and royalty abusing commoners (including forcing famine on entire masses of people). The rest of these things are challenged, of course, but I wanted to be very clear in that, if you are triggered by depictions of self-harm, please proceed with caution!
The last thing I want to mention (read: rant about) is the romance in the story. Each of the three girls has a love interest, and none of the blossoming relationships are even remotely enjoyable to watch unfold. One character is in love with her childhood best friend, but when we meet him, there’s no chemistry. Another character has a sexual history with a man from a neighboring area, who seems to genuinely care for her, but she spends the entire book acting like a spoiled child who’s been blinded by privilege every time he speaks to her. The third girl’s love interest is a woman, which should be great—yay, sapphic representation!—but falls short thanks to a nasty case of insta-love (as well as the fact that it’s the girl’s step-mother, which is a bit awkward).
I genuinely didn’t mean for this entire review to turn into one massive rant, but I can’t help myself. This book was such a tragedy from start to finish, and while the ideas behind it were interesting at times, it failed terribly for me. When I started writing this review, I thought I would give the book 2 stars, but after working out all of my feelings onto paper, I’m realizing this is a 1.5-star read at most. If you don’t mind mediocre fantasy with a lot of plot holes, go ahead and give it a try, but if you’re someone who reads a lot of fantasy and has come to expect a certain level of depth, I don’t recommend picking up Rule.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Little, Brown for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
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Buddy read with the amazing, hilarious, salty Kaleena. ♥
“There are a million shades of gray, especially when dealing with kings.”
Sadly, this book is a prime example of that scenario. I almost passed on this one altogether, because my gut feeling was that it would be a disappointment, but when it went up on “read now” status on Netgalley, I decided I’d take a gamble, and man, did I regret that decision. I almost DNFed this so many times, but it was a quick enough read, with enough things that made me downright angry, that I had to finish it (plus, my buddy read partner and I agreed that it was opening up the floor for some hilariously salty rants/conversations, at least).
All you really needed to know to tithe was the anatomy of your body and the lengths to which you could push it.
My single biggest problem with this was the world-building—or the complete lack thereof, I should say. There’s a very important magic system in the story, yet we make it through almost the entire first half of the book before we get even a touch of history or explanation, and what we are given is nothing more than bread crumbs. The only things we learn about the world are vague explanations given through political debates, and the plot holes are absolutely blaring.
Even if her father killed her, he could not escape this. Do your worst, Father. I’ve already done mine.
There are some interesting aspects to the plot—such as the involvement of the Vulgar Arts, which one of our three ladies has committed herself to despite risk of certain execution—but even these bits weren’t explored nearly enough. I understand that it’s only the first book in the series, but I don’t believe in saving all of your world-building for the second book; to me, that’s not a sign of good writing.
She was going to die. The same way she’d lived. Alone in a family of vultures on a cliff at the edge of the world.
On top of the writing itself, very little of what happens lends to any suspension of disbelief. Characters constantly do big things and receive small consequences, if anything. One character takes on a fight she should realistically never win, and then nearly does win via cheating—which everyone is aware she is doing, yet nobody investigates. Even at the base level of the plot, when the three girls learn the big twist that they’re royalty, none of them are surprised or spend even a second’s thought in denial; they just go along with it without hesitation, which struck me as not only naïve, but also incredibly bizarre. The list goes on, but I won’t keep you here all day.
Mother always said “the gods make jokes of us all,” but this was pushing it, even for them.
The biggest things I want to talk about are the content warnings that I’m seeing very few reviews mention. This book deserves a huge content warning for self-mutilation, which is literally the basis of the magic that everyone in the story utilizes. On top of that, there are themes of child abuse, alcoholism, kidnapping, and royalty abusing commoners (including forcing famine on entire masses of people). The rest of these things are challenged, of course, but I wanted to be very clear in that, if you are triggered by depictions of self-harm, please proceed with caution!
She could not develop feelings. Not for Rozalind. Not for her father’s wife.
The last thing I want to mention (read: rant about) is the romance in the story. Each of the three girls has a love interest, and none of the blossoming relationships are even remotely enjoyable to watch unfold. One character is in love with her childhood best friend, but when we meet him, there’s no chemistry. Another character has a sexual history with a man from a neighboring area, who seems to genuinely care for her, but she spends the entire book acting like a spoiled child who’s been blinded by privilege every time he speaks to her. The third girl’s love interest is a woman, which should be great—yay, sapphic representation!—but falls short thanks to a nasty case of insta-love (as well as the fact that it’s the girl’s step-mother, which is a bit awkward).
I genuinely didn’t mean for this entire review to turn into one massive rant, but I can’t help myself. This book was such a tragedy from start to finish, and while the ideas behind it were interesting at times, it failed terribly for me. When I started writing this review, I thought I would give the book 2 stars, but after working out all of my feelings onto paper, I’m realizing this is a 1.5-star read at most. If you don’t mind mediocre fantasy with a lot of plot holes, go ahead and give it a try, but if you’re someone who reads a lot of fantasy and has come to expect a certain level of depth, I don’t recommend picking up Rule.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Little, Brown for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
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Buddy read with the amazing, hilarious, salty Kaleena. ♥
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First, Junji Ito has to have one of the most twisted and bizarre imaginations to ever exist.
Second, I've come to realize that Ito's work is extremely hit-and-miss for me, and sadly, Gyo was a miss. It wasn't awful by any means, but it was just dragged out for way too long, and the plot wasn't particularly interesting. I felt like nearly half of the book was just the characters yelling about how bad everything smelled.
Anyways, I always really recommend Junji Ito's work to lovers of horror manga, but this one didn't work too well for me.
Second, I've come to realize that Ito's work is extremely hit-and-miss for me, and sadly, Gyo was a miss. It wasn't awful by any means, but it was just dragged out for way too long, and the plot wasn't particularly interesting. I felt like nearly half of the book was just the characters yelling about how bad everything smelled.
Anyways, I always really recommend Junji Ito's work to lovers of horror manga, but this one didn't work too well for me.
When I heard of this graphic novel, I was so genuinely excited to read it, and I honestly thought it would be something really special. It was, but not in a good way... Let me put it this way: it's very rare that I literally regret reading something, but I genuinely, 100% regret reading this graphic novel anthology. It's not that it was all bad, but...
→ School Spirit — ★★★☆☆
This had a lot of potential to be adorable, once I got used to what the heck was going on, but in the beginning, you're thrown into it with no explanation whatsoever and I was actually getting really irritated while trying to figure out what these characters were doing. On top of that, I know rampant homophobia is a very real issue and I can appreciate own-voice authors writing about that, but when there is literally no happy ending in sight for these queer girls? Obviously, it's a 100% valid thing to write about, don't get me wrong! ... but that doesn't mean my queer self has to have fun reading it.
→ Ruined — ?!?!
I don't even know how to rate this story, but it's the #1 reason I say I regret reading this collection. It had a metric ton of potential to be a raging trashfire with the implication that this woman's previous relationship is why she's "ruined" (calm down, Destiny, let's save the rants about the social constructs of 'virginity' for another day...), but I don't think it was meant harmfully, and I was really intrigued by what was going on — so, naturally, it ended right in the middle of the freaking story with a "TO BE CONTINUED"?! Who the hell does that without warning the reader that they're only getting "part 1" of the story? I'm literally angry over this.
→ The Ruby Equation — ★★★★☆
Literally the only story in this collection that I don't have major issues with. This one follows a magical young lady whose job is apparently to match-make, but she's super resistant to the idea of actually being the one to fall in love, so you can probably guess where this one's headed. The art was lovely and the characters were cute.
→ Beauties — ★★☆☆☆
A painfully boring Beauty and the Beast retelling. That's all I've got.
→ First, Last, and Always — ★☆☆☆☆
While reading anthologies of any sort, I keep a note open on my phone/ipad/laptop/whatever, and I take notes about each story so that, when I write my review, I can break them down. My notes are usually a mash-up of quotes, key phrases, and so on, but if this tells you anything about how this final story made me feel, my entire note section for this one is literally just "WTF".
Like I said... I really wish I hadn't wasted my time with this collection. It was miserably disappointing and I am so, so glad I was able to get it from the library instead of breaking my book ban for it (which I almost did). The only reasons it's getting 2 stars instead of 1 from me are the diverse rep and how much I enjoyed the 3rd story.
→ School Spirit — ★★★☆☆
This had a lot of potential to be adorable, once I got used to what the heck was going on, but in the beginning, you're thrown into it with no explanation whatsoever and I was actually getting really irritated while trying to figure out what these characters were doing. On top of that, I know rampant homophobia is a very real issue and I can appreciate own-voice authors writing about that, but when there is literally no happy ending in sight for these queer girls? Obviously, it's a 100% valid thing to write about, don't get me wrong! ... but that doesn't mean my queer self has to have fun reading it.
→ Ruined — ?!?!
I don't even know how to rate this story, but it's the #1 reason I say I regret reading this collection. It had a metric ton of potential to be a raging trashfire with the implication that this woman's previous relationship is why she's "ruined" (calm down, Destiny, let's save the rants about the social constructs of 'virginity' for another day...), but I don't think it was meant harmfully, and I was really intrigued by what was going on — so, naturally, it ended right in the middle of the freaking story with a "TO BE CONTINUED"?! Who the hell does that without warning the reader that they're only getting "part 1" of the story? I'm literally angry over this.
→ The Ruby Equation — ★★★★☆
Literally the only story in this collection that I don't have major issues with. This one follows a magical young lady whose job is apparently to match-make, but she's super resistant to the idea of actually being the one to fall in love, so you can probably guess where this one's headed. The art was lovely and the characters were cute.
→ Beauties — ★★☆☆☆
A painfully boring Beauty and the Beast retelling. That's all I've got.
→ First, Last, and Always — ★☆☆☆☆
While reading anthologies of any sort, I keep a note open on my phone/ipad/laptop/whatever, and I take notes about each story so that, when I write my review, I can break them down. My notes are usually a mash-up of quotes, key phrases, and so on, but if this tells you anything about how this final story made me feel, my entire note section for this one is literally just "WTF".
Like I said... I really wish I hadn't wasted my time with this collection. It was miserably disappointing and I am so, so glad I was able to get it from the library instead of breaking my book ban for it (which I almost did). The only reasons it's getting 2 stars instead of 1 from me are the diverse rep and how much I enjoyed the 3rd story.
That was precious and so sweet, but so sad. 😭 Maya's fears about what being a ghost will be like, and leaving her family behind, broke my heart; on top of that, Cat's endless anxiety over her sister's well-being is so touching. ♥