howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

This is a REALLY tough graphic novel for me to rate and review!

→ P R O S :
• ADORABLE artwork
• so much diverse rep! POC, queer rep, fat rep, all kinds ♥
• some cute pop culture references (the neopets knockoff site killed me)

→ C O N S :
• mostly kind of boring?
• Selena very abruptly goes from SUPER SWEET to a total jerkface, why??
• everyone is SO MEAN to Julie! all the time! She makes it REALLY clear over and over that she doesn't want to be picked on, but nobody ever stops and nobody is ever called out on it?!
• Lindi is a super toxic friend and it's just... laughed off?
• the actual storyline became really messy and poorly fleshed out in the last 2 "issues"

So, I don't know. 3.5 stars, but I've gotta round down. :( I'm really sad because so many of my friends adore this GN that I swore I would, too, plus it's so hard to find positive fat rep.

When Jessica James returns home to Tennessee, it’s only for a year or two—just long enough to pay off her student loans and start her big adventure of dreaming the world, just like she’s always planned. The only problem is, that plan doesn’t allow any room for love or commitment—especially not to the boy she’s known her whole life but never gotten along with, all grown up into a red-bearded bear of a man who’s hellbent on winning her affection once and for all.

I’d heard a little about Penny Reid’s books but hadn’t gotten around to checking them out until my friend Sionna suggested I give this one a try for a monthly reading challenge we both joined. I was slumping pretty hard, and a good, fluffy contemporary can usually do the trick, so I decided to give Truth or Beard a try.

→ L I K E S :

“You’re a siren who doesn’t need to sing.”

First, I’m such a sucker for childhood friends growing up to be lovers, especially when one of them has pined over the other for a long time, so I was immediately sucked in to the plotline. I’ve never read a romance with twins before, either, so that was new and I was a little worried some super cringe-y stuff would happen, but instead, I love Duane and Beau’s “twin moments” and thought they were really precious.

“I’d kiss you but I don’t want our beards to tangle.”

On top of that, the Winston family as a whole is so charming, which should let you know I definitely plan on continuing the series now that I know the following books follow different Winston family members. The brothers’ exchanges are all so fun and heartwarming, and Cletus is a damn treat with his awkward sense of humor and brutal honesty.

“Don’t Drink and DERIVE, Alcohol and Calculus Don’t Mix.”

Finally, Truth or Beard is just a pretty fun read and it’s easy to lose yourself in. Even though it wasn’t perfect, it sets the stage for what I think is going to be a very beloved series of mine.

→ D I S L I K E S :

“Because when a guy sees a car he likes, all he can think about is getting under the hood or taking her for a ride.”

Unfortunately, like I said, it’s not a perfect story. Duane has his really great moments for sure, but sometimes, his attitude just made me cringe. Really, I think my problem is that Duane is too much of a “southern gentleman” type for my taste—I’ve never been one to appreciate that sort of persona and it doesn’t work for me in books, either. He also makes so many weird comments that I’m sure are really cute to a lot of people, but I’m just not one of them. (Like the quote above this paragraph—gross.)

He was so silly. So I said, “Duane, you are so silly.”

Beyond that, some of Jessica’s internal monologue is just eyeroll-inducing. She isn’t unintelligent by any means—she’s actually really bright and clever and I enjoyed all of those aspects of her personality—but then she’ll go and say something so childish and cringe-inducing, like calling her breasts “coconuts” as a joke once and then repeating it in all seriousness for chapters on end. I just couldn’t take her seriously! It even continues on into the sex scenes.

“Don’t change a thing. God, Jess. Don’t change a single thing. Be wild for me, be reckless. I love your kind of wild.”

The final nail in the coffin of my chances of raving about this book was the subplot with the Winston brothers and the Iron Wraiths, the local biker gang trying to blackmail them. I know the stakes were supposed to be high and I was expected to be terrified of this biker gang, but like much else in this book, it felt so over-the-top that it just made it cringe-y, and I honestly didn’t care. I reached the point of skimming every interaction with the Wraiths because they weren’t interesting at all.

→ F I N A L THOUGHTS :

At the end of the day, I had a lot of issues with Truth or Beard, but the fact remains that it was a fun read that I was able to get into despite being in the worst slump of the year, and it set the stage with a lot of interesting characters that definitely have me planning to return for more books in the series.

→ RECOMMENDING TO… :

I would honestly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fluffy, generic adult contemporary romance, because even if you have the same issues I had, it’s still a fun read worth picking up. If you don’t have issues with things like overbearing “country gentlemen” and really weird, corny euphemisms being thrown around nonstop by the heroine, then I really recommend this to you, because if I hadn’t minded those two things, this easily would have been a 4-star read for me!

update september 2017
Lowered to 3 stars because every time I think about this book, I like it less and less. Ableism and insta-love mixed with what is realistically just... not amazing writing. :( I probably won't pick up any more of Nicola's books in the future.

---

“I was happy before I met him. But I’m alive now, and those are not the same thing.”

Reread review time! I originally gave this 5 stars when I read it last year, but upon rereading it, I had to lower it to 4 stars. While I still really enjoyed the relationship that develops between Maddy and Olly, I feel like just six months of reviewing books has really shifted the way I analyze the things that I read, and I had to know a star off for a few issues that I'll explain later in the review.

PLOT ➳➳
Madeline lives a pretty happy life; as happy as anyone can be when they've been trapped inside their house their entire life, that is. Maddy has SCID, an autoimmune disorder that has essentially rendered her allergic to the entire outside world. She spends her days taking her classes from home, skyping with her professors, reading anything she can get her hands on, and spending time with her mother, Dr. Whittier, and her nurse, Carla. Everything goes to hell when Olly moves in next door, though, and she begins to fall in love. As she develops feelings she's never known before, Madeline starts to wonder: is life worth living if you're not experiencing everything it has to offer?

WHAT I LIKED ➳➳
First and foremost, this is a YA contemporary romance, so naturally, the most important aspect of the book is the romance... and let me tell you, Maddy and Olly are adorable together. Their banter is so fun, the flirting is adorable, and when they finally get to be together in person, it's just nonstop heartwarming fuzzies and smiles.

I also really enjoy Madeline as a character. Despite her obstacles, she comes across as incredibly mature, as though she's more or less accepted the hand she's been dealt. She only begins to question things when she feels like she can't be separate from Olly, and anyone who's been in love knows how hard those feelings can be to ignore, so can you blame her?

WHAT I DISLIKED ➳➳
*cracks knuckles* Okay... if you've been around the YA book community for a while, you've probably heard at least a snippet of the controversy surrounding this book. Without spoiling anything, we'll just say that SCID is not repped well at all in this book, and there's a big "twist" that is... well, a bit insensitive, to be frank. I heard about the controversy after my first read of this book, and didn't really see where it was coming from, to be honest - I'm sorry to say that, even as someone who deals with chronic pain/illness, I wasn't as empathetic as I should have been. Upon rereading the book, however, I was just kind of like, "... whoa. I get it now."

Essentially, Madeline is willing to throw away literally her life to be with Olly for a few days, which in and of itself is not a terrible plot arc - it's very 90s Disney-esque, I guess - but the fact that she is capable of doing so feels a little less than sympathetic regarding teens who suffer from these real-life disorders and don't get to make choices like that on a whim.

Then, there's the infamous "plot twist"...

Spoiler

Maddy isn't even sick. Her mother's been faking the entire thing for Madeline's entire life to keep her home in a safe, little bubble.

I won't sit here and go on a rant about it, because frankly, I don't know how to put how I'm feeling into words, but it just rubbed me wrong enough that I couldn't, in good conscience, leave this book at a 5-star rating.

FINAL VERDICT ➳➳
At the end of the day, the romance in this book is really cute, and if you're looking for a sweet teen love story, here you go! I just wouldn't go into this book expecting anything earth-shaking. If you suffer from chronic pain/illness, I would especially like to offer a word of caution because the ending of this book just might piss you off.

Wow, this review is so overdue, and I’m so sorry for that—I think I honestly completely forgot that I hadn’t reviewed it yet, but it’s been a full two months since I read this book! That said, it was enjoyable enough that it stuck with me pretty well, so… let’s do the thing!

“Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.”

First of all, let me say that I went into this book feeling cautiously optimistic; the synopsis didn’t completely sell me, and I was a little bit worried that it would be one of those super hyped releases that let me down. Thankfully, that was not the issue at all, because this book sucked me in so fast!

I was the ice on the river. The snow clinging onto the mountainside.

I love stories involving icy tundras and characters that fit this Viking-esque vibe, and Sky in the Deep definitely supplies a version of that. From the first page, there is so much action and bloodshed, and unlike many YA authors I’ve read, Adrienne Young doesn’t shy away from showing you a little gore and devastation! Obviously we’re not talking adult grimdark levels here, but if you’re very sensitive, well, don’t say nobody warned you!

I hadn’t lost her. I hadn’t buried her. I’d only let her change into something new.

More than anything, I loved Eelyn’s character and how capable and intelligent she is. Despite the fact that she’s been raised to believe certain things about her enemy tribe, she’s not so set in her ways that she can’t grow to recognize when things don’t quite line up with her upbringing. She’s got this fantastic fighter’s spirit, and I truly enjoyed watching the world go by through her eyes.

The writhing, bleeding hole inside of me closed up. I let him erase it. I let him make it go away.

Of course, there’s also the matter of the romance, which is a bit slow to build, and never overpowers the main storyline. That said, it’s swoon-worthy in its own way, and I’m such a sucker for these characters that look like big, scary tough guys on the outside but end up being gushy teddy bears inside, so if you feel me on that, you’ll probably appreciate Eelyn’s love interest just as much as I did.

“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I don’t want to fight anymore.”

Overall, I so thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved the fighting, the romance, the depictions of faith, the mysticism in certain scenes, and the atmosphere. I felt like I should’ve been surrounded by icy fjords while reading this book, and it’s the type of story I can happily recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy, and that I will happily come back to again and again.

You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!

---

Buddy read with Taylor! ♥♥♥

I really wanted to love this, if for nothing other than how incredibly diverse it was — with the primary characters being a black gay man, a white gay intersex and disabled man, and another white intersex man (presumably gay but I don't think it was ever confirmed?). Unfortunately, the plot that should have been thrilling just played out as a bit boring, and the writing wasn't very enjoyable for me.

It needs a lot of editing, which is not a big issue for me (I read a lot of indie work that doesn't always have impeccable spelling and grammar, and I really don't care as long as it's legible), but I know it's something that would bother a lot of readers. The biggest issue as far as the writing went was just how overly detailed and monotonous it got at times. I don't need multiple sentences describing a character paying for their dinner at a pub, or making a cup of tea, etc.

I also had a pretty tough time with the romance, as it's very insta-lovey (there's even a part where a character thinks something along the lines of, "how could I call him an acquaintance after the week we've had?", but I'm pretty sure it had only been 3 days, not a week, and even if it had been a week, no, you should not essentially commit all of your foreseeable future to someone after a few days in both romantic and business ventures). Maybe I sound nitpicky here, and I'm sorry if I do, but the good in this book was just vastly overshadowed by how poorly written I felt it to be.

That was a pretty excellent collection. I loved almost every story in it, and found that Gemma's got an incredible unique and twisted way of storytelling. I went in with high expectations after loving some of her writing on the NoSleep podcast, and I wasn't disappointed at all.

I gave 5 stars to almost every individual story (with the only exceptions belonging to a couple that were a little slow-paced compared to the rest), so it was hard to pick out my favorites. Here are a few that really stood out to me, though:

→ Foliage:
This story was what originally drew me to the collection; it was featured on a NoSleep episode and I thought it was brilliant. It followed a handyman who takes on a new job clearing out some overgrowth, and finds the most disgusting plants you could imagine.

→ Girl on Fire:
When Ruby is in a terrible car incident, she should die, but instead, she finds herself rising anew with some interesting new powers. Finally the predator instead of the prey, she sets out on a journey to find a new beginning, and destroys anyone who gets in her way. Ruby's a total power-house and I loved her newfound rage.

→ The Path Through Lower Fell:
This was my favorite of the entire book. A couple goes on their usual weekend hike, but they find an unsettling meadow and a herd of cattle that something has clearly gone wrong with. The twist went exactly in the direction I hoped it would and I loved it.

→ It Sees You When You're Sleeping:
The next-to-last installment is a Christmas horror story that really made me look at Santa and chimneys in a whole new light. It's so bloody and twisted that I couldn't believe the direction it took at times (in a good way!), and I'm sure it will be one of those tales that really sticks out in my memory when I'm decorating for the holidays later this year...

When you add in how great the creepy little illustrations at the beginning of each one were, it's no wonder I'm giving Cruel Works of Nature a resounding 5-star rating and will definitely be adding this to my list of favorite anthologies to recommend to other horror lovers.

Content warnings for infant loss, assault, death, gore, infidelity, body horror

Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.

“We fold our immigrant selves into this veneer of what we think is African American girlhood. The result is more jagged than smooth. This tension between our inherited identities and our newly adopted selves filters into our relationships with other girls and the boys we love, and how we interact with the broken places around us.”

I had really high hopes for American Street because it’s an incredibly important topic that I would love to see explored more frequently in YA contemporary, especially from own-voices authors like Ibi Zoboi! That reason was more than enough to justify boosting this up to a 4-star rating, in my opinion, because there were just so many powerful quotes (like the one I chose for the block above). As someone who was born and raised in the US and has the privileges of being a US-born white woman, this story definitely helped me see even more ways that my little bubble of privilege has kept me from recognizing how hard and stressful immigrating to the US must be for anyone, but especially people of color.

All of that aside, I didn’t enjoy the actual writing of this book very much, sadly. I didn’t love the narrative voice as a whole and I thought the plot kept losing itself. It would focus on one major plot point for a few chapters, and then another wrench would get thrown in, and it would totally pivot. I think that can work well if it’s done in moderation, but there were just so many topics covered that none of them were given the time or exploration they deserved on their own, in my opinion.

This is such a great little nonfiction book to add to any kid's collection, whether they love sharks, are afraid of them, or are new to learning about them. It presents sharks in an honest but kind light — yes, they can be frightening, but they're not all vicious man-eaters! — and, most of all, it strongly highlights the awful things we humans do to sharks, and the effect that our actions are having on the oceans and will continue to have if we don't stop over-fishing.