DNF @ page 138 (Chapter 10). I was definitely enjoying this, and I will probably take it back out of the library in a few months and try and finish it off, but I just wasn't feeling drawn back to the book so there's no point it sitting by my bed while I ignore it. Included below is the partial review I'd written so far:

I struggle with short stories, even though I really like them in theory, because if I don't love one of them, I'm not pulled into the next one. That's a personal thing though, not an issue with anthologies or this anthology specifically.

I would have loved a table of contents with some little story summaries, or even just separating it out. I read them consecutively, and it was a little weird to orient myself in the story each time because because the vibe from story to story was so different that I had to adjust my mindset and understand the setting. I did like the variety a lot though.

Throttle: 4 stars. Seriously eerie. I find human nature way scarier than the supernatural. I finished this one and flicked back to the start to work out what I missed. The descriptions were really vivid and created a really strong sense of atmosphere and setting. The theme of losing family was scarier than any haunting could have been.

Dark Carousel: 4 stars. I immediately highlighted the reference to "Manx in Christmasland in Colorado". Creepy fucker. Manx, if you don't know, is a character in Joe Hill's NOS4R2, and was super creepy. My review of NOS4R2 is here ( https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2019/08/30/review-nos4r2-by-joe-hill/ ) and it's definitely worth a read. Anyway, about this story. Dark Carousel was creepy too. It was a little slow to start, but built up to a really, truly horrifying chase scene in the end, and had a really lasting ending.

Wolverton Station: 2 stars. I felt like Wolverton Station was trying to teach me a lesson, but one that I totally missed/misunderstood. I ended the story feeling a little confused and a lot underwhelmed. It just didn't resonate with me at all, but it was definitely skilfully written.

By the Silver Waters of Lake Champlain: 3.5 stars. This short story didn't scare me, it just kind of made me feel sad. I wanted to know more in the end, too. I liked the characters a lot, but the plot was a bit confusing and felt aimless to me. It also felt like it ended a little too soon, and almost would have been better with an ending like Dark Carousel. It didn't help that I totally misunderstood it at first and spent half the story thinking one of the characters was inexplicably and un-explainedly a robot. That's on me, I was being stupid, but it did not help me feel less confused.

More to come, maybe?

DNF at page 242.

I just have no interest in this book. The original Northern Lights trilogy means everything to me and this? this ain't it. Reasons below.

Spoiler

I tapped out of this book not long after the Malcolm loves Lyra reveal. She's a child when his feelings develop. It's gross. It's creepy. It tainted the whole book for me, and after that I couldn't even begin to get back into the book and keep reading. Reading other reviews, I hear there's an attempted rape scene too, and I'm glad I didn't get there because I hate this? After the rape scene in La Belle Sauvage and then this, does Pullman not know how to give adult women characters depth without having them sexually assaulted? Over it. I kind of wanted to know how Pan and Lyra made up, but given that the reasons for their argument were weak and poorly explained, I couldn't hang around for it.

DNF @ 16%

There was nothing wrong with this book in particular. The prose was excellent and well-written, and I think the world is interesting with a lot of potential. I like the powers and the way that they're used, but I couldn't personally connect with the characters and found it difficult to engage in the story. I fully believe that this book probably has lots of very interesting things to come, and lots of readers will absolutely and rightfully love it, but it wasn't for me.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy of this book, it has not affected my honest opinions.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

DNF @ 20%

I liked the concept behind this a lot, but it lost me somewhere in execution. The art is excellent, but the dialogue was too much and overwhelmed the page. There was so much going on that it was hard to read, with a lot of visuals and a lot of words crammed into each page, and right at the start there was so much exposition that it made me immediately weary. Graphic novels should show, not tell, and this just didn't do that for me. I also found the white text on the pink background really hard to read, and squinting at the page to read him talking to his internal systems got old fast.

I think the idea behind this is excellent, and the plot is interesting if standard sci-fi fare, but unfortunately I just struggled to get into it, which is a shame because I was getting Murderbot-esque vibes at first and had high hopes.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 40%

I want to start this by saying that this book is excellent and my DNF definitely shouldn't be held against it. This book is beautiful and it's telling an amazing and powerful story about change and hope. It's full of nuanced thoughts about the trans experience and mirrors our society against a backdrop of a gorgeous magical world. It just didn't click for me personally and I struggled to get into it. The prose is gorgeous but I found it a little difficult to get into the story and the characters.

The idea of the weaves is gorgeous, I'm completely obsessed with being able to weave from wind, sand, song and bones. The fantasy world is fascinating and well-built, creative in a way that I haven't seen before. It's also a hugely diverse book with trans MCs, racially diverse characters and a plus-sized woman and I think that most people would love it and it's a shame it didn't work for me.

DNF @ 63%.

DNF @ 20%

I feel bad DNFing this as it's a MG book and I'm hardly the intended audience but something about this just didn't work for me. I felt like Col's age was a little all over the place. He's supposed to be 10 or 12 (text wasn't totally clear) but at points he felt like he was 7 or 8 and at times he seemed older. It was a strange kind of inconsistency that made it hard to get to know his character as he felt a bit unpredictable. I also felt like everything was a bit simplistic. Every challenge they faced was immediately overcome, there wasn't much lasting difficulty.

However this book handled the emotional side of being evacuated very well, and Col's emotional responses to everything felt very authentic and well written. There were also lots of positive reviews so perhaps this was a case of the book and myself being incompatible more than anything else.

DNF @ 15%

I cannot bear this.

DNF