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inkandplasma
Full review available on my blog on October 8th: https://inkandplasma.com/2020/10/08/throwaway-girls/
Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4.
Trigger warnings: conversion therapy, suicidal ideation/planning, kidnapping, murder, discussion of statutory rape, ptsd depictions, police corruption/incompetency, non-consensual drug use, abuse of power.
Thanks to Kids Can Press for the eARC, it has not impacted my honest review.
Throwaway Girls is an interesting and complex thriller that did actually keep me guessing most of the way through. I was piecing things together but I still didn't quite manage to put everything together before the reveal unravelled in a high octane race to the end of the book. I read the last 45% of this book in an hour, because I just couldn't put it down until I knew what was coming next. This book covers some dark topics, but that's not a surprise for a murder mystery thriller, and I think Caroline's anxiety, PTSD and the way she handles the conversion therapy she was forced into is all portrayed with sensitivity but without softening the pain that she's been through. There's scathing commentary on the way that marginalised groups are treated, but I liked the awareness that Caroline had for her privilege and her acknowledgement of the classism inherent in her and her classmate's lives - though it wasn't as though she was perfectly woke. It made me like her a lot, because while she was inherently a good person, she didn't suffer from protagonist perfection. She lied and manipulated and when it came down to it she'd be the first person to tell you that she'd been a bad friend. But her loyalty and commitment to do better was heart-warming and made me fall in love with her.
The narrative was split in two parts, with most of the chapters from our protagonist's POV and some from another POV that's not revealed at first. I wasn't that keen on the alternate POV. By the end of the book I understood why it was there, and it did lead to an excellent moment partway through where I was struck by a sudden realisation, but I found it kind of boring at first and didn't engage with it that much. I think I probably missed little clues because of that. Caroline's POV was super engaging and interesting though, and I loved the way she was characterised throughout. By the end of this book I honestly just want to read about Caroline burning the world down.
Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4.
Trigger warnings: conversion therapy, suicidal ideation/planning, kidnapping, murder, discussion of statutory rape, ptsd depictions, police corruption/incompetency, non-consensual drug use, abuse of power.
Thanks to Kids Can Press for the eARC, it has not impacted my honest review.
Throwaway Girls is an interesting and complex thriller that did actually keep me guessing most of the way through. I was piecing things together but I still didn't quite manage to put everything together before the reveal unravelled in a high octane race to the end of the book. I read the last 45% of this book in an hour, because I just couldn't put it down until I knew what was coming next. This book covers some dark topics, but that's not a surprise for a murder mystery thriller, and I think Caroline's anxiety, PTSD and the way she handles the conversion therapy she was forced into is all portrayed with sensitivity but without softening the pain that she's been through. There's scathing commentary on the way that marginalised groups are treated, but I liked the awareness that Caroline had for her privilege and her acknowledgement of the classism inherent in her and her classmate's lives - though it wasn't as though she was perfectly woke. It made me like her a lot, because while she was inherently a good person, she didn't suffer from protagonist perfection. She lied and manipulated and when it came down to it she'd be the first person to tell you that she'd been a bad friend. But her loyalty and commitment to do better was heart-warming and made me fall in love with her.
The narrative was split in two parts, with most of the chapters from our protagonist's POV and some from another POV that's not revealed at first. I wasn't that keen on the alternate POV. By the end of the book I understood why it was there, and it did lead to an excellent moment partway through where I was struck by a sudden realisation, but I found it kind of boring at first and didn't engage with it that much. I think I probably missed little clues because of that. Caroline's POV was super engaging and interesting though, and I loved the way she was characterised throughout. By the end of this book I honestly just want to read about Caroline burning the world down.
Full review available October 19th: https://inkandplasma.com/2020/10/19/lies-like-poison/
Trigger warnings: murder, child abuse, neglect, psychological torture, disordered eating, diet control, inpatient treatment, substance abuse, mentions of self harm and suicidal ideation, grief.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this book, it has not affected my honest review.
The beginning of this book wasn't the best, I found it to be a bit confusing in some places and it had a confusing habit of leaping around from narrative to narrative. But then I honestly feel like I blinked and I was 60% of the way through the book and desperately needed to know what was going on. I saw a lot of the 'twists' coming when it came to the characters' sexualities and gender identities. They were well queer-coded, though it was a bit subtle. I wouldn't normally complain about that, because I love when sexuality is used super casually, but the reveal that one of the characters is trans was very sudden and felt a bit like it was being used as a plot twist. And I hate that. A POV character's identity isn't a plot twist and never should be a surprise to the reader! That being said, I'm glad this book was so fiercely queer and that the characters' sexualities and gender identities were accepted easily by the found family group.
And the found family content was *excellent*. I loved the conflict going on between them. At points I genuinely didn't know which of our main cast of characters I could trust, who had committed what crimes and who was hiding what secrets. It made for a really engaging read as I was eager to get each snippet from their perspectives so I could try and piece together the truth. It was nice too to read about a friendship group that had grown apart but was still loyal, the protectiveness of deep friendships even when separated by time and disagreements. It made me root for them more as I was desperate to see them come back together and bond.
I really like Chelsea Pitcher's writing style, and I'm always pleased to pick up another of her thrillers, they're always built around an interesting concept and I've never yet managed to predict whodunnit! I can't wait to see what comes next.
Trigger warnings: murder, child abuse, neglect, psychological torture, disordered eating, diet control, inpatient treatment, substance abuse, mentions of self harm and suicidal ideation, grief.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this book, it has not affected my honest review.
The beginning of this book wasn't the best, I found it to be a bit confusing in some places and it had a confusing habit of leaping around from narrative to narrative. But then I honestly feel like I blinked and I was 60% of the way through the book and desperately needed to know what was going on. I saw a lot of the 'twists' coming when it came to the characters' sexualities and gender identities. They were well queer-coded, though it was a bit subtle. I wouldn't normally complain about that, because I love when sexuality is used super casually, but the reveal that one of the characters is trans was very sudden and felt a bit like it was being used as a plot twist. And I hate that. A POV character's identity isn't a plot twist and never should be a surprise to the reader! That being said, I'm glad this book was so fiercely queer and that the characters' sexualities and gender identities were accepted easily by the found family group.
And the found family content was *excellent*. I loved the conflict going on between them. At points I genuinely didn't know which of our main cast of characters I could trust, who had committed what crimes and who was hiding what secrets. It made for a really engaging read as I was eager to get each snippet from their perspectives so I could try and piece together the truth. It was nice too to read about a friendship group that had grown apart but was still loyal, the protectiveness of deep friendships even when separated by time and disagreements. It made me root for them more as I was desperate to see them come back together and bond.
I really like Chelsea Pitcher's writing style, and I'm always pleased to pick up another of her thrillers, they're always built around an interesting concept and I've never yet managed to predict whodunnit! I can't wait to see what comes next.
Full review available on my blog 12th November 2020: https://inkandplasma.com/2020/11/12/the-reckless-afterlife-of-harriet-stoker/
Trigger Warnings: ghosts, death, grief, murder, abuse.
The longer I think about this book, the more obsessed with it I get. This is a difficult one to choose to review (and yet here I am, like a fool, picking it for review) because there’s so much of it that I absolutely refuse to give away, because my favourite thing about this book was the reading experience. The whole way through I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next, and it meant that I was so on edge that I couldn’t, for a second, put it down. I read it in one marathon sitting. The tone in this book is flawless. The way that it got progressively darker and more unnerving was so powerful and I didn’t anticipate a single one of the twists before they hit me like a train.
I loved the characters deeply (okay, maybe not all the time) and Harriet in particular was my absolute favourite kind of protagonist. Why? Because at points I hated her. Reckless is an understatement. The destructive streak she goes through is part of what makes her so goddamn interesting to read about. I remember at one point putting the book down just so I could explain to Tal exactly why Harriet is a monster. But, equally, I felt for her. I could see why she did half the things she did, and in moments felt myself rooting for her despite the way she was behaving. My kingdom for more awful, awful main characters. Harriet wasn’t the only character I loved in this story (I don’t think I was supposed to love Harriet, whoops). We have a cute as hell found family in the main ghost cast, including a hopeless gay with a clueless love interest and a pair of best friends that I would literally die and disintegrate for. Having these Good Guy characters made for a steep contrast with Harriet’s behaviour, and meant that I found myself on the edge of my seat hoping that they were going to make it through the book in one piece.
I haven’t read any Lauren James before, but after devouring this book in one sitting, I know I’m going to pick up more of her reads. How could I not, when she so easily managed to turn everything I knew upside down over and over? I picked this up because someone told me it was dark and even so I was shocked by just how dark it got because I still underestimated it.
Trigger Warnings: ghosts, death, grief, murder, abuse.
The longer I think about this book, the more obsessed with it I get. This is a difficult one to choose to review (and yet here I am, like a fool, picking it for review) because there’s so much of it that I absolutely refuse to give away, because my favourite thing about this book was the reading experience. The whole way through I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next, and it meant that I was so on edge that I couldn’t, for a second, put it down. I read it in one marathon sitting. The tone in this book is flawless. The way that it got progressively darker and more unnerving was so powerful and I didn’t anticipate a single one of the twists before they hit me like a train.
I loved the characters deeply (okay, maybe not all the time) and Harriet in particular was my absolute favourite kind of protagonist. Why? Because at points I hated her. Reckless is an understatement. The destructive streak she goes through is part of what makes her so goddamn interesting to read about. I remember at one point putting the book down just so I could explain to Tal exactly why Harriet is a monster. But, equally, I felt for her. I could see why she did half the things she did, and in moments felt myself rooting for her despite the way she was behaving. My kingdom for more awful, awful main characters. Harriet wasn’t the only character I loved in this story (I don’t think I was supposed to love Harriet, whoops). We have a cute as hell found family in the main ghost cast, including a hopeless gay with a clueless love interest and a pair of best friends that I would literally die and disintegrate for. Having these Good Guy characters made for a steep contrast with Harriet’s behaviour, and meant that I found myself on the edge of my seat hoping that they were going to make it through the book in one piece.
I haven’t read any Lauren James before, but after devouring this book in one sitting, I know I’m going to pick up more of her reads. How could I not, when she so easily managed to turn everything I knew upside down over and over? I picked this up because someone told me it was dark and even so I was shocked by just how dark it got because I still underestimated it.
Full review on my blog December 10th 2020: https://inkandplasma.com/2020/12/10/cute-mutants-vol-2/
This book really kicked this series into high gear. If I thought the first book was intense, I had no idea what was coming for me. It just makes me *more* excited for volume 3 though (which is currently sat in my inbox, but I needed to review this before I let myself devour it. Cute Mutants Volume 2 definitely begins to develop the wider implications of people becoming powered. We find out more about the world, and that there are more mutants out there. We also get to find out more about the corporations that we met in the first book. I don't want to dip into any spoilers, but SHOCKER governmental corporations suck. A lot of my favourite things from my first review (which you can read here) were still just as relevant in this one, and it shows a kind of consistency that puts SJ Whitby firmly on my favourite authors (and auto-buy) list. How often do we get a sequel that doesn't just hold up to the first one, but is even better? I can't wait to see how SJ keeps improving and I will definitely be along for the ride. Again Volume 2 felt like a complete arc so I felt like we had a satisfying ending, but with enough left to make me want to keep reading. I'm glad I had volume 3 coming so soon, the wait until April for volume 4 is going to be PAINFUL, but I trust that SJ will keep things tied up beautifully - and it'll be worth the wait.
I loved the character development in this book and the new characters we met. The characters are perfect; they struggle with right and wrong and good and evil, it brings me a lot of joy to watch them develop not only their powers but also their sense of responsibility. The new mutants added to the roster are equally interesting, their powers just as complicated and intense as the Cute Mutants and I already know I'm going to have a new favourite superpower couple. Our old favourites are still here and I liked seeing them grow into a stronger team with every single mission. It feels like their powers start to evolve during Volume 2 and that is super exciting to me because I really want to see how much further they go (okay I also want them to get OP and kick ass, but that's just me). Dani and Dylan's relationship is still new and shiny and watching them navigate it kind of makes me want to scream into a pillow - which I'm pretty sure Pillow agrees with. But my *favourite* new relationship? Dylan and Oni! Oni!!!!!! Love of my life, I can't wait to see what chaotic nonsense Oni comes up with in the next book. And *yes* a sentient katana is allowed to be my favourite character, when they come with as much personality as SJ Whitby manages to give the sentient objects
In my review of Volume 1, I talked about tone a little, and I stand by the fact that SJ Whitby has pitch-perfect tone. This book is definitely darker than Volume 1 which feels right, things are harder and the intensity has gone up, but we still have those witty moments that made me laugh out loud at my book. There's also still that strong element of queer joy that I *loved* in Volume 1. Yes, there's trauma here and *yes* unfortunately there is death (I am so mad, SJ, I am still so mad) but I didn't leave this book miserable. Reading left me feeling empowered and excited and a little like I wanted to set fire to our stupid cisnormative, heteronormative universe. I have a lot of respect for a book that can make me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Again the plot is incredible, well supported by the tone and the characters, but again I'm not going to get into it too much. I don't want to spoil things - you can all suffer through the same stress I did.
The Cute Mutants series is, to me, a MUST BUY, and I will not stop screeching until everyone I know is reading it.
This book really kicked this series into high gear. If I thought the first book was intense, I had no idea what was coming for me. It just makes me *more* excited for volume 3 though (which is currently sat in my inbox, but I needed to review this before I let myself devour it. Cute Mutants Volume 2 definitely begins to develop the wider implications of people becoming powered. We find out more about the world, and that there are more mutants out there. We also get to find out more about the corporations that we met in the first book. I don't want to dip into any spoilers, but SHOCKER governmental corporations suck. A lot of my favourite things from my first review (which you can read here) were still just as relevant in this one, and it shows a kind of consistency that puts SJ Whitby firmly on my favourite authors (and auto-buy) list. How often do we get a sequel that doesn't just hold up to the first one, but is even better? I can't wait to see how SJ keeps improving and I will definitely be along for the ride. Again Volume 2 felt like a complete arc so I felt like we had a satisfying ending, but with enough left to make me want to keep reading. I'm glad I had volume 3 coming so soon, the wait until April for volume 4 is going to be PAINFUL, but I trust that SJ will keep things tied up beautifully - and it'll be worth the wait.
I loved the character development in this book and the new characters we met. The characters are perfect; they struggle with right and wrong and good and evil, it brings me a lot of joy to watch them develop not only their powers but also their sense of responsibility. The new mutants added to the roster are equally interesting, their powers just as complicated and intense as the Cute Mutants and I already know I'm going to have a new favourite superpower couple. Our old favourites are still here and I liked seeing them grow into a stronger team with every single mission. It feels like their powers start to evolve during Volume 2 and that is super exciting to me because I really want to see how much further they go (okay I also want them to get OP and kick ass, but that's just me). Dani and Dylan's relationship is still new and shiny and watching them navigate it kind of makes me want to scream into a pillow - which I'm pretty sure Pillow agrees with. But my *favourite* new relationship? Dylan and Oni! Oni!!!!!! Love of my life, I can't wait to see what chaotic nonsense Oni comes up with in the next book. And *yes* a sentient katana is allowed to be my favourite character, when they come with as much personality as SJ Whitby manages to give the sentient objects
In my review of Volume 1, I talked about tone a little, and I stand by the fact that SJ Whitby has pitch-perfect tone. This book is definitely darker than Volume 1 which feels right, things are harder and the intensity has gone up, but we still have those witty moments that made me laugh out loud at my book. There's also still that strong element of queer joy that I *loved* in Volume 1. Yes, there's trauma here and *yes* unfortunately there is death (I am so mad, SJ, I am still so mad) but I didn't leave this book miserable. Reading left me feeling empowered and excited and a little like I wanted to set fire to our stupid cisnormative, heteronormative universe. I have a lot of respect for a book that can make me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Again the plot is incredible, well supported by the tone and the characters, but again I'm not going to get into it too much. I don't want to spoil things - you can all suffer through the same stress I did.
The Cute Mutants series is, to me, a MUST BUY, and I will not stop screeching until everyone I know is reading it.
Full review available on my blog December 3rd 2020: https://inkandplasma.com/2020/12/03/cute-mutants-mutant-pride/
Thanks to SJ Whitby and Caffeine Book Tours for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review. Click here to see the rest of the tour schedule and find other stops!
Trigger Warnings: misgendering, sexual assault, homophobia, transphobia, non-explicit rape threats, violence, gore, mutilation, self harm (as a way to use superpowers).
This book was an absolute revelation to me, honestly. I’ll admit to knowing almost nothing about it when I applied for the tour – queer superheroes was enough for me to know – and I went into it not knowing what to expect. My new favourite series is what I should have expected. I finished this book at 2AM after realising far too late that I couldn’t possibly put it down and instantly ordered Volume 2 as a treat to myself. Volume 2 is now staring at me, waiting me to finish writing this review so I can read it all in one greedy go.
The humour in Cute Mutants is spot on and the tone makes it an easy reading delight, at times I was trying not to wake up Tal with my cackling laughter in the middle of the night. I’m so attached to Dylan and the rest of the Cute Mutants and part of that is because they felt so real to me. Not to mention, several scenes from this book are currently living absolutely rent free in my mind. If you’re sick of hearing me shout about this book, take the hint and read it – you will definitely be shouting about it too. The writing feels very comic booky without being gimmicky, so it really did feel like a superhero story to me. If you’re a little nerdy (or, like me, a lot nerdy) you’ll love this book for its casual references to pop culture that enhance the story without taking you out of Dylan’s narrative. There’s a Buffy reference at one point that was as hilarious as it was brutal – and that’s as much as I’m saying without giving away the context.
I loved the breadth of queer identity in this book. Trans, nonbinary, pansexual, queer, asexual, this book is packed full of characters across a range of LGBT+ identities, each with their own distinct characterisations. And while this did touch on a few important LBGT+ issues (misgendering, bi/panphobia) it’s not an ‘issues’ book. Cute Mutants is packed full of queer joy and magic, and I will no longer settle for cishet superheroes, I just will not take it! The characters themselves are beautifully developed and I could read endless pieces focusing on each of them because I love their individual characters as well as the way they fit into the team dynamic. On top of that, SJ Whitby does one of my favourite things in hero fiction by giving each power a huge benefit but a drawback too. No OP powers here, these heroes have specific abilities that are sometimes painful, irritating or embarrassing to use. I liked that they weren’t set up for immediate unrealistic success, either. They had to learn to be a team, explore the limits of their powers, and I think that made for a much more engaging read – not to mention leaving me half in love with the entire cast.
The plot itself is interesting, but I don’t want to talk about it too much because spoilers, well supported by the fascinating characters, and it felt like a whole complete arc. Even knowing there was more to come, and even being desperate to read more, you can definitely read Volume 1 without worrying about being left with cliffhangers and unfinished story lines. I have a new favourite author in SJ Whitby for sure, and knowing that there’s a third volume coming in December and two more next year has me giddy.
Thanks to SJ Whitby and Caffeine Book Tours for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review. Click here to see the rest of the tour schedule and find other stops!
Trigger Warnings: misgendering, sexual assault, homophobia, transphobia, non-explicit rape threats, violence, gore, mutilation, self harm (as a way to use superpowers).
This book was an absolute revelation to me, honestly. I’ll admit to knowing almost nothing about it when I applied for the tour – queer superheroes was enough for me to know – and I went into it not knowing what to expect. My new favourite series is what I should have expected. I finished this book at 2AM after realising far too late that I couldn’t possibly put it down and instantly ordered Volume 2 as a treat to myself. Volume 2 is now staring at me, waiting me to finish writing this review so I can read it all in one greedy go.
The humour in Cute Mutants is spot on and the tone makes it an easy reading delight, at times I was trying not to wake up Tal with my cackling laughter in the middle of the night. I’m so attached to Dylan and the rest of the Cute Mutants and part of that is because they felt so real to me. Not to mention, several scenes from this book are currently living absolutely rent free in my mind. If you’re sick of hearing me shout about this book, take the hint and read it – you will definitely be shouting about it too. The writing feels very comic booky without being gimmicky, so it really did feel like a superhero story to me. If you’re a little nerdy (or, like me, a lot nerdy) you’ll love this book for its casual references to pop culture that enhance the story without taking you out of Dylan’s narrative. There’s a Buffy reference at one point that was as hilarious as it was brutal – and that’s as much as I’m saying without giving away the context.
I loved the breadth of queer identity in this book. Trans, nonbinary, pansexual, queer, asexual, this book is packed full of characters across a range of LGBT+ identities, each with their own distinct characterisations. And while this did touch on a few important LBGT+ issues (misgendering, bi/panphobia) it’s not an ‘issues’ book. Cute Mutants is packed full of queer joy and magic, and I will no longer settle for cishet superheroes, I just will not take it! The characters themselves are beautifully developed and I could read endless pieces focusing on each of them because I love their individual characters as well as the way they fit into the team dynamic. On top of that, SJ Whitby does one of my favourite things in hero fiction by giving each power a huge benefit but a drawback too. No OP powers here, these heroes have specific abilities that are sometimes painful, irritating or embarrassing to use. I liked that they weren’t set up for immediate unrealistic success, either. They had to learn to be a team, explore the limits of their powers, and I think that made for a much more engaging read – not to mention leaving me half in love with the entire cast.
The plot itself is interesting, but I don’t want to talk about it too much because spoilers, well supported by the fascinating characters, and it felt like a whole complete arc. Even knowing there was more to come, and even being desperate to read more, you can definitely read Volume 1 without worrying about being left with cliffhangers and unfinished story lines. I have a new favourite author in SJ Whitby for sure, and knowing that there’s a third volume coming in December and two more next year has me giddy.
Trigger warnings: Outing, homophobia, chronic illness, parental death (in past), bullying, anxiety and panic attacks, racism.
This book was such a delightful, easy read. I read it over a couple of hours, totally absorbed in the story and with no chance of putting it down until I was done. It was my favourite kind of contemporary: beautifully queer, light-hearted and full of joy. Even in the darker moments, I knew it was going to get better, making it a perfect read in stressful times. I loved the relationship between Liz and Mack, even if I was internally screaming at them at points. Though there are descriptions of bullying in this book, moments of homophobia and racism and an awful, awful moment where Liz is outed (I saw it coming and it still hit me like a gut punch), I do feel like this was overwhelmingly positive and I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a terrified, outed queer teenage girl.
This book was such a delightful, easy read. I read it over a couple of hours, totally absorbed in the story and with no chance of putting it down until I was done. It was my favourite kind of contemporary: beautifully queer, light-hearted and full of joy. Even in the darker moments, I knew it was going to get better, making it a perfect read in stressful times. I loved the relationship between Liz and Mack, even if I was internally screaming at them at points. Though there are descriptions of bullying in this book, moments of homophobia and racism and an awful, awful moment where Liz is outed (I saw it coming and it still hit me like a gut punch), I do feel like this was overwhelmingly positive and I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a terrified, outed queer teenage girl.
actual review to come but this is the most intense thing I've ever read SJ YOU'RE KILLING ME HERE
