laurelthebooks's Reviews (662)

For all that this likely won't be a favorite of mine this year, there was quite a bit to love in this book. The casualness of the representation here brings me joy. I love when there is a type of everydayness to many of the aspects of queerness we still see judged in today's world. The setting and premise with an academy for alchemy were also very much up my alley too. The tie between emotion and science that I feel like most other magic-adjacent books tend to skim was a high point as well. The focus on open communication was amazing to see in a YA romance as well, but that also tied a bit into my frustration with the pacing on occasion.

Now for the parts that I was iffy on. First, the complaining and the arrogance. There was so *much* complaining (thankfully not as egregious as Catcher in the Rye, but still) and the relationship drama was a lot because both Ramsay and Ash are unbending and arrogant people. Hashing out interpersonal conflict as chunks of a book work when I'm majorly invested in the character relationships, but while I liked the characters here there was so much tension in the action plot that I sometimes I wanted to introduce my head to a desk and beg them to just hurry on up with figuring out their own personal problems. Granted, some of that is completely understandable with YA characters (have to learn that somewhere lol), but it majorly tripped up the pacing in parts of the book.

...tottering over whether or not I would consider this dark academia. Despite the number of dead bodies piling up, there isn't much of the Gothic in this work, and while many of the problems inherent in a classist society are present I'm not sure how in-depth of a critique one could argue exists here. More of a dark fantasy romance with an academic influenced setting perhaps?

Anyways - definitely a faster paced YA adventure with a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. The tension between the character focused elements and the more intense fantasy plot in the book does leave it on a bit of an uneven footing for me overall though. 

Reading this reminded me not only of Le Guin's work but also 1984 - fascinating combo. Maybe some Rivers Solomon? To be honest, what I got from this is that I should read more of Samatar's work.

There are a fleet of spaceships here with clear classist structures that, of course, try to convince everyone living in them that they aren't truly classist structures. I said that this takes place on space ships, but this novella isn't really about space at all. It speaks to the idea of control, humanity, elitism, labor, meaning, and connection. The prose is lyrical and somehow manages to keep you interested despite the main character never being named. Reading this novella is An Experience.

I was trying to decide how to categorize this in terms of genre and it is like smashing together science fiction, philosophy, and dark academia (or at least, that's the best approximation I've come up with). If you are one for Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" or dystopias and opaque, lyrical prose I cannot recommend this to you fast enough. 

“Where there’s love, there will be vice;
Where there’s greed, there is a price.
Sow them desperate and afraid,
You’ll find there’s profit to be made”

Ho boy does this novel leave you thinking about consequences 👀👀👀

Earthflown has a host of characters that are all falling over each other amongst the complexities of highly corrupt water monopoly, a thriving drug trade, and the drama from multiple families. It is a glorious combination of dystopian science fiction, sunshine x grumpy queer romance, AND investigative political noir - which is not a group of things I ever would have strung together myself.

Corinna knows what she wants. Javier is in over his head. Ethan isn't sure he can have what he wants. Ollie has a bone to pick. Nick is so out of the loop, and poor Vegas has to put up with them all.

“I like my men with cervical vertebrae”

Ethan and Javier fairly launch themselves into a romance with a looming water crisis that Javier’s family is deeply intertwined with acting as an excessively dramatic background. Oh, plus the profitable illegal drug trade related to that. Not to mention that one of the characters is an investigative reporter. Just small things lol Not only do you quickly get invested in these characters, but they also make you giggle AND cringe. It’s amazing. I can see exactly why they’re making the decision, but also groan because it is a stupid decision.

“You know, I’m boring when I’m tired. And I’m always tired.”

Also, that ending?!?!? The ending?!?! I think it will be something that you either hate or love. Or love to hate - it is that kind of ending. 

PS - Perhaps don’t read this hungry, the food descriptions are sumptuous on occasion.

The Butcher of the Forest is a dark, bite-sized bargain of a fairy tale. There is a Tyrant, there is an enchanted forest, and there are bargains poorly and wisely struck.

The novella evokes classic fae bargains and the tone of Grimm's fairy tales. There is a price for everything here, and who pays the price isn't who we may want to. The tale is lush and ominous from start to finish. 

If you are a dark fantasy fan and enjoy twisted tales (thinking the horror-tinged Kingfisher works) this one is for you. 

If you thought that the first entry in the series was Holmesian, wait until you get your hands on this one!

Mossa and Pleiti are back with a missing persons mystery that quickly grows larger and larger. The mystery provides the setting, but it is Mossa and Pleiti that shine in this novella. There is a charming push and pull to Pleiti’s narration of their relationship, and if John Watson is one of your favorite narrators this will absolutely appeal to you. The entire sentence structure and word choices are positively Victorian in style.

You can see small growth in their relationship since its inception in book one, and I look forward to seeing how it expands in future entries. A special callout to the food mentions in this book as well. There is so much food from so many corners of the world that all sounded scrumptious! Mystery, the feel of a historical piece set on a far future gaseous planet that veers near to steampunk, and an assemblage of clever language make for another tea-sipping while reading entry in Mossa & Pleiti’s journey.

"Have faith that growing up is a worthwhile activity to be embraced, not a mindless chore to be tolerated. "

"20 Examples" may be more accurate than "20 Ways", but Zamalin does provide a few options for what can be done in the future with some of said examples.

Zamalin chose to actively focus on optimism in response to private, public, large, and small disasters in this book. He occasional skirts around some of the consequences for actions, and many of his suggestions are only employable with a robust support structure, but there are some useful nuggets for perseverance instead of despair when things are dark. This isn't necessarily a direct guidebook, but it was a useful reminder that abandoning the effort to change things is not the answer.

Read for a dose of positivity in a world beset by tragedy, and I recommend it for people who often think "why bother to try" in response to actively supporting change. If you're already determined to actively pursue positive change this may feel like a shallow read to you - or you may feel it bolsters your attempts!

I may not be 100% behind everything in this book, and there is much in here that I would like to believe yet struggle to, but I am glad to have read it.