mariebrunelm's Reviews (478)

"Hé mamy, si on partait faire un petit tour ?" 
Clémence rend visite à sa mamie à la maison de retraite. La vieille femme a récemment fugué pour la troisième fois. Face à la détresse de sa grand-mère, Clémence l'emmène en road-trip pour revoir la mer et la maison de son enfance.
Oui, cette bande-dessinée est aussi mélancolique et douce qu'elle en a l'air. Les dessins minimalistes d'Alix Garin débordent de non-dits, et sa palette brasse toutes les nuances du ciel pour raconter ce crépuscule de vie. Celui de la grand-mère, atteinte d'Alzheimer, et celui de sa petite-fille, prête à basculer. Car le crépuscule est bien ce moment suspendu entre le jour et la nuit, quel que soit celui qui cède sa place à l'autre.
Rep : personnage principal les bien. 
CW : maladie d'Alzheimer, homophobie, accident de la route, collision avec un animal, mort d'un proche. 

It's epic! It's queer! It's not set in a Western Middle-Ages village!
Black Sun is a fast-paced, high-stakes, multiple-points-of-view fantasy inspired by Pre-Columbian civilizations of South America. We follow a priestess preparing the highly important ceremonies of the Convergence, a captain whose luck soars and plummets with equal force, and a young whose destiny has the dark, sleek feathers of a crow. Each one is a pleasure to follow across the streets, waters and airs of this novel that I found hard to put down. The short chapters introduced by glimpses of world-building helped, for sure. I was worried I would be completely lost in the ins and outs of a complex world, but the author manages to blend seamlessly her character focus with the twists and turns of the story (of which there are many). A very, very enjoyable read! I don't know if I'll continue with book 2 (it's quite rare when I do), but I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed Black Sun's refreshing diversity. Some parts (especially the gruesome first scene) reminded me of N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season, so you may want to look that way for similar vibes).
Rep: bi, non-binary (using neo-pronouns), trans characters. Blind character. No white character that I noticed.

Robin Hobb's novels may be among the longest on my shelves (looking at you Liveship Traders trilogy), but this author also knows how to write a short story. When I bought this collection, written under both her pen names, years ago, I first only read the stories by Robin Hobb. I wasn't ready to try her work as Megan Lindholm. Maybe I feared it wouldn't feel the same. Of course it doesn't, but I find it's mostly a matter of setting and rhythm. Megan Lindholm writes fantastical or urban fantasy stories, in a more to-the-point style. And yet there are many similarities. She often features female characters at the cusp of self-discovery or self-affirmation, and will never use world-building to the detriment of her characters. She writes about people first and foremost, and whether the setting is a cottage by the sea in Buck duchy or a slightly different Seatle from the one we know, does not matter that much. I really love this collection, with strong pieces from both Hobb and Lindholm, and would highly recommend it to anyone wishing to sample her prose.

Murderbot is back in the sixth volume of their fun and sarcastic adventures! Faced with an unexplained murder on Preservation Station, they have no choice but to form temporary (at least that's what they hope) alliances with the local authorities. The ones that would have put them in jail only months ago for their mere existence.
Being back in Martha Well's Murderbot universe feels just like coming home, or putting on a beloved cardigan. I know I'm safe in the shoes of this aro/ace, agender, opinionated cyborg - who would have thought? I only wish I'd read this volume closer to the others because they do follow each other and there are elements of the previous plots I'd already forgotten. But it didn't prevent me from enjoying myself! This series is definitely a highlight of the year for me.

Xiomara has a loud voice that people won't hear, and a body that takes too much room for others' comfort. She is a bubbling mess of emotions, torn between a religious mother, her Dominican heritage, and the words that keep blossoming under her pen and defying what she's been taught all her life. This book is her journal, in verse, brimming with restricted power. Elizabeth Acevedo offers a raw insight into a high school girl's life that reads like a defiant shout. It's an immensely powerful read, with its cut lines tumbling down the pages. I'm impressed by the author, and also by the translator, who also writes novels in verse and has wonderfully done justice to Acevedo's bright prose.

Molly is an apprentice warrior shepherdess. Other girls her age in the village also train to become part of this elite group, including Molly's friend Liam who dreams to join this women-only corporation.
This comic book series first drew me in with its stunning covers and its epic title - Warrior Shepherdesses. The drawings remind me slightly of Brendan and the Secret of Kells, perhaps the prettiest animated movie I've ever seen. The story, set at first in a village where most of the men have gone away to war, is fiercely feminist and ecological. It deals with darker and darker themes as the story progresses, but always with an emphasis on friendship, family and trust - in addition to fluffy goats and a huge, cuddle-friendly dog. 

Little Moomin is busy hibernating with his family when he is awakened by a creature warning him that Christmas is coming and that they must get ready. But what is Christmas? And how putting up a tree and decorating it is supposed to help? 
This is a super cute picture book about Christmas that can be read on several levels. The first one is the enchantment of Christmas and its traditions, but the second one comments on how the period creates stress for many people - the Moomin family only encounters anxious neighbours running around trying to get everything ready in time, so that they don't understand if Christmas is a threat or a celebration. I thought that was rather well done, and these characters are adorably cute.

I wouldn't say that Ship of Destiny let me down. It made me feel a lot, and that in itself is a victory. The characters are so real and flawed that I wish I could bang them on the head with a frying pan, yes, but if Robin Hobb's character writing wasn't stellar, that wouldn't happen.
However, I do find that the first half of this chunky volume drags. I just can't pretend I'm interested in what happens, because I'm not as invested in the characters as I am in the Farseer, Tawny Man and Fitz & Fool trilogies. However, my heart soars when we find passing mentions of these series & characters in Ship of Destiny, and one scene in particular is one of my favourites all books considered.
Do tread with caution, this book in particular deals with rape in an uncomfortably raw way, as much the act as its consequences.

I've been waiting to read this book since hearing about it some two years ago. I knew its themes of time and memory would speak to me, but I hadn't expected to relate so very much. I read it in early December, during a time of intense (positive) emotions, and it mirrored so much of my inner stream of thoughts that it was a little eery.
Addie is a young woman born at the end of the 17th century in a small French village. A little bit like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, she longs for her own freedom. Unlike Belle, she is ready to pay for it with her very soul. Her story reimagines that of Faust in a very touching, sometimes a little sirupy, but modern way. As someone who has always tried not to make too much of an impression on people, Addie's woes stirred something very deep within me, and I'm so glad this book came to me at the right moment. I all but snatched it from the librarians' hands when they put it on the "new in" shelves.
Rep : bi MCs.

 Ana et Zeno, chacun à un bout de l'alphabet, se rencontrent et se séparent au fil des pages de cette sublime bande-dessinée de Jordi Lafebre. Ana est maire d'une petite ville de guingois au cœur de laquelle elle a fait construire un pont - un pont que l'on emprunte avec elle à rebours de ses souvenirs, et des lettres échangées avec Zeno, doctorant rêveur et insaisissable, qui parcourt le monde à grandes enjambées.

Les dessins de Jordi Lafebre sont d'une douceur et un peu piquante, servis par une palette pastel toujours élégante. Un vrai, grand coup de cœur pour cette bande-dessinée dont le dessin m'a enchantée et l'histoire transportée.