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nerdinthelibrary's Reviews (926)
1) X-Factor, Vol. 1: The Longest Night ★★★★
This series continues to be great. I love this dumb team so much, especially Layla Miller who is quickly becoming one of my favourite characters.
This series continues to be great. I love this dumb team so much, especially Layla Miller who is quickly becoming one of my favourite characters.
This rules. I might review it later, but if I don't just know that it's real good and I can't wait to continue. I especially love the beginnings of exploring how lowkey fucked up Jamie's powers are.
1) Coyote, Vol. 1 ★★★★
I didn’t like this volume as much as the first one, mostly because the bulk of this book focuses on plot and doesn’t have the two leads together. But how it ends gives me hope for the third volume so I will absolutely be finishing off this very fun series
I didn’t like this volume as much as the first one, mostly because the bulk of this book focuses on plot and doesn’t have the two leads together. But how it ends gives me hope for the third volume so I will absolutely be finishing off this very fun series
I've gotta say, I liked this more than I thought I would. It's nothing special but the worldbuilding is pretty decent and Leigh Bardugo has a writing style that really works for me. In saying that, I think the pacing is pretty terrible, a lot of the book just being montages that become incredibly dull to read about. I wish I loved Alina more, but from what I've heard she has more to do in the second book so I'm hopeful that I'll like her more as the series goes on. Mal can choke. I haven't hated a male love interest like this in a long time. I hate him so fucking much and apparently he only gets worse :/ I do adore Genya and am hopeful that she's in more of the series because I'm about ready to propose to her. I am also unsurprisingly a massive simp for the Darkling and Darklina.
The only reason I read this was because I'm excited for the show and if anything this only made me more hyped. I think a lot of my main issues are going to be solved with the show and I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed this enough that I am going to continue, even if only to meet Nikolai who I've heard is the superior love interest. Honestly, I'll take anyone over Mal at this point.
The only reason I read this was because I'm excited for the show and if anything this only made me more hyped. I think a lot of my main issues are going to be solved with the show and I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed this enough that I am going to continue, even if only to meet Nikolai who I've heard is the superior love interest. Honestly, I'll take anyone over Mal at this point.
content warnings: violence
representation: main and side sapphic characters, main f/f relationship, side latina character, side african-american characters, side interracial relationship, side f/f interracial relationship, minor m/m relationship
This was so hecking good and cute!! I love me some girl vigilantes, especially when they're part of a fight club that solves crimes and fights for the oppressed. Also, I love me some shit set in the 90s, despite being a 00s kid.
The characters are so lovable and I just want to hang out with each and every one of them. Actually, I just want to work with them, even though I would be a terrible vigilante. And they're relationships, whether romantic or platonic, were also so adorable.
Also, this was just really fun. The dialogue was funny but never too try-hard and the action was great (I would've loved a bit more, but I'm not too torn up about it).
I don't know how they do it, but BOOM! consistently puts out stuff that I love. I really hope that this continues so I can see the friendships and romances develop more and these cool ladies kick more ass.
representation: main and side sapphic characters, main f/f relationship, side latina character, side african-american characters, side interracial relationship, side f/f interracial relationship, minor m/m relationship
This was so hecking good and cute!! I love me some girl vigilantes, especially when they're part of a fight club that solves crimes and fights for the oppressed. Also, I love me some shit set in the 90s, despite being a 00s kid.
The characters are so lovable and I just want to hang out with each and every one of them. Actually, I just want to work with them, even though I would be a terrible vigilante. And they're relationships, whether romantic or platonic, were also so adorable.
Also, this was just really fun. The dialogue was funny but never too try-hard and the action was great (I would've loved a bit more, but I'm not too torn up about it).
I don't know how they do it, but BOOM! consistently puts out stuff that I love. I really hope that this continues so I can see the friendships and romances develop more and these cool ladies kick more ass.
SapphicAThon: a book that features a trope you love (found family), a book with a cover you love, a book that fulfills your favourite prompt form the last sapphicathon (non-coming out story)
Feminist Lit Feb: an #ownvoices book about an experience other than your own, a book by a female/non-binary/genderfluid black author
representation: interracial f/f main relationship, gay protagonist, biracial (half-black, half-white) sapphic main character, sikh main character, bisexual mute main character, gay main character, interracial polyamorous (m/m/f) side relationship, interracial side relationship, m/m minor relationship
content warnings: loss of a loved one, violence, hospitalisation, attempted sexual assault, mentions of previous drug addiction, underage drinking, homophobia
“Don’t . . . take time for granted. You have all this freedom and opportunity and people around who love you. Make sure you use the time you have to love them back. I know you know that, but I just thought that someone should say it to you out loud.”
I… am dead. First of all, I want to scream from the rooftops a massive thank you to the wonderful K. Ancrum who provided me with a copy of an ARC. She is a goddess and this is already the greatest thing to happen to me in all of 2019.
Now, onto the actual book. This book is set in the not-so-distant future and follows Ryann Bird, a teenage girl who is equal parts hard and soft. She has dreamed of going to space her entire life but has accepted that it will never happen because her parents are dead and she has to support her sixteen-year old brother and his infant in the trailer park they live in. At the start of the novel, the closed off Alexandria Macallough moves to town, and she has a connection to the space program that Ryann has been obsessed with her entire life. The two girls have a rocky start (which, if you’ve read the book, you know is an unintentional pun) but Ryann is determined to become friends with Alexandria.
I love this book, let’s get that out the way first. I loved it with my entire heart. I’m shit at reading ebooks but I flew through this in two days because that’s how much I fucking loved it. K. Ancrum’s writing is probably part of why I found it so easy to read; she writes very short chapters and something about her writing style just makes it completely effortless to continue reading even when you know it’s getting late and you should be getting to bed. I did notice a few grammar and punctuation mistakes while reading, but this is an ARC and I know that will likely be fixed in the final copy so I wasn’t bothered by it.
This book does have a plot revolving around something that happened in Alexandria’s past, but it is primarily character driven. And god, I love the characters that K. Ancrum writes. They’re always messy, borderline-unlikeable teenagers, but I can’t help but love them, no matter how many mistakes they make. Ryann and Alexandria are easily the two main characters of this book, and I love that they were both stubborn, spiteful and tough, which is what they makes them initially butt heads. Because of the tumultuous start to their relationship, it makes it even more rewarding as you see them become closer.
Other than those two, the other most important characters are the others who make up Ryann’s friend group. They’re the kind of friends who are practically family and would do literally anything for one another, and damn the consequences. There’s James, who is Ryann’s brother; he stopped speaking after their parents died and one year before the events of the book came home with an infant, his son Charlie. His and Ryann’s relationship was so nice to read about; other than Charlie, they’re the only family the other has, and I loved seeing the quiet moments between them.
Ahmed, the son of ~certain main characters~ from The Wicker King, is Ryann’s best friend, and their friendship was amazing. He’s very protective of her, but not in the traditional sense. He’s much more emotionally protective of her than anything else, and I loved reading about a friendship between a guy and girl. Also, seeing someone who is the son of polyamorous parents was just really fucking cool and, in general, I love how K. Ancrum writes characters and relationships not largely seen in fiction.
Tomas, Blake and Shannon are the other three members of the friendship group and, surprise surprise, I loved them as well. Tomas is a Disaster Gay with a dark past, Shannon is a cheerleader who ended up part of a group of other messy teens, and Blake is an asshole who actually loves his friends.
I also loved how this entire group is so effortlessly queer; Ryann and Tomas are gay, James is bi, Alexandria is sapphic, and Blake and Shannon are both implied to be queer, though nothing is confirmed. They’re so close and honestly reminded me of my own friend group, albeit more fucked up; they cuddle, they love each other, they seem lowkey like they’re all dating, and I loved them so much. Just [screams] I love friends who are also family!
This book, similarly to The Wicker King, will not be for everybody. If you go into this wanting heavy sci-fi, this isn’t the book for you; it’s primarily contemporary with some soft sci-fi elements. It’s definitely not as weird as K. Ancrum’s debut, but I can definitely see some people being put off by how abrasive the characters can be and how plotless it can appear sometimes. But for me, this book has only solidified K. Ancrum as an insta-buy author me. I will read everything she writes and I will probably get hella emotional reading it.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Feminist Lit Feb: an #ownvoices book about an experience other than your own, a book by a female/non-binary/genderfluid black author
representation: interracial f/f main relationship, gay protagonist, biracial (half-black, half-white) sapphic main character, sikh main character, bisexual mute main character, gay main character, interracial polyamorous (m/m/f) side relationship, interracial side relationship, m/m minor relationship
content warnings: loss of a loved one, violence, hospitalisation, attempted sexual assault, mentions of previous drug addiction, underage drinking, homophobia
“Don’t . . . take time for granted. You have all this freedom and opportunity and people around who love you. Make sure you use the time you have to love them back. I know you know that, but I just thought that someone should say it to you out loud.”
I… am dead. First of all, I want to scream from the rooftops a massive thank you to the wonderful K. Ancrum who provided me with a copy of an ARC. She is a goddess and this is already the greatest thing to happen to me in all of 2019.
Now, onto the actual book. This book is set in the not-so-distant future and follows Ryann Bird, a teenage girl who is equal parts hard and soft. She has dreamed of going to space her entire life but has accepted that it will never happen because her parents are dead and she has to support her sixteen-year old brother and his infant in the trailer park they live in. At the start of the novel, the closed off Alexandria Macallough moves to town, and she has a connection to the space program that Ryann has been obsessed with her entire life. The two girls have a rocky start (which, if you’ve read the book, you know is an unintentional pun) but Ryann is determined to become friends with Alexandria.
I love this book, let’s get that out the way first. I loved it with my entire heart. I’m shit at reading ebooks but I flew through this in two days because that’s how much I fucking loved it. K. Ancrum’s writing is probably part of why I found it so easy to read; she writes very short chapters and something about her writing style just makes it completely effortless to continue reading even when you know it’s getting late and you should be getting to bed. I did notice a few grammar and punctuation mistakes while reading, but this is an ARC and I know that will likely be fixed in the final copy so I wasn’t bothered by it.
This book does have a plot revolving around something that happened in Alexandria’s past, but it is primarily character driven. And god, I love the characters that K. Ancrum writes. They’re always messy, borderline-unlikeable teenagers, but I can’t help but love them, no matter how many mistakes they make. Ryann and Alexandria are easily the two main characters of this book, and I love that they were both stubborn, spiteful and tough, which is what they makes them initially butt heads. Because of the tumultuous start to their relationship, it makes it even more rewarding as you see them become closer.
Other than those two, the other most important characters are the others who make up Ryann’s friend group. They’re the kind of friends who are practically family and would do literally anything for one another, and damn the consequences. There’s James, who is Ryann’s brother; he stopped speaking after their parents died and one year before the events of the book came home with an infant, his son Charlie. His and Ryann’s relationship was so nice to read about; other than Charlie, they’re the only family the other has, and I loved seeing the quiet moments between them.
Ahmed, the son of ~certain main characters~ from The Wicker King, is Ryann’s best friend, and their friendship was amazing. He’s very protective of her, but not in the traditional sense. He’s much more emotionally protective of her than anything else, and I loved reading about a friendship between a guy and girl. Also, seeing someone who is the son of polyamorous parents was just really fucking cool and, in general, I love how K. Ancrum writes characters and relationships not largely seen in fiction.
Tomas, Blake and Shannon are the other three members of the friendship group and, surprise surprise, I loved them as well. Tomas is a Disaster Gay with a dark past, Shannon is a cheerleader who ended up part of a group of other messy teens, and Blake is an asshole who actually loves his friends.
I also loved how this entire group is so effortlessly queer; Ryann and Tomas are gay, James is bi, Alexandria is sapphic, and Blake and Shannon are both implied to be queer, though nothing is confirmed. They’re so close and honestly reminded me of my own friend group, albeit more fucked up; they cuddle, they love each other, they seem lowkey like they’re all dating, and I loved them so much. Just [screams] I love friends who are also family!
This book, similarly to The Wicker King, will not be for everybody. If you go into this wanting heavy sci-fi, this isn’t the book for you; it’s primarily contemporary with some soft sci-fi elements. It’s definitely not as weird as K. Ancrum’s debut, but I can definitely see some people being put off by how abrasive the characters can be and how plotless it can appear sometimes. But for me, this book has only solidified K. Ancrum as an insta-buy author me. I will read everything she writes and I will probably get hella emotional reading it.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
content warnings: sexual assault, underage sexual acts, domestic violence, gas lighting a spouse, alcoholism, slut shaming, sexism, racism, biphobia, homophobia, mentions of AIDS, chronic illness, death of a loved one, grief
representation: biracial main character, bisexual cuban main character, main f/f relationship, lesbian side character, gay side character, japanese-american side character, various minor gay/bi characters, various minor characters of colour
Re-read 02/10/18:
My audiobook expired at 45% so I didn't get to finish my re-read, but it was just as phenomenal the second time around
Original read 28/08/18
This book was.... holy god, this book was magnificent. It skyrocketed up to one of my favourite books of all time. Nothing's okay and everything hurts.
This is a book about a journalist, Monique, who is chosen seemingly out of nowhere to write a piece about former Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo. Despite her incredible life, including revolusionising film and multiple award wins and nominations, Evelyn is almost exclusively remembered for having seven husbands in her lifetime.
Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing is spectacular and so compelling, even when describing incredibly mundane things. There is a very noticeable difference between Monique and Evelyn's perspective without it ever being jarring, something which a lot of writers don't succeed at.
The book is split into seven parts after Monique meets Evelyn, one part for each husband: Poor Ernie Diaz, Goddamn Don Adler, Gullible Mick Riva, Clever Rex North, Brilliant, Kindhearted, Tortured Harry Cameron, Disappointing Max Girard, and Agreeable Robert Jamison. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book for me was discovering Evelyn's reasons for marrying each husband, as only a few were out of genuine love for them, and the way that her life became framed because of the men she married. Which is a perfect segue into talking about one of my new all-time favourite characters, Evelyn Hugo.
Evelyn is not a good person and she never pretends to be. But she's also not a bad person; she's just a person, a person who was forced to do some terrible things and chose to do some terrible things. She is so endlessly fascinating and feels so damn real. I know I'm not alone in actually thinking she was real at certain points. Sometimes I would want to google pictures of her in her outfits, or read her wikipedia page, or watch some of her movies, and then I felt legitimately heartbroken because I couldn't.
One of the more fascinating things about her was her relationship with her husbands. The first she married as a teenager to get into Hollywood and she decided to leave him; the second she was madly in love with and it ended up not being what she thought it was; the third was a Vegas wedding only to convenience her that ended immediately; the fourth was one of mutual convenience with someone who became a friend; the fifth (and easily my favourite) was nothing but platonic and yet the one full of the most love; the sixth held many similarities with the second, though its end was far less disastrous; and the seventh was one of companionship and love, though not with the man she married.
Reading the ways in which these marriages impacted her was often both heartbreaking and fascinating. In particular the way the media would react to each marriage and each divorce. No matter what, it was always Evelyn's fault: she was cheating, she wasn't loving enough, she put her career first, whatever it was. The look on sexism, particularly within the industry, throughout the entire book was so unfortunately real. Evelyn is only ever viewed as a sex object, even after doing revolutionary performances, winning awards, earning millions, she is still nothing but a pair of tits to many people.
There was also a fascinating look at racism within the industry. Evelyn is Cuban (her real name is Evelyn Herrera (Diaz when she first entered Hollywood)), and she is forced to reject everything about her heritage in order to make it. There's a wonderful scene in which she is at first offended that a woman doesn't realise she speaks Spanish, but then she reflects on how little of her heritage she has kept, and it was done so beautifully.
Now, onto Evelyn's most impactful relationship: a fellow actress, Celia St. James. Their love is complicated, messy, sometimes toxic, and yet always beautiful. They might be one of the most realistic relationships I've read in a long time, loving each other with everything they have but also having the ability to be disgustingly cruel to one another. And the look at Evelyn's bisexuality through their relationship was so well-done, at first Celia assuming she's a lesbian and rejecting the idea that Evelyn could be anything but (she gets over this), primarily due to the word not being used in the mainstream at the time.
I know I already mentioned the husbands, but I really want to highlight Harry because he's far and away my favourite. You learn very early that Harry's gay, and he quickly becomes Evelyn's best friend. They decide to get married and their marriage is so wonderful. The love they have for each other is never anything but platonic, and yet they're both easily one of the most important people in the others life. They eventually decide to have a child together, biologically, and there's never a big deal made. It's never a problem, and they love their daughter and each other so intensely, and I was genuinely upset when they get divorced even if I did understand it.
Monique and Evelyn's relationship is a very interesting and complicated one. They have a connection that isn't revealed until nearly the end of the book, and it was so well set-up. But Monique individually is such an amazing character, even if she ultimately gets very little screen time (page time??). She is recently divorced, and takes on many life lessons from Evelyn in terms of both her failed marriage and the death of her father when she was a child. I loved how she developed over the book, learning to become more assertive and taking what she wanted, on her terms.
This book was magnificent, gorgeous, exquisite, magic, wonderful, and every other positive adjective in existence. I know that none of her existing work is like this one, but I'm still so excited to read more from Taylor Jenkins Reid, and her next book looks so damn good.
(I would apologise for the extra-long review but I have a negative amount of regrets, everyone needs to read this book ASAP)
representation: biracial main character, bisexual cuban main character, main f/f relationship, lesbian side character, gay side character, japanese-american side character, various minor gay/bi characters, various minor characters of colour
Re-read 02/10/18:
My audiobook expired at 45% so I didn't get to finish my re-read, but it was just as phenomenal the second time around
Original read 28/08/18
This book was.... holy god, this book was magnificent. It skyrocketed up to one of my favourite books of all time. Nothing's okay and everything hurts.
“Never let anyone make you feel ordinary.”
This is a book about a journalist, Monique, who is chosen seemingly out of nowhere to write a piece about former Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo. Despite her incredible life, including revolusionising film and multiple award wins and nominations, Evelyn is almost exclusively remembered for having seven husbands in her lifetime.
“When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things.”
Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing is spectacular and so compelling, even when describing incredibly mundane things. There is a very noticeable difference between Monique and Evelyn's perspective without it ever being jarring, something which a lot of writers don't succeed at.
“My heart was never in the craft of acting, only in the proving. Proving my power, proving my worth, proving my talent.”
The book is split into seven parts after Monique meets Evelyn, one part for each husband: Poor Ernie Diaz, Goddamn Don Adler, Gullible Mick Riva, Clever Rex North, Brilliant, Kindhearted, Tortured Harry Cameron, Disappointing Max Girard, and Agreeable Robert Jamison. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book for me was discovering Evelyn's reasons for marrying each husband, as only a few were out of genuine love for them, and the way that her life became framed because of the men she married. Which is a perfect segue into talking about one of my new all-time favourite characters, Evelyn Hugo.
“I’m under absolutely no obligation to make sense to you.”
Evelyn is not a good person and she never pretends to be. But she's also not a bad person; she's just a person, a person who was forced to do some terrible things and chose to do some terrible things. She is so endlessly fascinating and feels so damn real. I know I'm not alone in actually thinking she was real at certain points. Sometimes I would want to google pictures of her in her outfits, or read her wikipedia page, or watch some of her movies, and then I felt legitimately heartbroken because I couldn't.
“Some marriages aren't really that great. Some loves aren't all-encompassing. Sometimes you separate because you weren't that good together to begin with. Sometimes divorce isn't an earth-shattering loss. Sometimes it's just two people waking up out of a fog.”
One of the more fascinating things about her was her relationship with her husbands. The first she married as a teenager to get into Hollywood and she decided to leave him; the second she was madly in love with and it ended up not being what she thought it was; the third was a Vegas wedding only to convenience her that ended immediately; the fourth was one of mutual convenience with someone who became a friend; the fifth (and easily my favourite) was nothing but platonic and yet the one full of the most love; the sixth held many similarities with the second, though its end was far less disastrous; and the seventh was one of companionship and love, though not with the man she married.
“Isn’t it awfully convenient,” Harry added, “that when men make the rules, the one thing that’s looked down on the most is the one thing that would bear them the greatest threat? Imagine if every single woman on the planet wanted something in exchange when she gave up her body. You’d all be ruling the place. An armed populace. Only men like me would stand a chance against you. And that’s the last thing those assholes want, a world run by people like you and me.”
Reading the ways in which these marriages impacted her was often both heartbreaking and fascinating. In particular the way the media would react to each marriage and each divorce. No matter what, it was always Evelyn's fault: she was cheating, she wasn't loving enough, she put her career first, whatever it was. The look on sexism, particularly within the industry, throughout the entire book was so unfortunately real. Evelyn is only ever viewed as a sex object, even after doing revolutionary performances, winning awards, earning millions, she is still nothing but a pair of tits to many people.
“You wonder what it must be to be a man, to be so confident that the final say is yours.”
There was also a fascinating look at racism within the industry. Evelyn is Cuban (her real name is Evelyn Herrera (Diaz when she first entered Hollywood)), and she is forced to reject everything about her heritage in order to make it. There's a wonderful scene in which she is at first offended that a woman doesn't realise she speaks Spanish, but then she reflects on how little of her heritage she has kept, and it was done so beautifully.
“Make them pay you what they would pay a white man.”
Now, onto Evelyn's most impactful relationship: a fellow actress, Celia St. James. Their love is complicated, messy, sometimes toxic, and yet always beautiful. They might be one of the most realistic relationships I've read in a long time, loving each other with everything they have but also having the ability to be disgustingly cruel to one another. And the look at Evelyn's bisexuality through their relationship was so well-done, at first Celia assuming she's a lesbian and rejecting the idea that Evelyn could be anything but (she gets over this), primarily due to the word not being used in the mainstream at the time.
“Haven’t you been listening to a single thing I’ve told you? I loved Celia, but I also, before her, loved Don. In fact, I’m positive that if Don hadn’t turned out to be a spectacular asshole, I probably never would have been capable of falling in love with someone else at all. I’m bisexual. Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box, Monique. Don’t do that.”
I know I already mentioned the husbands, but I really want to highlight Harry because he's far and away my favourite. You learn very early that Harry's gay, and he quickly becomes Evelyn's best friend. They decide to get married and their marriage is so wonderful. The love they have for each other is never anything but platonic, and yet they're both easily one of the most important people in the others life. They eventually decide to have a child together, biologically, and there's never a big deal made. It's never a problem, and they love their daughter and each other so intensely, and I was genuinely upset when they get divorced even if I did understand it.
“If there are all different types of soul mates,” I told Harry one afternoon, when the two of us were sitting out on the patio with Connor, “then you are one of mine.” Harry was wearing a pair of shorts and no shirt. Connor was lying on his chest. He hadn’t shaved that morning, and his stubble was coming in. It had just the slightest gray patch under his chin. Looking at him with her, I realized how much they looked alike. Same long lashes, same pert lips. Harry held Connor to his chest with one hand and grabbed my free hand with the other. “I am absolutely positive that I need you more than I’ve ever needed another living soul,” he said. “The only exception being—” “Connor,” I said. We both smiled. For the rest of our lives, we would say that. The only exception to absolutely everything was Connor.”
Monique and Evelyn's relationship is a very interesting and complicated one. They have a connection that isn't revealed until nearly the end of the book, and it was so well set-up. But Monique individually is such an amazing character, even if she ultimately gets very little screen time (page time??). She is recently divorced, and takes on many life lessons from Evelyn in terms of both her failed marriage and the death of her father when she was a child. I loved how she developed over the book, learning to become more assertive and taking what she wanted, on her terms.
“As I tell my mom I love her and hang up the phone, I feel proud of myself, smug even. I have no idea that in less than a week, Evelyn Hugo will finish her story, and I’ll find out what this has all been about, and I will hate her so much that I’ll be truly afraid I might kill her.”
This book was magnificent, gorgeous, exquisite, magic, wonderful, and every other positive adjective in existence. I know that none of her existing work is like this one, but I'm still so excited to read more from Taylor Jenkins Reid, and her next book looks so damn good.
(I would apologise for the extra-long review but I have a negative amount of regrets, everyone needs to read this book ASAP)
Review also found on my blog.
UnsolvedAThon: read a book about a mythical creature or a monster
content warnings: mentions of past rape and molestation, forced kissing, incest, violence, gore, murder, loss of a parent, grief, gaslighting, manipulation, child abuse
representation: sapphic main character, pansexual chubby main character, sapphic main character of colour, f/f interracial main relationship
“‘What you wanted doesn’t matter,’ I tell him. My voice comes out with a softness, a stillness, which holds back the tumult inside me. ‘All that counts is what you choose to do, here and now.’”
This is a dark, twisted, at times horrifying book about morally grey characters and I loved it! I do understand a lot of the criticisms of this book (there are also some that I really don't, namely "it's not the cruel prince so it sucks") but there's just something about it that I fell in love with.
The plot is kind of hard to explain, and honestly I think it's best to go in knowing as little as possible. What you need to know is that it follows Ksenia and Josh, codependent foster siblings, and what happens when their lives become entwined with faeries.
These are not the faeries you see in most YA. They're not the beautiful, seemingly cruel and detached but actually just end up acting like humans faeries; they're just straight-up cruel. There isn't the hot one that one of the main characters falls in love with and discovers their humanity, there isn't one that shows them kindness and they realise that they're not all bad. The faeries in this book are what so many other YA books pretend they are; they're cruel, they're heartless, they see humans as playthings. Making a deal with one is akin to making a deal with the devil.
But going into this book, you need to not dwell on the faeries because while they're definitely the villains of this book, it's not about them. It's about Ksenia and Josh's fucked up relationship. This book once approves of their relationship; as a matter of fact, it actively condemns it through the dialogue and thoughts that the third main character, Lexi, has. Ksenia and Josh were both in the foster system and had been loved the way that most people had, so as a result they have a really fucked up view of what love is. Josh thinks that love is this all-consuming, obsessive thing he feels for Ksenia; Ksenia thinks love is whatever Josh feels for her.
What I love about this book so much is that it's about these characters learning that they deserve better. Ksenia's arc is about her coming to terms with the fact that she deserves love, that she is more than her abusive past, that she and Josh don't love each other, not in a healthy way at least. To a lesser extent, the same can be said for both Josh and Lexi. This is a book that lets its characters be flawed, screwed-up, absolutely terrible people, and it lets them grow from that if they deserve it. I also love that this is a book that lets queer characters be messy. All three of the main characters aren't straight (Ksenia also might fall somewhere on the non-binary spectrum, though nothing is conclusively said) and they're incredibly imperfect and that's okay.
Some things you need to keep in mind before reading this book: 1) It's not The Cruel Prince, 2) It has some of the most flawed main characters I've ever seen, 3) It's uncomfortable, and it's doing that on purpose, 4) Those trigger warnings should all be taken seriously because this isn't an easy read. But if you think this is a book you could enjoy, then I would recommend wholeheartedly. There's something I can't put my finger on that's stopping it from being a 5-star, but it's still easily my favourite thing I've read all month.
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
UnsolvedAThon: read a book about a mythical creature or a monster
content warnings: mentions of past rape and molestation, forced kissing, incest, violence, gore, murder, loss of a parent, grief, gaslighting, manipulation, child abuse
representation: sapphic main character, pansexual chubby main character, sapphic main character of colour, f/f interracial main relationship
“‘What you wanted doesn’t matter,’ I tell him. My voice comes out with a softness, a stillness, which holds back the tumult inside me. ‘All that counts is what you choose to do, here and now.’”
This is a dark, twisted, at times horrifying book about morally grey characters and I loved it! I do understand a lot of the criticisms of this book (there are also some that I really don't, namely "it's not the cruel prince so it sucks") but there's just something about it that I fell in love with.
The plot is kind of hard to explain, and honestly I think it's best to go in knowing as little as possible. What you need to know is that it follows Ksenia and Josh, codependent foster siblings, and what happens when their lives become entwined with faeries.
These are not the faeries you see in most YA. They're not the beautiful, seemingly cruel and detached but actually just end up acting like humans faeries; they're just straight-up cruel. There isn't the hot one that one of the main characters falls in love with and discovers their humanity, there isn't one that shows them kindness and they realise that they're not all bad. The faeries in this book are what so many other YA books pretend they are; they're cruel, they're heartless, they see humans as playthings. Making a deal with one is akin to making a deal with the devil.
But going into this book, you need to not dwell on the faeries because while they're definitely the villains of this book, it's not about them. It's about Ksenia and Josh's fucked up relationship. This book once approves of their relationship; as a matter of fact, it actively condemns it through the dialogue and thoughts that the third main character, Lexi, has. Ksenia and Josh were both in the foster system and had been loved the way that most people had, so as a result they have a really fucked up view of what love is. Josh thinks that love is this all-consuming, obsessive thing he feels for Ksenia; Ksenia thinks love is whatever Josh feels for her.
What I love about this book so much is that it's about these characters learning that they deserve better. Ksenia's arc is about her coming to terms with the fact that she deserves love, that she is more than her abusive past, that she and Josh don't love each other, not in a healthy way at least. To a lesser extent, the same can be said for both Josh and Lexi. This is a book that lets its characters be flawed, screwed-up, absolutely terrible people, and it lets them grow from that if they deserve it. I also love that this is a book that lets queer characters be messy. All three of the main characters aren't straight (Ksenia also might fall somewhere on the non-binary spectrum, though nothing is conclusively said) and they're incredibly imperfect and that's okay.
Some things you need to keep in mind before reading this book: 1) It's not The Cruel Prince, 2) It has some of the most flawed main characters I've ever seen, 3) It's uncomfortable, and it's doing that on purpose, 4) Those trigger warnings should all be taken seriously because this isn't an easy read. But if you think this is a book you could enjoy, then I would recommend wholeheartedly. There's something I can't put my finger on that's stopping it from being a 5-star, but it's still easily my favourite thing I've read all month.
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
content warnings: (mentions of) leukemia, perceived homophobia
representation: lesbian main character, side wlw character, side black lesbian character, minor bisexual latina character, minor f/f relationship
This has immediately sky-rocketed to my top 5 books of the year (no joke, this will be fighting with Alice Oseman's books for the top spot). It was so beautiful, full of raw emotion, without ever losing the innocence that so clearly cements it as a perfect middle-grade. I genuinely hope that every primary/elementary school gets this book because this is going to be so important for queer kids to read.
The tone of this was so perfect. It's middle grade and as I mentioned there's this wide-eyed innocence to it because we're seeing the world through Ivy's eyes, but the book never becomes too silly and something will gut-punch you every few pages because that's how damn emotionally impactful this was. This is in large part due to how perfect Ashley Herring Blake's writing was.
Despite being seventeen years old, I don't think I've ever related to a character harder than I have Ivy Aberdeen. Feeling misunderstood and forgotten is something I experience a lot, and seeing Ivy talking about the way she feels (whether she's speaking to someone or it's internal monologue) made me tear up on several occasions.
All the other characters were fabulous as well. Layla, who I went from wanting to punch to wanting a big sister just like her (yes, she's a year younger than me but the point still stands); Robin, who's easily my second favourite character in the whole book; June, who was such a cute little ball of energetic sunshine the whole time; Taryn, who I was iffy on at first but grew to love; and all the other characters were also amazing, I just can't be bothered to list them all.
I also really liked how unapologetically female this story was, as it should be. It's about a lesbian discovering who she is with the help (and sometimes hindrance) of other women, both straight and queer, and I really appreciated that.
All in all, this is one of my new favourite books of all time, and even though I know it will be wildly different in tone I'm really excited to read Girl Made of Stars, which I currently have on hold at the library.
representation: lesbian main character, side wlw character, side black lesbian character, minor bisexual latina character, minor f/f relationship
This has immediately sky-rocketed to my top 5 books of the year (no joke, this will be fighting with Alice Oseman's books for the top spot). It was so beautiful, full of raw emotion, without ever losing the innocence that so clearly cements it as a perfect middle-grade. I genuinely hope that every primary/elementary school gets this book because this is going to be so important for queer kids to read.
The tone of this was so perfect. It's middle grade and as I mentioned there's this wide-eyed innocence to it because we're seeing the world through Ivy's eyes, but the book never becomes too silly and something will gut-punch you every few pages because that's how damn emotionally impactful this was. This is in large part due to how perfect Ashley Herring Blake's writing was.
Despite being seventeen years old, I don't think I've ever related to a character harder than I have Ivy Aberdeen. Feeling misunderstood and forgotten is something I experience a lot, and seeing Ivy talking about the way she feels (whether she's speaking to someone or it's internal monologue) made me tear up on several occasions.
All the other characters were fabulous as well. Layla, who I went from wanting to punch to wanting a big sister just like her (yes, she's a year younger than me but the point still stands); Robin, who's easily my second favourite character in the whole book; June, who was such a cute little ball of energetic sunshine the whole time; Taryn, who I was iffy on at first but grew to love; and all the other characters were also amazing, I just can't be bothered to list them all.
I also really liked how unapologetically female this story was, as it should be. It's about a lesbian discovering who she is with the help (and sometimes hindrance) of other women, both straight and queer, and I really appreciated that.
All in all, this is one of my new favourite books of all time, and even though I know it will be wildly different in tone I'm really excited to read Girl Made of Stars, which I currently have on hold at the library.