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simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
"Once a year, giant robots from outer space come to Earth and bond with
young cadets from the elite Sky Corps Academy to defend the world
from the terrifying aliens known as the Sharg. It’s a great honor to be
chosen, but for Stanford Yu—the janitor’s kid, not even a real cadet—it
was only a dream...right up until a lost robot picks him anyway."
This was absolutely adorable and I'm putting the next issue(s) on my wishlist immediately. Not much happened in this first one yet, but I already love Stanford, and I love that Skip Tanaka seems to be a great guy.
young cadets from the elite Sky Corps Academy to defend the world
from the terrifying aliens known as the Sharg. It’s a great honor to be
chosen, but for Stanford Yu—the janitor’s kid, not even a real cadet—it
was only a dream...right up until a lost robot picks him anyway."
This was absolutely adorable and I'm putting the next issue(s) on my wishlist immediately. Not much happened in this first one yet, but I already love Stanford, and I love that Skip Tanaka seems to be a great guy.
This was literally the most adorable thing I have ever read in my entire life? The art style is so good, the cast is all-girl, the character designs are so good, the main girl is queer... I need the full thing immediately.
This was a lovely, fluffy f/f short story about two women who accidentally get locked in a mall at night. There isn't much to say about it, but it was a nice light read.
This is a prequel short story that introduces the characters in the Airship Racing Chronicles series. Honestly, it felt more like a filler story that would have been more enjoyable once you actually know all these people, and I didn't find it very exciting in itself. The main character, Lily, seemed interesting, but I didn't get attached to any of the others.
My copy also included the first few chapters of the first book, that I also skimmed, and honestly, I'd rate those 3 stars as well. There were some parts that intrigued me and made me wonder what the rest of the book would be like, but the world and the characters didn't really grab me, and Lily's opium addiction is a pretty big turn off for me. So, all in all, I'm conflicted about this book. Maybe I'll pick it up one day, but eh.
(Okay, but also, this has a character called George Byron and based on the time period I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be THAT Byron, which is actually kinda fascinating.)
+ The covers for all three main books look amazing.
My copy also included the first few chapters of the first book, that I also skimmed, and honestly, I'd rate those 3 stars as well. There were some parts that intrigued me and made me wonder what the rest of the book would be like, but the world and the characters didn't really grab me, and Lily's opium addiction is a pretty big turn off for me. So, all in all, I'm conflicted about this book. Maybe I'll pick it up one day, but eh.
(Okay, but also, this has a character called George Byron and based on the time period I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be THAT Byron, which is actually kinda fascinating.)
+ The covers for all three main books look amazing.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
I picked up this book for the princess who crossdresses to pretend to be her twin brother in order to bring him privacy, and the f/f romance was the cherry on top. In a way, I got what I came for: I really enjoyed the scenes where Viola had to navigate talking to his brother's friends and trying to find out what happened without revealing who she was.
Unfortunately, that's about the only part of the book I enjoyed. I wasn't really invested in the love interest, and frankly, the romance arc of the book was so similar to the last three contemporary f/f romances I read that I actually had to check if I've read something by this author before (the answer is no). This made the conflicts and the resolution predictable and not very fascinating.
I also found it jarring that Duke, a random journalist who has never before seen either of the twins up close and (as she admits) barely did her research, immediately had suspicions about Viola impersonating Sebastian at the very first speech. Sure, she starts looking for more clues before she can be certain, but given that not even Sebastian's friends (who knew about his addiction and health) were suspicious so fast, it just didn't feel believable to me.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
I picked up this book for the princess who crossdresses to pretend to be her twin brother in order to bring him privacy, and the f/f romance was the cherry on top. In a way, I got what I came for: I really enjoyed the scenes where Viola had to navigate talking to his brother's friends and trying to find out what happened without revealing who she was.
Unfortunately, that's about the only part of the book I enjoyed. I wasn't really invested in the love interest, and frankly, the romance arc of the book was so similar to the last three contemporary f/f romances I read that I actually had to check if I've read something by this author before (the answer is no). This made the conflicts and the resolution predictable and not very fascinating.
I also found it jarring that Duke, a random journalist who has never before seen either of the twins up close and (as she admits) barely did her research, immediately had suspicions about Viola impersonating Sebastian at the very first speech. Sure, she starts looking for more clues before she can be certain, but given that not even Sebastian's friends (who knew about his addiction and health) were suspicious so fast, it just didn't feel believable to me.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Just stand here for ten minutes to say I did, and then I can go read my book.
This story is about twin sisters who work in a circus together, and there's so much to unpack. One of the twins, Anna, pretends to read fortunes but it's all a lie - she doesn't really believe in anything supernatural, and in fact, she prefers logic, and a statistics machine that she built herself. Then her twin is murdered, and suddenly she can see ghosts, including her own twin's ghost.
Volume One is clearly a beginning of the story, but it was enough to get me intrigued. There are many open questions, such as what Kat is hiding, or what happened to the two girls before they ended up at the circus. I loved the relationship between Anna and Kat, and I also loved the way the other ghosts helped Anna.
The art was unique, and this was a pretty funny, magical read with circus-y events and supernatural happenings.
Also, I'm pretty sure Kat is queer, which... on one hand, she's dead, but on the other hand, she's a pretty major character and also a ghost, so she's not really gone? I'm curious to see what happens next.
Just stand here for ten minutes to say I did, and then I can go read my book.
This story is about twin sisters who work in a circus together, and there's so much to unpack. One of the twins, Anna, pretends to read fortunes but it's all a lie - she doesn't really believe in anything supernatural, and in fact, she prefers logic, and a statistics machine that she built herself. Then her twin is murdered, and suddenly she can see ghosts, including her own twin's ghost.
Volume One is clearly a beginning of the story, but it was enough to get me intrigued. There are many open questions, such as what Kat is hiding, or what happened to the two girls before they ended up at the circus. I loved the relationship between Anna and Kat, and I also loved the way the other ghosts helped Anna.
The art was unique, and this was a pretty funny, magical read with circus-y events and supernatural happenings.
Also, I'm pretty sure Kat is queer, which... on one hand, she's dead, but on the other hand, she's a pretty major character and also a ghost, so she's not really gone? I'm curious to see what happens next.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl and the Grove was one of my most anticipated 2018 releases. I requested the ARC months ago and I was overjoyed when I got it, but somehow I only got around to reading it in May.
It was awesome to read a book with a teen protagonist whose hobby is protecting the environment, with a fondness for trees in particular. I also think this is one of the only #ownvoices books with an adopted protagonist that I’ve read, especially a protagonist who was adopted as a teen and not as a small child. (In fact, the only one I can suddenly think of is one of Vavyan Fable’s books, but as far as I know, that wasn’t #ownvoices.) It was really interesting to read about Leila’s experiences, and how she struggled with accepting that she finally had a home and a family.
Read the full review on my blog.
The Girl and the Grove was one of my most anticipated 2018 releases. I requested the ARC months ago and I was overjoyed when I got it, but somehow I only got around to reading it in May.
It was awesome to read a book with a teen protagonist whose hobby is protecting the environment, with a fondness for trees in particular. I also think this is one of the only #ownvoices books with an adopted protagonist that I’ve read, especially a protagonist who was adopted as a teen and not as a small child. (In fact, the only one I can suddenly think of is one of Vavyan Fable’s books, but as far as I know, that wasn’t #ownvoices.) It was really interesting to read about Leila’s experiences, and how she struggled with accepting that she finally had a home and a family.
Read the full review on my blog.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly have no idea how (or why) I made it through this book, but here I am.
major trigger warnings for several suicide attempts and at least one suicide, frequent self-harm, and alcohol addiction.
I requested Crimson Ash on NetGalley months ago because the blurb sounded interesting - I love stories with sibling relationships, especially sisters, and I used to love dystopias. Then I kept putting off reading this book, and by the time I finally got around to it, I've fallen in love with solarpunk and hopeful futures, and out of love with gritty dystopias.
So, I was already a little wary of Crimson Ash when I started, but I figured I could still enjoy it in a "it's not for me, but it can still be good" way. Yeah, that didn't happen.
There were so many suicides, suicide attempts, self-harm, manipulation, friends killing friends and happiness/hope being ripped away at the last minute that it honestly blended together. Some of these may be standard for dystopias, but it was way too much for one book in one opinion.
Note: the book actually has a trigger warning note at the beginning that warns for "self-injurious behaviour and mentions of suicide", but I don't think that suffices. There weren't just mentions, and it wasn't just one or two - there were at least three different graphic suicides or suicide attempts, and many more self-harm scenes or carving flesh. At the very least the trigger warning could have been more visible, e.g. bolded, larger letters, or on a separate page, because it's very easy to miss.
There are only two reasons why I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1:
- one of the main girls has a girlfriend, and by some miracle they actually both survive the book
- the author herself struggled with depression and the darkest parts of the book were apparently inspired by this, although I'm not sure if this makes the frequent and (in my opinion) careless use of suicides and self-harm better or worse
I guess some people might still find this book interesting, but personally it was too gritty for me, and while I'm grateful there was a trigger warning at all, 1) I didn't even notice it at first because it's with normal letters at the bottom of the publishing info (seriously, no offense, but who reads that?), 2) I don't think it adequately warns for the triggering content.
I also thought the writing was often rushed and there was a lot of telling-not-showing, but honestly that's a minor problem compared to the rest.
edit: I forgot to mention the part where the main villain was evil because he got sick and "went crazy".
I honestly have no idea how (or why) I made it through this book, but here I am.
major trigger warnings for several suicide attempts and at least one suicide, frequent self-harm, and alcohol addiction.
I requested Crimson Ash on NetGalley months ago because the blurb sounded interesting - I love stories with sibling relationships, especially sisters, and I used to love dystopias. Then I kept putting off reading this book, and by the time I finally got around to it, I've fallen in love with solarpunk and hopeful futures, and out of love with gritty dystopias.
So, I was already a little wary of Crimson Ash when I started, but I figured I could still enjoy it in a "it's not for me, but it can still be good" way. Yeah, that didn't happen.
There were so many suicides, suicide attempts, self-harm, manipulation, friends killing friends and happiness/hope being ripped away at the last minute that it honestly blended together. Some of these may be standard for dystopias, but it was way too much for one book in one opinion.
Note: the book actually has a trigger warning note at the beginning that warns for "self-injurious behaviour and mentions of suicide", but I don't think that suffices. There weren't just mentions, and it wasn't just one or two - there were at least three different graphic suicides or suicide attempts, and many more self-harm scenes or carving flesh. At the very least the trigger warning could have been more visible, e.g. bolded, larger letters, or on a separate page, because it's very easy to miss.
There are only two reasons why I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1:
- one of the main girls has a girlfriend, and by some miracle they actually both survive the book
- the author herself struggled with depression and the darkest parts of the book were apparently inspired by this, although I'm not sure if this makes the frequent and (in my opinion) careless use of suicides and self-harm better or worse
I guess some people might still find this book interesting, but personally it was too gritty for me, and while I'm grateful there was a trigger warning at all, 1) I didn't even notice it at first because it's with normal letters at the bottom of the publishing info (seriously, no offense, but who reads that?), 2) I don't think it adequately warns for the triggering content.
I also thought the writing was often rushed and there was a lot of telling-not-showing, but honestly that's a minor problem compared to the rest.
edit: I forgot to mention the part where the main villain was evil because he got sick and "went crazy".
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read this book almost in one sitting, because I simply needed to know what happened next. (Also, can we talk about how nice the cover is?)
As you can see from the blurb, this story is about two (technically three) children, Josie and Alec. They are the same age, and they live in the same house in the same room… a hundred years apart. I absolutely loved all the ways they managed to send messages to each other, like the letters or the writing on the windowsill. As Josie said, for every flower Alec found, they had to plant the seed first.
Read full review on my blog.
I read this book almost in one sitting, because I simply needed to know what happened next. (Also, can we talk about how nice the cover is?)
As you can see from the blurb, this story is about two (technically three) children, Josie and Alec. They are the same age, and they live in the same house in the same room… a hundred years apart. I absolutely loved all the ways they managed to send messages to each other, like the letters or the writing on the windowsill. As Josie said, for every flower Alec found, they had to plant the seed first.
Read full review on my blog.
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Song of Blood & Stone is a fantasy novel that refers to magic spells as Songs - which appealed to me because I absolutely love music and magic being connected. I was attached to the main character, Jasminda, who lost her whole family and had to face racism as a biracial person in the country of Elsira. I also loved the backstory regarding the "leaders" of the two countries, and how the story unfolded gradually thanks to Jasminda's visions.
And yet, I constantly felt like something was lacking. I liked the premise and the worlbuilding, but the writing couldn't really engage me, and it was difficult to keep going sometimes. I didn't care much for the romance, and while the quotes from folk tales at the beginning of each chapter were interesting at first, I struggled to see the point of many of them.
Overall, this was an okay read, but nothing really special for me - hence the 3 stars.
That being said, the epilogue suggests that the sequel is going to deal with plotlines I have an interest in, so I might end up picking it up.
Song of Blood & Stone is a fantasy novel that refers to magic spells as Songs - which appealed to me because I absolutely love music and magic being connected. I was attached to the main character, Jasminda, who lost her whole family and had to face racism as a biracial person in the country of Elsira. I also loved the backstory regarding the "leaders" of the two countries, and how the story unfolded gradually thanks to Jasminda's visions.
And yet, I constantly felt like something was lacking. I liked the premise and the worlbuilding, but the writing couldn't really engage me, and it was difficult to keep going sometimes. I didn't care much for the romance, and while the quotes from folk tales at the beginning of each chapter were interesting at first, I struggled to see the point of many of them.
Overall, this was an okay read, but nothing really special for me - hence the 3 stars.
That being said, the epilogue suggests that the sequel is going to deal with plotlines I have an interest in, so I might end up picking it up.