Take a photo of a barcode or cover
simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
This was so good! I am unfamiliar with most Jewish traditions so this had a lot of unknown words, but most of them were either explained or I could guess them from context, so I wasn't as lost as I feared. I loved the characters, the story, the ending, and I loved that there was really no boring or unnecessary part - this story kept my attention from beginning to end. I'm glad I got to read it.
I received an early copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: March 27th, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Although I haven't read either of the previous collections, I've seen many of Sarah's comics online before, including some of these ones. I love these short comics because they are often relatable for me, whether they are about anxiety, loving cats, or unfortunately, being disappointed in your childhood heroes.
Still, as some others have also pointed out, I felt that the comics often didn't have much to do with each other, and certainly not all of them were about cats. Also, the second half of the book switched from just presenting comics to having actual text, talking about online harassment, and giving advice to young artists - which are all important topics, but it was pretty unexpected and I felt like it didn't really fit in with the first half or the title. Hence why I've decided to give this book 3.5 stars.
Release date: March 27th, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Although I haven't read either of the previous collections, I've seen many of Sarah's comics online before, including some of these ones. I love these short comics because they are often relatable for me, whether they are about anxiety, loving cats, or unfortunately, being disappointed in your childhood heroes.
Still, as some others have also pointed out, I felt that the comics often didn't have much to do with each other, and certainly not all of them were about cats. Also, the second half of the book switched from just presenting comics to having actual text, talking about online harassment, and giving advice to young artists - which are all important topics, but it was pretty unexpected and I felt like it didn't really fit in with the first half or the title. Hence why I've decided to give this book 3.5 stars.
Read on my blog.
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
I was recommended two different books by Jo Walton ([b:The Just City|22055276|The Just City (Thessaly, #1)|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416448145s/22055276.jpg|39841651] and [b:My Real Children|18490637|My Real Children|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380218782s/18490637.jpg|26174356], specifically) and while I unfortunately haven’t managed to get a copy of either of those, after reading those two blurbs my thoughts were pretty much “I want to live in this person’s brain”. Jo Walton seemed to be an author with incredibly creative and unique ideas, and I wanted to read something of hers. Thus, I picked up Starlings.
Starlings is a collection of short pieces of writing, both in prose and in verse. I admit that not all of the short stories worked for me and I didn’t like most of the poems (note: there were fewer poems than short stories), but that’s expected in collections. There were still several stories that I adored, and I am now even more excited to be picking up more of Jo Walton’s work in the future.
Since there were so many stories (around 21 short stories and 15 poems), it would be difficult to review all of them, so let me say a few words about my favourites. Some of these are only one or two pages long and yet they absolutely blew me away. More than anything, what really grabbed me was how different all these stories were from each other, and how many topics they covered.
Relentlessly Mundane: I may be biased, but this one had one of my favourite concepts/tropes, and carried it out beautifully. What happens to the children who become the heroes of fantasy worlds and then have to go back to live in their own? How do they deal with their past experiences as adults?
Out Of It: A story about angels, devils, and making deals with them. “You never give up, do you?” “Never.”
Parable Lost: An interesting take on the parable of throwing jellyfish in the sea.
Tradition: A short sci-fi story about traditions with an endearing twist.
What Joseph Felt: A few beautiful pages from the perspective of the Bible’s Joseph and his views on his wife and newborn child.
The Need to Stay the Same: I absolutely loved this one. It’s a book review of a book where humans are a fictional race.
A Burden Shared: Is it really easier to carry someone else’s pain than your own?
Since most of these stories are short, it’s difficult to say a lot about them without spoiling the whole thing (and often, it’s not really the plot that is interesting but the writing, so summing them up is difficult). In any case, this collection had some amazing short stories (and the poems were alright too I suppose). There’s some sci-fi, something more like fantasy, some Greek and Norse mythology, some Christian mythology… A little something for everyone, really.
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
I was recommended two different books by Jo Walton ([b:The Just City|22055276|The Just City (Thessaly, #1)|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416448145s/22055276.jpg|39841651] and [b:My Real Children|18490637|My Real Children|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380218782s/18490637.jpg|26174356], specifically) and while I unfortunately haven’t managed to get a copy of either of those, after reading those two blurbs my thoughts were pretty much “I want to live in this person’s brain”. Jo Walton seemed to be an author with incredibly creative and unique ideas, and I wanted to read something of hers. Thus, I picked up Starlings.
Starlings is a collection of short pieces of writing, both in prose and in verse. I admit that not all of the short stories worked for me and I didn’t like most of the poems (note: there were fewer poems than short stories), but that’s expected in collections. There were still several stories that I adored, and I am now even more excited to be picking up more of Jo Walton’s work in the future.
Since there were so many stories (around 21 short stories and 15 poems), it would be difficult to review all of them, so let me say a few words about my favourites. Some of these are only one or two pages long and yet they absolutely blew me away. More than anything, what really grabbed me was how different all these stories were from each other, and how many topics they covered.
Relentlessly Mundane: I may be biased, but this one had one of my favourite concepts/tropes, and carried it out beautifully. What happens to the children who become the heroes of fantasy worlds and then have to go back to live in their own? How do they deal with their past experiences as adults?
Out Of It: A story about angels, devils, and making deals with them. “You never give up, do you?” “Never.”
Parable Lost: An interesting take on the parable of throwing jellyfish in the sea.
Tradition: A short sci-fi story about traditions with an endearing twist.
What Joseph Felt: A few beautiful pages from the perspective of the Bible’s Joseph and his views on his wife and newborn child.
The Need to Stay the Same: I absolutely loved this one. It’s a book review of a book where humans are a fictional race.
A Burden Shared: Is it really easier to carry someone else’s pain than your own?
Since most of these stories are short, it’s difficult to say a lot about them without spoiling the whole thing (and often, it’s not really the plot that is interesting but the writing, so summing them up is difficult). In any case, this collection had some amazing short stories (and the poems were alright too I suppose). There’s some sci-fi, something more like fantasy, some Greek and Norse mythology, some Christian mythology… A little something for everyone, really.
Read on my blog
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: 13th February, 2018 by Bold Strokes Books
I was drawn to this book by the pretty cover and the fact that it was a lesbian romance, and it was just as heartfelt and warm as I expected.
I was first surprised by the age of the characters (I'm used to reading about teens or twenty-somethings, while the protagonists in this book are in their thirties) but I found it refereshing to read about people who are older than what I'm used to, but still far from old. Honestly, it made me feel better about aging because it's so easy to think that women in their late thirties/early forties are old, when that's really not the case.
I didn't read the first book in this series, but from what I understand, each book concentrates on a different member of the same friendship group, which I really loved. (It is also done in Maria Hollis's series starting with The Melody of You and Me.) I loved these women being friends and really being there for each other, and I loved Autumn and Kate's romance.
One thing that really caught me off guard (and I think should have been in the blurb) is that having children is a major plot point for both love interests in different ways, and this is not a topic that I like to read about. I eventually got over it and ended up enjoying the positive and validating way this book deals with having children as a single woman, having children in your thirties, and adopting children. Still, a warning or a clue in the blurb may have been nice, although I might not have picked up the book if I'd known this was part of the main plot.
While I liked both Autumn and Kate, I was slightly more interested in Kate's story and I loved how it was gradually revealed through flashbacks instead of the story being told at once. I also loved that Autumn's and Kate's plans didn't always go the way the reader expected - there were failures, and yet it was clear that these failures were not the end of the world.
I admit that I found parts of this book slow and really difficult to get through, but overall I think it is a good read for people who like contemporary romances. (Do be aware that there several explicit sex scenes.)
My rating: ★★★★☆
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: 13th February, 2018 by Bold Strokes Books
I was drawn to this book by the pretty cover and the fact that it was a lesbian romance, and it was just as heartfelt and warm as I expected.
I was first surprised by the age of the characters (I'm used to reading about teens or twenty-somethings, while the protagonists in this book are in their thirties) but I found it refereshing to read about people who are older than what I'm used to, but still far from old. Honestly, it made me feel better about aging because it's so easy to think that women in their late thirties/early forties are old, when that's really not the case.
I didn't read the first book in this series, but from what I understand, each book concentrates on a different member of the same friendship group, which I really loved. (It is also done in Maria Hollis's series starting with The Melody of You and Me.) I loved these women being friends and really being there for each other, and I loved Autumn and Kate's romance.
One thing that really caught me off guard (and I think should have been in the blurb) is that having children is a major plot point for both love interests in different ways, and this is not a topic that I like to read about. I eventually got over it and ended up enjoying the positive and validating way this book deals with having children as a single woman, having children in your thirties, and adopting children. Still, a warning or a clue in the blurb may have been nice, although I might not have picked up the book if I'd known this was part of the main plot.
While I liked both Autumn and Kate, I was slightly more interested in Kate's story and I loved how it was gradually revealed through flashbacks instead of the story being told at once. I also loved that Autumn's and Kate's plans didn't always go the way the reader expected - there were failures, and yet it was clear that these failures were not the end of the world.
I admit that I found parts of this book slow and really difficult to get through, but overall I think it is a good read for people who like contemporary romances. (Do be aware that there several explicit sex scenes.)
My rating: ★★★★☆
Read on my blog.
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: February 19th, 2018 by Nine Star Press
I remember seeing this wonderful cover on Twitter and hearing that the book would be about queer princesses, and I immediately fell in love. And let me tell you, when I finally got to read it, The Queen of Ieflaria turned out to be everything I hoped for and more.
To say that The Queen of Ieflaria has queer princesses is technically true, but it's a huge understatement. In fact, The Queen of Ieflaria has a main cast made of several unique, funny, supportive and fleshed out characters, most of whom are female. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was in love with not only both Esofi and Adale, but every single one of their ladies-in-waiting - all of whom had their own unique personalities and beautiful moments. (Lisette is definitely my favourite though, hands down.)
The only reason why I didn't devour this book in one sitting is that I started reading it too late and had to go to sleep at 1am and finish the next morning. I adored the writing style, the characters, the plot... This book has princesses fighting in duels in dresses, princesses fighting dragons, talking magical creatures, good dragons, baby dragons, princesses kissing, princesses in love... I'm sorry, why are you still here reading this review when you could be pre-ordering The Queen of Ieflaria?
I loved how different Esofi and Adale were, and yet they worked together well and both helped each other grow, or see things from the other's point of view. I especially enjoyed their different views on science and religion and how they changed (and yet still stayed true to themselves) during the book.
Note: While this first book unfortunately didn't have any major trans characters, it did have minor nonbinary characters (referred to as neutroi) and even a nonbinary god, and referenced a canon magical way to transition, so I hope this will change in the future installments.
This is my new favourite book, and it might be yours, too.
My rating: ★★★★★
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: February 19th, 2018 by Nine Star Press
I remember seeing this wonderful cover on Twitter and hearing that the book would be about queer princesses, and I immediately fell in love. And let me tell you, when I finally got to read it, The Queen of Ieflaria turned out to be everything I hoped for and more.
To say that The Queen of Ieflaria has queer princesses is technically true, but it's a huge understatement. In fact, The Queen of Ieflaria has a main cast made of several unique, funny, supportive and fleshed out characters, most of whom are female. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was in love with not only both Esofi and Adale, but every single one of their ladies-in-waiting - all of whom had their own unique personalities and beautiful moments. (Lisette is definitely my favourite though, hands down.)
The only reason why I didn't devour this book in one sitting is that I started reading it too late and had to go to sleep at 1am and finish the next morning. I adored the writing style, the characters, the plot... This book has princesses fighting in duels in dresses, princesses fighting dragons, talking magical creatures, good dragons, baby dragons, princesses kissing, princesses in love... I'm sorry, why are you still here reading this review when you could be pre-ordering The Queen of Ieflaria?
I loved how different Esofi and Adale were, and yet they worked together well and both helped each other grow, or see things from the other's point of view. I especially enjoyed their different views on science and religion and how they changed (and yet still stayed true to themselves) during the book.
Note: While this first book unfortunately didn't have any major trans characters, it did have minor nonbinary characters (referred to as neutroi) and even a nonbinary god, and referenced a canon magical way to transition, so I hope this will change in the future installments.
This is my new favourite book, and it might be yours, too.
My rating: ★★★★★
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Can I start with how beautiful the cover is?
Honestly, I feel like this book had a lot of good ideas, but many of them weren't executed too well.
I loved the main character being a human who is adopted by both werewolves and vampires, and I absolutely loved the vampire godmother who keeps food around just for her! Still, other than Al and Luca, I didn't really get a family-feeling from the werewolf pack at all, and I was really sad that there weren't any female werewolves important to the story, or at least Dahlia's age.
I loved that there was a polyamorous character, but I didn't really feel the chemistry with one of the love interests, and I feel like we didn't spend much time with the other one. I absolutely did /not/ love the kind of commitments Dahlia made without asking or even telling any of her family about it, but I suppose that's what the title referred to?
I feel like the book could have used more editing - there were some contradictions that made no sense and I can only guess that they were typos (e.g. Al's name instead of William's, or a "not" missing from the sentence and making Dahlia contradict herself in the same paragraph). I would have loved to spend more time with certain characters, and it felt a little rushed when Dahlia started suspecting the murderer out of nowhere and got kidnapped immediately after.
This isn't a very coherent review, mostly because I just have lots of barely-related thoughts about it. Changing Loyalties is a first in a series and that is clear enough, because there are a lot of open questions left for the sequel(s). It had its faults, but ultimately I liked the ideas and I have hopes for this series.
Can I start with how beautiful the cover is?
Honestly, I feel like this book had a lot of good ideas, but many of them weren't executed too well.
I loved the main character being a human who is adopted by both werewolves and vampires, and I absolutely loved the vampire godmother who keeps food around just for her! Still, other than Al and Luca, I didn't really get a family-feeling from the werewolf pack at all, and I was really sad that there weren't any female werewolves important to the story, or at least Dahlia's age.
I loved that there was a polyamorous character, but I didn't really feel the chemistry with one of the love interests, and I feel like we didn't spend much time with the other one. I absolutely did /not/ love the kind of commitments Dahlia made without asking or even telling any of her family about it, but I suppose that's what the title referred to?
I feel like the book could have used more editing - there were some contradictions that made no sense and I can only guess that they were typos (e.g. Al's name instead of William's, or a "not" missing from the sentence and making Dahlia contradict herself in the same paragraph). I would have loved to spend more time with certain characters, and it felt a little rushed when Dahlia started suspecting the murderer out of nowhere and got kidnapped immediately after.
This isn't a very coherent review, mostly because I just have lots of barely-related thoughts about it. Changing Loyalties is a first in a series and that is clear enough, because there are a lot of open questions left for the sequel(s). It had its faults, but ultimately I liked the ideas and I have hopes for this series.
Read on my blog here.
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have so many thoughts about this book. It is easily one of my new favourites, and yet there was a huge thing that bothered me so much that I cannot give it the full 5 stars.
First, let me talk about my expectations. The cover was a little strange, since it had an old-timey feel and made me think of an elderly couple instead of two young women in modern time? But hey, time travel and f/f romance, here I come!
From the beginning, I was absolutely taken in and in love with the characters. Eva and Casey were alive and amazing, their relationship (originally a friendship) was supportive, the scenes between them were heartfelt, real, and beautiful. I’m sure you kind of guessed from this paragraph, but I absolutely adored their romance.
Without spoiling much of the book, Casey and Eva have been friends since they were twelve, and could have gotten together in high school… only things went wrong, and they finally reconnect several years later, as young adults. They have both changed a lot and they are both dealing with their own trauma (which was mostly realistic and well-handled and amazing to see!), but they can finally act on their feelings! Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it has realistic troubles and conflicts, and at least one of them is sure they can all work it out.
Sounds great, right? Okay, here’s the part where it went wrong for me.
First, let me quote the blurb at you:
What would you do if you could go back in time and change your past?
For Eva Caldwell that question is a no-brainer. (…) She’d gladly go back and change it all. When her uncle passes, Eva discovers he created a time machine. (…)
Will Eva choose to save her parents’ lives or take a chance on the love of a lifetime?
I cut some parts to make it shorter, but it’s clear that this book is about time travel, right? Well, not exactly. Eva finds her uncle’s time machine mentioned in the blurb at 75% in the ebook. That’s… that’s the last quarter of the book! Don’t get me wrong, you can see from the beginning of this review that I absolutely adored the first three quarters – but it was a cute contemporary romance without any mention of time travel, and my brain just kept going, okay, but where’s the action promised in the blurb and the prologue? That constant anticipation ruined my enjoyment of a good percentage of the book. It was a good and enjoyable story… but it was not the story I signed up for.
I can’t really talk about the last quarter of the book without giving tons of spoilers, so let me just say this: it ends very abruptly, and I was ready to throw my phone (on which I was reading) across the room. Thankfully, there’s an epilogue! … And what an epilogue it is. Pros: it actually gives some closure and even explains why the time travel came so late in the book, although it didn’t erase the annoyance I felt when it kept not coming. And the twist in this epilogue, well… it’s one that you can both love or hate, and I am a little on the fence on which crowd I’m in. I’m leaning more towards positive – it was a clever idea, although I feel like the pacing (or at least the damn misleading blurb) could have been solved better.
The next paragraph is going to be spoilers because I need to talk about this, so if you don’t want them then skip it somehow:
Part of the reason why I was so pissed at the ending is that Eva gives Casey no choice or closure. Oh sure, it works out well for them in the new timeline (if you interpret it as a new timeline and not as the original one being fiction), but what about Casey in the old timeline? She was so willing to work things out with Eva, and while Eva said she was doing it for Casey too – she never asked Casey about it or gave her any kind of explanation. She only disappeared, and given how bad Casey got the last time she did that… It’s not looking good. Ultimately, Lizzy was right about Eva and I hated it.
In summary: I loved the first three quarters of the book, even though it really wasn’t what I signed up for. I have some serious problems with the ending/the time travel plotline as well as the pacing of the book, so I cannot give it five stars – but rest assured, this is still one of the best books I read this year. (Which might not be saying much in February, but shh.)
Content warnings: abusive guardian, PTSD, alcoholism
Sex scenes: two explicit sex scenes (at around 46% and 91% in the ebook) and some explicit sexting
My rating: ★★★★☆
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have so many thoughts about this book. It is easily one of my new favourites, and yet there was a huge thing that bothered me so much that I cannot give it the full 5 stars.
First, let me talk about my expectations. The cover was a little strange, since it had an old-timey feel and made me think of an elderly couple instead of two young women in modern time? But hey, time travel and f/f romance, here I come!
From the beginning, I was absolutely taken in and in love with the characters. Eva and Casey were alive and amazing, their relationship (originally a friendship) was supportive, the scenes between them were heartfelt, real, and beautiful. I’m sure you kind of guessed from this paragraph, but I absolutely adored their romance.
Without spoiling much of the book, Casey and Eva have been friends since they were twelve, and could have gotten together in high school… only things went wrong, and they finally reconnect several years later, as young adults. They have both changed a lot and they are both dealing with their own trauma (which was mostly realistic and well-handled and amazing to see!), but they can finally act on their feelings! Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it has realistic troubles and conflicts, and at least one of them is sure they can all work it out.
Sounds great, right? Okay, here’s the part where it went wrong for me.
First, let me quote the blurb at you:
What would you do if you could go back in time and change your past?
For Eva Caldwell that question is a no-brainer. (…) She’d gladly go back and change it all. When her uncle passes, Eva discovers he created a time machine. (…)
Will Eva choose to save her parents’ lives or take a chance on the love of a lifetime?
I cut some parts to make it shorter, but it’s clear that this book is about time travel, right? Well, not exactly. Eva finds her uncle’s time machine mentioned in the blurb at 75% in the ebook. That’s… that’s the last quarter of the book! Don’t get me wrong, you can see from the beginning of this review that I absolutely adored the first three quarters – but it was a cute contemporary romance without any mention of time travel, and my brain just kept going, okay, but where’s the action promised in the blurb and the prologue? That constant anticipation ruined my enjoyment of a good percentage of the book. It was a good and enjoyable story… but it was not the story I signed up for.
I can’t really talk about the last quarter of the book without giving tons of spoilers, so let me just say this: it ends very abruptly, and I was ready to throw my phone (on which I was reading) across the room. Thankfully, there’s an epilogue! … And what an epilogue it is. Pros: it actually gives some closure and even explains why the time travel came so late in the book, although it didn’t erase the annoyance I felt when it kept not coming. And the twist in this epilogue, well… it’s one that you can both love or hate, and I am a little on the fence on which crowd I’m in. I’m leaning more towards positive – it was a clever idea, although I feel like the pacing (or at least the damn misleading blurb) could have been solved better.
The next paragraph is going to be spoilers because I need to talk about this, so if you don’t want them then skip it somehow:
In summary: I loved the first three quarters of the book, even though it really wasn’t what I signed up for. I have some serious problems with the ending/the time travel plotline as well as the pacing of the book, so I cannot give it five stars – but rest assured, this is still one of the best books I read this year. (Which might not be saying much in February, but shh.)
Content warnings: abusive guardian, PTSD, alcoholism
Sex scenes: two explicit sex scenes (at around 46% and 91% in the ebook) and some explicit sexting
My rating: ★★★★☆
This book was really not working for me. I've been planning to read it for a while because it's a classic and there's a movie coming out soon, but I just... didn't find it enjoyable at all. The plot was boring, the writing style frustrating, and the characters unrelatable for me. Also, I think this is supposed to be for children? But it had so many quotes from old works that even I had to read twice sometimes to understand what's going on. Overall, it was a frustrating experience.
Read this review on my blog.
Falling isn’t always the last thing you do. Sometimes it’s the first thing.
Can you believe I’m actually the first one of my friends to actually add a review to this? What is everyone else doing with their lives?
The Lifeline Signal is a perfect sequel to Chameleon Moon. Just like the first book, it is incredibly character-focused: there are beautiful, unique, diverse characters everywhere in every sense of the word. This is almost an entirely new set of characters (while some of them appeared or were mentioned in Chameleon Moon, none of them were in the focus there) and yet everyone is connected, and everything has a place.
In The Lifeline Signal, something interesting is happening every moment - although much of these happenings are actually conversations, messages and pieces of information being revealed. With all these characters and storylines, you need to pay attention to get what’s happening, but it’s all the more satisfying when everything comes together.
This book takes place entirely outside Parole so you might miss or worry about some old friends left behind there, but I can almost guarantee that you will love the new cast - both the three teenage protagonists in the center of it all, and the adults (or at least slightly older people) supporting them. I certainly did. And, hey - some of these old friends do appear, and you might even find out more about them...
That being said, I am incredibly glad I chose to read every available short story before heading into this book*, because there were still occasional moments of “wait, how do these two know each other again?” or “okay, so which of the five messages currently in play is this one?”. Also, this might just be a personal annoyance, but having several characters spend the whole book worrying over something you, the reader already know is solved can get frustrating.
Despite the occasional confusion, I absolutely adored this book, and I really mean it when I say that the lines all coming together is incredibly satisfying once you figure out which goes where. Of course, there are still more than enough open questions for the sequel(whatever’s Regan doing, for example - but also, what on earth was that comment about Ash’s bones?) - and many reunions to look forward to. (Some with less patience than others. *squints at my faves*)
--Hey, look at that, I actually managed to write a semi-coherent review that wasn’t just screaming about how much I adore everyone! Especially the people Regan is dating. That particular polycule is my absolute favourite, and not only because of Regan (he’s just the central point for easy reference).
Representation:
★ nonbinary (xie/xir pronouns!), Tsalagi Native American, Arnold-Chiari Malformation main
★ bisexual, Indian American main
★ aroace, Vietnamese American, autistic main
★ Tons of other POC (including the families of the protagonists), a hijabi woman, other LGBTQAI+ characters (nonbinary, binary transgender, mlm, wlw, ace...), chronically ill and disabled characters, POLYAMORY, and probably other stuff I missed honestly.
★ The book is also #ownvoices for several aspects.
(Also, not really representation, but: cyborgs! fauns! lizard men! people with wings! I love this world.)
*Four short stories (Runtime, Always Be You, Happy REGARDS and The Library Ghost) are free on the author’s Gumroad. If you read those, you’ll have a pretty good idea of who everyone is. If you also manage to read You’re Not Going That Way (99 cents), you’re pretty much ready for the sequel. But I do recommend the whole Life Within Parole Volume 1 if you can afford it.
My rating: ★★★★★💖
Falling isn’t always the last thing you do. Sometimes it’s the first thing.
Can you believe I’m actually the first one of my friends to actually add a review to this? What is everyone else doing with their lives?
The Lifeline Signal is a perfect sequel to Chameleon Moon. Just like the first book, it is incredibly character-focused: there are beautiful, unique, diverse characters everywhere in every sense of the word. This is almost an entirely new set of characters (while some of them appeared or were mentioned in Chameleon Moon, none of them were in the focus there) and yet everyone is connected, and everything has a place.
In The Lifeline Signal, something interesting is happening every moment - although much of these happenings are actually conversations, messages and pieces of information being revealed. With all these characters and storylines, you need to pay attention to get what’s happening, but it’s all the more satisfying when everything comes together.
This book takes place entirely outside Parole so you might miss or worry about some old friends left behind there, but I can almost guarantee that you will love the new cast - both the three teenage protagonists in the center of it all, and the adults (or at least slightly older people) supporting them. I certainly did. And, hey - some of these old friends do appear, and you might even find out more about them...
That being said, I am incredibly glad I chose to read every available short story before heading into this book*, because there were still occasional moments of “wait, how do these two know each other again?” or “okay, so which of the five messages currently in play is this one?”. Also, this might just be a personal annoyance, but having several characters spend the whole book worrying over something you, the reader already know is solved can get frustrating.
Despite the occasional confusion, I absolutely adored this book, and I really mean it when I say that the lines all coming together is incredibly satisfying once you figure out which goes where. Of course, there are still more than enough open questions for the sequel
--Hey, look at that, I actually managed to write a semi-coherent review that wasn’t just screaming about how much I adore everyone! Especially the people Regan is dating. That particular polycule is my absolute favourite, and not only because of Regan (he’s just the central point for easy reference).
Representation:
★ nonbinary (xie/xir pronouns!), Tsalagi Native American, Arnold-Chiari Malformation main
★ bisexual, Indian American main
★ aroace, Vietnamese American, autistic main
★ Tons of other POC (including the families of the protagonists), a hijabi woman, other LGBTQAI+ characters (nonbinary, binary transgender, mlm, wlw, ace...), chronically ill and disabled characters, POLYAMORY, and probably other stuff I missed honestly.
★ The book is also #ownvoices for several aspects.
(Also, not really representation, but: cyborgs! fauns! lizard men! people with wings! I love this world.)
*Four short stories (Runtime, Always Be You, Happy REGARDS and The Library Ghost) are free on the author’s Gumroad. If you read those, you’ll have a pretty good idea of who everyone is. If you also manage to read You’re Not Going That Way (99 cents), you’re pretty much ready for the sequel. But I do recommend the whole Life Within Parole Volume 1 if you can afford it.
My rating: ★★★★★💖
Happy REGARDS
First of all: I adore Jay. I love his character descriptions, his ramblings, his heart and everything. I was surprised by this story because I thought Seven has been with him for longer, but seeing them find each other was beautiful. I also loved getting to know Stefanos, and I am eternally grateful for the explanation of puns in the cat’s name, because that really confused me in Runtime.
I will also never get over the beauty that is three awesome women in a relationship with their own kid. I love Evelyn, Rose, Danae, Jack and their little family so much. Also mentions of the others, and just all the connections between everyone <3
The Library Ghost
They smiled against his smooth scales, realizing they’d unconsciously passed on the kiss they’d received not long before, all its intimacy and promise, all its love. A message like the song, and just as important.
There were so many things happening in this one. First, my other favourite poly triad that I can never get enough of. Then, two new characters that I haven’t met before, but already love. Also, Liam being incredibly bad at both flirting and gathering information. And of course, Hans having his own plans…
Group Therapy
This was shorter than the others, but it was nice to learn about Cai - and man, the work Rose does is so important.
Runtime
(review here)
Phoenix Down
I am so confused and so emotional. I’m still not sure how this fits into everything, but it’s beautiful to see how many things and plans are happening at the same time.
Un-Dead
This is a Halloween short story full of creepiness - which obviously means lots of our favourite (?) ghost boy, Hans, and our favourite puppeteer, Jenny Strings. Also, ghosts. Or are they?
I actually have a huge soft spot for Hans despite his behaviour, but man, that kid tests me sometimes.
While many of the short stories are prequels, this one takes place after Chameleon Moon and actually contains several spoilers for it, so be aware of that before reading it.I have so many questions. How did Hans get here when he was with Garrett? Where is Rose? How did she still not find Evelyn and the others when they are in the most logical place they could be?
Have I mentioned how beautiful the cover is?
Come Home Alone
This one strangely left me feeling a little bit “meh”, maybe because it’s set in the undecided future and not clearly in the chronology like the others? Still, I love both Finn and Regan and I want them to be safe and happy, and that ending is pretty worrying.
What You Remember & Memory Waltz
I’ve only seen the full lyrics to the first one before, but I absolutely adore it. It sums up Chameleon Moon so nicely and is really the perfect theme song for this book.
And we’ll all keep holding on, to the last ember,
‘Cause you’re not who you were, but you can be—
What you remember
First of all: I adore Jay. I love his character descriptions, his ramblings, his heart and everything. I was surprised by this story because I thought Seven has been with him for longer, but seeing them find each other was beautiful. I also loved getting to know Stefanos, and I am eternally grateful for the explanation of puns in the cat’s name, because that really confused me in Runtime.
I will also never get over the beauty that is three awesome women in a relationship with their own kid. I love Evelyn, Rose, Danae, Jack and their little family so much. Also mentions of the others, and just all the connections between everyone <3
The Library Ghost
They smiled against his smooth scales, realizing they’d unconsciously passed on the kiss they’d received not long before, all its intimacy and promise, all its love. A message like the song, and just as important.
There were so many things happening in this one. First, my other favourite poly triad that I can never get enough of. Then, two new characters that I haven’t met before, but already love. Also, Liam being incredibly bad at both flirting and gathering information. And of course, Hans having his own plans…
Group Therapy
This was shorter than the others, but it was nice to learn about Cai - and man, the work Rose does is so important.
Runtime
(review here)
Phoenix Down
I am so confused and so emotional. I’m still not sure how this fits into everything, but it’s beautiful to see how many things and plans are happening at the same time.
Un-Dead
This is a Halloween short story full of creepiness - which obviously means lots of our favourite (?) ghost boy, Hans, and our favourite puppeteer, Jenny Strings. Also, ghosts. Or are they?
I actually have a huge soft spot for Hans despite his behaviour, but man, that kid tests me sometimes.
While many of the short stories are prequels, this one takes place after Chameleon Moon and actually contains several spoilers for it, so be aware of that before reading it.
Have I mentioned how beautiful the cover is?
Come Home Alone
This one strangely left me feeling a little bit “meh”, maybe because it’s set in the undecided future and not clearly in the chronology like the others? Still, I love both Finn and Regan and I want them to be safe and happy, and that ending is pretty worrying.
What You Remember & Memory Waltz
I’ve only seen the full lyrics to the first one before, but I absolutely adore it. It sums up Chameleon Moon so nicely and is really the perfect theme song for this book.
And we’ll all keep holding on, to the last ember,
‘Cause you’re not who you were, but you can be—
What you remember