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simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
This was amazing. Single mommy with a werewolf baby hires another woman to help soundproof her basement, and then attachments happen. Also, werewolf babies are adorable.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had to read this entire book before I realised it's written by the author of The Tea Master and the Detective, the Sherlock retelling I've been meaning to read.
In The Vanishers' Palace is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast where Beauty is a scholar and the Beast is a spirit dragon that lives in a Palace impossible to understand. Also, they're both women.
This was a brilliantly written novel with fantastically visual descriptions, although it made my head spin sometimes. The world and the culture whose mythology its based on was very unfamiliar and sometimes I felt like I was lacking some basic knowledge to really understand, but I still enjoyed becoming familiar.
The book has two major nonbinary side characters, but that is not the only reason why it's nonbinary-friendly. Nobody's gender in this book is assumed by their appearance, and they are only referred to with gendered terms once they established it with the language they use for themselves.
Read the full review on my blog, A Thousand Worlds.
I had to read this entire book before I realised it's written by the author of The Tea Master and the Detective, the Sherlock retelling I've been meaning to read.
In The Vanishers' Palace is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast where Beauty is a scholar and the Beast is a spirit dragon that lives in a Palace impossible to understand. Also, they're both women.
This was a brilliantly written novel with fantastically visual descriptions, although it made my head spin sometimes. The world and the culture whose mythology its based on was very unfamiliar and sometimes I felt like I was lacking some basic knowledge to really understand, but I still enjoyed becoming familiar.
The book has two major nonbinary side characters, but that is not the only reason why it's nonbinary-friendly. Nobody's gender in this book is assumed by their appearance, and they are only referred to with gendered terms once they established it with the language they use for themselves.
Read the full review on my blog, A Thousand Worlds.
This book was beautiful in every way.
First, the art. If the beautiful cover wasn't enough, the background to every poem is a picture of stars, galaxies and space stuff.
The poems themselves tell a coherent story about two goddesses making stars and galaxies, and also having... relationship problems that are surprisingly human?! The poems are all about a similar topic and yet different, I never got bored while reading them, even though I usually find collections repetitive.
All in all, I loved this and I'm kind of tempted to get a print copy.
First, the art. If the beautiful cover wasn't enough, the background to every poem is a picture of stars, galaxies and space stuff.
The poems themselves tell a coherent story about two goddesses making stars and galaxies, and also having... relationship problems that are surprisingly human?! The poems are all about a similar topic and yet different, I never got bored while reading them, even though I usually find collections repetitive.
All in all, I loved this and I'm kind of tempted to get a print copy.
(Note: I bought this book with my own money, and then downloaded it from NetGalley too because why not.)
review queued on blog for tomorrow, will post it here after.
review queued on blog for tomorrow, will post it here after.
[[relationship spoilers for Chameleon Moon and a little for The Lifeline Signal. no story spoilers.]
I listed a couple of warnings here, but the book actually has a list of content warnings at the beginning]]
this book was three things
1) an emotional roller coaster, o u c h
2) the most polyamorous book I've ever read (seriously, just look at all the ships in my notes)
3) perfect.
Thought And Memory: Liam/Ash. listen. I love Liam and he deserves nice things and this is so beautiful but also kills me because of the last story. (best read after The Library Ghost, which I re-read just before this.)
Recognition: Rose/Danae/Evelyn story! I think this is the only one they actually appear in, which is a little strange? But it's wonderful and pure.
Words: Jay/Regan story with Rowan being supportive, which is just amazing and made my polyamory-loving heart sing. not to mention that Jay and Regan are my absolute favourite characters.
Life Returns: Rowan/Zilch story! I'm really curious to find out how the two of them got together, but this little cute story about an everyday interaction was perfect.
Happening Again: starts out with Jay/Regan cuteness. then it's not cute anymore. send help. [tw for torture]
Withdrawal: very emotionally heavy and definitely not one of my favourites, but has great Zilch/Rowan/Regan dynamic and backstory. [tw for drug addiction and withdrawal]
Different People: Regan/Rowan story about them getting together. so much sweetness.
Always Be You: another Regan/Rowan story, this one about navigating similar but slightly different asexual identities, consent, and wondering how the heck to tell if you experience sexual attraction at all. relatable.
Stitches: Zilch/Finn story and they're both perfect.
Memento Ignis: wonderful backstory about both Annie and Ash with Annie's autism explored at one point, but listen, whose idea was it to put this right before the next one?
You're Not Going That Way: can RoAnna stop doing this thing where the story starts with cute banter (and ribbing Ash about Liam~) and then it rips my entire heart out and steps on it
I listed a couple of warnings here, but the book actually has a list of content warnings at the beginning]]
this book was three things
1) an emotional roller coaster, o u c h
2) the most polyamorous book I've ever read (seriously, just look at all the ships in my notes)
3) perfect.
Thought And Memory: Liam/Ash. listen. I love Liam and he deserves nice things and this is so beautiful but also kills me because of the last story. (best read after The Library Ghost, which I re-read just before this.)
Recognition: Rose/Danae/Evelyn story! I think this is the only one they actually appear in, which is a little strange? But it's wonderful and pure.
Words: Jay/Regan story with Rowan being supportive, which is just amazing and made my polyamory-loving heart sing. not to mention that Jay and Regan are my absolute favourite characters.
Life Returns: Rowan/Zilch story! I'm really curious to find out how the two of them got together, but this little cute story about an everyday interaction was perfect.
Happening Again: starts out with Jay/Regan cuteness. then it's not cute anymore. send help. [tw for torture]
Withdrawal: very emotionally heavy and definitely not one of my favourites, but has great Zilch/Rowan/Regan dynamic and backstory. [tw for drug addiction and withdrawal]
Different People: Regan/Rowan story about them getting together. so much sweetness.
Always Be You: another Regan/Rowan story, this one about navigating similar but slightly different asexual identities, consent, and wondering how the heck to tell if you experience sexual attraction at all. relatable.
Stitches: Zilch/Finn story and they're both perfect.
Memento Ignis: wonderful backstory about both Annie and Ash with Annie's autism explored at one point, but listen, whose idea was it to put this right before the next one?
You're Not Going That Way: can RoAnna stop doing this thing where the story starts with cute banter (and ribbing Ash about Liam~) and then it rips my entire heart out and steps on it
This is an adorable book about a cat who turns into a young woman, a shy journalist, and all the cats of the city who help uncover the secrets of a horrible man. I read it for the second time in one sitting and I am still rating it 5 stars.
Sigh.
I loved how this book started out: a beach romance between a 20-something and a 40-something woman, both with complex backstories and personalities. I also liked how the younger woman was just figuring out her sexuality, her reaction when she finally said it out loud, and all of that.
Then it did that thing romance novels do where after a certain point it's nothing but a series of sex scenes, and I was bored to death.
I'm still rating it 4 stars instead of 3 because it referenced my favourite joke from Ellen's Puppy Episode.
All in all, if you don't mind sex scenes then this was a good book, but for me it was just too much.
I loved how this book started out: a beach romance between a 20-something and a 40-something woman, both with complex backstories and personalities. I also liked how the younger woman was just figuring out her sexuality, her reaction when she finally said it out loud, and all of that.
Then it did that thing romance novels do where after a certain point it's nothing but a series of sex scenes, and I was bored to death.
I'm still rating it 4 stars instead of 3 because it referenced my favourite joke from Ellen's Puppy Episode.
All in all, if you don't mind sex scenes then this was a good book, but for me it was just too much.
Wait, what's this? A contemporary non-YA romance I actually enjoyed?! YES I DID. (and after the last few I read, that's a big thing.)
The Plus One was funny, engaging, and had just enough drama and feels. It was also the perfect length and didn't drag on too long. There's not much I can say about it without being spoilery, but it's a really cute and funny fake dating F/F romance with an awesome sister. Please read it.
The Plus One was funny, engaging, and had just enough drama and feels. It was also the perfect length and didn't drag on too long. There's not much I can say about it without being spoilery, but it's a really cute and funny fake dating F/F romance with an awesome sister. Please read it.
This book was November's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Efa and her friend Bettan are both selkies, and after Bettan's seal skin is taken, Efa sets out on a journey to find her friend and rescue her.
I have to admit, I didn't enjoy this book too much. It certainly had its positives - the almost all-female cast and the parts about the sirens were great, but the second half of the book was physically painful to read at some points.
Thing is, this book is supposed to be a calling out for rape culture by using the selkies as a metaphor, but 1) that makes it much heavier and frustrating read than I expected, 2) I don't actually think that it's doing a very good job at calling out rape culture and heteronormativity. The main character is horrified at her friend being taken and nobody else taking it seriously, but even she still holds many heteronormative and ignorant views that are not properly challenged in the book.
I am slightly more forgiving to its faults because it's a first book in a planned series, which means both the main character and the main f/f relationship have time to grow, and hopefully they will. But as a standalone book, Eelgrass wouldn't have received more than 3 stars from me.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Efa and her friend Bettan are both selkies, and after Bettan's seal skin is taken, Efa sets out on a journey to find her friend and rescue her.
I have to admit, I didn't enjoy this book too much. It certainly had its positives - the almost all-female cast and the parts about the sirens were great, but the second half of the book was physically painful to read at some points.
Thing is, this book is supposed to be a calling out for rape culture by using the selkies as a metaphor, but 1) that makes it much heavier and frustrating read than I expected, 2) I don't actually think that it's doing a very good job at calling out rape culture and heteronormativity. The main character is horrified at her friend being taken and nobody else taking it seriously, but even she still holds many heteronormative and ignorant views that are not properly challenged in the book.
I am slightly more forgiving to its faults because it's a first book in a planned series, which means both the main character and the main f/f relationship have time to grow, and hopefully they will. But as a standalone book, Eelgrass wouldn't have received more than 3 stars from me.
This book was May 2018's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicbookclub.
Note: I wrote this review in January 2018, I'm just reposting it for the book club.
**
I received a copy through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read on my blog.
Ardulum is truly a sci-fi story - not just humans vaguely in space, but many developed alien species. For me, the strongest aspect of the book was worldbuilding, especially the different aliens. I loved how they didn't have the same binary gender system as humans do - one species for example has three genders, and another one has only one gender where all members use the same nonbinary pronoun. (According to the author bio, she is nonbinary and uses she/her pronouns, so it's even #ownvoices for that aspect!) I also loved other unique aspects of the cultures other than gender, for example all members of a species sharing the same name.
A unique and surprisingly clever part was the quote before every single chapter - from a radio broadcast, from a protest, from an in-world document... I feel like these quotes helped make the world feel real, show that it goes on even outside our protagonists.
Unfortunately, there were also some parts where all the foreign words and the explanation of the Ardulans' powers (all that talk of cellulose and chemical bonds) went over my head and I found it difficult to visualise what was happening, but I suppose that's my own personal problem.
I also had some complicated feelings about the metamorphosis in one of the species - I understand that they are alien beings and thus work differently, but it was still strange to see a character who was referred to as "child" for 80% of the book suddenly act and be treated like an adult while basically no time passed for anyone else.
Overall, I'd say that I loved the creative worldbuilding and the myths surrounding the vanishing planet of Ardulum. The plot felt boring at times and there were parts that were confusing or vaguely uncomfortable to read, but there wasn't really anything I hated about this book.
The book ended in a place with a lot of open questions, so I am curious to see what the sequel makes of this!
(That being said, if you see it being labelled "Lesbian" on Goodreads and go in with those expectations, you may be disappointed because there really isn't a mention of the main character's sexuality in this first book.)
My rating: ★★★★☆
Note: I wrote this review in January 2018, I'm just reposting it for the book club.
**
I received a copy through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read on my blog.
Ardulum is truly a sci-fi story - not just humans vaguely in space, but many developed alien species. For me, the strongest aspect of the book was worldbuilding, especially the different aliens. I loved how they didn't have the same binary gender system as humans do - one species for example has three genders, and another one has only one gender where all members use the same nonbinary pronoun. (According to the author bio, she is nonbinary and uses she/her pronouns, so it's even #ownvoices for that aspect!) I also loved other unique aspects of the cultures other than gender, for example all members of a species sharing the same name.
A unique and surprisingly clever part was the quote before every single chapter - from a radio broadcast, from a protest, from an in-world document... I feel like these quotes helped make the world feel real, show that it goes on even outside our protagonists.
Unfortunately, there were also some parts where all the foreign words and the explanation of the Ardulans' powers (all that talk of cellulose and chemical bonds) went over my head and I found it difficult to visualise what was happening, but I suppose that's my own personal problem.
I also had some complicated feelings about the metamorphosis in one of the species - I understand that they are alien beings and thus work differently, but it was still strange to see a character who was referred to as "child" for 80% of the book suddenly act and be treated like an adult while basically no time passed for anyone else.
Overall, I'd say that I loved the creative worldbuilding and the myths surrounding the vanishing planet of Ardulum. The plot felt boring at times and there were parts that were confusing or vaguely uncomfortable to read, but there wasn't really anything I hated about this book.
The book ended in a place with a lot of open questions, so I am curious to see what the sequel makes of this!
(That being said, if you see it being labelled "Lesbian" on Goodreads and go in with those expectations, you may be disappointed because there really isn't a mention of the main character's sexuality in this first book.)
My rating: ★★★★☆