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simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
A story of a faerie, a huntress, and the girl stuck between them. I loved the faerie lore and all the tales, and I loved Kaisa and Aisling. I was still disappointed by the ending, and I would have preferred if she didn't have to pick, but I suppose that wasn't possible.
tw: abuse (it's a Cinderella story, after all)
tw: abuse (it's a Cinderella story, after all)
I have the same problem with this as Orlando. it's under 200 pages, and yet I just struggle while reading it. I can't handle the writing style and have no interest in it. there were actually a few good parts, but the truth is - while this book must have been revolutionary when written, it doesn't really tell me anything new in 2018?
maybe one day I'll pick it up again, but for now I just have to accept Virginia Woolf is not for me.
maybe one day I'll pick it up again, but for now I just have to accept Virginia Woolf is not for me.
RoAnna is one of my favourite writers, so of course I'm going to read their tips for other writers!
Write Good Sh*t is great because it's written by a marginalised (queer, disabled) person, and while the tips in it can be useful for anyone, it centers other marginalised writers. It has tips on writing marginalised characters, sensitivity readers, publishing, advertising, writing while depressed/anxious/in pain/etc, and a bunch of other things.
This book doesn't deny that writing is hard, grueling, awful work, but it shows you while your effort is worth it. It simoultaneously made me want to run away screaming, and start working on a new book - even though I currently have no ideas or time to write one anyway.
The only thing I kind of disagree on the analysis of Regan and Jay in Runtime and how many people missed that they were together. When I was reading it, it was clear to me that they care about each other deeply, but... friends can do that, too? I'm not sure what the right solution here is, and I definitely don't think characters HAVE to kiss in order to show they are in a romantic relationship, but I don't think "let's recognise that romance isn't inherently superior to friendship and friends can have deep relationships" and "these characters deeply care about each other, so that signals they are boyfriends" works at the same time. Especially because orientations are so different and people's relationship needs are so different, I think it's important to use clear words to define how they feel about each other. Anyway, I'm just rambling here.
Write Good Sh*t is great because it's written by a marginalised (queer, disabled) person, and while the tips in it can be useful for anyone, it centers other marginalised writers. It has tips on writing marginalised characters, sensitivity readers, publishing, advertising, writing while depressed/anxious/in pain/etc, and a bunch of other things.
This book doesn't deny that writing is hard, grueling, awful work, but it shows you while your effort is worth it. It simoultaneously made me want to run away screaming, and start working on a new book - even though I currently have no ideas or time to write one anyway.
The only thing I kind of disagree on the analysis of Regan and Jay in Runtime and how many people missed that they were together. When I was reading it, it was clear to me that they care about each other deeply, but... friends can do that, too? I'm not sure what the right solution here is, and I definitely don't think characters HAVE to kiss in order to show they are in a romantic relationship, but I don't think "let's recognise that romance isn't inherently superior to friendship and friends can have deep relationships" and "these characters deeply care about each other, so that signals they are boyfriends" works at the same time. Especially because orientations are so different and people's relationship needs are so different, I think it's important to use clear words to define how they feel about each other. Anyway, I'm just rambling here.
Still deserves a spot among my favourite books. It presents mermaids in such a scientific yet easily understandable way that you could easily believe they exist somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, where no human being has explored. The character POVs are alive, and even the unlikeable ones have their own motivations that make sense internally. The mermaids are fascinating and scary, and the cast is diverse. Tory is bisexual and Olivia is autistic, but my favourites are the deaf twins and their hearing interpreter sibling, who really make you think about deaf culture and communication.
Home Improvement: Undead Edition
S.J. Rozan, Charlaine Harris, Melissa Marr, Victor Gischler, Rochelle Krich, James Grady, Toni L.P. Kelner, Simon R. Green, Patricia Briggs, Seanan McGuire, Heather Graham, E.E. Knight, Suzanne McLeod, Stacia Kane
(this rating and review is only for Through This House by Seanan McGuire. I might eventually listen to the other stories, but I don't like audiobooks that much, so probably not. sorry!)
4.5 stars, needs more Tybalt. Pushing May off cliffs will never stop being hilarious (SORRY MAY), and I love Quentin so much. Also, I always love when pixies are treated as the intelligent people they are, and it doesn't happen often enough. We need more Patrick POV stories for that reason, or at least Toby hanging with Patrick tbh.
4.5 stars, needs more Tybalt. Pushing May off cliffs will never stop being hilarious (SORRY MAY), and I love Quentin so much. Also, I always love when pixies are treated as the intelligent people they are, and it doesn't happen often enough. We need more Patrick POV stories for that reason, or at least Toby hanging with Patrick tbh.
I admit that I was 100% drawn to this story by the pretty cover, but the blurb intrigued me as well. This is a story of demons, goddesses, reincarnation, and magic. It is also the story of two women in love in a fantasy world, which we'll never have enough of.
Overall, I enjoyed this story, but - the info dump at the beginning was a little too much. Also, this was really just a short glimpse into the life of these characters, and it didn't quite manage to make me emotionally invested?
Overall, I enjoyed this story, but - the info dump at the beginning was a little too much. Also, this was really just a short glimpse into the life of these characters, and it didn't quite manage to make me emotionally invested?
things I liked:
- the main character's cheating wasn't justified by the narrative, even if he tried to justify it to himself
things I didn't like:
- the ending was just... too depressing. like, I wasn't expecting anything good, but yikes
- the last 40% of the ebook is an excerpt from another book of the author, which is such a cheap trick. if it was a short scene or something that's fine of course, but with 40% I just feel cheated.
eh. at least it was a quick read
- the main character's cheating wasn't justified by the narrative, even if he tried to justify it to himself
things I didn't like:
- the ending was just... too depressing. like, I wasn't expecting anything good, but yikes
- the last 40% of the ebook is an excerpt from another book of the author, which is such a cheap trick. if it was a short scene or something that's fine of course, but with 40% I just feel cheated.
eh. at least it was a quick read
3.5
I loved the first half, maybe, but there is a limit to how much angst I can take, and the ending went WAY past that in several ways. I'm still rating it 4 stars (rounded) because of all the good stuff, but... ugh. just please give October a proper break. and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want better for Simon. we couldn't have lost Amandine instead? really?
I loved the first half, maybe, but there is a limit to how much angst I can take, and the ending went WAY past that in several ways. I'm still rating it 4 stars (rounded) because of all the good stuff, but... ugh. just please give October a proper break. and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want better for Simon. we couldn't have lost Amandine instead? really?
I'm glad I read this right after the other one, because it healed my heart. There's twists, reveals, old shadows coming back, and finally, finally my wish for Gillian came true, even better than I would have imagined. (I still have a few more characters I need to be safe and happy, but hey, we're getting there.)
Snarky amateur detectives with magic and creative solutions are my favourites. Bonus points if they're queer.
note: this book has BDSM elements, but no sex scenes.
note: this book has BDSM elements, but no sex scenes.