simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)

There's a lot to love here, and the romance is just one thing. When Viola faked her death to start living as a woman, she gained her freedom to be herself, but she lost her title, her land, and her position in society, not to mention her best friend. I liked the way she had to adjust to essentially being a stranger in her own family and home (while also being supported and loved by her family!), and also adjust to her status in society dropping by a lot. Because how could a lady's companion deserve a Duke?

Gracewood has his own problems. He was not only abused by his father, but generally raised to be cold and unfeeling, and put his duty first. This - and society's expectations - make it very hard for him to be a good brother, no matter how much he wants it. He also struggles with PTSD in a time when it is mostly just known as "cowardice".

Miranda is a delight.

I admit there were some scenes towards the end (like a certain drawn-out fight scene) that I found awkward and unnecessary, and if that was supposed to be the sequel bait, then I'm a bit wary about this alleged sequel. 

This book was made available by the author on NetGalley for an honest review.

Years ago I read Amanda Lovelace's debut poetry collection. I liked some of the concepts, but it didn't truly resonate with me. Still, it's been a long time and nine other poetry books since then, so I decided to give it another go and see if we can find common ground. Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Poetry is hard to review because it's even more subjective than prose. I also recognize that this book of poems was personal and probably cathartic for the author to write, and that comes across pretty obviously. The overall message/theme is that of self-love, confidence, and not caring what others think of you. And also killing your enemies with kindness. And also being happy in your fat body (those were actually some of my favorite poems).

But I didn't vibe with it. I'm definitely not a purist who says that "true" poetry must rhyme or have a fixed structure, but I do expect some kind of rhythm or musicality. Often these poems felt to me like simple, a bit clichéd sentences with line breaks. I couldn't truly feel either the poetry or the originality, and after this book I think it's better for both of us if I accept that Amanda Lovelace doesn't write poetry I personally resonate with.

I liked the illustrations at the beginning and end of the book, though.

I'm like 20 years late to this series. Earth is being invaded by aliens, and the only ones who know about them and can fight against them are five kids. That nobody believes, obviously. Thankfully, they can turn into animals! But that comes with its own drawbacks, horror and complications. I liked that when morphing, they actually get the animal's mind so to speak, which leads to some struggle with their own bodies.

Maybe not objectively perfect, but pretty much what I needed. Kind of like a trans wish fulfillment. Kieran is a young trans guy who has long hair, a high voice, and sadly forced to be in girl mode for one of his two jobs, so he's not having a great time. And yet, he manages to get together with a hot, sexy older bisexual guy who stands up for him at work and corrects people about his pronouns and wants to make him comfortable! Like, I don't know man, I wish someone did that for me.

Also Seth is just really sweet and I liked him. And he has a cat named Dragon.

 Aranyos, vicces napló Erzsébettől, a saját stílusában, ami macskához méltóan nagyon drámai. Mert a tonhalnál nincs fontosabb. Némelyik fejezet kevésbé tetszett, de a Star Warsos volt a kedvencem. 

This book was made available on NetGalley by the publisher. This is my honest review.

Just Like Queen Esther is a picture book about a young Jewish trans girl, Atara, who always wears her crown to feel confident and remind people that she is a girl. She is empowered by the story of Queen Esther, a Jewish heroine who also wore her crown all the time.

I really liked the mention of the meaning of Atara's name, and how she chose the name for herself. I feel like the story of Queen Esther was very simplified even for a children's book, and maybe there could have been a couple more sentences, but that's my only complaint. The illustrations are colorful and cheerful, and Atara learns to be even more confident in herself.

I liked this better than the previous one. Kai gets kidnapped, so Irene must deal with fae and dragons, befriend (?) some young fae and use the power of stories to get the job done all on her own. (Mostly.) I liked the worldbuilding and the way stories and narratives work around the fae, as well as the little rules they have to follow even among each other.

The publisher made an ARC of this available on NetGalley. This is my honest review.

A trope-y, comedic Christmas second chance romance with winter-y shenanigans, being snowed in, and a singles competition. With a cast that is almost entirely queer, which is really kind of refreshing.

Brighton and Charlotte have been friends since they were 12, dating since they were 17, and engaged to be married... until Brighton doesn't show up on their wedding day. Five years of silence later, they meet by accident when their respective friends invite them to a Christmas-y getaway.

Here's the thing: it's hard to read a romance book when I have zero sympathy for one of the characters. Sure, Brighton had her own reasons for leaving Charlotte standing at the altar alone, but those reasons didn't really justify the humiliation and heartbreak for me. It didn't help that once they met again, it was Brighton who started out with the passive aggressive comments at dinner in front of everyone. Like, girl, you don't have the moral high ground, you just look like an asshole.

For those reasons it took me at least half the book to really come around to Brighton and root for them to be together. Thankfully there were other factors that saved the book for me - mostly Charlotte's arc to become a better friend, and her fascinating December curse. I also liked Brighton's side-plot with the former members of her music band, and the story of the song she wrote for Charlotte.

In summary, I had some issues with Brighton's behavior, but it was still an enjoyable, comedic and heartfelt wintery read. With a lot of cheery queers.

Self-care actions that seem simple but can be very hard. It didn't have much new for me as I've followed social media about self-care, but the illustrations are the best.