simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)

Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters

Aimee Ogden

5.0

emotional slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Atuale left the sea years ago to be with her lover, and now she must go to the stars to save him. With her ex. Who is a traveling Witch.

I love the worldbuilding in this one. Over the long years, humans got their genes modified into people that don't even seem like the same species anymore, but they still refer to themselves as humans, or human variants. Even if they have scales or fur or feathers. Also, the seadwelling subspecies can change sex under certain conditions. Since this is a feature of their species, it's not really being trans the way we understand it, but the way Yanja speaks about finally being in the right skin definitely feels like it.

I read this a long time ago and forgot enough of it that the ending hit me in the feels twice. That little italicized last bit is my favorite part of the whole thing. Sun-daughters, sea-daughters, indeed.

Content Warnings

The Longest Night

E.E. Ottoman

5.0

hopeful relaxing

This story awakened something Yearning in me. Seriously, please give me all the romances where both parties are trans men. This is a really soft and beautiful holiday romance, with some smut that uses affirming language.

Hot Rabbi

Aviva Blakeman

4.0

Spoiler alert: The rabbi was hot.

In the Shadow of Spindrift House

Mira Grant

4.5

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was beautifully written and beautifully dark, as everything Mira Grant is. I loved it, although it kinda missed the mark for me with the ending, but that's a me thing.

The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex

Tamsyn Muir

4.0

this was an interesting story about the characters I like, but it kinda made me feel even sadder :(

Gideon, a Kilencedik

Tamsyn Muir

4.5

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A bit too tragic for my fluff-loving heart, but very good. Harrow and Gideon are perfect from beginning to end.

Silver in the Wood

Emily Tesh

4.5

mysterious medium-paced

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

this went... in a completely different direction from what I expected. I loved it, but I'm mourning my own version a bit, I guess. I'll have to read the sequel to see if I really like this direction.

that being said, I really loved the world-building and the first half of the book. the dryads are great <3