starrysteph's Reviews (471)

A sharp and dark recollection of two sisters who kill their uncle - featuring a cheeky narrative voice, lots of 80s culture, and girls who feel like they are split in two.

Georgie Ayyar and Agatha Krishna live in rural Wyoming with their mom, their mostly-at-work dad, and now 3 members of their extended family who just moved from India. The sisters soon realize that their uncle Vinny must die. And Georgie blames the British, her Indian-American identity and history, and a whole lot more that slowly starts to unravel.

The story is told partially in second person and partially in first, and hops around time a bit, with Georgie sometimes offering up future knowledge. We know from the start that their uncle will die, but we don’t know how or why. And this book is about so much more than a murder.

It’s about trauma and sisterhood and how you might segment yourself in order to survive. It’s filled with classic pop magazine quizzes and 80s references and the agony of becoming a teenager. It’s about the power of language and what it means to exist as an Indian-American in Wyoming in 1986. 

Georgie’s voice is SO strong and I felt her emotions at every moment. The prose is specific, heightened in a very tween way, and (sometimes sneakily) quite deep. The mixed media aspects (mostly quizzes, with some listicles that Georgie creates) are brilliant and helped me process each staggering moment alongside Georgie.

This book was honestly not at all what I expected, but I’m very glad I picked it up.

CW: rape, murder, death, child abuse, incest, eating disorder, fatphobia, racism, xenophobia, pedophilia, animal cruelty, animal death

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

Oh my GOD this has to be one of the weirdest, trippiest, unsettling things I’ve ever read. I’m obsessed I think?

It’s love as ferality and obsession. It’s the danger of tipping yourself way too far over to please and placate others. It’s the desire to consume and tuck things away solely for you. It’s exploitation and hauntings and magic and rot and descents into madness.

We’re following a group of young witches: sisters Vanity and Arrogance, Ellis, and Clover. They live on the grounds of the Museum - with visitors gawking at them in their cottages through one-way mirrors - and know that when their parents die, they will be led back to the Machine to unlock their types of magic and take over as Spectacles.

The Museum staff keep them isolated from the outside world and from each other in order to control them, keep them as sane as possible, and prevent them from unleashing the apocalypse. But the witches begin to form a coven, and as their obsessions and relationships deepen, their ability to access magic might just unlock.

The storytelling is nonlinear and very stream-of-consciousness. Seeing through Vanity’s eyes was a visceral experience into psychosis. You know as a reader that she can’t possibly be reliable, but you have to do your best to glean what you can from her desperation and hope and loneliness. 

This is a story that’s more about vibes and experience and metaphor than plot. Things are revealed and there are major happenings, but nothing is ever tied in a bow or patiently explained. If you need facts and conclusions, this won’t be the book for you.

While the Museum witches live a life of exploited luxury, other witches exist in the horrifying Sanitorium. They live in coma-like states while their essence is drawn out to create world-altering drugs. Truly - each part of this world is uniquely grotesque while also feeling just a few shades away from parts of our current reality. 

The Coven Tendency is so strikingly luscious and unique. I ate up every bit of prose and I feel like this book consumed me as much as I consumed it. This speaks to spectacle and objectification and bodies as nasty, rotting things. 

Zoe Hana Mikuta, I’m ready and waiting for whichever way you decide to fuck me up next. Carve into me!!

 

CW: cannibalism, gore, body horror, suicide, death (parent), eating disorder, confinement, self harm, toxic relationships, mental illness, drug abuse, gaslighting, animal death, psychosis, murder, blood, car accident, child abuse, cultural appropriation

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

An anthology filled with magical stories by trans authors? Give me 500 of ‘em! 

Like any anthology, some of these stories were impactful & brilliant & clever & creative and others were a bit more forgettable. I’m taking note of several authors with standout tales so that I can hopefully continue to follow their work.

I was a bit disappointed in the lack of diversity across these stories. I wanted to hear from a much broader range of voices and highlight different sorts of main characters and stories with all sorts of themes and tones. But anthologies are never perfect, and I’m happy I picked this one up.

 

CW: transphobia, body horror, misgendering, suicide

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

Vanishing World is a fascinating, uncomfortable, and at times quite disturbing look into what we consider normal, intimacy & sex, family & love, and adaptation into societal expectations we may not understand.

Amane lives in a world where sex is simply unnecessary. Marriage is a partnership (it would be considered incestous to be romantically interested in your spouse) and children are brought into the world through artificial insemination. People do have lovers (some from fictional tv shows and some in real life), but sex is just an oddity from the past.

Amane’s mother pushes back against this society, and Amane pushes back against her mother, though she fears sexual desire will follow her like a curse. And when Amane and her husband Saku decide to try to live in Experiment City, where partnerships are completely devolved, Amane has no idea if her strangeness is intrinsic or if she can accept this new normal. 

It’s not a subtle read. The writing is simple and straightforward, and so is the commentary. I was pondering so much about what we consider strange and what we consider healthy, and how alienating it is to be a woman pushing back against expectations in any way. There are intriguing (but not necessarily new) takes on the treatment of men vs. women (especially in a world where male pregnancy is possible), romance, parenthood, and intimacy.

The first two thirds felt a bit disjointed from the swing into chaos of the final act, and I was ready to spiral a lot sooner. I understood the intention and rhythm of the opening, but it just became a little too repetitive. 

The ending escalates very suddenly, and if you are sensitive to any of the content warnings I listed below, be wary. 

While I’m not sure this story pushed the envelope in any new ways, the premise was wholly original. I was engaged and curious the whole way through and enjoyed chewing on these endlessly complicated questions.

 

CW: pregnancy, pedophilia, rape, medical content, body horror, child abuse, suicide attempt, kidnapping, child loss, vomit, infertility, descriptive sexual content

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

A really clear & compassionate breakdown of American patriarchy, all the insidious ways it harms intersecting communities, and how we can think about restructuring our future. I appreciated the call to action and hopeful tone towards the end, and Anna Malaika Tubbs prompts us to shout about how it doesn’t have to be this way.

I thought the structure was very organized which made it easy (ish? it is quite emotionally heavy of course) to digest. There were several bits of information that surprised me along the way. 

Just a handful of quotes that resonated with me:

CW: mentions of death, murder, sexism, misogyny, racism, ableism, antisemitism, police brutality, gun violence, mass shootings, body shaming, rape, xenophobia

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

I love it when a book leaves me thoroughly unsettled – and The Unmapping was a fascinating, character-driven ride through a city in crisis.

Our story takes place in New York City, where at precisely 4 a.m. each morning, every building is rearranged instantaneously. People are panicked and missing, power and water and necessities are uncertain, and nobody knows why this is happening or how to stop it.

Esme and Arjun are both part of the Emergency Management team and are sent into the fray. But Esther’s distracted by her missing fiance, and Arjun is distracted by his desire to be recognized as a hero. With politicians scrambling and red cloak cults emerging, nobody knows how to best help the city. And Esme, Arjun, and the rest of an ensemble cast find themselves reflecting on their own lives and figuring out how to face this strange new world.

The response to the fictional Unmapping feels like a blend of real life responses to climate change and the pandemic. There are those living in denial, frustrating bureaucratic red tape, and overwhelming amounts of anxiety from everyone. It’s a fascinating thought experiment and I was left with so much to chew on. How would any of us respond to something so unmooring? 

Esme and Arjun can be tricky main characters because they’re not necessarily people I would want to be friends with – but I adored reading about them. Esme falls into people-pleasing (people-worshipping, really) patterns again and again, and I was so ready to watch her find a voice and a spine. And strike out on her own, because her relationship was rotten from both ends. And Arjun needed to work through his desire to be loved and his bit of a savior complex, but he’s surprisingly self aware.

I enjoyed the witty & wry voice and found myself giggling pretty frequently. The narration bops around and there are a lot of single arcs. Many of the single-chapter characters do appear again by the end, and I do recommend reading this book in a short time frame (unless you have a way stronger short term memory than I do). 

I wasn’t totally in love with the ending, because I felt some aspects were wrapped up too neatly while others were left completely unfinished and I was craving a bit more information (not necessarily closure). But overall I really enjoyed the concept, the narrative voice, and the reflections this offered.

CW: death, mental illness, drug, grief, religious bigotry, panic attacks, toxic relationship, suicide, gun violence, car accident

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

I’m always in the mood for a grief-turned-revenge story - and when it’s set in space? That’s just another bonus.

In Death Among the Stars, we’re following Kyra. Her husband, the alien captain of a galactic crew and an impressive spaceship, was murdered.

Kyra feels broken and empty, but her husband left the entire ship to her. Feeling numb, she shrugs and leaves Earth for good with her new crew. Slowly they start to help her heal … and get revenge on the killers so that she can head towards the future.

This really feels like the pilot episode of a TV series. It’s a little over 100 pages long and perfectly sets up the story, but there’s a large and vulnerable focus on Kyra’s grief and how she feels unable to move on and live without a partner. We do get a first (very fun) chunk of action towards the end, and I’m definitely excited to consume more of this story and these characters, but I just want to prepare anyone who picks this one up to anticipate slower pacing.

Kyra’s journey through grief is heart-wrenchingly relatable, and she’s sitting in a place of detachment from reality. She can’t process this sudden shift in her world and imagine a future without her husband in it. She’s sometimes a bit cold to those surrounding her, but bit by bit she opens back up.

I’m confident that there’s so much going on behind the scenes that we as readers don’t yet know, and I’m excited to find out.

CW: murder, death, grief, violence, drug abuse, vomit

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

(3.75 ⭐) If you want a sparkling world with dangerous underwater seadragons, magical tattoo animal companions, and a protagonist who cares deeply about preserving and protecting nature, you’ll love Dragonfruit.

Hanalei has grown up orphaned & in exile from her home island. Her father stole a seadragon egg meant for the princess - one that can undo your greatest sorrow - and used it to awaken her from a poisonous coma. She’s made a life for herself studying seadragons, until she gets a rare chance to return home.

Sam, the son of the princess and the last prince of Tamarind, was one of Hanalei’s best childhood friends. He’ll do anything to help his mother recover, and has been searching for dragon eggs ever since Hana left. 

The two soon reconcile and search for the dragonfruit together, but with every granted wish comes a great cost. And they’re not the only ones following the seadragons.

This is a brilliant world, steeped in magic and inspired by Pacific Islander culture and mythology. The sea and the ferocious yet mysterious dragons leapt off the page, and I was fascinated by the colorful and unique uses of magic special to Tamarind. 

I think Hanalei and Sam are both compelling main characters. Hanalei grew up surrounded by trauma, and while she’s had to be tough, she never loses her compassion. Her homecoming is filled with new nature-based wisdom, and she cares very deeply about the seadragons and all they represent.

And Sam - even though he’s got a community around him - feels a bit forlorn and alone. He longs to explore the world like most young adults in his culture do, but he’s forced to mature and stick around because of the responsibility to his people. He’s also quite gentle and caring, but not a pushover of a leader. 

There are big lessons here around respecting nature and ensuring that we behave as part of a cycle. Hanalei studies the seadragons and views them as living creatures and not things to rip apart for money or thoughtless monsters, but she also kills when it is necessary to protect the balance of life or protect her loved ones. 

I do think some of the worldbuilding was a bit shallow, and there’s a reveal at the end around the dragonfruit that felt like it opened up some plot holes for the rest of the story. I also wished for a fuller arc with the dragoners - they were foreigners who were brutalizing the natural order, and though one specific pirate ship is the main villain, I would have loved to see a challenge to ALL the dragoners towards the end of the story. Same with the child labor plotline!

There’s also a very rough animal death scene which felt unusually dark compared to the tone of the rest of the book. If you’re sensitive to animal cruelty, this may be a tough read overall. It was jarring to me because I would actually describe a good chunk of this book as bright & happy & cozy.

Lastly, the pacing was a bit uneven at times, with the end feeling quite rushed. I loved this world and all of its characters, and didn’t feel like all of their stories were given a properly full conclusion.

But overall - I really enjoyed this story! I’ll definitely be following Makiia Lucier and reading whatever is next.

CW: death (parent), murder, graphic animal death, animal cruelty, violence, blood, injury, kidnapping, grief, chronic illness, vomit, fire, confinement, colonization, fire, injury

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Young girls are supposed to tremble before gods - but it’s much better when those in power open their ears and learn from those who see the most. The Maid and the Crocodile is an absolutely exquisite edition to the world of the Raybearer duology.

Small Sade has aged out of the orphanage, and she’s hoping to live a safe and simple life as a maid. She just needs employers to accept her vitiligo and the fact that she walks with a cane. But then she accidentally stumbles into the lair of a dangerous & powerful god the commoners call the Crocodile, and binds their fates.

There’s more to the Crocodile than meets the eye, and he warns Sade that he’s cursed. He’s just trying to complete the revolution he started before his beastly transformation is complete – but Sade is a Curse Eater, perhaps the only person who could help change his future, and the future of everyone in Oluwan City.

Jordan Ifueko has made my jaw drop with yet another incredibly moving, expansive, and boundary-breaking story. I loved that this standalone flipped the narrative so that we got to hear from a commoner instead of a ruler, and it shifted my perspective around some of the original events. While the story technically works as a standalone, you will miss out tremendously if you don’t read the Raybearer duology before diving into it. 

Some topics & themes covered include the power in making your own choices (whatever they may be), worker revolutions, interrogating the costs of revolution & the necessity of being a part of and actively working for the community you want to help, domestic abuse cycles, and disability justice. Sade is disabled, and the ways in which she learns to demand accessibility and question why she is excluded from places that are supposed to be safe and welcoming to all is so beautifully done. Why did the map at the back of the book make me SO darn emotional?? 

Sade also learns the difference between hard work that is exploitative and hard work that comes alongside the joy of creating something and making a difference. Though she starts off in a place where she feels like she needs to be as small as possible in order to avoid harming others, she learns that there’s love in both the simple things and in pushing back against the way things are. All Sade wants is a quiet existence and a community, and it’s beautiful to watch her stay true to that while also shedding a lot of guilt and fear. In the end, nobody is allowed to make any choices FOR her, whether they think they have her best interests in mind or not (which is a frustrating situation you find yourself in again and again when you’re disabled). 

There’s a romantic subplot here, but really it’s just the start of their relationship (and we can only imagine what happens after the bounds of this story). I loved the ways in which they challenged each other and expanded the other’s vision and understanding of their world. 

This world! It’s so good. It’s a vibrant and detailed place that continues to expand - even though this book travels a lot less, we still learn so much more about the culture. The rules of magic are pretty vague, but the messaging and metaphors are brilliant. I particularly loved the descriptions of spirit silt that Sade sees and cleans. 

If you enjoy a disabled narrator with an arc that will warm your heart, social change & imagining healed communities, and a sweet found family, you’ll adore this. While many of the topics are heavy, the tone overall is lighthearted and things are kept simple enough for any young reader to understand. It ends with so much heart and hope that it feels like a little beacon of light and warmth in the darkness of our current reality.

Also, if you love a (minor) animal sidekick, Clemeh the gecko WILL steal your heart. 

CW: death (parent), ableism, classism, sexism, injury, pregnancy, self harm, body shaming, homophobia, grief, body horror, religious bigotry, vomit

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A Forbidden Alchemy is a fantastical story of class war with a simmering romance that started in childhood. It explores the costs of revolution, home & family, and how your loyalty is determined, stretched, and altered.

Nina and Patrick come from mining towns and meet at the magical aptitude test every 12 year old is invited to take. In their society, you’re deemed either an Artisan or a Craftsman. Artisans wield powerful magic and live in grand Belavere City, studying in a fancy private school, whereas Craftsman are physical laborers, mining materials essential for magic.

The two kids accidentally uncover a devastating secret about the Artisan test, and both make very different decisions about their futures. But this spark of truth ignites a Craftsman revolution, and they cross paths once again many years later on opposing sides of the war. Patrick will do anything to protect his people, and  Nina must decide where her loyalties lie once and for all.

This is a fascinating world and I was immediately immersed. The grittiness, pain, and community of the mining towns, the sting and cycle of addiction when your world is fear & pain, and the uppity society of Artisans who are terrified of losing their power but also want to remain exclusive … it’s all so good.

These characters are TRULY morally gray, and their ethics and alliances shift and swirl. Both Patrick and Nina make unsavory decisions, and my heart was often pounding as a reader because I had no idea which way Nina was going to sway next. 

Patrick & Nina’s romance is compelling and believable, and I was rooting for them while also feeling like it was impossible to give them a happy ending. 

This ends on SUCH a cliffhanger and I’m eager to see what happens next!

CW: death, mass death, murder, war, classism, abandonment, addiction, sexual content

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)