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471 reviews by:
starrysteph
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Okay Melissa Blair!! A Shadow Crown starts RIGHT where A Broken Blade left off - and in my opinion, adds much more depth to the world and characters.
Keera is bound to serve the king as his Blade - his top killer and spy. But she’s secretly been working against him, with his youngest son Prince Killian and the Shadow, Riven (whom she may just be falling for). They’re conspiring to defeat the immortal ruler once and for all and bring safety back to the kingdom.
But not everyone is trustworthy, and plans are thwarted one by one. Keera has to protect her people, find a potential spy, and navigate the depths of her own grief while uncovering the truth of her own identity.
I appreciate how accessible and engaging this series is. I think Blair’s writing has already improved tremendously from book one, and the pacing worked perfectly for me here. The overall arc of A Shadow Crown is much slower than the action-packed A Broken Blade, but there were still interesting things happening during each bite-sized chapter. I particularly enjoyed some new side characters, including earnest librarian Vrail.
This readability allows for brilliant overarching themes such as colonization, racism, trauma & grief, addiction, identity, and so much more to be highlighted and ingrained in every aspect of the world and characters.
There were a few plot stumbles for me - mostly around Keera’s judgment and intellect (which I felt took a big dip here when compared with her decision-making in book one). I also felt like the writing was a bit awkward and clunky at times, and occasionally the tropey elements were overused without any clever subversions or fresh angles.
But there were so many captivating moments here - a few explosive battle scenes, but mostly a lot of emotional heart and growth and learning to live through loss and trauma.
And the ending?! I can’t wait for book three.
CW: colonization, death, violence, self harm, murder, grief, confinement, gore, war, injury, genocide, abuse, slavery, suicidal thoughts, torture, fire, abandonment, addiction, mental health, racism, sexual violence, sexual content
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
A slow-paced, thoughtful portrait that gives a legendary Chinese pirate real dimension & humanity.
After Shek Yeung witnesses the death of her ferocious pirate husband, she steps into his place and fights to maintain her power. But the seas are unforgiving, and the larger world is cracking down on piracy. She has to lead through shaky alliances, a clever nobleman purging pirates on behalf of the Chinese Emperor, and European enemies planning something terrible.
Shek Yeung is a real person, and in Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea, Rita Chang-Eppig pulls apart legendary feats and hyperbolic statements to show a thoughtful portrait of a leader. She’s clever, and she makes mistakes. She uses her power to alter the world, and she abuses her power in times of fear. She’s intent on forging a different path than the ones before her, but their ghosts haunt her.
I’m bummed that this book has been mismarketed - for instance, “riveting, roaring adventure novel” from the blurb isn’t quite accurate. There’s some action, and definitely tension, but this is not a fast-paced swashbuckling adventure. It’s a slow and sometimes-dense portrait.
Shek Yeung’s story is quite captivating. She’s ripped from her family and powerless at the beginning, and absorbs different styles of leadership as she grows up and takes control over her life back bit by bit. And when she has opportunities for freedom - she can’t quite give up all the power she has fought so desperately to have.
Chang-Eppig explores suffocating gender roles & societal expectations, love & family, leadership, and so much more. And that underneath legends - there are simply humans.
CW: murder, death, blood, violence, pregnancy, rape, trafficking, sexism, colonization, slavery, addiction, torture, war, grief
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An enjoyable thriller - part of a detective series, but can definitely be read as a standalone (I wasn’t confused jumping in here at all).
We’re following two homicide detectives - Bentz and Montoya - as they uneasily suspect that a serial killer has come back to haunt New Orleans. Father John, who disguised himself as a priest when he strangled his victims with a rosary, was left for dead years ago in a swamp. But his body was never recovered. So are these new crimes a copycat - or is he really back?
The other perspective in The Last Sinner is Kristi, Bentz’s daughter who has just suffered a terrible tragedy. Could this be Father John as well? Or is someone else targeting her because of her career writing true crime novels?
I enjoyed reading from Kristi’s perspective most of all - as she navigates fresh grief, takes in two adorable animals, and tries to keep herself safe while also not allowing her stalker to take over her life.
I also liked the New Orleans setting, particularly the scenes in the bayou (gators galore!).
The book did drag a bit (I honestly think 100 pages could have been cut and the plot wouldn’t have changed), and there were some repetitive moments. I also didn’t love the brief fatphobic framing of a minor character.
But overall, I was pretty engaged.
CW: murder, death, stalking, abuse, religious bigotry, blood, fatphobia, gore, drug use, gun violence, infidelity, kidnapping, grief, pregnancy
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
reflective
fast-paced
I appreciate Amanda Leduc’s earnestness and honesty in Disfigured; she shares candidly about her challenges and approaches the future of fairy tales with gentle optimism.
However, in my opinion it tends to read more like a meandering essay - a flow of thoughts - than a curated & edited book. I enjoyed the windows into her childhood and the thoughtful questions she posed to the readers the most. There are some great journal prompts in here, and some interesting observations.
Leduc is upfront about her limitations as a writer, but the scope of the book is incredibly narrow. It’s VERY lightly researched and includes a couple of quotes from friends in the disability space, but it really misses the mark in terms of offering any intersectionality at all. (This was especially apparent to me in segments regarding the appearances of villains.) We were teased by a couple of comments around sexism, but she didn’t go deeper there (and boy is there an intersection between ableism and sexism). Leduc also often brings a strict black and white framework to complicated issues.
I was confused by some of her arguments. Some were very broad, some made assumptions about the disability community as a whole (we’re not a monolith, c’mon now), and most if not all cherry-picked elements of a story while ignoring others (framing Ariel’s tail as her disability but not her mutism in The Little Mermaid, minimizing Game of Thrones characters - also, is GOT a fairytale? - also, she spoiled GOT big time lol, some inaccurate statements around the Marvel universe, etc.). There’s also a conflation of perceived ugliness with disability which I found confusing.
It didn’t seem carefully edited to me. There were several confusing transitions and lots of repetitiveness.
Ultimately, I found Disfigured to be an interesting read that lacked a lot of research. I appreciated its unapologetic challenge to Western fairy tales and the challenge to readers to start noticing these tropes and asking questions.
CW: ableism, ableist slurs, mention of Nazis, suicidal thoughts, mental illness
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challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
“At some point it is no longer a question of whether we can learn this history, but whether we have the collective will to reckon with it.”
How the Word is Passed is beautiful work - Clint Smith is such a thoughtful & observant writer and researcher.
Tracing the memories and present-day ripples of slavery within the US is an impossible project, considering history is messy and manipulated by the teller. The writing is relatively informal but well-researched; it feels approachable. At times Smith states facts plainly, and at times he weaves in (and gently but firmly interrogates) personal accounts. This created a compelling blend of memoir and more direct & academic styles.
I thought the framework of using specific places and landmarks as segments was clever. It kept my attention and also offered clear breaks to put the book down and digest everything that had happened so far. The descriptions were so good that I felt as though I could visualize the places I’ve never been.
The writing is lovely but still accessible, and I appreciated the insight into Smith’s thoughts and moments of personal reckoning. He’s insightful and attentive. He brings hidden stories to the forefront and redirects readers’ eyes to what is plainly in front of them.
It’s both fascinating and challenging to read about the different ways institutions (museums, monuments, etc.) frame and utilize history. I feel as though I was able to soak in the learnings here better than from other pieces of nonfiction, and I’m definitely left with a lot to ponder & journal about.
CW: descriptions of slavery, violent racism, lynching, segregation, death/murders, child abuse and death
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adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’m really really bummed that I wasn’t head over heels for this sapphic mermaid romance.
We’re following young mermaid Tallora. She’s captured from her home by the mercurial Princess Dauriel who presents her to her mother Empress Vahla in the hopes of finally gaining her approval. Tallora is tortured, mocked, and forced to be a pet for all the kingdom to see. But after an unexpected act from the god she worships, Tallora strikes up a strange alliance with Dauriel. And as politics get messier in the wider world, the two must learn to survive together (and maybe fall in love).
It’s totally possible that it may be an “it’s not the book, it’s me” thing here; I’m really picky about the romance books I enjoy.
I generally eat up enemies to lovers, but the shift from an INTENSE power imbalance to declarations of love gave me whiplash. Dauriel views Tallora as a beast, not a person – and that cold way of thinking can’t just shatter in an instant. The hatred to adoration moved so quickly that all interesting character growth was skipped & their relationship isn’t able to even out. One supporting character actually does mention the manipulation/power imbalance, but it’s only a sentence or two.
Tallora, girl, you HAVE to do better. She accepted her fate so easily, on all fronts! In regards to romance, I think I can see the intention here of building a relationship where someone has deep trauma and depression. It just doesn’t quite work when that person (Dauriel) - amidst their journey of healing themself - captures you with the intention to be sold into slavery/sex slavery and TORTURED. And the ability for any depth was limited by cheesy dialogue that felt like it was being plucked from a bucket of classic romance lines.
And the other elements that Tallora just sort of went with? She didn’t have nearly enough questions about land - she wasn’t really a deep thinker at all. For example, she took on feelings of shame around nudity instantly when we’d previously been told that showing your body was no biggie underwater. And there were sprinkles of potential body inclusivity that were unfortunately tossed aside.
One thing that is still gnawing at me is the framing of sex workers as people that need to be rescued - or to clarify a bit further, the muddled plot lines around the difference between being sold into sex slavery and choosing sex work.
And the ending just made me laugh. No spoilers, but it was a lazy “tie-it-with-a-bow” sort of deal, and it gave me lots of questions in regards to the plot and worldbuilding leading up to that point.
Anyway - points for interesting deities, sapphic mermaid vibes, and the potential of an interesting mental health arc. But this was ultimately a bit of a mess for me.
CW: kidnapping, torture, slavery, self harm, sexual harassment, mutilation, confinement, child abuse, suicide, death of parent, mentions of rape/sexual assault, attempted suicide, infertility, fatphobia
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Where Echoes Die is an intoxicating journey through grief & loss, family bonds, and the ferocity of missing someone so much you’d lose yourself to find peace.
(It’s like an awesome episode of Supernatural.)
Sisters Beck and Riley have been struggling since their mother’s sudden death, not sure how to move forward. When Beck finds a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting pointing towards a small Arizona town, the girls take off on a road trip hoping to find answers.
Backravel is … strange. The community members all seem a bit confused, the town is a baffling mix of fancy properties and military ruins, and the local leaders know more than they’re letting on. Beck can’t stop herself from investigating (just like her mom), but the more she uncovers, the deeper she entwines herself with this mystical, dangerous place.
It’s a story of grief, and the pain is ever-present. Beck and Riley mourn in different ways - not all of them healthy - and struggle to recalibrate to a world that has shifted and moved on without them.
Beck’s past is a punch in the gut. She’s done everything to keep her little family afloat, sacrificing her own potential hopes and needs. She’s only a teenager, but has balanced her family’s budget and watched out for both her mom and her little sister for years. Her journey of letting go of control and allowing herself to be cared for and protected is touching.
A major thread of the story is Beck’s growing relationship with town local Avery. It’s sweet and earnest and both of them break through cycles and fight to find each other.
The haunting vibrancy of the town came through right away. Gould is gifted at crafting characters and moments that feel ‘off’ and sinking pits in your stomach and off-kilter environments. It’s not a shocking story (in fact, I’d even call it predictable), but I felt as though that benefited the story. As a reader, I wanted to leap into the pages & rescue Beck & fill her in on everything she was too immersed in to truly see.
While there was a bit of clunkiness around the ending - and some of the supporting characters just felt like filler - I was so touched by this story. This one will definitely stick with me.
CW: death of a parent, grief, anxiety/panic attacks, vomit, gaslighting, emotional abuse, mental illness, memory loss/dementia, cancer, animal death, terminal illness, chronic illness, gun violence
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Get ready to send yourself into a tailspin as you try to unravel the truth in this fast-paced sci-fi thriller.
It’s hard to be an avid thriller reader when so many of the plots feel recycled – but I found The Deep Sky to be fresh, engaging, and anxiety-inducing (that’s a compliment).
Asuka is a skilled crew member of The Phoenix, a ship carrying eighty young graduates of EvenStar, an elite academy created by a wealthy augmented reality tech inventor. They’re meant to be humanity’s last hope: heading to Planet X and leaving environmentally-destroyed Earth in the dust.
All the crew has is each other (and their future generation of children). So when someone sets off a lethal bomb 11 years into their journey, nobody knows who they can really trust. Asuka - as the ship’s Alternate - takes on the investigation, but time is running out and the bomber may just try again.
The world-building is so well-done. Between the shifting world of tech, the complex political climate, the media frenzy that surrounds the young crew – it’s all captivating yet clearly laid out. And the stakes couldn’t be higher; the crew is fighting for their own survival, but also the survival of humanity.
The plot jumps back and forth through time. On one end, we’re following Asuka’s investigation of the terrorism on board. And that’s illuminated through past journeys: the crew’s training at EvenStar, Asuka’s strained relationship with her family, and the chain of circumstances that secured Asuka’s spot on The Phoenix.
I enjoyed exploring the themes of belonging, heritage, and imposter syndrome (there’s definitely an Among Us joke to be made here … someone should run with it). Different countries have selected representatives to populate Planet X, and Asuka is selected by Japan. She was mostly raised in the US and feels anxiety and doubt about her ability to claim Japan. Asuka also questions her abilities and her worth as a crew member - she’s loyal and honest and doesn’t puff herself up like some of her once-competitors and now-crewmates. There’s also some exploration of survivor’s guilt after the catastrophic bombing.
The relationships between crewmates were varied and complex, and there’s a really diverse set of characters here. The ship only launches with those who are able to bear children (mostly women, with some nonbinary and trans men characters as well) which created a fascinating dynamic. It was curious to me that everyone was totally cool and happy with expected pregnancy - when did they learn that aspect of the mission? Would that have been an interesting flashback scene?
I also wish that we’d been able to explore the onboard characters further within these 400 pages (we probably only get to know 8 or so of the 80 members) - I think spending a bit more time in the present would have solved this for me. Additionally, because our time in the investigation portion was limited, the red herrings became clear. But it’s all nuanced, and my interest in the culprit/motive never waned.
Things also went from bad to fatal REALLY quickly. It felt a little unrealistic for such a massively-funded project meant to be humanity’s chance of survival (like why are there no backups for some of the tech components of the ship?). But maybe that’s intended commentary.
It is dark, but cautiously optimistic. There’s a lot of thoughtfulness here around technology, trust, friendship, and family. There were moments of quiet hope as we watched this team sort through complicated issues and learn to rely on each other. And as we see them grow, maybe we can hold onto some hope for the larger community of Earth.
CW: death, miscarriage, fertility issues, pregnancy, terrorism, racism, gore, grief, fire, medical content, war, drowning
(also there is a reference to eugenics but the concept is not used correctly)
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hooooooo boy
CW: racism & slurs, death, cultural appropriation, toxic friendship, bullying, panic attacks, xenophobia, gaslighting, suicidal thoughts, rape, stalking, grief, vomit, sexism, colonization, classism, antisemitism
CW: racism & slurs, death, cultural appropriation, toxic friendship, bullying, panic attacks, xenophobia, gaslighting, suicidal thoughts, rape, stalking, grief, vomit, sexism, colonization, classism, antisemitism
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Bruising of Qilwa explores the nuances and contradictions of oppression through a fantasy lens - and a queernormative Persian-inspired world. The ideas were phenomenal, but I found the execution to be a bit clumsy.
We follow Firuz, a nonbinary refugee who has fled to Qilwa after fellow blood magic users were targeted in their homeland. They find a new friend in healer Kofi, who hires them to help care for victims of an overwhelming plague. Firuz also stumbles across fellow refugee - Afsoneh - with powerful magic of her own. But things get more complicated when a deadly disease shifts, and accusations about blood magic users start flying around.
I really appreciated the queernormative world (pronoun introduction was clever) and I enjoyed reading a book with a main character in their 30s. I was compelled by Firuz’s family dynamics and the journey of his little brother (who is trans and seeking magical ‘alignments’ to alter his body).
It was clunky. In a short novella, every sentence counts - and there were often repetitive, meandering descriptions. The exposition was also a bit clumsy; we’re getting smatterings of history and culture through Firuz’s thoughts in a way that doesn’t always make sense. (“Let me randomly think about the complicated ethnic history of this region.”)
I found Firuz to be a strong character (though sometimes the descriptions of their awkwardness were overbearing) and I was truly interested in everyone in their circle - Parviz and Afsoneh were very compelling to me and I wish they had shifted into the spotlight a bit more. Same with Firuz’s mother. I think at times, the plot was too ambitious - with too much happening and too much to explain - and I think this would have shined brighter with more intentional focus on supporting character development.
However, I can certainly see and appreciate the sparks of nuance here. Jamnia has a lot of thoughts around oppression, immigration, gender fluidity, family and chosen family, and so much more. I am very interested in this world & would love to explore it in future works.
CW: child death, body horror, medical gore, genocide, plague, medical racism, colonization, self harm, dysmorphia, physical abuse, child neglect
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