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471 reviews by:
starrysteph
adventurous
tense
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 World We Make was a very neat ending to the Great Cities Duology.
We’re following the avatars of New York (and a few special guests) as they prepare for a final battle against the Enemy (who has infiltrated their home in newer, crueler ways) in order to save the world.
It was easy to jump back into this larger-than-life, not-so-subtle world. I really love the concept and humor and the unapologetic tone. However, the prose felt wearier. Based on the context of the past few years & the Author’s Note, I know that the metaphor aspect became trickier to balance as so much of the content was literally happening. And that this series was initially planned as a trilogy.
I felt as though the world was a little flatter and a little more gimmicky, and the plotlines felt a little too clean & rushed.
Because everything had to wrap up, the POVs felt unbalanced. I craved so much more from the other characters that I’d adored in the first novel. There were also some fascinating tidbits from the other city avatars AND about Manny’s family that I was desperate to explore. I would love to read a short story collection about the awakenings of the other avatars.
The ending for me was far too neat, and too escapist compared to the more thoughtful & nuanced setup of the first book.
CW: racism & racial slurs, xenophobia, violence, hate crime, transphobia, homophobia, acephobia, police brutality, gun violence, body horror, classism, deportation, classism, car accident
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tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Anywhere You Run has an unsettling pitch, but unfortunately was weakened by a lack of thrilling action, dull writing, and horrific events filtered through an oddly naive lens.
The novel takes place in 1964 in the Jim Crow South. We’re following sisters Violet and Marigold as they flee their Mississippi town for very different reasons. Violet has just killed the white man who raped her, and the police are hot on her trail. Marigold is pregnant and unmarried, and faces social shame. We alternate POVs between the two sisters and their journeys and a man who is hunting them down.
From that blurb, I was expecting a high stakes thriller. What I read was a slow-paced historical fiction, with surface level issues tossed in and handled with careless optimism.
There were some strengths here - I felt as though Violet and Marigold had distinct narrative voices and personalities, and I think the author has effectively conveyed the horrors of simply existing as a Black person in the ‘60s. There’s a lot of darkness throughout the story, and I think too much trauma is packed into a short book (without giving the distressing events depth or justice).
Here are just some of the challenging topics brought up but not faithfully explored (outside of the overarching experience of racism): rape, domestic abuse, child abuse, homophobia/religious bigotry surrounding sexuality, abortions, poverty, and classism. Some of these are mentioned and then neglected (Violet is somehow not affected at all by the rape), and some are responded to with a far-too-contemporary lens.
Overall, the writing was plain and dry. It got so repetitive that I sometimes felt like I was reading the same paragraphs again and again. While the stakes were high, the action was slow-moving.
In the end, everything is tied up with a positive & neat bow with strong religious overtones. It felt like a tonally jarring shift from the rest of the novel (especially considering we’d witnessed horrific violence just a few chapters earlier).
CW: intense racism & racial slurs, hate crimes, murder, gun violence, domestic abuse (physical and emotional), rape, miscarriage, pregnancy, grief, police brutality, stalking, car accident, fire, classism, outing, abortion
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A satirical crime noir tale set in an alternate version of 2009, where the US is a second-rate power and emotions are weaponized through the use of powerful “psychopigments”.
The Shamshine Blind spins a detective story as whimsical as it is bleak. We’re following Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida, who feels stuck in a loop as she solves small time cases & dreams of ever-elusive promotions. But when an old friend offers her a fresh case, she finds herself treading dangerous waters as she uncovers messy conspiracies and has to reckon with her own past.
In this version of our world, psychopigments play a starring role. These colorful hallucinogenic chemicals were initially created by Argentine scientists as a military strategy, but in the aftermath of war they’ve become a part of everyday life. Whether you’re taking a daily dosage of Sunshine Yellow to combat depression or you’re sinking into black market Magenta for a rush of adoration, emotions are no longer in your control.
What wouldn’t you give for a hearty splash of hope? Well, as long as it’s honestly coming from within you.
It’s a curious, clever commentary on our real-world relation to pharmaceutical & recreational drugs. It’s not a dismissal - not at all - but offers thought on how easily they can be systemically used to manipulate and abuse. And moving onto a bigger picture than the drugs themselves, the writing considers how easily people can be coerced (through propaganda, through psychological warfare, through cults & religious martyrs) and navigates the varying ways neurotypical and neurodivergent people grapple with grief and anxiety and all sorts of complicated emotions.
Themes of racism, queer identity, and privilege are also explored. It’s refreshing to dip into this crime noir style with a detective pairing that’s not white & straight, and Curtida both feels invisible and becomes a target of xenophobic peers and superiors. These struggles are woven into the plot realistically, but are not overwhelmingly. While the plot doesn’t shy away from pain and difficulty, the writing in general is incredibly compassionate.
At times, I found the pacing too slow and the number of minor side characters overwhelming. I struggled to keep people & places in order and stay emotionally connected all while eyeing the plot with a mystery-solving lens.
I found the real heart of the novel to be in the flashbacks, detailing Curtida’s losses and journeys with grief, her relationship with her mother, her fear of vulnerability and romance, and her various experiences with psychopigments.
I do love a clever satire, and would recommend this to anyone looking to cozy up by the fire alongside a fresh noir dystopia that feels uneasily real.
CW: death, war, murder, gun violence, suicide, mental illness, medical content, kidnapping, racism, xenophobia, addiction, forced institutionalization, psychosis, torture, outing, memory loss
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
A Day of Fallen Night was everything I ever wanted and more. (Yes, I think it surpasses Priory in every way.)
The story follows 4 main narrators (Tunuva in the South, Glorian in the West, Wulf in the North, and Dumai in the East), each grappling with similar themes of leadership and loyalty and love. Their world is tested with the eruption of the Dreadmount, releasing terrifying creatures and sending the continents into an age of darkness and sorrow. Each storyteller must fight for themselves and find strength for their people.
I wept and I screeched and I was thoroughly engaged.
The writing was SO lush and beautiful. The story flowed perfectly, with explosive & cinematic action scenes alongside simmering romance and gripping political maneuvers.
A consistent theme was motherhood, and each major character reflects on their relationship to their mother, considers children of their own, and grapples with the weight of lineage. There are beautiful parallels between characters who have no control over their own bodies and characters with the freedom to explore their identities.
There’s also some seriously beautiful work around grief and loss. Characters mourn and sink into depression and learn how to keep moving forward with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
There’s darkness, but also so much compassion. While there are death and war and monsters, human brutality is not a pivotal part of this world. Characters are open with each other. Lovers forgive each other. Even potential political villains are - for the most part - willing to listen and have certain moral boundaries.
The dragons … oh, the dragons. You understand just enough about them and the origins of their power, their ambitions, and their wrath. But they are ancient & terrifying & godlike in the best possible way.
The history is creative, brilliant, and so thought out. We don’t get every single detail, but it’s clear to me that Shannon has built this world with work and care. And the queerness of this world is so rich. We get to see all sorts of relationships - and I won’t say more to keep this spoiler-free, but each romantic arc is delightful and diverse.
I think this story was a level up from The Priory of the Orange Tree. If you have not yet read Priory, I would actually recommend starting with A Day of Fallen Night. I think it sets up the events & world quite nicely - and you’ll enter the world with zero anticipation or spoilers from the Priory plot.
Each page felt essential and moved the plot forward – yes, much of the book is slower-paced, but the chapters were generally short and punchy. There were some plot points I didn’t care for as much as others, but I was never bored. In fact, it was usually quite the opposite: I’d feel a loss at the end of a chapter (wanting to continue with a POV), but then find myself enchanted once more a page into the next perspective. I didn’t think there was a weak narrator.
I was SO invested; it was hard but worthwhile to savor this book and not devour it. There are hints sprinkled throughout and carefully curated threads with brilliant payoffs. I thought Glorian’s arc in particular was absolutely masterful.
Don’t laugh at me - I think the book could have been longer. Because of the time skips, certain moments were so fast. And I think I can confidently say Shannon doesn’t enjoy writing battle scenes (honestly, I don’t enjoy reading long battle scenes, but I can see other epic fantasy readers feel disappointed by the lack of longer action).
Overall, this book was beautiful. The world, the characters, the poetic language … It was everything I dreamed of in an epic fantasy journey.
CW: death (incl. death of parents and child death), war, murder, animal death, pregnancy, adult/minor relationship (political), grief, religious bigotry, fire, terminal illness, suicide, misogyny, sexual content
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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
I was hooked from the introduction. This indigenous queer collection was oh-so-good and offered some delightfully fresh takes on speculative fiction themes.
These voices were curated with intention. The writing was wildly imaginative, and played with apocalyptic themes & colonization within sci-fi worlds & bold optimism for future worlds.
Some stories were much stronger than others. Standouts for me were Eloise, Andwànikàdjigan, and History of the World.
CW: colonization, genocide, blood & violence, death, racism, grief, transphobia & homophobia, xenophobia, animal death, cancer, alcoholism, self harm, kidnapping, confinement, cannibalism, war, abandonment
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hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
“The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.”
I had a mostly positive experience with Braiding Sweetgrass. For the first 100 or so pages, I was captivated, moved, and motivated. I was beaming ear-to-ear about strawberries, reflecting on my own connection to the land, and reaffirming my own vows and personal ethics.
The individual essays are quite beautiful; I think I would have truly enjoyed most of them as standalones (and there were a handful of major standouts sprinkled throughout the book). But as a collection, it felt formulaic.
We were gently but firmly led to the same mostly-vague idea and some very idealized solutions. A sprinkle of memoir-style storytelling, a reflection on the flaws of modern humans, and a vow to do better. Of course, I’m not sure how much my personal reading experience reflects the collective reading experience. The values we come around to time and time again are generally values that I already hold. I consider my relationship with nature (as best I can considering my personal limitations), I live in a way that I hope & believe is thoughtful and ethical, and so on.
For those readers that feel very removed from this line of thinking, I’m not sure Braiding Sweetgrass would initiate a new connection. Kimmerer tends to lightly mock the ‘outsiders’ in her stories, like her academically-focused undergraduate science students. A remark about a man who committed suicide in his car took me aback by its coldness. It felt like some of the compassion for fellow humans was lost.
There’s no real acknowledgement that some people are incredibly systemically distanced from the possibility of living life in this idealized way. Kimmerer references past trauma involving indigenous communities, but doesn’t quite seem to consider current reality (aside from a few sentences here and there). She’s holding these bits of old wisdom side-by-side with modernity without considering the shades of gray. It therefore sometimes felt a bit binary and naive.
I can see wealthier white Americans feeling invigorated by this text - “ah yes, I’ll think about what I buy at the supermarket, I’ll plant and tend to a garden in my backyard, I’ll go into nature more frequently, and then I’ll feel better about myself and heal my relationship to the Earth” - but what about the rest of the country, of the world? Much of the land and many of these practices are inaccessible. And I’m not sure I buy the line of thinking that poses colonizers could perhaps become indigenous to the land …
But again - some parts simply spoke to my heart. Some reflections were so beautiful. I do want to dream of healing, and I do want to believe wholeheartedly in the possibility of a better future. I also truly enjoyed the sprinklings of indigenous storytelling & oral tradition.
I would love to reread an essay or two from Braiding Sweetgrass annually. I will certainly be holding on to wisdom from its pages. And maybe someday, I’ll be able to nurture a garden. :)
CW: colonization, genocide, animal death, racism, death, grief, sexism, cultural appropriation, forced institutionalization, suicide, war, classism, pregnancy, cannibalism (mention)
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challenging
dark
mysterious
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
An insidious supernatural social horror story set in a small Rust Belt town.
We’re following Liz, a newly-single Black woman who has warily returned to her small, predominantly white hometown - just for 48 hours. Her best friend is getting married and she’s ready to support her & celebrate, but everything changes when the couple’s young daughter Caroline disappears into the woods during the festivities.
Caroline isn’t the first young Black girl to disappear. And as Liz starts to investigate, she discovers a pattern of girls disappearing that’s longer & darker than she could have ever imagined. Liz has to find Caroline - and the truth - before it’s too late.
The writing is gripping, and the journeys between past and present and mysterious narrators kept me engaged and eagerly theorizing. My heart was pounding during the moments of rising horror and I felt equal parts anguish and rage for Liz as she fought to uncover the truth.
Adams builds on reality - disappearances of Black women and girls are consistently ignored; small towns often cultivate jealousy, widen class divides, and kindle hatred of anyone perceived as an ‘other’ - and layers an additional level of monstrosity on top. It’s a thrilling blend of earthly mystery and otherworldly violence.
The tension, the trickery, the manipulation … it was all so captivating to me. The forest was its own character, and I felt the rising fear of what lurks in the dark alongside the Johnstown residents. Because the storytelling goes beyond the natural, I went back-and-forth with my instincts and theories. While I guessed some elements and corruption, others took me by surprise.
The ending was SO cool. It was satisfying and theatrical while remaining a bit somber. Jackal will definitely stick with me!
CW: murder (of children), death, violence, gore, body horror, animal cruelty & death, racism (incl. slurs), classism, domestic abuse, sexual violence (off-page), alcohol abuse, kidnapping, eating disorder, fatphobia
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dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
The Deep was one of the most visually immersive books I’ve ever read.
We follow Yetu, the historian (memory-holder) for her people, the wajinru. They are the mermaid-esque underwater descendants of pregnant African enslaved women thrown overboard. She bears the burden of their past trauma so they can live in peaceful bliss. But the memories - both traumatic and fierce, painful and earnest - are destroying her body and mind. When Yetu flees to the surface world, she re-engages with her former responsibilities and has to figure out how to move forward for her people.
It’s a magical reshaping of terror and trauma and violence, with a chillingly passionate musicality (the story was inspired by a song and includes music of all forms) and connection to oral storytelling.
This novella grapples with the weight of bearing the burdens of your ancestors, and generational trauma that lives forever in the body … but also the pride and hope that comes alongside deeply caring for your community. The writing elicits feelings of compassion and companionship.
I often visualize books as I read, but this novella prompted an expansive experience unlike any other. From the wajinru to the underwater civilization & culture to the remembrances … it was all so poetic and captivating.
Solomon brilliantly explores the desire to forget mixed with remembrances of rage & past anguish and a community’s hope to preserve these stories in order to someday introduce them to their descendants.
There’s so much more that’s eloquently written into such a short piece: rebuilding your identity when it has been violently ripped away from you, trauma responses, the spectrum of gender & sexuality (explored through the lens of a society without previous held beliefs about these topics), responsibility through storytelling, the important of community, and so on.
The Deep was so much more than I could have ever anticipated. I feel like I’m grasping to find the words to explain it in a review - I’d much rather you read it and let your body experience Solomon’s words.
CW: slavery, death (incl. child and parent), murder, grief, suicide, racism, blood, genocide, animal death, self harm, colonization, violence, pregnancy, gore, trafficking, emotional abuse, body horror, war, abandonment, dementia, panic attacks & anxiety
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challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Chilling, captivating, and empowering. Delicious Monsters is a paranormal horror novel that takes place across two different timelines, featuring the POVs of two Black teenagers.
Daisy can see dead people, and this uncomfortable & unwanted power has made every aspect of her life a challenge. When her mom inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario, Daisy welcomes the opportunity to leave their studio apartment & her ex-boyfriend behind for a fresh start. But nothing about the house is as it seems, and there’s a reason her mother has been avoiding the property for years.
A decade later, Brittney and her co-host are filming a new season of her popular “Haunted” web series all about the events that happened in the mansion. She’s had her own experience there, with an abusive mother who claimed the house changed her for the better. Brittney’s hoping to expose the truth & bring a forgotten story to light, all while challenging the facade her mother has delicately constructed around their tumultuous relationship.
Both timelines slowly interweave and unveil dark secrets. The girls learn that the world isn’t safe. And that there are monsters - both paranormal and human - eager to haunt and silence them.
Delicious Monsters is about processing childhood trauma, and about the path to recovery and reconnection with yourself. It’s about abusers - how they manipulate and triumph - and how that hurt is held in the body of the victim. It’s about showing up for friends and bringing light to stories that are forgotten … or purposefully buried.
It can be sad and it can be angry. But ultimately, we get to see young women reclaiming their power and triumphing over those that would see them fail. We get bursts of celebration as young Black girls embrace their uniqueness and charge ahead, regardless of fear.
It was a thrilling, scary story. The haunted house atmosphere was tense and immersive. The storylines following abusers were tough to read, but the payoff was quietly brilliant. I hope that any child (or adult!) who sees any part of their story in these pages feels powerful (I certainly did).
The one weakness for me was pacing - this was a 500+ page book, and you do feel that. I think some plot points and chapters could have been tightened up, especially considering that this is a young adult book. I also recognize that some readers may find the characters “unlikable” or difficult to relate to. These are people who live in defensive mode & who have put up protective walls. I found them compelling and sympathetic, but I wonder if a younger reader who struggles to relate and/or has no experience with abuse may be turned off from the story.
Overall, I loved Delicious Monsters. This is my third book from Sambury and I am so, so eager to read whatever she writes next! An auto-buy author for sure.
CW: death (including child death), child abuse (physical & emotional), sexual assault (of a child), pedophilia, rape, child neglect, suicide, murder, animal death & cruelty, grooming, gaslighting, fatphobia/body image abuse, body horror, violence
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
A compelling, candid, quietly beautiful piece of historical fiction and queer coming-of-age story.
We follow Lily, a Chinese American teenager living in 1954 San Francisco. Her assumptions about life & love slowly start to unravel as she questions her identity and stumbles into the underground lesbian nightlife community. Lily is unexpectedly crushing on her classmate Kath, but between communism paranoia and the crushing expectations of being a “good Chinese girl”, her world isn’t safe. How can she fall into her first love without losing her family and safety?
The writing is thoughtful and clearly well-researched. While we’re mainly focused on the ‘50s, we get a few time skips and learn more about the generations of Lily’s family along the way. The story feels incredibly grounded in historical reality.
While I loved watching Lily’s journey identifying as a lesbian, I wished we got a bit beyond the surface level for Kath. She was just kind of there to blandly complement Lily and to bring her into the nightclub scene. I think there could have been a more compelling push-and-pull between them. Side character Shirley had a lot more going on - and though she was far less likable, she was more interesting.
There are so many opportunities for readers of all ages to see themselves on the page. Some strengths include: various queer & lesbian identities, Lily’s struggles with racism as a Chinese American, Lily’s voracious pursuit of sapphic representation, and Lily’s desire to pursue STEM and Kath’s desire to be a pilot.
It is really difficult and tense, specifically in the last 30% or so of the book. There’s a lot of slowness at the start, and then an explosion of danger & action all at once without quite enough time for resolution.
Lily is so earnest and curious - I really enjoyed witnessing her arc, and only wished the story had covered a few more years. I would love to see how she continues to tackle her anxiety and how she lives as an adult (outside of the boundaries of her immediate family). Lily is incredibly naive from start to end, and I wanted to see her knowledge expand.
Overall, I loved the focus on first love and discovering identity and connecting with roots & culture while still embracing the new & hopeful.
CW: homophobia, lesbophobia, racism & racial slurs, xenophobia, outing, toxic friendship, sexism, misogyny, miscarriage, police brutality, sexual harassment, transphobia, bullying, cultural appropriation, classism, hate crime, alcohol & drugs, war, sexual content
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)