starrysteph's Reviews (471)

If you enjoy defiant & hardcore main characters, complex relationships between mortals and gods, and unique world building & creation stories, then you should pick up We Are the Origin.

Brandi is a skilled assassin, serving her queendom and her goddess with a magical bow and an aim that never misses. She was raised to be a shadow and to NEVER question orders to send someone to the gods. Until her orders from the throne clash against her orders from the goddess of life, Freya.

Now she’s being asked to turn against the fellow assassins she views as family and tuck a (mostly incompetent) princess under her wing as she takes on her biggest enemy yet. One the gods themselves can’t even fight … and one who threatens the existence of her entire world.

Luckily, Brandi is up for the challenge.

If you like a female main character that never backs down, knows her power, swims around in moral murkiness, is kinda mean (complimentary), and kills those that cross her between blinks … you’re going to adore Brandi.

The supporting characters are each so different and so interesting. Jack’s journey from a scrappy boy who only trusted himself to becoming Brandi’s reliable partner was really sweet. The fellow shadows piqued my curiosity, though we didn’t get as much backstory on them. Sarah is the most frustrating one by far because she is fully flailing, but her group also needs to learn to treat her with compassion and throw her a bone every once in a while if she’s going to be part of the team. 

I appreciated all the forms of love shown here. There’s polyamorous romantic love, there’s folks who have found their soulmate, there’s found family love, there’s worship love, and so much more. I thought the depth of love shown between Brandi and Jack was touching, and was curious about how all these venn diagrams of love between mortals and gods both challenged and supported each other.

I was less interested in the budding romance between Sarah and Noble, mostly because it felt a bit more shallow and silly compared to the stakes of everything else. (Also I don’t really like romance plotlines, so it’s for sure personal as well.) My other biggest stumble was that the language was clunky at times. The sentences didn’t always flow, and sometimes tenses (or other things) would make me have to reread a paragraph a couple of times.

There is a lot of set up here for the rest of the series (also just making sure everyone knows that this IS a series because it isn’t quite clear from the description), and I’m hungry for more. We collect our group of protagonists throughout the course of the book and every one of them has major growth to do. They all have super different personal journeys in store and I can’t wait.

This story was fresh, vibrant, and compelling. 

CW: death (parent), murder, injury, violence, blood, grief, suicide, torture, toxic relationship

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

I LOVE a slasher story with a meta spin – every time Stephen Graham Jones writes a gruesome love letter to horror, I’m ready to sit down and read.

Tolly Driver sits on the outskirts of his small Texan town, alongside his best friend Amber. He’s a great writer, but not the best academically or social - and he’s felt even more powerless ever since his dad’s unexpected death.

And then … he gets infected. A very specific slasher killer infection. And even though Tolly knows he’s part of the story, he can’t help but play his part and take out some gory revenge on the classmates that hurt him.

But this was all seventeen years ago. We’re reading Tolly’s autobiography as he reflects on those fateful few days so long ago, especially since his slasher story might not be over. 

Tolly’s a bit of an unreliable narrator, especially as he flip flops between embracing his new killer instincts, wanting to break away from them, and feeling unsure if he has any actual say in his own story. He might be murdering kids in a mask, but he’s also pretty relatable. He feels alienated, nervous about his future, and might be a little bit in love with his best friend (though he’ll deny it). If you were on the outskirts looking in as a teenager, that pain is all too familiar. 

As always, SGJ puts together a GREAT kill scene. The action and the gore leap off the pages, and my heart was pounding. This definitely feels like a faster-paced story for him, and I had fun with that. Things don’t slow down much, and the characters are pretty quick to put the pieces together (except for the final piece which I’m sure we all knew EXCEPT for Tolly). 

Something I marveled at was how high the stakes felt. Tolly is writing from the future, so of course you know he makes it, but I felt like I was making discoveries with him right in the moment, right in 1989. I almost imagined myself discovering Tolly’s manuscript and turning each page with a sprinkle of dread. 

SGJ writes very specific books for a very specific audience and I can never get enough.

I Was a Teenage Slasher is funny, creative, and feels like settling in for an awesome summer slasher film. 

CW: murder, gore, blood, injury, vomit, death (parent/child), body horror, grief, suicide,stalking, animal cruelty/death, guns, torture, confinement, homophobia, racism

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

Beautyland is a peculiar little book that hit me at just the right moment. If you’ve ever felt like an alien, if you’ve ever stood with your back to the wall at a party and tried your very hardest to understand all the intricacies of the community at the center, if you’ve ever flip flopped between optimism and despair for humanity, then this is a book for you.

Adina Giorno has always been a step apart from humans: she’s been activated as a child to report on Earth to her superiors, alien relatives who live on some distant planet.

We watch Adina grow up, reporting on all her human findings through a fax machine. She experiences adolescent isolation, deep friendships, grief, fear, and all those other peculiarities in between.

I always appreciate a book from the perspective of an othered individual looking into humanity (and all the bafflement that comes alongside that). There are so many quotes and observations here that were deeply moving, and that only could have been made by someone who has been cast out.

Adina is asexual and probably autistic, but don’t fret about this falling into those tired alien tropes. It feels so earnest and fresh, and heart-wrenchingly relatable.

Even though I sobbed, so much of this story also made me laugh. The response transmissions from Adina’s alien superiors were SO good, along with her charming little dog Buttercup, and the relationship of a precocious little girl and her single mom.

Adina’s reflections - including of her past selves as she reexamines old memories with new knowledge- were always spot on. And the characterizations of the entire cast of characters were SO rich and well-developed.

To be clear: Beautyland is not science fiction. It’s a slow, character-driven, contemplative piece that’s using aliens as a piece of narrative framing to allow Adina to collect very direct observations.

This is the sort of story I’m going to tuck away for decades to come.

CW: death, animal death (pet), cancer, grief, terminal illness, sexual assault, suicide, abandonment, xenophobia, child abuse, classism, pregnancy, dysphoria, xenophobia

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Blackheart Man is a really rich, folkloric story that had slightly uneven pacing, but a charmingly disastrous main character and a plot that will keep you guessing.

Veycosi will do anything to prove himself worthy - both to the musical historian leadership who will hopefully grant him acceptance to the Colloquium and to his two lovers who will hopefully wed him soon. But his narrow vision and earnest ego get him in trouble again and again.

This time, Veycosi finds his magical island (Chynchin) on the brink of war, pickens (children) start to disappear, and once-frozen soldiers might be coming back to life. He’s somehow got to protect his community and learn some hard truths about himself before everything is destroyed.

You’ll groan at Veycosi time and time again, but I have to say I found him both compelling and impishly likable. He is in dire need of a big arc, and he GETS one. He learns how to be part of a community, how to be a parent, and how to be a romantic partner. 

The pacing of this novel was a bit tough. First you’re dropped right in, and I had a challenging time finding the flow of the story since things moved slowly and we were given only the tiniest bits of information and world building. The chapters were incredibly long and the narrators sometimes jumped a bit jarringly before settling into Veycosi’s narration. And then after the climax, everything was so much of a whirlwind that I again wished we had time for more lore; I wanted to savor the events of the finale more.

But this is an incredibly detailed world, with specific and thoughtful language, interesting drops of magic, and even some new creatures. Also lots of queer rep (specifically nonbinary characters with neopronouns and polyamorous triads). Plus one delightfully grumpy camel (love you, Goat!).

If you don’t mind some confusion and a slower-paced narrative, I’d give this one a chance.

CW: death (parent/child), colonization, war, drug use, injury, gun violence, racism, slavery, body horror, fire, gore, animal death, vomit, dysphoria, xenophobia, sexual content

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

The Teller of Small Fortunes strikes that delightful (and hard-to-achieve) balance between whimsy, adventure, and complexity.

It often feels like a Dungeons & Dragons game (there’s a wink and a nod to this right in the text). There’s a well-rounded cast of adventurers, and the story is filled with  tempestuous family relationships, various magical creatures, and a wonderful CAT!

Tao is a teller of small fortunes, and small fortunes only. She’s too afraid to open up her greater magical sight again, and she’s also trying to keep a low profile so as not to attract the attention of Guild mages. So she hops from town to town with her trusty mule, doles out simple fortunes over tea, puts up with a lot of pointed questions about her background, and feels quite alone.

That all changes when she stumbles across a former soldier desperately looking for his lost child, a (definitely-totally-100%) reformed thief, a baker who longs for something more, and a very hungry cat. 

Together they set off in search of the little girl, but Tao isn’t used to trusting new people, and she holds the darkness of her past close to her chest. The trouble is, things never stay hidden forever …

Tao will always be considered a foreigner in Esthera because she is Shinn - even though her mother moved them here when she was a child and she has very few memories of her homeland. She even lost her first language. But others always view her as different, as suspicious, as an ‘other’ who maybe has nefarious reasons for being there.

And Tao herself doesn’t quite know where she belongs. She feels as though she has a foot in two worlds, but isn’t quite part of either. Esthera is most of what she’s known, but she feels a deep loss for her home and tries to hold on to some aspects of her culture and upbringing.

There are countless heart-wrenching scenes where Tao confronts her feelings around her identity, both when others are cruel and kind. There are also many moments plucked right from the author’s own experiences, and they’re incredibly relatable.

There’s so much depth to each character and their arc, and a lot of theming around trust, forgiveness, and companionship. Tao has to learn how to let others in, and each new friend alters her. She finds her voice and her bravery, and also the gentleness to potentially forgive old wounds as she opens up her heart and mind. I also read Tao as somewhere on the aro/ace spectrum. Each member of her found family also has their own beautiful arc, but I won’t give anything more away there.

I enjoyed the cozy whimsy here and I think there was a perfect blend of sweetness and tears. It’s a slow-moving story, but each mini-quest will keep you hooked. I also appreciated the little twists on so many magical creatures, from trolls with existential crises to phoenixes whose words cut right to the bone. 

You’ll leave thinking about fate & destiny versus choice, the joys of companionship & finding people who ‘get’ you, and how important it is to be true to yourself.

Overall, I really adored this!! 

CW: death (parent), racism, xenophobia, grief, war, violence, child neglect

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

My Life: Growing Up Native in America features 20 essays & poems from Native American writers.

I really appreciated this collection – the diversity of both voices and forms of storytelling kept me engaged, even though (as with all anthologies) there were some pieces that clicked with me more than others.

Some are reflections, some are calls to action, some are expressions of pain and love, and some are pretty darn funny. Each person has a vastly different history and a vastly different relationship to their Indigenous identity.

I wasn’t familiar with most of these voices and I’m super curious about some of their brands & community endeavors! I definitely have a lot to look up.

CW: mentions of racism, residential schools, war, genocide, forced institutionalization, bullying, death of loved ones.

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

Open Throat is a curious novella - we’re in the head of a mountain lion who lives beneath the Hollywood sign as they contemplate their place in the world and make astoundingly sharp observations about humanity. They’re a creature that is both ignorant of human life and a creature who has been violently othered by society.

The lion is hungry. Dangerously hungry. Ravenously hungry. And they’re also curious about the humans that pass through: They eavesdrop on local hikers and feel protective of the homeless encampment nearby. They struggle with their emotions and ability to express themselves, reflect on their past, and think about their future.

Meanwhile, human cruelty & climate danger forces the lion to leave the hills, and they explore more of Los Angeles and its inhabitants. They come face to face with humans, and have to confront their own conflicting desires to eat them and to emulate them.

It never feels gimmicky, though it is sometimes funny. Mostly, though, it’s profoundly sad. The lion never once has a space that is their own, and never once is perceived in a way that feels right. They’ve been forced out of territories by climate disasters, they witness sadistic acts of violence that humans inflict just because they can, and they’ve been attacked or abandoned by their own kind.

There are moments of literal queerness, but this is mostly a metaphorical journey. The lion is an outsider who has true desires that are shamed by those who cannot understand them. They have a hunger for connection, they contemplate changing their shape and truth to better fit in, and the moment they embrace their fangs they find themselves in true peril.

You’ll be pleasantly touched by some of the lion’s noticings, but also leave feeling a bit cynical about humanity and its future. 

CW: murder, animal cruelty/death, blood, fire, violence, gore, classism, sexual content, grief, abandonment, excrement

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I love you, Nona! I love you, Noodle! 

And I loved all the (as unreliably narrated as it was) insight into pre-Resurrection events. So much soul-swapping fuckery and so many Biblical themes/swirling theology and curious little details. Nom nom nom. Ah ah ah. 

CW: murder, body horror, gore, guns, war, eating disorder, grief, genocide, fire, colonization, vomit, self harm, animal death, xenophobia, dysphoria, ableism, panic attacks

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A very charming story about grief, healing, and re-finding home & love in new community. The eccentric cast of characters and charismatic house will get you hooked, and the arcs around loss will tug at your heartstrings.

CW: grief, death (spouse, parent, child), dementia, terminal illness, suicide, animal cruelty, mental illness

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book.)

We Are Hunted is a twisty, vivid story with animal horror and anti-capitalist and anti-colonization vibes. 

Femi is less-than-thrilled to tag along with his dad and brother to an exclusive conference on a mysterious island. But he’s heard all about Darlendia, discovered by the famous innovator Richard Jenkins and filled with bizarre animals and habitats, luxurious resort amenities, and the coolest technology. 

It’s all a bit too good to be true, and Femi soon stumbles into the terrible truths of the island – and a plan to expose Jenkins and reverse his schemes. Except that plan involves a lot of bloodshed. And the animals might not be so docile after all.

My favorite moments here were the immersive descriptions and creativity surrounding the animals and the land, the native population fighting back (though of course things went VERY far), and the arc surrounding brotherhood.

The pacing is incredibly slow at first - with some scenes dragging on far too long - but the tension is great. And then everything EXPLODES. There’s a lot of blood and gore and pain and some heart wrenching deaths. Nobody is safe, and things got quite dark for a young adult book.

My biggest stumble here was probably the dialogue. Everything was a bit too precise; it just didn’t sound how most people (especially teenagers) talk to each other. The lines were often stilted and unnatural, and internal monologues were a bit strange as well. There was also some heavy religious (Christian) theming towards the end, which may turn some people off.

Femi has a major arc and learns how to better communicate with his family members, which I appreciated. He also has a deep love of music and never lets go of his creativity. 

An element I couldn’t quite make up my mind on were the interludes narrated by various characters. I appreciated getting out of Femi’s head and was curious about some of the backstories, but I do think they chopped up the pacing and felt like they were only there to deliver information that we could have learned otherwise.  

The stakes couldn’t be higher and the ending of the book flies by – though not everything worked smoothly for me, I think young readers will have their heads buried in this one.

CW: murder, death (child/parent), animal cruelty/death, body horror, blood, gore, grief, guns, car accident, chronic illness, classism, colonization, vomit

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