timefliesaway's Reviews (588)

UGH, why is everyone so fucking dramatic. Yes it's realistic and good job, Lynne Hugo, but WTH. It bothers me BECAUSE it is realistic. Because there are shitty and awful people like these characters out there. WTF. The book is good, alright, in itself, but I do kinda wish I hadn't read it, just because I could care to know less about these people existing on earth. (Although it wasn’t an eye-opener or anything.) It's disgusting. Everyone of them. Everyone who thought they knew the best about a grown-ass, 30 year old man. That man in question wasn't any better of a person, perhaps he deserved that treatment, but UGH, how I hate that behavior of people. Assumption. Just fucking ask. Stop assuming. ASK, goddamn. 

~

The writing style is really good; I ate it it all in 2 days, and that's quick af for me. To be fair, I did almost speed-read this because the writing style invited me to (and I was low-key invested) and there wasn't any fantasy/new terms I needed to remember – the good part about realistic slice of life is that I can 'skim' parts without feeling like I missed anything important. 
Not an insult to the writing skill, quite the opposite. 

Getting everyones perspective and a chapter of their POV was really interesting. I could relate to a lot of them and in some moments felt like I was reading a snippet from my diary. But other times it was just so … UGH. 
Human, I guess.

But please, world, do better. So that writers get to write better (slice of life) stories.

Women's fiction aka ChickLit never was my favorite genre, really, and I don't ever want it to be. (Not that men's fiction isn't any better. I'm off the binary in literature, too.) However, I can totally see getting 'addicted' to that sort of subgenre/type of books/stories. Reading this felt like scrolling through social media. Except that I couldn't directly comment on their stupidity – well, I did comment through the note function, but I meant directly to their faces. Or profiles. Instead, I was only able to see other people's comments and their arguments, back and forth. Odd feeling, totally toxic, but kinda addictive. 

I mainly picked it up because of the LGBTQIA+ tag, and because the title with the aesthetically pleasing cover sounded/looked like mystically cozy womanhood (witch-coven-like). 
There’s a main lesbian relationship with marriage and parenthood (and biracial rep), so that’s nice, but the womanhood part wasn’t very healthy. Not necessarily toxic, just ... realistic. Too much sometimes.
However, the lesbian relationship … oof. Apart from Deana, they had it the worst, in my opinion. So incredibly heteronormative – okay, it plays in 2013-2014 and they met in the early 2000s – and mostly shoved to the sides. No real development, until, suddenly, at the end. Felt like Lynne Hugo didn’t entirely knew what to do with them. Just have the relationship in for label representation. Which is better than nothing, but felt like a checklist sometimes.
Or did she want for the reader to see same-sex couples are barely any different to cis-het ones? Good job, if that’s the case.

On a positive note, adoption wasn’t only highlighted for humans, but also animals/pets. It was mentioned twice, I think, that adopting pets is better than buying them from a breeder. So that's cool. (Unfortunately, later on, a different family was going to the zoo, so, uh …)
And there's no racism. (Surprisingly, but I ain't complaining.)

~

Thank you to Blank Slate Press on Netgalley for an eARC.

-Ayxan Solongo, 18.04.25

First off, I’ve never consumed anything about Monte Cristo, and for a long while have thought it was a real man. Or based on a true story. Considering how many adaptations there are, with no fantasy elements, I’m fairly surprised it’s a fictional character. Either way, I didn’t know anything going in, except that it’s a popular piece and has received many positive reviews. That’s it. 

 

However, while reading, I didn’t necessarily feel like I needed to know any background to Monte’s story. It’s a new spin on it anyways, making the protagonist of African descent, a slave and “a man of color, as they nowadays say”. Plus, connecting it to the Haitian revolution, so you know how that part ends. 

It was a good spin. Taking revenge on the white men – who hate other men just because of the skin color, thinking that ‘white’ skin is superior – that was very satisfying. An act of justice I support with all I am. 

 

Only the pace was a little quick sometimes; rushing through flashbacks, going back and forth between past events, making it seem as if David was expecting for fans to pick up this graphic novel, not so much for newcomers to read this first. 

It’s minor, though, and I did end up understanding the puzzle of memories. 

 

The supernatural aspect, with the demon luring him and giving him powers to do so was … 50/50. On one hand, cool idea and I’ve loved Faria’s design as well as the demonic aspects. However, not so much the ending. No spoilers, but it kinda ruined it for me. Made it seem like the whole demon thing wasn’t necessary — unless the epilogue was rushed. Or Monte did imagine Faria, purely his lust for vengeance led him. Could be plausible. 

 

I expected a bit more horror; it leans much more to the paranormal side, with relatively normal amount of gore you’ll find in almost every war- or revolution-related story. 

 

The art-style and character design is rough-edged but well done, similar to American superhero comics. Which fits quite well, cause I’d count Monte and Faria as a superhero duo. Although they could’ve done a bit more, but at least they’ve did the world some favor by getting rid of these few white men. 

 

I may check out the other versions or the original book of Monte Cristo, cause I am curious, but I’m sure I won’t like them much. It’ll definitely be difficult to top this. Would the story even work if Monte was white? Sounds kinda boring, to be honest. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for an eARC. 

 

-Ayxan Solongo, 16.04.25 

Ah, this was wonderful. Admittedly, the start bored me a bit, but once Cinna and Hokuren, the two main characters from the cover, have met up and introduced their work to the reader, it had me hooked. I couldn't put it down afterwards, taking my phone out whenever I got some spare time, for example during cooking or even on the toilet. I'm a slow reader, so having it finished in 3 days is quite fast for me. 

 

I didn’t expect it to be queer with no romance, yet without any queer-baiting either. Those books are rare af. Cinna's and Hokuren's platonic partnership was just perfect, chosen family trope with a deep emotional bond that is much better than and transcends any rose-relationship. I couldn't ask for more between them, except that maybe it's a little too short (– no, it's not, I just crave more of them). I can't wait for a sequel or even a spin-off, anything from Velles, their world and them. 

 

Quinn Lawrence mentioned the first draft was the result of a DnD campaign with her peers, and that's pretty much what it reads like. Although never having played DnD myself, I did engage in many freeform RPGs, most being Fantasy, so I know a bit of the RPGverse genre. 

It's not your typical fantasy book, but in a splendid way. Distancing itself from the mainstream fantasy, but not being all too different, simply by being more diverse and unique. You'll see a lot of recurring tropes and elements that are found in many medieval fantasy settings, but also a bunch of new spins on them, blasting with creativity that refuses to be confined within the chains of TikTok popularity. 

As someone who dislikes basic/kitsch cliches a lot and avoids mainstream or trendy media a little too extremely than necessary, I know quite some about uniqueness. This book does not embody the ‘I'm not like other girls/guys’ trope – it’s genuine diversity, “just being myself for myself”, or as Cinna puts it, “I’m no one’s girlfriend”. 

 

The switching dual pov from a godly (3rd person) but limited perspective I‘ve only read once before, and that was from a story I've written myself. It's cool to have found another author who did this pov style, and finally experienced how it's read as a reader. I've gotten the feedback that it sounds complicated, and in theory I'd agree, but this proves, at least for me, that it's actually not that difficult. One just has to be a bit more attentive to know when the pov is switching while the two characters are together. 

 

I really love the art style of the cover, but I agree that it kind of lures a more younger audience in. I imagined a slice of life, perhaps even an idle or iyashikei-like life of them, maybe living on a farm or on the countryside, going about with their peaceful life and reading books all day or so. Fairytale-like. Similar to Heidi, perhaps, with more magic. A shepherd and a mercenary or librarian. 

Didn't expect it to be detective-like, playing inside a city with the youngest active characters being around 25. The image of Hokuren and Cinna in their office, which is featured on Quinn's website, that's what would've fit the vibe of this volume more, I believe. Hokuren also looks much older in that drawing – on the cover they look the same age, maybe 5 years apart. Also, Cinna's skin tone is written to be light brown, which, on the cover, looks more white to me. (It was a neat surprise though. Having 2 non-white protagonists in a high fantasy setting is rare.) 

But the art style does fit the world as well as Quinn's gripping writing style. I may have not expected the story, but it wasn't a disappointment. Quite the opposite. A crime fantasy book that technically reads like a youngster’s adventure, yet the themes and language are definitely for adults. Recommended age starts at 20s. I loved the crime aspect too – thinking of theories and all that is what I’m into anyways, so investigating alongside with them was super fun. 

At least the two women's friendship is portrayed wonderfully on the cover. <3 

 

A minor critique is the distance from nature. It’s no secret that elves are naturally more connected to nature than humans, regardless of which universe, therefore no spoilers here; yet Quinn didn’t let her characters treat nature very well. They occasionally got help by non-humanoid beings, and yet didn’t thank them much or cared about nature well enough to deserve that help, to be honest. Apart from Cinna’s hatred towards shoes, there ain’t much a difference between the two species. 

As a vegan environmentalist, that did hurt a bit. (As it hurt the elven goddess, presumably.) It’s just quite ironic. Idk, maybe that was the point, to show that elves shouldn’t mingle with humans, otherwise they’re gonna become like them … 

 

Another criticism is that there should've been more disability rep – the characters do get injured or are hindered by minor things, especially during the final battle, but with Cinna's magical healing ability and Hokuren being the mind rather than the fist, there aren't many injuries that last long. 

Although Cinna has some subtext of being autistic or having ADHD, or both. I could relate to her a lot. But as Quinn hasn't confirmed anything, I don't want to label any character, and it's not like it disables her much. Perhaps she could have a learning disability, though, which did make things a bit more difficult in some plot points, but also given her backstory, it could simply be a lack of brain muscle training. 

Well, either way, labels aren't always necessary; point is, there could’ve been more physical disabilities – especially for the era it plays in and the fact that there is barely any magic anymore. Autistics/ADHDs may connect with Cinna, though. 

 

Overall very recommended. 5/5 stars, I loved every bit, almost didn’t want it to end. Almost – because the characters deserve some rest. XP 

Also, the humor is amusing. It’s queernormative, feminist, and surprisingly (but thankfully) not racist. Only speciesist. 

 

All characters felt real and in-depth, which was also supported by random remarks or conversations between them; the types that are usually deleted in the final draft because beta readers or editors claim it to be “not relevant to the plot”. Well, a lot of the info was very irrelevant to their goal, true, but not so much to show they aren’t NPCs whose life has begun the moment the reader open the first page. (Vibes a lot of books give.) 

And Cinna teaches the reader how it’s not so bad to be yourself sometimes, even when it doesn’t fit with societal norms. 

 

Ps. The fact that “lightpens”, an ‘invention’/concept of mine from about 5-6 years ago, and blueberries, my favorite fruit, had quite a role (more or less, respectively) in it, surely was a lovely surprise. 🫐 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to Fondence City Press on Netgalley for an eARC. 

 

-Ayxan Solongo, 15.04.25 

For lawful reasons: I don't support anything in this story. 

 

But for a fiction …? This is kinda good. Totally unhinged, and sometimes gross. But so unhinged that it's … kinda intriguing. 

 

Is the story bad? Totally. 

Should I or anyone be reading this? No. 

Should the author/artist have published this? No. 

But they have, so we might as well get a look at their fictional fantasies. 

 

It was kinda gross at times, especially the spicy food scene, and the way Kanade's face is drawn when she's climaxing … or the amount of sweat each chapter. 

 

But it's interesting, alright. I love it when authors explore different fetishes. And while I totally would never ever want to experience them myself, let alone watch someone irl do so … it's cool to explore such things in fiction. 

 

I mean, can you even call that pedophilia? Yuzuki started it, and definitely knows what she's doing. Kanade doesn't even want it from Yuzuki per se, Yuzuki just happens to know exactly what she's doing, and Kanade is touch-starved. 

And they technically don't even do sexual things, Kanade just happens to get aroused by specific BDSM play – that could technically be brushed off as "just kids messing around". And she seems to be discovering that for the first time for herself. 

 

-26.02.25 

Selfish fish-ass. 

You know, this reminds me a lot of the "pro-lifers", who force women to keep the pregnancy even when the pregnancy might kill her and the baby/fetus in the process. 

 

This is supposed to be Yuri, but then the kiss is censored? Wow. 

 

Last chapter: Is Miko finally getting her own romance? Although I hope not cause that girl looks like a loli. 

Just more screen-time is fine too. I wanna know more about her. 

 

-28.02.25 

If the flashback were shown as the prologue in v1, my thoughts on this series would've been totally different. Better. 

But choosing the order to be like this … only makes me hate Shiori for her selfishness. 

Especially in ch27. That could've been the perfect ending. 

 

I really hope Hinako gets her wish granted by the end of this series. 

 

-28.02.25 

A heartwarming little story about two adoptive age-gap sisters growing on each other through an adventure. 

 

Accompanied by lovely art with a cozy style, both the cover and the illustrations in each chapter. 

 

I only found it too stereotypical at times: 

- Cats are the enemies of dogs, especially stray cats. 

- An unnecessary remark about black cats bringing bad luck. 

- Labradors are meant to be brave. 

- A German Shepard who’s a retired police dog. 

- Rottweilers are aggressive. 

 

But hey, on a positive note, some disability rep: 

- One dog has a guide/service animal (a ferret) because of his aggression problems. (Well, he’s not showed to be aggressive, only says that his owners think so.) 

- Sydney has an intense fear of thunder and lightning, which goes as far as her needing to stim whenever it’s about to rain – in dog’s manner that’s digging up holes and burying objects. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to Atmosphere Press for an e-RC. 

 

-10.04.25 

It’s incredibly fast-paced, a bit too much in my opinion. Felt like I was reading 4 novels cramped into one, instead of 4 comic issues. Or a pitch/trailer for a series. 

The ending seemed like an ending to a series, rather than an ending of one book. While there is a bit of potential to expand this into a full length series, for me, it feels much more like an “open” ending that is so self-explainable, it does not need a continuation. Like ending a series. 

I’m not sure what the author wants to include in future volumes, as I’m guessing there will be at least one sequel, based on “volume 1” next to the title. I’m definitely interested in more and will read the sequel, however, I don’t think it’s necessary. 

I’d rather want an in-depth version of this whole book. A longer journey for the two main characters, to get to know them. As of now, I couldn’t really connect with any of them, except the 2 on the cover. But there could be room for more. 

 

Why did I rate it 4 stars then? I really like the art style – it’s the same as the cover –, fits this dystopian world quite well; 5 stars for that alone. I also like that – spoiler –

the protagonist dies. For someone who’s been preaching that protagonists can’t die in the middle of the story (well, they can, except they never do), this was awesome. Something I’ve been long looking for.

5 stars for that too. 

 

Perhaps it’s a prequel? Maybe the next volume will start far later in the future? That would make a lot of sense, also regarding the pace. 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to MadCave Studios for an eARC! 

 

-08.04.25 

Why was that even a plot point?? That was so long ago! She has changed since then and done SO MANY good things for humans. 

 

Pretty sure that bracelet is actually powerless, just a symbol that Miko gave 'power' to by thinking it has power, but it's nothing but a mere trinket. Well, of course, it's also the only thing she has left of her mentor, so even if it's actually powerless, it does mean a lot to her. 

Well, let's hope she uses her 'beastly nature' to kill that raccoon-girl, Tsubaki. 

 

3 stars because of Miko's backstory and Shiori's absence, although Tsubaki's just as annoying (at least her reason is more valid than Shiori's tho). 

 

-28.02.25 

A hidden gem. 

 

Didn’t expect the inside to be in the same beautiful colorful art as the cover! Surely is a very unique artstyle and quite mesmerizing to look at. The color palette as well as the designs are just hypnotic and fit the vibe of the world so well! Even though it plays around the Middle Ages, there’s something modern about it (not taking about the sci-fi aspect, just the way they dress, talk and all), and the art enhances that well. 5/5 stars for that alone. 

 

While there’s no romance as the main plot, there’s a lot of queer casualty & subtext. For example, it was kind of implied that two women can have biological kids (because magic?). Or that adoption is just as normal. The queen at least is bi/pan/poly, completely open about it, and no one cares about Ania’s little romance with her best friend Elisa either. They were so cute together (and I’m proud of my gaydar for having shipped them since the first page XP). No labels, completely normal. 

 

The characters are all really interesting and serve their purpose, but sometimes fell a little flat. Most have only one goal, and while they also have flaws, it’s all stereotypical, not in-depth. Although the main characters had some development, they too don’t feel that whole. 

I suppose that also has a lot to do with the length and pacing. It starts very slow, takes its time with slice of life and spends many pages following Ania’s daily idle life (which I didn’t mind, I love that trope!). But then in the 2nd half suddenly realizes that the end is nigh, that maybe the publisher doesn’t want more than 200 pages or so, that it needs to be rounded up now. While the ending is quite self-explainable, I found it a bit too rushed, a bit too open in some cases. 

 

I genuinely hope there’ll be a sequel, because there is so much potential for more. (Especially regarding the cute sapphics. I mean, let me quote them: “And the end of the world with you doesn’t sound like a bad plan.” <3) 

 

What I also found interesting was the Spain ‘versus’ Ireland. It wasn’t labeled as such, but the southern queendom looks a lot inspired by Spanish culture (and the artist is Spanish), whereas the northern kingdom seems Irish. Plus some asian-like cultures mixed in both lands. Not a combination I’ve seen before, especially cause northern kingdoms are usually always Vikings. A cool world-building aspect I would’ve wished to dive in more... 

 

Overall I enjoyed the read a lot though, and definitely recommend it to fantasy and sci-fi fans alike! And especially if you love slice of life with a bit of action! 

(Some other reviewers have said that it’s not suitable for teens, but I disagree. There may be bits of blood, but nothing worse than Disney’s 20th Century animation movies. I’d set the suitable age to 12 or even younger.) 

 

~ 

 

Thank you to Oni Press on Netgalley for an eARC. 

 

-07.04.25