yourbookishbff's Reviews (650)

The story-within-a-story framework for this cycle of novellas is so well-executed, and I loved the road-trip version we get in this installment. While this felt more plot-driven than the two previous novellas, I still really enjoyed it, and loved the wuxia elements, in particular. 

I struggled with the delayed reveal on the MMC's backstory in this installment, primarily because the information we DID have made the conflict feel flimsy (and genuinely annoying) for a lot of the book (Why won't he marry her? Because "she's not for him" ... ?). Ultimately, the reveal does help contextualize a lot of the MMC's self-flagellation, but I almost DNF'd it before then. I know MacLean is on track to be one of my most-read authors this year, so I'm not too worried about this one being a bit of a miss for me - I still enjoyed reading it, just likely won't return for reread. Cannot wait for Day of the Duchess and the angsty mess it promises!

Futuristic sci-fi meets multi-generational family-ish saga meets climate crisis, with a three-part plot tracing three different generations of terraforming Environmental Rescue Team (ERT) engineers as they fight their planet's corporate owner and its greedy colonizing violence. A few key things that worked really well for me:

1) The structure. Short, fast-paced chapters within a clearly defined three-part story. This seems trivial, but I honestly felt like this accessible structure made it easy to follow the characters and the action and kept the plot moving. In each of the three parts we have a core cast (with connections between each generation) and an evolving picture of Sask-E, and because each generation has its own corporate obstacles, there is always a clear (and unique) central conflict. 

2) The world-building. For as many creatures and constructs of human-level intelligence as there are in this story, it's surprisingly easy to get acclimated. A world in which "The Great Bargain" has determined which creatures can participate as equals in self-governance means a world in which a moose or a cow or an earthworm may be your partner in the field. I loved our wacky cast of characters, and appreciated that the moments of levity are counterbalanced with moments of uncomfortable reflection. Ideas of defining personhood and measuring intelligence reminded me of Martha Wells' Murderbot universe, as did the futuristic corporate-colonizing space-race. 

3) The audio! There are so many implied/described sound effects in the story that are brought to life in the audiobook - Crisp and Hellfire's doubled speech, our various bots' conversational sound effects, the train song in part three (perhaps my favorite part of the entire story!). This narration elevated the reading experience for me (and I say this as a reader who generally has not enjoyed Graphic Audio productions that include sound effects). 

I wouldn't consider this a sci-fi entry point for newer readers to the genre, but it is a thought-provoking and unique read for sci-fi fans!

I LOVED this entry in the Singing Hills cycle, particularly for its execution of the story-within-a-story framework and how dryly humorous it feels. Vo's reflection on how stories are told - and by whom - is conveyed through a tense encounter between our loveably nerdy cleric and three sister tigers they've encountered during a northern journey into the mountains. A quick and exciting read that had me laughing throughout. 

This is the coziest kind of cozy fantasy romance, perfect for readers who just want to escape into a bear hug of a book with loveable characters. This is set in the queer-normative, alt-Regency world Wallace has built throughout the Meddle-and-Mend series, and though this was my entry point, I still felt able to quickly learn this world and its characters. It's epistolary, told entirely through diary entries, and evidences the significant growth and reflection of a youngest sibling struggling to find a place and a purpose in adulthood. The romance is secondary to this character development, and it's a beautifully affirming love story between our cisgender male narrator and a transgender man he meets through the course of his new job assisting a master spellcaster. 

I want to read the remainder of this series and look forward to having a cozy fantasy world to return to in between my generally higher-angst romance reads!

To quote Harry, Mrs. Milner is a knock-out. This mid-century modern, kitchen-reno romance features two chatty divorcees. Harry, a contractor for GE hired out for kitchen installs, is a Korean war vet now living as a bachelor (with an honest-to-God Murphy bed) in St. Paul, Minnesota, when he's hired on to Mrs. Milner's kitchen retrofit. Mrs. Milner, freshly divorced mother of two, faces the censure of the neighborhood ladies as a newly single woman and desperately wants them to talk about anything other than her prospects. She hopes a brand-new GE kitchen - complete with a full set of teal kitchen cabinets and golden honeycomb lineoleum - will set tongues wagging in envy, rather than pity. 

What follows is sweet and HOT and so authentically midwestern that I still have to remind myself I haven't actually met these people. Hadley writes a tender romance between cynics, with believable conflicts, a fully developed cast of characters, and a happily-ever-after that felt perfectly suited to the story. And the discussions of pregnancy prevention and consent were so well done for these characters and evidenced how much respect each shows for the other and for themself. 

I still can't believe this is a newsletter freebie - this story signals an exciting career for Jane Hadley, and I can't wait to read what she writes next!

I really enjoyed this series start! Does the plot hinge entirely on "romance reasons"? Absolutely. Did I mind? Not at all. A fun stow-away story that's plot heavy for the first half and then character-driven in the second, with lots of push-and-pull absurdity between the main characters. I spent about 20 minutes wishing harm for the male main character, King, but recovered from that fairly quickly, and our female main character, Sophie, is delightful. There were several scenes that had me legitimately giggling (the argument over whether or not she's been shot following the mail coach incident was top tier). Excited to continue this series, because let's be honest, I'm here to get hurt in The Day of the Duchess. 

This is a beautifully woven character study, with a stunning narration, though I understood very little of what was important to the narrative until at least 50% (this may not be a series I can trust myself with on audio - I kept getting distracted and having to rewind!). This is intentionally subtle, and it ultimately made this a reading experience I can't quite sum up. I'll continue the cycle, as I now feel I understand the general outline of the series and its intention, and I'm guessing on a reread this one will improve for me!

This was sexy, bonkers and darkly funny - I loved it. Alec and Jerry, our two main characters, are well-built foils who fall desperately in love (even if they're too scared to say it out loud for most of the book) while masterminding a jewel heist. The backstory to this is dark, but the plot's pacing and moments of levity keep it from ever feeling like it's too much, and I appreciated the class difference that offsets the traumatic backstory, bringing a necessary discussion of privilege into this family melodrama. I realized in reading this that my taste for love declarations leans more subtle, and I wished for more insight into Jerry's character growth before confession of said growth, but these are small quibbles - I am so excited to continue this series and get more Susan Lazarus!