Monthly Wrap Up

BOOKS READ: 35

DID I COMPLETE MY TBR? yes

Surprise, surprise! I completed my TBR for the second month in a row. Yes, it only had six books on it, again, but this time I even finished it with two days to go in the month. Maybe it's a sign I should add more. The count for this month is well down on last month, and that's because I only read about two comics, rather than the 40-or-so from last month.

Some favourites from the month: I bingeread the entire Queen's Thief series (my review for that can be found here), I finally got round to reading Warcross and it's probably now my second favourite Marie Lu series (second only to Legend), and I read another classic I actually ended up liking (North and South).

BREAKDOWN

FIVE STARS: 9
FOUR POINT FIVE STARS: 2
FOUR STARS: 10
THREE POINT FIVE STARS: 1
THREE STARS: 5
TWO STARS: 6
ONE STAR: 2

BY WOMEN: 21
BY MEN: 13
BY NB AUTHORS: 1

BY AUTHORS OF COLOUR: 9
BY WHITE AUTHORS: 26

*BY LGBT AUTHORS: 6
BY STRAIGHT AUTHORS: 29

*Note: this may not be accurate, as it relies on an author being out.

RESOLUTIONS FOR NEXT MONTH

Pretty much the same as last month. I need to get my act together. (But, I started up a new blog with Anna specifically dedicated to reading, reviewing and recommending LGBT media (CHECK IT OUT), so, hopefully that will boost my numbers on that front.)

Review - "The Queen's Thief" series

The Queen's Thief
by Megan Whalen Turner
overall rating (so far): ☆☆☆☆☆
published: 1996 - 2019
spoilers? hopefully no, I tried my best to avoid them

Goodreads

The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead in the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day.

If you've followed my reviews at all on Goodreads, you will know that books that don't contain a lot of action and me do not really get along. So, on the face of it, maybe you'd have thought that me and this series wouldn't get along either. Well, in this case, you would be wrong. Because although there is not huge amounts of action in the series, Megan Whalen Turner just does character-driven fantasy novels so well that I was consistently overwhelmed by how much I loved these books and characters. I wrote a brief review of The Thief when I first read it about two years ago, but now I've finally got myself together and read the rest of the series, I'm going to write a review for all of them at once. (As well as I can, without any spoilers, because you want to go into this series without any idea of what's going to happen. Trust me.)

I'm going to break this up into chunks in an attempt to actually produce something coherent, so, let's begin.

THE CHARACTERS

Having said that the series is character-driven, I figure I might as well start with the characters themselves. And specifically the fact that I love each and every one of them. In The Thief, we are introduced to Gen, a thief, who is languishing in the cells in Sounis, when the magus of Sounis picks him up out of them in order to steal something for him and the king. Gen is a compelling and funny narrator, and also [spoilers redacted]. And I don't think I've loved a character so quickly in a long while. And it's not just Gen I loved immediately. There was Sophos and Pol and Eddis too, and in later books, Costis and Kamet. Even the characters that you don't like straightaway have a tendency to grow on you: see the magus and Attolia. (No, but seriously, if you want an example of how to make an initially unlikeable character likeable, look no further than The Queen of Attolia. Melina Marchetta says she took inspiration for something Evanjalin does in Finnikin of the Rock from Megan Whalen Turner. Just so you know the level of pain we're operating on here.)

One of the reasons the characters are so wonderfully compelling, is that they all are realistic and flawed characters. Gen is stubborn and incalcitrant, even if his heart's in the right place, and he never tells anyone anything about his plans. Attolia is cold and also pretty stubborn, but when it comes down to it, just afraid of being vulnerable. I could go on and on about all these characters, but I won't subject you to that. Instead, just take my word for it that these are some of the most complex and appealing characters I've ever read.

(And they absolutely break my heart but that's a whole other thing.)

THE RELATIONSHIPS

You know what the best thing about having such great characters is? The relationships between them. I would tell you my favourites but, uh, that means spoiler so I'll hold off on that for now. So, given that I can't tell you specific relationships I liked and therefore why I liked them, I'm just going to ramble on a bit about them in a hopefully non-specific manner.

Firstly, because the characters are so complex, so are their relationships (case in point, this one I cannot mention because spoilers, but which everyone who's read the books will know I'm talking about). But I don't just love the complexity of their relationships, I also love just how detailed Megan Whalen Turner is in developing them, and how carefully she does it, until you're at the point where you think, okay, I can see why X just forgave Y that. (Yes, it's that specific example again.)

And beyond that, the development just feels so natural - slow and incremental and, above all, subtle. You're never explicitly told how characters feel about each other, but it's just there in the writing and GOD! I love it so much.

THE PLOT

Finally, let's talk plot. Like I said earlier, I generally have an aversion to books that don't have a lot of plot and rely on character-driven arcs. This was a definite exception to the rule. There's something about Megan Whalen Turner's way of writing character-driven arcs that has me captivated despite the lack of significant action for most of the book. It reminds me a lot of Melina Marchetta's ability to do so (not surprising given Marchetta said she took inspiration from this series. Perhaps that should have been a sign that I was undoubtedly going to love it).

Unsurprisingly, given how the rest of this review has gone, there's actually very little I can say about plot that doesn't spoil anything. (Like, seriously, it's one of those series where you absolutely cannot read the blurb of the next book until you've read the current one. Just don't do it. Do not.) But, as with the characters and relationships, everything about the plot is so detailed and well thought out and subtle, so that something will become significant long after Megan Whalen Turner first mentions it and you're just like OH, because it's so goddamn clever.

In conclusion, this review is a mess and I've really only managed to ramble all over the place, but I hope you can still see why I loved this series and maybe you'll be tempted to pick them up for yourselves.

Five for Friday: M/M Romance

Given that I made a post of f/f romance recs, it's only right that I also rec some m/m romances. I've made a point of only including ownvoices books here, because I don't really trust straight women to write LGBT characters, as much as I might enjoy some of them. Ownvoices m/m romances will always be somewhat better than non-ownvoices for that reason only. And it means I'm not always on edge expecting something iffy. So here are five of my favourite ownvoices m/m romances.

Release by Patrick Ness

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: homophobia, sexual harrassment

Synopsis: Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume's Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It's a big day. Things go wrong. It's intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches...

Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It's a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won't come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.

Comments: OK, so this is a little bit of a cheat, because it's not really a romance. But I really loved it, and you know how there are some books which really make you appreciate how different ownvoices is from non-ownvoices? This is one of those ones for me.

Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: A high school jock and nerd fall in love senior year, only to part after an amazing summer of discovery to attend their respective colleges. They keep in touch at first, but then slowly drift apart.

Flash forward twenty years.

Travis and Craig both have great lives, careers, and loves. But something is missing .... Travis is the first to figure it out. He's still in love with Craig, and come what may, he's going after the boy who captured his heart, even if it means forsaking his job, making a fool of himself, and entering the great unknown.

Told in narrative, letters, checklists, and more, this is the must-read novel for anyone who's wondered what ever happened to that first great love.

Comments: Don't you just love second chance romances? This one is about two boys who fall in love aged 18 and then slowly drift apart, before one realises that the only person he's ever loved is his childhood best friend. It's also really cute, and I did love how, at the end, the awful thing that could have happened didn't (I have low standards for these things, okay).

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: After graduation, Kieran expected to go straight into a career of flipping burgers — only to be offered the internship of his dreams at a political campaign. But the pressure of being an out trans man in the workplace quickly sucks the joy out of things, as does Seth, the humorless campaign strategist who watches his every move.

Soon, the only upside to the job is that Seth has a painful crush on their painfully straight boss, and Kieran has a front row seat to the drama. But when Seth proves to be as respectful and supportive as he is prickly, Kieran develops an awkward crush of his own — one which Seth is far too prim and proper to ever reciprocate.

Comments: A cute NA romance, with a trans mc (also ownvoices rep), between an intern and his not-quite boss who has a crush on their real (straight) boss. It's one of those I keep going back to read over and over.

Avi Cantor has Six Months to Live by Sacha Lamb

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: Avi Cantor Has Six Months To Live

Avi comes across these foreboding words scrawled on the bathroom mirror, but what do they mean? Is this a curse, a prediction, or a threat from Avi's emboldened bullies? And how to they know his real name when he hasn't even told his mother yet?

Then there is Ian — the cool new guy at school, who is suddenly paying attention to Avi. Ian is just like Avi, but he is also all sunshine, optimism, and magic. All the things that Avi doesn't know how to deal with... yet.

Comments: Another short story, with a cute relationship, and also a bit of witchcraft thrown in there.

Running With Lions by Julian Winters

Rating: 3.5 stars
Content Warnings: body image issues

Synopsis: Bloomington High School Lions' star goalie, Sebastian Hughes, should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing and he's got a coach who doesn't ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood best friend Emir Shah shows up to summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team's success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir's trust. But to Sebastian's surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town's streets, and bonding on the weekends sparks more than just friendship between them.

Comments: The softest found family and childhood best friends to enemies (ish) to lovers I have ever read. I loved every single one of the characters, and especially the romance.

Five for Friday: Poetry

I'm taking a brief break from reccing fiction this week and instead I'm going to do poetry collections. I really did try hard to keep to five actual recs here, but there are so so many other poetry collections I could have included (and, in fact, I cheated again, right at the end). So, in trying to keep to only five, these recs are five of the less popular (by Goodreads ratings) choices (about 150-200 ratings or less).

Thief in the Interior by Phillip B. Williams

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: discussions of racism, homophobia, addiction

Synopsis: Phillip B. Williams investigates the dangers of desire, balancing narratives of addiction, murders, and hate crimes with passionate, uncompromising depth. Formal poems entrenched in urban landscapes crack open dialogues of racism and homophobia rampant in our culture. Multitudinous voices explore one's ability to harm and be harmed, which uniquely juxtaposes the capacity to revel in both experiences.

Comments: I don't know how to comment on poetry, especially when it's so subjective, so I'm just going to suggest a few of my favourite ones to give you a taste. Like Witness and Epithalamium.

Over the Anvil We Stretch by Anis Mojgani

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: Over The Anvil We Stretch contains swampy, powerful poems that are as exciting as the pocket knife you got for your birthday, the three legged frog on the lawn and the jar of marbles your mother kept in the kitchen. Mojgani's poems are the sound of the river and the stars burning above. He manages to capture the axe in the stump with blood still on the handle. Anis Mojgani has drawn a map of the country in the shape of his wild dreams. These are memories of a life, captured through the blue green filter of the bayou. Mojgani's latest poems are tinged with the sound of crickets spying on us in the darkness. They move forward honestly, brutally and sweetly. The reader will be led into briar patches as well as the moonlight just on the other side.

Comments: Four Stars and Sharpen Your Lances.

Kumakanda by Kayombo Chingonyi

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: discussions of racism

Synopsis: Translating as ‘initiation’, kumukanda is the name given to the rites a young boy from the Luvale tribe must pass through before he is considered a man. The poems of Kayo Chingonyi’s remarkable debut explore this passage: between two worlds, ancestral and contemporary; between the living and the dead; between the gulf of who he is and how he is perceived.

Underpinned by a love of music, language and literature, here is a powerful exploration of race, identity and masculinity, celebrating what it means to be British and not British, all at once.

Comments: Alternate Take.

Wanting in Arabic by Trish Salah

Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: discussions of homophobia, transphobia, racism

Synopsis: "Wanting in Arabic" is a refusal of convenient silences, convenient stories. The author dwells on the contradictions of a transsexual poetics, in its attendant disfigurations of lyric, ghazal, l'ecriture feminine, and, in particular, her own sexed voice. Without a memory of her father's language, the questions her poems ask are those for a home known through photographs, for a language lost with childhood.

Braiding theoretical concerns with the ambivalences of sexed and raced identity, with profound romanticism, "Wanting in Arabic" attempts to traverse the fantasies of foundational loss and aggressive nostalgia in order to further a poetics of a conscious partiality of being, of generous struggle and comic rather than tragic misrecognition.

Comments: Land Day (March 30, 1976).

This Way to the Sugar by Hieu Minh Nguyen

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: discussions of racism, homophobia

Synopsis: A Midwest Asian-American poet beautifully captures the queer American experience. This bruising collection of poems puts a blade and a microscope to nostalgia, tradition, race, apology, and sexuality, in order to find beauty in a flawed world. His work has been described as an astounding testament to the power and necessity of confession.

Comments: I've only ever found one of my favourites by Hieu Minh Nguyen online, which is 2006. But there's also Outbound and Type II.

And, finally, because I can't resist, and I did have to leave out some faves in this list, special mention goes to: Live for a Living by Buddy Wakefield, Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong, Counting Descent by Clint Smith, Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith, Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar, and Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns by Andrea Gibson.

Review - "The Bloodprint"

The Bloodprint, The Khorasan Archives #1
by Ausma Zehanat Khan
rating: ☆☆
published: 19th October 2017
spoilers? no

Goodreads

There is no one but the One. And so the One commands.

I picked this book up in the bookshop probably about 6 months back, mostly based on the fact that the cover is absolutely fricking gorgeous. Aaaaand it disappointed. (Cue my mum asking why I read such bad books. It's not my fault! I'm susceptible to a pretty cover, so what?)

So why did it disappoint? Primarily, the writing.

Let me take a step back for a second. The premise and the plot in this have a lot of potential, as does the main romance (although I'm so goddamn tired of beautiful protagonists who have men falling at their feet when it adds nothing to the plot). Yes, it's a fairly heavy-handed comparison to the Taliban (Talisman/Taliban? Get it?), but that's not the problem. The problem is the execution.

Ultimately, the writing is dull and even action scenes just kind of plod along. It's descriptive, maybe venturing into purple prose territory at times, but there's never a change in pacing between non-action and action scenes. Hence, the dullness. I also really didn't like some of the stylistic choices the author made.

Like finishing every* chapter like this.
With three short sentences.
Each as their own paragraph.


(* every, or rather, enough that I noticed and got annoyed)

Because it just made the writing seem choppy and disrupted. So the scenes felt choppy and disrupted too and seemed to lack a coherent flow (not entirely I'll admit, but enough). As well as this, some scenes happened without any apparent build-up. So, because the writing felt disjointed, the plot also felt disjointed and I couldn't get into it. It also seemed to me that there was a bit of a disconnect between certain scenes and the worldbuilding. I don't know why, but sometimes it felt like a particular scene was happening disconnected of the world it was supposed to be happening in (if that makes any sense). Maybe that was partly the writing style, maybe it was a product of me skimreading (although it happened in the second chapter, at a point where I wasn't actually yet skimming, so), I don't know. But it didn't help my enjoyment (or lack of) of the book.

In addition, I only liked one character of the whole cast (Wafa) and, while I didn't actively dislike any of the rest, that's not enough for me to go on. I just didn't really care about the rest. There was a second chance romance relationship full of potential, and it just ended up being as dull as the rest of the book. I didn't care about the angst in it, or the individual characters, so I sure as hell wasn't going to be able to care about the relationship itself.

One good thing, though. The end. Although I kind of called one of the reveals, there were some other really good ones that happened. And if I hadn't been so completely bored by the previous 400+ pages, then maybe that'd have tempted me to consider book two. But as it was, it did nothing.

So, in the end, I leave this note to self: if you're going to pick a book based on its cover, maybe read some of it first.

Five for Friday: Steampunk

Look! Four weeks in a row! I'm getting the hang of this book blogging malarkey (finally). This week's five recs are all steampunk books (or rather, mostly short stories). I don't read a huge amount of steampunk - I probably have more on my to-read shelf than my read shelf - but these are the best of the ones I have read.

The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life — as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus. But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better…

Comments: I love mystery stories. If there's one genre I'll always go back to, it's mysteries. So this one was right up my alley. And it has the perfect slowburn enemies to friends?/lovers? potential relationship. It's also pretty much the only full-length audiobook I have ever really liked.

The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: Creeper, a scrappy young teen, is done living on the streets of New Orleans. Instead, she wants to soar, and her sights are set on securing passage aboard the smuggler airship Midnight Robber. Her ticket: earning Captain Ann-Marie’s trust using a secret about a kidnapped Haitian scientist and a mysterious weapon he calls The Black God’s Drums.

But Creeper keeps another secret close to heart - Oya, the African orisha of the wind and storms, who speaks inside her head and grants her divine powers. And Oya has her own priorities concerning Creeper and Ann-Marie…

Comments: Probably one of the best short stories I've ever read. It's got great world-building and a proper amount of plot - not too much for a short story, but also not too little.

The Persephone Star by Jamie Sullivan

Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: homophobia

Synopsis: As Post Mistress of Fortuna, Penelope Moser knows just about everything about everyone. It's a job she takes seriously, no matter who comes to pry for gossip, or how unsettling the messages are — but even she is more than a little frightened by rumors that The Persephone Star has been spotted nearby. That means Mirage Currier is out of prison and coming to settle up with the man who put her in jail: Cullen Wiley, Sheriff of Fortuna and Penelope's fiancé.

The worst comes to pass when Penelope is kidnapped — or so she thinks. But the simple truth she thought she knew starts to unravel, leaving her to choose between the man she promised to marry or the woman destined for the gallows.

Comments: You know you want to read about a band of Robin Hood style lady outlaws running around the country in an airship, stealing from rich ugly men. Especially when you get an f/f relationship into the bargain.

Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus

Rating: 3 stars
Content Warnings: racism

Synopsis: Having stumbled onto a plot within his homeland of Jamaica, former espionage agent, Desmond Coke, finds himself caught between warring religious and political factions, all vying for control of a mysterious boy named Lij Tafari.

Wanting the boy to have a chance to live a free life, Desmond assumes responsibility for him and they flee. But a dogged enemy agent remains ever on their heels, desperate to obtain the secrets held within Lij for her employer alone.

Assassins, intrigue, and steammen stand between Desmond and Lij as they search for a place to call home in a North America that could have been.

Comments: This one I found a little confusing to get into, because the author trusts you to just pick up the world as you go along, as opposed to fully explaining it but by the end it's very good. It's kind of a sci-fi/steampunk mix, and a great quick read.

Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: I was in an accident. I got out. I’m safe now.

An alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, where a damaged clock can fracture time — and a destroyed one can stop it completely.

A prodigy mechanic who can repair not only clockwork but time itself, determined to rescue his father from a Stopped town.

A series of mysterious bombings that could jeopardize all of England.

A boy who would give anything to relive his past, and one who would give anything to live at all.

A romance that will shake the very foundations of time.

Comments: An alternative Victorian era, where clocks are alive, and have spirits - one of whom befriends Danny, a clock mechanic. There's also a mystery going on as well, as the mechanics try to unstop a Stopped town. And it's an alternative Victorian era without any homophobia.

Review - "The Oyster Thief"

The Oyster Thief
by Sonia Faruqi
rating: ☆
published: 2nd October 2018
spoilers? a few

Goodreads

Galley provided by publisher

CWs: sexual assault

I had - if not high, then at least some - hopes for this book. The synopsis sounded intriguing, and I thought there was some good potential for enemies to lovers. A bit like To Kill a Kingdom, maybe. And the cover was lovely, so there was that too.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out - to say the least.

To start off with, the writing was fairly poor. I know that's something completely subjective and everything, but on the first page, there was mention of "Algae Appreciation Day" and "Horrid Humans Day", and it felt kind of... childish? For lack of a better word. So that kind of put me off the writing from the start. It wasn't flat out awful - I have read a lot worse - but it felt kind of clunky, especially when it came to the speech. You know how you can find some writing styles easier to read than others, like they read more naturally? This one is one of those that doesn't read particularly easily. So I struggled a bit with that.

Also concerning the writing, the author had a tendency to skip fairly rapidly between Izar and Coralline's point of view. Now, I get the value of minor cliffhangers, sure, but when there's one every few pages, but you just know you only need to read another couple of paragraphs before you find out what happens next? They don't really work. And, they kind of stopped me from getting properly into either Coralline's or Izar's story. I would be just about getting used to one, and then it'd change.

If the writing was what made me less keen on the book, the worldbuilding is what made me rate it 1 star instead of two. Firstly, the mermaid world is a direct mirror of a human world. Down to the misogyny and rape culture. Because why would you extend your imagination to come up with something new when you can just do that! There's a whole government system, there are police, detectives, houses, tables, corsets - none of this is a particularly interesting world. What are the chances, if you have two different species, with minimal contact, that they would develop into matching societies? Pretty fricking low, you'd have to guess. And yet. In this book, we're supposed to believe that merpeople hide away from humans but still have a mirroring society. But what is worse about this, is that we can't even escape tired old tropes like a sexual assault scene and some lovely misogyny in this merpeople society. Starting with the misogyny, what we get is this conversation between Coralline and her fiance:

"You've never left Urchin Grove before. You're delicate - like the algae after which you were named-" "I'm not delicate." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in an offensive way. What I mean is that you're fragile, feminine. You don't know how to wield a dagger-"

On top of this, Coralline is expected by her mother, and society, to just marry well, learn how to cook, provide babies. Sound familiar? (Along similar lines as this, when Izar gets turned into a merman, one of the first things he comments on is that... it's emasculating not to have hair on his chest? Because yes. Yes, that is What Makes You A Man. Please, spare me.)

Then we get to the rape culture. Let me set the scene. Coralline and Izar have just been to visit someone to help them on their quest, but he is killed while they're there, and Coralline seen clutching the dagger. So, they find the furthest away hotel they can, which is kind of a seedy place. And while they're getting rooms, Izar overhears these two mermen talking about how they would "like a piece of" Coralline, such that they ask for the room next door to where she'll be staying. Now, he doesn't tell Coralline this. Oh no. He rationalises it as he's using her to get what he wants, he doesn't really care about her. So, the next morning, the brothers break into Coralline's room and try to rape and kill her. And Izar has to save her. Because what is a fantasy story without an attempted rape scene so the hero can save the girl, huh? A lot goddamn better than this, I'm telling you. And that's the point where I just got angry and hateread the rest of the book.

In addition to all this mess, there was a particular idea that got propounded a few times that I really hated. It was centered around two characters (including the one who ends up murdered). Basically, his wife is dying, so he goes and finds the magical elixir to save her life. And apparently, according to Coralline, this means she's indebted for life to him. Because she ends up falling out of love with him, and leaving him for another man, and Coralline calls this selfish. It feels a lot like the author's pushing the idea that she doesn't have a right to decide she doesn't love him. Which is just stupid.

A few final points. First off, there's so much girl hating going on. There's not one single intimate and kind female relationship. Coralline has no friends besides her shark, her mother is absolutely horrible, Rosette is supposedly competing for Coralline's fiance's attention so is also terrible and spends her time spreading malicious rumours about Coralline, her fiance's mother hates her and her mother, her mother hates the apothecary, the list goes on. And it's so tedious. What is the point in writing this into your book? Personally, it's a guaranteed way to lose me as a reader.

Lastly, to top off the misogyny, a woman gets fridged in the last part. Because we didn't have enough of it yet.

So yeah. This book? Not worth it.

Review - "You'd Be Mine"

You'd Be Mine
by Erin Hahn
rating: ☆☆☆
published: 2nd April 2019
spoilers? a few

Goodreads

Galley provided by publisher

CWs: alcoholism, drug overdose, graphic description of suicide, PTSD, panic attack

You'd Be Mine tells the story of two country musicians: Annie Mathers, the daughter of two famous parents who died when she was 13, and Clay Coolidge, the bad boy in country music. After Clay is arrested drunk one time too many, his label makes a bargain with him - he convinces Annie Mathers to sign to them, and tour with her, and they don't drop him. Despite their reservations, they're attracted to each other from early on, though Annie doesn't want to end up like her parents and Clay has his own problems to deal with.

If I'm honest, I was, at the start at least, expecting something a little different to what I got. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but it wasn't quite this. I think maybe it was that the MCs hit off so early, I was kind of wanting something with a little more slowburn. Perhaps with them not really liking each other to start, but growing on one another. But instead, they were attracted fairly early on. But then, their romance isn't that large a feature in the story, insofar as it's not the only plot. Instead, it's a fairly character-driven story, about Annie's rise to fame and Clay's dealing with his grief and alcoholism.

I liked that about this book. The characters were also so intriguing and realistic that I didn't feel like I got bored of the plot, or lightness of it, although the trope of sweet, innocent girl and bad boy is a little overdone and I did get somewhat bored by that. (Especially the whole "I'm not good for you" thing, which, okay, I understand in this context, but can we talk cliches?) I also really liked that Annie's love didn't "save" Clay from his alcoholism. Instead of falling into those tired, awful tropes, Clay gets himself help and afterwards they get together for real.

What I didn't really like about their relationship, however, was this: Clay at one point humiliates Annie in front of an enormous crowd - just before he hits rock bottom - but he never apologises for it. Not even after he's all better. It's just kind of brushed under the rug and never mentioned again. And I hated it. He treats her like shit in front of a whole stadium crowd and yet it's passed over, almost excused as a result of his alcoholism (and at this point, slight paranoia). Also brushed under the rug is the fact that he effectively cheats on Annie during the tour. Okay, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but he kisses Annie a few times and then, without talking to her, and without them obviously coming to the joint decision to stop, he hooks up with Lora. And, yes, all of this happens at the worst point of his addiction, just before he overdoses and hits rock bottom, but it's still on him. And he should still apologise to Annie. But he doesn't. After he's recovered, it all appears to be forgotten. So yeah. That kind of ruined the end for me.

Overall though, You'd Be Mine was an easy, well-written read. I just wish I'd cared a bit more about the relationship between the characters.

Five for Friday: Fantasy (IV)

Look at me, writing these posts weeks in advance and scheduling them. It's almost like (*gasp*) I'm being organised. Anyhow, today is part four (of four) of my fantasy recs. This final part is going to be YA urban fantasy. As ever, I've ignored a number of other books I would rec in favour of these five so. They're good, folks.

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: period typical racism, torture, violence

Synopsis: In 1919, Ada Navarra—the intrepid daughter of immigrants—and Corinne Wells—a spunky, devil-may-care heiress—make an unlikely pair. But at the Cast Iron nightclub in Boston, anything and everything is possible. At night, on stage together, the two best friends, whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art, weave magic under the employ of Johnny Dervish, the club’s owner and a notorious gangster. By day, Ada and Corinne use these same skills to con the city’s elite in an attempt to keep the club afloat.

When a “job” goes awry and Ada is imprisoned, she realizes they’re on the precipice of danger. Only Corinne—her partner in crime—can break her out of Haversham Asylum. But once Ada is out, they face betrayal at every turn.

Comments: Think 1910s X-Men with heists and murder mysteries. Think really really good friendships, and angsty relationships. Now think about reading it. (And then do read it.)

Shadowshaper by D J Older

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer of making art, hanging out with her friends, and skating around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. Sierra's near-comatose abuelo begins to say "Lo siento" over and over. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep.... Well, something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on.

Sierra soon discovers a supernatural order called the Shadowshapers, who connect with spirits via paintings, music, and stories. Her grandfather once shared the order's secrets with an anthropologist, Dr. Jonathan Wick, who turned the Caribbean magic to his own foul ends. Now Wick wants to become the ultimate Shadowshaper by killing all the others, one by one. With the help of her friends and the hot graffiti artist Robbie, Sierra must dodge Wick's supernatural creations, harness her own Shadowshaping abilities, and save her family's past, present, and future.

Comments: To be honest, I don't remember enough of this to tell you why you should read it specifically but. You should read it. Trust past me who rated it 4 stars.

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

Comments: OK, so yes, I have a bit of a thing for urban fantasy but in historical settings, alright? It's just. Some real good shit. And also lets you have a disgustingly tense slowburn romance. Just what I like.

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: violence, death

Synopsis: He always knew he was different.
First there were the dreams.
Then the deaths began.


When Matt Freeman gets into trouble with the police, he's sent to be fostered in Yorkshire. It's not long before he senses there's something wrong with his guardian: with the whole village.

Then Matt learns about the Old Ones and begins to understand just how he is different. But no one will believe him; no one can help.

There is no proof. There is no logic. There is just the Gate.

Comments: This has been one of my favourite series for years. I love all the characters and the world, and the ending will never fail to make me tear up just thinking about it.

Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Aidan Lockwood feels like he’s been sleepwalking through life, each day as hazy and unremarkable as the one before it. But when his former best friend, Jarrod, suddenly moves back to town, the veil that has clouded Aidan’s mind begins to lift. Yet what Aidan discovers is that his world is haunted by stories of the past; stories that he has somehow been prevented from remembering.

But visions from the past come to him unbidden, starting with an old apple tree—a gnarled, dead thing—that haunts Aidan’s sleep, and seems to beckon to him from across his family’s orchard. And then there are the dreams that show him people and places he’s only heard of in family stories: a great-grandfather on the field of battle; his own father, stumbling upon an unspeakable tragedy; and a mysterious young boy whose whispered words may be at the heart of the curse that now holds Aidan’s family in its grip.

But there’s another presence lurking within this invisible world—someone who has been waiting to collect on a debt set into motion generations ago. As the lines between the past and the present, stories and truths, friends and lovers begin to blur, Aidan will be forced to spin a story of his own to protect those he loves, and keep the invisible world at bay.

Comments: Think The Raven Cycle but actually good gay rep and you've got something along the lines of this book. It's fantasy and psychics, plus best friends to lovers. What's not to like?

Review - "If I Loved You Less"

If I Loved You Less
by Tamsen Parker
rating: ☆
published: 20th September 2018
spoilers? a few

Goodreads

ARC kindly provided by Tamsen Parker

The problem I seem to have with Austen retellings is that I almost go into them with too high expectations, and I'm invariably disappointed. Because, let's be real, nothing can really reach the same levels as Austen herself - I should probably save myself the disappointment and stop thinking they might.

That being said, I think this book also suffered a little because Emma happens to be my least favourite Austen and the one I found most boring when I read it (yes, I still liked it, but if I'm ranking the novels, it's definitely sixth out of six). So, maybe I shouldn't have been that surprised when I didn't like this as much as I might have. However, I think I might still have rated this two stars instead of only one if I hadn't got so annoyed by some aspects of it.

But let me back up a moment, and talk about some things I liked about this book. It's set in Hawaii and the cast is more racially diverse than the original (not hard to do, obviously, but it's still something worth noting). I liked that Tamsen Parker decided to shake things up a bit like that. Also, the writing was mostly good - there were a couple of lines where I was just like what, but on the whole, it was very readable. Unfortunately, that's all offset by a whole part in the middle dealing with Theo's sexuality that annoyed me so much I had to rate this one star.

To start with, Theo is only attracted to women. She mentions this a few times, she rejects Brock and tells him she's only attracted to women, calls him out when he says maybe she's just not yet met the right man. And yet. She refuses to use the word lesbian. Because she isn't "fundamentally opposed to the idea of being with a man". But she's obviously not attracted to men in the text, so all I'm getting here is that she doesn't want to call herself a lesbian on the off chance that one day she'll meet a man she's attracted to. And then later on, there's this line: "the squishier label of queer had always felt more comfortable than the more rigid identity of lesbian". Like once you choose a label for your sexuality, that's it. There's no changing. I know the whole "sexuality is fluid" thing is a bit iffy, but. Sexuality can be fluid. Her labelling herself as lesbian now, because she's only attracted to women, doesn't mean she's completely incapable of realising later on that maybe she is attracted to other genders too.

And it really does feel in the narrative that this is just playing into a kind of "you're not a lesbian, you just haven't met the right man" idea. It would be, not fine, but better, if, when she thinks she's attracted to Austin, the author takes the chance to bring up comphet, and how maybe this attraction is just to do with the fact that she thinks she ought to be attracted to him, and that their fathers used to push it when they were younger (which is briefly mentioned but not framed in terms of comphet). Because it's obvious she isn't really attracted to him. It's clearly comphet. And it would have been really nice to at least attempt a discussion of that in this, when you have this example just sat there waiting for you. It would have made the whole labelling issue I had feel a lot less like "you just haven't met the right man". And, ultimately, I might have liked the book quite a bit more if that had been the direction taken.

But in the end, what I'm left with is yet another Austen retelling that leaves me feeling disappointed.

On The TBR Shelf

I actually managed to finish my TBR last month, so after that success, I'm hoping that I can do the same again this month. I'm again only going to put about 6 books on this list, maybe 7, because I am notoriously bad at actually keeping to these things. And I'm also including some classics here, which take me about three times as long to read as anything else.

North and South
by Elizabeth Gaskell

When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill-workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction. In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell skillfully fused individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale created one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.

The Oyster Thief (ARC)
by Sonia Faruqi

Coralline is a shy mermaid in the Atlantic Ocean whose idyllic life is ruined by an oil spill that gravely sickens her little brother. Desperate to save him, she embarks on a quest to find a legendary elixir.

She encounters a human man, Izar, who's left his life on land behind to find a cure for his dying father. He doesn’t tell her that his family runs Ocean Dominion, an enemy corporation whose ships plunder her waters daily.

Fate pushes the two of them together, even though their worlds are at odds. Accompanied by a colorful troupe of animals, Coralline and Izar travel through coral reefs and seabed cities, trailed by murderous adversaries and warring ships. Their secrets threaten to tear them apart, while a growing attraction adds to the danger. Ultimately, each of them faces an impossible choice. Should Coralline remain with the world she knows, including her fiancé, or should she relinquish everything for a stranger who might betray her? And Izar holds a secret of his own—one that might cause him to lose Coralline forever.

You'd Be Mine (ARC)
by Erin Hahn

Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things.

But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen.

Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk.

If I Loved You Less (ARC)
by Tamsen Parker

Sunny, striking, and satisfied with her life in paradise, Theodosia Sullivan sees no need for marriage. She does, however, relish serving as matchmaker for everyone who crosses her path. As the manager of her family’s surf shop in Hanalei Bay, that includes locals and tourists alike.

One person she won’t be playing Cupid for is the equally happy bachelorette down the street. Baker Kini ʻŌpūnui has been the owner of Queen’s Sweet Shop since her parents passed away and her younger brother married Theo’s older sister and moved to Oahu. Kini’s ready smile, haupia shortbread, and lilikoi malasadas are staples of Hanalei’s main street.

However, Theo’s matchmaking machinations and social scheming soon become less charming—even hazardous—to everyone involved. And when she fails to heed Kini’s warnings about her meddling, she may be more successful than she ever intended. Theo has to face the prospect of Kini ending up with someone else, just as she realizes she’s loved Kini all along.

The Queen of Attolia
by Megan Whalen Turner

Revenge
When Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eugenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered...she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge.

...but
Eugenides can steal anything. And he taunts the Queen of Attolia, moving through her strongholds seemingly at will. So Attolia waits, secure in the knowledge that the Thief will slip, that he will haunt her palace one too many times.

...at what price?
When Eugenides finds his small mountain country at war with Attolia, he must steal a man, he must steal a queen, he must steal peace. But his greatest triumph, and his greatest loss, comes in capturing something that the Queen of Attolia thought she had sacrificed long ago...

Warcross
by Marie Lu

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life.

The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem... and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

Monthly Wrap Up

BOOKS READ: 73

DID I COMPLETE MY TBR? yes

So, I know my TBR only had about six books on it, but I really only just finished it, because (a) I kinda forgot about it until about halfway through the month, and (b) I found it really hard to continuously read The City of Brass for some reason. But! I did finish it, at about 11pm last night (31st August), so I think this marks the first ever time I've finished a TBR list. Here's hoping that continues.

I also read a helluva lot of comics this month - hence why my read count is at 73. I think the best of these was either DC's Trinity Rebirth title (just because I love the characters so much already I was always going to also love a series they appeared in), or Holly Black's DC/Vertigo Lucifer series. It also helped that both series have really lovely artwork.

BREAKDOWN

FIVE STARS: 4
FOUR STARS: 35
THREE POINT FIVE STARS: 3
THREE STARS: 16
TWO POINT FIVE STARS: 1
TWO STARS: 8
ONE STAR: 6

BY WOMEN: 40
BY MEN: 33

BY AUTHORS OF COLOUR: 14
BY WHITE AUTHORS: 59

*BY LGBT AUTHORS: 13
BY STRAIGHT AUTHORS: 60

*Note: this may not be accurate, as it relies on an author being out.

RESOLUTIONS FOR NEXT MONTH

1. Read more by authors of colour

2. Read more by LGBT authors

P.S. Note to self: bingereading comics is going to skew your figures towards white straight men, so maybe chill on that front?