2. Love's Lightning Heart: A Multiversity Story written by Grant Morrison, art by Hayden Sherman, coloring by Marissa Louise, lettering by Aditya Bidikar, and edited by Jessica Chen. - 1.5/5 - I'm unfamiliar with The Multiversity so this was confusing to follow as it seems to jump straight into fast-paced travel across different worlds as Flashlight searches for The Flash (I think?). While I liked the art and coloring, the story was too confusing.
3. And Baby Makes Three written by Leah Williams, art by Paulina Ganucheau, lettering by Frank Cvetkovic, and edited by Arianna Turturro. - 5/5 - This short story follows Crush who gets stranded in an island with Harley and Ivy. The art style feels very YA-graphic novel (cutesy, fun, with vibrant colors) and depicts a really cute and fun dynamic between Harlivy.
4. Hey Stranger written by Nadia Shammas, art by Bruka Jones, color by Tamra Bonvillain, letter by Frank Cvetkovic, and edits by Andrea Shea - 4/5 - I absolutely love the art in this story of Robin and Green Arrow's son, Connor where readers get a glimpse of the two discussing their feelings and experience with coming out. The dialogue was alright, but did I mention that I loved the art?
5. 8 Seconds of Still Force by A.L. Kaplan, letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and edited by Andrea Shea - 2.5/5 - This is a Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker origin story. The story is lacking and Circuit Breaker's powers was hard to understand but the art is great and I love the green and pink color palette.
6. Subspace Transmission by A.L. Kaplan, letters by Aditya Bidikar, edited by Andrea Shea - 1.5/5 - This is a continuation of Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker's adventures although it appears that some time has passed since 8 Seconds of Still Force. To be honest, I had a hard time figuring out what was going on in this story.
7. Anniversary written by Josh Trujillo, art and color by Don Aguillo, letters by Lucas Gattoni, and edited by Michael McCalister - 3.5/5 - Midnighter and Apollo celebrate their anniversary by getting married again on national TV in order to combat homophobia. The story is heavy handed but the art is impressive - every panel looks like an oil painting!
8. Found: A Spirit World Story written by Jeremy Holt, illustrated by Andrew Drilon, lettered by Lucas Gattoni, edited by Jessica Chen - 4/5 - This is my first introduction to Xanthe and... I think I'm in love?
9. The Envoy: A Spirit World Story written by Alyssa Wong, art by Haining, colors by Sebatian Cheng, letters by Janice Chiang, edits by Jessica Chen - 5/5 - First of all, I love the all-Asian ensemble of creators who brought this story to life. I also adore the artwork and I am in love with Xanthe. This was a great introduction to the Spirit World comics, which I will definitely check out!
11. The Dance written by Rex Ogle, art by Stephen Sadowski, colors by Enrica Eren Angiolini, letters by Ariana Maher, and edits by Michael McCalister - 5/5 - "Battle is a dance. And what is a dance without a partner?" I can't say I'm familiar with any of the characters here, but the story was simple, straightforward and well-written and the artwork was great. No complaints.
13. Harley Quinn in Stranger Than Fan Fiction written by Alexis Quasarano, art by Max Sarin, colors by Marissa Louise, letters by Taylor Esposito, edits by Alex Galer and Ben Meares. 5/5 - This was a really cute YA-style comic of Harley Quinn following Poison Ivy at a masked garden gala to deliver a comic/fanfic she drew of the two of them if they were ever to meet in high school. The artwork was adorable and Harley's comic was equally as cute and I love Harley and Ivy's dynamic!
16. Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story written by Nicole Maines, art by Rye Hickman, colors by Bex Glendining, lettering by Rusty Gladd, edits by Sara Miller. 3/5 - this is an exclusive previous of Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story which I've reviewed here and had rated it a 4/5. That said, I do think more could have been included in this anthology as the excerpt provided doesn't offer much background on what's going on so I'm lowering rating for the portion that was provided in this anthology.
Sh*t and Blood!A sapphic historical fiction with pirates and vampires - what's not to love?!
Morgane grew up on a pirate ship as the daughter of 4.5/5
Sh*t and Blood!A sapphic historical fiction with pirates and vampires - what's not to love?!
Morgane grew up on a pirate ship as the daughter of a badass female captain, Captain Anna-Marie, whose sole mission is to attack and steal from ships operated by the Four Chains Company. One day, after a raid gone wrong, Anna-Marie lets out a dying confession that she's actually Morgane's aunt and that she stole Morgane out of both vengeance and the desire to protect Morgane from her sister. Morgane also discovers that every Four Chains Company ship that they've raided contained letters and gifts from her biological mother in the hopes that they would eventually fall in Morgane's hands and that Morgane would return to France to be reunited with her real family. Determined to find her biological mother, despite Anna-Marie's ominous warnings, Morgane sets sail for France only to realize that, in doing so, her life might be in danger.
I really enjoyed reading about Morgane's journey travelling to France and the culture shock of going from being a pirate to trying to blend in with French society in search of her long lost mother. Her characterization and that of the supporting characters were great and made the reading experience highly enjoyable.
All the characters were interesting with my favourites being: - Morgane, who is unapologetically herself the entire time - strong, brave, brash, and honest. If you like Lila Bard from A Darker Shade of Magic but wished she was a bit more queer (and vulgar), then you'll love Morgane. - Captain de Lavois, who brings Morgane to France, is truly the sweetest man and the prime definition of a gentleman - I hope we see him again in future books because he was one of my favourite characters! - Lisette who was absolutely adorable, open-minded and loyal - she must be protected at all cost!
This was a fairly slow moving and predictable story with well-developed characters and spooky and mysterious setting. The ending was rushed but the story wrapped up nicely (no cliffhanger, yay!). This could easily be read as a standalone novel (I would have assumed it was a standalone, were it not for the cover indicating that it's part of a series). I am curious what the rest of the series could hold.
**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
I've been trying to read more poetry but have to admit that it's a genre that I have a hard time appreciating and that I rarely enjoy... I was ho2.5/5
I've been trying to read more poetry but have to admit that it's a genre that I have a hard time appreciating and that I rarely enjoy... I was hoping that this collection would be the exception but alas, I must continue with my search.
"All I ask is to be let in, to lie down in your arms like blood lapping at a heart. I want to bask in the temple of your presence. I want to bear the burden of watching you cry."
This is a very short collection of 10 poems with themes of spirituality and queerness. The writing is lovely but it wasn't something I particularly connected with.
*All quotes are taken from an Advanced Readers Copy and may change prior to the release of the final copy.*
**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
First of all, I am a fan of Nicole Maines and loved her portrayal of Dreamer (the first televised trans superhero) in Supergirl. I also love thFirst of all, I am a fan of Nicole Maines and loved her portrayal of Dreamer (the first televised trans superhero) in Supergirl. I also love the fact that she loved Dreamer so much, she advocated for there to be more stories about this superhero - to the point where she pitched the idea to DC Comics (which they loved, thank goodness), and she's been writing Dreamer comics ever since!
Bad Dream is a Dreamer origin story (and if I'm not mistaken, the first Dreamer origin comic). This origin story differs from the one in the SupergirlTV show, but the major elements remain unchanged. In this version, Nia Nal is a half human, half Naltorian trans teenager growing up in an alien sanctuary on Earth. Nia's sister, Maeve, much like the Supergirl version, is anxiously waiting to come into her dreaming powers and ability to see the future, and has spent her entire life studying dream interpretation in preparation for the powers that she will inherit (as the powers are only passed on from mother to daughter). [image] But when Nia realized that she had inherited the powers instead, she was overwhelmed by the new powers and the fear of being hated by Maeve. So Nia turns to the only solution she could think of - running away from home.
I enjoyed this comic. The falling out between Nia and Maeve wasn't as emotional and didn't hit me as hard as it did in Supergirl(view spoiler)[(this scene gutted me: [image] (hide spoiler)] but this new origin story worked, made sense, and opens up a lot of opportunities for future comics to expand on this story. I also loved that Nia was able to befriend a group of trans aliens and allies while in Metropolis (also, Taylor/Galaxy is so pretty and seems really cool ...more
Edward Underhill's debut novel, Always the Almost was one of my favourite books last year no I was reallThis is a great book for queer band geeks.
Edward Underhill's debut novel, Always the Almost was one of my favourite books last year no I was really looking forward to reading his latest novel.
The story follows Abby and Leo who both get lost while on (separate) school trips to NYC where their respective marching bands are scheduled to perform at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
Abby (clarinetist) recently realized that she was gay and in love with her best friend, Kat (flautist). She decides that the NYC trip would be the perfect opportunity to come out to Kat and profess her love by gifting Kat a signed and annotated copy of their favourite book set in New York.
Meanwhile, Leo (percussionist) is stressing out about being televised at the parade. His extended family doesn't know that he's trans and now goes his new name, Leo, because his parents have been keeping his identity a secret from the rest of the family. But now that his whole family will be watching the parade together, Leo is extremely worried about what his parents might say and what his extended family's reactions will be when they see him on TV.
The day before the Thanksgiving parade, their respective school groups go on a sightseeing trip around the City. Somehow, Abby and Leo gets separated from the rest of their group and end up on the same (wrong) subway train. When Abby loses her book (the one that she was going to give Kat), the two of the start wandering around NYC together to find new gifts to replace the one that Abby was going to give Kat. As they start hitting up every tourist destination from the book, they start to get to know each other better.
This grumpy vs. sunshine Hallmark-esque YA romance was a great read. Although I wasn't in a marching band (our school didn't have one), I did go on a music trip to NYC with my high school band and this book brought back so many fun memories from that time!
This book also touched upon a lot of great themes including gender, labels, and the loneliness that comes with being the only queer kid in your school or small town.
I picked up this book from the library because I was looking for easy German books to help me practice the language.
This book was originally translatI picked up this book from the library because I was looking for easy German books to help me practice the language.
This book was originally translated from French, with the original title of "Deux garçons et un secret", which literally translates to "Two boys and a secret", whereas the German title "Zwei Jungs und eine Hochzeit" literally translates to "Two boys and a wedding". Both titles perfectly describes this book, although I find the differences in translation rather interesting.
The book, as you might guess from the title(s), is about two boys/best friends who decide to get married and starts planning a nice playground wedding with their friends. It's a really cute story and brings back memories of when I played pretend marriage in kindergarten (which, admittedly, didn't turn out very well because the groom and his friends decided to turn our wedding into a hostage situation with imaginary guns... that was the last time I ever tried getting married).
Also, I'm not going to attempt to write a German review (my vocabulary is still fairly limited, and I still struggle with the grammar) but I did find this book easy enough to read and understand. It was easy enough to guess most of the vocabulary based on the well-illustrated and cute drawings. I also had to reach out for my dictionary a few times and learned some new vocabulary like "Geheimnis"/secret, "runzelt die Stirn"/frown (or quite literally "crease the forehead"), and "vorurteil"/prejudice....more
I read the first few chapters of this book before putting it on pause and picking up Becoming Nicole (which I've reviewed here).
Note: You do4.5/5
I read the first few chapters of this book before putting it on pause and picking up Becoming Nicole (which I've reviewed here).
Note: You don't need to read Becoming Nicole before reading this memoir because there's a lot of overlap.
Whereas Becoming Nicole was mostly about Nicole Maines's parents learning how to raise a trans child and the behind-the-scenes details about the landmark case of Doe v. Regional School Unit 26 (in which Nicole was the anonymous plaintiff), this book covers most of that but instead, is told from Nicole's perspective with more personal details.
"...Becoming Nicole was never a book about me, really, or even my transition. It is about how my transition was an opportunity for my family and community to change and challenge the gendered expectations society places on people and our belief in gendered social norms."
If you've already read Becoming Nicole, you'll find that the first half of It Gets Better...Except When It Gets Worse pretty much paraphrases everything from the previous book but is told in a fresher, more entertaining and humorous way.
Going into this book, I knew it would be a fun read (despite the anger and frustration that often emanates from the pages - more on that later). I follow Nicole on social media and love her fun personality and the balance that she strikes between being a down-to-earth geek and a sassy Hollywood diva. She's a fantastic storyteller and I love her sense of humour and how she's able to inject some of that humour into this book despite the frequent angry rants about trans rights.
This brings me to my next point - the anger and frustration. I suppose a memoir written by a trans author wouldn't be complete without being packed with information and research about trans issues and a ranting session about internet trolls and bigots, politics, and all the anti-trans legislation that has been popping up across the USA. [image]
I would also like to applaud Nicole for getting personal when describing her range of emotions when it came to portraying Dreamer on Supergirl. Most of all, she did a great job expressing her disappointment at the fandom's critique of the show.
"I was so excited to come on this show and to get to be excited about these characters with all the other queer fans, and instead I'm just watching them say all this awful shit in the name of queer rights! ...When it comes to queer fandom, I really hope that folks learn that being gay does not excuse you from ever being in the wrong. You can absolutely still be the asshole."
Full disclaimer, I loved Nicole on Supergirl and fully agree with her that Dreamer's arc could have been explored in even more detail on the show! But portraying the first trans superhero on television comes with its challenges including dealing with feelings of 'imposter syndrome' and managing the expectation of fans and the queer community, which were all huge burdens to carry.
Getting to portray Dreamer was undeniably an honor, it was just one that I continually felt I didn't deserve to hold.
Nicole also gets personal and vulnerable when discussing her transition, getting the surgery, and revision surgery.
She also touches upon the infighting within the queer community (and even within the trans community), expresses her disappointment, and calls out on people's hypocrisy.
"...and she's like, 'A trans person can't be transphobic.' And I'm like, 'Woman, stop. At the very least you're being an asshole.'
I love that she unapologetically calls out on people's BS! [image]
My only complaint is that I was hoping for more details about Nicole's relationship(s). She does provide some information about her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Nate, but I was really hoping for more. At the end of the day, I fully understand her desire to maintain her privacy. She probably only felt the need to mention Nate because they had a pretty public relationship.
Overall, this was a very self-aware, introspective and reflective memoir told in a fresh and humourous way while also emphasizing and explaining the importance of trans rights. I would have loved more personal details about her familial and romantic relationships (spill the tea, girl!) but at the end of the day, I'll probably still read (and love) anything that she writes.
I hope there will be an audiobook version narrated by the author because I'm almost 100% positive that it will be a really fun and engaging one to listen to.
*All quotes are taken from an Advanced Readers Copy and may change prior to the release of the final copy.*
**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**...more
Julien Boire and Greg Harlow might just be my favourite fictional gay couple of all time. A sommelier and a mixologist? That's a match made in heaven!Julien Boire and Greg Harlow might just be my favourite fictional gay couple of all time. A sommelier and a mixologist? That's a match made in heaven!
Told in alternating dual third-person POV, this story follows Julien Boire, a sommelier who dreams of leaving his small town and family-owned restaurant to become a master sommelier in a bigger city. Meanwhile, Greg Harlow is a TikTok influencer from New York City famous for his rizz and interesting cocktails. After a devastating breakup and mounting debt, he decides to move a small town to start over and get back on his feet. When Julien and Greg meet, they get off to a rocky start but their chemistry is undeniable.
Julien's social awkwardness was so endearing and relatable and Greg is quite possibly the sweetest and most understanding person ever. 13% into the book and I was already making several notes in my ebook about how much I love these two characters and how adorable they are together.
I love books with neurodivergent characters or who are 'flawed' in some way and this one featured a character with OCD and another with anxiety and erectile dysfunction. This book navigated those areas brilliantly and made the characters feel real and well developed.
Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy the minor conflict near the end (view spoiler)[ it's reminiscent of Ross and Rachel being on a 'break', which was a conflict that I did not love (hide spoiler)].
Disclaimer: I've never actually ever watched Drag Race so I'm unfamiliar with RuPaul's work and personality.
Although he has certainly lived an i2.5/5
Disclaimer: I've never actually ever watched Drag Race so I'm unfamiliar with RuPaul's work and personality.
Although he has certainly lived an interesting life, he somehow manages to make growing up in the 60's and 70's, his adolescent years of partying and taking drugs, his pursuit for fame, and his career in drag all seem fairly dull. He narrates his life in a very detached way and really glosses over important life events without digging deeper and sharing any emotional vulnerability. The dispassionate narration made it very difficult for me to connect with or feel inspired by his stories.
This was an incredibly eye-opening and shocking memoir.
This book recounts the author, Sara Glass's, experience living in an extremely strict OrthodoxThis was an incredibly eye-opening and shocking memoir.
This book recounts the author, Sara Glass's, experience living in an extremely strict Orthodox community (the Gur Hasidic sect) while grappling with achieving her dreams for higher education, becoming independent, and coming to terms with her own sexual identity while also fighting to maintain custody of her children.
I was captivated by Glass's story from the first few pages. I could feel, from the first chapter, the author's guilt, fear, regret and heartbreak, when she spoke of her first girlfriend, Dassa.
Dassa was almost twenty-one and I was nineteen. The only path forward was marriage, to a man, and lots of babies. We would follow the single mold created for adolescent Hasidic girls. Our thing was just a test to be overcome. We never said the worlds out loud. Lesbian, gay, bisexual - those words described sinners, not us.
And so, Glass fought against her attraction to other women by entering into a loveless arranged marriage at the age of 19 and becoming a mother of two shortly after.
I had no justifiable reason to say no. So my answer was yes, because that was what everyone expected of me. Yes, because I needed to get married to meet my mission on earth as child of God. Yes, because no man was ever going to replace Dassa anyway, so why delay the inevitable. It would only become more painful over time. And yes, because he seemed gentle and had nice blue eyes and seemed to really want me to be his wife.
Marriage, however, was not like what Glass imagined. From the uncomfortableness of sex, to the awkward and isolating niddah period (during the monthly cycle when men regard women as impure and untouchable), to her decline in mental and physical health, Glass eventually divorced her husband (which was a battle in itself) at which time she was compelled to sign an agreement promising to raise her children according to Halacha and that if one party is not raising the children according to this strict religious regiment, "custody will be transferred to the other biological parent".
With the constant fear of having her children taken away from her, Glass continued to hide her sexual identity and even remarries - this time to a "Modern Orthodox" from Five Towns.
On the spectrum of Jewish identities, from Hasidic (the most right wing) to secular (far left), the Five Towns was somewhere in the middle/right, what some described as "Modern Orthodox".
But the further Glass moved away from the far right of Orthodox Judaism, the more she started questioning and discovering her own identity and working towards becoming more independent and free. The only thing left was for her to fight for her children.
This was an impressive memoir and I commend Glass for her courage to pursue her dreams of obtaining a PhD, embarking on a journey of self-acceptance, surviving trauma and loss, and slowly distancing herself from the oppressive influences of her ultra-conservative religious upbringing.
This book was not only full of vulnerable thoughts, emotions and experiences, but it also provided very interesting information about Hasidic Jewish practices. Prior to reading this book, I had very little knowledge about the Hasidic Jewish community aside from a New York Times article I came across last year regarding the Hasidic private schools' failure to provide basic education. I also had zero knowledge about ultra-Orthodox Jewish practices. So, I was shocked to learn about the author's extremely conservative and oppressive upbringing in modern America. It was also shocking to me how Glass's ex-husband was incapable of making any decisions on his own and relied on his rabbi to help make all of their life decisions (including when to use contraceptives, when to administer an epidural during pregnancy, and whether or not Glass was permitted to pursue higher education).
This was honestly one of the best memoirs I've read. It was very well written, provided great background information for people like me who know next to nothing about Hasidic Judaism, was introspective, and it did not shy away from sharing what I'm sure were highly traumatic memories.
*All quotes are taken from an Advanced Readers Copy and may change prior to the release of the final copy.*
**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
This was a fun, lighthearted and quirky clean sapphic romance set in a futuristic, interstellar, 1920's-esque high society with Jewish representation.This was a fun, lighthearted and quirky clean sapphic romance set in a futuristic, interstellar, 1920's-esque high society with Jewish representation.
The story, told in first person, follows a con artist Ruth Johnson who arrives in the high society of New Monte while pretending to be an eligible debutante, Evelyn Ojukwu - a princess from a faraway planet. She immediately captures the attention of Esteban Mendez-Yuki, one of the wealthiest heirs in New Monte, with the intent of making him fall in love with her, marry her, break his heart, and steal his fortune as revenge for breaking her sister's heart. Things don't go as plan when Esteban's charming and brilliant sister, Sol, appears to be suspicious of her and seems to have her figured out.
I found the worldbuilding, particularly the technology aspect, to be a bit flimsy (the technology seems high-tech... but also not? Also, when do they use breathers - is it just an optional fashion choice to be carried around for emergencies?) but the high-society and futuristic parties and social engagements were pretty interesting.
I'll also note that the con also didn't seem well thought out (if I were Ruth's sister, I'd be LIVID that my sister ran off to marry my ex, even if it's just to scam his of his money).
The romance and banter was fun (even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Ruth's personality and voice), and the story was fast-paced (although maybe a bit too rushed at times).
Overall, a decent book for those looking for a light-hearted sci-fi story.
**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
I loved this sunshine and grumpy forbidden romance (between a prince to be engaged and a commoner) cozy YA What a delightfully charming fantasy novel!
I loved this sunshine and grumpy forbidden romance (between a prince to be engaged and a commoner) cozy YA fantasy set in a fictional world inspired by the history between Ireland (Machland) and England (Avaland) and the Great Famine of Ireland (or the Blight, as it's called in this novel).
Niamh Ó Conchobhair (pronounced Neev O'Connor for all of us who don't know Irish) is a Machlishwoman who has been invited to Avaland to serve as the royal tailor for Prince Christopher's upcoming wedding. Although the people of Avaland look down on the Machlish, Niamh's talent and divine magic for weaving wonderful enchantments and emotions into beautiful clothing designs have garnered the royal family's interest.
Excited to further her career and provide for her family, Niamh arrives at the royal palace full of awe and excitement. But things in Avaland weren't quite what she expected.
First of all, Prince Christopher (or Kit) was incredibly rude and disrespectful towards Niamh's craft and life's work - serving as his personal tailor and designing his entire wedding wardrobe will be difficult. Then there's the fact that Niamh is Machlish and the disdain towards her and her people amongst upper-class society members is hard to ignore. Then there's the political unrest - the Prince Regent/Kit's older brother, Jack, seems to be barely keeping things together as he plans Kit's wedding while tensions between the labour class (particularly Machlish workers) and monarchy are on the rise.
There was so much that I loved about this book, from the historically-inspired setting, the politics (securing relationships with other nations and the political unrest within their own country); the complex relationships between Jack and Kit as well as between the Machlish and Avlish; Niamh's developing friendship with Sinclair, Infanta Rosa, and Miriam; the wonderful magic; and Kit and Niamh's chemistry. [image]
The characters were all wonderfully fleshed out and such a pleasure to get to know (I honestly wouldn't mind befriending any of them!): I loved Niamh - she's so innocent, selfless, caring, and loving! Kit was my favourite type of grumpy - he puts on a tough, prickly persona and pushes people away in order to protect them. Sinclair, Kit's best friend, is so charming, fun and accepting. Infanta Rosa, Kit's fiance, is smart, cynical and edgy, and I wouldn't mind reading an entire book about her life. Miriam, Rosa's lady-in-waiting, has a big heart and is amazing. Jack, is uptight and constantly stressed and I really felt for him and could relate Princess Sofia seems really nice, with a really cool power and I would love for there to be a sequel novel or short story about Niamh and Sofia becoming closer friends.
Many reviewers are saying this book is like Bridgerton (which I haven't read or watched) but maybe I should go check it out seeing as I loved the setting of this book.
________________________________ If you like the following then you might like A Fragile Enchantment or vice-versa:
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...more
Things Don't Break on Their Own is a literary fiction centered around a dinner party and a missing person. Although the synopsis and the key componentThings Don't Break on Their Own is a literary fiction centered around a dinner party and a missing person. Although the synopsis and the key components of the stories make it seem like this is a suspense/thriller/mystery novel, I wouldn't necessarily classify it as such. Instead, this was a character-driven story that explores the relationships between various characters with a deeper dive into the past and present of the three main characters: Robyn, Willa, and Laika.
Here's the the spoiler-free review:
Willa, a 37-year-old woman, has been searching for her missing sister for the past two decades. The story is set at a dinner party where Willa's past resurfaces based on the discussions around the dinner table and through flashbacks from Robyn's (the dinner host), Willa's, and Laika's (the missing sister) POV.
Here's the slightly spoiler-y review:
The story starts with a dinner party hosted by Robyn and Cat, where we meet the following cast of characters:
Robyn - the host of the dinner party, Cat's wife, Willa's best friend, and Michael's sister. Cat - Robyn's wife and Nate's sister. Cat and Robyn also have a 5-year-old called Sophie and two twin boys. Willa - Robyn's best friend from high school and Jamie's fiancé. Willa's younger sister, Laika, went missing over 20 years ago and she's never stopped searching for her. Jamie - Willa's fiancé. Michael - Robyn's brother and Liv's boyfriend Liv - Michael's girlfriend and a psychologist who specializes in the study of memories Nate - Cat's brother and Claudette's boyfriend Claudette - Nate's French girlfriend
Although this seems like a fairly large cast of characters (and admittedly, a bit hard to keep track of at first) the three main characters are Robyn, Willa, and Laika (although one could argue that Willa is still the central character of the story). The other characters are secondary but do play a role in getting to know the main characters better.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought because I loved how fleshed-out the characters were. We learn more about Willa through Robyn's lens, we get a better understanding of Willa and her familial relationships through her own POV, and everything comes together with Laika's POV as we learn about what really happened nearly 25 years ago.
Overall, I enjoyed the writing. I really connected with the characters and felt like I was right there with them every step of the way.
**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
Gemma is a soprano from New York who travels to San Francisco to join the opera and visit her bes3.5/5
This story follows two POVs - Gemma and Suling.
Gemma is a soprano from New York who travels to San Francisco to join the opera and visit her best friend Nellie. When she arrived in San Francisco, Nellie appeared to have moved on and had left for greener pastures. So Gemma takes up residence in Nellie's old apartment and slowly becomes more acquainted with the people in the area including Henry Thornton - a wealthy patron of the arts who was willing to help Gemma give her the boost she needed in her singing career.
Suling is a seamstress living in San Francisco's Chinatown. She's grieving from the death of her parents and heartbroken from being ghosted by her lover Reggie. Meanwhile, her uncle has arranged for her to marry a doctor who is twice her age. Desperate to get away, she tries to save enough money to leave town. So when Henry Thornton offered Suling a job to patch up an exquisite dragon robe, Suling couldn't say no.
I thought the first half of the book was great. The characters were interesting and I was charmed by Henry Thornton. I enjoyed the historical Chinese representation and the struggles of being an American-Chinese woman during that period in time, and I loved learning more about the opera. I also liked that every chapter in the first half counted down to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which added more tension and suspense. Unfortunately, I became less invested in the story during the second half of the book. ...more
A cute but very slow-moving middle-grade fantasy comic book about a mermaid, a firebird, and a witch who want to see the world but somehow find themseA cute but very slow-moving middle-grade fantasy comic book about a mermaid, a firebird, and a witch who want to see the world but somehow find themselves wrapped up in some sort of prophecy.
The illustrations were adorable but I was disappointed to find that this wasn't a standalone comic (and is planned as a duology). I have nothing against duologies, but there wasn't enough momentum built into the plot and characters for me to be curious about the second book. I wish more time was spent on developing the characters and their relationships (perhaps by having them explore a bit more and share more fun and intimate moments). ...more
A slow moving, historical paranormal fiction full of ghosts, secret societies, and the dangerously dark secrets that they keep.
Told in two POVs 3.5/5
A slow moving, historical paranormal fiction full of ghosts, secret societies, and the dangerously dark secrets that they keep.
Told in two POVs - Lenna and Mr. Morley's, The London Seance Society is a fascinating look into what goes on in seances and private gentlemen's clubs in London.
Life and death are not as black-and-white as I want them to be,
she admitted to herself. Maybe my resistance is part of the problem. How can anything of the spirit world show itself to me if I simply write it off as illusion?
The story follows Lenna, who has never really believed in ghosts or the paranormal. But when her sister Evie was murdered in London on All Hallow's Eve, Lenna decides to seek out Evie's teacher in Paris, Vaudeline D'Allaire - a world famous medium - and become Vaudeline's spritualist understudy in order to investigate Evie's murder.
The story also follows Mr. Morley, the Vice President of the London Seance Society who has reached out to Vaudeline requesting her help host a seance to investigate the murder of their late president, Mr. Volkman (who was also a longtime friend of Vaudeline's) who also died on All Hallow's Eve. Mr. Morley and Mr. Volkman had long suspected that rogue members of the London Seance Society have been engaging in fraudulent activities and using trickery in their seances, resulting in the death of Mr. Volkman and thus, requiring Vaudeline's spiritual investigative skills.
What follows is an eerie, atmospheric, and suspense-filled mystery as we slowly find out how Evie and Volkman's deaths are linked. ...more
I'll admit, the story itself was predictable (a group of teens goes camping and one of them goes missing) and I4.5/5
I devoured this book in two days!
I'll admit, the story itself was predictable (a group of teens goes camping and one of them goes missing) and I wasn't at all surprised by any of the reveals or with how the story ended but I loved the interview style storytelling format, the contrast between all the characters, and the way the story unfolded through the eyes of four unreliable narrators who are trying to cope with the stress and trauma of being interrogated by the police about the disappearance of their friend, Maylee Hayes.
The story differs from most of the other interview-style books I've read in the sense that each chapter opens with a question from the police/interviewer and we get to see how each character responds (even though they're all being questioned separately) and how their responses either contradict each other or help clarify certain situations. This worked well in eliminating repetitive questions/answers and was a very effective way of highlighting the vastly different personalities and perspectives of each character.
I loved how different each character was because they all offered a very different perspective on what Maylee was like as a person and different theories about Maylee's disappearance. Their differing personalities and relationships with Maylee also add to the mystery of Maylee's disappearance. I felt like I had an immediate gauge of all their personalities right from the beginning. From the first chapter, we learn that:
Petra Whitfield is Maylee's best friend since kindergarten. Petra is kind of a know-it-all and rule follower who exaggerates and uses sarcasm a lot. She believes Maylee is still wandering the woods alone, lost, cold, and in danger.
Nolan Anderson is Petra's step-brother. He is a paranoid conspiracy nut who strongly believes in Bigfoot. He thinks he saw Bigfoot eat Maylee.
Abigail Buckley is Maylee's nervous 'sort of' friend who rambles a lot. She seems like a sweetheart but believes John murdered Maylee.
John Massey Jr. is Maylee's boyfriend. A popular Black boy with a very serious demeanor and a man of few words (or he just wasn't very forthcoming with the police). He believes there was someone else in the woods who may have taken or hurt Maylee.
"The problem isn't that witnesses lie to the police. It's that they lie to themselves."
The more you hear their sides of the story, the more you'll be able to piece together what really happened to Maylee and find out who's lying and who's telling the truth.
Overall, this was a really fun, fast-paced, and easy read. I love interview-style books, and this certainly delivered on that front! I wish I had requested the audiobook arc instead because these types of books are usually best enjoyed in audiobook format.
*All quotes are taken from an Advanced Readers Copy and may change before the release of the final copy.*
**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
______________________ If you like the following books (particularly the audiobooks), then you might also enjoy Tell Me What Really Happened:
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A story about a dysfunctional family with too many disjointed POVs (Tom, Cecile, Dorothy, and Fiona) and too little character development or redeemingA story about a dysfunctional family with too many disjointed POVs (Tom, Cecile, Dorothy, and Fiona) and too little character development or redeeming qualities for the characters. I found Cecile's story arc to be the most interesting but overall, this was a boring novel in which I couldn't connect or sympathize with any of the characters.
To make things worse, there was no clear resolution in the end (particularly for Cecile's arc, which I was most interested in). As such, I regret not DNF'ing this book.
This was such a cute and wholesome body-positive YA novel!
I'll admit, I don't follow K-pop so a lot of the music references went over my head but I haThis was such a cute and wholesome body-positive YA novel!
I'll admit, I don't follow K-pop so a lot of the music references went over my head but I have watched K-drama so I'm not completely out of the loop ...more
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