My full review of Beautyland. an excellent literary sci-fi about an alien sent to Earth to observe human being and humanity. It meanders a bit sometimeMy full review of Beautyland. an excellent literary sci-fi about an alien sent to Earth to observe human being and humanity. It meanders a bit sometimes, but the book makes up for that with the excellent prose and character work that really drilled down on the themes. If you enjoy character/theme-focused literary fiction with a dash of sci-fi in the premise, then you should pick up this book....more
My full review of Ghost of the Neon God a quick read but in the best possible ways. usually sff novellas can feel too short or underdeveloped, but thisMy full review of Ghost of the Neon God a quick read but in the best possible ways. usually sff novellas can feel too short or underdeveloped, but this was perfect in terms of the length. it's a cyberpunk story about AI so a lot of the worldbuilding is done by the fact that the readers have probably read other cyberpunk stories before, so this book didn't need to explain much. The three main characters are really compelling especially considering how short the book is. And while the story doesn't contain anything particularly new or revolutionary, almost everything felt well-executed. ...more
My full review of The Stars Too Fondly. This is one of those books that I feel like are quite obviously a debut novel. It's described as a rom-com but My full review of The Stars Too Fondly. This is one of those books that I feel like are quite obviously a debut novel. It's described as a rom-com but I think it's just romance, really. Most of thee supposedly funny parts are from the dialogues, not from the characters' circumstances, and the dialogues themselves are often not that funny. And I feel like there are a lot of inconsistencies when it comes to the science and characters too, which are just there to make sure the plot moves forward. Fortunately, I think the romance parts are done quite well, it's slow burn and quite understated, but it's still the book's most interesting aspect by far....more
My full review of Dreadnought. This definitely worked a lot better as a trans coming of age story than as a superhero story (or maybe my standards for My full review of Dreadnought. This definitely worked a lot better as a trans coming of age story than as a superhero story (or maybe my standards for superhero stories are just too high after reading Worm/Ward). This book really didn't shy away from any of the depressing realities of growing up as a trans person, and even though it didn't do anything particularly new as a superhero story, that part of the story can often be fun (though occasionally dark too) to balance out the darker coming of age part. Though I do wish the book was longer as a lot of the details (especially regarding the superhero stuff) feel missing and it's not like the book is that long as it stands....more
This is a short story collection about solastalgia, a type of grief caused by changes in the natural world (which are mostly caused by climate change). It's a fascinating concept that the author delved really deep into in these short stories, some of which are written in really unique styles that are closer to things you'd find in an epistolary novel than normal short stories, making them feel unique. the stories themselves can vary a bit in quality but that's just how most short story collections are. There's enough cohesion shared by them all because of the uniting concept (solastalgia) and so even if there are very few (if any) connections in terms of the plot and characters, these stories still feel like they belong together. It's a good work of speculative fiction that feels both realistic and imaginative in the best possible ways....more
3.5 My full review of The Stardust Grail A pretty good heist story. I think the plotting could've been better, but the characters are excellent. And the3.5 My full review of The Stardust Grail A pretty good heist story. I think the plotting could've been better, but the characters are excellent. And the worldbuilding too, with all the different aliens (even if we don't get to see all of them that much). All the heists feel unique and the main thing causing that is the stakes, the book is really good at increasing stakes in a natural way, and it makes the whole thing really exciting to read....more
My full review of Service Model. Another excellent Tchaikovsky read, he's 2/2 this year so far, with at least one more book to come, very impressive. TMy full review of Service Model. Another excellent Tchaikovsky read, he's 2/2 this year so far, with at least one more book to come, very impressive. This was a funny but also poignant read about a robot trying to find a purpose in a dying world. The characters are few but memorable, the storytelling is never boring, with the different styles in each section, and the philosophical and political discussions are very apparent, but in the best possible ways......more
3.5 My full review of The Annual Migration of Clouds This feels less like an actual post-apocalyptic story, and more like a literary fiction story that 3.5 My full review of The Annual Migration of Clouds This feels less like an actual post-apocalyptic story, and more like a literary fiction story that just happens to take place in a post-apocalyptic world. Quite good, if a bit incomplete (it definitely felt like reading something that's not meant to be a standalone). It's a novella so there's a lot of simplicity in the storytelling, a lot of things that are left to the readers' imagination, and it works pretty well for the most part....more
My full review of "Rakesfall" Even though a lot of readers aren't gonna see it that way, for me, Rakesfall is an improvement over the author's debut, TMy full review of "Rakesfall" Even though a lot of readers aren't gonna see it that way, for me, Rakesfall is an improvement over the author's debut, The Saint of Bright Doors. It's a novel that is told with utmost confidence and self-indulgence, not really caring about whether readers will actually understand it. If you're looking for a mainstream sci-fi/fantasy story where things are explained in ways that always make sense, then this is not for you, but if you're a reader looking for something that experiments not only with the structure of the story, but with prose itself, then this is something you should consider reading. It's not an easy read at all, you might be trying to figure out who the narrator is for most of the book and it'll almost certainly make you slow down, but it's worth it....more
Definitely my favorite among the three books so far. Not as irritatingly confusing as the previous two books, but it My full review of Nona the Ninth.
Definitely my favorite among the three books so far. Not as irritatingly confusing as the previous two books, but it still has its moments. Though funnily enough there's a section of the book that's basically a full on info dump, that could've used a bit more mystery and confusion. It also feels like a very different book compared to the first two because a big part of it is somewhat mundane compared to the previous two books. And that's the part where the main character is basically just living her life in the city, going to work, etc. It's great, and a big reason why this is my favorite of the series so far. Can't wait for the next one......more
My review of Alien Clay. So this is my first five star read of the year, better late than never, I guess. Reminds me a lot of the show Scavengers ReignMy review of Alien Clay. So this is my first five star read of the year, better late than never, I guess. Reminds me a lot of the show Scavengers Reign with the way the aliens are portrayed. Very fascinating book that delved into themes of collectivism and binaries (even includes a non-binary character to make the point more clearly), among others. And the ending is a really satisfying one both just narratively and thematically. ...more
An excellent post-apocalyptic spy thriller taking place in a solarpunk world. I have some gripes regarding the pacing and storytellinFull review here.
An excellent post-apocalyptic spy thriller taking place in a solarpunk world. I have some gripes regarding the pacing and storytelling, but as a whole, it's a really well thought out story with a restrained plotting and small cast of characters, delivered with a less exciting, but more philosophical type of prose/dialogues that might not be for everyone. This feels like a book that readers in the future will point to as one of the early and less polished works of solarpunk fiction....more
A very interesting solarpunk/first contact combo that is focused more on the philosophical questions/big ideas rather than charact3.5 Full review here.
A very interesting solarpunk/first contact combo that is focused more on the philosophical questions/big ideas rather than characters. Feels clunky in a lot of places, but redeems itself in the nuances and depth of the ideas being tackled. Pretty slow paced, so not for you if you're looking for something plot/character focused....more
3.5 Full review here. For most of the book, this was even more confusing than the first one. I love how both books have different main characters, but b3.5 Full review here. For most of the book, this was even more confusing than the first one. I love how both books have different main characters, but both main characters are the one person who know the least about what's going on in the plot. Despite all the confusion, it was satisfying at the end. And the character work is even better than before, so I really do get the appeal. Still, I'm a bit surprised that this book (and the series in general) is as popular and well received as it is....more
3.5 Full review here One of those books that feels a bit rough around the edges the way many debut novels do. Still, has some really interesting charact3.5 Full review here One of those books that feels a bit rough around the edges the way many debut novels do. Still, has some really interesting characters and character work that really carried the book's second half. I like how unlikeable the protagonist is, and how the author made it clear that she's not meant to be likeable, which I feel like doesn't happen too much in YA? Either way, the dynamics of the three major characters is brilliant, and the exploration of gender is really well-done too. ...more
3.5/5 Full review here. One of those novellas that really should've been longer. Like, this is good, but pretty much every single aspect of the story co3.5/5 Full review here. One of those novellas that really should've been longer. Like, this is good, but pretty much every single aspect of the story could've been so much better if this had been like 150 pages instead of barely over 100. Still worth reading though. ...more
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart" is a Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart" is a technothriller story that's not only very queer, but also very anarchist in its philosophy. It's about Dora, a trans woman who'd left her commune a couple years back after some arguments about its philosophy. Now Dora must return to the commune as her ex-girlfriend Kay was murdered, so she must investigate and make sure nobody else has to die. As she investigated more and more, she was attacked by clones of her pre-transition self, and she realized that she (and the commune) was stuck in a war between two big merciless corporations, and she must find a way to get them out of that problem, while also solving the murder.
Despite the length, this book managed to not only pack a fast-paced plot that feels complete (novellas sometimes feel like they're meant to be longer, not the case here) while also having some really interesting commentary about transness and self-determination. The book also uses the concept of clones in a way that I found really interesting and I've never seen before. It's done in such a way that it also explores the idea of identity especially in the context of being transgender. A lot of people will probably see this part of the story as being problematic, but as the author said in the afterword, queer characters should be able to be problematic too, just like everyone else, and this was a good way to go about it....more
Bit of a mixed bag. Feels very different from the Baru Cormorant books (or at least the one book that I've read). A really complex alFull review here.
Bit of a mixed bag. Feels very different from the Baru Cormorant books (or at least the one book that I've read). A really complex alien invasion story full of jargons and technobabble, a story that has multiple interesting ideas, but not too many interesting characters (which is why, if you enjoy The Three Body Problem books, you might enjoy this), so it's easy to understand why this book is relatively lower rated. ...more
My full review of Blindsight Really wanted to like this one, but this ended up being the most disappointing book I read in a while. I think I just haveMy full review of Blindsight Really wanted to like this one, but this ended up being the most disappointing book I read in a while. I think I just have to stop with all the idea-focused hard sci-fi because I need well-written characters too, and I just don't think this book had many of those. The actual themes and explorations of the concept of consciousness itself were really good, even if some things went over my head, and others took a while to process and understand, but the actual narrative can also be a bit confusing, which really didn't help. Most likely won't read the sequel, but who knows. ...more
Loading...
