Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for my unbiased arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
I immediately knew reading the opeThank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for my unbiased arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
I immediately knew reading the opening chapter that this book would really stick with me. Kylie Lee Baker does such a brilliant job of capturing how claustrophobic and isolating the COVID lockdown was. I also could not get over how well she got the rampant racism that was and is still commonplace in society that only really came to the notice of non-SEAs and non-EAs during COVID. This book deals a lot with Cora's trauma regarding the murder of her sister, Delilah, and her struggles with OCD and of course, racism. On top of that, Cora's job was also one that I remember being interested in when I was working in a funeral home spring of 2021: crime scene clean-up. There's also a serial killer targeting Asian women...the same women that Cora cleans up after.
This is generally a pretty spooky and haunting book. It's definitely something that will stay with you for a long while after you've finished it and moved on to another book. Especially as anti-asian crimes still continue to go on uncared for here in the U.S.
Merged review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for my unbiased arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
I immediately knew reading the opening chapter that this book would really stick with me. Kylie Lee Baker does such a brilliant job of capturing how claustrophobic and isolating the COVID lockdown was. I also could not get over how well she got the rampant racism that was and is still commonplace in society that only really came to the notice of non-SEAs and non-EAs during COVID. This book deals a lot with Cora's trauma regarding the murder of her sister, Delilah, and her struggles with OCD and of course, racism. On top of that, Cora's job was also one that I remember being interested in when I was working in a funeral home spring of 2021: crime scene clean-up. There's also a serial killer targeting Asian women...the same women that Cora cleans up after.
This is generally a pretty spooky and haunting book. It's definitely something that will stay with you for a long while after you've finished it and moved on to another book. Especially as anti-asian crimes still continue to go on uncared for here in the U.S.
Merged review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for my unbiased arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
I immediately knew reading the opening chapter that this book would really stick with me. Kylie Lee Baker does such a brilliant job of capturing how claustrophobic and isolating the COVID lockdown was. I also could not get over how well she got the rampant racism that was and is still commonplace in society that only really came to the notice of non-SEAs and non-EAs during COVID. This book deals a lot with Cora's trauma regarding the murder of her sister, Delilah, and her struggles with OCD and of course, racism. On top of that, Cora's job was also one that I remember being interested in when I was working in a funeral home spring of 2021: crime scene clean-up. There's also a serial killer targeting Asian women...the same women that Cora cleans up after.
This is generally a pretty spooky and haunting book. It's definitely something that will stay with you for a long while after you've finished it and moved on to another book. Especially as anti-asian crimes still continue to go on uncared for here in the U.S....more
Like Feder's last book, The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love, I found issue with Feder's lazy scLike Feder's last book, The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love, I found issue with Feder's lazy scholarship and lack of editing. This book also struggles with who the intended audience is and because of that, the tone shifts often, too often. Is this book for younger Taylor Swift fans? Academics of literary legacies (like myself)? Serious academics? General Swifties? I have no idea. This book also really takes a lot of credit away from academics who work at illustrating ways in which classic texts are still present in contemporary pop culture.
One of my biggest issues is how often Feder will cherry pick lines from songs and go off from there for their entire thesis. This I think is incredibly lazy because it and the following analyses ignore the rest of the song. If I wanted a book that just pointed out potential links, I would rather look at a particular Google spreadsheet that a Swiftie had made that contains all potential literary references in Swift's music. Instead, Feder seems to be pulling theories out of gossip magazines and social media rather than from interviews with Swift herself, of which I believe are plenty. I generally just found the "analysis" and connections quite lazy because Feder and her cowriter attempt to go through Swift's discography but again, only tackling song lyrics rather than a song. It would have been better for Feder's work quality to instead look at one or two songs and focus on that rather than multiple albums and songs.
I might be particularly critical of this book because I recently started work on a potential dissertation chapter that links one of Swift's songs to a literary text/author.
ANYWAYS. I found myself very optimistic because again, I had recently started my own research and found it to be easy (easier at least than my Beach Boys project), but unfortunately, like her previous work, I was incredibly disappointed and annoyed. With the low level of work that Feder does, it really does seem like she continues to be published not because of the quality of her work but because she picks buzzworthy projects.
And also, who the hell is the audience? There's a tone at the start that implies this is for high school aged readers but then as they delve further, the tone juggles between the former and experienced academics and Swifties. There is absolutely a way to write this that appeals across all levels and Feder and her cowriter did not write in that way. On top of struggling with supporting their thesis and their shoddy scholarship, they really struggled with just general tone. This really stems from the lack of direction in their central idea and thesis and it shows in every aspect of the book.
The art is nice.
Would not recommend, not even for a Swifty. As a Swifty and an academic whose research is in literary legacies (literally this), I find myself disappointed and annoyed. Don't pick up. ...more
Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion!
In the midst of my missing Oxford due to my summer study abroThank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion!
In the midst of my missing Oxford due to my summer study abroad program from last year, The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry seemed like the perfect book for me. The Scholar... is very similar to books like Harry Potter and A Discovery of Witches. We follow Clover Hill who steps into a prestigious magical university in order to find a cure for her older brother who suffers from a faerie curse. Unfortunately for Clover, the study of faerie magic has been banned ever since a faerie attack, the same faerie attack that has left her brother cursed.
That's the gist of it! I really enjoyed this book. It starts off when Clover's 12-ish I think and her brother leaves for war. From there, we follow her to Camford and to her befriendment of three gifted mages. What I enjoyed most was the descriptions of Camford and the library. I know Clover speaks pretty poorly of Oxford, but even just reading about the Bod being near a bridge to Camford was fun and reminded me a lot of how much magic I found in Oxford. Generally, I had a lot of fun reading this and binged it pretty quickly.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion !
We Did Nothing Wrong is an angsty teen drama/mystery and Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion !
We Did Nothing Wrong is an angsty teen drama/mystery and while I do occasionally enjoy watching shows like that, I found myself rolling my eyes a lot while reading this. We follow teen Lia who desperately wants to step out from behind her childhood best friend, Diana. Then Diana goes missing and Lia thinks she might be next. Honestly, this was pretty bad. It read and felt like a rejected CW teen show script. Most of the story was Lia just spouting nonsense. It didn't help that she and Diana are unlikeable, so once Diana disappears, it's like "...okay?" and with Lia, it just makes it difficult to really care.
It's fine I guess if you just want to turn your brain off. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my unbiased review in exchange for my copy.
The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene is a mystery tThank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my unbiased review in exchange for my copy.
The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene is a mystery told in the past and in the present. In 1998, Southern State University freshman, Jessica Fadley, is a once golden girl struggling through her first year of college and independence. Along with three other female students, Jessica disappears. Over two decades later, remains are found prompting the search for Jessica and the three other missing girls to begin anew and Jessica's younger sister, Lindsey, gets caught up in the momentum.
This was an overall enjoyable read. There is, as with mysteries, a twist and while I did end up guessing the twist like 40% in, I still thought it was enjoyable. I did kind of find Lindsey's perspective to be grating. Despite all of her traumas, I just found her so arrested and annoying to read. I felt kind of similarly when reading Jessica's perspective as well, but I felt more sympathy considering she is supposed to still be a teenager for the most part. I think for a quick summer read, this is a good one to have on hand. It's quick, it isn't too complicated, and for the most part, I think that people will enjoy connecting the dots. You will however, find yourself frustrated with the ineptitude of practically everybody in this. I mean, everyone just seemed comically obtuse. It was wild. Despite that, I pushed through and had a fine time reading.
This isn't a work of art or a masterpiece, but again, it's fairly enjoyable. Just middle of the road as far as mysteries go. ...more
Thank you to NetGally and Unnamed Press for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
The Coiled Serpent is a collection of grotesque, body horror shThank you to NetGally and Unnamed Press for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
The Coiled Serpent is a collection of grotesque, body horror short stories that give a certain kind of texture to the idea of Britishness. The highlight story is "Ivor" which, for me, was the only cohesive and well-written story. The short story is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "Downhill" and is set at a boarding school for boys where the students are lifelong boarders. As I said, I think this was the only cohesive and well-written story in the bunch. The others all felt very shallow and the writing, while descriptive, seemed to be done more for the shock value of the imagery rather than for the narrative. Like, the gross factor does nothing for the storytelling in the stories other than to gross the reader out. I just felt it wasn't needed to get the points across. If anything, whatever messaging or ideas that were presented in the stories get lost in the gruesome details.
On the plus side, this encouraged me to deep clean my new kitchen and bathroom (with the help of my partner).
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Nghi Vo is one of my favorite writers and The City in GlassThank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Nghi Vo is one of my favorite writers and The City in Glass is her newest offering and we follow a demon and an angel amidst the ruination and rebirth of a city. It is gorgeously written and just so lyrical. I also think this may take place in the same universe as her Singing Hills Cycle because there are passing references to a cleric with a talking bird. It was a bit of a slow start for me but once I was in, I was IN. This is different from Vo's other standalone novel, Siren Queen, in that this is a very fluid story in which we're following the demon's feeling surrounding this city. I would say the heart and emotion of the novel really comes from the city itself and how it affects everyone else in the story.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this. ...more
Thank you to NetGally and Tor Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
This is the first Olivie Blake book that I've read. I've had a copThank you to NetGally and Tor Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
This is the first Olivie Blake book that I've read. I've had a copy of "The Atlas Six" (pre-major publication too) for ages and haven't gotten around to it and I am so upset I have waited so long to read her writing. This is a short story collection and while some stories were a bit of work to get through, the vast majority of the collection was delightful to read. Blake is clearly a gifted writer and this shows in her deft handling of multiple different themes, narratives, characters, and writing technique. And just. Blake is SO creative. The ways that each story, even the ones I didn't really like, surprised me with her creativity and spin made for a fun reading experience. And while romance is usually something that I am not a fan of, Blake's presentation of romance had me kicking my feet and twirling my hair! Honestly, the stories that I felt were weaker are still miles ahead of most "experienced" published writers.
I would absolutely recommend this. New readers and fans of Blake will find this a super enjoyable and fun read. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
This is a no thanks for me. I could not stand the Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
This is a no thanks for me. I could not stand the main character or her best friend, and the story itself was so contrived and boring. Now, maybe the adult women I know are unrealistic because I do not know women like Sloane and Naomi, and if I did, I would promptly cut myself out of their lives because they are unbearable. I also just did not care about Sloane. I mean what a freaking doormat. She is dealing with a lot but holy crap. She is a fully grown woman out here being manipulated, willingly, by everyone in her life. Also, I hate Naomi. What an awful personality type.
In terms of writing, Rachel Harrison just did not do it for me. At all. I've only ever read one other book by her and it was so bland and generic and middle of the road. And somehow, this has fallen way below that. Harrison's writing is just SO heavy handed and I just hate it when authors don't trust the reader to be smart. Every single hint of "foreshadowing" was beating me over the head and I hate when an author assumes I'm an idiot and hand holds me through the book. I find it so lazy and clunky and this book had nothing but that embedded in its storytelling.
I think I would have been more behind the change of everything in this book but it just does not feel earned or worth it when our main character has to be talked into every little thing. God, I found Sloane so irritating and juvenile. Ugh.
Thank you to Netgally and Tor Nightfire for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
In the world of this novella, it is 1923 and Veronica BrinkleyThank you to Netgally and Tor Nightfire for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
In the world of this novella, it is 1923 and Veronica Brinkley has set foot on the moon and is admitted to the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy. Known for its use of spider silk, the renowned facility and doctor, Barrington Cull, promise to rid one of troublesome thoughts of melancholia. However, the moon's past and husk of the gargantuan spider will change Veronica's life beyond what Dr. Cull has promised.
I LOVED this novella. It is so creeping and the descriptions of the spider silk and the moon are just delightful. This reminded me a lot of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," but the after effects of the short story where the husband leaves the wife at some facility to die. I also just loved the universe that Ballingrud creates here. It's so interesting to imagine a 1920s where space travel, at least to the moon, is possible. And then there's all of the cool occult stuff with the giant spider. GUH. I loved this and cannot wait for the next novella in the series. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Okay, I am going to keeThank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Okay, I am going to keep this short because I'm still in disbelief over just how bad this book and Ava Reid's writing are. For reference, Lady Macbeth is supposed to be a "feminist reimagining" of the character Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Now, I have not and am now definitely not a fan of Ava Reid's brand of feminism and writing. I've always found her writing to be pretty weak and incredibly reliant on buzzwords and this "reimagining" is no exception to that. I am so annoyed because all of the marketing for this says that this version of Lady Macbeth is supposed to give her agency and power in a way that the men in the play and the man who wrote her never did...ironically Reid's portrayal is incredibly xenophobic and misogynistic. Instead of a strong, intelligent, and bold (because that's what I associate with the canon Shakespeare character), we get a very delicate, weak-willed, racist, and honestly, dumb teenage girl. Right from the start, Lady Macbeth isn't even Scottish. She's French who sees the Scottish as animalistic and hulking idiots. Oh and for that extra Reid punch, she can't help but look down on the few women we see in this book as ugly and rough. I mean this is all just the basic issues with the book, I'm not even getting into the basic narrative issues that I always find with Reid's books either (don't ask me why I keep reading her books just to be disappointed...she has cool ideas...just poor execution...every single time). This reimagining feels like peak Reid to me because of its use of buzzword marketing, the shallow and lazy writing, the poor characterization, and the poor and lazy reinterpretation of an iconic Shakespeare character. Don't even get me started on Reid's interpretations of the men in this. UGH.
I'm keeping this review short because if I get TOO into it, I just get annoyed. Overall, this book was a MASSIVE disappointment. I would not recommend it if you are in any way a Shakespeare lover. Definitely not if you're like me and have studied Shakespeare constantly.
Note: I will not take any constructive criticism on this one since I've had bad experiences with Reid's fans in the past. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Keeping this short because I loved this book. It is such a strongThank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Keeping this short because I loved this book. It is such a strong sequel to Ebony Gate and it really builds on the world we saw in book one. I still love Emiko because she is such a badass and she is so freaking cool. But my dear love has got A LOT on her plate: she's San Francisco's new Sentinel, she's got a murder case on her hands, she doesn't have her full powers yet, oh and she needs to keep Adam alive. Also, there's a sword she needs to keep out of the museums. She's booked and busy!
No, but seriously, Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle have done such a fantastic job with this series so far. It's so exciting, the fighting is so cool, the magic system is so different and refreshing, and the characters are memorable and just so freaking fun to root for. I with SyFy was still a thing cause this would be such a fun and exciting show. I need a liveaction adaptation like immediately please.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Delacorte Press for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar fThank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Delacorte Press for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar follows the disappearances of sisters Grace and Maddy, but when Grace is found and Maddy is still missing, things take a bit of a turn as Grace tries to figure out just what happened the night they went missing. And the catch? Grace can't remember anything from the week leading up to the disappearance.
I thought this was a quick little summer read. Is it amazing? Not really. Is it groundbreaking? No. BUT Davidhizar does a great job of exploring sibling relationships, friendships, and the ever challenging and confusing world of teenage friendships. The story is told in alternating narratives and timelines with one following Grace in the present and the other following Maddy in the week leading up to everything. I found myself really sympathizing with Maddy and later, Grace, but if you've ever been introverted, I do think this story kind of illustrates how problematic it really is to hold things in, people please at the expense of your own self, and how resentment can grow from that.
Overall, this is a fun summer spooker with the added sibling drama. I'd definitely recommend if you want something a bit lighter and just kind of mindless. ...more
*4.5 rounded down* Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow*4.5 rounded down* Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow is an East Asian mythology-inspired coming of age young adult fantasy that follows Princess Ying Yue. She once believed that she would marry for love, but as her wedding day to the crown prince dawns on her, she realizes that she will be subjected to a loveless marriage. Until her reflection pulls her into a mirror world and tells her that she can give her relief by switching places. In this mirror world, Ying meets the crown prince's reflection and believes that she can be happy here. But after an attack from a mythological snake, she realizes that this world poses a bigger danger than she thought. A danger to her home and Ying is the key to stopping it.
I LOVED this. It was so fun and felt really refreshing. If you've ever seen any liveaction Chinese fantasy dramas, this really evokes the feeling of watching those. Ying is a fairly compelling lead and while some of her choices had me side-eying her and saying "Oh you dumb child," she's also a teenager (I think) and seemed to be very sheltered by her family. That said, she's also incredibly emotional and persevering which really reminded me a bit of Usagi/Sailor Moon. She fights hard for what she believes to be right and I don't know, she got me emotional at some points. I also enjoyed this because Chow did not shy away from the gore that would be present in danger and I loved it. Chow did a great job with the action scenes in this which I think is a really good sign. There is romance in this, sort of enemies to lovers, and it's very much love triangle and honestly, I did not have the patience for it. Everytime there was a romance scene or a makeout scene, my eyes glazed over. I just don't care to read about teens making out, but that might just be me I guess. Anyways.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my arc in exchanged for my unbiased opinion.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is their dark reimaginThank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my arc in exchanged for my unbiased opinion.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is their dark reimagining of the Brother's Grimm story, "The Goose Girl." Now, I did enjoy their last retelling, Thornhedge, but this one was not a favorite. I was really excited for this because for the most part, Kingfisher's more straight forward fantasies have been fairly consistent for me in terms of storytelling, character, and enjoyment level. That said, this really missed the mark for me on all accounts.
This retelling follows the young Cordelia and her mother, Evangeline. Practically every single part of Cordelia's life is controlled and dictated by her mother, from the lack of doors in their home to Cordelia's lack of friends. Her only solace is their white horse, Falada. When Evangeline tells Cordelia that they're leaving for a new town and new prospects, she has to contend with the truth of who and what her mother is. So, this story is told through two perspectives: Cordelia and the sister of Evangeline's new mark, Hester. Through their perspective, we get two women struggling against Evangeline. I REALLY wanted to like this and honestly, it started really strongly for me. There was a lot that I think this had going for it. But that said, I think that Kingfisher does better with a smaller page count. The narrative in this dragged terribly and I found myself getting bored and wondering why there were SO MANY scenes of card playing, dinner, and taking tea when each scene would literally be the same thing: Cordelia being told to do something by her mother, Hester trying to get Cordelia out of her shell, and later, Hester with her friends trying to figure out how to stop her brother from marrying Evangeline. It's really boring. And as someone whose whole research focus and expertise in literature is classic late 18th to 19th century British literature written by women, you think I'd be less bored. The difference here is that Kingfisher, as good a writer as they are, just doesn't have the expertise to handle the slowness of scenes like this.
I think Kingfisher does a wonderful job with their novellas, but any longer and they struggle with narrative momentum and engagement. I mean, my eyes were GLAZING. And this book isn't even THAT long at 336 pages so I think it really highlights some of Kingfisher's weaknesses. And this unfortunately translates over to the characters who at first, are charming, but as the narrative lags and slows, their development comes to a halt. And the ending...it really does take A LOT to get there and it doesn't feel earned. It feels very much like a writer who wanted to get done with this and just slapped together an ending that tied things up too neatly.
I don't know, I was so disappointed with this one. Would not recommend. BUT if you hated Thorhedge, you may like this one! It seems like that seems to be the trend. ...more
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