“What is it like to love this person who keeps breaking up with you and then presumably coming back to you? What does your love with this person of
“What is it like to love this person who keeps breaking up with you and then presumably coming back to you? What does your love with this person offer you? Does it make you happy? Does it give you what you need to be a better person?”
I loved this so much. Even though I do think it wasn't /perfect/ (I would have liked to see more depth to Laura Dean's character to better flesh out why Freddy loved her so much and was attached to the relationship) I do think it was excellently dealing with a lot of themes. Books like this dealing specifically with lesbian characters are so rare, so I really appreciated what this was doing. This felt like a really important book looking at toxic relationships, break-ups and the complexity of love. I also liked the general queerness of the side characters and the focus on friendship.
The art is the HIGHLIGHT though, absolutely stunning. It's worth reading this book just for the art, honestly. ...more
“I think if I gave you my heart, you would treat it tenderly.”
So, this series definitely doesn't do it for me as it does for others but I have to
“I think if I gave you my heart, you would treat it tenderly.”
So, this series definitely doesn't do it for me as it does for others but I have to say this is easily and by far the best book in the series. Both on a technical level and on a personal enjoyment level. I found the writing much smoother in this book and the characterisation better executed. Laurent definitely has one of the most iconic character redemption arcs, truly outstanding. I can't believe it but this book did finally convince me to ship it.
I feel better now, knowing what all the fuss with this series is about. I can now rest easy x
I'm sorry I just don't .......... get the hype. It was okay but honestly BORING. Too much walking around doing random things and not nearly as much ofI'm sorry I just don't .......... get the hype. It was okay but honestly BORING. Too much walking around doing random things and not nearly as much of the court politics which was the main thing I liked about book one. I also just, don't understand this ship. I just couldn't get into them - a scene would happen and I'd be like ... I think I'm supposed to be shipping this? buuuut
And my feelings on the worldbuilding are complex and hard to explain without doing a full review I can't be bothered writing right now. I also am not a huge fan of the writing - so many times I wasn't exactly sure what was happening based on how vague some of the descriptions were at times.
That said, I enjoy the characters and the added depth that was added, especially to Laurent. There were some good twists and battles that happened I enjoyed, which pushed the action forward a lot. Some of the reveals were really well set up and then pulled off which was great. The political/military scheming and the tactical maneuvering was fun too because I love those parts of military fantasies. Much like the first book, this ended on a cliffhanger than had me intrigued for book three.
A few years ago I think I might have liked this more but I honestly just think there are so many political/military fantasies that are written SO much better than this one oop. Sorrryyyy I know all my friends love this book...more
I love this book because when you read it's bad reviews, it's just adults who haven't spoken to a teenager in 50 years crying because via this book thI love this book because when you read it's bad reviews, it's just adults who haven't spoken to a teenager in 50 years crying because via this book they discovered teenagers do, in fact, have sex with each other.
Jack of Hearts is the unapologetic queer book we've all been waiting for - it said FUCK your sanitisation of YA and teenagers lives and just decided to showcase a sex-positive, self-proclaimed gay slut as the main character. L.C Rosen did sex-ed more comprehensively in 340 pages than my entire catholic school upbringing managed and for that, I have to salute him. 4.5 stars
“I just need to get out of here. I'm doing what I have to do to survive. I'm not signing up to set things on fire.”
This book was chosen by my twit
“I just need to get out of here. I'm doing what I have to do to survive. I'm not signing up to set things on fire.”
This book was chosen by my twitter followers as my book to read this month and I actually ended up enjoying it A LOT more than I thought I would
We Set the Dark on Fire is a wlw, latinx inspired YA fantasy that incorporates modern-day political concerns, especially those emerging in the Trump era, and explores poverty, sexuality, misogyny and race and how these identities intersect. It is comparable to works like The Handmaids Tale or Girls of Paper and Fire - but is also distinct from these, primarily in how it more strongly deals with politics, protest and the impacts of poverty and race. We follow Daniela Vargas, who is graduating from the Medio School for Girls at the start of the novel. This school trains women to be the wives of important political men, a tradition originating from a cultural folktale that says the salt god required two women for his wives and further, that the people who live beyond the borders of the Salt God's realm are of lower importance and value to society.
While many of the elements are familiar, such as the heteronormative society, the sexist society and the 'women as submissive and subservient' ideas, I do think this book tries to do something new. First, the incorporation of an f/f romance subverts the expectation of the romance and is posited as a form of protest against the patriarchal, sexist society. The protest and the resistance are also much more active here and I really liked how protest and resistance are such a large part of this book. Finally, many of the ideas and themes can easily be linked to contemporary political concerns. One of the main villains wishes to build a wall in between the inner city and the outer borders, the book deals with sexism and misogyny that infuses contemporary politics and poverty and how it links to race and class is a central tenet of the book.
“In a battle between two men trying to control her, she'd chosen herself.”
My favourite part of this was the inclusion of the resistance, and the f/f romance between Carmen and Dani. At the start of the book, Daniela is blackmailed into becoming a double agent working for the resistance. I really liked the political intrigue the inclusion of this group gave, and it was what surprised me. While I expected this to be 'woman deals with her horrible sexist husband for 400 pages', it was much more about Dani becoming embroiled with the resistance and the politics of tjat group.
I also LOVED the relationship between Carmen and Dani, it's slow burn and is so satisfying. The girls have a lot of chemistry and they're so sweet and I loved the development of their relationship throughout the whole book. The next book is from Carmen's POV AND I CANNOT WAIT. This is one of my favourite f/f ships I've read in a while, I was literally yelling in my car in some of their scenes.
“On the outside, she was frozen, but inside her, whole cities were being razed to the ground. Explosions were shaking the walls of her stomach. People were screaming in her throat.”
This book definitely wasn't as intense or pulse-pounding as it could have been. There's some good political tension and mystery elements but sections and reveals were a little predictable. I did like it for how it drew out the political threads, but some of the scenes that were supposed to be nail-biters didn't hit it for me.
I also thought the writing was a bit corny at times. Some of the metaphors and similes used were a bit ... strange. I thought sometimes the author was trying too hard to make something sound pretty and she just ended up using some words that don't actually mean anything. It wasn't horrible, I just noticed a few too many times something being likened to something else that didn't make sense.
“You have a big heart, a strong mind, and you will find a way to make a life you love. No matter how different it is from the one you left.”
We Set the Dark on Fire has a lot of elements that might tempt people to give it a miss. The sexist/heteronormative world and the 'Handmaids Tale' elements might be something people are growing tired of. However, I do think this is worth the read. It deals with a wide array of issues and presents new perspectives on these issues. It does more to be intersectional and explores more issues, especially class and poverty. It also has a central f/f romance that is amazing and includes more 'plot' in the resistance/political machinations and a more active main character than some similar works.
I am so glad I gave this a chance. I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I can't wait for the sequel ...more
reread may 2020 me @ nina varela: HEY QUEEN! girl, you have done it again. constantly raising the bar for all of us .... and doing it flawlessly. I'd reread may 2020 me @ nina varela: HEY QUEEN! girl, you have done it again. constantly raising the bar for all of us .... and doing it flawlessly. I'd say I'm surprised, but I know who you are. I've seen it up close and personal. Girl, you make me so proud . and I love you .
I AM A MESS!!! This book is everything. I have wanted this for so long. A TRUE slowburn angsty enemies to lovers where they're REAL ENEMIES who want to KILL EACHOTHER and its so beautiful.
The entire set up of this world? the plot?? amazing. We're in a world where Automae, created by humans, ended up overpowering and subjugating them. And it has so many fantasy tropes I love - like hidden/secret/forgotten histories and well constructed political intrigue. And SO MANY POWERFUL FEMALE CHARACTERS!! AND LOTS OF PLOT TWISTS!!
Anyways the ending destroyed me I cannot BELIEVE we now have to wait for book 2 when Nina Valera did me like that in the end
"It'll get easier. That's the beautiful thing about the universe. It puts you through trials, but it never gives you anything you can't handle. We
"It'll get easier. That's the beautiful thing about the universe. It puts you through trials, but it never gives you anything you can't handle. We grow from these things."
there are many reasons this could have earned a lower rating from me - not my kind of writing style, kind of a slow start. But ultimately I bumped it to a four because I loved the representation of this book and the examination of the two characters behaviour and how equally this novel showed the strengths and flaws of both the main character and love interest. full review to come on Monday on my blog...more
the specific overwhelming reader emotion where you desperately love a book and its world and its characters and you need to talk about them because ththe specific overwhelming reader emotion where you desperately love a book and its world and its characters and you need to talk about them because they're rattling around in your head and feel so real but no one else understands and can talk about it with you because no one else has read the book? me currently as only 1,500 of you goblins have read this excellent historical fantasy and I'm mad
He might be a magician by trade, but was a con man at heart.
This book definitely wasn't as flashy as it's predecessor. The Last Magician is full of shock plot twists and dramatic character moments and intense action. The Devils Thief is much quieter and drawn out - I can see why people don't like it as much (I also didn't love it quite as much) but for me, this was really still a strong second book. Why? Because it took time to actually delve into the world and characters and build a plot that didn't rely on quick plot twists and dramatic reveals. If The Last Magician is a train veering wildly off course and making turns you didn't see coming, then The Devils Thief is rattling toward disaster - you can see it coming, but you have to slowly watch the approach, and brace for impact. I think the time taken to raise and stakes and build tension, in anticipation for a third and probably explosive third book, was a good choice.
Also, this book just has a lot of angst and I love angst. Like, literally nothing goes write for these characters for 700 pages and I literally love pain so it worked for me.
“Anger and sadness and destruction and chaos was her song, and Esta was the melody she sang to. She would rip apart the world.”
The trend of me being obsessed with the couples in this series continues. Harte and Esta are ..... *clenches fist* everything. I'm sorry but you all know I love angst and slow-burn romances where like, everything is roadblocking their pursuit to Fuck and this book really HAD IT ALL. Including some small specific things in books I love - which I won't mention because of spoilers. but AAAAAHHH I was living. I love the forbidden attraction / star-crossed lovers kinds of tropes so this book was really doing it for me.
I don't really want to say too much about this book as I feel anything I get into even related to character would spoil the end of book one. But I will say - and this ties into my original point, I thought the character development was good. All the characters arcs and issues weren't resolved (But thats what the final book is for) but they all progressed a lot. I also enjoyed getting POVs from some characters who didn't appear in the first book as a POV character.
Overall, just wanna say I lOVE THIS SERIES. It reminds me of The Diviners and the magic, gangs, secret societies, magical artifacts, relationships and diverse cast + more is just SO GOOD. It has so many specific little tropes I love, I feel like this book was WRITTEN FOR ME. And I really wish more people would read this series as its SO UNDERRATED. The final book is one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2020...more
“I realised my life would be full of mundane physical suffering, and that there was nothing special about it. Suffering wouldn't make me special, a
“I realised my life would be full of mundane physical suffering, and that there was nothing special about it. Suffering wouldn't make me special, and pretending not to suffer wouldn't make me special. Talking about it, or even writing about it, would not transform the suffering into something useful.”
“You think everyone you like is special, she said. I'm just a normal person. When you get to like someone, you make them feel like they're different from everyone else. You're doing it with Nick, you did it with me once.”
“Was I kind to others? It was hard to nail down an answer. I worried that if I did turn out to have a personality, it would be one of the unkind ones.”
didn't like it AS MUCH as normal people but still a lot ? idk dude this woman's writing just makes me feral. ...more
"You were going to take your shirt off? Antonio teases. "Dude, at least take me to dinner first" "Just thought I'd show you what was coming after th
"You were going to take your shirt off? Antonio teases. "Dude, at least take me to dinner first" "Just thought I'd show you what was coming after the main course" Jay replies. "Oh my Goooood, you're corrupting my sweet boy and turning him into you" Blythe whines.
The Black Veins is an inventive and exciting new release that has so many of the qualities I see people asking for in YA lit. I’ve been following Ashia on twitter for a long time and watching them write this story, post about the characters and the plot, and to finally see it all come together in THE BLACK VEINS has been really special. The culmination of all Ashia’s efforts into this book was even better than I could have ever dreamed, and I genuinely loved reading this urban fantasy, character-driven road trip book which was so much fun and filled with thoughtful, inclusive representation and loveable characters.
The Black Veins begins with Blythe Fulton, a sixteen-year-old girl who’s completely normal except for the fact she is a Guardian. The Guardian’s are some of the worlds most powerful magical users, elected by their parents as birth to be a user of one of the seven magic types – Ether, Mind, Body, Death, Nature, Animals and Time. When the Guardian’s lives are threatened by the Trident Republic, a rebel group challenging the government of The Black Veins and her parents are kidnapped from their family-owned coffee shop, Blythe sets out on a quest to unite the Guardians and rescue her parents.
The first thing that struck me about The Black Veins was the strong character focus. Monet weaves a tapestry of characters, who are all unique and interesting in their own rights. We follow seven main characters: ),
✧ Blythe – Our main character and the Guardian of Ether. She is black and bisexual. She is determined, friendly and warm, and the leader of the group.
✧ Cordelia – The second Guardian we meet, who is the Mind Guardian. She is Chinese-British. Cordelia likes nice things and can be a bit uppity, but she’s intelligent and loyal.
✧ Daniel – Nature Guardian. He’s the youngest of the group, and pretty naive and innocent due to living a very sheltered life.
✧ Antonio – Animal Guardian. Puerto Rican, queer, and the sunshine heart of the group. He has strong surfer boy energy and a gift for baking.
✧ Storm – Time Guardian. She is Black, has a mysterious past and is easily the funniest member of the group. Her lines made me laugh out loud.
✧ Caspian – Death Guardian. Trans, asexual, and literally a ghost. Adorable, loves Ramen, and not what anyone expects.
✧ Jay – Body Guardian. Black and unstoppably bisexual. Charming, charismatic, the hot bitch and a hoe but proud of it. He was my FAVOURITE AND I WOULD DIE FOR HIM.
"My friends leave me on read" "I'd never leave you on read, bro" Jay says Antonio grasps his heart. "Bro."
One thing I loved about this cast was how distinctive and unique each character felt. I thought each character was extremely fleshed out, not just in terms of giving each character a strong motivation and a character arc, but also for smaller details, like their hobbies, personalities, likes and dislikes. This made every character feel real and relatable to me, and it was easy to invest in the squad. While having this many characters could have felt crowded, Monet perfectly balances each voice and character, to give each an important role without creating a story that felt clustered and confused.
The group dynamics and banter was easily my favourite part of this book. I am a major sucker for a strong group dynamic and The Black Veins had it in SPADES. The jokes were genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, but there was also soft and tender moments between the characters that highlighted their genuine affection for eachother and I loved that. Also, no friendship and no romance – what a blessing! Monet has a great sense of timing and humour, dropping jokes that are genuinely funny in just the right places. And on top of that, each characters unique brand of humour just adds more to their characterisation.
"when chaos is constant, it starts to feel like comfort"
The reason I gave this a four-star and not a five is that for me, I felt the beginning took a bit to get going. The scenes as Blythe is travelling before meeting all the Guardians dragged a little for me, and lacked the strong character focus and fun that the second half of the book had. That said, the second half of the book easily made up for the earlier chapters and I loved the rush, fun-filled run to the end that book carried me on.
“The magic wakes at midnight. It arrives in the form of a song.”
All in all, The Black Veins is a highly enjoyable and well-crafted debut from an exciting new author. Ashia Monet has created something unique and beautiful with The Black Veins. High energy, fun, character-driven urban fantasy that values inclusion, friendship and family over all else. I promise if you read this you’ll find yourself in love with each and every one of these characters – and you’ll put down the book but won’t be able to stop thinking about them. I genuinely urge every single person who has told me they want more character-driven stories, more stories without romance, more fun in fantasy, and more group dynamics to pick up The Black Veins when it releases on July 17.
A big thankyou to Ashia for providing me with the ARC. These quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change on publication....more
I FINISHED THIS BIG OL' BOOK. My wrist is permanently sore and my back hurts from lifting this BUT it was WORTH IT for the epicness, the dragons,the f I FINISHED THIS BIG OL' BOOK. My wrist is permanently sore and my back hurts from lifting this BUT it was WORTH IT for the epicness, the dragons,the friendships, the SHEER LESBIAN POWER contained within this book.
“She had not been human in that final hour. Just a paper lantern, thin and wind-torn, clinging to the flickering remnants of a soul. Yet when there was no more to climb, and she had looked up and seen nothing but the terrible beauty of the sky, she had found the strength to rise.”
The Priory of the Orange Tree is so epic in scope and develops into such a complex, developed story it's hard to explain exactly what it is about without spoiling everything but here we go. Priory is set in a fantasy world split into the Eastern and Western countries. The Eastern Kingdoms are dragon lovers - they worship dragons as gods, and their most elite warriors ride dragons. The Western Countries hate dragons. The Queendom of Virtudom, the main country in the west, was built on the belief that the original heir of the Berethnet Line (The continuing line of Queens in Virtudom) Galian Berethnet, killed a dragon called The Nameless One a thousand years ago and so established the western lands free from the danger of the Draconic empire. While a Berethnet sits on the throne, The Nameless One can never return.
But now, the dragons are stirring. The Draconic Army is rising and Sabran, the current queen of Berethnet, needs to have a daughter in order to keep the Nameless One at bay. To say much more would put you into the realm of spoilers but here is some tidbits - a forgotten history, a secret society, witches, magic and a quest to save the world.
“We may be small, and we may be young, but we will shake the world for our beliefs.”
Lets talk about characters In total we follow four main characters
Ead Duryan ➢ A member of the Priory of the Orange Tree (a secret society of witches dedicated to slaying dragons) living in the court of Queen Sabran the Ninth in order to protect her from assassins and ensure the royal line of Berethnet doesn't end, opening the door for the Nameless One to return. I LOVE EAD SO MUCH. She plays so many roles in this book, but I adored her relationship with Sabran the most (lets go lesbians!! lets go!!!). I loved how she is challenged throughout this book & her character development, I loved that that she is ambitious, and I loved all the beautiful friendships she has.
Lord Arteloth Beck ➢ Queen Sabran's best friend, Ead's best friend, and a member of the court. LOTH IS MY FAVOURITE I WOULD DIE FOR HIM. A true Good Boy (tm). He probably goes on the biggest journey in this book and he was SO much fun to follow. It was so refreshing to have a male character who has two (!!) female best friends and tries to fuck ... zero of them ! Anyway he is my mans I love him.
Niclays Roos ➢ An alchemist from the West, banished to the east by Queen Sabran. He was a member of the court in his youth, secretly dating another man called Jannart who has since passed away. Now older, he is determined to return home to the west. Niclay's was a tricky character for me. I wasn't sure how to feel about him for ... the entire book. I ended up liking & feeling sorry for him but damn! he is definitely an interesting character though, and it was SO NICE to have an older gay character? His flashback scenes with Jannart made me soft.
Tane Miduchi ➢ A dragon rider from the East who breaks the law in the first chapter by hiding an outsider from the west (Niclays). Tane was so much fun to follow because DRAGONS. Her relationship with her dragon was so sweet and reminded me of Eragon and Saphira which made me nostalgic. I liked that Tane was a bit reckless and impulsive, but she had so much development and all the reveals about her WERE WILD.
“My heart knows your song, as yours knows mine. And I will always come back to you.”
I loved how epic this book was. I haven't read a true, long, proper adult high fantasy in ages and I just LOVE THEM. And this one really reminded me why. The way the world just constantly expands and we get more and more information as it goes was GREAT. I love complications in fantasy revolving around time and information - like having to piece together information that has been lost to time and this book has A LOT of that which I loved.
The world was excellent in this. Shannon did a great job of constructing all the different Queendoms and Kingdoms, and that isn't easy to do in an 800 page standalone when you also have to fit characters and plot in. I respect her a lot for writing an epic world and fantasy as a standalone because it aint easy!
THE FOCUS ON WOMEN WAS ALSO SO BEAUTIFUL. SO many women !! Powerful women !! evil women !! Legendary women !! warrior women !! Societies of women !! QUEENDOMS !! It was so, so freakin refreshing since so many high fantasies are dominated by men and male relationships and the worldbuilding relies on upholding patriarchal ideals (thats just a fact so don't @ me). But this book definitely tries to subvert common expectations and tropes of the genre and it was so NICE. I loved the female friendships and relationships and how every woman wasn't there to be Fucked like, wow it's a nice change of pace for high fantasy.
“Pity this house, for here we are cursed,”
Two of my major issues, the beginning and the end. This took me a hundred and fifty or so pages to get into. I think the beginning of quite confusing and there is too many characters and places and names thrown at you. It's hard to get your head around it all at first, and I didn't love that.
The ending was also a bit of a letdown for me. The major battle went down in just a few chapters, and I kind of struggled with how it was written? I was really struggling to picture the fighting and what was Actually Happening. I also thought the big bads went down WAY too easily and it kind of cheapened all the build up.
The Priory of the Orange Tree lived up to it's hype for me. Even though it wasn't a five star read for me, it was still really freakin great. I LOVED the middle section so much, and I definitely think I will come back to this to reread it sometime. I have heard there will be more books in this world, and I CANNOT. WAIT. Priory is a subversive fantasy that does a lot with it's 800 page count. I fell in love with the powerful characters, the epic worldbuilding and the relationships in this one. BIG LOVE, WE HAVE DECIDED TO STAN FOREVER.
We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we're given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the De
We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we're given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the Demon King and his court do not understand is that paper is flammable. And there is a fire catching among us.
when someone says there's a fantasy ya book coming out with a slowburn f/f romance following a girls struggle to defy the demon king and the misogynistic societal structures he embodies by undermining his system of choosing girls to be his concubines I listen.
Girls of Paper and Fire it set in a Malaysian inspired world where society is separated into three castes: Moon the upper class comprised of demons with animal characteristics. Steel Middle class, of human demon hybrids and Paper lowest class comprised of full humans.
The world Ngan sets up here was one I really enjoyed. While many elements of the story feel familiar (I got vibes Red Queen, The Hunger Games, Throne of Glass and even Daughter of Smoke and Bone vibes) a lot of it also felt unique. Ngan masterfully weaves political intrigue into the story, examining political instability and social shifts due to the Demon Kings war a hundred years ago. The political elements became the highlight for me, and I anticipate them becoming even more important as this series progresses. Court fantasies can frustrate me when the politics becomes too insular, but Ngan balanced the court politics and the wider state politics well here, and didn't get too bogged down in court drama as some court fantasies tend to. (Red Queen/ToG) On top of that, the influence of Malaysian-Chinese culture and history on the world made so many of these tropes and scenarios feel fresh and new.
However I do think the worldbuilding was not PERFECT. We don't know a whole lot about the world outside the court beside brief glimpses and the war and various factions are quickly explained in most cases. The book does hint that it will expand on these elements in the sequels though, which I'm excited for.
Pacing wise, this book did keep me intrigued due to the slow rise of tension as more and more political elements unravel. But some parts were definitely not as well paced as others. It took a bit for this book to get moving, and the main character's motivations didn't really crystallise until later in the book. Despite all that, this book did keep me compelled to read due to the emotional gravity of the situation, and the rising tension.
“I don't want an easy life. I want a meaningful one.”
As a main character, my feelings on Lei are mixed. The first part of this book is spent in her circling thoughts but she has no real aim. The lack of character motivation was jarring, and I found her actions irritating at times. That being said, I found myself really enjoying her character by the end. I love characters that do not start off as fighters but grow in strength. Characters who's power come from their emotional resilience and fortitude are some of my favourites and we definitely see that with Lei.
The other characters were also not as developed as I felt they could have been, but enjoyable nonetheless. Although the 'mean girl', Blue's arc was compelling, and Aoki's shift was interesting. I'm hoping to see more and get more development out of the side characters in the sequel.
The romance was also sweet, and while I'm still waiting for that REAL f/f slowburn this was pretty good. The underpinnings of the relationship - that it is an open defiance of the heteronormative patriarchy the girls are forced into submitting to - was an interesting element that added thematic depth to the ship.
“Fire in, fear out”
The true strength of this book for me was in it's thematic exploration. Girls of Paper and Fire explores rape, rape culture, and narratives around abuse. And I think it was explored with nuance, depth and "love" - that being, I felt it was something you could tell the author was serious and careful about exploring. The focus on defiance and rebellion in the face of enormous oppression, and the exploration of how oppressive social structures affects EVERYONE, and in various ways, was excellent here. There was also a focus on reclaiming your own body and expressing sexuality in a healthy and empowering way which I really loved.
With that said: a warning this book goes DARK at times. I even said to myself "this is awful" at one point because some of the scenes are graphic and confronting. Strong trigger warnings apply for rape and attempted rape, written on page, as well as sexual violence and assault, murder, slavery and sexual slavery and sex trafficking, grief, a graphic branding scene, torture, graphic death of an animal, forced medical exam/inspection, execution, war themes and probably more I missed. Please be aware of this, this is probably one of the darkest and most grim YA books I've read in a while.
“Her kisses heal the parts of me that the King broke. They tell me: You are strong, Lei. You are beautiful. You are mine. And, always, most important: You are yours.”
This was such a strong debut and I fell instantly in love with it. Ngan's writing is gorgeous and teleported me straight into the world of the Paper Girls and Demon Kings. There is oh so much to like here - an empowering central f/f couple, great political intrigue, a pretty much all female cast with strong potential and thematic issues which, while tough to read at times, are dealt with so powerfully and carefully.
If you're looking for a new fantasy world to fall into, more queer books, books with political intrigue, books with familiar YA tropes that put a new spin on them, or any combination of the above, this is the BOOK FOR YOU.
And now we begin the long, painful wait for book 2...more
"I have been loved by something strange, and it has forgotten me
This is one of those hoity toity literary books that your modernism professor who
"I have been loved by something strange, and it has forgotten me
This is one of those hoity toity literary books that your modernism professor who loved Gertrude Stein won't shut up about but also it's a lesbian classic and I am a sapphic girl who likes lesbian classics and sometimes reads a hoity toity classic so here we are
Anyway - going into this one was interesting because I'd heard it's very difficult to read but worth it. I actually didn't find this as difficult as I thought. Yes, it's metaphor heavy, but stylistically not as dense as some modernism, and much more familiar. Once I got used to how the chapters were set out, I found this relatively quickly to get through (though I do think this is a book you benefit from reading slowly). So I was surprised by how immersed I got in it
I did like this for its writing and characters. Djuna Barnes has beautiful writing and I tabbed or highlighted quite a few chapters. I really liked the use of metaphor and the monologues actually captured my attention rather than losing it. I also liked the almost vague construction of the characters and how there was a lot of room for interpretation and a good amount of unreliable narrator which I enjoy. The queerness was also good - multiple sapphic characters and the Doctor was transgender.
But there was also a LOT of anti-semitism and racialisation that was hard to ignore. "its the time" blah blah but it doesn't mean it's exempt from criticism and I think it's something thats very hard to enjoy from a modern lens. The entire construction of the Jewish characters like Felix was just steeped in anti-semitic tropes and ideas.
Overall though, an interesting read and definitely outside of the usual classics I read. I loved Barnes use of language and character and the lyrical sense of her prose. More of a 3.5 rating
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