*ARC sent by the publisher -Hodder & Stoughton- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
I FOUND IT. I think I found my favorite YA Fantasy *ARC sent by the publisher -Hodder & Stoughton- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
I FOUND IT. I think I found my favorite YA Fantasy of the whole year (slightly ironic since this is releasing Feb 2022 and I'm writing this Oct 2021).
I very rarely find myself enjoying YA fantasy recently without being irked by the decisions of the characters but this was an exception.
My favorite aspect might be how open to interpretation so many different parts of the story was. If you pull out of context the mechanism of their powers, they don't really seem that bad and worthy to be called "monsters". However, if you actually think about the nature of it and how its meant to work… they definitely are monsters and Vanessa Len does nothing to make it sound right. Which I loved. Because she was still able to humanize the characters without compensating for the fact that what they do is harmful to people who aren't them.
To be honest, other books might have given it some redemption arc but VL said: "nope! but I'm gonna make you love them anyway."
“Real monsters look like me and you.”
This has all of my weaknesses bundled up in one book:
Character dynamics that sweep you up? CHECK. Themes about humanity and monsters? CHECK. Magical underworld? CHECK. Time travel and forgotten memories? CHECK. (Enemy) Soulmate trope? CHECK. and This cover? *chef’s kiss*
(whoever made this cover captured the essence of the story really well)
Also, did I forget to say that this is set in London…
[image]
Despite the enemy soulmates trope being the main reason I read this, Vanessa Lee was able to perfectly balance both the romance and plot, so if you’re a reader who enjoys that (like me), I think you’ll love this.
I'm going to be honest that I still don't know who exactly Vanessa Len is referring to with the "enemy-soulmates" bit. By that I mean I don't which one of the two male leads is actually her soulmate because the "enemy" part can be interpreted in two different ways depending on how you look at it. In my case, I think one of the main reasons the story affected me as much as it did was because I think I assumed the wrong person in the “enemy-soulmate” trope. I only realized it more than half-way through the story and it destroyed me because I think my ship might drown. If you fall in the same hole that I did, you'll probably be destroyed too.
Before reading, I was actually really curious to know if they really are monsters or if it meant something else. There is just something so intriguing reading about monsters that might not really be monsters. The fact that it was not explicitly said in the synopsis why they are considered monsters was a very smart and effective move. It made things that more surprising to me, especially given how effectively executed it was for my preferences. (I am a very big fan of fantasy that is borderline dark, is dark, or has dark themes).
There are some tropes that we have arguably seen a fair share of in YA but the way VL wrote it made it feel so fresh. There are some things left to be desired in the writing style and I'm not saying it was perfect but, oh, Vanessa Len’s skills in creative writing shows. I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is about her writing style but I was affected more than I thought I would be?? There’s something about this book, I swear, it gets you a certain way. When I know that the same scenes would not have hit as hard if VL’s writing was not what it was. There were just so many parts where I thought to myself that “this could have been a boring” but my intrigued never dwindled.
[image]
I don’t know what I thought the magic system would be like but it wasn’t what I thought it was gonna be with the title and premise. It was slightly more magical but still had that tinge of dark if you give it more than a second's thought. Given that I’ve read a great deal of fantasy with their fair share of magic systems, I get extra excited whenever one still manages to surprise me, especially in urban fantasy.
I do admit that there were times Joan frustrated me and made me want to shake her with her decisions but we're not going to get into that because I was still in love with the character dynamics at play. I also just want Aaron, my cinnamon bun, to be happy.
“We believe that if people belonged together...then our timeline tries to repair itself by bringing them together. Over and over and over....” "Like soulmates?" "Yes. If you believe in fairy tales,"
If you’re losing faith in YA Fantasy, I hope this helps give that hope back to you. This was definitely more The Last Magician (another favorite) than Passenger to me though, but it was definitelyThis Savage Song. I am so destroyed right now. I actually teared up when I finished this T_T
I was so affected by this story and it ended on a very destroying, heart-throbbing, and fulfilling note but also, I need the second book, like, yesterday. I have not hyped a YA Fantasy like this in so long but Vanessa Lee honestly deserves all the praise and excitement I can muster.
↣ Highly recommended if you want some fun fast-paced YA Time Travel Fantasy with ~maybe morally grey characters~ that is easy to get into but still holds the serotonin rushes that you are craving for. Especially one that holds aspects that are open to interpretation as of this first book. ↢
— 4.5 — ⇢ content warnings// On and offscreen deaths of parents and guardians, On and offscreen deaths of family members, Threats of violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Weapon use, Brainwashing, Interrogation, Involuntary drug use, Real-world racist microaggressions, Fantasy xenophobia ⇢ representation: diaspora Chinese-English main character, Chinese side characters
*Thank you to the publisher -Wednesday Books- and the author -Dustin Thao- for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opi[Long review incoming]
*Thank you to the publisher -Wednesday Books- and the author -Dustin Thao- for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
You’ve Reached Sam is basically about the question “what if you get a chance to talk to someone who has already passed?”.
Like a lot of other reviewers, I'm sad to say that I was also disappointed as it didn’t really live up to my expectations of a mystical and, though heart-breaking, still a fulfilling read. It made me wish that they didn’t compare it to Kimi no Nawa because I think it ended up hurting this book more. I did still enjoy it for what it was but I found myself waiting for that drop of awe that never happened.
First things first, I’ve been seeing some reviewers label this as Ownvoices when it isn’t (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just mislabeled). If I’m analyzing it correctly, Obayashi (Sam’s last name) is a Japanese name, even their other friend Yuki sounds Japanese and the author is Vietnamese. Based on other aspects of the story (cherry blossoms, anime, lanterns, the fact that he visited his grandparents in Japan, etc.) it was obvious to me that the author wanted to point out the Japanese inspirations in the story. Let’s not equate Ownvoices as something that a book needs to be in order to be considered good nor should it be used just because both the author and the character is Asian.
with that out of the way…
The best part about this book is Julie’s character arcs over losing and moving on from her first love. In my opinion, it was one of the best written character storylines (in terms of progression and what was tackled) revolving around grief that I have read in a while. With that said, it’s definitely a heavy read, especially in the beginning and you really feel the anguish and frustration that Julie is going through. My emotions were in sync with Julie’s, in a way.
But I was immensely disappointed by the Your Name/Kimi no Nawa comp because the only thing they had in common was that they both have a magical realism aspect (that wasn’t even similar in their mechanisms). Which is not enough, in my opinion, to say that this book is reminiscent of Your Name. I loved Your Name for the intensity and mystery of the fantasy that was given a *gasping-out-loud-while-crying-your-eyes-out* explanation by the end and the journey that we were on from BOTH characters' perspectives, which we didn’t really get here.
“If the ending is this painful, I don’t know if this was worth it all.”
The romance in Your Name was effective in that we were able to slowly watch the connection build up between the characters before the heart-wrenching part happens (if you watched it, you know what i mean). Here it was kind of done the other way around and while I think the premise was really promising and interesting, I had a hard time feeling a connection to Sam and Julie like I did with the main characters in it’s anime comp.
Don’t get me wrong, I did end up crying in two distinct parts so I’m not saying that this made me feel like I had a heart of stone. It’s definitely still capable of bringing out feelings of sadness but maybe not enough. You know it's sad but you move on very easily from it like "yeah that was sad" and read on. Which I feel like should not be the goal? xD
There were more than a few parts that annoyed me. Given this is young adult, the immature scenarios and personalities are slightly understandable but i don’t think the “mean kids” and other “mean people” were flushed out or written very well. It honestly felt like they were just there to provide additional conflict when I think the book could have done without them or if their personalities were more subtle/nuanced/implied. It felt very “in your face” and I didn’t enjoy that. Especially since I don’t think that part of the plot was given proper closure either. There were certain plot decisions that i wasn’t happy about because they felt like cop outs. It added an aspect that did not match the atmosphere I was hoping for.
I did really love the development of Julie's friendship with the other characters. It was heart-warming to watch. Though I think too much was going on and a storyline such as this would have benefitted with less issues but were delved into more deeply.
The main problem that I feel like this book had was that the conflict was coming from too many different areas that the story had a hard time pulling that together at the end. I’m going to once again bring up Your Name since it’s everywhere in the promotion of this book and it’s hard not to compare it when they do that… but in that movie the characters are mostly fighting against this natural phenomenon and that’s really where the main conflict was. And although multiple conflicts isn’t necessarily a bad thing either, it needs to form a cohesive storyline that comes full circle in the end…. which was what Your Name was able to do successfully but this particular plot failed to see through, in my opinion.
Additionally, part of what made Kimi no Nawa so heartfelt is how unflinchingly set it was in Japanese culture. From the fantastical aspect, to behavioral patterns, setting, and character dynamics. It was easy to see the details and thought put into it that it added another layer of realism to the story. Which was another aspect that this book lacked since the most we got was Sam going to Japan a few times, mention of cherry blossoms, an Asian Film Club, and some lanterns… all of which didn’t really play that big of a part in the plot though it did somewhat do things for character development.
“Now I can’t wait to move on and make new memories with you. Just don’t forget the ones we made here.”
I’m being nitpicky here but I just naturally become one when I’m sent ARCs. There was a line that implied that songs about love weren’t good and it was never directly taken back by the character who said it even though it was sort of implied in a separate scene. Based on the message of the story, I don’t think that’s what the author meant to do but I hope they fix that in edits. I don’t know if I’m just a little more sensitive to the musical aspect because I’m a musician but that just left a bad taste in my mouth.
In a writing style standpoint, this had the magical realism aspect that Your Name has but as a reader, it lacked the connection and heart-fulfilling moments that I feel every time I watch Kimi no Nawa.
↣ Again, this is a heavy book that brings that mood with it a big part of the way through. So I suggest not reading this until you are in the mood for something more heavy-hearted and slow-paced. I do think this is the kind of book that can affect someone’s life if read at the right time and in the right circumstances. Just please stop comparing it to Your Name, I don't think they are anything alike. ↢
This was a such a wholesome and adventurous story that felt like home wrapped up in a bow.
Together with an extremely important perspective and story This was a such a wholesome and adventurous story that felt like home wrapped up in a bow.
Together with an extremely important perspective and story for younger generations to be aware of and be normalized, Mala’s story had me charmed the whole way through. Mala and the Mask of Gold is an adventurous, Philippine-inspired MG Fantasy that is able to represent LGTBQ+ people of color bravely and unapologetically.
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
It’s nice that there were translations for the Tagalog words to accommodate non-Tagalog speakers. It did feel like the construction of the writing made it more for non-local readers and more towards readers who are not as familiar with the language and the culture. In a way, this does make it more accessible and a great starting point in familiarizing yourself with Philippine mythology.
To give you a bit of background, Babaylans (ancient Philippine priestesses) are traditionally females in Philippine history so seeing a gender fluid main character embody that, was a detail I highly appreciated and was a take that I have never seen (admittedly, I never even thought of it like that).
What stood out to me most was the fact that it takes down gender barriers and stereotypes while still holding on to the core traits of the Filipino culture such as family and traditions. We get to see this explored and discussed when we are placed both in Mala and their brother’s head spaces. And I have to say, the author handled usually-taboo topics really well given how Filipinos can be very traditional when it comes to gender norms. It felt very normalized which I loved reading about.
Mala as the main character is easliy lovable and I loved reading from their perspective. Moreover, I didn’t expect that she would actually set off on the adventure with their brother so experiencing their familial relationship throughout the story was touching and one that I enjoyed immensely.
In terms of flow, the footnotes were not my favorite because a lot of times they were redundun and a few times wherein they were a little bit inaccurate based on my knowledge of it’s local uses. Story and flow wise, I think integrating the meaning of the words into the narrative would have done the job of getting what needs to be sent across to the readers.
In a lot books, I find that the plot usually gets less intriguing as it unfolds since you since the initial interest gets lost somewhere but this just kept getting more interesting as it went on. I was curious to see the interpretation of a mythology that I have known my whole life (finally!) and even if you had no idea what all of these creatures were, the author does a good job of getting you up to speed. The writing style does deal with a more telling rather than showing at certain parts. There was also a short bit of info dump in the beginning as one of the characters tells the background of the mythology through a story but given the length of the novel, I think it benefited the world building. It certainly brought Philippine mythology to life in such a short novel.
I loved the use of Filipino honorifics and certain phrases throughout the story, I do think it could have been more consistent. There were times, for example, when Mala would call their brother by his first name rather than Kuya (*used to refer to an older male relative or simply an older male like a brother). As someone fluent in the language, it just felt off to me since it feels weird myself to call an older male or relative solely by their first name if I knew that they were of Philippine heritage.
Other than that, the other most obvious one to me was the use of pana. This was used in the story to refer to the bow but from what I know it’s usually used to refer to the arrow part or whatever you shoot. The bow part is usually called pangpana, which might not be entirely accurate but I just know that pana isn’t the bow. It's the little things that help the story feel more natural to a local speaker such as myself. I know this is fantasy but given that it takes from Philippine culture, I just thought that it should be mentioned.
I completely loved the way this wrapped up though. It was the perfect kind of nostalgic that makes you feel satisfied and uplifted. You would be surprised how many books aren't able to do just that.
↣ I think the Author’s Note says it all, this is for everyone who just wants a classic adventure from a refreshing perspective. Whether or not you are familiar with Philippine mythology, there is lots to love and definitely a book that I can see myself giving to my younger cousins/nieces/nephews to read. I really hope you pick this one up too because heaven knows how much I needed stories like this when I was younger. ↢
*Thank you to the author for sending me a finished copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
—————— PRE READ:
you guys have no idea how hyped I am for this philippine mythology inspired story with queer characters :))...more
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I’m just a sad about how I ended feeling abo*mixed feelings has entered the building*
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I’m just a sad about how I ended feeling about it. I just was not into the characters and the plot even though theoretically this would have been a story I would be into..
I think the main reason that I could not continue this was because the plot just felt non-existent and all over the place. The progression of the world-building wasn't working for me and I do have to say that it does focus a lot more on the character relationships than what what I wanted which was weird because I usually love character-driven plot.
I do think that if you are in it for the friendship and found family aspect, you are still going to get that. But just like with almost any story, I think we can agree that you need to at least be invested in main characters perspectives, which is not what happened to me *disappointed sighs*. I probably would have continued reading this for that found family aspect though. Those parts were the good parts. (and you know... sapphic... *twinkle*)
I can see this being loved by people who like relatively lighter Sci-Fi that focuses more on found family bonding and the enemies-to-lovers aspect. It just wasn't for me.
DNF @40%... Do with this knowledge what you will.
"To the reckless, lovestruck kids. (The former may be lethal, but the latter makes it worth it.)"
*ARC sent by the publisher -Tor/Macmillan- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
This is the queer epic fantasy we all needed.
At its hea*ARC sent by the publisher -Tor/Macmillan- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
This is the queer epic fantasy we all needed.
At its heart, this book was about grief and perseverance... and how both can mean something different and is showcased differently on individual people.
“However tired I am, however hard it is: I know I can keep going, because I’m alive.”
Before reading, I didn’t know what exactly to expect with “Mulan meets The Song of Achilles” but it is just that, while being so painfully aware of it’s own setting that reminds me more of The Poppy War with its brutal nature. Accompanied by a unique perspective, charming yet complex cast, lyrical prose, and immersive writing style that hits all the right emotions.
— overall thoughts: 4.5 — if you are sensitive to triggering content please read the end of this review for content warnings
This did still feel like it was opening to a broader world and I honestly cannot wait to see where Shelley Parker Chan goes with the rest of the books. If you are looking for an in-depth and intricate magic system, I should say that you won't really be getting that for this first installment at least. There's still a magical/fantastical element to it but it's more on the backdrop and used to propel character development.
She Who Became the Sun is a character-driven story that explores the internal politics of a ruling body and economics of war that highlights the journey these characters experience and while it does deal with heavy and dark themes— this read like a historical c-drama (in the best way possible) packed with a truck load of thought provoking moments that was brilliantly tied together while being so unflinchingly queer
At it’s core, it’s about people trying to believe in their own fate in a society that sees them different ⚔️ The way discussions on gender roles and gender identity were weaved into a plot about war was just *chefs kiss* with nuanced conversations that will keep you reading
The dual POV was incredibly intriguing since you get to see the conflict progress from both sides progress. One of my favorite aspects was the fact that our two main characters weren't each other’s love interest. Shelley Parker Chan could have so easily made it a star-crossed lovers scenario and I’m so happy they didn’t. It benefitted the war narrative and made for way more interesting romances anyway.
some other details you can find: -morally grey characters... villain origin story style -14th century china -yearning generals -forbidden romance -platonic relationships -complicated relationships -family drama -ghosts
↣ If you're looking for a fast-paced, emotional, and dark fantasy that revolves around war (just the way I like it) that is built on solid themes, high stakes, and will keep you turning the page while entrancing you the whole way through... here you go ☀️ I have too many words and I don't know if I got across how much I loved this book but I can’t wait to see how the rest of the story plays out ...more
*ARC sent by the publisher -Penguin Teen/Penguin Random House Canada- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
You know what… the most accur*ARC sent by the publisher -Penguin Teen/Penguin Random House Canada- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
You know what… the most accurate analogy for this book really is Attack on Titan but it make it mecha Sci-Fi set in a dystopian era inspired by historical China. By that, I mean the vibe with how vulnerable it can be but also violent, and how the lore is made to be.
I do think the writing style could have been a tad more whimisical and nuanced because this one really is in your face with the themes it tackles. Not saying that it's bad but those are just my preferences. There is more telling rather than showing and in the end, it did bother me a bit even though I enjoyed a lot of other aspects in the book. It does focus more on Zetian’s journey and her own development than the romance.
“He will not kill me. He does not get to make me a statistic.”
as a uni student that is endlessly tired, this flew by way too fast (in a good way). the amount of things that happened in the span of 50 pages is just crazy. we're also going to pretend that this didn't take me 3 million years to start reading because I got the ARC 5 months ago.
The nuances played into the plot (specifically, not in the book as a whole) were well-done in my opinion. It never felt like it was dragging or lagging at any point in terms of the plot progression. It’s fast-paced and just my vibe. I thought it was going to be all fun and games… but Xiran Jay Zhao has guts….. and you know what, we respect the grind. If you know, you know.
It does get gritty and violent so fair warning.
Zetian and the Poly Power Trio are the Kings and Queen of being morally grey. She definitely is that kind of character that you need to get used to at first because she’s so undeniably herself in every page. But after that moment passes, you realize that this, THIS is that badass female character we all needed. I could see Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi raising debates about morals again though.
”The only utterly good people in the world are either naive or delusional.”
It’s not too heavy on the Sci-FI (don’t worry, friends) but still great on the world-building and details. Which I think was a strong point of the story. I am so IN LOVE with the way the society was set-up and the “magic system” or whatever you like to call the way the technology works, it was perfectly mixed in equal parts magical and scientific. Which was what made it perfect for my taste. I say with no exaggeration that it was a lot more thought out than I expected it to be. You can really see that the author knew what she wanted to do with the world-building and it was executed effectively in my opinion. It’s safe to say that the tech system might be my favorite aspect.
”The entitled assholes of this world are sustained by girls who forgive too easily.”
I always say that dialogues can make or break a book for me and although there were lines that were smooth (like butter hehe) there were some that were just too cheesy. I feel like the character relationships could have been more flushed out or arranged to be more satisfying. Especially since the poly relationship was one of the biggest reasons I read the book, I can’t ignore it.
I do wish we got more build up towards her relationship with Yishi and Shimin before things happened but I get that, in a way, it gave way to the world-building. I just wished that there was a balance between the two and the character dynamics is the biggest reason for my lowered rating even though I enjoyed the book. You should also be aware that most of the romance doesn’t really play into it until after the half-way point. It would have been nice to see more background with the Iron Widow-Iron Demon dynamic because I really would have loved more. I do have to say….. that when it happened, it was still worth it even just for a millisecond (we are so starved of healthy Poly relationships lmao). It just makes my feelings about the ending that more all over the place and makes me both anticipate the next book and have mixed feelings about the character relationships in this one.
“Perks of refusing to play by the rules: you don’t have to choose between the boy who’d torture a man to death with you and the boy who welcomes you back with pastries.”
I just…. wow. I really did not think XJZ would actually go with that ending. I acknowledge that it objectively has its imperfections but I also do not care about them.
↣ Recommended if you want some Mecha Attack on Titan style Sci-Fi that’s a little dark and with some morally grey but vulnerable and strong characters. And a Poly Power Trio on the side. ↢
I rest my case.
— 3.75 — ⇢ content warnings// misogyny & femicide, mention of rape, violence, sexism, sexist microagressions, murder, torture, interrogation, physical and emotional abuse, alcoholism, suicidal ideation, blood and gore depiction
⤜ pre-read review ⤛
my heart is in pieces and my mind is somewhere else and my emotions are everywhere. thoughts incoming in a few hours.
---------------------- 4/27/21 update: i also found out that this is historical fantasy or historically inspired... if I wasn't already in before, I am 100% in now.
---------------------- pilots and pacific rim. those are my key words when it comes to sci fi books now i guess.
ALL THESE ASIAN INSPIRED SCI FI BOOKS ARE MAKING ME FEEL ALIVE.
ohmygosh she has 2 boyfriends and those boyfriends are also boyfriends. I'M SO INTERESTED. I NEED THIS.
april 10 2021: DO YOU GUYS SEE THIS COVER? BEAUTIFUL.
12/03/20: I'm reading this. I'm claiming it. Do yourself a favor and anticipate this east asian mecha story with some healty poly rep with me...more
I’m ngl getting ARCs in the middle of my reading slumps stresses me out a little bit but since they’re my anticipated releases, I NEED to make time beI’m ngl getting ARCs in the middle of my reading slumps stresses me out a little bit but since they’re my anticipated releases, I NEED to make time before october ...more
“Everything changed then nothing changed. And I was still, frustratingly enough, nothing more than myself.”
I have such mixed feelings about the ma
“Everything changed then nothing changed. And I was still, frustratingly enough, nothing more than myself.”
I have such mixed feelings about the majority of this book but that ending with Nghi Vo’s writing style… gave me a new perspective on everything that it brought this book up from 2 stars to 3 stars.
The dark, magical, and lyrical writing of The Chosen and the Beautiful sold me so quickly at the start but as the story progressed it was a little disappointing that the story focused more on everything except Jordan, the main character. I feel like the main character’s background, complex personality, and intriguing personal relationships were wasted on a story that didn’t really revolve around her most of the time. She was very much an observer but I have heard that it pays homage to how the original was written. Even then, I feel like even a retelling should be able to stand on it’s own even with readers who have not read it in it's original form. Especially since this is supposedly an Asian Queer retelling, bringing something new and refreshing, I feel like this could have done so much more than it did. Don't even get me started on the fantasy and magic... it barely added anything to the story except made me continue the book in the beginning.
“I hadn’t even reached the bottom of learning what I wanted. And even if he couldn’t give those things to me, maybe I liked that he wanted to try.”
The drama and nuanced socialite society kept me going but the casual cheating at the beginning bothered me a little too much. I get where it’s coming from and I do like how everything tied together in the end but I was just too bothered by how emotional cheating was tackled. It kept me from enjoying the story and it’s sad because I so badly wanted to love this book. It also felt a little weird how majority of the lgbtq+ rep was related to the casual/emotional cheating.
I knew absolutely nothing about The Great Gatsby (i haven’t read or watched it) when I started this but reading the reviews makes me think that I might actually like the original story still. Especially since it intrigues me that the story was from Nick’s perspective, which what the original piece was in, apparently.
“The world was on fire but we could only smell the smoke.”
↣ Medium paced, socialite society, friendship, drama, and about finding yourself. There’s not that much magic, which was a little disappointing but I feel like I would still recommend this to people if you find that it calls out to you. There’s just something about that ending that pulled at my heart more than I thought it would and I wouldn’t want to discourage those that might find this life-changing. ↢
GIVE ME MORE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN LITERATURE. thank you.
This book was such a wholesome story und1/26/21: happy book birthday!! (aka release date)
GIVE ME MORE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN LITERATURE. thank you.
This book was such a wholesome story under complicated circumstances and I was so attached to the main characters T_T
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
“Extraordinary comes in many forms. You never realized that, and that pushed her to find it elsewhere.”
I loved that this wasn’t a romance, which might be a deal breaker for some people but it was so refreshing to read about the platonic relationship between the characters in the midst of the chaos. I feel like we need more of that in literature. As much as I love a good romance, there’s something heart warming about friends just being friends in a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But still made my heart soft.
We Could Be Heroes is an Adult Science Fiction/Contemporary standalone about a vigilante and a bank robber who lost their memories. I am sucker for stories about lost memories. The endearing characters hooked me from the start and I really did find myself smiling while reading.
Neither of our mains are what I would call a ~hero or a ~villain. Maybe antiheroes would be the grey area but at the core of it all, they are flawed people who want to make the most out of the cards they were dealt with. Jamie is definitely that person who just wants to escape into an island while reading books and drinking coffee with his cat (this is canon and honestly, this would be me). On the other hand, Zoe goes about arresting “bad guys” like… said bank robber. They meet in a memory-loss support group and the action-packed story takes off from there.
If there is such thing, this would be the book equivalent to a popcorn movie with diversity and LGBTQ+ rep (not a main focus tho). I do tend to look for antagonists with more depth rather and the tone of the story does take a different turn from what it was in the beginning.
Nonetheless, the ending was extremely satisfying with how everything came full circle and as a huge fan of all the Superhero CW shows, I loved this. Besides, the David Bowie and Alesso song plays in my head every time I see this book. It was so perfectly my type of story.
↣ Would definitely recommend if you are looking for an easy read and you’re not looking for a romance but enjoy good friendships. Especially stories with humor and a nostalgic factor. ↢
*Thank you to the publicist at -Harlequin/MIRA- for sending me an ARC for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
----------------- I truly am weak for friendship themes
two people who have no memories with superpowers but one is a vigilante and one is a villain? dichotomy between "good" and "bad"? I also see "pansexual villain" everything about this is intriguing to me.
this is like if you flipped addie larue and gave them superpowers...more
This was such an emotional story and it’s evident how close each of these stories are to the the authors that wrote them. And it translates to me, as This was such an emotional story and it’s evident how close each of these stories are to the the authors that wrote them. And it translates to me, as a reader, ten-fold.
⇢ trigger warnings// (view spoiler)[suicide (mentioned and discussed), death of a loved one, child death, war, (hide spoiler)]
One of the authors is a Filipino actually based in Manila, if I’m not mistaken, and I cannot express how happy that made me. Criselda Yabes wrote “Fron Sulu, a Farewell to Dad” and I might have teared up because of how close to home it hit me. Even though it wasn’t written in Tagalog there was something about the writing that felt familiar even though I have never read from this author before. It might have also been the mention of places that I grew up visiting that made the story feel close to my heart.
There were too many relatable stories and this is one of the non-fiction books I’ve read that contained a lot of stories that personally stuck. Even then, as what is normal for a short story collection, not all of the stories were for me but the number of stories that I resonated with trumps the ones that I felt like other people could relate to more.
I was surprised at the difference of backgrounsd the authors came from. Some were photographers, playwrights, poets, full-time writers, bloggers, etc. that came from parts of SEA and Euro-America. I think the authors were able to successfully convey their experiences in an enjoyable way for the readers to process. I would love to see more fully local SEA Muslim authors if they ever do another compilation similar to this however.
There were a lot of discussions brought up about the Muslim culture and how their history has shaped our present, especially how these all related. It took me some time to read, decipher, and process everything just because it’s not a culture that I’m particularly familiar with. Nevertheless, I learned a lot and I’m really happy I read this.
I’m glad I read this even though it was outside of my comfort zone, I always like learning more about other South East Asian cultures.
*Thank you to Frankie @ Penguin SEA for sending me a copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.* ...more
it's kinda intriguing but i don't think these kind of YA books are for me right now/anymore. Besides, part of my lack of motivation is probably becausit's kinda intriguing but i don't think these kind of YA books are for me right now/anymore. Besides, part of my lack of motivation is probably because i know negative ownvoices reviews for the second book so even if i like this first book, i feel like the second book wouldn’t do it justice. Especially since Elizabeth Lim doesn’t exactly do well with sequels.
DNF @20% — life is too short to read books that don't wholly intrigue you
————————
"the character starts off at a position of privilege and then they are stripped of that" yes to that character development, hopefully
*Thank you to the publisher -Knopf/Penguin Random House- for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
———————— I got an ARC T_T
———————— I think Elizabeth Lim might be an auto-read and auto-tbr author for me now... and I'm not mad <3
besides... these covers?!?! give me all the asian, we love to see it...more
*Thank you to the publisher -Inkyard Press- for sending me an ARC for their Winter 2021 blog tours. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
✧ you can re*Thank you to the publisher -Inkyard Press- for sending me an ARC for their Winter 2021 blog tours. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
✧ you can read an excerpt of this book on my blog ✧
To be honest, I am not much of a contemporary reader but when I am in the mood, this is the writing style that my brain mechanisms thrive in. It’s an understatement to say that I was touched.
I love that it was told in multiple perspectives with timelines switching before, during, and after the looming arrest that served as the catalyst for the plot. It created layers to the story and did a lot to build the relationships between the characters.
I am completely soft for stories centered around a family/community and this book about sisters, written by sisters, encapsulates all the emotions that I wanted it to bring.
An equally strong plot and character driven story that will get you lost in the writing.
If I were to describe the story telling style, I would say it’s closest to Daisy Jones & The Six wherein you go through the process of piecing together the details of the story as the narration goes on. Clearly, I have a type since I have read Daisy Jones four times now. I just find that kind of writing style to be highly thought provoking as a reader. With the fact that it managed to turn a usually-contemporary-plot into a mystery/thriller… I stan.
Truthfully, my favorite aspect of it boils down to the fact that you see the way everything builds up to the twist in the end. Then when it drops, you’re left wondering why you didn’t see it from the very beginning.
“But as I sit here and contemplate all of these things I know as confidently as my own name, I realize you probably have no idea why I want to pursue this degree in the first place. Well, it’s because I’ll be able to dig into our stories. I can do my part to help pull together the threads of our past to form a better view of our historical tapestry.”
PLEASE. Do you see this writing?? T_T
There were discussions on teen activism and exploration on socio-political themes embedded all throughout the plot of the story… while still being a, well, thrilling thriller that is borderline coming-of-age. And really, I am always enamored by well-written sibling/family dynamics.
There are times when I find characters in YA contemporary novels to be unbelievable because of how they interact with people their age… but this was not that. It’s so cleverly written and executed while still being relatable to young adults of this generation. You’re given the chance to be able to get attached to each of the sisters between everything that is going on (including side characters wink wink).
This was truly a timely book when I read this with what went down in the US. It's truly disheartening to see how differently you can be treated simply based on your skin color and this book explores all of that.
↣ Fast-paced, exciting, and emotional mystery/thriller with characters that feel like you’ve known them forever. ↢
This might turn into one of my most recommended books.
------------------ 12/02/20: I have decided to make this the first book I'm going to read for 2021 to celebrate me getting an ARC for one of my most anticipated releases of the next year.
------------------ UPDATE: I GOT AN ARC!! :D
------------------ 9/25/20: fingers crossed that my favorite people from inkyard press pull through for the arc of this one or i might get broken hearted
[I have talked with the author themself and they completely understood my sentiment about this already but some people still don’t understand so I’m g[I have talked with the author themself and they completely understood my sentiment about this already but some people still don’t understand so I’m going to repeat it: I LIKED and AGREE with the way other people reacted to Rick but being in Rick’s mindset, as he is the main character was extremely triggering to me personally. The title being the title is not enough of a warning, BUT I am happy that the author took this in stride and said that they would place trigger warnings in the upcoming publications and the website.
It is not my intention to force a negative perspective on this book but I was triggered for personal reasons and it’s possible that other people might be too.]
tw: main character starts off with a toxic mindset towards religion and the gay community, homophobia, negative depictions on Christianity
DNF @21%
The reason I am dnf-ing this is because I just felt extremely uncomfortable reading about the trigger warnings above. I did not know those going in and I hope anyone who reads this book in the future would be aware of those.
For an overview of the beginning of the story: Rick is a pastor and basically he's homophobic. So his upper ranks decided to send him to this atonement camp that deals with, well, homophobes.
It's really not a bad premise but I personally was just comfortable being in his head, having to deal with those kind of negative and toxic thoughts. Perhaps Rick's mindset will be treated throughout the rest of the book. Rick has a lot of room for character development so that's still interesting, I just can't continue reading the story from the point of view of a character that looks at my own religion in a way that I don't agree with.
Again, this probably gets solved later on but I am just not in a place to read it.
*Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
ARC received from the author -Dominic J. Anton- in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
— overall thoughts: 3.5 —
Every ARC received from the author -Dominic J. Anton- in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
— overall thoughts: 3.5 —
Every few pages there are images or other drawings that turns this poetry collection into a mixed media format at times, which I really liked. It gave an authentic effect that I am a fan of.
If I was going to pick the most prominent tone that I got from this collection it definitely gives me those travel vibes that you get when you visit different countries. It reminded me of the time that I went to Paris which I think might be the inspiration since there were images of, I would like to say Paris, throughout the book. I’m really not sure of the places featured but it felt like reading through someone’s journey which was interesting!
With that, themes of freedom and trusting yourself was prevalent throughout most of the pieces, among other things.
I was a bit lost on the overall coherence and connection of the poems to each other but maybe that wasn’t the intention.
Even though some of the poems didn’t speak to me personally, I appreciated the raw thoughts that the author placed into writing. I read another review that about how this would sound great as spoken word and I definitely agree. It might have resonated more with me.
Nevertheless, this was a great collection to go through! Especially if you are looking for the kind of collection that take you into the author’s inner workings.
ARC received from -Inkyard Press- in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“I’m just trying to figure out what’s the
ARC received from -Inkyard Press- in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“I’m just trying to figure out what’s the most important thing to make you fall in love.”
— overall thoughts: 3.5 —
this was literally so sweet and overall a wholesome read. there was more that i wished could have happened plot wise but it was nice being in the company of characters in the story even though i had a hard time connecting with them on an emotional level.
the app that they produced was actually the most interesting aspect to me especially since it was lgbtq+ friendly and a well executed part of the plot that i loved. which was important to me since the idea of being able to calculate feelings and emotions was what intrigued the most when i first found out about this book. the way that aspect was explored made it automatically a must read to me. it also just makes me wonder what it would be like if it were more in the sci-fi genre.
i havent read Emma by jane austen and i do plan on reading it so i didn't want to search up what the similarities and differences are between the two as this is a retelling. previous readers said that they wished that this wasn't a retelling because of they automatically kept comparing it so perhaps just take that into account.
the characters are quirky and this is another example of contemporary with a female character that does not get on my nerves, which i highly appreciated.
aside from the romance it had friendship elements that i might have enjoyed a little better than the romantic relationship. i also just no longer have the same tolerance for miscommunication problems in ya romance contemporary as i did before when i found it a lot more relatable. it does follows the typical formula of most contemporary romances where they start off not wanting a relationship then they get together then there’s some sort of misunderstanding between them but they still end up getting together in the end. this was what made the outcome predictable for me.
this review was a little more negative than i intended it to be but it was actually still enjoyable and a more unique compared to most contemporary plots. i would still definitely recommend it if you are looking for a light, sweet, and a refresher kind of read.
----------- This looks like a geeky and fun romance AND IM HERE FOR IT !!
ARC received from -Inkyard Press- in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
— overall thoughts: DNF @47% / page 171 —
It mARC received from -Inkyard Press- in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
— overall thoughts: DNF @47% / page 171 —
It makes me sad to just be saying this but it was cringey for me. From the writing style to how our mc was acting.
There were a number of insensitive jokes made but I think the biggest problem with that was that these jokes weren't addressed or resolved properly. (A character makes a joke -> mc says it's bad -> we move on). Info dumps were done every few pages in the first part of the story which really took me away from the narration.
I really thought I would enjoy the plot of this more than I did as someone who is into musicals/music. I'm not that familiar with Othello but honestly this to me just reads like every other ya contemporary. Perhaps someone who has more knowledge about Othello might be able to connect to the story on a deeper level than I did.
There were so many overused tropes in this book with the best friends who have windows facing each other and a love triangle (I was really looking forward to a love square between guys and our main girl). Our mc is also going through the "I didn't know I was beautiful until a guy made me realize I was" phase. I understand that this could be relatable to some people but I'm just tired of reading that kind of trope.
On a brighter note, there are still a lot of positive aspects to the story in terms of body positivity but in my eyes I felt like it leaned more towards the first world romance problems rather than Liv’s own character development.
Olivia isn't perfect and she messes up (a lot), as do the other characters. However, I didn't really like Liv's motivations personally, she just seemed so hard wired into the problems of her romance life and expects everything to revolve around that? Again, I didn't finish this so perhaps she does develop more but up to the point that I read... I wasn't present in the story anymore.
Especially when I read the Israeli/Palestinian joke that other people were talking about, I didn't want to force myself through the rest of it. Which to be honest could be triggering to people and just contributes to the stigma that we have been trying to get rid of.
At the end of the day, it's a story about finding confidence in yourself. It was also very vocal about sex positivity which was a nice touch. There were parts that were entertaining and I see why people enjoy it... it just wasn't sold to me and the reasons that I read this book for weren't as prevalent as I thought they would be.
------------ I FOUND OUT THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER GETS THE ATTENTION OF FOUR (4) BOYS AND !!!!!
We love love-squares ♡♡♡♡ love-triangles are so overrated... give me pentagons, hexagons, and all the other polygons
[image]
------------ Booktuber books always make me so curious so I got really excited when I saw this in my inbox.
Oh and it's also an #ownvoices novel so there's that :)
“The best decision I ever made was to bloom in the dark.”
*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*
— overall thoughts: 3.5 — This was honestly a pleasant read.
As any self-help book, it’s goal is to make you see things in a different light and I’m glad to say that it helped do that for me. I really like the overall metaphor of the flower blooming in the dark which branched out into the other messages.
I would definitely recommend this self-help book to people (especially writers!!) who are finding themself in a dark place or to people that are looking to try to understand what this means to people who experience it. Reading Michelle Pearce’s story (as well as the featured people) did that for me. She was able to convey her life and experiences in the book really well. Which helped me somewhat see a new perspective when it comes to people who experience these kinds of hardships. While making me look towards myself at the same time.
Even though the introduction was a little too long for my taste but perhaps that’s just my short attention span :3
“I was both fascinated and disturbed by how easy it was for me to miss something right before my eyes simply because my brain didn’t know it was there, didn’t know it was an option. “
Personally, I prefer self-help books that focus on somewhat different topics and as a current pre-med college student (and where I am in life right now) I just don’t think this was the perfect specific help-book for me but there was still a lot of helpful messages that was conveyed to me as I am a reviewer.
There are SOOO many tips and details that it was kind of impossible for me to not get anything out of it HAHA ♡
Each chapter is basically a guide to one of the 12 principles and even has a “blooming tip” and “blooming check-in” at the ends which personally was one of my favourite parts. The format was a little different to what I'm used to but it did make it easier to pull messages.
There are also “night bloomers” featured in every chapter which was really cool. Even “writing prompts” sections which I think would be especially helpful for writers reading. So much thought was put into this and definitely worth my read.
*Thank you to the author and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.* ...more
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