Pitched as All the Lights We Cannot See meets In Memoriam, The Lilac People was a huge surprise for me. This story, told in aActual rating 4.5 stars.
Pitched as All the Lights We Cannot See meets In Memoriam, The Lilac People was a huge surprise for me. This story, told in a dual timeline, is about Bertie, a transexual man during the thirties and forties in Nazi Germany.
When people hurt bad enough, they’ll grab any idea to make their own lives better, no matter how illogical.
What surprised me the most was what I didn’t know yet about that time. Have you ever heard of The Institute of Sexual Science, where transexual people got surgery and a new passport in the twenties and thirties of the last century? I didn’t and found this part fascinating. Bertie works at the Institute and is confident in his life as a man. Okay, he sometimes needs to pretend (back then, they didn’t have hormones yet), but overall, he’s happy. Until Hitler comes to power and he has to flee.
”If it helps, I believe everyone is acting in one way or another in this world. We’re all afraid to be ourselves. And the saddest part is that fear is unnecessarily genuine.”
The Lilac People shows us the time before and after WWII. Before: a happy time full of parties and friends, eventually turning into something sinister. And afterward: tucked away on a farm where, after the war, the Americans suddenly pose a threat because they arrest queer people. Bertie, his girlfriend Sofie, his best friend Gert (oh Gert), and Karl, who fled Dachau as a trans man, came to life in this beautiful and informative story.
”Anger is not bad. Anger is how we tell ourselves that we’ve been wronged, that we’ve been mistreated, and that it’s not okay. Anger is a beautiful emotion. We just need to express it properly.”
Does the pitch of ATLWCS meets In Memoriam fit this book? Well, it’s written in a dual timeline and gives us an insight into German life during those years, like ATLWCS, and has poetical writing and queer characters surviving a war, like In Memorial. But that’s where the similarities end. I believe The Lilac People is a unique story on its own that provides insight into a mostly unknown part of history. I also highly recommend the author’s note in the back (also about the Institute because its owner, Hirschfeld, had a messy and tangled relationship with racism, misogyny, and eugenics).
”History isn’t artifacts or pictures or things. History is the people who made them. The history is us. And we’ll keep passing it on.”
Thank you, Counterpoint and Edelweiss, for this wonderful ARC!
The Hymn of Dionysus is wild like the cover, strangling you in the ivy that grows through the pages and grips you by the throActual rating 4.5 stars.
The Hymn of Dionysus is wild like the cover, strangling you in the ivy that grows through the pages and grips you by the throat. At the same time, the story burns your patience down until the smoke of the fire suffocates you, and you feel like you’re getting mad, just like Phaidros, the main character.
Even if there is some terrible place three thousand years from now where nobody remembers any gods at all, there will still be the sea and love . . .and madness.
While reading, I had no clue what I was going to write in this review. I’m not a huge connoisseur of Greek myths and gods, and once again (I always do while reading Natasha Pulley’s books), I read slowly, full of fear I’d miss something relevant, confused because I didn’t understand what was going on, and in awe of the vivid world Natasha Pulley built.
I wasn’t wearing a helmet, but that didn’t matter. The one on the inside was there, and now, I pulled the visor down.
Even though I did understand the underlying themes from the beginning, it took me almost two-thirds of the book to understand the story itself. I just let the words carry me on their journey through an ancient world, and I waited and waited. Until something finally clicked, and I was internally shouting: You fool! You know this is Natasha Pulley's writing! I couldn’t let go of Phaidros by then, so of course, I read the rest of the story in one sitting.
We aren’t seeing different things, but we are thinking of them differently.
This story is about duty, about honor, about doing what you’ve been told. About suffering so much that it turns people numb and cruel. But what if there’s another world, too? One where you feel like you can breathe again and just let go? With only a bit of suffering and bursts of joy, and maybe a little madness. Natasha Pulley madness, that is …
Thank you so much, Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley, for this amazing ARC. Now, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Natasha Pulley's sequel to Valery K, which she apparently wrote, will be the next book she releases. I already said it before: We need that book!
In the last couple of years, dark academia has become one of my favorite genres. I have a soft spot for those morally grey characters who I’d condemn In the last couple of years, dark academia has become one of my favorite genres. I have a soft spot for those morally grey characters who I’d condemn in contemporary or romance.
We Are Villains has the same blunt writing as Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender’s most popular book) but with darker vibes. From the blurb, Milo and Liam seem to be the main characters, while, in fact, Ari sets the pace of this story. I love books with multiple POVs, but if there are more than two, I always get a little wary. In this book, Kacen Callender used at least eight, but I didn’t mind and found it very interesting to be in all those other minds for a short time. Their chapters were just little snippets that gave an extra layer of depth to what happened to Ari and the atmosphere of Yates, the boarding school.
Just like so many other dark academia stories, this book is f*cked up. Yates is central where tyranny and patriarchy rule, everyone is pretending to be something or someone else than they really are, and the reader starts sympathizing with the ones, who are bad news. My favorite was Liam, even though I hated him too for what he did. But love and hate are never far from each other, right?
It’s always easier to look at someone else—to see how they’ve made mistakes. Always easier to see how someone else is the villain. It’s harder to admit when we’re the villains, too.
Don’t expect a romance because there isn’t any. Also, don’t expect lots of angst. Instead, We Are Villains focuses on all those messed-up teens, their f*cked-up relationships, and what they’re trying to hide. I flew through the pages because of Kacen’s vivid writing, even with so many POVs.
Stars in Your Eyes is one of my favorite adult romances, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Infinity Alchemist. I was a little afraid to see another genre, but I shouldn’t have feared because I really liked this one and will definitely read other dark academia stories by Kacen Callender.
Thank you, Abrams Books and Edelweiss, for this ARC!
Pitched for fans of Raven Boys and Cemetery Boys, but in my opinion closest to F.T. Lukens’ Spell Bound and their The Rules series.
I love the rival tPitched for fans of Raven Boys and Cemetery Boys, but in my opinion closest to F.T. Lukens’ Spell Bound and their The Rules series.
I love the rival to lovers trope, but I like the grumpy-sunshine trope even more, and I loved that one the most in The Hollow and the Haunted. Miles is the empath, always helpful and thinking about others. Gabriel is the brooding one, distant and cold. But when a friendship grows, Gabriel opens up, and Miles finds out, that a sweet boy is hiding underneath all those layers of coldness. Be aware this is a slow, slow, slow-burn and that the romance isn’t the main theme. This story is about two rivaling families, and Miles and Gabriel find themselves in the middle of the feud.
Camilla Raines writing is incredibly vivid and made this story such a pleasure to read. Miles and Gabriel, including the side characters, splashed of the pages, and I smiled so many times. At Miles’ and Gabriel’s banter, but also at Miles’ car because Camilla managed to make Blanche almost human.
To be honest, while reading that ending, I was like ‘WHAT?’, but now I can’t wait to read the sequel! I’d love to be back with Miles and Gabriel again.
Lucky Bounce is okay. Nice. Fine. I’ll admit, I really, really liked the first pages. I smiled, and I chuckledIf only this book had a dual narrative …
Lucky Bounce is okay. Nice. Fine. I’ll admit, I really, really liked the first pages. I smiled, and I chuckled, and sometimes I had second-hand embarrassment because of Zeke’s crush. But after a few chapters, my enthusiasm faded away. I think this story could have been so much more! Such a shame.
I terribly missed Spencer’s narrative. And now that I’m spouting criticism, I also missed character depth. There was wit, and my lips turned up in a smile, but Zeke and Spencer were also very one-dimensional. I kind of hated their dialogues because there was hardly any, especially in the beginning. It would have been okay, but I didn’t feel any yearning or longing, or at least some buildup to something more. Yeah, Zeke felt sexual attraction, but that’s it. I think the book is much too short. Add at least 100 pages, dive into the characters, upgrade the dialogues, tell Addie’s background story in more than three sentences, and lose the bro/dude/bud thing, and this romance could suddenly be really good. But right now it isn’t, at least not in my opinion, and therefore, Lucky Bounce became an in-between. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself, but this book is rather unforgettable. And that’s a pity.
If you love an easy read and at times funny story to dream away for a while, readable in one sitting, this one might be for you. Oh, and there’s no third act breakup and that’s great!
Thank you, Harlequin-Romance and NetGalley, for the ARC.
Lucky Bounce is okay. Nice. Fine. I’ll admit, I really, really liked the first pages. I smiled, and I chuckled, and sometimes I had second-hand embarrassment because of Zeke’s crush. But after a few chapters, my enthusiasm faded away. I think this story could have been so much more! Such a shame.
I terribly missed Spencer’s narrative. And now that I’m spouting criticism, I also missed character depth. There was wit, and my lips turned up in a smile, but Zeke and Spencer were also very one-dimensional. I kind of hated their dialogues because there was hardly any, especially in the beginning. It would have been okay, but I didn’t feel any yearning or longing, or at least some buildup to something more. Yeah, Zeke felt sexual attraction, but that’s it. I think the book is much too short. Add at least 100 pages, dive into the characters, upgrade the dialogues, tell Addie’s background story in more than three sentences, and lose the bro/dude/bud thing, and this romance could suddenly be really good. But right now it isn’t, at least not in my opinion, and therefore, Lucky Bounce became an in-between. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself, but this book is rather unforgettable. And that’s a pity.
If you love an easy read and at times funny story to dream away for a while, readable in one sitting, this one might be for you. Oh, and there’s no third act breakup and that’s great!
Thank you, Harlequin-Romance and NetGalley, for the ARC.
It is, I think, the best pink sky moment I’ve had yet.
Don’t you love those pink sky moments? Those moments at night when the sky turns into these softIt is, I think, the best pink sky moment I’ve had yet.
Don’t you love those pink sky moments? Those moments at night when the sky turns into these soft colors, and everything looks suddenly so beautiful. I was so happy that Alis was enjoying these moments because this story is sometimes hard to read. Like really hard and, therefore really triggering. But it’s also genuinely good. So, if you’re interested in reading this one and get triggered easily or have specific triggers, please, please check out the trigger warnings first!
So, Earth to Alis. Lex Carlow reached out to me and asked if I wanted to read her debut, but I immediately wanted to decline because it would be released in about a week, and I had enough other ARCs on my shelf. But then I checked the blurb, and suddenly, I said yes, and I’m SO happy that I did!
Alis is a teen who’s fighting his own demons and real ones. He’s such a lonely boy (by choice), and I loved to see him opening up to other people and letting them in while traveling through Europe. Noor, Drew, Dakota, and of course Craig, were the best friends Alis could have. They were so caring, and the found family trope is such a sweet thing in this book!
But be prepared because even though this is upper YA, it’s harrowing at times. Think of the detailed scenes in Young Mungo (adult and different themes!). As an adult (for ages) sometimes even I had to look away from the pages because it became too much for me, and I can handle almost everything. At one particular time, I wanted to scream at Alis don’t, don’t, don’t, but he did it anyway. And I felt numb, tears burning behind my eyes. But even though the story is heavy, messy, and full of drama (bullying, neglecting parents, a fallout with a best friend), it also made me smile so many times. I adored cute cinnamon roll Craig and was so happy to see a more bulky love interest!
Another huge plus was that I finally read a book by a North American author, and I wasn’t frowning because of the stereotypical descriptions of Europe. I especially loved to be in Interlaken again ...more
I want Isaac’s therapist! I highlighted so many of her observations! Isaac’s Song is a beautifully written story, that almost Actual rating 4.5 stars.
I want Isaac’s therapist! I highlighted so many of her observations! Isaac’s Song is a beautifully written story, that almost reads like a biography.
The first pages took my breath away. The story starts when Isaac’s father dies and Isaac cries to his surprise. Weeks later, he visits a therapist because he loses weight and hardly sleeps. Isaac’s meetings with his therapist are the bones of this book and with her he goes back to his childhood and how he perceived his parents, his Blackness, and his sexuality.
”Apologies don’t heal the wounded. They’re for the perpetrator.”
This story digs deep. It’s about love and what we feel and what we think happened. Isaac’s relationship with his dad was always difficult. But while he rethinks what happened, he finds out he might have judged his father too harshly. And might put his mother on a pedestal she didn’t always deserve.
”Some of the truths you discover, Isaac, are going to conflict with what you feel in your heart. Still, don’t back away from them. This is what you’re looking for. It comes to make us reconsider what we think we know.”
I flew through the pages and through Isaac’s life. His childhood, his time at university, when he started working and still didn’t feel comfortable as a Black gay man.
”You become an agent of your own existence the minute you stop blaming others for what they did to you. Those who hurt us cannot heal us. That’s our job.”
When I read his father’s letter, tears leaped into my eyes. The love that shone through those sentences. The fact that his father tried, even though he called his son a sissy and girly. I really need to read Daniel Black’s Don’t Cry for Me. I think it will make me bawl my eyes out.
Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for this beautiful ARC!
I love books by K.J. Charles, especially the combination of wit and pining, both ingredients in The Duke at Hazard. And still …
I liked Cassian’s and DI love books by K.J. Charles, especially the combination of wit and pining, both ingredients in The Duke at Hazard. And still …
I liked Cassian’s and Dhazell’s story; I just didn’t love it. Situations that should have made me smile didn’t do anything more than sometimes pull up my lips a little; I lost my concentration while reading the ‘There’s just one bed’ scene, and even though the pacing was fast, I was reading so slowly.
I do not even have the inspiration to write a full review. For me, this story was just okay. Nothing more, nothing less. Please check out other reviews if you want to read this one!
Thank you, Orion Publishing Group, for this ARC. I’m sorry for not liking it more.
What a weird little story, and what a beautiful one. This book is about three lonely people who find each other and form a bond and a faShe’s special.
What a weird little story, and what a beautiful one. This book is about three lonely people who find each other and form a bond and a family in the end. It’s difficult to pinpoint a genre. It’s sci-fi but feels more like a mystery, but not a thrilling one. Nothing really happens, and at the same time, a lot happens. Nate is constantly wondering what on earth is occurring, and as a reader, you’re wondering, too.
”It’s why I chose the both of you. You made me a home out of nothing.”
It took me some time to get to know Art, Alex, and Nate, but the more they revealed, the more I got invested in their story. This is not a standard T.J. Klune book; it’s a less humorous one, but I loved the take on grief. And I loved Art, that ten-year-old who read romances and asked so many questions. Alex and Nate were so protective of her.
I didn’t get it. Not before, Art had told him. I don’t think any of us did. Not until they felt a heart beating in a chest like I have. Not until I felt the bones beneath my skin. We’re not alike. Not really. We’re separated by time and space. And yet, somehow, we’re all made of dust and stars.
I love T.J. Klune’s writing and the epilogue, and look at that new cover! It fits the other books so beautifully!
Thank you, Erin from McMillan International, for this wonderful ARC!
The roaring engines and the tension from Summer Sons meet the mirrors from Beholder in this eerie and thrilling young adult dark academia story.
Where The roaring engines and the tension from Summer Sons meet the mirrors from Beholder in this eerie and thrilling young adult dark academia story.
Where Graves is stone and lightning, Henry is softer, slipperier, a boy I’m never quite sure if he’s there to save me or because he likes watching me struggle.
Okay, first of all, this is not a romance, not even close. There’s so much attraction and repulsion without knowing if there’s a sexual charge underneath that it made me gasp for air and want to read on and on and on. Eyes lock, fingers brush, bodies touch until the tension is almost unbearable, but there’s never a sweet kiss, a shiver out of anticipation, a smile of recognition. This story is twisted and obsessive and sooo addictive.
The movement brushes my hair against his cheek and lets his breath tickle my ear.
Jenni Howell’s writing is phenomenal, lush, and feverish, as if it were screaming in capital letters. Sometimes, I was wondering what the eff I was reading and where it would lead to, IF it would lead to something. But at the same time, I didn’t care because I highlighted so many passages and felt the constant thrill tugging at my heart.
Graves’s mouth moves, but I can’t hear him, all I can hear is the engine’s roar and the violins’ whine and then there’s Henry, his hand moving to mine.
Jenni said either you’re team Henry or team Graves, and I think she’s right. I had a soft spot for the violin-playing, wicked smart boy seeming to be made of stone, but he felt so much softer on the inside to me, constantly hiding his true self.
I can feel his eyes on me, reminding me of every time he’s had me inside out, splayed across the table in front of him. He says nothing.
This book grips you at your throat and tries to suffocate you, so you probably end up loving or hating it. But that’s exactly what this story is about. Hate is not that far from love, after all. I’m a lover and can’t wait for what Jenni Howell has in store for us next!
Thank you so much, Tatiana from Fiercereads, for letting me read this story. It’s fantastic and I will gush about it as much as I can!
Spanning almost fifty decades, Freedom is a Feast is a multigenerational, political story set in Venezuela. It’s full of idealActual rating 4.5 stars.
Spanning almost fifty decades, Freedom is a Feast is a multigenerational, political story set in Venezuela. It’s full of idealism but also of hurt and trying to survive. It raises questions about how far we’ll go to get a (supposedly) better world.
While reading the prologue, my chest already tightened. Maria and her son Eloy, followers of Hugo Chavez, the president in 2002, live in a poor neighborhood in Caracas. When shooters enter their neighborhood while anti-government protests are underway in the city center, Eloy gets shot.
Then, the story flashes back to 1964 and follows Stanislavo and his ideals. Joining the leftish guerilla, he has to make personal choices that have far-reaching consequences.
Even though Maria and Stanislavo don’t know each other, their lives are inextricably linked.
This book is set in the past, but the themes are so current. I visited Venezuela a long time ago and loved the nature and the people. But I also saw the differences between the gated communities with those immense mansions and the slums where people were trying to survive to have the basics: a house, food on the table, education.
In recent years, we’ve seen a shift to the extreme right in many countries, trying to restrict so many things like abortion or LHBTQ+ rights. But communist countries like China and Cuba aren’t doing any better.
Freedom is a Feast makes you think about how much freedom is worth to you and how much you are willing to give up for a (supposedly) better world.
But this story is also about love. About falling in love, love between a mother and daughter, love between a mother and son. The son I had a soft spot for. Oh Eloy, you made me cry …
The story and the writing impressed me and I hope many people will get to read it!
Thank you, Little Brown and Company and NetGalley, for this ARC!
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