I still stand in the court that Cerulean did not need a sequel and I almost never say that about books but that being said, I did still enjoy this booI still stand in the court that Cerulean did not need a sequel and I almost never say that about books but that being said, I did still enjoy this book. I love the kids and this one has a bit more adult humor in it in more traditional Klune style than Cerulean did.
I liked that this was from Arthur's perspective and it was a good book. I got to be honest I don't have a ton of things to say about it which is odd for me especially when it comes to a TJ Klune book.
I think my main issues with this stem from the narrator because I just don't like him. There are moments that it's okay but he's so over exaggerated during parts of this book that it actually negates my enjoyment of the book. I can appreciate his talent for voices and voice acting but it's not my favorite. I feel like I was also looking for more discussions about systemic change and it briefly touches on it in the epilogue but I was a bit disappointed and the ending of this book....more
I read and loved The Sunbearer Trials back in 2022 and like everyone else, was beyond excited for the sequel.
If you haven't read The Sunbearer TrialI read and loved The Sunbearer Trials back in 2022 and like everyone else, was beyond excited for the sequel.
If you haven't read The Sunbearer Trials, basically it's a Mexican-inspired mashup of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games but make it super duper freaking queer. The first book left us on one hell of a cliff hanger and I know so many others are eager to pick up CM to see where it picks up.
So let me tell you about it. There are some spoilers below for The Sunbearer Trials so stop now if you haven't read that one!!!!!!
It's the end of the world road trip you didn't know you needed. We've got Teo, Aurelio and Niya all out on a quest to find the Sol stone and restore order in their world. They battle and trek their way through the jungles and the deserts and all the unfamiliar territory to get to the Obsidians. Xio is there too and you'll have to read the story to discover their role in the road trip. Of course there's a hefty load of guilt and a hopeful burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio that brings a bit of levity to what, at time, can be a bit of a dramatic read.
I can't express how excited I was to read it and how fully it lived up to all my expectations.
Have you read The Sunbearer Trials or Celestial Monsters yet? Have I convinced you to add it to your tbr?
On a side note, I finished CM the day the newest saga for Epic the musical came out and it's been the perfect soundtrack. I keep thinking of Teo every time I hear God Games and Legendary. I just know he would vibe super hard with these songs ...more
I had the immense honor of beta reading this and can just say that y'all are not ready for the torment and the joy and found family and the magic thatI had the immense honor of beta reading this and can just say that y'all are not ready for the torment and the joy and found family and the magic that is coming your way....more
Elf x Orc queer trans smut wasn't on my 2024 bingo card but I here I am.
But honestly this book is so much more than really exceptionally good smut. IElf x Orc queer trans smut wasn't on my 2024 bingo card but I here I am.
But honestly this book is so much more than really exceptionally good smut. It's about this elf prince who is kidnapped by this orc leader in hopes of ransoming off and bargaining with the king. Except the orc overestimated how much the king would want the elf back and how annoyingly bratty the elf would be. And the elf overestimated how much he would enjoy living with the orcs and having the freedom which sounds counterproductive since he's being held prisoner essentially.
The two of them very slowly begin to trust each other and to see the goodness in each other even though they've been told their entire lives how terrible the others are. The elf is able to embrace himself and his true calling and to find a place where he actually fits in in the orc is able to find someone to provide for and show his community that leading by example is the most important thing there is.
I don't know how to explain how great this book is. If you don't mind explicit scenes in books, I highly recommend this one. The descriptions of everything are really exceptional but I especially love the descriptions of the top surgery scars. Truly beautiful. 10/10 recommend...more
Wow. This series took over my entire week of reading. I spent a minute rereading the first and second books and then dove had first into this one. I lWow. This series took over my entire week of reading. I spent a minute rereading the first and second books and then dove had first into this one. I loved it. I know that there's a little bit of mixed reviews about the ending of this series but I thought it was incredibly well done. I loved all of the different perspectives as always and even though I do wish that there had been more of a focus on all of the highlighted relationships and not just the one, I did still enjoy this one a lot. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it and there were moments where my boss laughed at me because I just stood there for a minute and had to process what I heard as I was listening to them at work.
I am constantly in awe of authors who are able to weave such epic fantasy stories that span multiple books and it's just so complicated and complex to even comprehend creating the story....more
This really is the perfect summer read. It's about these four witches who go on a road trip to create their own destiny essentially. It is full of bodThis really is the perfect summer read. It's about these four witches who go on a road trip to create their own destiny essentially. It is full of body positivity and embracing who you are as an individual. It's magical, literally, and just such a fun read. There's a fat main character and secondary queer and POC rep....more
I kind of want to withhold a review because I genuinely think this is one that I'm going to love on the second read but the first read was very difficI kind of want to withhold a review because I genuinely think this is one that I'm going to love on the second read but the first read was very difficult for me. I'm not sure if that's necessarily the books fault or my own for not being in the right headspace or taking too long to listen etc, but I struggled to finish this. It took me over a week to get through this audiobook which is pretty much unheard of for me. It is a long book but even that is wild. I actually think part of my issue was with the narrator. Well I like Kirt Graves, something about his narration for these two characters didn't work for me.
I also am absolutely begging audiobook producers to include everything that is in the book in the audiobook. This includes introductions, prologues, character lists, maps or access to maps etc. This audiobook is not complete. I legitimately had to go and buy the e-book so I could double check and make sure that I wasn't missing things which it turned out I was, because I was so lost for the first half of this book.
I think another struggle I had with this book was just the sheer amount of characters. Because the audiobook is incomplete, all of these characters kept getting messed up in my head. Because not only do we have characters names to deal with but we have characters magical race to deal with as well. In the ebook, there is a glossary of magical race types with brief descriptions and that is missing from the audiobook. There is also a character guide in the e-book that the audiobook does not have. This makes the audiobook inaccessible.
I don't know how else to explain that your audiobook should have the same content as your ebook. It is ableist to not include all of the same content. People don't just listen to audiobooks because that's their preferred format, so many people listen to audiobooks because ebooks or physical books are inaccessible to them. So to then turn around and make audio books also inaccessible or incomplete is so annoying. And this is not the only book that this happens to. I just happen to be on a ranch right now so it's ending up in this review but for the love of everything, match your audiobooks to your physical content.
Anyway, the actual book content is very good. I think it's a really interesting story and town and concept but I feel like there's a lack of world building and build up that I personally needed to enjoy the story. Having finished it and knowing all of the background, I think that I would enjoy the story a lot more if I reread it.. I definitely understand why this book is on so many people's favorites list and look forward to reading the following books but I did struggle quite a bit with this one....more
I think this might be my favorite Shaun David Hutchinson book. It's a middle grade about a boy who starts feeling invisible and then one day he actualI think this might be my favorite Shaun David Hutchinson book. It's a middle grade about a boy who starts feeling invisible and then one day he actually turns invisible. As he is figuring out his new supposed superpower, he meets another invisible boy but that boy has been lost and is running from a monster creature that is trying to eat them at the school. Our main character learns that maybe there are things scarier than bullies. I really liked the setup for this to be a series and I look forward to reading the next book. I had a couple issues with it but nothing serious honestly. I love a good redemption arc and I love friendship stories....more
and so long!! This is by far the longest book in the series and I was living for it. I am so in love with this little gOH MY GOSH THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!
and so long!! This is by far the longest book in the series and I was living for it. I am so in love with this little group of queer found family and this historical fictional town. I love them so much. This one follows Gerry and I was so excited to see her get her book. I've loved her since the very beginning and her independence and tenacity is something that I couldn't wait to see incorporated into a romance.
Then we have Basil and holy wholesome hunk of a man. He is thoughtful and kind and so concerned with making sure that his half siblings are cared for and have what they need that he thinks that he can't be in a romance at the moment. But he is so enthralled by Gerry even though he has no idea about magic at all and that is Gerry's entire life.
The pining and the meddling and the healing oh my god it's just so perfect. If you have not started this series what are you even doing. They are all available as audiobooks and I highly recommend them. I will say that even though I like both narrators, I did not like the voice that The feminine narrator used for Gerry. I loved her narration voice and I wish she had used that for Gerry as well and not this weird high pitched tone. But it wasn't enough to turn me off this book because I love them all so much.
I am absolutely dying for another Pip book and honestly I didn't think I'd ever say this but I would pretty much kill for a John book too at this point. Kick Veronica to the curb and let's see some growth man. Also in the author's note the idea of having all of Basil's siblings get books brings me so much joy and I'm like screaming with excitement because that's so many more books and I just get to stay in this little fictional historical queer normative town forever and ever and ever and ever. I don't ever want to leave.
Also forgot to mention Gerry is demiromantic and Basil is pansexual and I LOVE m/f queer books. Also Basil's best friend is a queer trans woman. There is an absolutely unending list of queer representation in the series So I'm just adding what this book adds to the table but just know that there's demisexual rep, aromantic, trans, bi, gay, nonbinary, pan, etc. Literally everything. It's amazing....more
I don't know if it's because we already knew the characters but I liked this one a lot more than the first book. Well I still had a lot of struggles wI don't know if it's because we already knew the characters but I liked this one a lot more than the first book. Well I still had a lot of struggles with the narrator for Tristan, I felt like I was better able to manage that this time around. Maybe it's because I knew he was going to be narrating it going into it or just that this story worked a little better for me.
I really liked the element of the fae in this book and the magical system seemed a little bit more developed. I'm hoping we get another book that dives into some of the selkie culture and lore.
If we do get a third book, I can confidently say this book does not suffer from second book syndrome. It is engaging and interesting on its own and has its own set of conflicts to solve and new characters added to the mix....more
I hate that I'm saying this but I think I'm gonna have to add Daniel Henning to the list of narrators I avoid. More often than not, he pretty much ruiI hate that I'm saying this but I think I'm gonna have to add Daniel Henning to the list of narrators I avoid. More often than not, he pretty much ruins the books for me and this was one of those instances. Thankfully, he only narrates one of the three POVs but that meant I was cringing through Tristan's POV and ultimately not really immersing myself in the story.
I liked the three MCs a lot and I love the idea of this book. I'll put some more cohesive thoughts in my review for the second book (because yes I read that one too) and leave this as is. Let's just say, this is one I'd recommend you read vs listen to (which is honestly a shame because the narrators for Leo and Aziza are really great)...more
Tell me why I thought that this was another oceany book because I didn't use my eyeballs and look at the cover hard enough to realize that it's winterTell me why I thought that this was another oceany book because I didn't use my eyeballs and look at the cover hard enough to realize that it's winter ...more
I struggled to bit with this one. I'm wondering if the webcomic has more details or more context because I feel like we're really thrown into this andI struggled to bit with this one. I'm wondering if the webcomic has more details or more context because I feel like we're really thrown into this and there's almost no sense of world building or world description. I also didn't love really either character. I was super annoyed by the one bubbly naive one and also annoyed at the angry one. They both seem to be so dramatic in their personality types that it doesn't really leave any room for a breather. You're so bombarded with this specific individual character trait that you can't get away from it and that is kind of annoying.
I feel like I've been saying this a lot lately with graphic novels but if this is part of a series then it's fine and it can be the first book but if this is supposed to be a standalone then it's lacking....more
I didn't even know we were getting an Elatsoe prequel until I saw this pop up on netgalley and thank goodness I did because I think I might have likedI didn't even know we were getting an Elatsoe prequel until I saw this pop up on netgalley and thank goodness I did because I think I might have liked this even more than Elatsoe, and I LOVED Elatsoe.
So this follows Ellie's grandma Shane as she searches for her mom and a missing boy in the underworld. It does feel a little bit long but in the best way like you get excited every time a new plot development happens because you know you're getting more story if that makes sense. I loved the characters and the representation and the setting. I feel like we get more of an insight into the magic system of both Ellie and Shane's ability to resurrect ghost animals as well as the magic system regarding the mushrooms and fairy rings.
This is technically a prequel but it's listed as number two in a series and I think I can genuinely say it doesn't matter if you read this before or after Elatsoe. You get enough information in this book to understand everything that's going on without having read the first but it also provides really great contacts and information for Elatsoe.
If you can't tell, I loved it and am here for it. Please give me more from Darcie Little Badgers.
Sometimes I forget that not everyone is chronically online and queer spaces because when I first saw this book cover I KNEW was queer, immediately. ThSometimes I forget that not everyone is chronically online and queer spaces because when I first saw this book cover I KNEW was queer, immediately. There was not a single doubt in my brain that this was a queer book yet apparently people did not get that memo because some of these reviews are just not it. It is in fact possible for a book to handle a fantasy world and gender identity. I know I know, it's wild.
Anyway, I really liked this one. It's a sleeping beauty retelling of sorts but with werewolves and a gender crisis. I do think that some of the world building was a little bit underdeveloped but I think that there is definitely room and space for that in the next book. I really liked our main character and the love interest and I'm very intrigued by the series. If it was a standalone, it would not work cuz there's just not enough description of the magic system or the map and the world system, but because it's a series I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and hoping that we get a little bit more development in those areas in the next book.
Queer genderfluid MC, sapphic SC, queer and trans SC....more
Wow. I didn't know what I was getting into when I started this and it does take a little bit to really get into but the last third packs such a punch Wow. I didn't know what I was getting into when I started this and it does take a little bit to really get into but the last third packs such a punch that it just sends this whole book into an amazing category.
Dorian can see ghosts. He works as a ghost therapist to help ghosts find their way to the afterlife. When the key to death's door is taken and ghosts can no longer get to the afterlife, they start coming to Dorian and bombarding him to help them.
This book is a beautiful exploration of grief and healing as well as learning about boundaries and healthy relationships. It really is a fantastic graphic novel. The artwork is stunning and the story is amazing.
It's also casually queer. The main character Dorian is queer and the love interest is fat. Their friendship to relationship is a very minor part of the story but it's also constant throughout....more
If I had a nickel for every book I've read that has a middle grade queer main character who's magical with a resurrected goldfish I'd have two nickelsIf I had a nickel for every book I've read that has a middle grade queer main character who's magical with a resurrected goldfish I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. ...more
So this was objectively adorable. I love the premise and I loved the main character but after sitting with it for a day or two and looking at some othSo this was objectively adorable. I love the premise and I loved the main character but after sitting with it for a day or two and looking at some other reviews, I realized that I want more. The entire idea of Cupids is fascinating to me but it was incredibly underdeveloped for a book called Okay, Cupid. The magical system was barely talked about and even the cupids themselves are such a small part of this book that it doesn't actually make a lot of sense.
I am always very wary of books involving soulmates or Cupid or arranged relationships because I think so much of that can fall into amatonormativity and unfortunately this book does fall a little bit into that category. Despite Jude, the MC, knowing that cupids can match people for romantic or platonic connections, they are completely unable to grasp that concept as it relates to their own experiences with the kids they're working with. They're also super blind to other queer relationships and that's totally cool, teenagers are selfish and have a one-track mind sometimes and that is all good. I love messy characters but I do think it could have been done a little bit better....more
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