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artemine's reviews
82 reviews
Model Home by Rivers Solomon
oof. what a read.
immediately one of those books that i will keep so, so close to my heart. there is always something so profoundly comforting/raw about being seen so clearly in places so dark, and in return seeing back. i'm sure this will be a very polarizing story, that many will not get (lucky!) and others will be horrified by. for me a lot of it felt like a revelation, like realizing there are words for these things and a way to tell them and the bravery to put them all together.
i don't have a lot of things to say about the book itself separated from my personal feelings on abuse, family, mental illness and queerness, as i think that is the book and carries it all lol but i will say it's a phenomenal addition to the haunted house trope, has so much more range (it also talks of religion, race, class, etc) than meets the eye and it is my favorite out of all the rivers solomon!
thank you netgalley and fsg for the e-arc, and endless thank you rivers solomon for the book itself!!
immediately one of those books that i will keep so, so close to my heart. there is always something so profoundly comforting/raw about being seen so clearly in places so dark, and in return seeing back. i'm sure this will be a very polarizing story, that many will not get (lucky!) and others will be horrified by. for me a lot of it felt like a revelation, like realizing there are words for these things and a way to tell them and the bravery to put them all together.
i don't have a lot of things to say about the book itself separated from my personal feelings on abuse, family, mental illness and queerness, as i think that is the book and carries it all lol but i will say it's a phenomenal addition to the haunted house trope, has so much more range (it also talks of religion, race, class, etc) than meets the eye and it is my favorite out of all the rivers solomon!
thank you netgalley and fsg for the e-arc, and endless thank you rivers solomon for the book itself!!
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
WHAT A DELIGHTTTTTTTT
this was wonderful, i think this is the first time i've enjoyed first person pov (my enemy) this much. it truly has opened my mind to what is possible with a really good protagonist and very solid writing. the character work and worldbuilding in this was great, i love books that take their time and allow both the reader and the story to breathe when it needs to, and pick up when it has to. i'm very very excited to read the next two books, FINALLY someone understand the "slow" part of slow burn...... thank you for my life maiga doocy.
great set up, the dynamic between the two protagonists felt both realistic and delightful, and i always appreciate an author who knows how to balance humor and anguish. parts of this really moved me, and while i can see the cozy appeal, i'm excited to see the scope of the story grow and stakes to rise and change and for the burn part of slow burn to arrive. also i think this hit the mark on satisfying ending/prickling the reader's curiosity for what's to come, which slays.
a really strong debut, i warmly and widely recommend it!! i love gay people
thank you netgalley and little, brown book group for the e-arc!!
this was wonderful, i think this is the first time i've enjoyed first person pov (my enemy) this much. it truly has opened my mind to what is possible with a really good protagonist and very solid writing. the character work and worldbuilding in this was great, i love books that take their time and allow both the reader and the story to breathe when it needs to, and pick up when it has to. i'm very very excited to read the next two books, FINALLY someone understand the "slow" part of slow burn...... thank you for my life maiga doocy.
great set up, the dynamic between the two protagonists felt both realistic and delightful, and i always appreciate an author who knows how to balance humor and anguish. parts of this really moved me, and while i can see the cozy appeal, i'm excited to see the scope of the story grow and stakes to rise and change and for the burn part of slow burn to arrive. also i think this hit the mark on satisfying ending/prickling the reader's curiosity for what's to come, which slays.
a really strong debut, i warmly and widely recommend it!! i love gay people
thank you netgalley and little, brown book group for the e-arc!!
Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
thank you to netgalley and angry robots for the ARC!
truly delightful. at times very funny, at times quite moving, and always very sweet, i'm surprised by how much i was taken by these characters. it's definitely a book for those with roots in fanfiction (/positive), the worldbuilding and general plot will likely be lacking for anyone who doesn't value character over everything when reading. luckily for me characters are all i care about, and the protagonist of shoestring theory truly captured my heart. really loved the descriptions of rooms/outfits and hints at a greater world behind the characters', and especially appreciated the resolution of the story. i had no trouble with the magic system being freestyled a bit because i found the concept really lovely. honestly it was such a great time it truly truly warmed my heart
my only gripe is that there is WAY too much italics being used and it disrupts the reading at times (seriously the italics need to be cut down by at least half I BEG YOU EVEN IF I SEE THE FANFICTION VISION AND LOVE IT MYSELF. IT'S TOO MUCH). i also think the stakes/themes are too high/serious at times for this to be marketed at cozy fantasy but i'm not a cozy fantasy fan so what do i know.
highly rec for anyone wanting a short, sweet, gay time and a colorful story to get sucked into!
truly delightful. at times very funny, at times quite moving, and always very sweet, i'm surprised by how much i was taken by these characters. it's definitely a book for those with roots in fanfiction (/positive), the worldbuilding and general plot will likely be lacking for anyone who doesn't value character over everything when reading. luckily for me characters are all i care about, and the protagonist of shoestring theory truly captured my heart. really loved the descriptions of rooms/outfits and hints at a greater world behind the characters', and especially appreciated the resolution of the story. i had no trouble with the magic system being freestyled a bit because i found the concept really lovely. honestly it was such a great time it truly truly warmed my heart
my only gripe is that there is WAY too much italics being used and it disrupts the reading at times (seriously the italics need to be cut down by at least half I BEG YOU EVEN IF I SEE THE FANFICTION VISION AND LOVE IT MYSELF. IT'S TOO MUCH). i also think the stakes/themes are too high/serious at times for this to be marketed at cozy fantasy but i'm not a cozy fantasy fan so what do i know.
highly rec for anyone wanting a short, sweet, gay time and a colorful story to get sucked into!
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
audiobook production of ALL TIMES. incredible vision/execution/commitment to itself, a very moving and beautiful beautiful exploration of characters and themes. can see this become a classic, flaws and all! not so much flaws in fact as personal preferences in terms of storytelling/concept and tone, but i do think despite the aspects i loved less it really is too unique and special for me to nitpick. i think after such a raw and incredible ending i just don't want to dissect it but instead remember it whole.. and what a stunning love story also and narratives of friendship and family..... they will stay with me for a while
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
i'm gonna need every SFF author ever to think about class conflict more. also trigger tagging the only trans character's genitals under the guise of "warning your trans readers" is actually not the slay you think it is
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
isekai but in a dnd-like fantasy, fun concept that i'm surprised i enjoyed as much. some of the humour is hit and miss but didn't make me cringe for the most part. also surprisingly queer. was actually deeply invested, a v unique fun read!!
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
surprised by how much i loved this! very impressed by the depth of storytelling on display, a truly moving and beautiful piece of work. took some time to get into but was then profoundly compelled by it, highly recommend it! in the end note she says there are no good answers to be found in this book, but she hopes there are good questions and it's so real... what a well constructed story, honestly completely took me by surprise as i'm not usually a fan of myth retellings but i got quite teary eyed toward the end............... i love nuance and interrogations and the morals of warfare honestly a very special book well done vaishnavi patel you ate that
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
very low quality audiobook, unfortunately. poor narrator aside, this held a lot of promise but ultimately failed. some parts were interesting/good, and i could see the overall ambitions of the story even through its failures but it's unfortunately not enough. i would've forgiven the debut-related flaws (very on the nose at times) if the ending hadn't been completely absurd. it's difficult to balance out horror + realism but trying usually makes it worse, this should've gone completely trippy unreliable narrator instead of attempting to rationalize/girl boss its way to the end
Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States by
great short compilation of essays. strong starting point for anyone who wants to start reading about police abolition + restorative justice
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
fought with itself a lot which is unfortunate. should've been gothic, ended up being paranormal adjacent but i blame its contemporary setting which is not for me. some good ideas tho!