egkaetzel's reviews
187 reviews

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Going in it’s very helpful to know this is a YA fantasy romance, which makes letting yourself just have fun with it a lot easier. As far as Arthurian vibes, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for me, but as far as misdirection in love for LGBTQ+ teens it is a romp. It’s rare that you get a book that both a) has a 1st person perspective/experience of both a MLM (men-loving-men character) AND a WLW (woman-loving-woman) and b) is really just fun. There is definitely the tension of being queer and not being accepted by society, but I would say given this is supposed to take place in the modern equivalent of medieval  England the risk of being found out feels more like a “secrecy drives romance” plot. I’m not a big fan of using misunderstandings that could be fixed by talking to each other as a plot driver, but in a YA i think it works because that actually is what being a teenager is like. Overall I think it’s a really fun read and both lovers of YA and campy romance will enjoy. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

5.0

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Silvia Moreno-Garcia can write characters like so few can. This book was such a different style from her more magical realism focused books, the telekinesis doesn’t really change the story much, but instead is a  story in the vein of pride and prejudice and the bright young things. Even the villain is deliciously fun to hate, and the book will hold your heart hostage up until the very end.

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Holy crap, I have never read anything else like this before. It’s a short book but you have to read every word - the world they are creating is intricate and new. It’s an amazing read that I know will be enjoyed when I read it again and again. It is definitely a very slow read though, much better fit for lit fic lovers than typical sci-fi. 

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

4.75

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I read this book as an ARC from St Martins Press for an honest review. 

Rebecca Ross does it again- she has truly become one of my new favorite authors. I love the way she approaches enemies to lovers, which is gently, more grounded in growing understanding than true animosity. I’m glad that this will be a series because Ross has set a stage of personal stakes as well as divine stakes, human love against a Gods war, and the world deserves more time to unfold. Ross is an incredible writer. This is a great read for fans of found family, storytelling, letter writing, playing out like Ross’s other novel A River Enchanted, in a place that feels long ago but also out of time.