magicalghoul's reviews
51 reviews
Dark Rainbow: Queer Erotic Horror by Andrew Robertson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
When it comes to anthologies you sort of expect a mixed bag with some great stories amid forgettable ones, but in this collection I found more of the latter than the former, which wasn't enough for me to be motivated enough to finish the rest.
That being said I'll list the ones I did like and would recommend:
♢ Pip and Estella by Valerie Alexander
♢ Think Of Me by Lindsay King-Miller
That being said I'll list the ones I did like and would recommend:
♢ Pip and Estella by Valerie Alexander
♢ Think Of Me by Lindsay King-Miller
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-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
4.75
Decided to read this book because of the hype and now that I finished, it absolutely deserves the praise it's been getting.
The character of Evelyn Hugo is so realistic that at times I thought myself being told an actual biography and wanting to look up the movies and events mentioned by her. The people in her life feel as real as her, with flaws and virtues that the narrative (or Evelyn) doesn't shy about. And I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read about a bisexual woman in love with a lesbian woman where both are portrayed as fully realistic people in a passionate, flawed, but ultimately full-of-love relationship.
The framing device of the interview worked out in the end, and the foreshadowing was done well enough that when the reveal happened, it didn't feel like a plot twist and allowed to see the characters reacting and acting in accordance to it.
Now, the audiobook: They used different voices for Evelyn, Monique and the news/tabloids excerpts. Their voice work is amazing, and it completely immerses you even more into Evelyn's life and Monique's inner thoughts. I'm glad I went straight to the audiobook because it sure enhanced the experience and I can't recommend it enough.
Can't wait to see the screen adaptation.
The character of Evelyn Hugo is so realistic that at times I thought myself being told an actual biography and wanting to look up the movies and events mentioned by her. The people in her life feel as real as her, with flaws and virtues that the narrative (or Evelyn) doesn't shy about. And I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read about a bisexual woman in love with a lesbian woman where both are portrayed as fully realistic people in a passionate, flawed, but ultimately full-of-love relationship.
The framing device of the interview worked out in the end, and the foreshadowing was done well enough that when the reveal happened, it didn't feel like a plot twist and allowed to see the characters reacting and acting in accordance to it.
Now, the audiobook: They used different voices for Evelyn, Monique and the news/tabloids excerpts. Their voice work is amazing, and it completely immerses you even more into Evelyn's life and Monique's inner thoughts. I'm glad I went straight to the audiobook because it sure enhanced the experience and I can't recommend it enough.
Can't wait to see the screen adaptation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Violence, Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide and Alcoholism
How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Was up to a good start but then it got meandering at times (there's some passages that could've been cut, I think) and while I looooved that Grace was by no means a likeable character, all her rambling started to get annoying after a while. So much so that I found myself struggling to finish, and probably would've skipped chapters if it wasn't for the fact that I was listening to the audiobook.
The endgame... completely blindised me, and not in a good way. It felt like it just came out of nowhere. I don't completely dislike where it left Grace and I even think there's a possibility for an open ending that favors her more, but it didn't feel fully integrated into the narrative.
It's a good concept though and the bits I enjoyed I enjoyed a lot, but I don't think it's a book I'll revisit.
The endgame... completely blindised me, and not in a good way. It felt like it just came out of nowhere. I don't completely dislike where it left Grace and I even think there's a possibility for an open ending that favors her more, but it didn't feel fully integrated into the narrative.
It's a good concept though and the bits I enjoyed I enjoyed a lot, but I don't think it's a book I'll revisit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, and Murder
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
But sadly there were some issues that kept me from fully enjoying Iron Widow.
The worldbuilding feels... flat at times. To the point that when the climax happens, I didn't get a sense of urgency about what was in stake. And the reveal/plot twist at the end... While kinda predictable, it wasn't foreshadowed enough to be justified. The prose doesn't help much in this matter either, but as I understand this is the first book of the author and the first of a series overall so maybe these details will be more polished later on.
But the biggest issue to me is that for a book where the MC's motivation is avenging and protecting women there isn't much bonding between women or much pondering from the protagonist about sorority or the small ways in which women connect and help each other while brutally oppressed. Zetian is fighting for women, but we don't see much of her advocacy on a one-on-one level.
We understand it's a heavily male dominated society where women have a lot of internalized misogyny but surely Zetian can't be the only feminist in the entire universe, and surely she didn't go her entire life without bonding with other women outside the ones in her family and thus giving her more reason to want to avenge the concubines and consorts.
Concubines and consorts that, to make matters worse, remain as an anonymous, gullible mass— Except for the ones on Zetian's power level, and even then they remain mostly antagonistic towards her.
The male pilots and the pilot system overall doesn't care for the girls they sacrifice so it makes sense that they don't care for their names or faces, but the book (written from Zetian's perspective) not providing anything beyond the usual "There's a mecha battle going on and more girls are dying and that makes me mad" line for them and not caring to show some individual stories for these girls feels even more dehumanizing, even condescending.
All these pitfalls make Zetian's rebellion feel like a one-woman fight instead of a communal one. At first I put it down as a flaw of Zetian's character but as the book went on I started to believe it's more up to poor development. Just, overall her feminism felt very.... entry level.
I REALLY hope I'm wrong for future books though, because it really threw me off a book I'd otherwise liked a lot.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
(Warning for spoilers)
First I'll start with what I liked:
First I'll start with what I liked:
- A disabled MC and another MC going through addiction and withdrawal.
- The fact that it didn't pull its punches when it came about portraying the levels of misogyny women were subjected to— but at the same time this retelling not feeling like mere trauma porn.
- A female character that's unapologetically angry, who isn't a good person and whose anger isn't invalidated.
- Male love interests that I liked Immediately, surprising myself.
- Canon poly relationship.
- Villain arcs ♥
But sadly there were some issues that kept me from fully enjoying Iron Widow.
The worldbuilding feels... flat at times. To the point that when the climax happens, I didn't get a sense of urgency about what was in stake. And the reveal/plot twist at the end... While kinda predictable, it wasn't foreshadowed enough to be justified. The prose doesn't help much in this matter either, but as I understand this is the first book of the author and the first of a series overall so maybe these details will be more polished later on.
But the biggest issue to me is that for a book where the MC's motivation is avenging and protecting women there isn't much bonding between women or much pondering from the protagonist about sorority or the small ways in which women connect and help each other while brutally oppressed. Zetian is fighting for women, but we don't see much of her advocacy on a one-on-one level.
We understand it's a heavily male dominated society where women have a lot of internalized misogyny but surely Zetian can't be the only feminist in the entire universe, and surely she didn't go her entire life without bonding with other women outside the ones in her family and thus giving her more reason to want to avenge the concubines and consorts.
Concubines and consorts that, to make matters worse, remain as an anonymous, gullible mass— Except for the ones on Zetian's power level, and even then they remain mostly antagonistic towards her.
The male pilots and the pilot system overall doesn't care for the girls they sacrifice so it makes sense that they don't care for their names or faces, but the book (written from Zetian's perspective) not providing anything beyond the usual "There's a mecha battle going on and more girls are dying and that makes me mad" line for them and not caring to show some individual stories for these girls feels even more dehumanizing, even condescending.
All these pitfalls make Zetian's rebellion feel like a one-woman fight instead of a communal one. At first I put it down as a flaw of Zetian's character but as the book went on I started to believe it's more up to poor development. Just, overall her feminism felt very.... entry level.
I REALLY hope I'm wrong for future books though, because it really threw me off a book I'd otherwise liked a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, War, Torture, and Grief
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Colonisation
Spare by Prince Harry
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Checked this one out of curiosity but looking back it seems pretty in line with my last read, Jennette McCurdy's I'm glad my mom Died. Both are biographies and deal with growing up in a dysfunctional environment and finding your way out of it while dealing with grief and trying your best at self-actualization.
In that regard, I'd recommend this book.
The prose is just beautiful at points but I wasn't expecting less from a ghostwriter that won a Pulitzer, from what I read. The literary references sprinkled through are wonderful, and the turn of phrases work so well with the most whimsical and stream of thought-ish passages of the book.
Personally the military section was something of a slow read and I dragged my feet through it (I'm antimilitary) but I recognize how much the experiences and the people met there contributed to his understanding of trauma. I did appreciate the passages describing his work with veterans, though.
In conclusion, you won't find much here if all you're looking for is an outright denouncement of the British monarchy or an acknowledgement of his privilege, but it's a good read on the topic of grief, trauma and breaking toxic cycles.
In that regard, I'd recommend this book.
The prose is just beautiful at points but I wasn't expecting less from a ghostwriter that won a Pulitzer, from what I read. The literary references sprinkled through are wonderful, and the turn of phrases work so well with the most whimsical and stream of thought-ish passages of the book.
Personally the military section was something of a slow read and I dragged my feet through it (I'm antimilitary) but I recognize how much the experiences and the people met there contributed to his understanding of trauma. I did appreciate the passages describing his work with veterans, though.
In conclusion, you won't find much here if all you're looking for is an outright denouncement of the British monarchy or an acknowledgement of his privilege, but it's a good read on the topic of grief, trauma and breaking toxic cycles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Colonisation, Death of parent, and War
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I'm glad Jennette McCurdy is still creating, I'm glad she's well and I'm glad she's shared this with us.
In her (fantastic, I must say) writing she says that she wants to do something meaningful with her work, and I hope she's seeing all the conversations that her book are opening around abuse and specifically abusive motherhood and childhood exploitation in the acting industry.
This was a hard read at times with how much some parts resonated with me, but it was a needed one. Regardless, please take care of yourself and read the trigger warnings before diving in.
In her (fantastic, I must say) writing she says that she wants to do something meaningful with her work, and I hope she's seeing all the conversations that her book are opening around abuse and specifically abusive motherhood and childhood exploitation in the acting industry.
This was a hard read at times with how much some parts resonated with me, but it was a needed one. Regardless, please take care of yourself and read the trigger warnings before diving in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Infidelity and Stalking
Severance - The Lexington Letter by Anonymous
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Considering that the source material this companion book belongs too was partly inspired in creepypastas, I wasn't surprised by the anecdotical r/nosleep format it's presented in.
It sure answers a couple of questions and even manages to take a dig at the current state of the "free press", but the real treat was the addition of the illustrations for the refiner's manual at the end since we only caught a glimpse of it in the series.
It sure answers a couple of questions and even manages to take a dig at the current state of the "free press", but the real treat was the addition of the illustrations for the refiner's manual at the end since we only caught a glimpse of it in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Medical content
Minor: Torture
Mentions of terrorism.
The Stranger by K.A. Applegate
♢ 7/62 OF THE ANIMORPHS REREAD
Forgot any thought I was forming after the contrast between the humor and how brutal and raw the description of the battle at the end of the book was, and how looking back on it Rachel's commentary is that she wasn't being brave like everyone thought she was being or even how she consciously behaved in that moment because that was the role the group needed for her to play. She simply couldn't see well and didn't know what she was walking into.
Interesting to note that The Ellimist was introduced on a Rachel book and that we can see a sort of bond between them already—what with Rachel being the one to fully decipher The Ellimist's true intentions, and what with The Ellimist showing her her adult form. Since, you know.
About the audiobook: Emily Ellet continues to do a wonderful job, her voice shines on the most somber moments of the narrative and if I haven't said I love her Marco voice then I'm saying it now.
Highlight: The fact that the "I want to go see that new Keanu Reeves movie" line hasn't aged one bit.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
You know what? At that moment of surrender, I felt good. I wish I could say I didn’t. But I felt a wave of relief wash over me. No more hard decisions. No more danger. No more having to be brave.
♢ 7/62 OF THE ANIMORPHS REREAD
⚠ tws for the entire series: war, death, child soldiers, child death, descriptions of gore, body horror, discussions of parental death, slugs, parasites, loss of free will, depictions of PTSD and trauma, ableism, imperialism.
Forgot any thought I was forming after the contrast between the humor and how brutal and raw the description of the battle at the end of the book was, and how looking back on it Rachel's commentary is that she wasn't being brave like everyone thought she was being or even how she consciously behaved in that moment because that was the role the group needed for her to play. She simply couldn't see well and didn't know what she was walking into.
Interesting to note that The Ellimist was introduced on a Rachel book and that we can see a sort of bond between them already—what with Rachel being the one to fully decipher The Ellimist's true intentions, and what with The Ellimist showing her her adult form. Since, you know.
About the audiobook: Emily Ellet continues to do a wonderful job, her voice shines on the most somber moments of the narrative and if I haven't said I love her Marco voice then I'm saying it now.
Highlight: The fact that the "I want to go see that new Keanu Reeves movie" line hasn't aged one bit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Cannibalism
Love Code by Ann Aguirre
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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? Yes
4.0
This one fell victim to my reading slump, although by not fault of its own.
AI-turned-organic x Alien species is a though premise to sell, and just as hard to pull off so I mostly picked this up to see how it managed: My main concerns once I learned the setup were with the themes of consent, gender and how the leads would navigate the power dynamics of their relationship and I'll say, I really really liked what it did.
Aguirre just went in Earnestly, and what we see in Love Code is the belief that regardless of the mismatched origins of the leads, what matters in their relationship is their deep respect for each other.
As it developed it covered all the bases I was concerned about— There's deep and lengthy talks about consent, about giving options in partners, and respecting boundaries. Another pleasant development was Tiralan culture and how their relationships were polyamorous, plus the inclusion of non-binary characters (even one of the leads themself!). I don't know, it's always fun to see sci-fi that's not held back by heteropatriarcal views and actually takes worldbuilding out for a spin.
The dialogue and descriptions felt a little stiff and matter of fact at times, same with the dialogue. I haven't read any of Aguirre's other titles so I can't say for sure if this was a conscious choice, but the style certainly fits the leads at least even if it wasn't to my liking.
The steamy scenes were interesting with how Tiralan biology worked, the xeno-lover in me appreciated them and the added setup of Helix learning to parse sensations through his organic body was really really good.
I wasn't too interested in the conflict and wasn't really that content with how it was resolved, but if the main goal was to introduce us to the main lead of the next book and interest us in the final entry of the trilogy then it worked on me. I'll be picking it up in the future for sure!
AI-turned-organic x Alien species is a though premise to sell, and just as hard to pull off so I mostly picked this up to see how it managed: My main concerns once I learned the setup were with the themes of consent, gender and how the leads would navigate the power dynamics of their relationship and I'll say, I really really liked what it did.
Aguirre just went in Earnestly, and what we see in Love Code is the belief that regardless of the mismatched origins of the leads, what matters in their relationship is their deep respect for each other.
As it developed it covered all the bases I was concerned about— There's deep and lengthy talks about consent, about giving options in partners, and respecting boundaries. Another pleasant development was Tiralan culture and how their relationships were polyamorous, plus the inclusion of non-binary characters (even one of the leads themself!). I don't know, it's always fun to see sci-fi that's not held back by heteropatriarcal views and actually takes worldbuilding out for a spin.
The dialogue and descriptions felt a little stiff and matter of fact at times, same with the dialogue. I haven't read any of Aguirre's other titles so I can't say for sure if this was a conscious choice, but the style certainly fits the leads at least even if it wasn't to my liking.
The steamy scenes were interesting with how Tiralan biology worked, the xeno-lover in me appreciated them and the added setup of Helix learning to parse sensations through his organic body was really really good.
I wasn't too interested in the conflict and wasn't really that content with how it was resolved, but if the main goal was to introduce us to the main lead of the next book and interest us in the final entry of the trilogy then it worked on me. I'll be picking it up in the future for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
La dama del segundo piso by Cristina Policastro
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, and Pedophilia
Minor: Sexual assault