melanie_reads_books's reviews
211 reviews
Her Princess at Midnight by Erica Ridley
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
A light escapist novella.
This was a fun Cinderella story, but sapphic, and I enjoyed it. There wasn’t that much conflict, being a novella, but it did get sluggish in the middle. I wish there was less of the “just talk to each other” conflict. Apart from that it was a lighthearted read and the ending was satisfying in an unexpected way.
This was a fun Cinderella story, but sapphic, and I enjoyed it. There wasn’t that much conflict, being a novella, but it did get sluggish in the middle. I wish there was less of the “just talk to each other” conflict. Apart from that it was a lighthearted read and the ending was satisfying in an unexpected way.
Human Pet Pound by Loki Renard
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
I draw the line and non-consensual hitting of women and the woman then saying “I probably deserved it”. Can’t get past that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
There are two threads in this book: the truth of what happened, and the the interpretation of it through the narrator’s eyes. So maybe three threads, because there are two narrators. Shibli does an amazing job of showing the reader horrific occurrences but in the most utterly mundane way through the eyes of a self-absorbed narrator. This is going to sit with me for a long time.
Qissat: Short Stories by Palestinian Women by Jo Glanville
4.0
A diverse collection of short stories.
Like any anthology there are stories in this anthology that appeal more than others. I laughed at a quickly thought excuse of “arthritis of the nose”, I marvelled at the process of border crossings being told through a child’s eyes, and I cried with the mother who lost her son.
Of all the stories in this anthology it’s probably one of the shortest that struck me the most; the story of the woman going to get her driver license renewed. I think of her often. Beautifully written.
Like any anthology there are stories in this anthology that appeal more than others. I laughed at a quickly thought excuse of “arthritis of the nose”, I marvelled at the process of border crossings being told through a child’s eyes, and I cried with the mother who lost her son.
Of all the stories in this anthology it’s probably one of the shortest that struck me the most; the story of the woman going to get her driver license renewed. I think of her often. Beautifully written.
The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House by Audre Lorde
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Still relevant forty years later: “Women of today are still being called upon to stretch across the gap of male ignorance and to educate men at to our existence and our needs. This is an old and primary tool of all oppressors to keep the oppressed occupied with the master’s concerns.”
I think I’ll be returning again and again to this little volume. It certainly packs a punch.
I think I’ll be returning again and again to this little volume. It certainly packs a punch.
Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
5.0
My first Olivie Blake, but not my last!
I really didn’t know what to think when I picked this book up. I’m always a bit wary of authors who get a lot of hype on BookTok—I’ve been burned a few times—so I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised to find I really enjoyed the slightly disjointed writing style of Blake’s and it was only in hindsight that I realised the main characters had changed midway through the book!
I really enjoyed this book. It was well balanced, funny, emotional and just really brilliantly written. Highly recommended.
I really didn’t know what to think when I picked this book up. I’m always a bit wary of authors who get a lot of hype on BookTok—I’ve been burned a few times—so I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised to find I really enjoyed the slightly disjointed writing style of Blake’s and it was only in hindsight that I realised the main characters had changed midway through the book!
I really enjoyed this book. It was well balanced, funny, emotional and just really brilliantly written. Highly recommended.
The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oof. This one was a ride!
I’m not usually a fan of such short fiction, but this one packed a punch. There’s a lot going on here and I found myself really not liking the main character in a few places, but also completely sympathising with her. This is a dark tale, and I found myself cackling with glee at the ending!!
I’m not usually a fan of such short fiction, but this one packed a punch. There’s a lot going on here and I found myself really not liking the main character in a few places, but also completely sympathising with her. This is a dark tale, and I found myself cackling with glee at the ending!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood
Mistletoe and Mishigas by M.A. Wardell
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.5
Surprised to find I read this almost in one sitting!
Yes, the story sucked me in that quickly. I really wanted to find out what happened next. I absolutely adored the grumpy-sunshine vibes in this book and thought the PTSD was handled very well, but that’s coming from someone whose PTSD is a little different to combat PTSD.
This book does a LOT of heavy lifting emotionally—I was crying so much in the last half of the book.
I really enjoyed this one, probably more than Matt’s first book, and am going to happily trundle along to buy the third when it comes out.
Yes, the story sucked me in that quickly. I really wanted to find out what happened next. I absolutely adored the grumpy-sunshine vibes in this book and thought the PTSD was handled very well, but that’s coming from someone whose PTSD is a little different to combat PTSD.
This book does a LOT of heavy lifting emotionally—I was crying so much in the last half of the book.
I really enjoyed this one, probably more than Matt’s first book, and am going to happily trundle along to buy the third when it comes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia and Abandonment
Teacher of the Year by M.A. Wardell
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It follows a standard romance ARC, so there’s no surprises here but that’s not why we read romance! We want a HEA and boy, do we get one… but the author makes the two MCs really work hard for it!
As a former teacher I found the depictions of school life mostly in line with my experiences, but with much better behaved children. My only bug bears were small, such as the repetitive description of the kids having “sweet” faces.
There’s good, positive queer rep here and especially positive for trying to figure things out but realising maybe fluidity is what it’s all about? I liked that.
Also, this book doesn’t read like a first novel, at all. It’s well paced and solidly edited. Definitely worth your time if you want an enjoyable queer romance with some spicy scenes.
As a former teacher I found the depictions of school life mostly in line with my experiences, but with much better behaved children. My only bug bears were small, such as the repetitive description of the kids having “sweet” faces.
There’s good, positive queer rep here and especially positive for trying to figure things out but realising maybe fluidity is what it’s all about? I liked that.
Also, this book doesn’t read like a first novel, at all. It’s well paced and solidly edited. Definitely worth your time if you want an enjoyable queer romance with some spicy scenes.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I’m really not sure what to think about this book. I’m a reader of SFF and romance, so genre fiction, with the occasional dabble in literary fiction…. but this book? It’s an odd duck. It’s not genre fiction, so I’d say it’s literary… but it lacks a plot as such. There’s no real story ARC, apart from existing within a set time period, and there are no chapters. Not that that’s a bad thing, that’s just a style thing. Also, there were no speech marks but there was conversation? So that was weird.
The characters were interesting, and I found myself deeply engaged at times and yet at others it was a struggle to read. So I’m rating this book based on engagement and the writing. It’s not a five or even a four star read for me… but if you like creative works that meander then it could be worth a try.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.
The characters were interesting, and I found myself deeply engaged at times and yet at others it was a struggle to read. So I’m rating this book based on engagement and the writing. It’s not a five or even a four star read for me… but if you like creative works that meander then it could be worth a try.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.