This month, I was able to go through ten books. I ended up going through a few different genres, but I've found a system that I believe rates them all without genre bias, so to speak. Let's start with the books I felt underperformed and work our way up to the gems of the month.
The Lost Girls
Sonia Hartl
YA, LGBTQ, Supernatural
2 Stars
Writing: 3/10
Likability: 4/10
Characters: 4/10
World: 4.5/10
Uniqueness: 5/10 for concept
The Lost Girls really had me with its summary; three vampire women have to join together to take down their abusive ex. Add in a little sapphic romance to boot, and it seems like this book can't disappoint. Unfortunately, that didn't end up being the case. While Hartl opens up the book on an intriguing note–a 30-something-year-old Vampire eternally stuck at 16 working at Taco Bell of all places–it all goes downhill from there. While the characters are eternally stuck in their youth, everything feels disproportionately childish. From the "quirky" hobby of making "art" from the body parts of victims of a hundred-something vampire to the childish 30-year feud between our MC and her former BFF, there is very little about this novel that makes sense when we consider the characters as having the ability to think. I did try to push past this, as the author does explicitly state that they're stuck in the mindset of the age they were turned in; too much of the characters' actions felt directionless and senseless. The romance felt lackluster and went much too quickly, especially considering the weight it was supposed to carry at the end. Most of all, the ending in general didn't feel satisfying. There are no stakes–no pun intended–for our characters. No permanent consequences that matter, nothing that happens which will alter them in a meaningful way, and in the end their "work" only comes to fruition because of an off-screen choice made by the love interest, whose personal sacrifice is skimmed over and under-played.
Cemetery Boys
Aiden Thomas
YA, LGBTQ, Supernatural
3 Stars
Writing: 5/10
Likability: 6/10
Characters: 6/10
World: 8/10 Uniqueness: 7.5/10
Cemetery Boys was another I had high hopes for but I found myself dragging my feet to get through. I feel like this one just barely missed the mark. While it's got some great representation and a fun romance concept, this is another one where the stakes just didn't stack up. As a writer, I'm guilty of wanting to skim through the conflict when things get rough myself, but that rush didn't get edited out of Cemetery Boys. Any time there was any hint of conflict, it seemed like the author pushed past it and withdrew the characters as quickly as possible. The main character didn't drive the story; this felt more like a sequence of events that happened to him rather than his story. It was also painfully obvious from the very start what was going on when there was supposed to be an air of mystery around a pair of murders that drove the book forward. Our protagonists don't do much to solve what happened, and in the end, the answer is served up on a silver platter without them having done much of anything. So much of the secret-keeping and nervous edge that keeps the plot moving forward is revealed to be no big deal at all, and the things that should have mattered are glossed over. In the end, it seems that there are no consequences whatsoever for the hard choices our MC had to make. I had really high hopes for this one considering all the praise it got, but in the end, a trans main character and a gay romance unfortunately weren't enough to make up for all of the plot's failings. I will say, though, that the world-building was well done and unique, as well as the supernatural elements and powers.
House of Hollow
Kystal Sutherland
YA, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal
4 Stars
Writing: 7/10
Likability: 7/10
Characters: 6/10
World: 8/10 Uniqueness: 8/10
House of Hollow really surprised me. For a good number of this month's books, I went in knowing next to nothing about them, only that they came highly recommended. So, when this book quickly turned to horror, I was thrown. (Someone with better reasoning skills probably could have deduced the genre from the cover, but I digress.) While I'm not usually one to read horror, I actually found that I very much enjoyed this. The body horror, especially, seemed unique and interesting. I was a little disappointed by the reveal of the antagonist and felt that the ambiguously open end shaved off some of the real consequences of the character's actions, and was mildly discomforted by the oddly sexual nature of the sisters. The concept of limbo and people going missing inside of such a space had been done before, but I think this was a rather fresh take on it. While I did find some of the characters overly tropeish and somewhat underdeveloped, they were still interesting, which is what really counts to me. As a horror, I feel like this book relies mostly on grossing the reader out than truly getting in their head, and it loses the shock factor the longer the novel goes on. Overall, this was still well done and a good read.
So This is Ever After
F.T. Lukens
YA, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Romance
4 Stars
Writing: 6/10
Likability: 7.5/10
Characters: 8/10
World: 8/10
Uniqueness: 5/10
So This is Ever After reads a lot like Dungeons and Dragons fanfiction. That can be taken as praise or as criticism; either way, it was what I thought several times throughout the story. This book was an easy read; it doesn't pretend to be anything else, and for that, I have to say I really liked it. It's a little bit tropey, a little silly. It had tons of different LGBTQ representations, and all of it was treated as being very normal and commonplace, which I found to be pleasant. Despite not a lot going on for long stretches in the book, it never feels like it's dragging on or pointless. The MC is relatable, and the central conflict is interesting, though that feels very much like a fanfiction prompt as well. I liked how this reads almost like a dating sim, and shows that different kinds of love exist everywhere. The universe is something straight out of a DND campaign, but it feels vibrant and fun, as do many of the events and cultures of the world. While I wouldn't say this was an amazing read, or anything mind-blowing, it was definitely worth the time it took to read and was refreshingly cozy.
The Snow Child
Eowyn Ivey
Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
4 Stars
Writing: 8/10
Likability: 6/10
Characters: 9/10
World: 8/10
Uniqueness: 9/10
When I finished this book, I honestly didn't know what to feel. I was conflicted over how the author chose to end things after offering the reader so much hope. This book isn't exactly a tragedy in terms of formula, but it still felt like a tragedy derivative that ended up conforming to the genre. Confusing, right? This book never held me on the edge of my seat, but every time I put it down, my mind would wander back to the mystery of the girl in the snow, trying to ascribe some form of logic or rule to her, much as the MCs did. This felt largely like a metaphorical look at life and the heart. I went back and forth over whether this book deserved a five-star rating. The writing was incredibly well-done, the characters were unique and had incredibly distinctive voices, and much like Little House on the Prairie, I found myself instantly transported to the world of a time passed. It was unique, and it was fresh, and yet... I felt there was something missing. I can't tell if this was because of how time seemed to very suddenly pass or if it was because I was disappointed with the ending. What I can say is that I do highly suggest this book as a look at writing; it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for a reason.
ELEKTRA
Jennifer Saint
Greek Mythology, Retelling, Adult
4 Stars
Writing: 7.5/10
Likability: 8/10
Characters: 5/10
World: 9/10
Uniqueness: 5/10
This book wonderfully captures multiple POVs from multiple women throughout the Trojan war. Despite my understanding of Elektra's reasoning and character as a whole, however, I found that I was viscerally removed from the story in annoyance any time she entered the fray. Usually, I love unhinged female characters with morally dubious motivations, but I simply could not stand this character. This is one of the only reasons that I could not rate this book five stars; that and the occasional reductive quality the story takes in trying to wrap up so many threads at once. That being said, I felt that this was a wonderful retelling that gave so much more insight into the Greek myth and the women it essentially revolved around. I was moved to tears at times and found myself rolling my eyes at others, but the fact remains that I couldn't put this book down; I read it in a single evening. The characters are unique, the world feels real and the religion (which we treat as mythology today) is treated as fact, without any fantasy division from the "real." Much like the other popular retellings that have so recently become popular, such as The Song of Achilles and ARIADNE, this book is made all the better by the reader likely knowing vaguely what's going to happen and being powerless to stop reading as the tragedy unfolds.
Winter's Orbit
Everina Maxwell
LGBTQ, Romance, SciFi, Adventure
5 Stars
Writing: 7/10
Likability: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
World: 9/10
Uniqueness: 9/10
This sci-fi is my favorite kind; not overly technical or info-dumping, natural and exciting, imaginative and beautiful. The blend of outer space and royalty has been done over and over, but this still felt fresh and interesting. I didn't see the ending coming, and the information was perfectly timed in delivery so that I was always guessing but never felt overly in the dark. The MCs for this was well-balanced and suited to the genre, and the background characters and politics of the world were interesting. I do feel that the romance jumped a bit from a spark to a full blaze without ever having a middle ground, but it can be difficult to string something like that along in the span of a single novel. The cast, at times, also felt a little too involved; I kept thinking that surely not everyone the MCs meet is going to be important to the plot, right? That aside, I couldn't stop reading. When the end came around, I felt everything had been wrapped up nicely and was pleasantly surprised to see that even some of my theories were nodded to in certain scenes, despite not having been correct. I'm excited to read the author's other sci-fi romance as well.
Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert A. Heinlein
Adult, SciFi, Classic
5 Stars
Writing: 9/10
Likability: 9/10
Characters: 7/10
World: 9/10
Uniqueness: 10/10
I could probably write a seven-page review of this book. I had to stop reading it several times just to absorb everything. I, at one point, texted my sister "would it be blasphemous to get 'Thou Art God' tattooed on my wrist?" Spoiler alert: yes, it would be a little blasphemous. There was a point, too, where I thought that anyone who had written something like this must have either lived one of the most intensely unique and rich lives known to humans or must have known suffering acutely. A quick Google search and I now know rather a lot about Mr. Heinlein and have concluded that both of my assumptions are correct. This was published in 1961, so period-typical homophobia and misogyny do run their course, but for the time this work was incredibly open-minded and progressive. At times, it was very wordy, and the dialogue and explanations seemed to run on forever. There was also the issue of Mike's church, which did very much toe the line of a cult. I'm still not sure what to think of it, of the ending, or the view of sex this work took. This was my first read of the month, and now in February, I continue to think about this book, trying to parse it all out. Stranger in a Strange Land is a must-read that stands the test of time and continues to offer something incredibly unique, even in sci-fi.
She Who Became the Sun
Shelley Parker-Chan
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ
5 Stars
Writing: 10/10
Likability: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
World: 10/10
Uniqueness: 10/10
This was my absolute top read of the month, and I suspect it will continue to be my favorite read well into the year. I've scraped my mind for some useful criticism I can make about this book, anything of substance that I can put into a review, but there's just so little that comes to mind. The character flaws and failings are intentional and make complete sense in the plot, the pacing and plot are beautifully crafted, and the premise and world and writing... everything is exemplary. I was blown away by the depth of emotion and brilliance in this book. Despite being one of the larger texts I picked up this month, it never felt drawn out or long; every minute of it was something I drank up eagerly. I also found myself disillusioned of a prejudice that I hadn't realized I carried; part way through the book I caught myself wondering if the MC was going to realize that her spirituality wasn't "real," and at times even felt confused because I continued to hold on to that thought. I thought of myself as open-minded and accepting of all religions, and as soon as I realized I was having these thoughts, I had to pause to reevaluate. For that, I also find myself thankful for this book. It was heart-wrenching, visceral, and completely gripping. Truly, I cannot suggest this book highly enough.
Comentarios