In which a radish sculpts himself a boyfriend, and toxicity ensues. Delightfully weird and genuinely eerie with a unique mixed media style, though I tIn which a radish sculpts himself a boyfriend, and toxicity ensues. Delightfully weird and genuinely eerie with a unique mixed media style, though I think it could have stood to have more time to breathe....more
I didn’t know what to expect, only that it would be painful, and god was it.
This is one of the best dual narratives I’ve read in a long tim5 Stars ⭐️
I didn’t know what to expect, only that it would be painful, and god was it.
This is one of the best dual narratives I’ve read in a long time, and both are soul rending in equal measure. I know shamefully little about how the AIDS crisis hit Australia, and part of me is still shocked that the author hadn’t lived it themself for how personal each story rings.
I wish I could give this a higher rating. The core story concept is super intriguing, and it helps that I could really feel the author’s pe3 Stars ⭐️
I wish I could give this a higher rating. The core story concept is super intriguing, and it helps that I could really feel the author’s personal love of gothic literature come through at certain points. Placing it in the late 80’s was another nice touch, especially for queer dark academia.
But something about the overall prose just didn’t do it for me. The pining and intimacy between the leads was written very well, but that just made the other scenes feel even more under-seasoned by comparison. There was a lot of telling and little showing, and it created this feeling of inconsistency between the story beats and those specific well-written portions between the leads to the point of being distracting.
Dacian was an intriguing character, and it’s a shame that he was the only memorable one out of the entire cast. Everyone else, including the protagonist (Jonathan), was relatively stock. There just wasn’t that much going on with them that made them stick beyond their roles. In Jonathan’s case, it really didn’t help that he had a tendency to solve problems and put the pieces of a mystery together well after the reader would likely have been able to.
It was still a pretty good read overall, and I loved some of the twists near the end, but the weak points are a bit hard for me to look over.
Thanks so much to Netgalley for providing a copy!...more
This is literary junk food at its rawest form in that I can scarf it down and find it tasty in the short term, but giving it even one minute of criticThis is literary junk food at its rawest form in that I can scarf it down and find it tasty in the short term, but giving it even one minute of critical thought makes me start to feel nauseated.
While I enjoy the idea of a neighborhood Halloween decorating competition, the whole ‘prank war’ that branched from it just didn’t do anything for me. It’s not said explicitly, but it seems pretty clear that Zachary was written to be neurodivergent in some way, and I found a lot of his traits a bit relatable as someone with autism. So, you can imagine that it was a little jarring to see him get so jealous and upset that he raced up to the other MC’s yard and splashed paint on one of his custom props as an act of impulsive sabotage, only to then try and pass it off as a ‘prank’ — idk it just felt weird and borderline ableist to me.
Dialogue in this feels off as well. Characters will dole out their tragic backstories in the same detached, Lifetime movie monologue sort of fashion. It doesn’t help that said backstories are so over the top that they end up clashing with the general Hallmark-ness of it all.
The sex was…. Fine? It read as a bit phoned-in to me, and it made the general incompatibility of the MCs a bit clearer. I like that they switched up throughout, though! I don’t see that as often as I’d like in mlm.
I had fun in the moment with this, but it was VERY much a turn my brain off sort of deal. ...more
Absolutely fabulous collection of short stories, and a great breath of fresh air and creativity for me. I can see why they wouldn’t land with some folAbsolutely fabulous collection of short stories, and a great breath of fresh air and creativity for me. I can see why they wouldn’t land with some folk. Each story reads more like poetry than prose, but they stitch together something lovely and rich. They’re less about finding a resolution and more about presenting kernels of abstract concepts - like a hazy watercolor painting. ...more
4.5 and I’m rounding up because god bless this author for giving me both a transfem clone character AND a reoccurring side character who uses neoprono4.5 and I’m rounding up because god bless this author for giving me both a transfem clone character AND a reoccurring side character who uses neopronouns all in the same book.
Not only that, but this marks a serious improvement in pacing compared to Queen’s Shadow. Bonus points for writing Anakin as the walking red flag that he is....more
It’s fine. Definitely didn’t fall in love with this like I thought I would, and a lot of it is due to the fact that the opening chapter is a real hardIt’s fine. Definitely didn’t fall in love with this like I thought I would, and a lot of it is due to the fact that the opening chapter is a real hard one to sit through for the subject matter (where the protag walks in on his fiancé and BF having sex a day before the wedding). All of the Australia tidbits and set dressings are lovely though, and it’s always fantastic to see a hard of hearing lead in a queer romance.
No clue why the dynamic wasn’t really my speed. Maybe the age gap? Just didn’t really click for me, and that’s a shame for how much I love Andrews’ writing and Joel’s narration....more
More of a 3.5, but rounded up! I really liked this. One of those slice of life stories, but with two guys in their forties. It’ll be nice to get to knMore of a 3.5, but rounded up! I really liked this. One of those slice of life stories, but with two guys in their forties. It’ll be nice to get to know them better....more
Gosh did I love this one. While targeted to an upper YA crowd, there’s still a nice chunk of stuff to learn in here. Really love the empathetic approaGosh did I love this one. While targeted to an upper YA crowd, there’s still a nice chunk of stuff to learn in here. Really love the empathetic approach as well. It’s not something you often see in a lot of nonfiction books about animal behavior....more
It was cute. I had fun. Yadda yadda. It’s just a little weird with the way it tries to navigate charged class politics with a protagonist who gets to It was cute. I had fun. Yadda yadda. It’s just a little weird with the way it tries to navigate charged class politics with a protagonist who gets to live out the rest of his days amongst the upper crust ...more
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