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aethrawrites's reviews
229 reviews
Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson
4.0
POV: Third Person
Genre: NA Urban Fantasy
Can you tell I'm on a spooky read roll?
I love that we get to read about a nerdy magician and a sassy tarot witch navigating AA the turmoil in an already established marriage. Characters who learn from their shortcomings >>>>
Meet-cute in a candle shop? Doodles and scribbles about recipes and magical spells and planetary motions all in one timeless notebook? Blood dripping from the eyes of portraits on the wall? Shattered glass? Tarot cards and pentagrams and loads of subtle imagery to pull you in a spooky house where something is haunting the walls ✨🔮
The writing is evocative (see what I did there??) and reads like a fairytale! We go back and forth within timelines, which can be tricky to execute but was very easy to follow here!
This was a short and sweet introduction to S. Gibson's witchy world and I look forward to picking Evocation next!
Also the illustrations and the inclusion of tarot cards??? GORGEOUS. Make me want to own a physical copy at some point.
(Thank you to the author, Angry Robot and netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review)
PS: I saw a lot of reviews mention biphobia, and I can safely attest to them being untrue for the revised/rewritten version of the book that I got to read.
Genre: NA Urban Fantasy
Can you tell I'm on a spooky read roll?
I love that we get to read about a nerdy magician and a sassy tarot witch navigating AA the turmoil in an already established marriage. Characters who learn from their shortcomings >>>>
Meet-cute in a candle shop? Doodles and scribbles about recipes and magical spells and planetary motions all in one timeless notebook? Blood dripping from the eyes of portraits on the wall? Shattered glass? Tarot cards and pentagrams and loads of subtle imagery to pull you in a spooky house where something is haunting the walls ✨🔮
The writing is evocative (see what I did there??) and reads like a fairytale! We go back and forth within timelines, which can be tricky to execute but was very easy to follow here!
This was a short and sweet introduction to S. Gibson's witchy world and I look forward to picking Evocation next!
Also the illustrations and the inclusion of tarot cards??? GORGEOUS. Make me want to own a physical copy at some point.
(Thank you to the author, Angry Robot and netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review)
PS: I saw a lot of reviews mention biphobia, and I can safely attest to them being untrue for the revised/rewritten version of the book that I got to read.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
4.0
“I have been in love with no one, and never shall,” she whispered, “unless it should be with you.”
The sheer timelessness of this bite-sized sapphic vampiresy classic is unparalleled and we need more of the OG vampire lore from this in modern literature about human-sized mosquitoes.
The sheer timelessness of this bite-sized sapphic vampiresy classic is unparalleled and we need more of the OG vampire lore from this in modern literature about human-sized mosquitoes.
Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
5.0
POV: Third Person Limited
Nothing makes me happier than reading (and yapping about) a book with a promising premise that actually delivers on the premise and keeps me up at night and has me pacing around while internally screaming.
Poetic and mysterious to its core, Strange Beasts is a sapphic feminist murder mystery that is a perfect cross between Enola Holmes (or the story's more familiar counterpart, Sherlock Holmes) and Impossible Creatures (the beautifully written mythical creature fantasy by Katherine Rundell).
It pulls you into an atmospheric gothic world from the very first page and leaves you guessing, guessing and putting pieces of a puzzle together only to steal half the puzzle pieces away just when you were almost done. The red herrings? Susan J. Morris you are a genius for writing this I will forever be in AWE.
I could've never seen the plot twists coming, I was screaming and screeching and glued to the pages throughout, so engrossed and so in love with the way the mystery was woven. The writing style is magnificent as is the theatre scene in 1900s Paris, and and and I see the potential for a sequel okay???
The characters? So beautifully written and their interactions are so raw and real? I NEED to see more of both the MCs families and I need to read more about Hel and Sam solving mysteries together AND I need more of the mythical creatures.
PS: This is a fanclub for Heathcliff the rat. If Hel and Sam don't raise him together and give him a cheese wheel—
Also can we talk about that magnificent cover? And the way it is an elegant nod to the Paris catacombs and the theatre/opera. Genius.
PPS: To anyone picking this book for the queer rep, know that it is a very very subtle slow burn.
(Thank you Netgalley, Bindery Books & Inky Phoenix Press for the e-ARC!)
Nothing makes me happier than reading (and yapping about) a book with a promising premise that actually delivers on the premise and keeps me up at night and has me pacing around while internally screaming.
Poetic and mysterious to its core, Strange Beasts is a sapphic feminist murder mystery that is a perfect cross between Enola Holmes (or the story's more familiar counterpart, Sherlock Holmes) and Impossible Creatures (the beautifully written mythical creature fantasy by Katherine Rundell).
It pulls you into an atmospheric gothic world from the very first page and leaves you guessing, guessing and putting pieces of a puzzle together only to steal half the puzzle pieces away just when you were almost done. The red herrings? Susan J. Morris you are a genius for writing this I will forever be in AWE.
I could've never seen the plot twists coming, I was screaming and screeching and glued to the pages throughout, so engrossed and so in love with the way the mystery was woven. The writing style is magnificent as is the theatre scene in 1900s Paris, and and and I see the potential for a sequel okay???
The characters? So beautifully written and their interactions are so raw and real? I NEED to see more of both the MCs families and I need to read more about Hel and Sam solving mysteries together AND I need more of the mythical creatures.
PS: This is a fanclub for Heathcliff the rat. If Hel and Sam don't raise him together and give him a cheese wheel—
Also can we talk about that magnificent cover? And the way it is an elegant nod to the Paris catacombs and the theatre/opera. Genius.
PPS: To anyone picking this book for the queer rep, know that it is a very very subtle slow burn.
(Thank you Netgalley, Bindery Books & Inky Phoenix Press for the e-ARC!)
Lies of the Wicked by B.L. Lewis
4.0
A lovely witchy romantasy to read this spooky season — well thought lore in a fast-paced witchyscape that has been penned so engagingly you're immediately transported to a setting with immaculate fall vibes. I love how the magic system was unique yet easy to understand.
I love main characters with quirky little skills— Thessa's blacksmithing just makes the story so much more interesting??? We also love to see found family while exploring darkness ✨ (also bonus points to me for guessing the identity of Thessa's mum :3)
Notes/quotes at the beginning of chapters are a cute little detail I shall forever admire. Also if you love serpents in books (more specifically, THAT ONE SEGMENT FROM THE LAST CRUEL PRINCE BOOK) pick this up ‼️
A standalone doesn't leave a lot of room to explore all the characters in detail, which is why some of the character relationships and friendships, including Thessa and Soren's felt rushed at times. It would've been great to see more of the side characters, and I so see spin off potential (even if we aren't getting one) + I look forward to more from the author because that prose was delectable <3
(Thank you to the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!)
I love main characters with quirky little skills— Thessa's blacksmithing just makes the story so much more interesting??? We also love to see found family while exploring darkness ✨ (also bonus points to me for guessing the identity of Thessa's mum :3)
Notes/quotes at the beginning of chapters are a cute little detail I shall forever admire. Also if you love serpents in books (more specifically, THAT ONE SEGMENT FROM THE LAST CRUEL PRINCE BOOK) pick this up ‼️
A standalone doesn't leave a lot of room to explore all the characters in detail, which is why some of the character relationships and friendships, including Thessa and Soren's felt rushed at times. It would've been great to see more of the side characters, and I so see spin off potential (even if we aren't getting one) + I look forward to more from the author because that prose was delectable <3
(Thank you to the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!)
This Blood That Binds Us by S.L. Cokeley
2.0
I wanted to enjoy this solely because that's the cutest cover ever okay— and what better way to start the spooky season than reading something gothic and vampiresy?
The most disappointing kind of books are when you reach the end and still don't know what the point of the book was. It was also incredibly difficult to differentiate between all the characters— there were multiple instances where I didn't know whose POV I was in. The dialogue was too choppy and unrealistic and I'm trying not to leave too mean of a review but I'd rather reread Twilight than continue this series
Also pitting the girlies against girlies for a very unseasoned MMC is so not it :/
The most disappointing kind of books are when you reach the end and still don't know what the point of the book was. It was also incredibly difficult to differentiate between all the characters— there were multiple instances where I didn't know whose POV I was in. The dialogue was too choppy and unrealistic and I'm trying not to leave too mean of a review but I'd rather reread Twilight than continue this series
Also pitting the girlies against girlies for a very unseasoned MMC is so not it :/
If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal
5.0
(Received an ARC from Netgalley/HarperCollins)
🌈 4.5 ⭐ rounded up ✨
A very wholesome sapphic YA romance to satisfy your soft nerdy rivals to lovers cravings! Love how black culture and movie history is sprinkled throughout the book gosh we need more books in similar settings please.
I'm all for a well-written cast of different characters with representation that feels natural and Zakiya didn't disappoint. I'm also in love with how the side characters all have their own distinct personalities— it is actually hard to get them mixed up (which I found surprising for me because I do tend to mix characters up/forget their names if there's a lot of them 💀) Also screaming about the dynamic between Rochelle and her mum, just so raw and real.
The mystery surrounding the sabotaging of the theatre could have been slightly less predictable but that's the only tiny critique I have and considering it is a minor subplot, it didn't affect how joyful my reading experience has been.
Lastly, the banter between Rochelle and Amira is top-notch and it's been so beautiful to watch them grow and I want more of them okay— I'm looking forward to more from the author <3
🌈 4.5 ⭐ rounded up ✨
A very wholesome sapphic YA romance to satisfy your soft nerdy rivals to lovers cravings! Love how black culture and movie history is sprinkled throughout the book gosh we need more books in similar settings please.
I'm all for a well-written cast of different characters with representation that feels natural and Zakiya didn't disappoint. I'm also in love with how the side characters all have their own distinct personalities— it is actually hard to get them mixed up (which I found surprising for me because I do tend to mix characters up/forget their names if there's a lot of them 💀) Also screaming about the dynamic between Rochelle and her mum, just so raw and real.
The mystery surrounding the sabotaging of the theatre could have been slightly less predictable but that's the only tiny critique I have and considering it is a minor subplot, it didn't affect how joyful my reading experience has been.
Lastly, the banter between Rochelle and Amira is top-notch and it's been so beautiful to watch them grow and I want more of them okay— I'm looking forward to more from the author <3
Science Tales: Lies, Hoaxes, and Scams by Darryl Cunningham, Darryl Cunningham
5.0
I love science books. I love graphic novels. Young me would've been so happy if she found this book back then~