cameronreads's reviews
526 reviews

I really loved this book, and it’s definitely an upper 4 stars for me. It embodied trans rage in the exact way I wanted, and I loved watching Benji come into his own and take his revenge. I loved the conversations it had about fitting into the world as a trans person, as an autistic person, and the criticism of religion, but also the nuances it took in those discussions; not all religious people are the same, not all trans people are the same, etc. As a trans masc person and an autistic person I felt both Benji’s and Nick’s struggles with my entire chest, and just thought this book encapsulated the experiences perfectly. 

The reasons it didn’t get a five are twofold. One is completely a me problem - although I really liked lots of the writing and descriptions, I didn’t quite gel with the writing style, I think because I’m just growing out of YA. Secondly, I wanted just a little bit out of the ending. I think the main battle was done interestingly, but I wanted it to take up a little more space, and also see a little more of the aftermath. I think the relationship between Nick and Benji didn’t come to a peak because of the slightly abrupt ending as well.

Still, I loved this book, and if you can handle the trigger warnings, I’d definitely recommend.

One of my new favourite books of all time. The perfect dark academia, the perfect discussion of colonialism, the perfect historical fiction. Wonderful, intricately crafted characters and magic; beautiful, heart wrenching prose, and astonishingly researched and in depth storytelling. Everyone, everyone, should read this book.

I really really loved this book. I think it was the perfect critique of colonialism and racism from such interesting perspectives. I was so compelled by the plot and the characters, and thought the complex relationship between Luca and Touraine was executed wonderfully. I loved all the representation in here: the completely casual sapphic rep, the wonderful disability rep, and the un-discussed non binary character. I thought both perspectives was so interesting, with Touraine having been taken away from her home country as a child and having to find a way to fit back into the society, and Luca, the princess of an empire who struggles to do right by the colonies but can’t for the sheer fact of it being an empire. I loved watching Touraine develop a complex and tense relationship with her mother and the rebels as well. 

There are two things I wished had been developed a little more (Touraine’s relationship with the Sands and the magic and religious systems) but otherwise I loved this.

This book, whilst not completely revolutionary, nor all-encompassing, was an interesting read, with a compelling concept. The writing was very good, with some very quotable lines, and I liked how it was told as an autobiography. I though the characters were suitably complex and interesting to read about, and I loved exploring the relationships Alex had with everyone around her. It didn’t exactly bring anything new to the table, and whilst it did touch on the intersectionality between being a women and being trans (although in a somewhat clunky way, with trans women once described as ‘women by choice’) there was no touching on race, which was disappointing, especially considering when this books was set and the means of protesting and discrimination that we saw. I wouldn’t recommend this as a book to open your eyes to something, or to challenge your views on feminism, but I would as an enjoyable read. 

I really liked this book! I struggled to get into it a little in the beginning, I think there was something a little off either with the pacing or the initial world building, but by the end I was really enjoying it. I think the characters brought it through for me, I really liked Lysande as a main character and think she provided a really interesting perspective, and I LOVED all of the side characters. I did guess who the traitor was very early, but that’s never really a problem for me in a book because it just makes me feel smart. I think sometimes the scenes felt a little jumpy, and there were times when the writing felt a little clunky and I had to reread a page or passage to fully get what was trying to be conveyed. I did like the plot overall though, and how it cumulated in a not-quite-ending. I liked the main relationship (despite just how much of a slow burn it was) and how they were constantly at each other’s throats until the end, it was very fun. I also loved the friendships between Lysande and Litany as well as her and Cassia. What can I say I love me a female friendship. I also appreciated the portrayal of addiction, though I’ve never experienced it so can’t say with certainty how accurate it is. I liked the world and the different cities (although I think it could have been set up better) and I think the magic system was interesting (although could have been a little more explored nearer the end). 

I’m so happy that this lived up to my expectations. Perhaps my favourite thing where the characters; both Priya and Malini where detail, flawed, and incredibly strong characters that I loved reading about. I adored their relationship and how it slowly developed throughout the book (with no miscommunication!). I also loved how interesting the secondary characters were and the fact that we got to hear from such a varied selection of them, it definitely made other sides feel more real with their own motives. (Rukh especially was a favourite of mine.) I loved the rich world, magic system, and various religions, and I cannot wait to see them expanded upon in later books. The plot and pacing were excellent, and I loved where this book left us.  

A lot of what I liked about this book was remnants from Middlegame (namely the concept of embodied concepts, the writing, the mildly confusing nature, and the little cameos from Middlegame characters and how found family esque it felt). Otherwise, this book was a little disappointing coming from Seanan McGuire. I didn’t quite connect to our two main characters or their journey, which felt slightly anticlimactic. I was never on the edge of my seat or questioning how they could possibly get out of situations, and I even found myself once hoping they would lose in order to make the end a little more interesting. But I can’t rate it any lower than four stars simply because I ADORE the concept, and I liked how it was just Middlegame repeated with different concepts, there was a battle and companions and stuff. Still, I think there was SO MUCH potential with the labyrinth that was a little squandered, and almost the first half of the book felt like explanation. Actually you know what, I can rate it lower than 4 stars, it’s getting 3.5 unfortunately. Still I’ll read literally anything in this universe and enjoy it even if logically it’s a 1 star book because EMBODIED CONCEPTS ITS JUST SO COOL.

And I read that literally for what??

I think this book is a case where I liked everything, but didn’t love much. This was a good book with some interesting characters and an enjoyable plot. I liked the relationship between the two main characters especially, and I liked the world building. I think I’ll read the next book!

There was lots I really liked about this book! The characters and representation were probably my favourite part. I loved Serapio specifically, and the easy bisexual and gender non-conforming rep. It's one of the very few books I've read with a character who uses neopronouns, and it was probably the best representation of someone who uses them I've read (although I do not, so take this with a pinch of salt). I also thought the blind representation was great, although I'm not blind so can't provide an own voices review, it's everything I'd like to see in a representation of my own disability. I really liked the basic plotline and the world (although the worldbuilding felt just a tad exposition-y at the beginning) and I loved how flashbacks and POVs were used to reveal the perfect amount of information to the reader. I liked the crow elements and magic a lot, although some of Xiala's magic could have been a little more explained (though this may be a sequel's job). My only main complaint is that there were a couple of characters that felt rather like plot devices, and a section of the plot with Nara’s brother nearer the end that felt rather rushed.