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luluwoohoo's reviews
472 reviews
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
A whimsical, endearing and poignant fairytale that takes the classic stereotypes to new and interesting levels reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones.
This YA fantasy presents itself as a simple, wholesome read, which it is, but what isn't clear before reading is just how much depth it has to burrow into - how much it shares and teaches its audience about the world and life within it, without overreaching or becoming preachy. Barnhill traverses this tightrope skillfully, opening with tropes and characters that feel familiar before she weaves in heavier themes and moral quandaries that are often brushed over in the YA sphere.
Each character, protagonist or otherwise, is painted broadly with complexity and emotional facets that often subvert expectation. The world building here is just grand enough to excite without becoming overwhelming or unnecessary to the plot itself, which is adventurous in scope and execution.
Magic here is both embraced and feared. The circle of life is both embraced and feared. Coming of age is both embraced and feared. Combine these with themes of intergenerational loss, the power of love and family (and found family), corruption of power, and the strength of knowledge, and it creates a remarkably mature book that was a joy to read from start to finish.
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
A whimsical, endearing and poignant fairytale that takes the classic stereotypes to new and interesting levels reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones.
This YA fantasy presents itself as a simple, wholesome read, which it is, but what isn't clear before reading is just how much depth it has to burrow into - how much it shares and teaches its audience about the world and life within it, without overreaching or becoming preachy. Barnhill traverses this tightrope skillfully, opening with tropes and characters that feel familiar before she weaves in heavier themes and moral quandaries that are often brushed over in the YA sphere.
Each character, protagonist or otherwise, is painted broadly with complexity and emotional facets that often subvert expectation. The world building here is just grand enough to excite without becoming overwhelming or unnecessary to the plot itself, which is adventurous in scope and execution.
Magic here is both embraced and feared. The circle of life is both embraced and feared. Coming of age is both embraced and feared. Combine these with themes of intergenerational loss, the power of love and family (and found family), corruption of power, and the strength of knowledge, and it creates a remarkably mature book that was a joy to read from start to finish.
"Everything, everything is for Luna. And it was true. She loved that girl with every ache in her back; she loved her with every hacking cough; she loved her with every rheumatic sigh; she loved her with every crack in her joints. There was nothing she wouldn't endure for that girl."
"A story can tell the truth, she knew, but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power indeed."
Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
Odd choice to gender swap a story that feels less interesting the other way around; gender politics not appropriate for time period
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
At its heart, this book is a love letter to books and dreaming of more, to connection and the difficult choices we all must make to be true to who we are.
Despite being a companion piece to "The Dictionary of Lost Words", this story stands comfortably on its own. It successfully carries the same style of historical fiction with a focus on women's work - this time bookbinding - through the backdrop of war, but feels much broader scale through the epistolary interludes from overseas throughout. It balances the darkness of war, grief, loss with the discoveries of love, hope and a brighter future skilfully.
The slow pace and subtle plot is a problem in the first third, but as the relationships between characters grow and expand the book itself definitely becomes better. Peggy's perspective as a low class female worker paints a vivid picture of the liminal space WWI created, opening potential doors for her education and growth as an individual, separate from her previous identity entwined with twin sister Maude.
I appreciate the time Williams took to research all things bookbinding, printing, nursing and the psychological impacts of war. The textures she paints with emotional maturity don't feel gratuitous or pandering, and the ending feels totally believable with regards to what was both gained and lost from those years.
This is a wonderful book that makes me appreciate the power of books ❤️
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
At its heart, this book is a love letter to books and dreaming of more, to connection and the difficult choices we all must make to be true to who we are.
Despite being a companion piece to "The Dictionary of Lost Words", this story stands comfortably on its own. It successfully carries the same style of historical fiction with a focus on women's work - this time bookbinding - through the backdrop of war, but feels much broader scale through the epistolary interludes from overseas throughout. It balances the darkness of war, grief, loss with the discoveries of love, hope and a brighter future skilfully.
The slow pace and subtle plot is a problem in the first third, but as the relationships between characters grow and expand the book itself definitely becomes better. Peggy's perspective as a low class female worker paints a vivid picture of the liminal space WWI created, opening potential doors for her education and growth as an individual, separate from her previous identity entwined with twin sister Maude.
I appreciate the time Williams took to research all things bookbinding, printing, nursing and the psychological impacts of war. The textures she paints with emotional maturity don't feel gratuitous or pandering, and the ending feels totally believable with regards to what was both gained and lost from those years.
This is a wonderful book that makes me appreciate the power of books ❤️
"Reading was such a quiet activity, and the reader in their parlour or leaning against the trunk of a tree would never imagine all the hands their book had been through, all the folding and cutting and beating it had endured. They would never guess how noisy and smelly the life of that book had been before it was put in their hands. I loved that I knew this. That they didn't."
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Babel by R. F. Kuang
☀️☀️☀️🌤️
An unapologetically dark, intellectual and cut-throat tale that relies little on fantasy to examine the structures of colonialisation in 1800's Oxford.
Kuang decidedly does not hold back anything in this novel. It is long - possibly too long, where it could potentially have been split into two, though I think the writing style demands more pace, not less - and intricately detailed. The focus on language, translation and the gaps between could have become dry and boring but I really enjoyed the academic tangents throughout. There is no subtlety within the walls of this story, which I know is irritating to many, but I read this as a very intentional choice to focus on nailing down minute detail precisely the issues facing people of colour then and now.
Exploring this through a fantasy lens was smart but I do think that the world building there could have been expanded/exaggerated to lean more on fantasy tropes - this feels almost like magical realism in some ways, not true fantasy, which isn't an issue of the text itself but more so of marketing.
The character arc of Robin was wonderful to read, particularly his inner monologues shifting through innocent naivety, powerfully malevolent, and philosophical depression. His relationship with Ramy was especially lovely too. The betrayal they face is painful and all too believable; the characterisation there was built well.
I was less enthused by the individual character interludes, which didn't add anything significant to my perception of them, nor really did the footnotes throughout the entire novel.
Overall this long, dense call to arms could be dismissed as heavy handed or overindulgent. At times it is both. But I enjoyed the journey and the passion Kuang infused into every page of this story, and think it serves a purpose to show how far we've come, but also how far we have yet to go.
☀️☀️☀️🌤️
An unapologetically dark, intellectual and cut-throat tale that relies little on fantasy to examine the structures of colonialisation in 1800's Oxford.
Kuang decidedly does not hold back anything in this novel. It is long - possibly too long, where it could potentially have been split into two, though I think the writing style demands more pace, not less - and intricately detailed. The focus on language, translation and the gaps between could have become dry and boring but I really enjoyed the academic tangents throughout. There is no subtlety within the walls of this story, which I know is irritating to many, but I read this as a very intentional choice to focus on nailing down minute detail precisely the issues facing people of colour then and now.
Exploring this through a fantasy lens was smart but I do think that the world building there could have been expanded/exaggerated to lean more on fantasy tropes - this feels almost like magical realism in some ways, not true fantasy, which isn't an issue of the text itself but more so of marketing.
The character arc of Robin was wonderful to read, particularly his inner monologues shifting through innocent naivety, powerfully malevolent, and philosophical depression. His relationship with Ramy was especially lovely too. The betrayal they face is painful and all too believable; the characterisation there was built well.
I was less enthused by the individual character interludes, which didn't add anything significant to my perception of them, nor really did the footnotes throughout the entire novel.
Overall this long, dense call to arms could be dismissed as heavy handed or overindulgent. At times it is both. But I enjoyed the journey and the passion Kuang infused into every page of this story, and think it serves a purpose to show how far we've come, but also how far we have yet to go.
"By the time they'd finished their tea, they were almost in love with each other - not quite yet, because true love took time and memories, but as close to love as first impressions could take them."
"Translation means doing violence upon the original, means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes. So then where does that leave us? How can we conclude, except by acknowledging that an act of translation is then necessarily always an act of betrayal?"
The Greatest Menace: Inside the Gay Prison Experiment by Simon Cunich, Patrick Abboud
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
The Greatest Menace: Inside The Gay Prison Experiment by Patrick Abboud, Simon Cunich (audiobook narrated by Patrick Abboud)
☀️☀️☀️☀️
A podcast that explores the history of sexual criminalisation in Australia, focusing particular attention on Cooma prison and it's revitalisation as a "gay prison" in the 1950s - a history that was since hidden and buried, until now.
This series is heartbreaking to follow in any context, but particularly as a bisexual Australian it moved me to hear in great detail the harrowing treatment queer people in my country were subjected to within my parents lifetime, and the long lasting impacts this has had on people.
Abboud takes great care during his narration to introduce us to key players of the 1950s and 60s including psychologists, politicians and those criminally convicted for being gay. I will admit at times I found the various names hard to keep track of, and might have followed along easier if I'd written down who each person was in relation to the story, but I was nonetheless fascinated by the scope of this story.
The personal experience of Abboud added another layer of emotional integrity to the project, and it explained why he committed to unveiling this story. Of course I was left a bit disappointed at the end that the holy grail of documents could not be unearthed, but I hope to see an update on this in the future.
This audiobook is short but incredibly impactful, and is a must do for those invested in queer history in Australia.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
A podcast that explores the history of sexual criminalisation in Australia, focusing particular attention on Cooma prison and it's revitalisation as a "gay prison" in the 1950s - a history that was since hidden and buried, until now.
This series is heartbreaking to follow in any context, but particularly as a bisexual Australian it moved me to hear in great detail the harrowing treatment queer people in my country were subjected to within my parents lifetime, and the long lasting impacts this has had on people.
Abboud takes great care during his narration to introduce us to key players of the 1950s and 60s including psychologists, politicians and those criminally convicted for being gay. I will admit at times I found the various names hard to keep track of, and might have followed along easier if I'd written down who each person was in relation to the story, but I was nonetheless fascinated by the scope of this story.
The personal experience of Abboud added another layer of emotional integrity to the project, and it explained why he committed to unveiling this story. Of course I was left a bit disappointed at the end that the holy grail of documents could not be unearthed, but I hope to see an update on this in the future.
This audiobook is short but incredibly impactful, and is a must do for those invested in queer history in Australia.
"The damage that these things do to individuals is incalculable. I think one of the reasons you're having trouble finding people who've been at Cooma is probably related to that [...] I would imagine there's a very high suicide rate for people who have been basically psychologically tortured in an extreme way, and in a way that they had no framework to comprehend, while they've been incarcerated by the state."
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
An Education In Malice by S.T. Gibson
☀️☀️🌤️
This seductive dark academia tale had all of the right elements to be a hit but unfortunately it lacked the ingenuity and heart I needed to connect with the work.
As a sapphic retelling of Carmilla that interweaves enemies-to-lovers, I should have been ALL OVER THIS but unfortunately I just couldn't find a way to submerge myself in the decadence. There were so many promising concepts but each piece of this literary puzzle felt, for lack of a better word, generic. It's precisely what I'd expect when brainstorming a vampire love story without any real creativity to mix it up or subvert common genre links.
The characters are all relatively unlikeable which doesn't help inspire commitment to reading their relationship progression. The first half was more interesting to me in regards to this, but the infatuation between Laura and Carmilla made little sense to me and wasn't developed far enough to believe the lengths they went to during play and sex.
The exploration of themes feels similar to Gibson's previous book which I adored, but this time the resolution of those themes felt muddied and unresolved. I enjoyed the writing itself but it didn't inspire the emotional connection required to carry this intense a story through to a fitting conclusion.
"Love turns some people into birds and beggars,
but you make me into architecture,
into a sanctuary of soft and holy spaces
shaped to catch the sound of your voice."
☀️☀️🌤️
This seductive dark academia tale had all of the right elements to be a hit but unfortunately it lacked the ingenuity and heart I needed to connect with the work.
As a sapphic retelling of Carmilla that interweaves enemies-to-lovers, I should have been ALL OVER THIS but unfortunately I just couldn't find a way to submerge myself in the decadence. There were so many promising concepts but each piece of this literary puzzle felt, for lack of a better word, generic. It's precisely what I'd expect when brainstorming a vampire love story without any real creativity to mix it up or subvert common genre links.
The characters are all relatively unlikeable which doesn't help inspire commitment to reading their relationship progression. The first half was more interesting to me in regards to this, but the infatuation between Laura and Carmilla made little sense to me and wasn't developed far enough to believe the lengths they went to during play and sex.
The exploration of themes feels similar to Gibson's previous book which I adored, but this time the resolution of those themes felt muddied and unresolved. I enjoyed the writing itself but it didn't inspire the emotional connection required to carry this intense a story through to a fitting conclusion.
"Love turns some people into birds and beggars,
but you make me into architecture,
into a sanctuary of soft and holy spaces
shaped to catch the sound of your voice."
In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation by Alexandra Vasti
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation by Alexandra Vasti (audiobook narrated by Mhairi Morrison)
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
Thank you to NetGalley and @Dreamscape_Media for this ARC audiobook! This short and sweet historical romance hit all the right notes.
Often my biggest complaints with shorter stories like this revolve around the depth of character and the pacing of the plot itself, but neither of these were an issue here. Vasti is naturally forced to simplify the romantic arc but doesn't compromise on the backstory of each main character, both of whom are endearing in their love and lust and fear of rejection. The plot moves quickly and relies on some common romance tropes but never to its detriment.
The modern voice Vasti employs in her writing might bother some readers but I enjoyed it, particularly the balance she found between humour and heart. The crass, fanciful nature of Margo lends well to a romance with upright and nervous Henry, whose restrained affection for Margo is the highlight of the novella. Their raucous adventure is so enjoyable to listen to with Morrison's lovely performance, though ideally I'd have liked a bit more time between the twins to better establish their relationship before things kicked off.
My one issue was how generic the sex scenes were written - I'd have liked something more interesting or less successful given Henry's inexperience. And some of the more historical smutty terms during those scenes, which crop up in most historical pieces, always make me feel ick.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how taken I was with this story. It packs a lot of quality into a short page count and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
Thank you to NetGalley and @Dreamscape_Media for this ARC audiobook! This short and sweet historical romance hit all the right notes.
Often my biggest complaints with shorter stories like this revolve around the depth of character and the pacing of the plot itself, but neither of these were an issue here. Vasti is naturally forced to simplify the romantic arc but doesn't compromise on the backstory of each main character, both of whom are endearing in their love and lust and fear of rejection. The plot moves quickly and relies on some common romance tropes but never to its detriment.
The modern voice Vasti employs in her writing might bother some readers but I enjoyed it, particularly the balance she found between humour and heart. The crass, fanciful nature of Margo lends well to a romance with upright and nervous Henry, whose restrained affection for Margo is the highlight of the novella. Their raucous adventure is so enjoyable to listen to with Morrison's lovely performance, though ideally I'd have liked a bit more time between the twins to better establish their relationship before things kicked off.
My one issue was how generic the sex scenes were written - I'd have liked something more interesting or less successful given Henry's inexperience. And some of the more historical smutty terms during those scenes, which crop up in most historical pieces, always make me feel ick.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how taken I was with this story. It packs a lot of quality into a short page count and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
"Good lord. In the faint, watery light of the morning, Margo could see rather more of him than she'd glimpsed last night, and the sight was spectacular. What did solicitors do all day? There was no way that physique emerged from sitting behind a desk."
That One Night by Emily Rath
Mini review:
I cringed at the writing several times - way too many repetitive phrases for such a short piece...I get the sense Rath didn't put a lot of effort into editing this. The sex was fine and the setup was handled well enough but the writing brought it down significantly for me
EDIT TO ADD:
The main book is 750 PAGES OF THIS!? No thank you. Glad I tried this first, I'm not wasting my time on that. Rath 1000% needs a good editor if she's releasing contemporary romances that long
I cringed at the writing several times - way too many repetitive phrases for such a short piece...I get the sense Rath didn't put a lot of effort into editing this. The sex was fine and the setup was handled well enough but the writing brought it down significantly for me
EDIT TO ADD:
The main book is 750 PAGES OF THIS!? No thank you. Glad I tried this first, I'm not wasting my time on that. Rath 1000% needs a good editor if she's releasing contemporary romances that long
His Boy Next Door: Season One by R.J. Moray
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
His Boy Next Door: Season One by R.J. Moray
☀️☀️🌤️
While recovering from a big trip and respiratory illness I found myself unable to concentrate on much, so this PWP seemed like an easy read while recuperating. It essentially delivers what it promises: a smutty as hell age gap romance with plenty of kink.
I liked Channon as a character - his naivety and eagerness to please is well written and believable, but does leave open some discomfort in the nature of his relationship with Jack. I generally dislike age gap romance for this reason, and the arc they go through in terms of Channon's reliance on Jack made me a bit too uncomfortable in the end.
The numerous sex scenes were well written, and there are healthy conversations going on throughout about boundaries etc which I appreciated, but generally it felt a bit too convenient that they liked the same stuff and Channon never had to express a hard limit throughout the book.
As far as supporting characters go these were pretty bland. I enjoyed Kim's contribution to the plot but found Channon's relationship with his mum awkward and her understated reaction to the revelations at the end so unbelievable I sort of cringed.
For a quick, spicy read it did what it was supposed to, but there were just a few too many icks for it to be right for me.
☀️☀️🌤️
While recovering from a big trip and respiratory illness I found myself unable to concentrate on much, so this PWP seemed like an easy read while recuperating. It essentially delivers what it promises: a smutty as hell age gap romance with plenty of kink.
I liked Channon as a character - his naivety and eagerness to please is well written and believable, but does leave open some discomfort in the nature of his relationship with Jack. I generally dislike age gap romance for this reason, and the arc they go through in terms of Channon's reliance on Jack made me a bit too uncomfortable in the end.
The numerous sex scenes were well written, and there are healthy conversations going on throughout about boundaries etc which I appreciated, but generally it felt a bit too convenient that they liked the same stuff and Channon never had to express a hard limit throughout the book.
As far as supporting characters go these were pretty bland. I enjoyed Kim's contribution to the plot but found Channon's relationship with his mum awkward and her understated reaction to the revelations at the end so unbelievable I sort of cringed.
For a quick, spicy read it did what it was supposed to, but there were just a few too many icks for it to be right for me.
"They hadn't got anywhere near Channon's limits yet, he was sure of it, but they might have started to feel around them, finding the shape they occupied in his brain. So. Jack carefully and deliberately set about driving Channon out of his mind."
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
☀️☀️☀️☀️
This queer historical YA explores important issues of gender, sexuality and being true to yourself effortlessly, managing to keep things light and hopeful instead of falling into despair.
Lo evokes a beautiful sense of place and time with her writing, particularly in highlighting the intersectionality of Lily's life. It is simple and uncomplicated, but this lends itself to Lily's innocence and the coming-of-age theme throughout.
Lily as a character is completely relatable and believable as a young and naive woman. Her struggle to perform each of her assigned roles in life (as a good Chinese girl, straight-passing, uninterested in further education) are so perfectly balanced with her earnest and simple desires - to learn, and love in plain sight. The sub-plots mirror this in really fantastic ways without feeling reductive too.
I appreciated the exploration of time appropriate socially unacceptable concepts beyond sexuality too - the cultural/racial concerns of Shirley and the criticism for women in STEM were nice touches that highlighted how narrow an acceptable life was, and certainly still can be, for a woman of colour. The context of the flashbacks from other POVs was helpful in this way but distracted from the main narrative for me, particularly towards the end.
This is a wonderful book that embodies young love and self exploration in an authentic, beautiful way.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
This queer historical YA explores important issues of gender, sexuality and being true to yourself effortlessly, managing to keep things light and hopeful instead of falling into despair.
Lo evokes a beautiful sense of place and time with her writing, particularly in highlighting the intersectionality of Lily's life. It is simple and uncomplicated, but this lends itself to Lily's innocence and the coming-of-age theme throughout.
Lily as a character is completely relatable and believable as a young and naive woman. Her struggle to perform each of her assigned roles in life (as a good Chinese girl, straight-passing, uninterested in further education) are so perfectly balanced with her earnest and simple desires - to learn, and love in plain sight. The sub-plots mirror this in really fantastic ways without feeling reductive too.
I appreciated the exploration of time appropriate socially unacceptable concepts beyond sexuality too - the cultural/racial concerns of Shirley and the criticism for women in STEM were nice touches that highlighted how narrow an acceptable life was, and certainly still can be, for a woman of colour. The context of the flashbacks from other POVs was helpful in this way but distracted from the main narrative for me, particularly towards the end.
This is a wonderful book that embodies young love and self exploration in an authentic, beautiful way.
"An unfamiliar emotion swirled inside her at this image. A strangely sharp pang for a place she had never visited. For a people she resembled but did not know."