sara_m_martins's reviews
333 reviews

The premise of this book is excellent: a retelling of a folktale from Moldova, set in the medieval era, centering women and a sapphic romance. However, underdevelopment plagued this book.

I would've appreciated id the original folktale was stated in the intro of the book, on the author's note. 
I appreciate the themes brought forth during the story, many plot points touching on sexism and how it was/is propelled by religious zeal. However, the underdevelopment of many aspects, particularly the romance (the central plot) and the pacing, made it hard to keep me engaged during the first half of the book. The second half picked up my interest, and the ending was cute. 
The most interesting character has to be Rozalia, the wise woman/healer of the village, and I would've loved to know even more about her. Generally, the characters could've been a bit more developed, which I think would've given a lot more gravitas to the events of the story. This goes for the romance too, where the characters were dramatically in love after two interactions with not much meat to them (I know there was a famine but come'on).
I don't have much to say on this book really. Good premise, lacked execution. 

Pls see TW.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is this book really informative? Yes
Will it greatly help people in higher up/manager roles be more inclusive of people in the LGBTQ+ community? Yes
Is it without flaws? No. And some of them are quite hurtful. :/

General review: This book is a great first stop for organizations looking to further Diversity & Inclusion in their spaces. It gives a lot of information on the LGBTQ+ community and some great tips and how-tos.
The humor, even if not for me, makes it an easier read and (not to be shady) I do think the people this book is marketed towards will appreciate it.

The problems:
Now, there's a few problems that I really think need to be highlighted. I think the issue, for points 1-3, is THE SOURCE of the information, aka the "online dictionary" from a cis het man - I wouldn't immediately consider this an issue, but if done by actual queer people this wouldn't have happened -, and the government source (not always super up-to-date).
1. for the MILLIONTH TIME: bisexuals are NOT trans exclusive! The definition has been "one or more genders" for so long and the community has been saying for YEARS that the "tends to be more specific to cisgender people" idea untrue, unfounded and extremely hurtful to bi people. bi people include trans peole in their sexual attraction and saying the opposite is both transphobic and biphobic. This was awful to read, especially in this type of book. I really considered dnf'ing for this alone. I really hope it gets fixed.
2. I think gay is an extremely umbrella term. And I think many queer women feel the same, as I have seen many gay women identify as... gay. I'm all for queer and the acronym, but saying no one but gay men use the term gay is... false.
3. This one is from a government source. On page 172 it is written as an example to put as gender identification answers "Man/ Trans/... Woman". I find this strange - A trans person will not exclude the other labels. I found it odd after the pages before explaining so much about HOW to deal with gender on forms.
4. One thing I thought was lacking was, ironically, the consideration of the queer people at the organization. Should we go to the seminars too? A small text line would be helpful, as I think that will be a doubt that will crop up.
5. The last thing that really irked me, much like #1, probably because I'm writing this after the Harry Styles' Variety interview debacle, was reading "Your advertising doesn't have to be overt (no one actually wants to see a picture of people kissing; there's a name for that:porn)." (Page 191). I'm sorry, and I know the Puriteens may come for me on this one, but seeing people kiss on an ad isn't porn, it isn't even soft porn; it's nowhere near porn unless the kiss is happening during sex (which as we all know has never been used as a marketing device btw. and not in a variety of PG-R classifications). This "joke" wasn't it.

Very reminiscent of Downton Abbey but with a modern twist (and more diversity) à la Bridgerton!
The "adorable sapphics" plotline i never got in Downton AND with more diversity 

Queer Body Power is a non-fiction on the Body Positivity movement, from an intersectional, queer perspective, and with a memoir-like feel to it. While part of the book focuses on body issues, I think it's main subject is how being queer affects how you feel and live in your body and its interaction with the outside world/society. So I would recommend this to queer people at large, to find a echo of what they may already feel, but not to someone who is, say, struggling with body dysmorphia. 

The inclusion of interview excerpts is something that I have seen tried often, and seldom well-executed. Thankfully, it works really well here, adding while still keeping in the flow of the book.
I found the content itself, while not revolutionary, well-structured and I think this would be great for someone who needs a starting place or who feels they need a way to better get acquainted with the circle - it is sometimes hard to get all of these pieces of information if you're left to navigate the internet by yourself, and are not sure were to turn. I think it is also a good book to read generally as a queer person to see something you have experienced reflected and ponder about somethings you haven't considered before. I certainly found some pieces of information which lead me to reflect a bit on my experiences. Of course, non-queer people could also gain from further understanding what the experience in a queer body could be like. 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The opinions are my own and voluntarily given.

*going around like a town crier* ANGRY GAYS!! THIS ONE IS FOR THE ANDRY GAYS!! WRATH MONTH IS NOW A BOOK!!

Hell Followed With Us is simply *chef's kiss*. It's a new favourite & I hope this is the next hit in YA, when it cames out in June!
This book follows Benji (a gay trans 16yo boy), as he flees the dystopian-creating genocide-by-bioweapon christian extremist cult, and ends up being rescued by the queer teens of the resistance. But Benji has a secret, and it can either bring the end of times or stop them. [very Good Omens of them, I just realized - Crowley&Aziraphale would love these kids].
The book touches on found family, religion (and religious trauma) and queer anger; with racial, sexuality, gender identity and various religion affiliations represented, as well as several disabilities, including autism. #OwnVoices for autism, and sexuality (gay) /gender identity (trans).

It is super fast-paced, I read this in three sittings. I enjoyed the writing and the world-building, and that cover is just stunning! I ended up pre-ordering my physical copy before finishing my ARC and can't wait to have it in my hands!

While I think this story will ruffle many feathers (no pun intended), I adore that this type of representation is out there - and by representation I am not mentioning the #rep of the book (while that is very good), but the feeling it portrays. So much queer media we see is done to still be palatable to straight audiences. This is not your queer assimilationist story; this is not written to appease non-queer people. It takes a much more complex perspective to being queer, because it evokes a feeling that marginalized communities are not often allowed to express - anger. There is no place for the anger you build as a queer person in the world, no place for the ones who imagine tearing it all down, in common media. Wrath Month being July (after Pride Month in June) has been a joke in (at least some) queer circles online for years now, and the concept of queer stories having to be "clean" has been discussed for decades. This book brings these to the forefront of the public eye and it's so refreshing to see. I'm so glad this got published, but I'm also so confused how it did.
 

Because the thing is... with this type of anger. It's intrinsically connected to love. In a world that tries to beat the community you love down, your defense mechanism, in the face of hopelessness, ends up being anger. Anger started the Stonewall riots, and the riots happened from unjust, incessant prosecution to the self and to the found family that people had in those spaces. Is that romantic? 100%. We should have so much more love and so much less contention for one another. Trans people particularly know the pitfalls and the failures of others in the LGBTQ+ community.... But I also believe it. Enter the profound aspect of found family in this story. It is so well done and allows for, even in the dire circumstances they find themselves in, such a diverse cast of characters and representations (including some people in the community being assholes).

I was weary when I realized there was plague end-of-the-world thing going on, but seeing the masks playing a role in the story was actually kind of fun. The fantastical element was really fun to read, even if quite gore-y. 
 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. All opinions are my own. 

First, I had heard of the author's online presence before (which I found disturbing) but I did not make this association before research - which I did halfway through reading,,, 
I dnf'ed at 70%, and then skimmed to the end, out of curiosity.
It is clear that the author comes from a severely abusive background, emotionally and physically, both at home and in school. A lot of it stems from being "different" (the author currently identifies as non-binary). He recounts his really severe dissociative episodes in response to the abuse, as well as the other mental repercussions of it.
The writing and structure need work. But my main gripe with the work was the telling. It is fine that, in a childhood memoir, the memories are vague! Having such clear memories and dialogue brought me out of the tale - it just cannot be completely accurate. If you do not establish yourself as a reliable narrator on your memoir, it is hard for people to keep reading.

A really sweet coming-of-age queer comic, with supernatural/fantasy elements! Could be a fun read for characters of Heartstopper, as it is a lovely story of this queer couple getting together, without queer trauma, and where queer joy, romance and friendships are shown front and center.
The story/plotlines were interesting but i wish they had been fully fleshed out, as the pacing felt off. I did love the characters nonetheless!
The artwork was beautifully, and i particularly enjoyed the way colour was used.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

The MoonStone Girls elicited no emotion from me - i did not care about the characters or the plot of the story (nor did the characters at points really, it seemed). I really dnf'ed 85% through and jumped through to the end, just to wrap it up.
The marketing of this book should have been adjusted. This is not the story of a queer girl going to Alaska disguised as a boy. That is one of the MANY elements and plot lines of this story but not the only one. It is more a fiction-biography of someone, focusing on 1 year of their life. Beautiful cover though.
The descriptive writing was fun, but that's the best i have for it - the lingo bit got old fast, and "sis"/"bro" talk will always feel weird to me. The dialogue was clunky; the plotlines ended up underdeveloped and none of the characters felt real. Maybe it was just too much for one story alone. 

ARC provided by NetGalley

i felt this lacked structure.
i'd recommend first her biography by Celia Correas Zapata (Isabel Allende: Life and Spirits OR in original spanish Isabel Allende:Vida y espíritus), which is a bit older/outdated, but i prefer it - it is similar in theme, you still very much get Isabel's tone, but it has more structure and dives a bit deeper. I enjoyed the updates, but i don't think that you will get as much from this as you do from Zapata's biography.