simonlorden's reviews
1282 reviews

Quick reread the prepare for the sequel. Mystery, magic, pining, gay porn, etc. I like Maud, but what I'm really looking forward to is Alston's book.

This hit all the wrong buttons for me, unfortunately. It was almost exhausting to read. Everyone knows all about identities and consent and they all communicate perfectly, which is a great skill to have, but having every single conversation like that just felt sort of forced. Also, I like D/s relationships, but Ernest's POV felt very juvenile so it was difficult to really get into it.

There's a lot to love here, and the romance is just one thing. When Viola faked her death to start living as a woman, she gained her freedom to be herself, but she lost her title, her land, and her position in society, not to mention her best friend. I liked the way she had to adjust to essentially being a stranger in her own family and home (while also being supported and loved by her family!), and also adjust to her status in society dropping by a lot. Because how could a lady's companion deserve a Duke?

Gracewood has his own problems. He was not only abused by his father, but generally raised to be cold and unfeeling, and put his duty first. This - and society's expectations - make it very hard for him to be a good brother, no matter how much he wants it. He also struggles with PTSD in a time when it is mostly just known as "cowardice".

Miranda is a delight.

I admit there were some scenes towards the end (like a certain drawn-out fight scene) that I found awkward and unnecessary, and if that was supposed to be the sequel bait, then I'm a bit wary about this alleged sequel. 

This book was made available by the author on NetGalley for an honest review.

Years ago I read Amanda Lovelace's debut poetry collection. I liked some of the concepts, but it didn't truly resonate with me. Still, it's been a long time and nine other poetry books since then, so I decided to give it another go and see if we can find common ground. Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Poetry is hard to review because it's even more subjective than prose. I also recognize that this book of poems was personal and probably cathartic for the author to write, and that comes across pretty obviously. The overall message/theme is that of self-love, confidence, and not caring what others think of you. And also killing your enemies with kindness. And also being happy in your fat body (those were actually some of my favorite poems).

But I didn't vibe with it. I'm definitely not a purist who says that "true" poetry must rhyme or have a fixed structure, but I do expect some kind of rhythm or musicality. Often these poems felt to me like simple, a bit clichéd sentences with line breaks. I couldn't truly feel either the poetry or the originality, and after this book I think it's better for both of us if I accept that Amanda Lovelace doesn't write poetry I personally resonate with.

I liked the illustrations at the beginning and end of the book, though.

I'm like 20 years late to this series. Earth is being invaded by aliens, and the only ones who know about them and can fight against them are five kids. That nobody believes, obviously. Thankfully, they can turn into animals! But that comes with its own drawbacks, horror and complications. I liked that when morphing, they actually get the animal's mind so to speak, which leads to some struggle with their own bodies.

Maybe not objectively perfect, but pretty much what I needed. Kind of like a trans wish fulfillment. Kieran is a young trans guy who has long hair, a high voice, and sadly forced to be in girl mode for one of his two jobs, so he's not having a great time. And yet, he manages to get together with a hot, sexy older bisexual guy who stands up for him at work and corrects people about his pronouns and wants to make him comfortable! Like, I don't know man, I wish someone did that for me.

Also Seth is just really sweet and I liked him. And he has a cat named Dragon.

 Aranyos, vicces napló Erzsébettől, a saját stílusában, ami macskához méltóan nagyon drámai. Mert a tonhalnál nincs fontosabb. Némelyik fejezet kevésbé tetszett, de a Star Warsos volt a kedvencem. 

This book was made available on NetGalley by the publisher. This is my honest review.

Just Like Queen Esther is a picture book about a young Jewish trans girl, Atara, who always wears her crown to feel confident and remind people that she is a girl. She is empowered by the story of Queen Esther, a Jewish heroine who also wore her crown all the time.

I really liked the mention of the meaning of Atara's name, and how she chose the name for herself. I feel like the story of Queen Esther was very simplified even for a children's book, and maybe there could have been a couple more sentences, but that's my only complaint. The illustrations are colorful and cheerful, and Atara learns to be even more confident in herself.

I liked this better than the previous one. Kai gets kidnapped, so Irene must deal with fae and dragons, befriend (?) some young fae and use the power of stories to get the job done all on her own. (Mostly.) I liked the worldbuilding and the way stories and narratives work around the fae, as well as the little rules they have to follow even among each other.