thebookbin's reviews
503 reviews

The Battle of Jedha by George Mann

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 Despite the book version being a hefty 500+ pages, the audio drama itself is only 5 hours long. The reason the book version has so many pages is it's a script and not a book, this installment is meant to be listened-to. And it truly is a joy to have a fully produced audio drama with sound effects, voice actors, background ambiance. It truly is a reminder of how great audio dramas are, and they should be more common. 

As far as this story goes as an installment in the High Republic storyline, it's negligible. On one hand, I understand. They were trying a new format and didn't want to have a gap in the story if it didn't do well. But the result is a story that's not particularly relevant to the plot. Everything that happens is covered in the prologue of Cataclysm. There isn't anything that really stood out besides the proselytizing droid. There was a ton of potential there, but instead P3-7A is the butt of the joke and the interesting question of artificial life and the Force is overlooked. And of course his creator Keth Cerapath, is the young idealistic protégé that acts as the martyr to raise the stakes for the Jedi main characters.

I really love the High Republic story. I love the collaborative nature of the storytelling. But I do think The Battle of Jedha is lacking some of the charm of the other installments.  
Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

The only reason I would ever touch anything by Kami Garcia is because Gabriel Picolo drew it. That's it. I have no idea how Garcia can fuck up a story bad enough that it goes from one of the most iconic stories of our time, to something almost completely unrecognizable. 

There's the fact that Raven is a child, but Dick is in college. I don't know who at DC decided that Raven needed to be deaged, but it was a horrible fucking decision. Dick's experience on a teen superhero team is formative to his character--but now Damian is the one who joins the team first, and Dick is the tagalong??

Dick and Damian also don't know each other, and they bond over parkour. Because heterosexuals are a menace to society, and there are two boys and two girls, Damian has a horrifically clumsy, extremely forced relationship with Max. What the hell?! Who even is anybody in this story? It's like they took the characters you know and love and found some hemorrhoid commercial actors to cosplay as them. 

Honestly Kami Garcia should have NOTHING to do with this series. They should have let Gabriel Picolo write and draw it. What a waste. What a shame. 
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

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adventurous challenging emotional fast-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? Yes

5.0

 TW: this review and the book it's about will contain discussion of sexual assault. 

It took me 6 days to get past the first chapter. Before you even begin the book, the author lets you know what's coming in an author's note which I appreciate with my whole heart. Although you have a warning, the book does open with a sexual assault scene which was so hard to get through. But like the note mentions, the story is about healing and self worth and so I pushed through at my own pace.

The world Meadows builds is one that is fantastical and so rich. Velasin is a young gay noble from a homophonic nation. He ends up betrothed to a gay prince from a very enlightened nation with all sorts of queers. Their love is slow and sweet. Caethari first helps Velasin regain a sense of self worth and their love blooms from there.

What stands out to me is how Meadows treats their non-male characters. It’s my biggest gripe with mlm content, but Meadows enchanted me the whole way through. First off was Merkel, Velasin’s mute valet. His disability is not there for Diversity™ but it’s a huge plot point. Vel and Merkel speak in sign and they use it in multiple scenarios to their advantage. Also their friendship is beautiful. Even though Merkel is a man he is not a love interest (tragically heterosexual) but the deep development of non-romantic relationships was so good.

Then of course there’s the nonbinaries (thei/thir pronouns--I LOVE) there’s a bunch of doctors and Caethari’s own grandkuin is also trans. (Also!!! What a great word “grandkuin”) Caethari’s sisters play a prominent role in the story, and two of Caethari’s closest friends are women, one his commanding officer. SO MANY WOMEN. And they're different and varied and have important roles. 

There’s also a Murder mystery, magic, and a 3/5🌶️ rating. Like it’s not crazy but there is definitely some descriptive papapa.

Anyways, I just love that I’m alive right now in a world that has queer stories that get to be told and get to be published and I get to read them. I have already decided to pledge my sword to Foz Meadows. They have quickly become an Automatic Buy author for me. 
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The Dragon's Betrothed, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara

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adventurous lighthearted fast-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

4.5

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo

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adventurous reflective fast-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

5.0

Run Away with Me, Girl, Volume 1 by Battan

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challenging emotional hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow by Nna Natsuo

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Convergence by Zoraida Córdova

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

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adventurous reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book and review will discuss CSA in mild detail. 

This book had a profoundly different feel than others in the series. While Seanan McGuire has never shied away from the brutality of childhood in this series. But Lost in the Moment and Found goes a step even further. The main theme of the story is the loss of childhood. Antsy's innocence is first chipped away when her father dies in front of her, and again when her mother seemingly replaces him by dating and remarrying a year later. It's chipped again when Tyler lies to Antsy's mother, about small things and she doesn't believe Antsy. It's completely shattered when Tyler comes into her room at night and tells her they could be friends, and she doesn't fully understand how, but she knows she's in danger. So she runs. 

I would like to thank Seanan McGuire for the note at the beginning of the book. Although I bought it when it first came out, it took me weeks to build up the courage to actually read it, even though I trust Seanan McGuire with my heart. 

This book was different from the rest, because it is the only one where adults so totally fail. Antsy is let down in every way a child can be let down, by every person who has the chance to. And why I love this series so much is that it truly does encompass the spectrum of children. And these stories are important, too--the stories of children who have been failed in every way. 

The only reason it's gone down a half-star for me is that I always feel like these stories start a thread, and lead you down a path but never take it to its conclusion. I want to know if Antsy ever loses herself again well enough to find her way back. Not only that, but the "villain" introduced in the previous book, Where the Drowned Girls Go we never finished what happened to Cora's story and her friends. 
But I have to keep reminding myself that I trust Seanan McGuire. She hasn't let me down yet. 

★★★★½ painful, betrayed, important stars 
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