Bryce

It's never bad, but it never rose beyond “decent” either. When it really goes for the whole “comedy of manners” vibe (which isn't very often) it can be fun, but otherwise I just found it well-written but completely unremarkable.

Really well-written period mystery-romance set in Victorian London. The romance elements are more prominent than the mystery, but both are excellently-written and populated with three-dimensional characters. I had fun with this one.

I'm still not sure how to rate this book. The utopian city the main character lives in is a hard sell, as nice of a thought as it might be. I really like the idea of LGBT books (especially YA LGBT books) that are pure escapist fantasies, because that can be a very positive and inspiring thing, but parts of this book just feel inauthentic for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. Some of the characters and dialogue feel too quirky and clever for their own good, and that makes even the good moments ring hollow. Still, it was a hard book for me to truly dislike. It's short, mostly enjoyable fluff, though it could have been much better.

This was fun! Sometimes it feels like it's trying a bit too hard (and reading the issues in this volume one after the after can be tiring), but for the most part this is a fun and funny comic. It's a nice reprieve from the doom and gloom of a lot of recent comic series.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.

This novel, centered around a transgender hairdresser and the murder investigation following her, feels real and authentic to a level I didn't expect. I loved Bobbi Logan, and I feel like I gained some genuine insight on what it's like to be a trans person, likely due to the fact that Renee James is both transgender herself and an excellent writer.

The central “mystery,” if you can call it that, is really secondary to the story of Bobbi's life and relationships with the people around her. One of the central themes of the book is that outward appearances can be deceiving, and people can change/be much different than you thought initially. The warmth that radiates from the main character (and the book itself) makes this theme feel true and moving, but even with that warmth, the book never shies away from the violence, bigotry, and turmoil trans people often face. The characters in A Kind of Justice are so well-drawn and compassionately written that it might even make you think twice about easy judgments, and that's a takeaway message that couldn't be more necessary in the world.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.

I enjoy a good pulpy sci-fi story from time to time, and that's about all I expected from The Stargazer's Embassy. What I didn't expect was a very well-written and intelligent piece of speculative fiction that still managed to be a page-turner, much like the over-the-top alien story I had expected it to be.

There are moments when the sci-fi elements threaten to become ridiculous, even silly, but that never kept me from investing myself in the story. In fact, it's surprising to me that an alien abduction book didn't feel ridiculous more often. Eleanor Lerman's excellent writing makes it easy to take this story seriously when necessary, and the complex character of Julia keeps the emotional center of the book grounded, even in the midst of little gray invaders.

The Stargazer's Embassy seems keenly aware of the most important part (in my opinion) of good genre fiction: the authentic human element. A great main character, tone, and sense of pacing turns what could have been a silly, inconsequential alien story into something effective and capable of connecting on an emotional level.

This was a nice read, very low-key and slice-of-life. It felt that the book was building to an emotional climax that never truly came–at least not like I had hoped/expected.

Still fun, but more focused on light side stories than the main plot. Cool for fans though.

An enjoyable continuation of a great series.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

This book is based on a comic strip that I've never read, but you don't need any prior knowledge of the comic to understand this story. It's very much a comic in novel form, low-stakes, funny, and charming in a way that feels like a longer version of a sitcom episode. It's a quick and light read with a sense of fun and optimism that made it easy to like. The writing is in service of the characters and humor, no more and no less.

I wasn't blown away, but it's a decent book to spend a few hours with.

I received an uncorrected ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This was more of a 3.5 for me, but still very enjoyable. I liked the main characters a lot, and this is a book that lives and dies on the strength of its characters. Stella seemed a little too precocious/wise beyond her years at first (really not a fan of those types of kid characters), but I ended up really liking her, and it was awesome to see a young trans person presented in such a respectful way. The author doesn't shy away from issues that a person like her would likely face (bullying, etc.), but she's not defined by her gender identity. She's a well-rounded character and one of the highlights of the book for me.

The ice age-like apocalyptic backdrop adds some drama and tension to a story that otherwise wouldn't have much, but I would have liked some more answers regarding that. As is, The Sunlight Pilgrims is a good character-driven story about family that just happens to be set during what is most likely the apocalypse. I liked it.

Such a good book and great continuation of the first. It's well-written and gripping with a sort of intensity and brutality that I think a lot of YA fantasy is missing. These characters are interesting and complex and I'm excited to read the next part of their story.

What an odd book. Like everyone, I've read “The Lottery”, and this book is a really excellent expansion of Shirley Jackson's obvious skill for dark, gothic stories. I'm glad I finally read it.

I really love the movie, and I'm enjoying going back and reading what it's based on. This volume is a good start.

I received an ARC of this book through a First Reads giveaway.

I can't say that I enjoyed reading this book, it was so disjointed and meandering that it felt like a chore to get through. The comedy-drama balance felt off at times, especially towards the end, but the humor's undercurrent of darkness makes the tonal shifts work better than they would have otherwise.

I will admit that Quicksand has a solid sense of humor and wit. Unfortunately, Toltz seems to be a bit in love with his own wit, writing lengthy monologues that often feel more like the author's own stream-of-consciousness than anything necessary for the character. There's some good material in this book, but it isn't worth wading through the messy shit.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.

I liked the mixtape format, and a lot of these “tracks” were very good. After a while though, the poems started to feel repetitive and that caused them to lose some of their impact for me.

I received a free copy of this book through Net Galley.

If you enjoy old-fashioned period mysteries, you might like this. I haven't read any of the other books in the series, but if you read and enjoyed them, I'm sure you'll like this. It's perfectly well-executed, but it couldn't hold my attention for more than a couple chapters at a time. I'm usually a pretty fast reader, but this book felt like it took years to get through because I just could not bring myself to take any interest in anything that happened. The mystery wasn't interesting, the characters weren't interesting, nothing about it was actually interesting for me.

It isn't even bad in any significant way, just painfully dull. It wasn't even interesting enough to hate.

I liked this volume just as much as the first, and I'm excited for the next one!

Sure, it can be “cutesy”, but it's also pretty funny and charming. It's a very light-hearted comic with bright, colorful art and likable characters (including LGBT folks in main roles). I dunno, I liked it!

The presentation and concept (a spooky Ikea knock-off, product descriptions, and other cool design touches) was enough to get me interested, but there's a genuinely enjoyable and creepy horror story in here. There's even some satire, played mostly for comedy in the beginning, but eventually tying into the plot. Good stuff.

Hmm. This was interesting and weird, but it didn't really work for me. The art is a mixed bag, the watercolor backgrounds and things are very nice, but the character designs are (in my opinion) pretty unappealing. Good premise, solid execution.

I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this book, but it turned out to be pretty decent. It isn't out to scare you and it isn't even particularly interested in the retelling of the stories themselves. What Ghostlnd does is ask us why we tell ghost stories, why the specific details change and are often fabricated entirely, and what impact they have on our culture as a whole. As a serious dissection of the ghost story itself, this book is interesting and well-written. The main downsides are that it can be dry, and it tends to repeat its key themes over and over.

All in all, know what you're getting into and you should find a decent number of interesting observations here.

Good stuff. There's enough cheesy romantic lines and grand statements to fill three more books like this one, but there's an authenticity and heart to this book that makes it hard to do anything but go along with the ride. It's well-done, it's sweet, and there's chemistry between these characters; whether it's your cup of tea or not, this is YA romance done right.

Its focus on two young second generation immigrants, as well as the moments throughout that take the time to explore the inner lives and motivations of secondary characters, bring what would be a competent book into something more special.

The Night Gardener felt like an extended Grimms story, and that's just about the highest compliment I could give a book like this. It has an excellent creepy atmosphere combined with quality writing and a decent amount of heart, all coming together to make a very enjoyable dark fable.

I received an ARC of this book through Net Galley.

On the Shores of Darkness, There Is Light is a depressing book. It's not a melodramatic tearjerker, it's a well-drawn and deeply felt novel about broken, lonely people. It's also pretty damn funny at times, and truly warm moments are scattered throughout, just when the darkness has begun to grow overwhelming. Many of the people here are pretty awful, but they're complex. As much as I hated them, and as frustrated as I grew at their selfish behavior, I could see why they acted the way that they did.

Strube's novel is frequently hopeless and hopelessly depressing. It packs an emotional punch. Actually, that's not quite true. It's not just one punch with a shocking twist or ending, it's like being repeatedly punched in the heart every few pages. Am I making this sound like a fun read? It's sad, for sure, but the moments of hope and beauty and humor are placed just where they're needed. On The Shores of Darkness isn't a cheery story, but it's a powerful and very human one.