Latitude
This book was really good I think but really really hard for me to read, both because it talks a lot about Trauma and Big Medical Trauma and also because I did not really like the art style. I stopped in the middle to read Toast and Jam for Frances which IS a very good book
This is a book of surrealist short stories, and they are all unusual and very Gender. I poked through a couple other reviews, and many misgender the protagonists — from my perspective, as a trans person frequently around other trans people, both online and off, I think I correctly gendered the protagonists. But it's not explicitly explained to the reader What Exactly is going on, which is something I really like but might not be your cup of tea. This book gets five stars from me — the first short story, The Lightning Man, is my favorite. I think I'd like to actually buy this to keep on my shelf. (Thanks to NetGalley for this early edition - find more of these reviews on my blog, geographreads.com)
this book was not particularly useful or interesting, but it did give a lot of helpful excuses
I enjoyed this book, but not a lot. Some parts were very very good and lots of other parts I was like “what is happening right now?”
This book, read again 10+ years after I first read it, did not age well. I Hate Edward Cullen
There is no satisfying conclusion to this book, which is not the point of a mystery novel. Other than that I loved it.
I actually could not remember the two main male characters apart so I am not actually sure what happened in this book
This was a 15-hour audiobook. HRC is a great audiobook narrator. Some parts of this I got really choked up at. Other parts, HRC momsplained feminism and history to me. I would not read this long book again.
this book made me anxious but it's a great portrayal of anxiety
i think this book feels a little unfinished because it sets up a bunch of threads at the beginning but only follows through on like,,, one of them, so that was disappointing
it's a very ‘real' book
if you are real bad at solving mysteries before characters do/information is revealed, i recommend this book
it gets 3 stars because it got really gay within the last 60 pages
Uhhhhhhh this book was written in a really weird style that is like “kids really talk and think that way” which is true but I don't want to read a whole book like that
The audiobook was EXHAUSTING to read but it is read by a Real Child
I received a copy of this book at no cost from NetGalley.
I actually looked into buying this book when I was looking for An Interesting Book to read for my Adult Self, Not For Reviewing, Just For Reading, For Fun, Remember When You Used to Have Fun Reading? (To be clear I also have a lot of fun reviewing, but I am also frequently very stressed about it.) Goodreads, however, had a lot of top reviewers pretty unimpressed with it, so I ended up buying IF WE WERE VILLAINS by M.L Rio. I am about ten pages into that book and really enjoyed those ten pages. Maybe this month I will read another ten pages. Anyhow, I was really intrigued by the fact that this book went BACK into NetGalley and is getting like, republished because it went viral?? “Now newly revised”? Because it was republished traditionally? I'm intrigued. But you know what, Chai of @proyearner (who is credited here as a “viral book reviewer”??) says that “The Atlas Six is a fantasy novel that understands that what the people want is more dark academia stories with flawless vibes and aesthetics and hot morally fraudulent characters who are constantly on the verge of either killing each other or fucking each other. I'm the people.” So I guess I am extremely here for it??? (Also there is a great recommendation from Chloe Gong). Honestly, blurbs have never really mattered to me at all, but both of these are incredible forces in The Book World and also, honestly, of my heart?
ANYHOW. This book. Honestly? I feel like it has good bones. I feel like I would write good fanfiction of this book. It starts and introduces all these interesting concepts and characters and ideas, and it doesn't really do anything with them? The stakes are kind unclear, and I would kill for like, a description every now and again and honestly I don't often say that. Erin L. on NetGalley writes that “it's mostly hot people being mean to each other”, which is honestly its strongest and most interesting feature. Plus it's set in a dark academia vibes world! And there's a sequel coming!
I was extremely into “The 100”, the CW television show, which is about hot people and good ideas being destroyed by the apocalypse, and honestly that is kind of what this book feels like? I'm really glad that it's gone viral and is apparently very popular on TikTok, because I'm hoping that means it WILL become a CW show and I can read really good fanfiction of it instead. Or maybe the sequel will be better!
I don't know! I have confusing thoughts about this book! I feel both frustrated and intrigued! Three and a half stars, rounded up to four for NetGalley!
