"I think we talk about happiness all wrong. As if it’s this fixed state we’re going to reach. Like we’ll just be able to live there, forever."
My noteb"I think we talk about happiness all wrong. As if it’s this fixed state we’re going to reach. Like we’ll just be able to live there, forever."
My notebook is full of quotes from this book now, but the one above sticks the hardest.
Professor Phoebe Stone has just walked away from her life in St. Louis to take a trip to the Cornwall Inn, a grandiose 5 star hotel in Rhode Island. It wasn’t a difficult decision– her life has been in shambles for years. Things are so bad in fact, that she has arrived at this beautiful hotel with one goal in mind – she plans to end her life.
But as spontaneous as this decision was, Phoebe wanted to make an event of it, to come to this hotel she’s dreamt of since before her divorce, and wear a beautiful dress that she never would have been caught alive in. Awkwardly for her, when Phoebe enters the reception area she encounters a sea of people also in green. They are here for a wedding, and Phoebe has accidentally snuck in wearing the party’s color.
Regardless, Phoebe has come to this hotel with a plan, and when she runs into the bride Phoebe is not afraid to be honest with the woman. The bride, Lila, is not impressed with this plan and demands Phoebe reschedule. A dead woman at her wedding is unacceptable, so if she could just wait til the wedding is over that would be great, thanks.
The original meeting between Phoebe and Lila has that magical ‘say anything’ vibe that conversations with total strangers has. They are both at the end of their rope, Phoebe from depression and Lila from stress, and their interactions with each other are shockingly honest after a long period of what feels like fake socialization.
One thing I loved about this book is that is takes place in our world, where Covid lockdowns happened and destroyed the waning sanity we all had. The effect the pandemic had on the characters is actually incorporated and for that reason it makes the story feel so much more real, like these are people that I could run into at a hotel.
Lila is a young woman in her late 20s, Phoebe is 12 years older and approaching middle age. The differences between them in age and personality is initially so striking but as we progress through the story we get to see how similar everyone really is to each other, and how all people are just trying to do their best to be happy, even if they have not yet figured out what that means. Especially when they do not know what their happiness looks like.
This is truly a beautiful story and the type that will stick with me for a long time. It is a story of loss, grief, and new beginnings. It’s about the power of wanting, and asking for what you want. In a world that makes us feel like we have everything, it is hard to actually desire anything. - Thanks for the lesson Sex Woman!
But seriously, this book made me cry and it made me laugh out loud. The humor was so perfectly timed and the characters were so real they popped right out of the page. (In this case, out of my phone). Truly this is one for the ages and I know I’ll be coming back to it again....more
Put this one down as a book that makes you obsessively daydream about LOVE
Love in all forms, familial, friendship, romantic, even finding loves of plaPut this one down as a book that makes you obsessively daydream about LOVE
Love in all forms, familial, friendship, romantic, even finding loves of places and history and Things!
We follow August as she moves into New York to transfer to university at Brooklyn College. She is meeting her possible new roomates, and they are clearly weird as hell, but she needs somewhere to stay so stay she does. August doesn't own much, just a box of belongings and she is moved in. She's come to New York city to abandon her mother's lifelong search for her uncle, and to start a life for herself that is simple and does not involve investigative research - keep her head down, get a job, pay rent, finish school, figure it out from there.
August does not get any of that because on her first day of class she meets a beautiful woman on the train. And every day after that she continues to run into that woman, and they connect. The woman in question is "Jane" and fun fact! She has been trapped on the train since 1973.
Though the plot sounds like a typical romance story mishap, this novel is different because it includes stories of queer history and compares it to the world of modern day Brooklyn. The connection between the characters is beautiful and hopeful and even includes sapphic flirting disasters which I am more than partial to
So why the 3-star review? Well let me start off by saying I am not from New York, but I know a small town/suburb-makebelieve-moving-into-the-big-city fantasy when I see one. And this had that written all over it. I think it's like when someone from the UK recognizes that an actor is an American playing a British accent. It's something in the phrasing and the Vibes. And this can cause real damage as these are the stories that get people to move into these "cute" "historic" neighborhoods. ie - The pancake shop is "magical"? Maybe I'm surrounded by too much gentrification these days but I am like a nervous chihuahua and go Bark! Bark! Bark!
I'm sure I sound overly like, Woke, or something but! Sorry it's frowned upon to care! Besides that is not the most problematic part of the book. It was...Sex. ON THE SUBWAY. DO NOT DO IT. DON'T. Unironically I read parts of this book on the motherfucking subway to work. Like please for the love of everything. And putting fingers down there? No. I can't talk about this. I shan't. Review over...more
I enjoyed the conclusion to the series, it was nice to round out the rest of the crew that had been introduced in the form of Jack and Alan.
However iI enjoyed the conclusion to the series, it was nice to round out the rest of the crew that had been introduced in the form of Jack and Alan.
However it did feel like it was lacking the stakes that were introduced in the first book, and in the end I feel that a lot of the cleverness that the characters had portrayed before had been lost....more
This story continues soon after the first ended, with Robin Blyth's sister starring as the main character this round. I enjoyed that there was such a This story continues soon after the first ended, with Robin Blyth's sister starring as the main character this round. I enjoyed that there was such a different environment to the first, now that the audience is familiar with the world we are able to dive headfirst into a murder mystery on a cruise ship!
I am always a fan of character building and this story had more of it than the first story, and because Maud is such a bold and charming character the book as a whole is more fun than that of the first. Recommend continuing the series to whoever began it!...more
"When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged."
This is my first Fonda Lee novel
"When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged."
This is my first Fonda Lee novel and it blew me out of the water. It is incredible that it is a novella, the detail and story was so engaging from page 1!
Our protagonist is Ester, a young woman determined to become a ruhker, someone who trains rocs and slays beasts. After tragedy in her past Ester feels that killing man-eating manticores is her purpose, but the life of a ruhker is difficult and dangerous...
I feel like no summary accurately portrays the story that Fonda Lee has created here! The ending literally had me dizzy with the parallels like seriously just break-a-window, throw-things-around, SICK!!!
It is short and fantastic and there is nothing stopping you from reading this! Do it!!...more
Riley has been isolated from humanity for a long time now. She's been good at avoiding people since the beginning...It's people who are the danger
Riley has been isolated from humanity for a long time now. She's been good at avoiding people since the beginning... Back when looking at people's eyes first started destroying minds.
She still has access to what remains of the world (and food/goods deliveries) from her computer and until recently, her phone, which she recently threw into the river. Things are... Ok. Safe. Until she runs into her new neighbor.
The craving for human contact versus the fear of turning into a bloodthirsty ticking time bomb affects Riley strongly. The "rules" that she's followed to stay safe get harder to follow... For all she knows these rules have changed. For all she knows Ellis is the new danger...
This book is an exciting horror story that feels a lot like the early days of the pandemic felt. When Riley was running around all crazy I was like oh yeah... This feels horribly similar.
The author does a good job with building the audience's doubt in our unreliable narrator, Riley. I think at one point while Ellis was talking I realized I wasn't even sure if what Riley had told us about the plague was true. So that's when you know the author did well
The descriptors in the book are also well done. I saw the author read for the audiobook and that they are a Podcaster so I went the audiobook route with this one and it was really well done.
Overall a fun, somewhat gory horror story for all those that know what it's like to be alone for too long...more
They were a cult. The first cult we had ever known. And we had no defenses against them. They infected us with s
"They did not conquer us by violence….
They were a cult. The first cult we had ever known. And we had no defenses against them. They infected us with strange ideas...They brought doctrines of shame and disgust for the body, and the glorification of the perfected mind"
I’m surprised, and a bit devastated, that this book doesn’t have more attention
Fetter lives in a world similar to our own, but with more magic and some real gods. He moved away from home and to the city of Luriat, where he has been helping people get their papers sorted and finding new friends in his group therapy sessions.
His group therapy session is filled with characters similar to Fetter, the "Unchosen", people who were trained for a sort of divine heritage but wound up not fulfilling the role. Fetter was raised to kill his father and his father’s people, as a child he killed many, but now as a young adult he is enjoying being independent and finding his own way. He has friends, and a boyfriend, and people who reach out to him for help. It is not uncommon to be told "ask Fetter", and Fetter is happy to be helpful, instead of killing.
Unfortunately for Fetter, nothing can be quite so simple, and he finds himself joining revolutions, wearing fake IDs, and infiltrating special research into the Bright Doors - mysterious doors that, after left closed too long, one day become unopenable to people forever.
Though this story is set in a magical world, the societal issues that plagued the world were very real, the most iconic part being when Fetter was wondering how his email wound up subscribed to a god. The Bright Doors are mysterious doors that were left closed too long, and one day became unopenable
What makes this book interesting is the level of magical realism in the book. There are times when you as the reader are not sure how powerful the magic of Fetter, his friends, or his father really is. By the end of it I was wondering if it could be more of an urban fantasy. One thing that stood out in determining the level of magic in the world was in Fetter not having a shadow. In the beginning he is glad that most people, including his boyfriend do not seem to notice his lack of a shadow, yet as we get further into the book it is suggested that more people were aware of it than previously thought, with one police officer hilariously commenting "Where is your shadow, don’t people have those where you come from?"
Overall, the visuals in this story were really well done, the story was powerful, the main character was lovable and tragic, and the side characters were interesting enough to each have their own novel. Most importantly however there was a part towards the last quarter of the book where I literally jumped up and said, "WUT." outloud, which is always a sign of an exciting twist.
A great story and interesting read, I will be recommending it for my bookclub for sure. Also Chandrasekera is releasing another book this year, sign me up!!...more
Ever since reading this I'll be wandering around my house at night like, "oh I am soo normal." Two seconds later: "And I twisted myself around like thEver since reading this I'll be wandering around my house at night like, "oh I am soo normal." Two seconds later: "And I twisted myself around like the Twisted Ones."
This novel opens up with Melissa "Mouse" agreeing to clean out her deceased grandmother's house so it can be put for sale. She wasn't close to her grandmother as her grandmother was the kind who always has something awful to say. As an added bonus, once Mouse enters the house it is immediately clear that grandma was also a big-time hoarder.
Despite her reluctance, Mouse decides to go through with cleaning up the mess. At least the bedroom to her step-grandpa, Cotgrave, is still clean enough for her to stay in. While in Cotgrave's room, she comes across a diary of his. The guy had dementia towards the end but his notes are odd and obsessive, especially in regards to something called "The Green Book", and he kept mentioning the phrase "and I twisted myself around like the Twisted Ones" over and over to the point that it gets into Mouse's head.
This is all strange...but Mouse is determined to see the cleaning project to completion. While taking a break by walking in the woods behind the house, her dog Bongo leads them up an impossible mountain, with creepy twisted stones. Some with faces wide and others with bodies twisted... something that Mouse feels an urge to mimic...
Um I am literally getting scared again writing this summary so let's cut here. No need to mention any deer at all or I'll be scared of the window again.
Even though this is the oldest T Kingfisher book I've read tbh this feels like the best one. The pacing is really well done and the descriptions of disturbing imagery are very vivid in the mind. Like all Kingfisher's books there are moments that break the tension and make you laugh out loud. The dynamic between Mouse and the neighbor Foxy is the greatest, and all the characters in the story have their own independent voice and feel real and fleshed out. It was refreshing to see good writing like this in a horror story.
The ending is also well done and personally I liked this ending far more than The Hollow Places or House with Good Bones. It feels more solid and stays on the horror track.
Recommended for anyone who wants to settle into a good horror story...more
Any dark haired vixen out there interested in having a dangerously intense and homoerotic friendship with me?
This novel is written from the POV of MarAny dark haired vixen out there interested in having a dangerously intense and homoerotic friendship with me?
This novel is written from the POV of Margot, a tragically loser-esque sophomore at a liberal arts college. She chose the school because her childhood bff planned to go there, but said bff tragically passed away the summer before college.
Margot spent her freshman year understandably depressed in her room, so when the beautiful girl in her dorm, Lucy Sharpe, comes up to Margot and offers her the 4th room in their new off campus housing, Margot can't help but agree.
We find out right away that Margot is the type of girl who trails after more confident girls and lives under secondhand attention. She's also a bit of a compulsive "hoarder", she likes to keep not just pictures but also mementos of her time with friends - receipts, tickets, hair ties...
But quirkiness aside we see the world from Margot's POV which means these things are explained away by the narrator. A lot of what Margot and her friends say and do get the "rationalization treatment" actually, and the beauty of this book is the way we can really understand these characters motives, leaving it up to us, the readers, to use our own moral codes to determine how we feel about these characters at the end.
The story is told in two timelines, "before" and "after" though it is not clear what is the before and what is the after til the very end. As we go through the story we get to see how the way Margot and her peers feel about each other and their own morality changed over the course of the school year.
Usually I get super annoyed at mysteries that work in this manner, where the narrator knows what happened but drags it out. And there were times where pacing was slow and I was like, 'Margot shut up already and tell us what happened?!' but you have to enjoy the process to appreciate the beauty of this book.
This story is about the characters more than the mystery, and it made for a unique take from an author that is a wizard at taking normal mystery clichés and turning them into something new and interesting.
Stacy Willingham you've made a fan of of me...more
This book is special to me because it's the first book I ever watched the movie/show before reading the book (I had Throwing up, screaming, crying etc
This book is special to me because it's the first book I ever watched the movie/show before reading the book (I had the 7day prime trial sorry!). And I am actually glad because while the movie was fun and cute the book blew my wig off, and if I saw that movie after reading the book I'd be soooo mad
This book is absolutely beautiful, poetic, heartrenching, just absolutely sickening. The characters literally leap off of the page and the love that grows between them, not only the main love interests but their family and friends literally Made me ILL. If you have seen the movie but not read the book I promise you so bad the book has more characters and they are so much more powerful and wonderful than even hinted at in the movie.
I'm not doing a summary or anything because this book is at nearly 1 million reviews so IYKYK and if you don't then it's time to find out.
Also bonus background POLYAMORY like HELLO? I need a book based on that let's all follow that relationship with a magnifying lens please and thank you.
Just read this, seriously. It goes beyond a romance novel, it is about self-discovery and friendship and grief and above all, it is about fighting for what you believe in. Truly a beautiful story....more
Here is where I admit an obsession with T Kingfisher
The Hollow Places has a main character more similar to the one in "House with Good Bones". Kara "CHere is where I admit an obsession with T Kingfisher
The Hollow Places has a main character more similar to the one in "House with Good Bones". Kara "Carrot" has recently went through a divorce and gave up the house, which means she needs a place to stay. Her mother offers, but their relationship dynamic is not the best so Kara is more than pleased when her uncle Earl offers up his spare bedroom above his beloved Wonder Museum, a place filled with "natural" wonders of the world which basically means it is full of taxidermy and weird things.
As soon as moving in Kara sees how bad her uncle's knee problems really are, and offers a suggestion: uncle Earl gets his knee surgery and Kara takes care of the museum in his absence.
Her caretaker role at the museum starts off fine, until one day Kara notices a hole in the wall. Fortunately the brother of the owner of the coffee shop adjacent to the museum, Simon, is friendly enough to come help patch it. While doing the patch however, they realize something very strange. The space behind the wall extends to an impossible hallway, which is long and far enough that it should be out in the street.
Like any normal person, both Kata and Simon can't not investigate and so they enter the hallway and follow it down, until they come upon something impossible: a world full of doorways into other worlds. This discovery could have been beautiful, and amazing, and wondrous, but unfortunately for everyone, there are mysterious monsters hiding within the willow trees in the mysterious worlds. Hungry monsters that have morbid curiosities that are so disturbing that you better hope they are hungry instead of curious.
The best part about this book is that it isn't horror in the traditional sense. While there are parts that are creepy and uneasy, the narrator's voice has comments that make you laugh out loud despite the terrifying situations she's in. This book is just a lot of fun with the perfect mix of comedy and horror, and it's too bad there's isn't a genre name that covers this kind of genre exactly...yet!...more
Bliss Montage is a collection of stories, each from the point of view of a different women living their lives in a world filled with maBook Club Read!
Bliss Montage is a collection of stories, each from the point of view of a different women living their lives in a world filled with magical realism. Each of these were weird (and wonderful) in their own way, but with an overarching theme of struggling to be visible and powerful in a place that does not see you - or people like you- in that way.
I am certain that my feelings toward this book are different now that I have attended book club than if I had read it on my own. To be honest, I never would have finished this one on my own. The narrators felt too monotonous, at first I thought they were all the same woman, but later realized it was actually a different person in each story.
Why were they all so miserable? Why did so many have such terrible boyfriends? They all seemed to have a similar voice. Yet at the same time... is that not the theme of the collection? One part stands out to me -excuse the paraphrasing I returned this one to the library a while back- The narrator goes to a party hosted by someone she knew in college. He proceeds to pour her a drink, "your favorite drink!" he tells her, proud of remembering. She tastes it. It was never her favorite drink. She thinks that the guy might have been confusing her with the one other Asian girl in their program. She also muses that it is possible she liked the drink back then.
It is almost as though the main characters should read as similar, not just because the u.s. americans surrounding them see these women as homogeneous entities, but because they all have come to view themselves the same way. Similar enough to simply disappear...
Overall an odd little contemporary collection read, for those who like that sort of thing. (or for azas who like to go to book club)...more
"I don't believe you either! I believe your mother was a scammer, and you've put on her robe" *MC looks at her mother's robe she's been wearing*
This st
"I don't believe you either! I believe your mother was a scammer, and you've put on her robe" *MC looks at her mother's robe she's been wearing*
This story is about Vivvy Bouchet (pronounced the french way), an astrophysicist who has been trying to hide away from her dramatic childhood. When she ten, she predicted doom to befall a neighbor, and was there to save him.
Vivvy is an interesting character that we don't usually see in stories. She developed OCD compulsions as a child, knocking and counting incessantly on her bedroom wall every night while plagued with fears and unwanted thoughts. Her mother, a known psychic, believed Vivvy to be like her and did not get her help that a regular parent might have. Instead, Vivvy and her sister wound up unearthing something as children that put their family in the public eye. Vivvy had since fled her childhood and now focuses on staring at the stars in her job as an astrophysicist
Unfortunately for Vivvy that neighbor she saved, Mike, is convinced she is a psychic and has gotten her wrapped up in one of the most well known disappearances in Texas. Now Vivvy must solve this case while coming under fire from Mike's boss, her late mother's clientele, and a podcast host with an army of crazed listeners.
While I enjoyed several of the characters, especially Vivvy and Joy, I was annoyed that this story feel into the typical "oops-my-psychic-powers-work-only-~sometimes~-and-for-that-reason-I-didn't-instantly-find-the-killer-even-though-I-can-hear-and-see-a-different-man's-last-thoughts-just-by-holding-something-of-his" trope. I had read "astrophysicist and psychic" and thought those two would intertwine in solving the mystery and was disappointed when it didn't. I think that the book started off strong as a supernatural thriller then veered off into "real world" drama, which is why I got through the first half in like 2 days and the second half in 2 weeks....more
If I had a nickel for every time a book/series had 400 pages of build up followed by a disappointingly un-climatic final boss battle that centered aroIf I had a nickel for every time a book/series had 400 pages of build up followed by a disappointingly un-climatic final boss battle that centered around an M|M couple where one of the guys is a type of magical royalty, I would have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
This book starts off a year after the first, Nico and Haruka are celebrating their 1 year anniversary when the mysterious villain from part 1 returns. The ancient vampire has become aware of the Lore and Lust manuscript and wants a copy so he can breed the perfect vampire race, and he doesn't hesitate in using violence to get what he wants.
Meanwhile, Nico's older brother and best friend continue to mourn their broken friendship over a vague grudge that they've been holding on to for (no mames)for over 100 Years. Literally...
TBH the worst part about this book was that the world building was so confusing. I really enjoy the concept but the different generations/ranks of vampires is still SO unclear to me. I keep mapping it out in my head like a chart of mixed breed dogs- What exactly makes someone 1st gen? It's clear biting humans doesn't turn them tho can they breed with them? Does that make a 1st gen? Is it like 1st gen x 1st gen = 2nd gen or is that still 1st? I ask because from the last book it seemed to be the case based on someone at the party... If a pure bred and a 1st gen vampire breed is it still purebred or 1st gen or is it like, 0.5?
Also besides all that, (which I really want answers to btw) the most disappointing thing is how vampires must behave. They bond with one other vampire for life, and if the other dies or drinks from or sleeps with anyone else ever the other bond dies. Also apparently this happens even if they go far away very suddenly?
Basically if you are born a vampire you are born to be codependent one day and die over it. I prefer the Laslo Cravensworth "I became a vampire to suck blood, and fuck forever" type of vampire. This being said don't be surprised if I read the 3rd one...more
Well hold the phone now - this book is Sworn Soldier #1? There's gonna be a #2? OOO I am here for it
Let me start this review by saying that I /have/ rWell hold the phone now - this book is Sworn Soldier #1? There's gonna be a #2? OOO I am here for it
Let me start this review by saying that I /have/ read Mexican Gothic and have /not/ read Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. And I liked this one more than Mexican Gothic
The story is told by Alex Easton, a veteran soldier who was summonded to see their old friend, Madeline Usher, who had fallen deathly ill. On the way to the Usher house Easton encounters a passionate mycologist by the name of Eugenia Potter, who is studying the unusual fungi in the area.
At the Usher house, Madeline and her brother look worse off than Easton imagined, and the doctor they'd summoned, Denton, does not have much in the way of a diagnoses beyond Madeline's catalepsy. And Easton may not be a superstitious sort, but the behavior of the hares surrounding the house and the eeriness of the nearby lake are not something to be ignored...
This book is more than your typical gothic horror: Kingfisher's included sci-fi and historical fiction elements are what pull the story together at the end and leave you with that funky feeling you get after watching Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. All the characters were endearing in their own way, and Easton and their batman's annoyance at the American doctor were hilarious. I also learned that hares and rabbits and Very Different. We americans are used to innocent little bunnies, meanwhile in the UK they have these hideous long legged devil-eyed freaks of nature.
Anyway. The book. A wonderfully 21st century retelling of an old gothic horror. As someone who isn't a horror fan I recommend this book not only for gothic horror fans but also for sci-fi fans....more
Let me start off by saying I've been trying to get hold of this book for like a year? And finally just had to give in and get the trial of Amazon kindLet me start off by saying I've been trying to get hold of this book for like a year? And finally just had to give in and get the trial of Amazon kindle unlimited which is apparently the only place this and Heart Haunt Havoc exist
Haruka is not a particularly old vampire but he has Old Blood of the purebred vampire sort. In this story, vampires prefer to feed off each other instead of humans, because it keeps them strong
In fact it is expected of vampires to create bonds with one other vampire (typically of the same "rank") who they then feed off exclusively, forever.
"but aza, if they are in an isolated feeding system, human centipede style, how do they actually get nourishment -" SHUT UP brain it's a fantasy story let's continue
Anyway Haruka's status as a pure bred vampire who comes from a long lineage of vampires who drink vampire blood makes him incredibly alluring. This makes normal living difficult, as everyone wants to bed him for power (both socially and physically). Luckily Haruka is content being a homebody translating and compiling centuries worth of observations of vampire bonding into the tome known as Lore and Lust
It is while he is doing his duty of observing vampire bonding that he encounters the other pure bred vampire in the realm, Nino. Nino is the youngest child of the leader of the Italian vampires,but due to Circumstances he's living abroad in England, like Haruka.
They are both oddities in their status, but that's what draws then together in the first place..
Overall this is a cute and fun story. I love seeing these twos love blossom and I'm a loser for slow burns. But the plot leaves much to be desired (literally... An enemy approached then left Immediately) in favor of the romance. The more I learned about the vampire lore the more disappointed I got. These guys lives kinda suck...more
You ever read a book and think "now that's going to have its own limited series on a streaming service one day" ?
Titus Crowne is a former FBI agent, aYou ever read a book and think "now that's going to have its own limited series on a streaming service one day" ?
Titus Crowne is a former FBI agent, a county sheriff, a Black man, and a Cool Guy™. He's the first Black sheriff in Charon, and ran for his position with the goal of making sure that future generations do not suffer under the law like he and his generation did.
Charon is a regular Southern small county, which is to say that it has History that it tries not to look at too hard. Titus's time as County Sheriff had been going as well as to be expected until there is a shooting at a local highschool. Though unlike most modern day shootings, this one was done by a young Black man, and his only victim was a long time beloved teacher.
As Titus and his deputies investigate the reason behind the shooting, they come across increasingly disturbing evidence against the shooter, the shooted, and a third character who played ringleader in a multiple devastating murders. Who is this third person, and what are their motives?
The best thing about this book is how layered it is. Charon is a county filled with religion and poverty, rooted in racism and disparity, and now the cracks in the lovely facade of Southern small town living of the county is coming apart at the seams. Titus came in as sheriff with a mission not to protect the town's long-standing status quo, but to help the county grow into a new era. He's has motivational fuel for helping people, but he's also a tough guy who struggles to find the balance in what he wants and what he believes he deserves.
Overall an intense suspense with interesting characters and setting. Though I should warn that it gets gruesome at times!...more
Ask and ye shall receive. After reading Freydís Moon's last book I wondered if the author had ever watched Supernatural. I know now for certain that tAsk and ye shall receive. After reading Freydís Moon's last book I wondered if the author had ever watched Supernatural. I know now for certain that they have
This is the 3rd book by Moon that I've read and I find all their writing entertaining. This story is about Colin Hart, an exorcist with a history who has walked away from the church's exorcism path and now works as a freelance exorcist.
He has come to investigate Bishop Martínez's home, and the moment Colin walks in he knows there's some crazy stuff going down. Something about the house has turned it into a hotspot for negative energies, and the house's owner is not being particularly forthcoming about why that may be...
This is the longest story I've read by Moon but despite this, oddly enough it felt like this story had a shakier foundation than the others, and that some of the mystery was rushed and fell flat. Regardless of this, as someone who has seen every episode of Supernatural clearly I can forgive these minor flaws in favor of entertainment with evil spirits
"Seen by butch. Seen as femme. Maybe a better word for it was dykette. Containing both the butch's gaze, and the femme's stare. Because of course, the
"Seen by butch. Seen as femme. Maybe a better word for it was dykette. Containing both the butch's gaze, and the femme's stare. Because of course, they're looking at each other"
Dykette is a contemporary observation of gender and sexuality in the lesbian space.
Sasha is high femme, she's in her mid 20s, has exclusively dated butches, and enjoys performing "traditional gender roles" with her partners. She's been dating Jesse for a year now. Jesse goes by he/him and she/her, and Sasha refers to her both as her "boyfriend" and her "girlfriend".
Sasha and Jesse, alongside another couple, were recently invited vacation at an "elder" lesbian couple's home. The other couple is in their 40s, and the divide between them is vast despite being only a generation apart.
It feels like the queer world is constantly evolving. Maybe we're all too terminally online? But the struggle of being queer is the general outsiderness one experiences from the rest of the world. Yet at the same time, some people are just ~more~ or less gay than others, and their outsiderness exists in a different spectrum. This a major factor for Sasha, who is very feminine, versus Jesse who is masc, and other characters in the story who have had top surgery, go by they/them, etc.
The changes in pronouns, the controversy that the characters are going through online ("how could she be a TERF when Twitter alleged she wasn't even a feminist?"), and the constant question of queer presentation and perception is though provoking.
But the fun twist is that we as the audience consider these things through the lens of Sasha. And Sasha is young, self absorbed, and still figuring out her place in society, which means that the entirety of the book is delivered via hilarious, bratty inner dialogue.
Fun read that will almost definitely ignite the exact same online controversy that the characters knew it would...more
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