1 to 7 of 7
Review Date: 4/20/2018
Excellent book! Clayton's worldbuilding is lavish and vivid, and all her characters are compelling and complex. A staggering story about the dark side of obssession with beauty, and how you can find beauty in unexpected places as well. Really, really hoping for a sequel!
Review Date: 7/19/2018
Helpful Score: 1
I. J. Parker writes beautiful but compact prose, this was a fast and fascinating read. The mystery was engaging but not frustrating, though I have suspicions several threads seemingly tied up will unravel and get more complicated in the sequel. I really enjoyed the interactions between Akitada and Seimei and Tora, they make a funny, sometimes grumpy team. Akitada is a very driven and relatable protagonist, though it takes a bit of time to settle in his skin and understand him.
My only quibbles were: 1) how some of the female characters were handled. (Parker presents most of the sexism deftly and bluntly, except for a judgment seemingly shared by author and main character alike that conventionally attractive women are either soft angels or vicious snakes.) That aside, I adored both of the sisters and how they interacted with each other and Akitada's squad and wished they'd get their own book, too.
2) Historical context and culture were glimpses at best. We got the clothes and the temples and stuff, but I felt like I learned more about ancient Japanese culture from Konoha in the Naruto anime than I did from Kazusa.
My only quibbles were: 1) how some of the female characters were handled. (Parker presents most of the sexism deftly and bluntly, except for a judgment seemingly shared by author and main character alike that conventionally attractive women are either soft angels or vicious snakes.) That aside, I adored both of the sisters and how they interacted with each other and Akitada's squad and wished they'd get their own book, too.
2) Historical context and culture were glimpses at best. We got the clothes and the temples and stuff, but I felt like I learned more about ancient Japanese culture from Konoha in the Naruto anime than I did from Kazusa.
Review Date: 1/8/2019
Clever and witty, this satire on class, manners, and shoujo manga tropes is just as funny and cute today as it was a decade ago.
For those of you who, like me, saw the anime first, the stylistic difference in the art will be a bit jarring at first. I swear Haruhi is even more deadpan and blunt in the manga, and I relish it.
For those of you who, like me, saw the anime first, the stylistic difference in the art will be a bit jarring at first. I swear Haruhi is even more deadpan and blunt in the manga, and I relish it.
Review Date: 5/6/2018
Scary, haunting, and evocative. Sunny Moraine is marvelous at making you feel like words can steal your breath, flay you, break you, and mold you anew as you read. The impressions and feelings this short story collection inspires will stick in your gut for a while.
Review Date: 4/13/2018
Very creative and enjoyable story with a magical spin on an AU American frontier. I was hooked on Eff's journey and how she tries to tackle perceptions, both from other people, and from herself. However, in terms of diversity, this book lacked. There were two delightful black characters, but absolutely no Native American tribes even mentioned. Which was stranger than all the mythical creatures beyond the barriers of magic.
Review Date: 3/23/2018
Light, fun read about our favorite crew on the Enterprise trying to navigate a tricky situation with the Neutral Zone and a Romulan cruiser. Spock, Bones, and Kirk are mostly in character throughout the novel, and my favorite scenes are always the ones showing the complexities behind Spock and Bones' relationship. Kathleen Sky nails their banter perfectly.
Newcomer Natalya Tremain brings mixed reactions--sometimes she's fun and compelling, sometimes her Vulcan-hating and manipulation is irritating.
A fascinating look into how novelizations by professional writers who grew up fans of a show really hasn't changed a great deal in forty years. Fans at their core still write like fans and it shows. :)
Newcomer Natalya Tremain brings mixed reactions--sometimes she's fun and compelling, sometimes her Vulcan-hating and manipulation is irritating.
A fascinating look into how novelizations by professional writers who grew up fans of a show really hasn't changed a great deal in forty years. Fans at their core still write like fans and it shows. :)
Review Date: 4/30/2019
Lush and evocative prose framing a deeply moving plot. This book gutted me in places; the parallel to the bigotry in our day and age is chilling. The legends woven in the taught world-building were delightful.
I was a little confused at first because I *thought* this was a wlw story, which it is, but the development takes a long time. Slow burn to the max.
Dani is an extremely relatable and passionate main character, and I liked that she and Carmen challenged the sense vs. sensibility personas they were assigned.
I also very much appreciated that Dani and Carmen both respected consent and safety.
In contrast, there is a scene where a male character menaces a female character he has social and financial power over. While there is no assault, it is very chilling and might be triggering to a survivor.
Overall very much loved this book, and await a sequel eagerly.
I was a little confused at first because I *thought* this was a wlw story, which it is, but the development takes a long time. Slow burn to the max.
Dani is an extremely relatable and passionate main character, and I liked that she and Carmen challenged the sense vs. sensibility personas they were assigned.
I also very much appreciated that Dani and Carmen both respected consent and safety.
In contrast, there is a scene where a male character menaces a female character he has social and financial power over. While there is no assault, it is very chilling and might be triggering to a survivor.
Overall very much loved this book, and await a sequel eagerly.
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