isthequeerbookgood

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Storygraph

Short answer: Yes!

Slightly longer answer: but it had some problems

A fun fantasy heist that didn't quite hang together, the story follows Anahrod. We meet her in the jungle, where she's been surviving for the last 17 years after escaping execution for a crime she didn't commit. A band of adventurers find her and bring her back home with the goal of committing an audacious theft from the dragon who had her sentenced in the first place.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was fun, the worldbuilding was interesting and the characters were engaging and interesting. I would recommend it if you, like me, spent your formative years longing to be a dragonrider and are interested in a really interesting subversion of the premise, where dragons are tyrants more than friends to their riders.

But it wouldn't be me if I didn't critique, and my main one is this: while The Sky On Fire has all the ingredients for a great ride, it doesn't quite hang together. The author loves throwing in twists and turns and exciting new things to happen - but sometimes the thread of the narrative gets lost in the rush. The queer norm world felt a bit heavy handed, with the incredibly horny worldbuilding detail that everyone advertises their kinks to the world with special kink rings in an otherwise remarkably unhorny novel. oh

Which, yes, remarkably unhorny despite sort of being advertised as a romantasy? I really like that this book chose polyamory as the endgame, but certainly one side of the triangle felt very underdeveloped, with the PoV character's attraction to her feeling a little shoehorned in - like the author remembered after the fact she was writing a romance and had to add the attraction in. Still, the individual characters were likeable and the relationship was believable if not compelling, and overall I had a good enough time to recommend it. Maybe a library book rather than a purchase though.

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hey did you know that reading is more enjoyable if you read books you actually want to read, rather than books you happened to pick up because they were cheap?

huge if true.

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I've built up quite a backlog of queer books that I've read but haven't reviewed, so to get through them I'm doing some mini reviews rather than full ones!

Make You Mine This Christmas - Lizzie Huxley-Jones Did I enjoy it? Yes! Was it good? It was definitely a romcom. Do I recommend it? If you want a silly Christmas romcom, yes!

An ill-advised snog at a party and a cascade of misunderstandings lead to the down-on-her-luck Haf being invited to spend Christmas with Christopher, as his fake girlfriend. The only problem? Haf’s huge developing crush on Christopher's sister, Kit.

I read this book while mildly depressed over Christmas and honestly it was exactly what I needed. Fun, frothy escapism. Haf gets to stay in the kind of beautiful country house we all dream of spending Christmas in. She has to - has to! - go to a fancy party and wear a beautiful dress (made for her by one of the family friends, of course). There’s a baby reindeer at one point. The shenanigans stretch belief at points and the relationship development between Haf and Kit was a little weak at times, but I’ll forgive it because I was having a good time.

Also it’s set in the UK and I always have a soft spot for that!

The Last Hour Between Worlds - Melissa Caruso Did I enjoy it? On balance, yes Was it good? It had compelling ideas but the execution was somewhat weak Do I recommend it? Maybe

New mother Kembral Thorne has snatched a few hours off to attend a ball. Alas, her hopes of a simple night off are dashed by a tightening web of intrigue, a series of murders, and a mysterious clock that resets the party every hour even as they spiral down through the city’s echoes. Kembral is pulled back into her role as investigator as she tries to save the ballroom, with only her wits and her old flame/rival Rika Nonesuch to help her…

Normally, I am a fan of books that start in media res. This might be the exception that proves the rule. Caruso has created what seems like a fascinating world, with guilds and magic and complicated politics. And I love the echoes - layered reflections of the city that get stranger the further down you go. But we don’t actually get to see all that much of it. The story follows the action relentlessly, only sparing the bare minimum of sentences to provide absolutely necessary context. For me, the refusal to dwell in the world made it harder to care about the world, and the characters. I found myself wishing that the story would just take a breath now and then, rather than running from one thing to the next.

I’ll probably read the sequel when it comes out, but I might wait for a sale to be on.

Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Did I enjoy it? Absolutely not Was it good? Yes Do I recommend it? Absolutely

In near-future America, prisoners are given the opportunity to fight in death matches for fame, glory and the chance at freedom. Adjei-Brenyah weaves a complex narratives following a wide cast of characters but ultimately focusing in on lovers Loretta Thurwar and Hamara Stacker as Thurwar nears her freedom. Brutal but incisive critique of the prison-industrial complex, systemic racism, the media and violence. I’m very squeamish and did not enjoy reading this at all, but it was definitely worth it.

[isthequeerbookgood]

I've built up quite a backlog of queer books that I've read but haven't reviewed, so to get through them I'm doing some mini reviews rather than full ones!

Make You Mine This Christmas - Lizzie Huxley-Jones Did I enjoy it? Yes! Was it good? It was definitely a romcom. Do I recommend it? If you want a silly Christmas romcom, yes!

An ill-advised snog at a party and a cascade of misunderstandings lead to the down-on-her-luck Haf being invited to spend Christmas with Christopher, as his fake girlfriend. The only problem? Haf’s huge developing crush on Christopher's sister, Kit.

I read this book while mildly depressed over Christmas and honestly it was exactly what I needed. Fun, frothy escapism. Haf gets to stay in the kind of beautiful country house we all dream of spending Christmas in. She has to - has to! - go to a fancy party and wear a beautiful dress (made for her by one of the family friends, of course). There’s a baby reindeer at one point. The shenanigans stretch belief at points and the relationship development between Haf and Kit was a little weak at times, but I’ll forgive it because I was having a good time.

Also it’s set in the UK and I always have a soft spot for that!

The Last Hour Between Worlds - Melissa Caruso Did I enjoy it? On balance, yes Was it good? It had compelling ideas but the execution was somewhat weak Do I recommend it? Maybe

New mother Kembral Thorne has snatched a few hours off to attend a ball. Alas, her hopes of a simple night off are dashed by a tightening web of intrigue, a series of murders, and a mysterious clock that resets the party every hour even as they spiral down through the city’s echoes. Kembral is pulled back into her role as investigator as she tries to save the ballroom, with only her wits and her old flame/rival Rika Nonesuch to help her…

Normally, I am a fan of books that start in media res. This might be the exception that proves the rule. Caruso has created what seems like a fascinating world, with guilds and magic and complicated politics. And I love the echoes - layered reflections of the city that get stranger the further down you go. But we don’t actually get to see all that much of it. The story follows the action relentlessly, only sparing the bare minimum of sentences to provide absolutely necessary context. For me, the refusal to dwell in the world made it harder to care about the world, and the characters. I found myself wishing that the story would just take a breath now and then, rather than running from one thing to the next.

I’ll probably read the sequel when it comes out, but I might wait for a sale to be on.

Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Did I enjoy it? Absolutely not Was it good? Yes Do I recommend it? Absolutely

In near-future America, prisoners are given the opportunity to fight in death matches for fame, glory and the chance at freedom. Adjei-Brenyah weaves a complex narratives following a wide cast of characters but ultimately focusing in on lovers Loretta Thurwar and Hamara Stacker as Thurwar nears her freedom. Brutal but incisive critique of the prison-industrial complex, systemic racism, the media and violence. I’m very squeamish and did not enjoy reading this at all, but it was definitely worth it.

[isthequeerbookgood]

I engage with fiction in a normal way. don’t look at my blog

[isthequeerbookgood]

HAPPY SAPPHIC SEPTEMBER! Women loving women and girls kissing galore.

My two standalones featuring lesbians are part of this promo highlighting FF pairings at the center of their narratives.

Ice Upon a Pier is my debut urban fantasy novella whose price is now $2.99

The Cradle of Eternal Night (illus. by Pom Poison) is a romantasy horror coming out next month on October 22nd, $0.99 this month

My women are in such good company.

CHECK OUT THE SHOWCASE HERE

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a friend was talking about a book we hate and was like "it’s a book that’s very popular with queer people who haven’t yet realized there’s a thriving ecosystem of queer books that had editors" many such cases unfortunately

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oh man I mean. to be clear my wife and I regularly sound like we're trying to out-therapise each other over breakfast. i was being snarky up there but i do agree that there's nothing inherently wrong with a character being an overthinking people pleaser even if therapyspeak is grating. but like you say above, you need to know what that kind of character is doing in the narrative.

honestly I think that's a fair amount of my problem with Rowland's writing. they seem to pull out a lot of fun tropes and interesting character concepts, but without really having a grasp of what makes them actually compelling, which is how you end up with one character making an oath of undying fealty to another and it somehow being not sexy.

ive never heard of alexandra rowland, are her books like bad or something

so like... a lot of people do seem to enjoy their books. and I can see why? they have a fandom background and are good at using that fandom voice and finding tropes that people enjoy. you might enjoy their books!

however.

my experience with a taste of gold and iron (one of their previous books) was that the main character spends the whole time acting like he's trying to get a good grade in therapy. it's a bodyguard romance but with everything that makes that scenario emotionally compelling flattened by the main character's overthinking and the author's desperate desire not to be problematic.

... so yeah I think they're bad.

[isthequeerbookgood]

ive never heard of alexandra rowland, are her books like bad or something

so like... a lot of people do seem to enjoy their books. and I can see why? they have a fandom background and are good at using that fandom voice and finding tropes that people enjoy. you might enjoy their books!

however.

my experience with a taste of gold and iron (one of their previous books) was that the main character spends the whole time acting like he's trying to get a good grade in therapy. it's a bodyguard romance but with everything that makes that scenario emotionally compelling flattened by the main character's overthinking and the author's desperate desire not to be problematic.

... so yeah I think they're bad.

[isthequeerbookgood]

Probably not going to do a full review but I just finished What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher and I'm pleased to report that it is queer and it is good to read.

... well, for a given value of good, given that it's a horror story and full of lots of horrible mushroom situations. but I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend if you enjoy gothic horror, body horror, and general creepy vibes!

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I despise Amazon/Audible exclusivity deals for books

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i see that there's a new alexandra rowland book coming out. on the one hand, i do want to review it. on the other hand. that would require me to read it.

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Kobo Storygraph

Short answer: yes?

Slightly longer answer: but I did read it all on a delayed overnight flight so who knows really

It says a lot that it's been about 2 weeks and I had to look up the name of the main character. I definitely enjoyed reading this story, but it was honestly quite forgettable. We follow Tallora, a mermaid taken from her watery home by the cold Princess Dauriel as a gift for her tyrannical mother. Tallora must face the cruelties of the court -but finds an un expected ally in the very woman who captured her.

The story was fun, but felt underdeveloped in a lot of ways. The author clearly had a lot of world and backstory, but didn't really dwell on it. Unfortunately, she didn't really dwell on the main relationship either - the switch from 'enemies' into 'friends' was abrupt, the meaningful moments rushed. It could have done with taking some more time to let the story breathe.

With that said, I appreciated the quick pace and how easy it was to read. There were some interesting characters and I'm curious about the wider world. I'll probably look at the sequels (and hope they remind me who all tthe characters are).

Conclusion: The Fate of Stars is fine. I enjoyed it.

Additional Note: This book had darker content than I was expecting, including some quite graphic torture and discussion of sexual assault and suicide. Storygraph has a fairly comprehensive list of content warnings.

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lads I think I might have actually found something fantastic in my pile of random kobo plus trash 👀

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I'm alive! I've actually read quite a lot recently, but aa combination of life events has left me quite behind on reviews. Stay tuned over the next few days as I catch up...

Storygraph Goodreads

Short answer: yes… Slightly longer answer: … but I didn't enjoy it

It's taken me a long time to get around to reading any Sarah Waters, mostly because I just didn't feel like I'd vibe with her books all that much. And I was right! I didn't!

Don't get me wrong, this is a well-written book. It's distinctly not a romance novel, though it does have romance in it. Romance, and quite a lot of fucking. Our story follows Nan, a simple oyster-seller's daughter, as she becomes enchanted by cross-dressing singer Kitty and follows her to the glamorous underbelly of Victorian London.

The story is vivid, the characters are complicated, interesting and alive, and the sex is impressively nasty at times. Waters does a great job of showing just how kinky the Victorians could be behind all the repression. It's a great book - so why didn't I enjoy it?

Honestly, I think it was just genre. It's a book set in the real world with realistic (albeit historical) problems. Nan makes a lot of bad choices and faces the consequences. Although I wouldn't say the story wallows, it definitely dwells in her misery, and it's a quite mundane misery. I was compelled enough to finish the book (and I genuinely really liked the ending) but the overall vibe was not for me.

Conclusion: Tipping the Velvet is Good (if you like that sort of thing)

[isthequeerbookgood]

Storygraph Goodreads

Short answer: yes… Slightly longer answer: … but I didn't enjoy it

It's taken me a long time to get around to reading any Sarah Waters, mostly because I just didn't feel like I'd vibe with her books all that much. And I was right! I didn't!

Don't get me wrong, this is a well-written book. It's distinctly not a romance novel, though it does have romance in it. Romance, and quite a lot of fucking. Our story follows Nan, a simple oyster-seller's daughter, as she becomes enchanted by cross-dressing singer Kitty and follows her to the glamorous underbelly of Victorian London.

The story is vivid, the characters are complicated, interesting and alive, and the sex is impressively nasty at times. Waters does a great job of showing just how kinky the Victorians could be behind all the repression. It's a great book - so why didn't I enjoy it?

Honestly, I think it was just genre. It's a book set in the real world with realistic (albeit historical) problems. Nan makes a lot of bad choices and faces the consequences. Although I wouldn't say the story wallows, it definitely dwells in her misery, and it's a quite mundane misery. I was compelled enough to finish the book (and I genuinely really liked the ending) but the overall vibe was not for me.

Conclusion: Tipping the Velvet is Good (if you like that sort of thing)

[isthequeerbookgood]

one of the most rancid takes I see on booktwt all the time is basically "why would I read romance, I don't want to read about het people fucking"

because never mind the fact that there are closed door romances (I can't speak much on that because though I respect their existence, I like to read about people fucking and believe books can have merit and also feature explicit sex)

we can talk a lot about how romance, like essentially all forms of media, has a long way to go in terms of queer rep... because it does

but there are a lot of queer romances, you can find them in in virtually every subgenre of romance at this point, and if you truly can't find 'em you're just not looking and it's a bit of an insult to the writers who are writing them (many of whom are queer) to act like this is some het genre