#I don't think it's very spoilery but ya never know

[sunnyaliceart]

So hi, hello, I didn't want to bother you with this but I thought you might enjoy this thought I had from your Professor Layton art so: Aurora would be a Zonai

Hi, no bother at all! In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. The instant I finished work, I went and doodled her

[the---hermit]

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

I noramally avoid YA novels because I know I tend to not like them. This will now be my exception. This is a dystopic horror YA novel, and it was so good. The story is set in a disastrous vision of the near future, where a christian terrorist cult took power after unleashing a virus that either kills its victims or warps their bodies. The main character is a trans boy called Benji who tries to escape this cult as his body is slowly corrupted and transformed into a monster after being injected with a particular version of the virus. I won't say much more because I went into this book knowing very little and loved slowly finding out more about the world and the characters. I will say that the main themes of the novel are a queer kid dealing with heavy religious trauma, finally finding people who understand him and also accepting and embracing queer rage. Never before reading this novel I realized how much I needed to read about queer rage, and now I want more. The dystopic world is very well crafted and it's as believable as it is scary. I do love a well created dystopic society and this book delivered. The writing flows amazingly and it gets very addictive very quickly, on the day I started reading the book I sat down to read the first page to see how it was and ended up reading three chapters without even realizing. The horror aspect of the book is mainly body horror, I am not sure if I ever read proper body horror before but I really liked how it was done here, and I would be up to read more. It's a book I will try to recommend to everyone because it was truly really good and I am so happy to have this on my shelves now. I can see myself rereading this multiple times in the future, and I am surely going to check out more of the author's writing

a few spoilery thoughts cause why not

Since I want to avoid giving out as much as I can of the plot I decided to add this little addition of things I liked that contain some spoilers so consider yourself warned. Firstly one of my favourite things is how Benji's physical change is so linked to his coming to terms and accepting his anger. The way he finally lets himself feel feelings he has bottled up as his body is corrupted by the virus was such a cool addition. And the fact that in the end the manifestation of his anger comes out thanks to the changes of his new "monstrous" form was really cool. Another detail I particularly appreaciated is how the author made sure to create a realistic group of queer kids, they definitely don't all think the same way, and have actually quite opposite opinions. I am particularly referring to the fact that another trans boy there does not approve of Benji's decision not to bind, or neo pronouns. These are unfortunately very real things that are happening in the queer community right now, and although of course it's frustrating to read about this stuff it's a detail that makes this group of people feel realisting and not idealized. Lastly another detail I particularly apprciated were the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, I think those helped make the world feel even more believable.

[storytellers-and-co]

Ya boys about to hit Shadowbringers

I got through Stormblood post-game last night and BOY what a ride it was!? I could barely put the game down, even when I was trying to pace myself so I don't leave certain friends too far behind. Adding spoilery stuff below the cut, because I know one of 'em reads this blog (I just need to gush a little while things are still fresh in my mind)

Okay so. All the revelations of Garlemald and how, WHY it was created? I loved that, it so easily explained why a whole ass country has been the default 'evil conquerors' for so long without any real challenge or change until now. Because the real man behind the whole thing is STILL AT IT. Change don't happen if the original reason, the original driving force is still kicking about.

Also I wanna kick Solus. I wanna kick Solus so hard. Props for the animators, writer and Rene Zagger, it's on sight now old man, I'm coming for your kneecaps!

Speaking of voice actors, Luke Allen-Gale! Hot damn did he do a good job as Zenos (and the possessed Zenos)! I have complicated feelings about Zenos, ngl - He's one of those characters that I know cannot be saved, fixed, or redeemed, but I can also see why he's such a popular character? Personally it's the voice and certain lines that did it for me. Got some shivers out of certain line-deliveries.

He's actually a character that makes me kinda sad - it's a reminder that there is some characters that are doomed by the canon, they'll never be good people, and yet you can see a glimmer, a potential of what-ifs, could-have-beens and all that. A road that was there but refused by the character because that's just not who they are.

Also Varis is also on the kick on the face list. Black Rose is bad. Stop it.

AND NOW ON THE LATEST THING that actually got two of my friends laughing: The final fight against Zenos-Zombie! Zenbie? Zomnos? The- the dead body possessed by the Ascian who I keep calling Ildi because names hard. Ildinos.

So the final fight against him. One, I absolutely loved being Hien for a moment, he quickly became one of my faves through the Stormblood (he's such a fun, up-beat character that takes the life by stride while also not being a pushover, and that's such a good quality to have!).

Two.... GOD DAMMIT WHOEVER YOU ARE, COULDN'T YOU HAD PICKED A BETTER TIME FOR YOUR BLOODY HOUSECALL, YOU NEARLY COST ME MY HEAD! If it wasn't for our local stray cat of a dragoon, we would've lost then and there and you would've lost your chance to have the WoL helping out on the count of NOT HAVING A HEAD, pick your times better oui raatmacc raqan! (This is a joke I know he couldn't have known I was locked in a death-match. I hope.)

Now if ya wondering why I am not more outraged about the fact they've effectively kidnapped my friends, I uh. I actually felt a huge surge of sympathy at the start for the character. idk something about the voice painted a picture of someone desperate and... sad? Upset? Distressed? Something like that just got my empathy flaring up. So while I am mad that I keep getting these calls and everyone around me is panicking in fear, I also want to get to the bottom of this because apparently my empathy levels are far too fucking high.

(Yes I am the type of person who wants to help everyone in any of the games I play in. It's my ultimate power fantasy, being able to help and comfort folks without my actual personality coming in the way)

I think that's all for me now folks, I am taking a small break before heading to Shadowbringers - I have few alts that need to catch up to HW at the very least, and a laundry-list of things for my main to go through. Like all the gathering side-quests, Eureka, unlocking all the primal fights and fixing my glamors etc. We're also trying to get a house for Storytellers, so i gotta help gather some extra funds + items.

[barrenclan]

Got another music for ya!! It never ends.

This song feels very Patfwcore. I can't think of anything to connect it to except barrenclan as a whole. Especially when it gets towards the end of the song.

Maddy, I will always treasure your music. I agree with you, too, I like the empty and sort of lost feeling this song has. It fits BarrenClan well.

"I'm a mountain that has been moved I'm a river that is all dried up I'm an ocean nothing floats on I'm a sky that nothing wants to fly in"

"I'm a fugitive that has no legs to run I'm a preacher with no pulpit Spewing a sermon that goes on and on"

(repairs my wall again and quietly sets up an enormous trap door directly beneath the spot you landed)

This is totally a Deepdark song! Anything about a man leading people into destruction with a smile and salvation is always Deepdarkcore.

"A beast in the business of selling forgiveness dead eyes on a treacherous grin And he laps up the vice like a wolf in the night he’s the left hand of God on the stage And with one hand he offers salvation to lovers the other it taketh away"

"So give me your fire give me your fear give me your faith when love gives you tears Give me your heart give me your fate give me your hand when love gives you hate"

Actually, I already agree with you! :) That song is currently on the PATFW playlist.

Okey dokey <3

"Who knows how some people turn to strange ones

Is it up to me to make them into dead ones

(Here we go again)"

"How do I meet the strangest men

They always seem to find me"

Oh, sure! That's always a good song for anger as well as sadness for someone who's died.

"Why should I have a heavy heart? Why should I start to break in pieces? Why should I go and fall apart for you?"

"Why should I play the grieving girl and Lie saying that I miss you And that my world has gone dark without your light I will sing no requiem tonight"

Nice! Been awhile since I've had a Thrasher song suggestion. This is definitely the sort of thing he would teach his kids, Cormorantpaw especially.

"Never say what you really feel Why make a choice when it's safer just to make a deal? Stay away from what causes a stir or offends Keep your heart silent, don't dispute And if it turns violent, make sure you know who to shoot And eventually every relationship ends So throw out your baby and murder your friends"

Two Brand New songs! Must be popular. Hm... I think it could fit Cormorantpaw okay, but there is another character that'd be better, though I think it's too spoilery to name them.

"A deer that a hunter shot in the heart Some dogs that got hit by cars All came to spill their guts"

"I'm slowly bringing you down from the Heavenly gates Now I'm drowning in the flood I made Well explain myself to me on the other side I'll watch from Heaven when I die"

Love a good song about going insane in the desert.

"I won’t stop to drop to draw A line in the sand ‘Cause I’ll be picked apart To pieces by coyotes"

"I might be the brain of evil Bad things happen to good people Good things happen to me"

Ahh, yes! Rainhaze feels very powerless right now, and perhaps like he's just following to his death because he can't find the energy to get out of it.

"Chop, chop, don't want to be late Lift up and carry your weight You've got no choice but to dance In a spiral of ants"

"You can't remember where you came from (In a spiral of ants) You can't remember where you're going (In a spiral of ants)"

"Now, now, don't run out of breath Don't feel surrounded by death, no Take the wheel, this could be your chance"

It's funny, one of the first ever posts I made on this blog was a drawing of Cormorantpaw with that song. Doesn't mean it can't also be Rainhaze!

"Wake from the scar, still feelin' sick Where did it get started? Where, oh, where did this come from? Oh my God, my head's a gun"

[wildelwrcase]

Book Review: "The Binding" by Bridget Collins

--⭐2.25⭐--

I considered DNFing at several points during part 1, and I can't say I completely made the right decision by sticking it through. (Sorry if this is a little spoilery. I think a lot of this is predictable anyway, but if you want to go in totally blind, skip my review)

Looking at the back of the book, in a Q&A with the author, it's stated she has written 7 YA books before releasing this adult fantasy, and boy golly can you tell. Every time the characters swore was a mini jumpscare where in I had to remember this was not written for teenagers. Because even with the references to the darker material present in this world (see trigger warnings) it still feels totally juvenile with incredibly flat, black and white morality characterization. In the past I've disliked YA books for this quality, yet forgiven them for the fact that they are geared toward people younger than me, but this is marketed fully as an adult fantasy, giving it no excuse.

On the topic of characters, the ones portrayed in this book are both absurdly flat and painfully boring. Outside of our main duo, every single character is presented so cartoonishly it's impossible to take seriously. They are all either virtuous girls who suffer for the advancement of our male heroes' plot, or legitimately evil peverted monsters, with neither party being offered even the barest of nuance. (The big bad man who takes Emmett to the big city is named de Havilland. Really. I haven't seen anything so heavy handed since Cruella Deville.) Unfortunately, neither Emmett or Lucian are given much further development. This almost astounds me since they are both 1st person POV characters! As individuals they can be surmised easily: Emmett - farmer (it's his last name and occupation), hates monetary hand outs, righteous (except when the plot needs him to not be), Lucian - rich, hates his dad, hates bookbinding (but only kind of and only to stir up plot drama.) Could you guess that they're also incredibly inconsistent? And somehow still, the most egregious character injustice is killing off a main character and then never mentioning her again!

The plot is easily the best part of the book, and yet still so much of my enjoyment is based on it's potential for more. I think the plot twists are satisfying, though predictable, and the magic system is so cool. There are so many moments that expand the world and potential that binding memories could have on a vaugely pre-industrial vaugely British setting, like the one in this book. Does Collins ever actually explore these possibilities, well no, but the thought of it is intriguing.

A large part of the plot though that can't go ignored is the romance, which… kinda sucks. Like the 2nd part of the book is by far the most enjoyable to read, don't get me wrong, but their entire relationship is told to us while skipping through the parts we actually want to read about. Like this novel is 450 fucking pages and the author just tells us they had an affair??? She couldn't be bothered to write even one or two scenes of them just fucking talking, getting to know each other, falling in love? It's so insane, she somehow spends more time talking about the sexual assualt of minors rather than the supposedly loving, consensual intimacy between our main romantic pair! That is simply absurd, and quite frankly deeply frustrating. Much like the characters though, the plot, is just really fucking boring.

The two, reasons this isn't a 1 star: 1. It's very readable once you get through the mind-numbing opening. Again the 2nd part is pretty fun to read, if rather lackluster. The author is able to spread out reveals just enough that even though they're ridiculously predictable, you still want to get there to see if maybe that's the turning point into where it gets good. 2. Just the idea of it. I really wish this concept was created by a more competent writer, especially one for adult fiction.

Ok, quick-fire shitty things that don't warrant their own paragraph but do deserve mentioning:

Women are treated horribly no matter what. Either sidelined as enforcers of the homophobic realities of the time period keeping our main characters from living freely or literally killed off and never brought up again.

Part 1 is rendered completely useless by the end of the book, except basically to stall so the reveal in part 2 is more impactful.

Zero moral nuance or complexity.

Completely dropped plot threads and/ or thematic ideas that would have made the 450 pages feel less bloated and actually given some depth to the world.

So yeah this is a pretty bad book, but it was more enjoyable to read than what I would deem 1-star level atrocity.

Later losers, gonna go write a fanfiction with this premise, but make it not suck.

[dearaliya]

Fourth Wing: We're so back!!

Dear Aliya...

OH MY GOD!!

I know I was the one to put you onto this book, and I know you devoured it long before I was able to, but now I have come to the end and I have many many thoughts! With the next book in the series due soon, I'll have to get them all to you soon!

I'll be honest, it had been a while since I'd read a proper book. I'm talking paper, turning a page, needing a light source of some description, the whole shebang! I'm delighted to say that this is a very easy book to read and a terrific pathway back into demolishing books like the good old days.

The worldbuilding is decently rounded out and the plot points are relatively paint by numbers and predictable (which I'll get to).

Shall we dot point? Thank god I'm not spoiling this for you!

Violet Sorrengail She's got all the traits of a YA fantasy heroine and then some! However special she might end up being, there wasn't once a time I thought that things were just a bit too easy for her, which sometimes takes the fun away. Don't get me wrong, she is very special with her two dragons and duel-toned hairstyle and legacy family, but it never felt like it was getting to the point of complete absurdity which is a fine line to walk.

Her disability (Ehlers Danlos, though it isn't called that in the book) was extremely well written, naturally due to the author's experience. It's a part of her, one that she's fully come to terms with and handles on the daily, no song and dance drawing all the attention to this one big thing making it her entire personality. Rare!

It provided great growth for her as well, accepting that sometimes she isn't like everyone else (not in that way) and sometimes she needs that little bit of a helping hand was a great big step! It's a struggle to accept that sometimes you need accommodations, everyone wants independence and to concede it certainly hurts.

Xaden Riorson Speaking of independence, let's discuss my- everyone's- favourite character! Now, is he my favourite because I think that he is a very good boy who treated Violet very well and did everything he could to prepare her for the realities of fighting a war so she wouldn't have to rely on anyone?

Obviously not, she thought he was going to kill her and I swooned!

Call me predictable, my head will turn xx

I think, beyond me having a crush on him, Xaden was quite genuinely an interesting character to follow. None of the mysteries are particularly deep, but I'm hardly Sherlock Holmes and they were more than enough to keep my attention. Bit by bit, he went from generic bad boy number whatever to an actual person with thoughts and a world-formed view. He's lived in this world, before the events of the book, and you can tell from his actions, sublime!

Dain Aetos Broooooski I was foaming at the mouth. Forgive my language, but brother was on my nerves and FKN stayed there!! Look, to have someone who wants to protect is one thing, but to do that by implying incapability? Violet better than me for real, I might have told him to stick it.

Every party needs a pooper and that's why we invited Dain.

DRAGONS What's this? The biggest draw in of the book? I think so!!!

Ever since I've had eyes I too have loved shiny things and Andarnaurram is right there in my heart with all the other sparklies. She is highly baby and if anything ever happens to her you will find me face down, ugly sobbing, inconsolable.

But enough about me!

I was a fan of all the dragons and how they interacted with their riders. Everyone had fun and interesting personalities that bounced well off their human counterparts. Otherworldly? Yes. Just buddies in big scaley skins? Also yes! The different colours were cool, but the different tail endings were cooler, it's a way of differentiation I'd not seen before but you're welcome to correct me.

Other, more spoilery thoughts By other, I mean some gripes. Now, I'm a picky bitch so these aren't experience ruiners but more nitpicks.

You remember how I said paint by numbers? A LOT of the plot points were telegraphed mere moments before they occurred. Violet bonding to Tairn and Andarna, Jack's allergy to oranges and the book of fables all come to mind as clumsily dropped into sentences or entire chapters. It felt a little tooooooo hand holdy, I almost expected a kiss on the forehead once we got to where the foreshadowing wanted me.

Murder was just a little too easy to get away with. Jack was straight evil to begin with, there's no way he should have remained in the fighter quadrant. I understand the explanation, strongest prevail, yadayada, at some point maybe you should kick the dude practically HALVING your cadet pool out of the quadrant? Sure, he got scolded for killing someone in a sparring match, but any leader with half a brain would have known that numbers in a fight also matter.

Nothing more comes to mind, so I appreciate you listening to my thoughts. I'll see you next time, stay well!

Hannah xx

[raayllum]

I was (randomly) rethinking abt your post when you said you were searching for another cartoon with good characters and great overarching plot and now I have a big question for ya.

Have you ever watched infinity train?

If you haven't, go watch it.

But like. don't look up anything about it. not even the description on internet. maybe just season 1's trailer on the CN YouTube channel.

I think you'll really like it!

If you have watched do you mind sharing your thoughts about it?

So Infinity Train had been on my list of cartoons to get to basically since it started airing in 2019 (I still remember seeing the experimental pilot adjacent piece that would hang around tumblr sometimes I wanna say around 2014-2016ish?) and I only got around to it November of this year. My partner and I basically binge watched the show together, doing anywhere from 2-6 episodes a night (greatly helped by how short the eps are, only 10 min, but mostly because of how goddamn engrossing the show is). We finished all four seasons in like just under two weeks.

So here is my official pitch to any TDP fan or any fan of animation in general to watch this amazing show because, I kid you not, it is now my third favourite cartoon of all time. Yeah.

Basic non spoilery premise: Kids get on a train when they need to figure something out in their life. Upon entering the train, they get a number on their hand; every number is different (usually). Passengers sometimes befriend denizens, sentient creatures on the train. Every train car is different; sometimes silly, sometimes a puzzle, and sometimes downright dangerous. Every season focuses on a different passenger and denizens, although there are interconnected references throughout

Slightly more in detail thoughts with very loose spoilers if someone wants to go in knowing nothing, but not enough to seriously spoil anything

Season one: best mystery factor, Atticus is best corgi boy and I almost rioted, I love one-one with my whole heart. Was not prepared for the emotional swerve in episode five but in retrospect I'm so happy it was there to not only like, be Good, but also set the stage for what's to come.

Season two. My personal favourite season feat. favourite dynamic. Jesse and MT are my exact ship type, and it felt like I was given a new form of Rayllum to love. Some of their dialogue was like, almost word for word parallels to Rayla and Callum, angry girl + soft boy who help each other mutually grow in a pseudo-canon simultaneously queerplatonic way and I ate that shit up. Their development is so sweet and perfect, both as friends and as individuals

Also very moving exploration of the concept of personhood that again, felt vaguely similar to TDP, as well as nb allegory? Hell yeah. I cried happy tears. Alan Dracula is king, love that bitch.

Season three. The best written season of the show I think, but can I just say, from the bottom of my heart, What the fuck? The meme below was my face the entire time.

The darkest piece of animation in tv I've ever seen, and I watched all of Transformers: Prime that had an organ harvesting plotline. It was forty minutes of uneasiness propelled forward by fascinating dysfunction and escalation of terror in a fucked up, loving, dangerously codependent relationship that is basically "No children" by the mountain goats or "Evelyn Evelyn" in a nutshell. I will think about this season every day for the rest of my life. I could literally feel myself becoming a better writer just by watching it. I can't even remember if I cried. Everything Shera was too much of a coward to do. Immaculate and hard hitting in every way. As good as it is fucked up. 10/10 antagonist-protagonists, I've never felt so much for an antagonist in my life

Season four. I love my gay Canasian musician sons. Continues Infinity Train's incredibly good exploration of messy relationships and all the way we can hurt and help each other through the muddle of good intentions. Love the Canadian rep and seeing two differing Asian experiences, as well as the lighter tone after s3. This song I literally just discovered really fits. The parallel framing device all throughout ep1 is masterful. Super sweet ending to the series. "Train to nowhere" <3

And while I am bitter and disappointed that we'll never get the 8 seasons that were planned, I am so grateful and happy we got these four. Literally changed the way I thought about animation and what the medium has been allowed to do. Will rewatch it often and book 3 whenever I'm in a place to be fucked up for a week afterwards. Seriously cannot say just how good this show is. God. It's so damn good

[papa-evershed]

Okay, so this is random and feel free to ignore, but one of my passion projects is reviewing movies that attempt disability representation (the good, the bad, and the ugly). I can't stomach Lena Dunham, but I'm willing to bite a bullet if there's any substance in there about neurodivergence. I know you said they beat around the bush and don't name/address it--I've reviewed plenty of things that do that, it's a favorite move of awful writers. But in your opinion, is it worth any kind of analysis? Or is it genuinely just such shit that it's not worth the effort? Like, the terrible Sia movie was worth it because it was a great example of what not to do, so it was a teaching moment. But the vibe with Sharp Stick is that it's not even that?

Also, thanks for snagging the thigh pic.

I'm gonna put this under a read more just in case anyone finds the discussion to be spoilery but I absolutely don't mind answering for ya

Full disclosure, I haven't watched all of Sia's movie, though I've seen bits and pieces and read a lot of reviews/breakdowns of it. I'm going to guess that Sharp Stick isn't quite as bad as it though. The main character is definitely not just a prop to the other characters. She isn't treated as a burden to others but she's quite obviously treated very badly, and the mistreatment goes completely unnoticed and is never addressed.

There is this post in the Sharp Stick tag that is about how the character was written as autistic and they consulted the OP about the representation but decided there wasn't any time and ultimately made the decision to no longer have the character be autistic in addition to no longer consulting OP. Now, I can't speak for the original script this woman read but in the movie the character is still clearly autistic, I think the only thing they probably really removed was the label. I'm also going to guess that because they decided to NOT consult with this person that this is another film where an autistic person is being played by a non-autistic person with zero input from the autistic community. I could be wrong, maybe Lena was secretly consulting someone else. But...yeah.

Everything about this movie just felt lazy to me. The script, the acting, the plot, and yeah, even the representation. It wasn't the worst I've ever seen, there were a few parts I do think she got right (in addition to some cringe worthy shit), but overall, it just felt like another instance where they created an autistic-coded character because actually addressing their autism was just too much work.

TL;DR - it wasn't the worst I've ever seen, it surely wasn't the best, it feels half-assed. But I'd be interested in reading your take on it if you ever decide to suffer through the movie, because you will suffer. You could remove every questionable aspect from the movie and it still wouldn't be good. It's recycled in almost every way.

[wellhalesbells]

If you have the time and if you don't mind, what are some books you really recommend? Doesn't have to be all time faves, but anything that pops into mind that you want more ppl to read and love, Extra points if lgbt+ , i got the whole summer with little to do and i wanna spend it reading some good quality writing and honestly so far your recs have introduced me to so many faves its unbelievable

[blushes profusely] oh wow, thank you!!!  i’m so glad you’ve trusted me enough to check out some of the stuff i reblog; that is like the ultimate compliment, i can’t even???  i don’t mind at all(!), fair warning though: i only started recording what i read partway through last year and my mind is like a sieve so i’ll do my absolute best to remember what’s sang to me in the recent past.  warning number two: i’m in an open relationship with absolutely every genre out there so i’ll try to note which belongs where so you can avoid those that hold no interest for you.

LGBT+

i’ll give you the sun.  i loved this book, the writing is fucking transformative and all the characters are so damn likable, while still being realistically flawed human beings.

the raven cycle (tetralogy).  definitely my favorite series since harry potter.  the writing, the world-building, the characters, it’s all on top-form.  i wrote a little, mini non-spoilery review of it: here, back when i was better (worse?) wordly-wise and my feels were brand new.

more happy than not.  i’m still not sure how i feel about this book.  it was hard, but it felt very true to the characters and the lingo and style matched the ages of the players and i have a lot of respect for that.

the watchmaker of filigree street.  woooow i loved this book.  i admit ‘historical fiction’ kind of makes me cringe.  it never precludes me from reading a book but it does knock it down the list by a book or five because they’re often very dense and very clunky and end up taking me ages to get through.  but this one was gorgeous.  i loved the plot, the attention lovingly placed on every character and the historical elements.  the surprise gay in an already brilliant book felt like winning the lottery honestly.

captive prince (trilogy).  okay, truthfully, i’m only putting this on here because the second book is such a high point for me.  it was never bad at any point but it had unfortunately been hyped far too much for it to live up to my, admittedly, very high expectations.  hopefully it’ll fare better with you?

everything i never told you.  i go back and forth on this one.  i like the writing a lot, i like the LGBT aspect a lot, and i like the mystery aspect a lot but there are definitely characters i would cut out entirely for sheer predictability if i could and that killed a lot of my enjoyment at the time (but i think much more highly of it in retrospect?).  so, take that as you like.

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe.  if there’s a book that handles its characters with more care or respect or consideration then i haven’t run into it.  i love the way this is written and the people it’s populated with.

flying lessons & other stories.  a bunch of uber talented authors writing a bunch of uber diverse and LGBT-focused stories and, yes, that is exactly as awesome as it sounds.

the song of achilles.  it is utterly heart-breaking but so rich, honestly.

FANTASY

the diviners.  (also has a minor LGBT character, who may play a bigger role in the sequel?)  fair warning, i have not read the sequel, lair of dreams, because it is somehow still not out in paperback (yes, i read physical books, yes, i pretty exclusively read paperbacks so i can lug them everywhere with me, YES, I PRE-ORDERED THIS ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO AND IT’S STILL NOT OUT, NOT THAT I’M BITTER ABOUT THAT OR ANYTHING) so i can’t speak to that one finishing on a high note as i don’t know.  but this was the first historical novel i managed to like in a long while.  it does such a good job of fusing in 1920s lingo and dress and aspects that i couldn’t help but love it.  add in the fantasy elements and i can admit i’m the perfect sucker for it.

the scorpio races.  i’m not sure why but it took me a long-ass time to get into this book, i wasn’t flipping pages with gusto until well towards the end but - especially as i was reading so much YA at the time - i really appreciated coming across a romance that lets both people come into it as themselves and stay themselves, neither puck nor sean were ever smashed or crumpled or shaved away to fit into their relationship, which was so refreshing.  plus the water horses were fucking cool.

the night circus.  the writing, the atmosphere, the circus.  just… it is all very whoa.

all the birds in the sky.  i loved this writing style and these characters and the magical elements.

CONTEMPORARY

i’ll meet you there.  there was something about this and i just… ended up liking it way more than i expected to.  i might’ve just read it at exactly the right time, i’m not sure, but i really enjoyed it.

the invoice.  this is honestly just hella cute and so freaking surreal.  swedes, man.

NON-FICTION

why not me?  i like mindy kaling a lot.  i make no apologies for that.  plus you can read both her books in about five seconds, haha.

SCIENCE FICTION

station eleven.  i loved this book.  the way the narrative is woven is so refreshing and i wish the comic book miranda was writing in this book was a real thing more than anything else in the woooorld.

illuminae.  hot DAMN this book was cool.  the plot was rock solid, the characters were hilarious and badass and the graphics made out of text and spiraling words and just the way this thing is put together?  shit, it’s worth your money and then some.

a robot in the garden.  okay this is just cute as hell.  i can’t even with tang, he’s the most adorable robot to ever adorable.

annihilation (southern reach trilogy).  (LGBT minor characters.)  okay, honestly?  i don’t know.  this was freaking zany but i was invested as fuck in all the kookiness for reasons i can’t articulately elaborate on.

the martian.  hilarious, engaging, SPACE.  what more do you want?

HORROR

things we lost in the fire.  this is more atmospheric than anything but, damn, could this get me wishing i wasn’t reading this in the dark or looking over my shoulder to make absolutely sure no one was standing behind me.  it’s a book of short stories (by the way, i love books of short stories and i definitely realize that is not true for everyone) and each one is so well-delivered and stylized.  i really enjoyed reading this.

let the right one in.  okay, this is legit horror so definitely stay away if you’re easily squicked out but it is harrrrrd to find good horror (at least in my opinion) and this definitely, definitely qualifies.

horrorstör.  i honestly had such low expectations for this, a horror story set in a wannabe-ikea, but it ended up being so ridiculous and strange and funny that i was won over by the finish.

the girl with all the gifts.  holy unique and well-executed zombie idea, batman!

SHORT STORIES

the bigness of the world.  there were definitely ones here that hit better than others but the ones i liked, i really liked!

GRAPHIC NOVELS (i read a lot of these so, um, prepare yourself)

saga.  (LGBT minor characters as well.)  this is world-building to a degree that i’m convinced did not exist before.  just, i can’t say enough amazing things about this series and the staggering amount of imagination that regularly goes into it.

ms. marvel.  heart-warming as fuck.  it’s definitely really easy to lose faith in the world these days, luckily kamala is there to remind you that people are primarily and genuinely good.

black science.  this is another one that took just an insane amount of imagination to cook up.  i got off to kind of a rocky start with this one but the gray-ness of all the characters really speaks to me, and that doesn’t really blossom until later in the series.

spider-man/deadpool.  this was very satisfying for my super duper spideypool-shipping mind.  joe and ed did us so good, and joe basically said in his sign-off: i made it absolutely as gay as they would let me, haha.

the wicked + the divine.  (LGBT minor characters that you’re going to get way too attached to, and retroactively.  it’s awful [sobs].)  the concept for this, gods reincarnating into teenagers before they burn up their hosts after a predetermined set of time, is so fucking cool.  the humor and the characters and the plot is all just aces.

iceman (LGBT MAIN CHARACTER).  okay, so this just started.  like issue #2 was only released days ago but 1) i am liking it so far and 2) marvel did it so dirty and barely advertised bobby - an openly homosexual superhero - was getting his own series, like, i found out about it the day before it went on sale and i keep my ear fairly close to the ground (not as close as some BY A LOT, but closer than the lay person i’d say) so if you can support it, please do!  pre-orders mean a lot in terms of numbers. :))))

descender.  admittedly, this starts out rooough.  because the main character, TIM-21 (and his little dog too), are annoying as hell.  he’s an android so there’s no dimension to him so he’s booooring as all get out but i am so glad i stuck with it through to the next trade because, probably picking up on the unsustainability of him as a main character, he gets shuffled off and the side characters get the stage and they rock so hard.

paper girls. (LGBT main characters.)  i’m kind of just convinced that brian k. vaughan can do no wrong at this point.  his plots are so tight and mind-blowing and badass.

monstress.  here’s a little tid-bit about me: female comic book writers are 100% more likely to get my money and my time because they are so damn rare and this series is unique, badass, and eye-opening.

black monday murders.  i’m a little premature with this since there’s only one volume and i usually try to wait until there are at least two but i check up on a volume two a lot so that definitely means something intrigued me!

nailbiter.  okay, i haven’t read the final volume yet ‘cause i’m reluctant to let it go but, so far, a series about multiple serial killers all being from the same town has me VERY HOOKED.

i wish i could remember more but this is honestly way better than i expected to do, haha.  they’re definitely not all my all-time faves but they’re ones that have stuck with me for one reason or another and that i didn’t feel i wasted my time on, so that’s something, right?  i hope this helps get you started and that you don’t think too awfully of me when you inevitably run across ones that aren’t your cup of tea!

[books--andt]

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon Review and Discussion

This book follows the perspectives of Natasha a practical science-loving Jamaican undocumented immigrant and Daniel, a Korean-American who doesn't want to follow the path his parents have paved out for him. The two meet and Daniel, the helpless romantic and poetic boy that he is, convinces Natasha that the two of them can fall in love with each other in just one day.

I believe I mentioned before that Nicola Yoon is going to become an insta-buy for me from now on? Well that statement is still 1000% true!!

A LOT of people liked this book better than Everything Everything. But for me... Honestly I like Everything Everything better. Unpopular opinion? Don't get me wrong, this book was still great and I'd recommend anyone to read it, but Everything Everything... gah! *Heart Eyes*

This book takes place in New York over the span of 12 hours. That's right. Twelve hours!! Some may say this was insta-lovey but man! Nicola Yoon does a FANTASTIC job of making things that could be perceived as insta-love... so not insta-love! The same could go for Everything Everything. And while that situation is justifiable I think that this situation is justifiable as well.

Daniel meets Natasha while she is on her way to the Immigration office to try and stop her deportation. When they meet it's sort of like love at first sight, which I know can be off putting to those who don't believe in love at first sight. I don't think that Natasha saw Daniel in that way however. I think that she gradually (as gradual as you can be within the span of 12 hours) fell in love with him because they hung out all day and because they had a serious connection. While I don't believe in love at first sight for MYSELF (hey it can happen to other people!) I do believe that certain people can just click. And that's what happened with these two. They clicked. Their differences fit together like pieces of a puzzle. They way they thought was SO different it was really interesting to read from both perspectives.

I thought this book ended beautifully. I guess it's a Nicola Yoon thing to end books with just the right amount of space to leave you wanting more and wondering what will happen. With Everything Everything I legitimately WANTED MORE but for this book I thought it ended well, with just the right amount of wonder and conclusion.

This book had a lot of really great lines. I re-read them over and over and even wrote a couple of them down. I like how you can see all of the small connections in this book, to understand how everything happened so accordingly in Natasha and Daniel's day. I don't necessarily believe that everything happens for a reason; instead I think everything just happens (sort of what Natasha believed at first) but still, it was cool to read and understand those connections.

On a cool side note, I've never read a book where the main character has the same name as me (Natasha)! So that was neat. We are pretty different people though.

Since I've also read a bit about Nicola Yoon I found tons of connections to her and her life in this book. Her parents were immigrants. She is Jamaican. Her name is Nicola (N--> Natasha) and her husband who is Korean-American is named David (D--> Daniel). In a way this sort of made me feel like I was reading some type of fan fiction for her and her husband LOL. But I know that wasn't the intention. She just took her own life experiences and knowledge and wrote a very touching and heartfelt story!

I found it a bit hard to connect with the situation these characters were in just because It's hard for me to imagine being in a situation where I have so much pressure form my elders to become something I don't want to be, or let alone leave my country! That being said, I grew attached to these characters and I was routing for them (not just to be together but to succeed in their own lives) the entire time. It's important to read about lives that experience turbulence you will never have to experience yourself. It's eye opening and I commend Nicola Yoon for doing so! And yay for more diverse books! #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Now onto the spoilery bits!

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

There were parts about this story that I adored and small, little bits the I didn't as much. Mainly from the way Natasha thought about things. She said that she was a 'realist' but to me she seemed more of a Negative-Nicole. She would not accept that love was real. She would not accept that there could be something greater than science. At times she reminded me of some negative people I know, who just don't know how to accept that they are simply wrong. But Natasha changed. And despite her negative tendencies I still liked her and was routing for her. I did like Daniel better than her however. He reminded me of the people who dream. And it's good to have dreams, and to pursue them. What else are we supposed to do with our lives? We only have one life, we need to make the best out of it! I liked that he was poetic and sappy, but at times it seemed almost too forced. Like almost that he wouldn't let Natasha NOT fall in love with him. Ya feel me? I did however like that neither of them changed for the other person. They knew what they wanted in life, and somehow together they just sort of fit. This to me is important because when you fall in love you shouldn't change who you are for the other person, more so it should be an equal balance that each person sort of develops the thoughts or tendencies of the other person. They become connected.

I REALLLYYYY liked the side stories of those small characters. It just showed how each little thing that happened during the day connected, and how one small tiny thing that you do, might make a huge difference to someone else. This is most noticeable in the epilogue, when we find out that because Natasha thanked that security officer, Irene, for taking the time to fondle her (LOL) it saved her life. It's the small things people. It's the smiles at strangers, the thank you's to grocery clerks, that can make all the difference in someones day- or even their life.

I also liked that we got a deeper inside scoop into Natasha and Daniels parents, and to kind of see where they were at in all of this. They had reasons behind everything. But those reasons didn't matter to their children.

There were just SOOOOO many profound lines in this book. A part that I really liked was when Natasha and Daniel are on the rooftop and they are discussing Black Matter. Natasha says it's the force that keeps the universe together, and Daniel says it's love. It's an interesting concept; that love is the force that keeps the world together, that keeps it from crashing down and exploding everything. I quite liked that.

I also liked when Natasha was explaining how the universe was made in milliseconds through an explosion- the Big Bang, and how every little thing that had to go right for that to happen can relate to love. Well, she didn't exactly say that, rather she said that love can't even compare to the universe being made. But I see the connection in a different way- that so many little things had to go right for the universe to be made, as did the events that happened during the day for Natasha and Daniel to meet and for them to fall in love. Daniel also mentions this concept of the universe being made when he is talking to Attorney Fitzgerald. He says that since the universe was created in the blink of an eye, that time matters. Each and every second of it.

I liked the connections of love to the universe. I feel like this is a book that you could study even. The message that sometimes the universe takes a bit longer to clear things up is hopeful and beautiful. And when Natasha and Daniel met again on that airplane ten years later- eeep! It was just the happiest ending.

4/5 stars- or should I say suns? ;) Just those little things Natasha would say annoyed me. I wasn't as attached to these characters like I was in Everything Everything, but I still had troubles putting this book down, and trying not to think about it after I did so. It was super fast paced and THAT COVER!! I can't believe someone took the time to actual create that. Just STUNNING!

What are your thoughts on The Sun Is Also A Star? I'd LOOOVEE to know!

Thanks for reading!

- T