#book review of shadows

[thefatfeministwitch]

Blood Sex Magic by Bri Luna | Book Review of Shadows

An intimate, illustrated collection of spells and stories to infuse our lives with ritual, history, and magic from the visionary artist and infamous witch Bri Luna, founder and creative director of “The Hoodwitch.” Blood Sex Magic is an invitation and an awakening—a guide toward a life of connection to self and spirit, to the seen and unseen realms, and to magical traditions past and future. Bri…

[reyreadersblog]

i'm actually pissed off.

I am sure everyone in grishaverse fandom has seen this negative review of six of crows. If you don't know who i am talking about..

This, i'm talking about this specific review.

(Go watch it if you haven't but know that it the dumbest review ever)

(I couldn't take a better screenshot, *cough* she didn't deserve it *cough*)

At first when she started critisizing the book, i though "woah.." because it's one of my favourite books, but since everyone has different opinions, i decided to watch the video, in order to understand what she disliked about this book.

I don't know why, but i expected logical a explanation from her, mabye because she is a grown ass woman...

and what came out of this woman's mouth actually shocked me💀

First of all "it's a fucking heist for god's sake" and mabye she has sight problems? Because it litearlly says "six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist" on the freaking cover so wtf did she expect?

"Do i look like that's something i would enjoy?" (Keep in mind she read the full summary) let me answer your question with a question, are you dumb? It's a ya book about group of teenagers with a heartbreaking past who go on this dangerous heist, if it is something you know you will not enjoy, then why tf did you read it in the first place?

Oh and uhm..this is her bio

She also said "half of the book was written in different laguage" saying that at your grown age is insane...

A. I understand that it is a little difficult to get into it, especially if you haven't read shadow and bone, and i haven't read it so it was a bit hard to understand certian magic elements in the book, but nothing that a human's brain can't comperhend...

B. Saying those kind of things about a YA book is crazy. I've seen her videos before and she is definitley one of those "i can't read a book if there is no smut" kind of reader, (litearlly her bio) so when you are reading a ya book and you decide to critisize it just because there was no smut in it is EMBARASSING, the book is about literal teens with trauma and you expect them to have sex??? DISGUSTING.

C. Soc has one the best romance subplot(s), oh wait let me spell it: S-U-B-P-L-O-T.

Definition:

And again, if you know you're a an adult romance girlie (with a lot of smut) , why are you reading a ya fantasy book with a HINT of romance in it and then start shitting about it??

Atp it's not even a "negative review" it's an insufferable blabbering.

Six of crows is an amazing duology and mabye next time she shouldn't read a book she know she won't like!?!

Like...go read Credence or any book by Penelope Douglas tbh

And leave ya books alone from this fucking smut for god's sake.

[calming-chaos]

[fruitytea454]

what i want,

I want to be someone who crosses the parapet and lives, and flies over the clouds at Basgiath War College and look down and smile. I want To make the decision that I can’t sit back and watch my country be destroyed.

[just-a-girl-who-likes-sharks]

It has taken me just over 3 months, but I have finally finished my Shadowhunters (re)read!

What an adventure this has been! I had read TMI, TID and TDA already years ago, back when I still read translated books because my English wasn’t good enough yet. I have found since then that I greatly prefer reading in English and this series was no exception.

As far as The Mortal Instruments is concerned, it truly is a product of its time. The story is the best one, the characters… not always as much (looking at you, Clary).

The Infernal Devices will for now and forevermore remain my favourite series. It is the perfect combination of amazing characters and good storytelling.

The Dark Artifices will forevermore come second, the story is good and the characters are good and I will protect Ty Blackthorn until the day that I die.

The Last Hours had by far the BEST characters in any of these books, the story itself was… not the best, but the characters more than made up for it. (Also I will go to WAR for Anna, Matthew and Alastair).

Ghosts of the Shadow Market will forevermore be the best standalone book in this entire franchise. (Also fun fact: the reason this is the only hardcover in my collection is because this is the only book here that I didn’t buy myself. Years ago my best friend and I had a bet and the loser had to buy the winner a book. He bought me a hardcover 😇)

It’s crazy that, after 3 months, it’s done just like that. I will greatly miss this series. And hope I won’t fall into a reading slump afterwards.

[victoriadallonfan]

There's Shadiversity drama????

I just know him as the funny shout man complaining about back sheaths.

Oh you have no idea.

Dude is an absolute alt-right moron. He got upset his daughter enjoyed Princess Peach, because Princess Peach wore pants and wasn’t a damsel in the Super Mario movie.

He openly says that he doesn’t believe people of the same sex should be able to get married.

He follows Matt Walsh (open fascist and Nazi), and several other white supremacist/alt-right YouTubers/podcasters/comic writers (including that former Injustice artist who went on to work on the “Blacklist Comic Universe”… because he got banned from mainstream comics for being an asshole)

He openly believes that women are biologically inferior to men and that they should be satisfied with the “soft power” they have as “home makers” and not focus on politics or wanting more rights.

He wrote a book called “Shadow of the Conqueror” which has a Mary Sue Hitler/Stalin/Mao expy who is 90 years old be given a “sexy” 17 year old body and tries to romance one of his many rape victims (who was 14 when the MC raped her as an adult btw, which makes her 40 years old by the time of the story starts…) and then beats her up and mocks her when she realizes he’s her rapist… while also claiming he can’t die because being allowed to live and see how much he’s hurting her is “a punishment greater than death”) to him.

Also when he’s confronted by all his former rape victims, the MC notes that the ones who were REALLY upset were women who didn’t get pregnant from said rape. Also also, any woman who is raped and exposed to darkness in the setting turns into sex crazed succubi (only the women and only by men; men can’t be raped or molested, not even his son whom the MC kills by impaling anally with a broken piece of wood) . Not that you would notice because literally every single woman, especially the sexually abused ones, throw themselves at the MC to have sex with them

You know what, go watch this review of the book

Anyways, after the book came out and more and more people started to realize this book is awful, sexist, homophobic (guess how many times the MC calls his friend gay… even for things as simple as “hey do you want to just walk around town and enjoy the view?”), and rape apologetic, Shad then created a video where he decides to read only positive (some of them non verified book purchasers) recent reviewers but is not smart enough to edit out the negative reviews that he scrolls by, so you can pause the video and read the ones that point out how bad the book is.

He is just a stupid, petty, bigoted man

[literatureaesthetic]

house of flame and shadow ; sarah j maas

this is floating somewhere between a high 3, low 4 stars for me. there was a lot to love and a LOT that could have been (and should have been) executed better. overall, i liked how everything wrapped up and how each character arc was completed. i've always said that 'house of earth and blood' is my favourite sjm novel, and this finale, although nowhere near a perfect conclusion, definitely didn't let the characters or the series down.

saying that, i have issues with the amount of plot conveniences in here. certain scenes felt so ridiculous and out of the bounds of logic that i had to laugh. it was difficult to suspend disbelief at times

nonetheless, i love these characters, and i love this world. this book was pure entertainment; i had so much fun reading and discussing with online friends. is it flawed? absolutely. but it was still a solid conclusion to a series i've been reading and loving for years now!!

[cardicoven]

🥀Book Review: Persephone's Pathway: Wisdom, Magick & Growth by Jennifer Heather

Full Title: Persephone's Pathway: Wisdom, Magick, Growth Author: Jennifer Heather Published by: Heather Publishing (seemingly self published) 2020 Good Reads: Link My Quick Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) stars. Persephone’s Pathway which while flawed and at times meandering is perhaps the best resource available for the modern pagan worshipping or working with Persephone and I wholly recommend it. Official Blurb: Persephone's Pathway is one of balance and duality; embrace the dual goddess archetype of Underworld Queen and Spring Maiden in order to achieve harmony. This book shares the wisdom of Persephone, along with spells and rituals to help you in your daily life. Shadow work exercises encourage you to work with the Underworld aspect of the Dark Goddess, whilst flower magick celebrates the joy and gentleness of the Spring Goddess. Blend the dark and light aspects together to experience how they shine a light on each other in this celebration of wholeness and authenticity. Personal Reason for Purchasing: Was looking for a pagan/witchy perspective on Persephone and stubbled across this one. (Bought from Amazon UK)

Overview of the book's contents. Introduction: A solid introduction, focusing on what the purpose of this book will be, and the author’s goals in writing it, namely ‘an exploration of the mythology and Symbolism surrounding Persephone, along with chapters dedicated to a facet of what she can teach us’, ‘both a collection of information and tribute to her’. Chapter 1: 'Who is Persephone': Introduction to Persephone, her role, dual nature, The Eleusinian mysteries, possible connections to Erishkegal (a mesopotamia goddess originating 4000 BC), and of course the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Chapter 2: 'Historic Origins': An exploration of the genesis of Persephone in Mythology, through to the Evolution of her story in present day literature. (A personal highlight). Chapter 3: 'A Myth Retold': A modern retelling of the hymn to Demeter by the author. Chapter 4: 'Symbolism': An exploration of the artefacts associated with Persephone, both modern and ancient, the creation of a unique glyph/sigil for Persephone and an extensive and detailed discussion of association/correspondences, some ancient, some contemporary and lastly her common epithets. Chapter 5: 'Creating an Altar': A collection of suggestions and guidelines on creating your own altar for Persephone and common offerings to gift the Goddess. Chapter 6: 'Persephone Magick: Begins with a basic beginners to magickal practice, followed by a recipe for a Persephone Anointing oils, a guide to connecting to Persephone, an innovation and an adaption of the Orphic Hymn to Proserpina.

The Seeds of Persephone A collection of chapters surrounding what the Author considers to be the six core aspects/values which Persephone embodies. Seed 1: 'Union': Focuses on Shadow-work, divine alignment for body and Spirit union, and includes a spell for Spiritual union of lovers, guidance surrounding meditation, shadow-work rituals, and a recipe for a love attraction oil. Seed 2: 'Balance': Begins with a discussion of how to, and the importance of maintaining balance in one’s life, including a meandering discussion of grounding, living with the seasons, incorporating nature into your life, meditation, seasonal altars, self-care, massage, and yoga. Lastly it includes recipes for a Persephone Beauty Elixer’ cream/lotion, a medicinal tonic, a spell for resolution, and a spell for making a decision. Seed 3: 'Intuition': Looks at ways to develop one’s intuition, including an outline for a Persephone focused Lithomancy technique (10 planetary stones, 6 Persephone stones (named for each of the author’s ‘Seeds’: Fertility, Justice, Balance, Union, Sovereignty and Intuition), three tarot spreads and the script for a guided meditation. Seed 4: 'Sovereignty': Is a discussion of [personal Sovereignty, and self-esteem, with journal prompts. Guidance on enchanting a power talisman, and a spell for protecting personal boundaries. Seed 5: 'Justice': Focuses heavily on Persephone in her Queen of the Underworld Aspect, touching on several myths in which she acted as a Purveyor of justice, (Orpheus and Psyche, and a discussion on Trust in regards to the Goddess. Followed by Several spells for truth telling, reflection on behaviour and fair resolutions. Seed 6: 'Fertility': Focuses on Persephone's Spring/Maiden Aspect. Followed by a discussion of Maiden goddesses, Flower Magick, creating Floral elixirs, cleansing sprays, a flower bathing ritual, and spell jars/Witch’s bottles. Followed by the Associations/correspondences and finally a script of a guided meditation, to meet Persephone in her Spring Aspect. Appendix: The Orphic hymn to Proserpina, translated by Taylor Thomas 1792.

Personal Thoughts and Review. I’m conflicted about this book. The first half is an excellent primer on Persephone and including her into one’s personal practice however, the second half the ‘Seeds of Persephone’ are at times Meandering, unfocused and clumsy, but there are jewels among the ramblings.

The book appears to be self published, so I’m inclined to be kinder to the Author than I would otherwise be; however, Persephone’s Pathway could really use reformatting (text justified etc), and would benefit immensely from an informed and passionate editor. Nevertheless this book is an excellent edition to the libraries of those of us who work with Persephone.

Aspects in detail. General content: The first half goes over a lot of content around Persephone, in some detail and is appropriately referenced through allowing the reader to research further. The Second half (the Seeds) is a mixed bag and approaches certain subjects extremely casually, namely Shadow-work and herbal medicine. Persephone’s correspondences: Primarily contained to Chapter 4, the Correspondences are in depth, reference and diverse. However, there are inaccuracies, the most obvious is a mention of Corn/Maize being cut as a part of the Eleusinian Mysteries. As a New World crop Corn was not in ancient Greece at the time and as such has no historical connection to the Mysteries. From my own understanding the crop cut during the Mysteries was likely Barley, a grain though to have great significance to the Eleusinian Mysteries as a part of the hallucinogenic cocktail thought to be drunk by initiates, barley is also part of the offering given by Oddyseus to summon Persephone (“first with milk and honey, then with sweet wine, then with water; and sprinkle white barley-meal above”). Rituals and Spells: It’s Always interesting to see another practitioner's approach, and covering a very broad scope although, I wish they were indexed since they appear throughout the book. Origin Myth retelling: An interesting retelling, possibly my favourite version, however it is not without flaws. Guided Meditations: Enjoyable and Interesting, these scripts approach many aspects of Persephone’s Mythos. Journaling Prompts: These appear seemingly at random in the latter half of the book, but are nevertheless thought provoking. Recommended Reading: While good to see, it is worthy of note that none of these books reference Persephone, Hellenic Polytheism, or Shadow-work. Which are the topics I would like to see additional material given some of my concerns with the book itself. Bibliography: Extensive and good practice.

The Seeds in Detail. Given their significance to the book I’ll review these chapters separately: Union: a clumsy chapter whose advice on Shadow-work is surface level and possibly dangerous for a beginner or someone who is mentally vulnerable. But this chapter does handle the topic of Love workings with the required levity. Balance: Waffling and honestly feels like filler, of the seeds this one is disappointing and feels like lost potential. Intuition: a major highlight of the book, a detailed exploration of Lithomancy, well written and thought provoking. Sovereignty: A good chapter, if a little long winded. Justice: Spectacular, discussion of Queen Persephone and of how to connect to the Underworld Aspect. A personal highlight. Fertility: An excellent close to the book but desperately needs reformatting.

Final Thoughts. I wholly recommend this book especially as a gateway into working with or worshipping Persephone. Despite its flaws, it is the best resource I’ve found on Persephone from a pagan/witch perspective, and my practice is better for reading it.

[sirwhiplash]

Just finished reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and before I start Crooked Kingdom I just had to share my theme songs (Spotify links for all!) for each of the characters and their ships. I cannot WAIT to draw them.

I did read Six of Crows before any of the Shadow and Bone. Was this a mistake? (Spoiler free answers only please xoxo)

I also have not seen the Shadow and Bone show on Netflix. Honestly, not expecting much.

Kaz: Blood on my Name by The Brothers Bright

Ineg: Buy the Stars by Marina and the Diamonds

Kaz x Ineg: Devil’s Backbone by The Civil Wars

Jesper: Can I Get a Witness by SonReal

Wylan: Moth Wings by Passion Pit

Jesper x Wylan: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers, Coldplay

Nina: Are You Satisfied by MARINA or Missile by Dorothy (*SPOILER* when she takes the jurda parem)

Matthias: Iron by Woodkid

Nina x Matthias: I Found by Amber Run

Bonus: The Ketterdam theme song is Short Change Hero by The Heavy. If there’s ever a Six of Crows show I hope it opens to Kaz walking down the streets of Ketterdam with that song.

[annafromuni]

Deborah Harkness' Lush Adult Fantasy World Expands With The Black Bird Oracle

And the wonder continues within the All Souls universe. Deborah Harkness’ The Black Bird Oracle is the fifth instalment in the All Souls Series, following the events of the original three books A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life, and we cannot forget about Time’s Convert. With so much more to discover and witness within this expansive, detailed, and enticing world, The…

[thefatfeministwitch]

Secrets of Greek Mysticism by George Lizos | Book Review of Shadows

A clear introduction to the spirituality, beliefs, rituals, and gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon from a modern practitioner. Secrets of Greek Mysticism is the first spiritual book about the Greek gods and goddesses written by a native, practicing priest of Hellenic Polytheism. It goes beyond the simplistic and archetypical representation of the Greek pantheon and instead introduces the…

[books-and-cookies]

5 SECOND REVIEW

[sillyredconverse]

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I hope that you can find a safe place to stay and are able to get everything that you need. Please stay safe and keep hope ❤️ 🙏

[radashes]

Book Review: The Syndicator (Dark Verse, #6) by Runyx

No sugarcoating, no hate—just my honest opinion. I didn’t like this book. It was disappointing.

I walked away feeling unsatisfied. Maybe my expectations were sky-high because the first four books set the bar so well. Here’s where the wheels really fell off:

Spotlight overload on Luna and Dainn: The book was supposed to cover all four couples, but it felt like the whole story revolved around Luna and Dainn. They were the main focus, and everyone else got sidelined.

Rename this book 'Morana and Shadow Man Save the Day': Seriously, Morana cracked every mystery like Sherlock Holmes on caffeine, and Shadow Man cleaned up the action. The others might as well have been cardboard cutouts in the background.

Tristan and Luna's unnecessary plot twist: Their relationship twist was completely unnecessary! I almost threw the book across the room. What was RuNyx thinking with that? It felt so pointless. Their first meeting was great, but then what? Zero screen time at the end. I wanted to see more of their sibling bonding, but nope.

Dante and Alpha were basically VIP spectators: These two felt like they were just sitting in the front row, watching the drama unfold. What exactly was their role here besides looking cool?

Morana deserved better: Tristan was my favorite male lead, but in this book, he was frustrating. He could tell his sister he loved her but couldn’t say it to Morana? She went through so much, and he just fussed over petty things. RuNyx could’ve portrayed him as a better partner. Morana deserved more than this sad, lopsided love story.

Alpha’s memory loss left hanging: The whole series ended, and we still didn’t get Alpha’s memories back? I was really looking forward to that.

The ‘family’ vibe was missing: The ending didn’t feel like “they’re all one big family.” Instead, the ending gave off “awkward coworkers at a forced team-building retreat” energy. Luna felt distant, and while her story took center stage, she didn’t seem to fit in at the end. Where were the heartfelt moments between Dante and Luna? All he did was doubt her. And Luna’s struggles were rushed through one scene like no one cared.

Luna’s character shift: I loved her in Annihilator, but here? She felt like a moody teenager on her first crush. The “Mine” line was soooo cringe and weird… When Morana was in the hospital, why didn’t she check on her or Tristan? And her reaction to meeting her own child, Xandar was So flat.

The Syndicate—big talk, no action: This villain was hyped up through the entire series as the ultimate threat. I expected an epic showdown, but it was over in two minutes. Shadow Man handled it, and everyone else, like Dante and Alpha, were chilling at home like it was a casual Sunday. The villain appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Underwhelming plot: Honestly, the main story could’ve been told in 10 pages. The rest was just filler romance and unnecessary character appearances. Zephyr’s mother suddenly killing her father? Random. And everyone was so wrapped up in Luna’s drama that no one even cared. I actually laughed because it felt so ridiculous.

In the end, this book was just okay—not terrible, but far from great. I’m still glad I discovered this series, and I hope RuNyx keeps writing and creating amazing characters in the future.

[inkonshadowpaper-blog]

my boy yuri did not deserve that also “the starless saint” is a sick as fuck title i’m gonna steal it

also the saint of the book was a sick ending loved that

and sankta alina’s entry was really interesting

3 stars to “The Lives of Saints” by Leigh Bardugo pls give us more fictional folklore im begging

[very-bad-poetry-captain]

TOS novel book review McCoy edition nr 3 - Shadows on the sun

Cheers to the first tos novel that I seriously considered throwing across the room. Great book though. Set just after the events of The Undiscovered Country so you know McCoy is in his sexy old man era and he did for sure suffer a lot. Perhaps too much. 💔

Link to the previous review

Title: Shadows on the sun

Author: Michael Jan Friedman (also wrote Double, double among other things)

Year published: 1993

Content warning: graphic depictions of dead and dying people, for example in war zones and assassinations.

Plot summary in two sentences:

I can't believe they made him suffer this much on the way home after The Undiscovered Country ended. My god, there are limits to how much suffering this man (and I) can survive.

Alternatively

The Enterprise is sent to resolve a conflict on the planet Ssan, home to a religious-like group of assassins who are trying to take back power, because the last time this war happened McCoy was sent there as an emergency medic (his first deployment pretty much) and therefore he knows a thing or two about the culture there unlike Jocelyn's new husband who sucks a lot even though he and Jocelyn make up the diplomatic team meant to actually resolve the conflict. Includes McCoy's backstory of his time as a young medic on his first assignment to the active war zone that Ssan was back then as well as a lot of sexual tension with his ex-wife.

Official plot summary:

Dr. Leonard McCoy confronts his past and the wife he left behind.

///

"The Klingons," insisted McCoy, "are children compared to these assassins..."

///

"The Ssani won't negotiate. Not with the government, not with us, not with anybody." Commodore Montoya leaned back in her chair. "Doctor McCoy is right, gentlemen. It would be a mistake to underestimate the difficulty of what the Federation is asking of you."

"However?" suggested Kirk.

"However," said Montoya, "we are still asking."

This book is for you if you:

Revel in McCoy's neverending suffering

Can ignore that the plot is kinda unresolved (bc the ultimate goal of this book is for McCoy to suffer and the mission kinda solves itself once he's suffered enough)

Can handle the way men wrote women in 1993 (who am I kidding, a lot of authors still do this to women)

Hunger for McCoy backstory

Now, one could make a serious and detailed and very long actual book review about the plot of this book bc I have a million thoughts about it, but alas, this review is about McCoy so I encourage you to read the book. Just be prepared for the risk that it gives you feelings like "I really hate McCoy's ex-wife's husband" and "my god, she did Not deserve That" and "this book is doing things to me and i'm not sure i like it".

The ultimate McCoy questionnaire under the read-more (minor spoilers):

1. Is McCoy in it?

This author's favorite character is McCoy and much like a fanfic writer he uses his powers for pure evil. We could rename this book to "Crimes Against McCoy".

2. Is McCoy in it a lot?

Most of the book is either McCoy's pov or they talk or think about McCoy. This book is about McCoy. It's about McCoy suffering. Suffering now, suffering in the past, yes even giving him lots of things to continue suffering about in the future. If you don't enjoy McCoy being hurt you should probably avoid this book because it's about very little else.

3. Does he get to be concerned over whatever angst has befallen Kirk lately?

Listen Kirk is really happy when this book starts and then he gets kidnapped. Presumed dead. McCoy says out loud that Kirk is (was) one of the two people he loves most in the world so you know things are bad when he starts spewing love confessions out loud. Also, the worst thing that happens to Kirk is Jocelyn telling him the story of how she cheated on McCoy when they were young and I am going crazy over the fact that the author doesn't give Kirk any room to angst about that afterwards. Like does he tell McCoy that he knows the story now? We shall never know. If you read the book you'll understand why I'm tearing my hair out.

4. Does he get to have silly little arguments with Spock?

This book is life or death no silliness allowed. Spock is so so sweet in this book though.

Jim describes their friendship like this:

"To listen to them, you'd probably think they were bitter enemies. But when push comes to shove-and believe, me it has-there's a bond of affection between Spock and McCoy that even I can't fathom. Nor do I try."

Of course they also share some very meaningful eye contact. No words needed etc. I'm sure if it weren't for the utterly depressing plot these two would be happily tearing into each other.

5. Is he the damsel in distress?

Tricky question. Lots of distress for sure. He does get saved from being murdered once, and Spock shows off some Vulcan strength for him, but other than that he's not much of a damsel in this one.

6. Does he suffer, preferably a lot? Physical and/or psychological torment.

I made this list before I read this book, and now I kinda regret the flippant wording. My god, the man suffers. I don't want to spoil things too much but there's retirment angst, injuries, psychological horrors, deaths, and mistakes and regrets and dealing with how much he still loves his ex-wife. Besides, being subjected to Jocelyn's new husband is more than anyone can take, including me. The torment never ends.

7. Does he get to whine and complain and be right about it? Even better, is he wrong about it?

McCoy says "don't do it" but they do it and the consequences are fatal. It's borderline one of those "the plot only happens bc one guy sucks more than is believable or reasonable but on the other hand people like that sadly exist" and that's the part that made me want to throw the book against the wall or sth. Imagine if people listened to McCoy. None of star trek would have happened I guess. Except for the fact that the commodore listens to McCoy which is the reason they get sent a diplomatic team. They should have just let the poor man retire.

8. Does he get to throw some of that southern charm around?

It's always funny when aliens get really into McCoy. He's just there and they're like wow. Is anyone gonna bridge that cultural gap or...

I try to make this sound funny but in reality there's very little charm opportunies in this book. He doesn't need to charm his ex-wife either she still loves him. Obviously. Who wouldn't.

9. Does he get to do some medical malpractice?

The backstory plot when he's an emergency medic on Ssan is really interesting. Some very philosophical questions are asked, including "is it wrong to save a life if according to that person's culture, to do so is the ultimate disgrace towards them?" The alien thinks he's doing a lot of medical malpractice for sure.

10. Does Spock call him illogical or similar?

Spock is like, "Jim, the doctor is sad and I don't know what to do :/" You know a book is serious about making McCoy suffer when Spock is nice to him.

11. Is he forcibly put through his arch nemesis the transporter? Or the dress uniform?

They make special mention of young backstory McCoy being very afraid of transporters. And there's his fear of heights. And Kirk notes that McCoy is upset enough that he isn't even complaining about having to let someone shoot his atoms halfway across the galaxy.

12. Does Kirk call him handsome (joke or not this happens more than you'd think)?

He uses a lot of words like "miserable" and similar.

13. Bonus points if his accent is pronounced and his speech is full of befuddling southern expressions which make Spock question McCoy's sanity (and me wondering if I need a dictionary)

I was too miserable reading this to pay attention

Criticisms/things I'd change

I won't bring up every thought i have bc this post would never end, but the big thing that stands out is that Mr. Friedman starts the foreword claiming that he based Jocelyn on his own wife and how he feels about her, and while I assume he meant the neverending love part, the rest of it made it really weird. Also he wrote Jocelyn into such a trope-y, boring character that I feel bad for her. Justice For Jocelyn my girl deserved better. The plot about the mission and how the backstory tied into it was very good and interesting and philosophical and could have stood on its own. It almost felt like two books in one until the very end. And the ending was... well. I didn't like it. And as usual with star trek the ending came very fast and not enough time was spent on the philosophical questions that had been raised throughout the book. The book suffered a bit from how cliché the part with Jocelyn was.

Highlights:

This guy writes McCoy, Spock and Kirk really well. They feel in character and their interactions were always great. I wish the backstory part was longer bc in my opinion that was the best part of the book, very thought-provoking and a great insight into young McCoy. Of course, the suffering was impeccable even if I'm a little too weak when things get truly dark. Kirk's obvious love and concern for McCoy was a definite highlight I'd say.

Final McCoy meter: 10/10 it can't get worse than this