The Neurospicy Bean

  This is one of those lovely romances where yes, it’s a romance and that relationship is central, but there’s also a huge emphasis on the other relationships in the book. It stars the titular Delilah Green, who maybe cares a little bit more than the title suggests, and Claire Sutherland, bookshop owner, single mother, and best friend of Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid Parker. Just that description should show how messy and tangled all the relationships in this book are – especially when you add the fact that Astrid is engaged to a guy everyone hates and asked Delilah to come home to be the wedding photographer. So aside from Delilah and Claire’s relationship, we’ve also got Delilah’s relationships with Astrid, Astrid and Claire’s other best friend Iris, Claire’s daughter Ruby, and the entire town of Bright Falls. Claire’s side is a bit less complicated, but not by much. All these relationships provide a richness and depth often not present in more straightforward romances. ...

  This is absolutely everything I want in a book: romance, drama, political intrigue, revolution, and deep emotional healing. It stars Kiem and Jainan, who have been forced into a rushed arranged marriage after the death of Jainan’s first husband. They are expected to put forward a united front to symbolize the relationship between Iskat, the imperial state run by Kiem’s family, and Thea, Jainan’s home planet which has begun to resist Iskat’s rule. They must navigate not only their personal challenges but also a dangerous plot that begins to appear amid increased unrest and exploitation. So, again – just absolutely the ideal blend of romance and external plot for me. I absolutely adored both of these characters. Kiem in particular was so unreservedly sweet and compassionate. Also there was one of my favorite tropes ever, also known as “oh no we’re stranded in the freezing wilderness, we’d better huddle together in a tiny tent for warmth.” Plus a big dramatic confession of love at t...

  So I’ve been thinking about this book for a week now and I just don’t know what to make of it. On the one hand, there were elements I adored – Valentin and Carmen were wonderful characters (Carmen was some of the best casual transfemme representation I’ve ever seen), and there were some really beautiful found family moments. On the other hand, the actual plot felt kind of unnecessary, and seemed to resolve too fast – like there was never a real point to it anyway. The vignettes of Poppy’s life l earning to be a vampire were far more interesting to me, and I would have liked to see more. But on the other hand, without a plot to anchor it I think it would have felt adrift and meandering. Which is something I know some readers enjoy, but I personally don’t. I realize this doesn’t sound like much of an actual opinion, but like I said – I just don’t know what to do with this book. I think it will appeal to a certain kind of reader, and I happened to like plenty of it, but I definitel...

  (NetGalley eARC) This is exactly what a retelling should be. One of the challenges that has cropped up with this series of retellings – and all queer retellings – is how to write a queer retelling of a tragedy critiquing humanity’s greatest flaws that’s really just kind of a bummer…without falling into the age-old trap of “bury your gays.” Too much deviation from the original, and you lose the emotional and intellectual core of the story – some of you might remember my frustration with the Great Gatsby retelling earlier in this series. Too loyal to the original, and not only have you not created anything new but you’ve also bought into one of the most insidious, heart-breaking ways that our society tells queer people our existence is inherently a joyless burden. Without getting into spoiler territory, I just want to say: this book absolutely nailed the balancing act. Fundamentally, Romeo and Juliet is a story about young people who are so trapped by their parents and society and...

Everyone should read this book, just for the perspective it provides. Far too often we’re taught by popular culture that queer community doesn’t exist outside of the western world and that, if trans people existed before 2000, they led repressed lives without access to community or care. These are vast oversimplifications which are challenged and dismantled in Geena Rocero’s biography. I’ll admit that I myself had fallen into these traps, so I was honestly amazed by the stories Rocero told – of the popularity of trans pageants in the Philippines even decades ago, of her transition from a relatively young age, of how the makeup counter at the Macy’s she worked at was known to be where the trans Filipina women worked. This biography provides a window into a world that many of us aren’t aware of – that, in fact, has been deliberately obscured and hidden from us by a culture that wants to teach us that to be queer, especially trans, is to be alone, that we have no history, that we should b...

  A little bit of romance, a little bit of politics, a little bit of magic, and some flamboyant queer poets – this book has a whole lot going for it. Despite the title, the book is told primarily from the perspective of Maeve, a death nun who gets caught up in working to solve the mystery of Imogen’s death and subsequent resurrection. Along the way she must confront assassination attempts, decadent parties, and her own doubts about her spirituality. The story features a vibrant array of side characters, many of whom I would have loved to see more of. Speaking of wanting to see more, I would also have liked to see more worldbuilding. What is there certainly isn’t bad, but I want to know more about the sisterhood and religion in this world, the political system on the island, and what the world looks like off the island. I suppose that’s the mark of interesting worldbuilding – I want to see more of the world, instead of feeling overwhelmed by details. My only serious complaint with t...

  I really really liked this but I seriously needed it to be a duology or something. Not because I want more of the story after it ended, but because it got so rushed at the end and it would have been massively improved by just letting it be two books. It has two main elements that are, of course, deeply interwoven. The premise of the book is that a cult popped up through England’s early history who believed that one day King Arthur would return and take his place as ruler of the country, bringing magic back with him. This group is in political conflict with the dominant Catholic Church, which backs Gwen’s father’s right to the throne. Art’s father is a cultist, and Gwen and Art were arranged to be married as children to create ties between the two groups. So that’s one element of the book: a sort of political intrigue storyline. The other element is the relationships between Gwen and the knight she’s been obsessed with for years, Gwen and Art, and Art and Gwen’s brother, Gabriel. ...