Published: 3/3/23 **ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** #FoolMeOnce #NetGalley
Basics Genre: fantasy, romance, MM rom4 stars
Published: 3/3/23 **ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** #FoolMeOnce #NetGalley
Basics Genre: fantasy, romance, MM romance, LGBT+ Setting: 4-court Kingdom, in the Court of Love Themes: ruin, revenge
Characters Lark: 23yo bi/pan jester of the Court of Love who trades in secrets Arin: Prince of Love who has hidden away in his room for 4 years Razak: prince of the Court of Pain
Pros +LGBT rep: bi/pan MC + I stayed up til 3AM reading this in one sitting. + court dynamics of a crumbling kingdom + murderer afoot + Lark's past is so dark and layered that it adds depth to his character and provides plenty of motivation for his current machinations + Arin's cold/hot duality has me by the throat (and Lark, obvs) + interesting battle between how things have always been done (secrets, leverage, justice, etc) versus Razak's bulldozer style (go in, do the thing, get out) + the villain is deliciously horrible but also extremy good at finding weak spots in people and systems
Cons - NOT a fan of one of the MCs marrying/having sex with another person while Lark and Arin clearly still both love/hate/want to be with one another... it is made clear that it isn't cheating but I don't like this interjection of the third love interest when I know they aren't end game (they better not be)... it really annoys me that the focus isn't just between the two of them - the back and forth of love him/hate him and trust him/betray him happened so often it watered down the reveals
Comp Recs + Silk & Steel - Ariana Nash + A Knife and a Blade - Adelaide Blake
TW: violence, death, cutting, murder, incest, torture, hanging til death, attempted suicide, poisoning, rape & sexual assault (off page), knife play, drug use...more
Published: 3/31/23 **ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** #CuttingYourTeeth #NetGalley
Basics Author: NBi, they/she4.25 stars
Published: 3/31/23 **ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** #CuttingYourTeeth #NetGalley
Basics Author: NBi, they/she, bisexual, auDHD (from their Twitter) Genres: urban fantasy, MM romance, LGBT Setting: Seattle then Portland Themes: fate, loyalty, death/life, blood ties Vibes: aching, longing, haunting
Characters Ezra (MC): an underground fighter running from his past, a Scorpio ♏️ Killian: an underground fighter/vampire who saves Ezra after he's attacked, an Aries ♈️ Marigold: Killian's close friend and confidant Piper: Ezra's sweet baby angel Irish wolfhound
Pros + Ezra has sunflower blossoms tattooed down his back ...more
Published: 3/7/23 **ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** #NetGalley #Monstrilio
Basics Author: he/him, queer, from 4.25 stars
Published: 3/7/23 **ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** #NetGalley #Monstrilio
Basics Author: he/him, queer, from Mexico City, Mexico Genre: magical realism, horror Setting: Mexico City, Berlin, NYC Themes: grief, holding on too long, love Vibes: impending doom, wildness
Characters Santiago - their son born with one underdeveloped lung, who died at 11yo Magos (1st POV) - bereaved mother searching for any piece of her son Lena (2nd POV) - Magos' best friend who is in love with her, a doctor Joseph (3rd POV) - Magos' grief-stricken husband, Santiago's father Monstrilio (4th POV) - the piece of Santiago's lung that grows into something else
Pros + can't tell if the mother is in shock so she can't grieve, or her way of grieving IS this twisted thing she does + feeding a lung to grow something other + creature feature: "grief creature" + LGBT rep: f/f, lesbian, m/m, bi/pan + bloodthirstiness without remorse + Magos is such an interesting character. Her grief means she will choose the lung at all costs. Even when her best friend falls into a ravine or her mother needs to use a cane after it attacks her. A part of me can't believe someone would be so cold but also maybe her grief makes her callous to everything other than her remnant of Santiago, the lung. + the son drew a Monstrilio before he died... does Monstrilio remember and chose that form or was Monstrilio a dream or vision the son had? Either way, creepy! + I feel so bad for Lena. She is loyal and steady. She certainly doesn't deserve Magos' poor treatment. + it is not a cute Pokemon evolving! how many red flags do you need??? ...more
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