#listen if i was fair every book would have one less star except for almond and the vanished birds

[mallahanmoxie]

books i read in 2021 and assorted thoughts on them

courtesy of @gellavonhamster ❤️❤️❤️ in roughly the order i read them in tho i must say it's not a very cheery list bc i liked half of these only. unlike 2020 there were no 5 star reads :( #ReadTheSparrow

unmasked by the marquess by cat sebastian

a young girl's maid pretends to be her lady's brother so she can accompany her to her first season in london so she can find a good prospect; enlists the unlikely help of an extremely grouchy marquess, attraction and deception ensue. this was ultimately forgettable but very fun and very horny but like, par for the course right. 4 stars for nonbinary rights 😌

almond by sohn won-pyung

after witnessing a tragedy, a young boy who cannot process emotion is left to fend for himself. this was a lovely book, i think of it often. it was very light despite the situation and i liked the voice of the main character even though it IS rather... Well. Devoid of emotion. i thought it was very frank and i forgive its unrealistic ending because honestly? hes a good kid. 4 stars because it is not life changing but it IS enjoyable

himegoto juukyuusai no seifuku by ryou minenami

seinen manga about the lives of three college students (a tomboy, a trans woman and a sex worker) whose lives get entangled when they realize they share related sexual/gender deviances. not an actual book but 8 volumes that took me a while to read so i count them still. trigger warnings for everything under the sun - csa, pedophilia, rape etc. it's a very heavy manga and yet the overarching feeling i got from it was finding yourself and your place in the world. i guess it's somewhat of a coming of age. this was a pre-healing story because they certainly need therapy even by the end. but i thought it was definitely a very interesting exercise on the socialization of gender and sexuality, their "correct" modes, the acceptability of certain deviances in specific scenarios, etc. within contemporary japanese society. i liked the characters too but again. extremely heavy topics. 4 stars because it did drag a little.

to kill a kingdom by alexandra christo

little mermaid retelling. eric is a siren killer prince, ariel is a—you guessed it—siren princess. when her awful mother curses her to grow legs, she's gotta find the way home and also kill him. it was fine. it is standard ya fare. i dont wanna be mean but these two... i am darkness i am evil blah blah blah. annoying is what you are. tell me one thing, if you've been socialized all your life to find "bad" things admirable and desirable and something to strive for... WHY do you talk about it as if it's bad? i get the guilt but your terms are wrong!!! if being bad is prized then it IS good to be bad. i dont know why this bothered me so much. well i do. because yall are whiny. mfs didnt even kill one person... bad they say 🙄 evil they say 🙄 sure tuna lady. anyway 3 stars because it's... Fine. i just greatly disliked it.

the decagon house murders by yukito ayatsuji

seven crime fiction enthusiasts take a trip to an island to investigate a murder involving a former member of their club's family. immediately get picked off. listen........ this was okay. i commend it because of its place in establishing its genre. but i hate figuring out the killer in the prologue. the first 100 pages? unnecessary. or at the very least a drag. it did pick up after the first murder, which, coincidentally, was the only moment of emotionality this book gave. it was pretty cliche. 3 stars because of its literary importance. read the short version. or the manga.

the vanished birds by simon jimenez

a woman captaining a trade ship picks up a child who holds the clue to interstellar travel and basically adopts him. a thoughtful sci-fi look towards what could be the reality of capitalism in space. not afraid to Go There. very accomplished. also boring. well that's... unfair to say, i just didnt feel taken by any character so it wasn't a book i was excited by. i saw all its points. the narrative development is fine. the scope is well done. a very good book i did not like. 4 stars for its literary strength.

the verdigris pawn by alisa wishingrad

the heir to the throne accidentally gets one of the last charmers (witches) in trouble and must go on a cross country trip to find the person to save her. this was my most disappointing read because i hyped it up too much in my head. it is definitely a good, sturdy children's novel. right amount of whimsy, small scope in tune with the protagonists. everything was small actually. stakes, wins, my interest. it was very cinematic, though, it deserves a movie. again, good for kids, too predictable for my mood. 4 stars because it was cute and simple.

cadáver exquisito (tender is the flesh) by agustina bazterrica

after a virus makes every animal violent and inedible, the world turns to human flesh as their main protein source. main dude works in a slaughterhouse. it was fine. again rather underwhelming, but accomplished. i understand the criticisms it was trying to raise, though i maintain it was rather shallow in some places. the carrion eaters should've been a bigger bit. or the shooting range. or the skin man. dunno. also i was promised a surprising ending—WHERE?!!! that man was transparent as fuck i always read him for what he was i knew there was no way in hell itd turn out any different (spoilers) he treated her like a pet the whole time cmon yall he only wanted her for the kid it was OBVIOUS what was his driving force (end spoilers) i am mad because it was the only reason i read it :( 4 stars bc it's a good book i was just scammed

#the lion reads #listen if i was fair every book would have one less star except for almond and the vanished birds #but i am not i have a chicken's heart i cant be that mean #thank you for reading this