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aurorawest · 9 months

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Reading update, part 1

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall - 4/5 stars

The problem with this book was that I liked Paris and Tariq, but god, it was rough to read. I also felt—and I'm going to be honest, this is an issue I've been noticing increasingly with Hall's newer novels—a little like I was reading like, the Perfect And Unproblematic Way To Date. There's this sort of preachy, social media I-don't-know-who-needs-to-hear-this quality to a lot of the dialogue. It was also just hard to read at times. But I still rated it 4 stars, so I guess I didn't hate it.

Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding - 5/5 stars

This book is about a drifter who ends up in a town because a hitchhiker dies in his car (sounds grimmer than it is!), and the hitchhiker was trying to get to said town to see his estranged son. If you said to yourself, I bet the drifter falls in love with the estranged son, you would be exactly right. This book was so poignant and sad, so the HEA was amazing.

Gold Wings Rising by Alex London - 5/5 stars

This is the last book of The Skybound Saga and it was an excellent ending.

Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale and Roan Parrish - 3.75/5 stars

I told a friend the other day that I would die for Roan Parrish, but I should have told her not to pick up this book. It wasn't awful, but...it wasn't great, either.

Rag and Bone by KJ Charles - 4/5 stars

The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen - 4/5 stars

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley - 5/5 stars

Look. Guys. I've raved about every Natasha Pulley book I've read, yeah? And this is no exception. I need you all to read this. Like, I'm not sure you're all taking me seriously out there. But if you read anything I've recommended, it needs to be Natasha Pulley's books. I can only rate up to 5 stars on Storygraph, so yeah, maybe it looks like I loved this book the same as I loved Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding. No. This book lives in my heart and my mind. This book is part of my soul. All of her books are. I love and hate her for A) making me feel SO MUCH and B) being a better writer than I will ever be.

I know I've said nothing about the book, but like. You just have to trust me. Read her books.

Oh yeah, this one is about a nuclear disaster in the USSR that was covered up for decades.

You & Me by Tal Bauer - 4.5/5 stars

Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love by Kim Fielding - 3.25/5 stars

Man, I wanted to like this one? It felt really phoned in, though. The characters all felt very surface level.

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew - 4/5 stars

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

How did this series just keep getting better? I'm so bummed that this was the last in the trilogy, because I totally could keep reading about Will and Kim and their adventures.

Firestarter by Tara Sim - 5/5 stars

Also the last in a trilogy, and also a worthy wrap-up.

The Mayor and the Mystery Man by AJ Truman - 4.25/5 stars

Fence, Vol 5: Rise by CS Pacat with Johanna the Mad - 5/5 stars

Cattle Stop by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

AHHHHHHHHHH. God. This book! Looks like a romcom but will stab you in the heart repeatedly. Oliver has a gorgeous way with words and captures the dynamic between two people who have no idea how to talk to each other so well. There's something the dialogue in Oliver's books that just speaks to me.

Rookie Move by Riley Hart and Neve Wilder - 2.75/5 stars

Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart - DNF

Please note here that it seems like I don't like Riley Hart's writing. Unfortunately I still have like 3 of her books in my TBR pile.

The Gentleman's Book of Vices by Jess Everlee - 4.75/5 stars

Even Though I Knew the End by CL Polk - 4.5/5 stars

I feel a little meh about this one, despite the rating I gave it. Like, the world was cool, the writing was excellent. I've seen this book hyped so much, though, and it was like...yeah it was fine. Definitely the best over-hyped Sapphic book I've read lately, so there's that.

Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.5/5 stars

Necropolis by Jordan L Hawk - 4.25/5 stars

Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James - DNF

The Place Between by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

Yeah this Kit Oliver book was really good too. It's about academics instead of farmers but it will still stab you in the heart a bunch of times. Oh and it's fake dating.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson - DNF

I didn't love Kosoko Jackson's debut—there were waaaaay too many pop culture references, many of which I didn't understand, but even when I did, I found it obnoxious. But it was readable. This was...not. I hated the main character so much, and I barely even met the love interest, but I didn't like him, either.

Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.25/5 stars

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles - 4.25/5 stars

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by DN Bryn - 5/5 stars

I looooooved this book, omg. I'm not really a vampire person, but this was so cute. I guess it was kind of cozy fantasy? Sort of? With a backdrop of homelessness, medical experimentation, and bereavement.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo - 1/5 stars

Catch me never reading a Leigh Bardugo novel again. Oof. This woman wrote Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom? I wasn't too impressed by King of Scars but that was better than this, even though the Crows actually appear in this book.

The Barkeep and the Bro by AJ Truman - 3/5 stars

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green - 4.5/5 stars

I don't usually laugh out loud when I read, but this book made me cackle. Obnoxious self-referential bit aside (yeah Simon James Green, I did catch you slipping a reference to your previous book into this one), this was very cute and very funny. I even got my wife to read this, despite her dislike of romance and YA, and she liked it!

Part 2 (because tumblr cut me off at 30 images)

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melanielocke · 1 year

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Book recommendations - Complete series

The results of the poll I put up are so far inconclusive (pretty much every category got the same amount of votes), so I'm probably going to do all of them but I'm going to start with complete series. As a note, for now I'm trying to not repeat books, so at the end I'll mention books I have already covered that also fit the criteria.

I almost always buy books before the series is complete. I'm not sure why, though I do find it more convenient to not have to buy a six book series in one go because that can get expensive even if they're all out in paperback. Not to mention getting matching editions can be a struggle. There's also the issue that books might nog get sequels if not enough people buy the first book.

But sometimes it's nice to be able to read all the books in a series after each other. You can go into book two still remembering what happened in book 1, something I regularly struggle with. I went into Chain of Iron not remembering what was going on with James and Cordelia and why they were getting married and had to look up a lot. And you won't have to wait 1-2 years for the sequel after reading a book that ended on a serious cliffhanger. For that reason, I have put together this list of complete series that I would recommend. There are a little more books in this picture than usual, mainly because they're all complete series.

All of them are duology's or trilogy's, interestingly enough I couldn't find many series that are longer and I feel like duology's especially have been popular lately.

I'm starting with Black Wings Beating by Alex London

This is a trilogy set in Uztar, a land that worships birds of prey and falconers, and follows twins Brysen and Kylee. Brysen wants nothing more than to be a great falconer, but is not particularly talented at it, whereas Kylee, who does have the gift to speak the hollow tongue of the birds, would rather escape falconry forever. When Brysen's boyfriend gets in trouble, he needs a ghost eagle to get out, something he'd promised a debtor he'd get, and so Brysen sets out to the mountains to capture a ghost eagle, whereas Kylee follows him to keep him safe. This is a very underrated series, which is sad because it's very good. An interesting and unique magic system that relates to the language of birds of prey, a heavy focus on the complicated sibling relationship between twins who grew up in an abusive household, two queer main characters. Brysen is gay and Kylee is ace/aro. Brysen is kind of a dumbass who regularly needs to be saved from himself but I loved him regardless, whereas Kylee is very protective of him and mainly goes along because she wants to keep him safe.

Also by this author: Proxy duology (YA); Battle Dragons series (MG), neither of which I read

Next up is Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

This is an alternate history duology with the premise of the American civil war ending in a zombie apocalypse. The solution to this problem? Training Black and Indigenous people to fight the zombies. Jane McKeene is a Black girl going to school to become an attendant, a personal bodyguard for rich ladies, which is a better option than fighting in the frontlines. But people are going missing, and Jane finds herself caught up in a conspiracy by people looking to return America to former glory days. I think this series was an interesting take on zombies. It's been a while since I read this one, so I don't remember the details as well, but I do remember Katherine being one of my favorites in this series. She's also on the cover of the second book, which is on the picture, and I thought her and Jane's friendship was one of the most interesting developments, especially since they dislike each other at first. One of the main villains was also really interesting and really unexpected, I won't give too much away about this character but it was very well done. It's also a queer book series, with Jane being bi and Katherine ace/aro. It's fast paced, especially in the second book, and there's lots of action, making this an easy series to get through.

Also by this author: Dread Nation was her big breakthrough, but she's published several relatively unknown YA books before that, which I haven't read, including Vengeance Bound and a Promise of Shadows. Her most recent book is a Rust in the Root, which I haven't read yet but is on my wishlist.

Then I have the Girls of Paper and Fire series by Natasha Ngan

Somehow with this series I ended up having three different editions. I didn't even realize I'd ordered the last one in paperback, but the hardcover was so expensive I'd just left it this way. Could look better on my book shelf, but it could also be a lot worse. Sometimes publishers publish a regular UK edition paperback and then for the next book it ends up being a very big UK paperback much like the one I have for this series and it looks terrible.

This series is sapphic fantasy trilogy set in an Asia inspired world ruled by demons. Demons in this case are antropomorphic animals, also known as the Moon caste. In between are the Steel caste which are humans with animal traits and the lowest and most vulnerable caste are the Paper caste, which are humans. Each year, eight human girls are chosen to serve the king as Paper Girls, which are essentially concubines. This year, there are nine, and the ninth is Lei, a wide eyed country girl who lives in a village with her father and is taken away to the palace. There, she falls in love with one of the other Paper Girls and ends up caught in a rebellion against the king and the caste system. This book deals with heavy topics, including sexual assault, and I do not remember 100% if there is rape on page but I think there might be, so be careful with that. The first book is mainly set in the palace, but the second and third explore the rest of this world a bit more, and I think the world building was very well done, and the world building is very complex, with lots of issues with some people on the rebellion side too rather than just king bad rebellion good. The love interest especially ends up being rather morally grey at times.

Other books by this author: The Elites and The Memory Keepers were both published before this series, neither of which I read

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a dystopian duology set on the latine inspired island nation of Medio.

This world is divided between the inner and outer parts of the island with a wall seperating them. The outer parts are barely habitable due to the salt on the land, but the wall keeps them out of the inner part, whereas the inner part is wealthiest. The upper class of Medio has a tradition that all men, who are in power, have two wives to support them. A primera is more intellectual, she keeps track of the household, servants and supports her husband in politics. The segunda is more emotional and sexual. She is the one who has sex with the man and has his children and raises them, but Segunda's are also taught to be charming, to play with other people's emotions and soothe the husband etc. The main character, Dani, was born on the outer side of the island, but her parents fought very hard to get her a better life. They got her a forged upper class pedigree and got her enrolled in a school for Medio girls to train them in one of the two wife roles, in Dani's case as a Primera. At the beginning of the book, she marries the son of an important politician, and is approached by a rebel organization to spy for them, leaving her with a difficult choice. What I thought was very interesting about Dani as a character is that she's so conflicted about her role in this world. Her first instinct is to cling to the privilege her upper class position grants her, after all, her parents sacrificed so much to give her that, but she also has the chance to fight for a better Medio for everyone, and has to make a choice. Along the way, she grows closer to her husband's Segunda Carmen, a girl she used to hate in school, and falls in love with her. I won't give too much away about book 2, except that in book 2 Carmen is the protagonist, which worked really well in this duology and I liked her POV a lot, perhaps even better than Dani's.

Other books by this author: Paola Santiago series, a middle grade published by Rick Riordan's imprint.

Upcoming: Lucha of the Night Forest, a YA fantasy coming 3-2023

Crier's War by Nina Varela

This is a duology in which humans made a race of automatae that look exactly like humans but better looking, smarter etc. And eventually, the automatons took over from humans. This duology is told from the alternating POV of Crier and Ayla. Ayla is a human girl who lost her family to the Automae and wants revenge. And she intends to get it by killing Crier. Crier is the daughter of the Sovereign, which in the case of Automae means she was constructed by his wishes since Automae are made and not born. Crier was to follow in his footsteps and become the new Governor, but her father might not be as good a person as she always believed, and her betrothed Kinok is definitely not someone she trusts. And then she meets Ayla. This book is an enemies to lover between Crier and Ayla, except that it is really one sided enemies. Ayla wants to kill Crier at first, but Crier is kind of a useless gay from the beginning, which I think creates a hilarious dynamic. There's lots of twists and turns in this series, especially with Crier finding out more about her origin and about her fiancé Kinok's plans for this world, but also Ayla's family's origin and their role in the creation of the Automae.

Upcoming by this author: Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom, a middle grade fantasy

The last duology I'll be discussing is A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, which seems like a very stereotypical YA fantasy title, but is the first book in a very good fantasy duology set in a west Africa inspired world (the author is from Ghana specifically).

Ziran is a prosperous city in the desert surrounded by many poor and war stricken areas. Malik has fled from his home with his two sisters to go to Ziran and start a new life, but his younger sister Nadia is abducted by a vengeful spirit in exchange for passage into the city. Desperate, Malik strikes a deal with the spirit to get his sister back - if he kills princess Karina. And so he enters the city's Solstasia competition to get close to her.

Princess Karina is far from ready to take on any royal responsibilities, but when her mother, the Sultana, is assassinated, Karina has to take the throne. Far from ready for this role, Karina decides that instead she's going to bring back her mother from the dead. She finds an ancient spell to help her. The only problem, she needs the heart of a king. So during the upcoming Solstasia competition, she offers her hand in marriage to the victor.

During the first book, Karina and Malik meet a couple of times and have their own plot, but their stories also intertwine a lot, and during this whole time they are essentially trying to kill each other without the other having any clue, making this an interesting take on enemies to lovers. Nor do either of time really want to kill the other, it's more of a necessity for their respective goals in saving family members, which I guess is understandable? I loved Malik immediately. He's sensitive, anxious, traumatized, and will do anything for his sisters. Karina took a little more time since she's a little unlikeable at first but she's really one of those characters who grows on you.

The plot of this book is also very good and there are some well thought out plot twists that I didn't see coming and interesting world building that deals with topics such as immigration. The second book especially is rather long and it's not a very fast paced series, which is often the case with more world building heavy stories so that has to be your thing.

Other books by the author: Serwa Boateng's guide to Vampire Hunting, which is the first in a middle grade series published with Rick Riordan presents

Complete series I've covered in previous recommendation posts: This Poison Heart & This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron

Let me know if you've read any of those, and it's still possible to vote on the poll for which category books I'll cover next.

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @bottomdelioncourt @ikissedsmithparker

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bigcats-birds-and-books · 1 year

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Books of 2023. THE SKYBOUND SAGA by Alex London. I bought these because they seemed Perfectly Like My Jam (and because the author was doing some pandemic promotions from afar--there’s a signed bookplate in RED SKIES FALLING).

Unfortunately: I’m almost done with BLACK WINGS BEATING, and it is, tragically, Not Perfectly My Jam :( I appreciate that so far it’s very queer norm! That’s nice! And my girl Kylee is giving off big aro vibes (as an aro myself, I’m hesitant to fall head over heels for that until it’s more solidly confirmed in canon, because I have been Disappointed Too Many Times, but so far it’s looking promising!). But Brysen gets a lot more interiority than Kylee does, which is a bummer because he’s very milquetoast. And there’s a lot of child abuse, so brace for that. And I’ve got quibbles about some of the Bird Stuff (but most of the bird stuff is nitpicky, so I suspect your average reader won’t be bothered by it).

I’m definitely going to finish the trilogy (I have them all, after all, and they’re quick reads that I can mostly put down at bedtime), but sadly I cannot give it Glowing Reviews. This may also just be a Me Problem, since I’ve drifted away from both YA and fantasy, so please take my thoughts with a grain of salt the size of a Great-horned Owl, or a ghost eagle if one’s handy.

#books of 2023 #books #book photography #skybound #alex london #black wings beating #red skies falling #gold wings rising #it ALSO bothers me that the texture on the covers isn't quite the same #and it bothers me that the cover motifs don't feel quite unified #and it bothers me that its WINGS SKIES WINGS lmao #i really really wanted to love these #i'm having a mediocre time about it #i can see the edges of his bird research and i don't love that #(it's not his fault but like. cmon. it's a falconry oriented world.)#(i'm allowed to nitpick the birds i think)#(i'm still salty that a hunting goshawk would've knocked icicles down lmao sir she definitely would Never)#she's a forest bird for one she's Excellent at maneuvarability #for two: icicles?? really??? definitely an injury hazard #she's not going to risk it #not even for food #and don't get me started about keeping owls the same way the rest of them keep hawks #there's a reason owls are NOT prominent in falconry lolol #(they're not like hawks and their brains are wired very differently)#(much harder to train)#i get that the Owl Mothers are Special but. they're not that special lol #AND THAT'S TOO MANY OWLS COEXISTING #anyway i have some beef but aren't books 1 and 2 Pretty #(this is also helping me feel better about driscoll lol)#the skybound saga

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lgbtqreads · 1 year

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#LGBTQReads #Anthology #Fairy Tales #YA Books #Malinda Lo #Alex London #H.E. Edgmon #Dahlia Adler #Anna-Marie McLemore

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nekirmum · 1 year

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The first in a series of posts where I roast my BFF by recreating his teenage goth poetry, probably winning no brownie points.

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the-dust-jacket · 9 months

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#Proxy #The Darkness Outside Us #The Abyss Surrounds Us #Alex London #Eliot Schrefer #Emily Skrutskie #Love That? Read This!

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eradicatetehnormal · 1 year

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I Just Remembered Reading Proxy By Alex London

I just randomly thought about it when talking about LGBTQ books with a friend. I don't remember anything beyond that part where the MC and his friend are texting in class and the friend is all like "you can do better", and then their texts get blasted on the screen. I'm pretty sure I didn't even finish the book because I can't read for shit and I need TTS. IDK why I'm talking about it really, I just like picking my brain for stuff like this.

#proxy #alex london #books

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zizz-asdf-re-r-o-u · 2 years

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Proxy’s short story - Punishment

So I just finished Alex London’s “Proxy” and while i’m waiting for Guardian to arrive, I found out there’s a short story. I couldn’t find it anywhere for sale online, but I did find a possibly unproofread draft here:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/17029364-punishment

Mini opinions: I’m like 9 years too late, but I really love Proxy. Sometimes older futuristic novels are awkward cause they predict it wrong but, um some stuff in Proxy are still veeeery relevant today in 2022 unfortunately and possibly even likely to happen. Also compelling action, compelling characters, big big OUCH at several moments.

As a side note no2, gay protagonist of color who miraculously survives multiple electrocutions(???). My biggest complaint with some “flawed” queer YA protagonists is that their flaw is annoying, but not Syd. Oh boy no, his flaws ain’t that. Even Knox gets over Knox’s annoyingness by the end. What Marie represents is very interesting, but I think she’s a little 1dimentional right now- her character growth seems to start by the ending, so maybe there’s more in the next book. Also for a white writer, London kinda misses some marks when it comes to writing Syd as a POC, but he does avoids food or animal metaphors for Syd’s skin, no skin lightening, and he’s not a stereotypical “angry brown/black [gay] man”.

#proxy #lgbt #ya novel #alex london #personal #reaction

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haveyoureadthisqueerbook · 1 month

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#proxy #alex london

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willgrahamscock · 3 months

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pausing mid thrust to open tumblr.com to delete the celibacy gif I reblogged 2 weeks ago

#alex says things #hi hello im back #3 days wasnt even long (went to london) no internet

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haveyoureadthisfantasybook · 1 day

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vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#fantasy #books #Black Wings Beating #Alex London #Skybound #poll #l: English

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aurorawest · 1 year

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Reading update:

This one was...okay? It was a historical mystery, set in early 1930s London. I liked that part. I liked the fact that the main characters were all queer. But the characters themselves were very...eh? And the mystery was extremely high stakes but never felt that high stakes? Idk. I don’t think I’ll read the others in the series unless I’m really desperate. It wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t anything special, either.

Man I was excited for this one. It was...fine. Not amazing. I really liked Jamie, but Wes was obnoxious as hell. Lots of bro-y casual misogyny, and a weird inability to acknowledge that Jamie is clearly bi, except when he’s thinking about how bi people have more trouble sticking with one person than straight or gay people. And there’s never any growth away from those opinions, so it’s just kind of like...oh, you’re a character with some really obnoxious opinions.

The sex scenes were hot, but in a like...fanfiction-y way? Like, I kept thinking, I would write this in a fic, I wouldn’t write it in ofic. So I definitely had some problems with it. That said, the love story was really sweet, and like I said, I did like Jamie. I’ve never read anything else by Elle Kennedy and honestly I wouldn’t after this one, but I have the sequel already, so we’ll see how it is. Definitely wouldn’t pick up any of her m/f romances, though.

This was an Illumicrate book, and not something I would have picked up otherwise. It started out really promising—gorgeous writing, interesting characters, and a surprise heist plot! But the heist plot ran out of steam, most of the characters were never developed, the twist fell flat, and there was a deux ex machina that was utterly unearned. I think for a young YA audience, none of this would be a huge problem, but I was pretty eh about it. Not a bad book, but not a great book, either.

My edition is signed though, and very pretty!

I was wary of this book, because I wasn’t super impressed with the first in the series, Hard Sell. This one was much better! Ray is a waaaay more likable character than what’s-his-face from Hard Sell. And I really enjoyed the demisexual rep with Elvin, since I’m pretty sure I fall somewhere in that gray ace or demisexual spectrum myself. This book did a better job of balancing the super serious plot with the romance than Hard Sell did, but I still think it was maybe a liiiittle too high-stakes? It worked for me for the most part but I sometimes felt like there was too much dissonance. And maybe like people should be freaking out more than they were. I’ll definitely keep reading Hudson Lin’s romances though, she redeemed herself with this one.

I had no idea what to expect from this one. I read Proxy by Alex London...earlier this year? I think? God I can’t even remember when I read that, haha. It was okay, but it was very surface level. This one was much better. Super interesting world, and a culture where falconry is central, which owl-banding me really appreciated. There was no shying away from the falconry jargon, which I thought was pretty cool. I loved the characters. The two mains are a twin brother and sister, and the POV switches between the two of them (plus there’s a chapter in each section from another random POV). They’re both interesting and well-developed characters with their own distinct motivations and flaws, and their love for each other is *chef’s kiss*. This is the first in a trilogy so I need to pick up the other two.

Just started this one. It’s about a non-binary kid who comes out to their parents and gets kicked out (WITHOUT SHOES. IN DECEMBER. WTF). They move in with their estranged sister and brother-in-law who they’ve never met and start a new school, and they’re clearly dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. I mean, who wouldn’t. They also haven’t come out in the new school, so everyone at the new school is still using he/him pronouns for them. And that’s about where I am. Enjoying it so far. I also have Mason Deaver’s newest book in my TBR pile (got it in a Rainbow Crate), so it’s always a relief when the first book you read by an author doesn’t suck, since you already have another, haha.

#a death in bloomsbury #david c dawson #him #sabrina bowen #elle kennedy #the drowned woods #emily lloyd jones #going public #hudson lin #black wings beating #alex london #i wish you all the best #mason deaver #reading tag

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