I had the debut of this series sitting on my shelves for ages, then finally got around to reading about a ‘born yesterday’ teen android trying to navigate her way in the world. It was difficult to find the rest of the books in the series because it’s a bit old now but managed to track down some copies to complete the trilogy. A satisfying read for the younger end of the YA demographic.
A private investigator paranormal fantasy that fell flat for me.
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
No. of pages: 279
If you can keep your cool when everyone else is losing theirs…maybe you don’t realize how bad the situation is.
Rekhmire the Destroyer wants to annihilate the world (that’s what destroyers do) and he isn’t going to stop until he’s achieved his stretch goal of making everyone a part of his undead army.
Not on my watch. It’s time to send this walking piece of leather back to the tomb he crawled out of. But how am I supposed to do that when he’s immune to all magic and weapons?
A Harbinger’s gotta do what a Harbinger’s gotta do.
I’m a massive fan of this series, but I’m not seeing growth with the writing and character development.
All the side characters are simply props to drive the plot forward. There is no complexity, no personality, no conflict, no consequences. They just run about doing Alec’s bidding as soon as he barks an order. It was so boring.
Magic is used a lot in ‘Grave Night’ again without consequence – bucking the trend of the previous books in the series where there was always a cost for dabbling in the occult.
This book was so flat I was a little angry – I’ve invested a lot in this series, and been hoping to see some improvement in character, writing style, grammar, but there was none to see.
There is so much repetition. Repeated words, phrases, and situations… as a writer it’s so lazy. Think of a different approach to convey the same information – that’s what makes writing interesting and compels a reader to stay engaged. This book read like a first draft… all the ideas were there, the structure, but the soul, tone, and elegance had yet to be added. The worst example of Tell instead of Show I’ve ever read.
Like I’ve always capitulated about the Harbinger series, the ideas and takes on the supernatural are unique and fun. I didn’t feel that so much with ‘Grave Night.’ It lacked the usual zing – which left the other failings apparently obvious.
The characters aren’t re-introduced to the reader. With so much time since the last publication there was no sufficient memory jog for the characters – it’s like Wright picked up in the middle of the conversation and I had to scramble to remember past events and the characters relationships to the relevant scene… and gained no strong emotional bond, no development, all the characters were lifeless and flat like the zombie protagonist.
I also hate to say, but this instalment has the worst dialogue of the series. I’d been expecting the delayed release meant Wright was editing the manuscript, making ‘Grave Night’ better, but all evidence points to another rushed-to-publication effort that is having me lose faith in this series, this author, and self-published books in general.
I’d not recommend this at all except you will need the plot points if you wish to continue with the series. You could read the first chapter, and then the last and you’d pretty much have the book summed up effectively.
Overall feeling: *SMH*
© Casey Carlisle 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
A charming road trip story with a dose of teenage rebellion and coming to terms with grief and loss.
A space romance that didn’t sell the romance.
Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, LGBT, Romance
No. of pages: 450
When Noa closes his eyes on Earth and wakes up on a spaceship called Qriosity just as it’s about to explode, he’s pretty sure things can’t get much weirder.
Boy is he wrong.
Trapped aboard Qriosity are also DJ and Jenny, neither of whom remember how they got onboard the ship. Together, the three face all the dangers of space, along with murder, aliens, a school dance, and one really, really bad day. But none of this can prepare Noa for the biggest challenge—falling in love. And as Noa’s feelings for DJ deepen, he has to contend not just with the challenges of the present, but also with his memories of the past.
However, nothing is what it seems on Qriosity, and the truth will upend all of their lives forever.
Love is complicated enough without also trying to stay alive.
This is a cute sci-fi gay romance that was full of adventure and strange reveals.
I love Shaun David Hutchinson’s writing and sense of humour, and that shone through in ‘A Complicated Love Story Set in Space.’ However, I was expecting a lavishly angsty relationship with compelling characters and it felt like ‘A Complicated Love Story Set in Space’ just missed the mark. I didn’t get emotionally invested in the story of our two protagonists. It was interesting, sure, but I never got that heart-squeeze when I thought of them.
The pacing felt really slow, especially in the first half which was frustrating given the mystery that we need to untangle about how they got there and what happened to their memories… it took a long time to get to the pay-off and the characters seemed to accept their predicament too easily, instead of being consumed with finding answers like anyone else would be.
There was a level of organic development that was missing from Noa and DJs relationship for me.
It felt a little all over the place. I wasn’t sold on the world either. It was a fun concept, but didn’t feel like it was fully developed or explored… like a pilot episode. A long pilot episode.
There is a lot of darkness in ‘A Complicated Love Story Set in Space’ that brought the tone down. And the author wallows in it. It was uncomfortable to read at times, where I skimmed forward to get to the good stuff. Like c’mon already I know you’re depressed but do we need chapter upon chapter of it. The ending kind of negates all that as well, so I felt it was kind of pointless. The more interesting questions come in the climactic twist ending, but we don’t get to explore them, they are simply presented and then the story ends.
Noa felt whiny and obstinate, mostly selfish, so I didn’t like him much… and I couldn’t see motivation for him and DJ to get together to be honest… it all felt a bit contrived. I don’t know if it was on purpose, or not…
I love the space adventure stuff, could take or leave the romance, the mental illness was great rep, but handled badly.
This read more like a second draft – it needed tightening for the pace and more development on the romance element… so it was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed it, but not something I’d enthusiastically recommend. An enjoyable read but did not blast me off into outer space.
Overall feeling: *pouts bottom lip*
© Casey Carlisle 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
In dealing with the difference between love and lust maybe?
A slow tale of discrimination that Harry Potter could never…
Genre: YA, Fantasy, LGBTQIA+
No. of pages: 312
Came out of the closet by accident? Check.
Sent off to a pray-away-the-gay school? Miserable check.
Shenanigans ensued? Mega-quadruple check.
Blaize Trales’s world falls apart when he’s dragged to Sanctuary Preparatory Academy, a boarding school that claims to fix gay teens. The place sucks so much they even serve food like “Cleansing Corn.” Blaize’s misguided parents eat it up and hand him over for brainwashing.
But things at Sanctuary aren’t what they appear. Blaize soon discovers the school’s antics are all a lie. They’re also at war with an ancient enemy. Between surviving bullies, rescuing students from mysterious attacks, and passing algebra, Blaize’s life is going to get out-of-control crazy.
And freaking dangerous.
Lucky for Blaize, he wields the ultimate weapon—being gay. And he’s pretty good at it.
Well the title is a little long winded…
For a self-published title, the editing was executed at an extremely high level, though it could have gotten a better developmental edit – the pacing was terribly slow and the plot points (the heart beats of the story) were spaced out too far apart. We get a lot of mundane boarding school living and not enough story momentum.
I noticed the cover art has now changed for the series… for the better. Maybe it had to do with marketability, or printers, but whatever it is it was a good move. Not only is the cover art more appealing, but my copy had ink splotches on close to fifty pages rendering some words illegible and I had to guess the words in context of the sentence.
I enjoyed the characters and their development throughout the story. It was just the pacing issues holding this tale back. It does have a Harry Potteresque feel to it and the tone of the novel, with the protagonist mostly unaware of the real story, this serves as an intriguing narration tool. Blaize was a fun and easy protagonist to follow we can see how his character gets stronger through the adversity he faces but I wanted a clear-cut development arc.
I love the diversity, but feel like it wasn’t diverse enough. This novel focused on the gay part of the queer community, with maybe a quick glance at lesbians, but no mention of transgender, non-binary, intersex, asexual… they were all erased. For a book with themes of discrimination against the queer community, it wasn’t very inclusive.
The story is simple (and longwinded) and pretty predictable, with exception of one twist at the end which took me by surprise. The story ended so suddenly without much resolution to any plot points; I was left floundering and wandering what element the plot twist actually served. Again, this would have all been resolved in a developmental edit… it’s kind of rude to have the reader go on this long journey with you and not resolve enough of the story to give them a satisfactory end. This is definitely only episode one in a longer story – not a debut novel in a series. Given the pacing issues Cody is asking a lot of his readers, especially in YA where attention spans are a lot shorter.
Cody has a great writing style and can really get into the head of his protagonist, and can craft interesting characters, and given this is his debut novel, I’m expecting his writing to get better with experience. So I will be continuing on with this series and see how his writing grows as the story unfolds. But I do have to mention that this is one of the top self-published titles I’ve come across. The formatting can still be improved upon, but no spelling or grammatical errors and a very readable narration. But I think I’ll reserve a recommendation until I’m further into the series.
Overall feeling: Colour me impressed.
© Casey Carlisle 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
I’ve had this collection on my TBR shelf for ages, so decided to complete the series as a part of #BeatTheBacklist… a fun YA Science Fiction story about teens with supernatural powers aimed at the younger end of the YA demographic. Just about to start the last book – can’t wait to see how the story ends. I have my theories.
A horsey frolic through fantasy.
Genre: YA, Fantasy, LGBTQIA+
No. of pages: 174
“Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”
Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.
When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to “Be Sure” before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.
But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…
I really enjoyed this addition to the Wayward Children series. I grew up with horses, and loved the imagination of the differing incarnations of equine in the creatures that inhabited the Hooflands. Intersex representation was also a plus for me – it’s not something I’ve come across before and McGuire handled it brilliantly. We get a slice of life in the real world and the discrimination and bullying our protagonist Regan faces, but once entering the Hooflands, any social weight of her natural biological condition was gone. She was simply a person – just like every other being in Hoofland.
Not so predictable, but the story kind of tells us where it is going to go. The ending, though satisfying, is bittersweet (with a twist) and abrupt. I found myself wanting more. Wanting to find out how Regan deals with her situation.
McGuire’s writing style is melodic in a fancy way that really sets an atmosphere and was such a joy to read. The short adventures each book in this series takes are endearing and have placed this franchise as one of my favourite fantasy reads to date.
The pacing is steady throughout. I wouldn’t say it was packed with action or anything, it meanders beautifully like a walk in the forest – steady and full of things to catch your eye.
If anything I would say the characters are a little flatter than I’ve come to expect with McGuire’s writing. Most everyone was nice. There was little conflict and not a lot of situations where personalities clashed. Hence the tension wasn’t so high and the stakes not overly great. It was certainly interesting, but in a franchise known for its diverse and complex characters ‘Across the Green Grass Fields’ was certainly lacking on this front in comparison to other titles.
I’m interested to see where Regan will fit in the future of the series, if she will get to interact with other established characters.
Looking forward to the next release ‘Where the Drowned Girls Go.’ A solid recommendation from me.
Overall feeling: fantastically beautiful
© Casey Carlisle 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
I don’t know if this was pitched as a gay ‘Grease’ but it’s totally what it feels like.
Genre: Y/A, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQIA+
No. of pages: 304
Will Tavares is the dream summer fling ― he’s fun, affectionate, kind ― but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairy tale ending, and to complicate the fairy tale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it’s the same school Will goes to… except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted ― and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.
Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts “coincidentally” popping up in every area of Ollie’s life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening.
The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.
Right? Right.
I really enjoyed this book, the relationship felt realistic and wholesome, and the couple faced real life fears many teens do. All the characters felt fleshed out and three dimensional. I definitely had to pull the tissues out near the end. Such a sweet story with a lovely ending
Ollie is sweet and musical and confident – thought it felt like he missed some nuances of a being gay, he was just a little too good, and didn’t have the innate insecurities that most queer youth have. But maybe times are changing as social consciousness evolves and this type of character is more realistic than the perfect fantasy I’m thinking up… maybe I think too much about fictional characters.
Will was that paranoid closeted jock, and it was interesting to see him navigate his feelings and peers. Again this story is a little romanticised, but heck, that’s what I signed up for – a fun, positive tale of queer love.
I have to note the inclusion of family and its active presence in the story. Supportive friends. Less of a stereotypical (old fashioned) stereotype of gay youth. It warms this old gals heart to read stories like this.
Pacing was a touch slow, the story felt a little long, but I never got bored and read it in two sittings. ‘Only Mostly Devastated’ has a charm and wit about it and Gonzales’ writing style comes with a breezy ease that lets you slide right into the narrative until the end.
Overall feeling: Brilliantly sucked into the narrative!
© Casey Carlisle 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
I love the cover art of ‘We Contain Multitudes!’ This was a difficult book to read and review – so many difficult issues are raised with flawed characters. Keep an eye out for the full review coming soon.
Casey Carlisle 