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December Reading Update
An insanely productive reading month for me, despite me being on a very busy trauma rotation. We're sending out 2023 with a bang! Down below!
Currently Reading:
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
This book is insanely long. Recaps will be back in January at some point, but it's not a priority unless it gets more interesting soon.
Rereads:
Arabella by Georgette Heyer
5/5. I really love Arabella as a heroine, and the way the story focuses in on her moral righteousness, not her beauty.
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat (Dark Rise 1)
5/5. This is one of those rare books that is more effective when you know what the twist is. It's such a tight, tense book on reread, when you know what Will is, and can read every omen and sign before it goes off.
The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery
5/5. This is like a top-tier romance for me.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
4/5. I feel like Poirot is always at bis best with a good locked room mystery, with no investigating authority, no other locations -- just him and the bodies and the little gray cells.
New Reads:
Mammoths at the Gate by Nghi Vo
5/5. Very different from prior installments, but I enjoyed the shift in focus to our protagonist and the circumstances of their order and life.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske (The Last Binding 3)
5/5. The decision to shift this final installment to a couple that so perfectly encapsulates the power differential that has outlined the conflict of the book...it's brilliant. Really lets the romance feel like a reflection of the values that lead our protagonists to do what they're doing. Solid conclusion to the trilogy, really enjoyed it.
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall
5/5. Alexis Hall has a monumental ability to turn what seem like small stakes, ordinary things, and imbue them with the emotional weight and charm and humor that makes them deeply compelling. This story is about a bed and bath product local retail chain and a mildly annoying family, and yet. AND YET.
Tangled Vows by Anna Stone
4/5. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing exceptional about it, either. It's a marriage of convenience BDSM romance, and does nothing to elevate the genre or diminish it. Gets an extra star because women.
The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz
2/5. A thrill-free thriller told from the point of a view of a protagonist with all the flavor and complexity of a wet Saltine cracker. The twist at the end actually makes it less interesting.
"You Just Need to Lose Weight" And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon
5/5. This book, or something like it, should be required reading. It breaks down and through a lot of internalized fatphobic ideas that we're all carrying.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
4/5. As a reference for cooking, it's fine, but I don't really understand why it's being hyped as entertaining. It is not.
The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr
4/5. Writing is a little stilted, pacing is not quite there, but overall it's a solid romance and I enjoyed it.
Creepy Court: A Monster Mall Anthology by Eva Priest
3/5. Very hit or miss for me. I like the unified worldbuilding, and the variety, but I think this genre is just not for me and I think the quality is very mixed. I also don't really get the appeal of 80s mall as a setting, so it might have hit better if it was a different theme?
The Grace of Sorcerers by Maria Ying (Those Who Break Chains 1)
5/5. An urban fantasy series where the authors have made the bold decision to create a world where all woman are gay and fucked up and ready to solve their problems with, uh, murder. Or hot sex with other women. Or both.
Untethered Skies by Fonda Lee
5/5. This is really a perfect length story, where there's just enough plot and just enough pathos and just enough worldbuilding for it to feel full and complete.
The Demon of the House of Hua by Maria YIng (Those Who Break Chains 2)
5/5. I think this is my favorite couple in the series, to be honest. I love the idea of this demon falling in love with the mother of their shared charge.
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
4/5. I liked this novella, with the way it uses the romance to illustrate the horrors of colonialism, but it felt a little thin for me.
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
5/5. Really enjoyed it! It's a retelling of an Indian epic with the focused shifted to a female side character.
The Might of Monsters by Maria Yong (Those Who Break Chains 3)
5/5. Another great installment featuring the Hua family and their constant toxic gay drama.
The Serpent of the House of Hua by Maria Ying (Those Who Break Chains 4)
5/5. Yves possessing Viveca is so hot.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
4/5. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding, but felt like the plot undermined itself by having every revelation take agency away from the protagonist.
Love, Practically by Nichole Van
3/5. Another romance where the heroine clearly needs to get a divorce, but we're in ye old historical times so instead we have to watch the hero fuck around for 80% of the book, being a drunk asshole. I hate these caretaker romances where the woman's sole value is in how incredibly easy she makes the man's life.
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
4/5. This didn't really hit for me the way some of my favorite Discworld novels do, but Pratchett is Pratchett, man.
The Winter King by C. L. Wilson
2/5. Relationship development? Sorry, the author was too busy inserting gender essentialism!
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
4/5. Another thriller that becomes less interesting when it finally answers your questions, but I did enjoy the toxic lesbian romance.
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat (Dark Rise 2)
5/5. This is the book that fucked me up the most this year. C.S. Pacat, how dare you.
The Ruin of Beasts by Maria Ying (Those Who Break Chains 5)
5/5. Really enjoyed this conclusion to the Hua sister's story, and ultimately I thought it was a good move to shift the focus off Olesya and Viveca to side characters. Can't wait to read more.
Spear by Nicola Griffith
4/5. It feels a little thin, to be honest. I don't know what the shift to a female knight in this instance adds to the story. But beautifully written, and fun to read.
The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector
3/5. It drags, it never convinces you the romance is good, it gives you a frankly not that interesting protagonist...short on set up, long on consequences.
Currently Reading:
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
This book is insanely long. Recaps will be back in January at some point, but it's not a priority unless it gets more interesting soon.
Rereads:
Arabella by Georgette Heyer
5/5. I really love Arabella as a heroine, and the way the story focuses in on her moral righteousness, not her beauty.
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat (Dark Rise 1)
5/5. This is one of those rare books that is more effective when you know what the twist is. It's such a tight, tense book on reread, when you know what Will is, and can read every omen and sign before it goes off.
The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery
5/5. This is like a top-tier romance for me.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
4/5. I feel like Poirot is always at bis best with a good locked room mystery, with no investigating authority, no other locations -- just him and the bodies and the little gray cells.
New Reads:
Mammoths at the Gate by Nghi Vo
5/5. Very different from prior installments, but I enjoyed the shift in focus to our protagonist and the circumstances of their order and life.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske (The Last Binding 3)
5/5. The decision to shift this final installment to a couple that so perfectly encapsulates the power differential that has outlined the conflict of the book...it's brilliant. Really lets the romance feel like a reflection of the values that lead our protagonists to do what they're doing. Solid conclusion to the trilogy, really enjoyed it.
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall
5/5. Alexis Hall has a monumental ability to turn what seem like small stakes, ordinary things, and imbue them with the emotional weight and charm and humor that makes them deeply compelling. This story is about a bed and bath product local retail chain and a mildly annoying family, and yet. AND YET.
Tangled Vows by Anna Stone
4/5. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing exceptional about it, either. It's a marriage of convenience BDSM romance, and does nothing to elevate the genre or diminish it. Gets an extra star because women.
The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz
2/5. A thrill-free thriller told from the point of a view of a protagonist with all the flavor and complexity of a wet Saltine cracker. The twist at the end actually makes it less interesting.
"You Just Need to Lose Weight" And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon
5/5. This book, or something like it, should be required reading. It breaks down and through a lot of internalized fatphobic ideas that we're all carrying.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
4/5. As a reference for cooking, it's fine, but I don't really understand why it's being hyped as entertaining. It is not.
The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr
4/5. Writing is a little stilted, pacing is not quite there, but overall it's a solid romance and I enjoyed it.
Creepy Court: A Monster Mall Anthology by Eva Priest
3/5. Very hit or miss for me. I like the unified worldbuilding, and the variety, but I think this genre is just not for me and I think the quality is very mixed. I also don't really get the appeal of 80s mall as a setting, so it might have hit better if it was a different theme?
The Grace of Sorcerers by Maria Ying (Those Who Break Chains 1)
5/5. An urban fantasy series where the authors have made the bold decision to create a world where all woman are gay and fucked up and ready to solve their problems with, uh, murder. Or hot sex with other women. Or both.
Untethered Skies by Fonda Lee
5/5. This is really a perfect length story, where there's just enough plot and just enough pathos and just enough worldbuilding for it to feel full and complete.
The Demon of the House of Hua by Maria YIng (Those Who Break Chains 2)
5/5. I think this is my favorite couple in the series, to be honest. I love the idea of this demon falling in love with the mother of their shared charge.
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
4/5. I liked this novella, with the way it uses the romance to illustrate the horrors of colonialism, but it felt a little thin for me.
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
5/5. Really enjoyed it! It's a retelling of an Indian epic with the focused shifted to a female side character.
The Might of Monsters by Maria Yong (Those Who Break Chains 3)
5/5. Another great installment featuring the Hua family and their constant toxic gay drama.
The Serpent of the House of Hua by Maria Ying (Those Who Break Chains 4)
5/5. Yves possessing Viveca is so hot.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
4/5. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding, but felt like the plot undermined itself by having every revelation take agency away from the protagonist.
Love, Practically by Nichole Van
3/5. Another romance where the heroine clearly needs to get a divorce, but we're in ye old historical times so instead we have to watch the hero fuck around for 80% of the book, being a drunk asshole. I hate these caretaker romances where the woman's sole value is in how incredibly easy she makes the man's life.
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
4/5. This didn't really hit for me the way some of my favorite Discworld novels do, but Pratchett is Pratchett, man.
The Winter King by C. L. Wilson
2/5. Relationship development? Sorry, the author was too busy inserting gender essentialism!
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
4/5. Another thriller that becomes less interesting when it finally answers your questions, but I did enjoy the toxic lesbian romance.
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat (Dark Rise 2)
5/5. This is the book that fucked me up the most this year. C.S. Pacat, how dare you.
The Ruin of Beasts by Maria Ying (Those Who Break Chains 5)
5/5. Really enjoyed this conclusion to the Hua sister's story, and ultimately I thought it was a good move to shift the focus off Olesya and Viveca to side characters. Can't wait to read more.
Spear by Nicola Griffith
4/5. It feels a little thin, to be honest. I don't know what the shift to a female knight in this instance adds to the story. But beautifully written, and fun to read.
The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector
3/5. It drags, it never convinces you the romance is good, it gives you a frankly not that interesting protagonist...short on set up, long on consequences.