reading update 8/20/2022
Aug. 20th, 2022 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaReviews beneath the cut!
The Councillor by E. J. Beaton
5/5. A compelling political fantasy with--you guessed it--an ambitious female protagonist. Add the queernorm world, the hint of romance, and a lot of complicated interpersonal stuff, and you have a recipe for a winner. I'm excited for a sequel, but also feel that this stands alone remarkably well.
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
5/5. I mean, it's Alexis Hall. This sequel to Boyfriend Material is unlike any romance novel I've read before. It's an established couple and Hall never puts breaking up on the table--so the book is just their interpersonal conflicts, resolved as best they can, as they go through life together. it's not a book that ties things up neatly. But it is a book that I love. It does have a very specific (British?) sense of humor, and I've seen a lot of negative reviews, but I love it wholeheartedly.
A Prayer for the Crown-sky
5/5. Chambers's worldbuilding is so incredible. I love Dex and Mosscap, too, but the details of the world are what keep me reading.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
4/5. It's...fine? All the parts are good, but I feel like you could double the length and give every element more fleshing out and it would read a lot better. I like the sapphic romance, and the descriptions of food and drink, and it's definitely cozy. I just wanted more than I got.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3/5. Eh. I found this one kind of boring. It's technically good, but I didn't feel invested in anyone or anything. it's not the kind of book I usually pick up, either, so I'm not surprised I didn't like it.
The Councillor by E. J. Beaton
5/5. A compelling political fantasy with--you guessed it--an ambitious female protagonist. Add the queernorm world, the hint of romance, and a lot of complicated interpersonal stuff, and you have a recipe for a winner. I'm excited for a sequel, but also feel that this stands alone remarkably well.
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
5/5. I mean, it's Alexis Hall. This sequel to Boyfriend Material is unlike any romance novel I've read before. It's an established couple and Hall never puts breaking up on the table--so the book is just their interpersonal conflicts, resolved as best they can, as they go through life together. it's not a book that ties things up neatly. But it is a book that I love. It does have a very specific (British?) sense of humor, and I've seen a lot of negative reviews, but I love it wholeheartedly.
A Prayer for the Crown-sky
5/5. Chambers's worldbuilding is so incredible. I love Dex and Mosscap, too, but the details of the world are what keep me reading.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
4/5. It's...fine? All the parts are good, but I feel like you could double the length and give every element more fleshing out and it would read a lot better. I like the sapphic romance, and the descriptions of food and drink, and it's definitely cozy. I just wanted more than I got.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3/5. Eh. I found this one kind of boring. It's technically good, but I didn't feel invested in anyone or anything. it's not the kind of book I usually pick up, either, so I'm not surprised I didn't like it.
