reading update 9/13/2022
Sep. 14th, 2022 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaReviews under the cut!
The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
5/5. An incredible installment of an incredible series. Tyrant was so much more than I thought it would: rich worldbuilding and fascinating character development, and a surprisingly hopeful outlook. If Monster is about Baru getting knocked down, Tyrant is about Baru getting back up. Her character development is fascinating, and I'm already salivating for the final installment.
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Dixon
3/5. Another mid romance. The existence of the reality TV show feels entirely pointless, as the book doesn't do anything with it, and ends before the show even starts. The main couple has an okay dynamic, but it's not super engaging. There are a lot of great descriptions of food, and the sex is hot, but overall I wasn't thrilled with it.
The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter Vol. 1 & 2 by Kazuki Irodori
5/5. This is apparently based on an existng webnovel, which does have a fan translation available, but having tried reading it, I actually would recommend this manga adaption instead, because it's a lot more fun. It has so many tropes I love: opposite love interests, an age gap, literal healing cock as a plot device, hilarious levels of obliviousness on both sides. The art is pretty and it's a lot of fun. Definitely would recommend!
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
3/5. This feels like a low-budget Winter's Orbit. it's got a lot of the same elements: a marriage of convenience where neither party is willing, a backstory of trauma for one half of the couple, a backdrop of political intrigue, set in a world unlike our own. But it fumbles pretty much every element. The worldbuilding is super info dumpy and amounts to "one country good, the other bad", the main couple have zero chemistry, and the political intrigue is really boring. The plot of Winter's Orbit is clearly just there to facilitate romantic set ups, and you know what? I love it. The plot of this book can't even manage that.
Seraph (Monstrous #6) by Lily Mayne
5/5. I was pleasantly surprised how great this was! Lilac and Seraph reverse or subvert a lot of the tropes in earlier installments, which were starting to wear a bit thin. And I love that this one features a monster love interest whose body is actually monstrous, instead of just being a buffer hot guy with some unusual coloring. It was also cool to see the rest of the cast from a new perspective and to see what was happening while Moth and Charlie were off falling in love in the last book. Very excited to read the upcoming installments!
The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
5/5. An incredible installment of an incredible series. Tyrant was so much more than I thought it would: rich worldbuilding and fascinating character development, and a surprisingly hopeful outlook. If Monster is about Baru getting knocked down, Tyrant is about Baru getting back up. Her character development is fascinating, and I'm already salivating for the final installment.
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Dixon
3/5. Another mid romance. The existence of the reality TV show feels entirely pointless, as the book doesn't do anything with it, and ends before the show even starts. The main couple has an okay dynamic, but it's not super engaging. There are a lot of great descriptions of food, and the sex is hot, but overall I wasn't thrilled with it.
The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter Vol. 1 & 2 by Kazuki Irodori
5/5. This is apparently based on an existng webnovel, which does have a fan translation available, but having tried reading it, I actually would recommend this manga adaption instead, because it's a lot more fun. It has so many tropes I love: opposite love interests, an age gap, literal healing cock as a plot device, hilarious levels of obliviousness on both sides. The art is pretty and it's a lot of fun. Definitely would recommend!
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
3/5. This feels like a low-budget Winter's Orbit. it's got a lot of the same elements: a marriage of convenience where neither party is willing, a backstory of trauma for one half of the couple, a backdrop of political intrigue, set in a world unlike our own. But it fumbles pretty much every element. The worldbuilding is super info dumpy and amounts to "one country good, the other bad", the main couple have zero chemistry, and the political intrigue is really boring. The plot of Winter's Orbit is clearly just there to facilitate romantic set ups, and you know what? I love it. The plot of this book can't even manage that.
Seraph (Monstrous #6) by Lily Mayne
5/5. I was pleasantly surprised how great this was! Lilac and Seraph reverse or subvert a lot of the tropes in earlier installments, which were starting to wear a bit thin. And I love that this one features a monster love interest whose body is actually monstrous, instead of just being a buffer hot guy with some unusual coloring. It was also cool to see the rest of the cast from a new perspective and to see what was happening while Moth and Charlie were off falling in love in the last book. Very excited to read the upcoming installments!
