Kale's Reviews

28, they/them. Starting library school in the fall.

[kalereviews8782]

Review: Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Enjoyment: 2 / Prose: 2 / Characters: 2.5 / Plot: 2.5

Pros: trans aromantic & autistic representation, communism!

Cons: godawful pacing, muddled themes, too didactic, NOT BELIEVABLE AT ALL (I could not suspend my disbelief here, sorry) (ok now I feel mean listing all of this out)

Fuck, I hate this. I hate that I’m giving Andrew Joseph White a 2 star rating again. As a trans autistic person who vehemently disliked Hell Followed With Us, but loved The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, I was looking forward to another five-star, as I thought White had improved on theming, pacing, and prose. But man, there were a few problems with this one. First, the premise here: Miles, a trans boy, is dealing with a hundred year long violent feud between his family and that of Sheriff Davies, which leads to hate-crimes, murder, political activism, coming out, and more, etc.

Prose-wise, this felt like communist theory (sometimes I’m looking for that, but not here). White dumps paragraphs upon paragraphs of socialist and communist history, facts, and terminology, and repeats the same messages and themes of leftism over and over. Rarely is the reader able to piece things together on their own; no, another paragraph describing socialist history is dropped (even right in the middle of the “action”). Painful and boring reading experience. I want to know the characters, their relationships, their thoughts and feelings, not another textbook-ripped description of a historical event. I think references to these things are good and honestly, I haven’t seen many young adult books this OPEN about communism (that’s why it’s in the pros) but the way it is handled is poor. Speaking of the theming, it also seemed implausible that there is one “bad guy” character here (the Sheriff). That’s not…how things work. There’s usually a group of rich people running the show, not just one guy who is killed and then everyone works together and it’s all good again? What? That’s not how systemic power works. You can’t kill one person and expect change. I also don’t get why you’d go after teenagers and not, like, the people who have power, but OK. Another goodreads reviewer (@mars) describes this point in more detail in their review.

Other points:

*Every character becomes a caricature. The leftist characters are so…well, Tumblr-esque? They all muddled together and didn’t feel like real humans. Same with the “evil” teenagers who, honestly, Miles only thinks for a brief second as “victims” (they’re literally 16 year olds…maybe some more nuance about how they’re children should be discussed? Again, they are pretty garbage humans, but are they really holding all the systemic power in town here? Why would they go after these children and not the Sheriff himself? Seems inefficient but..anyway…). And on this point, I as the reader sympathized with Paul, but it would have been more thematically interesting for Miles to kill him (let him be bad! Let him deal with the consequences of doing something immoral! Instead of having Cooper get all the blood on his hands).

*The Sheriff was so unbelievably evil it made me laugh

*Another point about Cooper and Miles: Miles agreed to killing the other teens with Cooper and then, ten seconds after, Cooper is suddenly a bad guy (?) It just didn’t seem believable how quickly Cooper became the bad guy.

*Saint Abernathy???? What was the point of this ghost? (Don’t answer this; I obviously get the point I just don’t think it was necessary, fun, or well-done)

*Pacing-wise, there was just so much didacticism or sitting around

*Another implausibility is how Miles’s parents don’t freak out when he TELLS THEM THAT HE KILLED SOMEONE????? HUH? They just go “well he must have deserved it” lol what

*And finally, the other implausibility that his parents/family let him go meet up with Noah to “talk” ALONE. Again: what. I hope I’m not the only one here who laughed at this part due to disbelief.

I’m…sorry, I’ll calm down. I’m gonna reread The Spirit Bares Its Teeth (it’s beautiful). I’m still forever grateful that White is out here writing and that teens have these books.

[vilkalizer]

[kalereviews8782]

Review: Shae by Mesha Maren

Enjoyment: 2.5 / Prose: 2.5 / Characters: 2 / Plot: 2

pros: interesting premise cons: everyone treats Shae like shit (infuriating!!!!), flat characters/prose

Goddamnit! It's more fun to writing a scathing hate review of something I think was bad in a humorous way. But I actually really wanted to like this book. It starts out somewhat interesting. Our main character, Shae, is a 16 year old in a rural community of West Virginia. She gets pregnant and has a baby at this young age, with her "best friend" Cam, who undergoes transition during Shae's pregnancy. The book follows Shae as she becomes addicted to pills and what happens to her life after that.

Prose wise, I didn't feel any emotion from this (although there were a few pretty lines). I felt extremely distant from the characters, and they didn't have a lot of description or narrative impact. I didn't feel like I knew anyone in this story, or what they were like. They also all treated Shae like shit. I'm sorry, but Cam getting Shae pregnant and then basically not speaking to her and getting a boyfriend immediately after? Excuse me? What kind of behavior is that? I'M SO PISSED ON SHAE's BEHALF!!!! SOMEONE TAKE CARE OF THIS CHILD! It feels like everyone gave up on her, a teenage girl with a new baby, and didn't care that she felt lonely and abandoned. I was so pissed off it was hard to read the rest of the book and watch Shae's life spiral into misery for nothing.

Ends on a hopeful note, but ultimately a frustrating experience with not much pay off.

[kalereviews8782]

Review: Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

Enjoyment: 3.5 / Prose: 4 / Characters: 4 / Plot: 3

pros: Midoriko's journal entries; ace rep; working-class themes

cons: second part is sorta boring

This is such a strange, introspective novel. Split into two parts, we first follow Natsu, a thirty-year-old Japanese woman, through a few days with her sister (Makiko) and her niece (Midoriko) as Makiko looks into getting breast enhancement surgery. The second part picks up ten years later, with Natsu still struggling to be a writer, as well as now desiring to be a mother and looking into artificial insemination.

Firstly, I don't think I've ever read a book that touches on the human body so much, with passages on menstruation, breasts, pregnancy, and more. In the first part, interspersed with Natsu's point of view, there are journal entries that Midoriko writes, where she touches on getting her first period, sex, and other topics. During this section, Midoriko is not verbally speaking to anyone, so the letters are the only way we can see inside her head. There were passages where she discusses why she isn't speaking to her mother, out of guilt and being worried about money. "Why'd you even have me?" is one question she asks that broke my heart. I also really liked the focus on class in this section- Makiko is extremely poor, and they discuss their childhood where they began working at age 14. It made their characters all extremely relatable and gave insight into what life is like for poor women in Tokyo.

Although I understand that Natsu is questioning her sexuality (as well as maybe gender, later on, with a few lines about if she identifies as a woman or not), I can admit that the passage where Natsu sees someone who might be transgender in the washroom and gets nervous is a little unnecessary. However, 1) there might be a slight translation issue, 2) this might be an accurate cultural reflection of Tokyo's societal norms and 3) Natsu does wonder to herself "Am I wrong for feeling this way?" I think, because we don't read to only read about perfect angels, the same way we don't watch movies to see only perfectly moral protagonists (think Lolita, American Psycho, freakin' Deadpool, etc), it is more interesting to see Natsu as a whole human being, and that includes her possible internalised transphobia. You don't have to agree with a character's every thought or action. [Btw I'm trans].

The second part, which jumps ten years into the future, is less engaging to me. It drags, as Natsu constantly searches on her computer for information about artificial insemination, and recounts days eating and writing. I felt myself losing interest. I also found it strange that she didn't end up with Aikawa even though they both confessed feelings? What? T

he asexuality representation was great. I wasn't expecting that. Y

ou could argue that Kawakami, in trying to lean away from the misogyny of Harukami (see her interview with him here https://lithub.com/a-feminist-critique-of-murakami-novels-with-murakami-himself/), she might have leaned into portraying women as merely their physical bodies in Breasts and Eggs, although I think that misses some of the nuance and other themes of class, career, family, and love. I have links to two reviews that summarize these mixed feelings below. Overall, I enjoyed this, specifically for the characters and introspection in section one. Good reviews here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3820207158https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5043262627

[kalereviews8782]

Review: The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe

Enjoyment: 5 / Prose: 4.5 / Characters: 5 / Plot: 4

pros: gay teen deriding rich people (I eat this up), anti-prison!!!!, beautiful writing cons: falls apart a little at the end (for me), pretentious sometimes

Yes, I did decide to read all of Thorpe's books after reading Margo's Got Money Troubles. Her books almost seem tailor-made for me. Or maybe I'm just in that sort of mood. I don't know, but I went into The Knockout Queen without reading the synopsis, and that was for the best, as I'm not sure reading the summary would have drew me into it.

This is, as they say, primarily a vibe-y book. Although there are huge things (namely, two instances of violence) that impact the plot, it's more about how those instances weigh on our main character, Michael. Michael is a gay teen growing up in a pretty well-off California suburb (although his family is pointedly quite poor), and this book is primarily about his friendship with a teen girl named Bunny. Although written in third person, we see the story and characters through Michael's eyes. He is even pointed out by other characters as someone who is passive and watches others around him instead of taking action (maybe this is why I related to and loved Michael so, so much). Anyway, there's something about the way Thorpe dives into characters that I find really juicy. SO YEAH, I LOVED IT.

Prose-wise, this was basically perfect. Sometimes Michael's dialogue is a little pretentious, but because he is narrating the story I kind of take it as what he remembers saying over what he actually said. The characters, just like in Margo, are extremely well-rounded. There is no character that is left as only "good" or "bad". Aunt DeeDee is an example of this. There is a moment where, after being kicked out, Aunt DeeDee implies that Michael should "stay safe" from AIDS, and Michael mentions something like "I hated her so completely that it seemed to me I would never love her again". And really, being regulated to the couch because her son was a bigot and didn't want Michael around? Come ON. But, she was also the aunt who helped him with his makeup and took care of him over the years when his own mother wouldn't. Again, Thorpe builds characters that mirror real-life, that aren't good or bad, just human.

I won't get too much into plot here, as the two instances of violence in the book are explosive and surprising. The book overall looks at themes of guilt, trauma, impulsiveness, toxic friendships, privilege, and more. I felt like it ran out of steam a little at the end, but still- I think I found a new favorite author? :D

[kalereviews8782]

Review: The Changeling by Victor Lavalle

Enjoyment: 3.5 / Prose: 3.5 / Characters: 3 / Plot: 4

pros: fairy-tale vibes, sweet Apollo, interesting themes of racism/parenthood/internet-use all blended together (the layers!!) cons: too long for me, what is up with the island section?

This is riiiight up my alley. I love the modernized myth that Lavalle plays with here- he blends fairy-tale vibes of goblins stealing children with the modern fear of the internet. It begins as a more tense thriller (the emails and photos appearing on Emma and Apollo's phones are chilling). However, this does begin to drag for me near the middle of the novel when our main character Apollo is looking for his wife, Emma, and child, Brian on an island. For some reason that just didn't engage me as much; I think I wanted Apollo to be a little more aggressive and curious about what was going on. It picks up for me again in the last third, where we discover the goblins as well as Jorgen Knudsen, our Norwegian White Supremacist villain. Jorgen believes that his son has been dismissed because of affirmative action; his son believes Jorgen isn't finding enough children to sacrifice. The ending is, as the beginning, a thrill.

Jorgen and his son's disagreements parallel Apollo's relationship with his own father (a white man who abused Apollo's mother, a Ugandan immigrant). What makes a good father, a good role-model? What would you do to protect your son? Apollo questions these things on his journey to find Emma and Brian. As we follow this Black family into the literal belly of the beast, it's more and more clear that this book is not just about parenting, or the internet, or trolls, but about the abduction of Black children by white men, about the questioning and gaslighting society does to Black mothers (as readers we do this ourselves to Emma; for so long I thought she was the actual villain). There are some better written and more insightful reviews written about these themes cited below.

As for the prose, Lavalle writes very to-the-point (unfortunately the best comparison I have in mind right now is Gaiman). This is something I like, not all of the time, but it works for fairy-tale and magical realism in my opinion. I also love the character of Apollo and watching his journey as a father. I wish we had heard more from Emma's point of view, but I think it works well for the theming that we actually don't hear from her much. Brian's best friend, Patrice, is a character I liked reading about and probably felt he most human to me. He and his wife brought some genuine heart, and were always there for Brian when he needed it.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot and I think it works for readers looking for juicy magical-realism with psychological thrills and social commentary (a little more depth, here, than some others I've read). Lavalle is someone I will be reading more of.

Other Reviews: *"A Sort of Fairy Tale: Victor Lavalle's 'The Changeling'": https://reactormag.com/victor-lavalles-the-changeling-book-review/ *"Behind the Curtain: Victor Lavalle's 'The Changeling' and the Crossroads of Allegories": https://elliottdunstan.com/2020/07/23/behind-the-curtain-victor-lavalles-the-changeling-the-crossroads-of-allegories/ * A review by @Dannica on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2837865231 * A review by @Saif Ansari on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2439687839

[kalereviews8782]

Review: Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

Enjoyment: 5 / Prose: 5 / Characters: 5 / Plot: 5

pros: unique style, made me laugh, JINX, Thorpe understands capitalist isolation and it made me sob

con: I kind of hate Margo's mother, sorry (I may have mother issues)

It's tempting just to tell people: read this! read this, with no spoilers, no introductions, no synopsis (the cover art and title here do NOT do this book justice). But I have so much to say.

It's been a long time since I read a book this fast. Maybe about 6 months or so (this tracks, as what I thought was my life fell off the tracks about 6 months ago). This made me remember: I will always have books. I will always have these stories. Stories that catch me off guard- because, based on the synopsis of this book, I wasn't sure how I would feel. I mean, a young mother, babies, wrestling? Not necessarily my favorite topics.

Kale, for a long time, has been caught between the real and unreal. Caught between being their "true" self and worried that they're always acting, always wearing a mask. Are they always dissociating? Are they always a step back, watching themselves from a distance? Is it less real, to step back this way, is it healthy?

And then you step back into the first person. It feels a little more easy, but a little less like you know what is happening to yourself. I know less when I am viewing everything from myself. When I step back into third person, I see more around me.

Does any of this make sense?

The shift that the main character in Margo's Got Money Troubles makes, from first to third person, back and forth, was something I thought would be challenging at first, just a pretentious writing exercise, but instead it's one of the most creative and engaging styles that I've read in a while. It became relatively easy, to be viewing the character that Margo makes of herself, and then to be experiencing everything from Margo's actual point of view in the next paragraph.

My thoughts in this review are mostly focused on the style and presentation of the novel, but I love everything else about it too. The characters just about have the most real and distinct voices I've ever seen, the dialogue is natural, the plot itself is addicting (new baby, family issues, OnlyFans, wrestling, paternity, new romances, existential dread, loneliness, shame & judgment, etc), and there's so much to be said about the way we view ourselves and the way we see others as "characters". Also, much to be said about how loneliness (maybe due to this struggle with point of view and realness) may be the underlying cause of...everything.

[kalereviews8782]

Review: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

Enjoyment: 5 / Prose: 5 / Characters: 4 / Plot: 5

pros: deconstruction of religion ftw!!! also grumpy turtle! humans being bros!

cons: -

Honestly what is there to say about Small Gods that hasn't been said? God named Om gets turned into a turtle, only believer is a meek dude named Brutha, creepy guy Vorbis tries to take power. Seems simple (and the plot is) but gods, is every section of this book filled with equal parts humor and compassion. Pratchett's sense of comedy seems perfectly made just for me, and I don't run into that often. The characters here were difficult for me to connect with at first, compared to Samuel Vines or Death (who does get an appearance!!), but eventually Om and Brutha grew on me. Brutha teaches Om some pretty human things (forgiveness, mercy). Pratchett's understanding of human behavior is unmatched.

Some favorite bits:

*"There were twenty-three other novies in Brutha's dormitory, on the principle that sleeping alone promoted sin. This always puzzled the novices themselves, since a moment's reflection would suggest there were whole ranges of sins only available in company. But that was because a moment's reflection was the biggest sin of all."

*""What have I always believed? That on the whole, and by and large, if a man lived properly, not according to what any priests said, but according to what seemed decent and honest inside, then it would, at the end, more or less, turn out all right".

*"'Nothing is impossible for the strong in faith,' said Vorbis. 'Try striking a match on jelly, mister.'"

[libraryspectre]

I somehow never see this quoted when people talk about Terry going loud with the commentary

[kalereviews8782]

Review: Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Enjoyment: 2.5 / Prose: 2.5 / Characters: 2.5 (?) / Plot: 2

pros: bisexual sex-positive mc, family relationships, Oz, class issues cons: no romantic chemistry, the Soup Scene, Mallory getting treated like trash

I am confused on where I stand with Hazelwood. I gobble up her books and always have a fun time seeing what she'll do next. They never take me long to get through because I'm entertained as hell. However, I usually get frustrated by some part of the dialogue or plot choices she makes. This one was the most frustrating (probably because there were aspects of it I liked even MORE than the previous two I've read, The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain).

On a prose level, Hazelwood knows how to make scenes engaging, and I never struggle to get through her books even if the prose is...weak. There are definitely some lines that make me laugh, and others that make me cringe. It's kind of a mixed bag in that aspect. You have to sort of…roll with it.

As for characters, I think Hazelwood wrote her BEST main character with Mallory. She's funny, strong, a caretaker, but also isolated and afraid. I relate to her drive to take care of others around her and feel useful. She definitely wants to be valued and holds a lot of guilt for not being what she perceives as "good enough". She's the first queer character I've read of Hazelwood's, and I think it was handled well. I also really enjoyed her relationships with her two sisters, they were adorable. The family aspect here was well done…(until later on, but we'll get there).

But God, then we have Nolan. Who tf was Nolan? Supposedly her "rival" and "love interest" but I couldn't tell you a single thing about that man. He…likes Mallory? and he's rich? But where's their chemistry? Where's their supposed passion and desire and fun conversations or…anything? The most lacking of Hazelwood's romantic relationships, disappointedly. I actually enjoyed the character of Oz, the guy Mallory practices chess with, more.

We also have…Easton. I guess she fills the role of Mallor's "best friend" but my God, she was also terrible. I don't know anything about her besides the fact that she likes Dragon Age. And she also treats Mallory like hot garbage.

Which brings me to the plot. Chess is fine, and I enjoyed the competitiveness of the sport throughout the novel. What I did NOT enjoy or appreciate is the way people treated Mallory. Mallory works like a dog at the young age of 18 to pay her family's mortgage and then her sisters (and MOTHER) gang up on her at the end to be like "oh you're such a martyr, stop controlling us, you're so holier than though, blah blah". Like, did you want to be sleeping on the street while your mom didn't have arthritis meds? Did you have anyone else paying the bills or making sure you had rides everywhere? Sure, they could be annoyed that Mallory acts like their mom, but her own MOTHER being like "go live your own life"? Excuse me, but can we have some gratefulness? Then we have Easton, not answering ANY of Mallory's texts, then showing up near the end and saying "why did you distance yourself from me?" HUH? Did you not ghost Mallory yourself???? And finally, Nolan. This rich, privileged, famous man pays her literal salary, never tells her, and acts like it's not a big deal and that she's "acting crazy" when she's upset that he didn't tell her. Please do not call my girl Mallory crazy for feeling lied to. What a gaslighting freak.

Also: one of the defining moments in their romantic relationship is Mallory feeding him soup when he's sick. Please let this woman be anything other than a caretaker.

[lizzibabedrinkstea]

Reading A Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

Lady Ista: "Imma go on pilgrimage!"

Ser dy Ferrej: "Oh no u not! Imma write Cazaril!"

Cazaril: "U should TOTES go. Here's some $$ and 2 hot dudes to schlep ur shit"

[puddlejumper38]

Niche post but in Paladin of Souls the differences between Arhys and Illvin's first horseback ride with Ista is so funny. Arhys is the typical romantic holding her in the saddle, Illvin has her thrown over his lap, skids down a slope on the horse, and holds on to her thigh so hard he leaves bruises.

[kalereviews8782]

Review: Paladin of Souls (World of the Five Gods #2): Lois McMaster Bujold

Enjoyment: 4.5 / Prose: 5 / Characters: 4 / Plot: 4

What better book to begin writing book reviews with but a Bujold classic? I tried The Curse of the Chalion but the age gap made me uncomfortable. But, I could tell even while reading it that people who compared her prose to Robin Hobb were in the right mind. That’s why Bujold gets a straight five for her prose; it’s engaging and beautiful and you get so much out of it. Some quotes are below for reference. Not only that, but her characters are sharp and lively. There are quite a few of them here, but none of them blend together. Ista herself is a portrait of an older (she thinks of herself as older but is only 40) woman who has been through a lot of trauma, and holds herself back from others. This tendency to self-isolate is relatable, and her development towards opening herself up to others (like Liss and Illvin) is really heartwarming to watch. 

I enjoyed the fact that I never knew what the plot was going to really throw at me; there is the overall journey of a woman finding happiness/purpose again, as well as demon possession and a romance. I like the theme of a woman finding her agency and independence again (a much-needed topic for me in my life right now). Ista also carried a lot of shame, guilt, and trauma, but it never made her unlikeable. She makes friends with a younger girl named Liss, who is adorable, and free-spirited, and I think brings Ista much needed joy. And Illvin, sweet Illvin. I can see why Ista falls in love with him. And I’m really glad she is brave enough to let herself fall in love with him. I also found some of the interactions between the brothers Foix and Ferda funny. 

My overall enjoyment rating means that I really, really loved this book, and am adding more Bujold to my reading list. 

One passage I found funny was Foix and Ista watching Ferda attempt to flirt with LIss:

‘“If this is a courtship,” said Ista to Foix, “might you not advise your brother on his, ah, method?”

“Not for all the world,” said Foix, who had gained control of his breathing again. Little squeaks still leaked out now and then. “Nor would he thank me if I did. Now, mind you, my lady, I would throw myself between my brother and a Roknari crossbow quarrel without hesitation. In fact, I have. But there must be limites to fraternal self-sacrifice, I think.”’

‘Time is where you take it. It will not linger for you.’