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@magicalyaku
The Witch, her birds, her cats
I wrote and illustrated a queer short story collection last year, "Federn aus Gold, Saphirblaues Herz" ("Feathers of Gold, Sapphire Heart"). This is Stella, one of the main characters of the first story, with some of her birds and some of the cats that live around her hut.
Hey there! What? It's 2026 already? Lies! Lies! Wasn't it just March the other day? (Will be again soon enough cough) I was too tired to post any reviews in 2025, but I still read a lot of books. However, after the absolute banger that was the end 2024, finding amazing books was kind of hard for me. Also I had no impulse control and borrowed every library book that sounded mildly interesting (and not all of them were in the end).
What I learned about myself is that I'm not only terrible with audio books but western graphic novels as well. Of the 4 books I didn't finish two were graphic novels, one an audio book (didn't like the narrator's voice) and one was a classic for which my English is not good enough. Here are the stats: 73 finished books, of which were 32 borrowed from the library, 2 non-fiction books, 2 graphic novels, 7 audio books and 12 rereads.
Favorite Books of 2025:
When Among Crows & To Clutch a Razor / Curse Bearer series (Veronica Roth)
A Rival most Vial, A Captured Cauldron & A Draught for a Dragon / The Side Quest Row Series (R.K. Ashwick)
Silver in the Woods (Emily Tesh)
Und dazwischen irgendwo wir (Amani Padda)
The Summer Queen / The Buried and the Bound 2 (Rochelle Hassan)
Prince of Agony / Perilous Courts 6 (Tavia Lark)
More good books:
Charming Young Man (Eliot Schrefer)
The Hollow and the Haunted & The Forsaken and the Fated (Camilla Raines)
the Soulbound series (Hailey Turner)
The Duke at Hazard / Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune 2 (KJ Charles)
Favorite Audio Books:
When Among Crows & To Clutch a Razor (narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey, Tim Campbell & Nina Yndis)
Favorite Non-Fiction Book:
The Aro & Ace Reationship Guide (Cody Daigle-Orians)
Favorite Covers:
Favorite Character:
Ambrose Beake (The Side Quest Row series)
Nikodem Kostka (Curse Bearer series)
Most different from what I expected and/or usually read:
Nur ein wenig Angst (original: Litt redd, bare) (Alexander Kielland Krag)
Costumes for Time Travelers (A.R. Capetta)
Worst Storytelling (not a book but it counts because I say so):
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (the story might be okay, but the choices they made to deliver it were horrendous. I played this for 80 hours and have earned the right to say it: I hate this game. It has sooo many issues.)
Most Enraging Ending:
Don't Let me Go (Kevin Christopher Snipes): Srsly? The better alternative for the ending was RIGHT THERE! ò_ó
A Mark on my Soul (Jordon Greene): I should learn to read the summary to the end. First I was bored by the book, then annoyed. Also, it was Christmas Eve when I listened to the last hours and I really didn't need that on Christmas Eve ...
Least Favorite Books:
Nothing but the Rain (Naomi Salman): a real creepypasta would have done it better
On a Sunbeam (Tillie Walden): It's pretty and I like space, but this didn't catch me at allll
The Good Vampires Guide to Blood and Boyfriends (Jamie d'Amato): nice idea, but boring. I can only hear about how cute and nice the guy is so often
The Curse of Eelgrass Bog (Mary Averling): I enjoy the occassional middle-grade book but this had all the things I did not like, starting from "I hate my big brother" to "parents who let mud-covered kids eat dinner at the table without at least sending them to wash their hands"
Bonus! My favorite scene! You know that feeling of feeling seen? Of finding something of yourself in a character, in a story? In To Clutch A Razor Niko considers scooping out the remaining foam from his cup of coffee with his finger. That's me. Bubble tea, hot chocolate, chai latte. My cup will be clean. I have a friend who will always leave a sip. That goes beyond my understanding. Even if you're a grown adult or monster - it's not silly. If it's delicious, don't waste any.
That's it for 2025! I hope I can get around to write more about the books I read this year. I have things to say about most of them after all. :'D But writing reviews is harder than writing my own novels, I'm always overthinking, so let's see how it goes.
Stay safe, stay strong. My good stories be your way.
Greetings! Welcome to my 2024 reading wrap up! Or my awards ceremony for books (and bookish media) I enjoyed the most. Looking back to my introduction to this post last year, I wrote that I'd try to write better reviews. I didn't do that. And I'd try to better remember what I read. I didn't to that either. Hmmm ... New year, new luck or something. Nevertheless, thank you to everyone who took time to look at my posts and read some of them! May the good books find you!
The one goal I accomplished 2024 was to read less (reading is fun but I have other things that need doing unfortunately), though it was not necessarily out of my own free will. I was just tired (work was annoying). I read a total of 64 books, including two graphic novels (not counting any manga), four non-fiction books and three audiobooks. 13 were borrowed from the library and 18 were sequels or spin-offs. I only DNFed one book and disliked two more (as if not to say, I hated them with a passion~).
The only pieces related to literature I hated more were two plays I saw: adaptions of Oscar Wildes's The Importance of Being Earnest and Eugène Ionesco's The Bald Soprano. I like both pieces but the adaptions had atrocious endings (The Importance of Being Earnest suddenly had vampires out of nowhere and The Bald Soprano had its final scene edited to 20 minutes of telling us how important love is ...) I didn't think I could walk out of a theatre that appalled and filled with hatred.
Worst Books:
Heir to Thorn and Flame (Ben Alderson)
Saint Sorrow Sinner (FreydÃs Moon)
Favorite Character: Patrick Collins (A Ferry of Bones & Gold/Soulbound series) (let's be honest, it's the same type every year)
Favorite Covers (or maybe: just give me a pretty illustration):
Memorable Quote: "If it can learn to talk, then it can learn to be good." (The Prince of Nowhere)
Highest Emotional Investment (aka The cutest shit and please please please don't break my heart Award): Prince of Fortune
The Wildest:
A Ferry of Bones and Gold
Running Close to the Wind
Favorite Books:
Prince of Fortune (Lisa Tirreno)
Icarus (K. Ancrum)
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (KJ Charles)
Running Close to the Wind (Alexandra Rowland)
The Diablo's Curse (Gabe Cole Novoa)
Sorcery and Small Magics (Maiga Doocy)
A Ferry of Bones and Gold (Hailey Turner)
The Prince of Nowhere (Rochelle Hassan)
Cursebreakers (Madeleine Nakamura)
More Books I greatly enjoyed:
Into the Glittering Light (Kelley York)
The Boy who steals Houses (C.G. Drews)
This Fatal Kiss (Alicia Jasinska)
Tadek and the Princess (Alexandra Rowland)
Darker by Four (June CL Tan)
The Paris Affair (Maureen Marshall)
Legend of the White Snake (Sher Lee)
Upside Down (N.R. Walker)
The Prince's Assasin series (Ariana Nash)
Most used name: Dylan (at least 3 times)
Most used twist: The person I'm talking to is actually dead! (3 times)
Bonus! Queer story-focussed games I loved in 2023 and 2024:
Haven
I was a Teenage Colonist Exocolonist
All(?) the aro/ace books I read:
Dear Wendy (Ann Zhao)
Upside Down (N.R. Walker)
Ace Voices (Eris Young)
How to be Ace (Rebecca Burgess)
Don't let the Forest in (C.G. Drews)
The Eidolon (K.D. Edwards)
I want to be a Wall vol.3 (Honami Shirono)
Fallen Thorns (Harvey Oliver Baxter)
Little Black Bird & Tall White Tenement (Anna Kirchner)
That's it! While 2024 was not my best year, in terms of books I'm still content. I'm pretty good at picking the ones I will enjoy, so I usually have fun reading and what else would I want? I will continue to read in 2025 (not sure in which form I will share here yet), and I will continue to write! None of the aspec books really captured what I wanted to read, so I guess I have to start writing that myself. :'D Here's to hoping that you find the books you want and the books you need this year. Happy 2025!
Rainbow Pond
Happy new year! After all the book posts, here's an illustration. For my conventions last year I made a few originals for sale, they all feature the same two characters and foresty scenes. After the first two, I got bored with the greens and found excuses to draw pink. The result: one blue with pink, one brown with pink and one with rainbow colors. :)
I spent a week writing up my thoughts about 5 months of books, I'm so done! I want to do this, yes, doesn't make it any easier. For next year, I need to think about how I'd like to continue, but for now, here's what I read in December!
Prince and Bodyguard (Perilous Courts 4) (Tavia Lark): I like the first three books of the series, but I was very reluctant to continue reading because a different family of princes. And dragons. I don't particularly like dragons. Guess what, there's like three seconds of dragon inside this one and instead much more big talking cat (approved). Also it was less adventurous then the other volumes and more character focused, I'd say, with an attempt at political intrique that was in its complexity just right for this type of story in my opinion.
A Ferry of Bones & Gold (Soulbound 1) (Hailey Turner): I debated a long time with myself if and how I want to read this. It's seven volumes after all, quite a commitment. Well, am I glad about my decision or what. I had a grand time with this book. There's so much action omg. At the 50% mark I was like "What?! This is only half of it?? What else are you going to do?!" Because we deal with gods and immortals right from the start where other series will start small and keep those for the final! It's wild. It also often references events from the past which I think adds to the tension better than starting at the very beginning of protagonist Patrick's story and going in chronological order. Figuring out how things in the past add up is always its own little treat. I love how cranky and unapologetic Patrick is and how his relationship with Jono develops. It's a fun book and I'm looking forward to reading the next volumes! (I just need to take a bit of cooldown time before starting the second one because of its intensity.) Btw, I tried hard to remember if I've read something of similar action and insanity level before and the only thing that came up was The Tarot Sequence. :')
The Eidolon (The Magnus Archives 1) (K.D. Edwards): Did I just say The Tarot Sequence? Well, here it is. I actually bought this book as the Rainbow Crate Hardcover edition (my first and until volume 2 comes out probably my only one. (Shipping and customs to Europe are not fun)). Very pretty. The story is fun as usual, even though I had a little trouble remembering all of what happened in The Hourglass Throne to which this is set parallel to. Max and Quinn are so nice to read together. And even without remembering some of the details of the main story, it still felt familar enough to get it, if you know what I mean? All the references to the adults are also fun (What would Rune do? Brand taught me this! Rune always makes it sound so hard when it really isn't *eyeroll"). Also, unexpected ace rep, we like to see it. :)
This Fatal Kiss (Alicia Jasinska): I think I skimmed a mixed review of this, so I was a little careful and borrowed it from the library first instead of outright buying it. And guess what? I loved it! I had a lot of fun with this. I have a difficult relationship with female protagonists in my books (YA fantasy really sullied them for me), but Gisela here is just the kind of girl I can enjoy reading. A little annoying, a little cute, definitely not soppy. It helps that the male lead, Kazik, is also of the easily embarassed type, so basically two of my favorite character types together. :D I also like reading stories with Slavic folklore demons/spirits. The friendship between the girls is great (that one fight! Yes!), the way the Water Goblin cares for them (without being creepy!). It's quite wholesome. And while the stakes are only high for the specific characters, the tension is exquisite~ Everyone tries to keep their secret and you know when it comes out, there will be so much delicious drama. My only gripe is that that one specific secret is reserved for the sequel. (I thought it would be a oneshot D:). Interestingly, one review I read complained about the unclear historical time, as the setting seems a little dated but it still has busses and cameras. But it didn't disturb me at all. It felt quite natural and fitting in its way to talk about glasses and tourists, radiators, university, fashion and how it hated on tourists on bikes (loved it. Finally someone who gets me). I remember reading A Far Wilder Magic and actually being disturbed by the time of the setting, because that one felt old-fashioned but then they had condoms… (a propos, no smutty scenes in this one). I'm looking forward to the sequel and how their little three-way-romance will turn out! (And another pretty cover please!!)
Die Silbernen Schlangen (The Silvered Serpents), Die Bronzenen Bestien (The Bronzed Beasts) (The Gilded Wolves 2+3) (Roshani Chokshi): It's been 3 full years since I read the first volume. I loved it at the time but it was right at the start of my reading marathon so I got distracted with other books and didn't continue with volume 2. As a result, my memory of it was nearly non-existent … I remembered the characters at least. They made it hard, however, to like them at the start of volume 2, because they were all grieving and basically at their worst. Things got better as the plot progressed and people began to move. And then, volume 3 started in a similar fashion. After all, we have four to five characters whose feelings and thoughts need to be explored which makes it real slow sometimes. But I like the history, the logic displayed to solve the puzzles, the action sequences, the team. I think you can feel how thoughtful the story is put together, with all the threads of grander topics woven in, while still being accessible. And thinking about it, I read a lot of oneshots these days, so it was nice to read an epic story not afraid to go big (and have a really long ending sequence spanning years). It took me a while to get back into the story, but yeah, it was worth it.
How to be Ace (Rebecca Burgess): This is a graphic novel and memoir. My second of each this year, yay! I like this one because I dare say it's a common growing up story for aspec people (even if it's not at all like mine) and with its graphic novel format it's really easy and quick to read. Like, if you're aspec and want to read another person's story or if you're not, but want to know more, you can't go wrong with this one.
And that's it for 2024 for good! Keep an eye out for my summary post with the Award Ceremony for Best Books (and more) and I'll also post art again, promise. <3
Hehe, while writing this, it's still 2024 where I live, so I'm still on time. After the excellent reading month of October, I decided to go back to a book I started in September and didn't finish. Turns out I didn't finish this time either. So next to three anticipated reads and two spontaneous picks is my only DNF of the year!
Fallen Thorns (Harvey Oliver Baxter): I started this on a 12-hour-flight and continued to slog my way through it the next two weeks in October and then another week in November and then I realized I still had about 100 pages left - and I just couldn't do it. I just did not care one ounce about the characters. It's so slow and tedious and while I think the writing and pacing is fitting for the protagonist's personality, I guess we just don't match. I didn't hate this book the way I loathe Saint Sinner Sorrow (which I read in September), mind you, there's levels between, I was just bored and there were passages written in a way I just didn't understand (like the one when the leader of the group puts down two captives and suddenly there's a monster. But where did it come from and why was is just one and not two and why was is written that way?) and other passages (from the 'other's' pov) that I just felt exhausted by. It's a real shame, though, because it's another book with an aroace main character this year that I didn't like. /D That being said, I do want to encourage you to take a look for yourself if you're interested in vampires, found family, some sinister conspiracy and a character grappling with his lack of attraction.
Don't let the Forest in (C.G. Drews): Well, this was wild. In a good and also a disturbing way. Andrew is so not okay (honestly, why did they ever let him go back without therapy or a councillor?). It's an interesting book and makes you want to know what's going on/how they deal with it in the end and if it's real or just some hallucination. Just that at some point, it was very obvious where the monsters came from and I wanted to shake the boys for not drawing the last conclusion. (There were still things I didn't anticipate.) It was still good and the writing with all its forest-related imagery is pretty. Fun fact: The cover illustrator went to art school with my best friend and they still talk once in while. When I told my friend about the books I wanted to read, she was like "Oh, I think Jana did the cover!" and I was like "Oh, that's fitting. This one has monsters!" (Because she's always been drawing creepy shit). Even if I only know her second-hand, I'm always proud when a fellow German artist is actually being successful. :D
Nox Winters and the Midnight Wolf (Rochelle Hassan): Another forest-book with more pretty forest-similes. It's a solid adventure story with good character growth. Nox is fun, because he is so grumpy (which I can relate to so much). Compared to the author's other middle grade book I probably like that one more, just because the twist of that one is good, but Nox is also pretty good and I enjoyed reading it. Thinking back to it, all I see is dark forest and stars and I like that.
Fall for Him (Andie Burke): Hmm, I was looking forward to reading this and then I almost forgot to add it the list of books I read. :'D I think it was good? Like very down to earth with money problems, work, nosy neighbors. A story that's probably easy to relate to. There's a bit of on and off between the characters while they sort themselves out, but ultimately everything does get sorted out. Yeah, it was good. Just for the love of cats, don't use names for your characters that spell so similarly. Even if the characters looks are different, I can't see them! I only see the written characters on the page and both start with D and have 5 letters in 2 syllables (Derek and Dylan) and that was actually really hard for me. For half of the book, everytime one of them spoke I had to take a moment to ensure which one it is. (Maybe that's also why it's so difficult for me to remember what happenend in this book. I'm trying hard here.)
They hate each other (Amanda Woody): I was sick again and thought, it'd be the right time for another audiobook from the library. Just that I really didn't want another adult romance with adult scenes. /D I was reluctant to pick this up, because the summary sounds incredibly shallow. They start fake dating to show their friends that they don't fit. Woah. Ugh. I wanted something easy to read, though, being sick and all, so I went along with it. The thing is, the summary is a blatant lie of omission. Because half of the book isn't even about the dating thing but about the family issues of the one guy. His mother is dead, his father an alcoholic and he has to care of his younger sisters, earning the money, next to keeping up in school. It doesn't go well and he is on the point of breaking. And then his estranged aunt starts poking her nose in. It's really tough, actually, and mean at times. Like when the aunt asks the (not so fake anymore) boyfriend to provide her with information when he doesn't really know her intentions and has to decide if he is ready to lose his boyfriend's trust forever over it. I liked that the book has an actual story that is not at all shallow but I still felt betrayed. xD
Fake Dates and Moon Cakes (Sher Lee): I picked this one up, because I read the author's second book Legend of the White Snake a little earlier and still needed something light, this time for traveling not being sick. But after the betrayal of They Hate Each Other, I ended up reading this a week before the actual travel. :'D What I didn't realize at first is, that it's another fake dating story with a rich guy. xD This one was fun, though. It did exactly what it promised and I really liked it. The author's shtick for giving a lot of background facts is in here as well, like about the Chinese calendar and the food. It's sweet, the protagonist is not an idiot and family is important. Fun fact: This is the third book with a Dylan in a row. Yes. And remember Fall for Him with Derek and Dylan? In here, there's a random girl approaching the protagonist Dylan and can't remember his name and asks "What was your name? Derek?" Not surprisingly I laughed out loudly. I'm not the only one mixing them up!
That's it for all the backlog!! (Finally!) As of writing this, I still have about 80 pages left of my last book of the year, so I'll get back to that. Happy new year!
I read one of the worst books this year in September and easily the best one in October. Let's start at the top and work our way down! :D
Prince of Fortune (Lisa Tirreno): This is everything I want in my books. 11 out of 10. Perfection. It's soo cute. The characters are so nice, Aubrey is so capable (I really didn't realize how much I am in awe of characters who have simply learned their skills and are using them confidently). Love stories in times of war are usually terrible for my heart (the suffering and fear something might happen to the characters!), but this story managed to not break me not pieces, my heart was just melting the entire time of cuteness and shit. Pretty sure I started smiling from page one and maybe never stopped. The bonds between the family members and friends are nice and the magic and the whole plot works well. Must be one of the few instances where I actually liked the marriage sub-plot (Aubrey's initial reaction was the best). Also no smutty scenes in here, rather the leadup to the fade to black had me squealing (because cute). Highly recommended.
Legend of the White Snake (Sher Lee): Another good one! Not quite the level of Prince of Fortune, but I enjoyed this one as well. I really liked how the author just had to share alle the cool snake facts she knows. xD But also about Chinese history and culture. She (correctly) assumed her readers wouldn't know, so she just explained the important stuff, be it about shrines or garments. Or cultivation. I encountered cultivation before, in the various summaries of Chinese light novels and never understood what it was (because I only read the summaries duh), but it's everywhere! I naively assumed it wouldn't be in here, though, because it's for the Amerian market or something and literally two pages later they started talking about it. xD But it was fine, I finally know now, right. It's a very solid and charming story with just the right amount of everything. Also, another capable young man. /D
Sorcery and Small Magics (Maiga Doocy): Aaand another good one! Three in an row! Nope, this time the main character is not capable. The opposite actually, but he's fun and it's nice to have a slightly diffent type once in while. (He is capable in his own way, though). I had a rough time not reading him as Avra from Runnning Close to the Wind, because they share some qualities. And I completely misjudged the characters ages going into this, thought they'd much older when they're only students. So I had to do some adjusting in my head. :'D It's a fun and vibrant story with an interesting magic concept. Lots of adventure, a very slow romance (which is good), and a really good showdown (love it when things work out like that)! I'm looking forward to the sequel! :)
The Boy who Steals Houses (C.G. Drews): It took me a whole week to get through the 170 pages of Saint Sorrow Sinner (look below) and that was with a 12-hour flight inbetween. Afterwards, I picked up this one and read its 360 pages within five or six hours. That is the difference in quality. I had my sights on the author's new book Don't let the Forest in but was unsure whether I wanted to buy or borrow it, so I picked up the author's previous work. And boy, it is good. There is a little romance, but it's much more about family standing up for each other. I found striking how well it is written even in the long passages when the protagonist is all by himself with no dialogue. Very emotional stuff. Pretty sure, I shed a tear or two towards the end.
A Tale of Two Knights (James Persichetti (Story), L.S. Biehler (art)): I don't usually include the graphic novels that I read, because then why not include manga as well and then we'd never finish. I have things to say about this one, though. Mainly, it's fine as a comic but I think it would have profited from being a novel. There's just not enough time and depth in the early journey. The latter half with the action was fine but the development of the love story is pretty lacking. Cute, yes, still lacking. It's also a bit odd how the title is about the two men, when a lot of (rightful) focus is given to Morgan. In a (well-written) novel, there would have been a lot of possibilities to expand on this. The character art is a little wonky sometimes. Some panels look really good, others are a bit off. I found it very strange that the party does not carry any luggage at all after they give away their horses. Where do you even hide your canteens? Who decided that this is fine and people on a critical mission can continue on without anything? What I really liked, however, was the color schemes. The different places and daytimes are very pretty in their lighting and coloring. All in all, it was fine. Buut I wish it had been more.
When Haru was here (Dustin Thao): I bought the German edition of You've reached Sam and read like 20 pages of it before I put away again because I was not feeling up to it. But when this one came out I had just read two books in a row about depression and grief and was like "What's one more?" It was okayish. Halfway through, I was very frustrated and annoyed, not necessarily with Eric himself but all people around him were just assholes, even Haru, telling him what to do and what not. It redeemed itself towards the end, though, so it was fine.
Saint Sorrow Sinner (The Gideon Testaments 3) (FreydÃs Moon): This one is not pictured, because we do not support the author here. They had some scandal regarding faking their identity (again) earlier this year, so if you want to know, go look it up, it'll be easy enough to find. I had, however, already purchased this book with the return period just run out and decided I might as well read the end to the trilogy. Maybe I was going in biased because of the author's wrongdoings, but I hated this book. I haaated it, omg. I thought the previous two volumes were interesting. Not easy to read for me, despite their short length, and I disliked the smut scenes in both of them, but there were interesting themes going on. And the action happening at the end of volume 2 had me wanting to read the conclusion. That conclusion was, however, pretty bad. It's short again, yet hardly anything happens except the characters sitting together and eating and bathing. And romancing. That was the thing that put me off so hard. The story is so short, but it needs to include another love story, really? Sophia gets out of the cult and falls for the very first uncoupled human she meets. Hate it! Stories where all characters need to be coupled up. Hate it, hate it! But, oh, of course we also need to do found family. (Really, why not just focus on that.) And it's not just Norse gods anymore and the Christian god and angels, now there's a banshee as well, which is what originally? Irish? But is it actually what is portrayed in the book? Thing is, after the author lied so blatantly about themself, I didn't feel like I could trust anything they write. I don't know anything about religion or being autistic or trans, so I have to take it the way they write it, but I can't trust anymore that this is how those things actually work and that feeling persisted throughout the book and was not a good one.
Two posts more to go before the end of the year!
Great, so apparently I read a lot in August, so now I have to wreak my brain to remember so many books. Thank you, past-me.
Ace Voices (Eris Young): My one non-fiction book of the year! I'm bad with non-fiction books because I should read them on paper and read them twice to grasp all the concepts which of course I won't do, so afterwards I don't really remember what I read. It took a bit to get used to the writing because it's very personal from the author's perspective, which is not how know my non-fiction books from the back then, but ultimately I liked this one for compiling a variety of different experiences about different topics from the aspec community, and especially to topics relevant to my own current writing. Might be a good ressource.
Wrath Becomes Her (Aden Polydoros): I've read pretty much all of the author's other books, with The City Beautiful being the my first and favorite. This one is his second best in my opinion. It's not a story to enjoy, because of war and death and grief, but it's very intense, an interesting idea and well-rendered. I only wish the author had written in his afterword why he picked that setting in the first place.
You Owe Me One, Universe (Chad Lucas): This is the sequel to Thanks a lot Universe, which I liked a lot. I think first one was stronger but there a themes that are better dealt with when a story and characters are already established. My memory is a bit wonky but I dare say this one is about change - growing up, changing family situations, friendships, can the bully become a better person and such. It's still pretty heavy in some parts while also idealistic in others. But really, if we're not idealistic in a middle grade book, then where else?
Brave Face (Shaun David Hutchinson): Oops, this being a memoir is actually my second non-fiction book in a year. I think it's the very first memoir I read at all. It was easy to read and to understand because it feel like a story with all the shit that happened. I guess, that's why some people have things to tell about their lives and others don't. It also gives a good insight why his books are they way they are.
Evergreen (Davin Greenlee): I waited 6 months for my copy of this! Was a real surprise when I suddenly got the shipping notice. Was it worth the wait? Hm. Not the first half. That was frustrating because my logic is different than the characters'. The protagonist was kept away by his mother from humans for his entire childhood and youth and how long it would have gone on, for safety reasons. But I think it'd be much safer to get a child used to the outside world where you have an excuse to hover around it as a parent and when something happens, because children naturally don't know things. Whereas when a 30-year-old man goes outside and embarasses himself because he doesn't know shit about humans, it's much worse. What did the mother think when she put a neighbor her son's age right next to his nose? Of course, he's going to talk to them. And don't be exasperated he fell into a pool when you didn't tell him the dangers! Just going on with "It's not safe" never helped anyone. Give them details! That was annoying. The second half, however, got much more enjoyable. One thing in the ending made me sigh because of course it had to go that route when there was another much more attractive choice right next to it, would have made the message stronger. But well. I do think the author has potential (and a lot of perseverance!)
Caught in a Bad Fauxmance (Elle Gonzalez Rose): Here's one I don't have a story about, so I have a hard time recalling what happened in the book. That's the reason I picked it in the first place, though, easy light-hearted read. I think I read most of this on the train to a convention, and I had a good time. Like "oh no, I should sleep a bit, but I want to continue reading because it's fun." And really, sometimes that's all we need, right.
Deke & Hat Trick (Fake Boyfriends 3+5) (Eden Finley): These covers absolutely don't fit what I usually read! Aah! 8D Explanation: I was sick in bed with a fever and the flu and needed something to keep the brain busy but not too complicated. Time for an audiobook, I reckoned. And somehow these were the only books my library had available that fit my tastes, I had not already read, or were too heavy. I have to admit, my expectations in these kind of books are very low, basically porn with a bit of story as decoration. So I was pleasantly surprised that they're actually not that bad. Nothing to win a prize, but they are entertaining, the characters are quite likeable, as is the writing and some of the more serious topics, like being gay in professional sports, are handled well (from an outsider perspective such as mine at least). After I finished Deke, I immediately put on the next one. And then, a day later I felt like I was being brainwashed and decided not to listen to any more of those (like ever). 8D Also, I still know nothing about hockey and don't want to know~
That's it for August. Expect the remaining reviews of 2024 in the remaining days of 2024. :'D
The light will guide you.
It's St. Martin's Day today and where I come from, tradiotionally processions of children walk with paper lanterns through the streets to celebrate, so here's a lantern! (It's actually a ferryman but their ferry was surprisingly hard to fit into the confines of a bookmark, so they got a lantern instead.)
Why is it October already and why am I still talking about books I read in April?! I'm like half a year behind in time than the rest of the universe. So let's make this quick, eh? The theme of this part is Gay Adult Fiction series, my comfort food. uAu
The Prince's Assassin series (Ariana Nash): I picked this up on a whim, at the end of April when I was in a slump, and then I read all 3 books and the novella in about a week. It's good! In the beginning, it has quite a few parallels to Captive Prince but I didn't mind and it quickly becomes its own story. There's magic and elves (who are very different from what you usually imagine as 'elves') and some dark themes. I liked reading it a lot and I enjoyed Nico as a character. That he actually walked away from Vasili when it got too much. And that just when I thought "how often will you repeat this?" they worked it out. :D
The Paladin's Shadow & The Sword-Witch's Heart (Radiance 2+3) (Tavia Lark): The easy-going ones, here they are! Not much different to say from the other books I read by this author. Enjoyable adventure, romance that works, good world-building. For the third book, I was very apprehensive to read about the second protagonist because I didn't like him when he appeared in the second book. But suprisingly, he got better and I ended up liking book 3 a lot more than book 2. The series got new covers recently btw. These look a lot better than the old ones. :'D
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen & The Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books 1+2) (KJ Charles): Omg, so much fun. I loved reading the first book, so 4 days waiting for the second volume to be delivered was testing my patience really hard. yAy It's fun and at times suprisingly dark (as in people die) and I really like the portrayal of the marsh, as a place, as a home. That was the one piece I missed a little in the second book, but otherwise I liked that one just as much. Can't go wrong with KJ Charles. :)
Running Close to the Wind (Alexandra Rowland): As it turns out, we started with the darkest and end with the funniest book. :'D This one is not exactly a series, but set in the same world and slightly connected to the events of the author's previous novel A Taste of Gold and Iron. This one took me by surprise. It's hugely different than its predecessor but so much fun! It's a comedy, really, and a smart one at that, despite it consisting 70% of dirty jokes. (There are no explicit scenes, though!) I enjoyed reading every second of it. It's just great. Good characters, smart writing and dialogue, adventure, absurdity. Highly recommended.
There's still 4 more books on my list but I just decided that I don't to need to talk about them much, so have one (or three) sentence(s) for each and then be done with it:
Snow Boys (Simon Doyle): Cute, contemporary story with coming out drama and family drama. Why does it change covers so often?
A Spark of Magic (Tari Riley): Self-published fantasy story with a budding romance between a teen witch and an accidental merboy, first book of a series, was pretty okay. The only thing that irked me was how they were constantly grabbing things (instead of taking them or picking them up or fetching them ...). :'D
Only Mostly Devastated prequel novella (Sophie Gonzales): Of course, I've already forgotten everything about the main story except the main points and that I enjoyed it, yet it was easy enough to get into the prequel.
The Cat Who Saved Books (Sosuke Natsukawa): I didn't like it, because it's not about the cat but the usual Japanese teenage manga protagonist, but because it's a novel instead of a manga suddenly it's great and serious? My ass. It makes some good points about our modern reading habits but is very simplified, and if you let me talk any further, I will only rage about every single point that annoyed me, so I stop. :)
Midnight Stroll
Ley and Rubi from my novel Roots & Raindrops, a cozy fantasy story set in a sandy, summery kingdom with birdshifters and almost-vampires and fake princes (or not?). The German edition is available on Amazon, the English edition is being worked on!
So apparently, I didn't go on vacation but a King of Prism fangirl tour ... We went to Fukuoka for two days and I stumbled across the most dangerous store which had really cute acrylic plates. I was just meandering around, waiting for my friends, and then bam, there was that giant poster. Only freaked out a tiny bit. It was so hard to decide who to get! I wanted them all. >3< Even Ace and Shine were there! Afterwards we went to Mandarake where I picked up some doujinshi that looked pretty and finally (because I saw an actual television commercial for the movie!), I caved and went to see the Dramatic Prism.1 movie a second time. This time, the cinema was quite full, so I got a nice cheering experience and they gave out a present as well, I was very happy. A very successful day indeed.
We went back to the King of Prism cafe, so I could get the full set of character cards that came with the menu (and the silly crown). I love them. I didn't want to leave. u_u
Before that, I also took my friend to see the latest movie which is just all the Prism1 perfomances edited together actually, no story at all (but fake advertisements featuring Over the Rainbow!) but at least that way she still had fun even with only understanding a few of the words. Kakeru's was her favorite! 8D The ending, though! The ending was wild. Like wtf! Whatever they do next (movie I guess?) will be even wilder and sillier than what they usually do? I'm so in for it.
I am on vacation with my friends and we happened to be in the right city at the right time, so I could visit the King of Prism collab cafe! So happy! yAy It's cute! I got Taiga's drink and the cake from the Shin/Louis set (my friend took the drink.) Tasted good! And the merch is so nice, I bought a lot. (It's like the only chance ever after all. There were also a few free goodies and we were four people, so I got everyone's coasters and stuff, hehe.) We're going to see the movie tomorrow and then we'll probably come back because my friend is set on getting me the crown ... :'D
Greetings! I just realized that all it takes to get rid of me is giving me a good videogame to play. I started playing I was a Teenage Exocolonist and it's so hard to stop! Why is it so good?! Aaah! Ahem. Anyway, welcome to Part Two of my big wrap up of all the books I read between April and July! The theme this time is France & Other Places! Yes, somehow France got lumped in with all sorts of otherworldy realms. :P
A Paris Affair (Maureen Marshall): Not sure why my brain thought I'd get something like In Memoriam with this. It's historical fiction as well but otherwise they have nothing in common. If I had to compare it, it'd be to Will Darling by KJ Charles (which I loved). A capable protagonist, a sly, lying, and handsome rich guy, and conspiracies. It was fun! Vivid. It made me want to actually go and look at the Eiffel Tower again. Like, I've been there as a child but it's not that special for us nowadays, right? But reading about its construction and the discourse about it, it started to feel a little special. I also liked the historial bits about Parisian culture und such. I'm not into history at all, but getting small bits in my books is nice.
The Alchemy of Moonlight (David Ferraro): Major content warning for spiders in this one. There are a few scenes in the first half of which one is really, really not fun if you can't stand spiders. Personally, I tried very hard not to think about what I was reading. /D I'm usually only bad with visual images but given that I just had an unfriendly encounter with General Spidermom and her hellspawn in my bathroom I was a little unamused. Anyway, the rest of the book was fine. (Just fine.) It's apparently gothic but despite the crawlycrawly and the old castle and the ghosts and secret tunnels, the vibe was a little lost on me. It's also set in France and apart from the occassional croissant it didn't feel French at all. The Paris Affair? So French, so lively! This one? Could have been any European country with nobility. As for the love interests, one was too good to be true (meh), the other one started out toxic, but was redeemed (meh as well). The ending, well … In some ways, it turned out pretty good (I did went woah! at one point). In others, I thought it was a little easy (didn't feel that relationship solution. Seemed to me more like "I don't want to decide, so I'll take the easy way out.") And the protagonist … he wasn't terrible. I just thought he must be the prettiest thing alive if every guy falls for him at first sight. And I wish we would have been told how his aunt knew about his preferences? Usually, in this type of story, it's revealed that the hero had like one experience with the stable boy or some lord's son or whatever, but there's nothing in here. He had never talked about it before and yet his aunt knew well enough to want to send him to an asylum of all things! Give me details! All in all, it was entertaining to read, but in the end it was just fine.
Otherworldly (F.T. Lukens): This is the book that held up the entire post. I thought maybe I'll remember something about it later! I didn't and I feel bad about. I have no recollection of the time and place I read this either. But that is how it is. It's a solid book, I'd say, otherwise I would have something to nag about. 8D Nah, Luken's books usually are good. Cute, adventurous, ultimately positive. And the cover art is beautiful.
The Diablo's Curse (Gabe Cole Novoa): This is the sequel to A Wicked Bargain. Do you have to read it beforehand … probably not? Dami is the only recurring character and there are only a few allusions to the first book. I certainly didn't remember much except the general setup around el Diablo and the contracts. And that I had some issues with Mare and how the plot progressed as in "I have to save my dad, but I'm here doing nothing for two months". That didn't happen in The Diablo's Curse! The first part is so fun with the dynamic between Dami and Silas, and afterwards it's very focused and always going forward with just the right amount of tension. Also, I just like Dami. And I like, intended or not, how their gender fluidity parallels their upbringing (as in no human culture to tell them how to be, and that paired with an adaptable body). I enjoyed reading this a lot!
Nightmares in Paradise (Ring of Solomon 2) (Aden Polydoros): I faintly remember being a little disappointed by the first volume because I wished it would try a little harder and dig a little deeper. This second volume does that, you know, a little, I think. I'm not the biggest fan of the writing style with its million pop culture references, but I can imagine kids loving it. Also, I have to give the author credit for actually writing different than in his books for older readers. I liked this better than the first volume. Grumpy Ash is good and he doesn't behave like one of the kids. I was a little shocked how easily they kill off three children in the beginning. Like wtf, can you please think about that for two seconds, dear protagonists? Never mind the main bully guy, but what about the other two? That was a little weird. Other than that, the story takes place in the Garden of Eden and has some more biblically accurate depictions of angels and a lot of "they can either be good or bad" and I wonder how actual Christians think about this. :'D
That's it for Part Two. Two more to go! Next up will be Gay Adult Fiction series. And August is almost done as well haha …
Greetings! It's been a while, but here I am, same as before (as in probably talking to much. :P) Work sucked the life right out me, I had a few conventions to attend, and I wrote another book. But things are slowing down again, and as I'm reading regularly again, I feel the need to share. I have four months which were hugely different in reading volume to talk about, so I'll split it up by theme this time! First up is: Ace books and Academic setting!
Dear Wendy (Ann Zhao): I was apprehensive about this one when I read the summary for the first time. Because two aroace protagonists? Awesome! But the setting and the story themselves didn't appeal to me at all. Unfortunately, that stayed true as I actually read it. Don't get me wrong, I do think it's a good book. I liked how the discussions about aro/ace and gender topics where integrated quite naturally into the story thanks to it being a college setting. And I liked what topics were chosen. It's just that I couldn't care less for that social media war they have going on. I'm the weirdo who has never used instagram, twitter, or facebook. The only thing I have is my tumblr and even here, I'm barely interacting with anyone. Stories centered around social media just aren't something that appeals to me. It also didn't help that the formatting of the e-book edition from libby that I borrowed was kinda hard to read for the posts and comments. I think I remember wondering if I am actually too old to enjoy this, but then again, the last ace/aro book I read before this was Just Lizzie which hit really hard and that was about a 12-year-old. :'D So personally for me, it was more meh, but I can see it resonating with other people. Go give it a try, please.
Upside Down (N.R. Walker): Another book with two ace protagonists, male this time and homoromantic. This one had me wary at first as well, because the author usually writes gay romance with smut? (That's what the books look like at least, haven't read anything.) But it's super cute and really funny. The discussions about asexuality were more basic in here than in Dear Wendy, the usual "we're all valid" etc., but a) they were for the most part well intergrated again as one of the protagonists leads an ace support group, and b) if the author's usual readers can broaden their horizons a bit through this, that's a good thing, right? Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this. There's two cover versions for this one. Obviously, the new one with illustration is superior.
A Darker Mischief (Derek Milman): Ugh, this … was weird? Intriguing? I'm still not quite sure what I'm supposed to take away from the ending. I'd have to reread the whole thing for the analytical part of my brain to activate and I'm not going to do that any time soon. The prologue was wtf, then for the longest time not much happened. Except, you could totally see the slow descent into the abyss. That one guy? Not real. The other one? Walking problematic person with difficult tendencies? Next guy? Alarm bells from every side. Fortunately, the main protagonist is smart enough, he's just poor and sixteen and been through rough times, what reflects in his choices. Oh, and there's probably a bunch of references in here that I didn't catch (history is not my thing at all). I did get the apple thing, at least. Yeah, so a weird experience, but all in all I liked the book.
Darker by Four (June CL Tan): This is one of the two books I read in April, so it was ages ago. :'D I remember having fun, though! It's the kind of book that was basically written for me. Badass sword-wielding heroine, suffering boy hero who kisses other boys, interesting worldbuilding, magic, evil creatures to slay, action, a sweet romance that is not the focus of the story, actual story to think about. A ton of good ingredients! What I liked best was that you get to know both protagonists, Rui and Yiran, equally as people. There's two of them but only one can have the magic! There's no choice but to have one of them suffer! And it's so mean, which makes it so good! I'm very eager to read the second volume to see where it all leads, the sacrifices and the triumph. <3
That's it for today. Next up will be another five books in Part Two: France and Other Places. :)
Butterflies
An illustration I made a few years ago for my little manga series "Butterflies". I only have 11 copies of the final volume left, so I expect it to sell out over my summer conventions. About time! (Volume 1 came out in 2017, I'm kinda sick of it by now. 8D)
Anyway, I really like how the texture in the background turned out in this one and I have no idea how I did it. Hasn't worked since! uAub Maybe it's the different paper I used back then ...