rainbow reads

they/she come read the rainbow with me

[therainbowreads]

Book Review: Don't Let The Forest In by CG Drews

Genre: YA / Horror Rating: 4.25/5 Content Warnings: gore, violence, & homophobia

Andrew's stories and Thomas's drawings are coming to life and killing the people around them. They spend most of the school year battling monsters in the forest to keep them from harming those they love. There is mystery surrounding the incidents happening to them, and Andrew wants answers. If only he could get his twin, Dove, to talk to him, especially since his feelings for Thomas are not going away anytime soon.

I have a lot to say about this book, and not enough words. Andrew and Thomas have wildly codependent vibes, and I love that for them. They had such a crazy relationship, and I absolutely loved the way it was explored throughout the book. When I say codependent, I truly mean codependent. Those boys are insane for each other.

This book is YA, and you can tell. To be clear, that's NOT a bad thing. But if you feel you have outgrown books aimed at teens, this book may not be for you. (Oh, to be an angsty teen.) Books like this just weren't available to me when I was a teen, so I read them as much as I can now. It definitely would have broken me at the age of 16. Now, I'm just grateful to have stories like this one.

I have Hazelthorn by this author, and I am super excited to read it! Especially since the reviews for that one are even better than this one!

[therainbowreads]

“If only you could talk to girls in equations.”  There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they’d created in the link, Wylan said, “Just girls?” Jesper restrained a grin. “No. Not just girls.” ― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

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Book Review: Strange Cases by Riotbones

Genre: Legal Drama? / Mystery / Graphic Novel Rating: 4.25/5

In this graphic novel, law student Jude Aguilar takes over his mother's law practice after her passing. He finds the clients to be strange and supernatural in nature, especially the last one (who was convicted of killing his father). 

The first thing I would like to say is that the art style is absolutely gorgeous. I was invested just because the pages were so beautiful. This might be a small detail, but the way the author/illustrator drew fire was so cool.

As for the plot, it was also super interesting. I adored the world-building and how each case was connected to the lore surrounding the town. Also, Jude just walks into that courtroom armed with just vibes, and I love that for him. 

The stories for each client are sort of interconnected. However, it feels more like 3 separate stories rather than 1 complete story. I would not necessarily say that is a bad thing, just something to consider when reading it. It also ended somewhat abruptly, and I felt like I wanted more. 

Overall, the graphic novel was definitely worth reading. I enjoyed reading it and was hooked from the beginning. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

[therainbowreads]

“And that’s part of our trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.” ― Suzanne Collins, Sunrise on the Reaping

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Book Review: Return Signal by TR Brady

Genre: Poetry Rating: 3.75/5

This poetry collection is about transness, obsession, and mental health. The poet discusses dreams and times when their own body felt alien. There are some poems that I understood deeply. There are other poems that I did not quite understand and seemed to feet a bit disjointed (but that might have been a me issue). The title says that this poetry collection is about obsession. I also think it is a lot about grief as well. How grief can go away if you start to let go of the things you are not anymore. Especially when it comes to being trans. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

[therainbowreads]

“You'd break your heart to make it bigger, so why not crack your skull when the mind swells.” ― Richard Siken, War of the Foxes

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Book Review: Fence Book 1 by C. S. Pacat

Genre: Sports / Graphic Novel Rating: 4/5

This graphic novel centers around two characters, Seiji and Nicholas. Nicholas earns a fencing scholarship to the elite Kings Row private school. There, he goes through fencing tryouts and faces off against his rival, and fencing prodigy, Seiji (who is also his roommate). There are also plenty of side characters that you come to know and love (looking at you Bobby❤️). Some interesting family ties are involved in the story as well, and I cannot wait to see the consequences unfold as the story continues. I adored the art style and loved how some of the minor characters' stories were fleshed out.

My one note: could be gayer. Don't get me wrong, no queerbating here! There are plenty of queer characters to be found. I was just hoping for a bit more, and was a little disappointed. However, I have hopes about the rest of the series and where it goes from here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

[therainbowreads]

“I feel like I could eat the world raw.” ― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

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Book Review: Grief Eater by Emma Osborne

Genre: Queer Horror Novella Rating: 5/5 Content Warnings: Child abuse, homophobia (including slurs), and cannibalism (kind of? more like the eating of human bodies)

I love books about queer joy, but I know so few about queer rage. This book was disturbing and grotesque (and I do mean that as a compliment). Imagine a zombie story from the perspective of the zombie. Blood holds memories, and the main character has let go of everything that has made her human. The only thing she wants is blood and revenge. How will she get that revenge? By killing her abusive family. No matter what.

Although this book was short, I did not feel at any point that it could have been wrapped up better. It felt like a complete story despite the page count. I was hooked from the very beginning and stayed that way until the end of the story. The book switches from the present to events that happened in her childhood.

I would definitely read another book by this author. This was an absolutely amazing read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

[therainbowreads]

“I won't be okay, but I will be better.” ― Andrew Joseph White, Hell Followed With Us

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Book Review: Back To You by Ann Laing

Genre: Romance / Coming-of-Age / Short Story Rating: 4/5 If you died choking on a chocolate-covered almond and got to go back three years, would you?

That’s what happens to Allison in this funny and adorable short story about getting the chance to redirect your life and live the way you truly want to. I did not expect a story that begins with death to be so sweet, but, to be fair, she did die because of a chocolate-covered almond.

The writing style was funny, the main character was relatable, and the MMC was such a sweetheart. This story is about realizing you only have one life to live, so you might as well live it the way you want to. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I do think it could have been a bit more fleshed out, but for a story that’s only about 50 pages long, it delivered exactly what I needed to feel satisfied with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!