artemine's reviews
80 reviews

Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa

adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

thank you to netgalley and angry robots for the ARC!

truly delightful. at times very funny, at times quite moving, and always very sweet, i'm surprised by how much i was taken by these characters. it's definitely a book for those with roots in fanfiction (/positive), the worldbuilding and general plot will likely be lacking for anyone who doesn't value character over everything when reading. luckily for me characters are all i care about, and the protagonist of shoestring theory truly captured my heart. really loved the descriptions of rooms/outfits and hints at a greater world behind the characters', and especially appreciated the resolution of the story. i had no trouble with the magic system being freestyled a bit because i found the concept really lovely. honestly it was such a great time it truly truly warmed my heart

my only gripe is that there is WAY too much italics being used and it disrupts the reading at times (seriously the italics need to be cut down by at least half I BEG YOU EVEN IF I SEE THE FANFICTION VISION AND LOVE IT MYSELF. IT'S TOO MUCH). i also think the stakes/themes are too high/serious at times for this to be marketed at cozy fantasy but i'm not a cozy fantasy fan so what do i know. 

highly rec for anyone wanting a short, sweet, gay time and a colorful story to get sucked into! 

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

audiobook production of ALL TIMES. incredible vision/execution/commitment to itself, a very moving and beautiful beautiful exploration of characters and themes. can see this become a classic, flaws and all! not so much flaws in fact as personal preferences in terms of storytelling/concept and tone, but i do think despite the aspects i loved less it really is too unique and special for me to nitpick. i think after such a raw and incredible ending i just don't want to dissect it but instead remember it whole.. and what a stunning love story also and narratives of friendship and family..... they will stay with me for a while

Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.

i'm gonna need every SFF author ever to think about class conflict more. also trigger tagging the only trans character's genitals under the guise of "warning your trans readers" is actually not the slay you think it is 

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

isekai but in a dnd-like fantasy, fun concept that i'm surprised i enjoyed as much. some of the humour is hit and miss but didn't make me cringe for the most part. also surprisingly queer. was actually deeply invested, a v unique fun read!!

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

 surprised by how much i loved this! very impressed by the depth of storytelling on display, a truly moving and beautiful piece of work. took some time to get into but was then profoundly compelled by it, highly recommend it! in the end note she says there are no good answers to be found in this book, but she hopes there are good questions and it's so real... what a well constructed story, honestly completely took me by surprise as i'm not usually a fan of myth retellings but i got quite teary eyed toward the end............... i love nuance and interrogations and the morals of warfare honestly a very special book well done vaishnavi patel you ate that 

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

very low quality audiobook, unfortunately. poor narrator aside, this held a lot of promise but ultimately failed. some parts were interesting/good, and i could see the overall ambitions of the story even through its failures but it's unfortunately not enough. i would've forgiven the debut-related flaws (very on the nose at times) if the ending hadn't been completely absurd. it's difficult to balance out horror + realism but trying usually makes it worse, this should've gone completely trippy unreliable narrator instead of attempting to rationalize/girl boss its way to the end 

Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States by

great short compilation of essays. strong starting point for anyone who wants to start reading about police abolition + restorative justice 

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

fought with itself a lot which is unfortunate. should've been gothic, ended up being paranormal adjacent but i blame its contemporary setting which is not for me. some good ideas tho! 

When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era by Donovan X. Ramsey

would've worked better as just a collection of memoirs. the obama shoutout was unforgivable to me. but very valuable info otherwise, a lot of work + heart was put into it and it shines through. worth a read still and great audiobook also 

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

absurd at times and held up by the grace of god and 6 tropes stacked together but you know what? it worked for me. loved the banter. wish editors did their job. a minor guard was killed and came back at the end. 10/10 it's kinda bad i ate it up