sarahdm's reviews
156 reviews

Telepathic metal dragon with a rider that has cool art-based magic, and a ton of queer rep with a light enemies to lovers plot? Sign me the fuck up!

There is a lot of LGBT rep here. Non-binary, WLW, and poly. Its all very casual too. Don't expect gender or sex to be big themes though. The rep is just there, but its not a big part of the story, well except that romance I guess.

The magic system is really cool and while the author chose to not really explain it, you understand enough through context how it works. But I really do wish the author had gone more into depth, not just on the paint-magic but on the automatons as well. There was just so many interesting concepts that could have been explained but weren't. I don't think the book is less for it, I just think its something I would have liked to see.

And, the thing that really brought down the rating for me, the main character is a little too apolitical for my taste. They are pretty anti-violence, even though they are thrown into the middle of a revolution. I've seen this book compared to "Iron Widow" which i think is unfair, as the MC in that book definitely has a side that they are taking.

The concepts in this book are fun. Fun enough that I kept reading and finished the book. But the main character's blase attitude towards the resistance or the government really disappointed me. And the ending is just kind of weird. I really felt like this was going in the direction of "Babel" which really would have been awesome and would have had the character finally picking a side and growing. But it ended up being very middle of the road.

As a stand alone, this is a solid 3 stars. I really think it needs a sequel to really shine through.

I'm not really sure how to rate this one.

What is with the pacing? And it almost feels like there are huge scenes missing?

Like we never get to see Chiyuki trying out for those other agencies or doing the photo shoot that she did on the street. That would have been the more interesting parts to see. If Chiyuki is one of the main character I want to see her working hard to achieve her goals. 

Although, she doesn't need to work hard. Because shes a nepo baby. -_- Chiyuki is really annoying and I really don't like her.

Also we just skip straight to the big fashion show and it doesn't feel earned at all? For being published in a Shonen magazine, it doesn't have a shonen spirit at all. Where are the scenes of them working hard, training their skills, taking on challenges.

I guess the art is cute if generic looking. And  Ikuto and his interactions with his community seem interesting.

Definitely not picking back up again. 

Actually terrible and complete filler. I think you can probably just skip this book. 

Certified banger.

I have mixed feeling so this one, much like how Cassie has mixed feelings about literally everything. 

DNF at 42%

This got pretty miserable really fast. Not for me.

I'm so angry. This came highly recommended from a podcast that I like. I was really skeptical when the author announced in the introduction that they were still a Christian that lived outside of purity culture. The final straw was when a person being interviewed said that she was married to a republican while she was a democrat. The women in this book are still in the choke hold of religious oppression that its completely blinded them to the fact that they are still in the throws of purity cultures big sister: anti-feminism. For an author that is on a mission to show the religious trauma of purity culture to still be participating in that culture is honestly disgusting. Skip this book. It is not as pro-woman as it seems to think it is. 

I'll start by saying that I don't really know a lot about Playboy or the Hefners or anything like that. I know what it is but its not really something that was around me growing up and I didn't confuse any TV with it involved. Thank being said-

I know its ghost written by Lara Love Hardin but the author (authors?) perfectly painted this picture of being trapped social, physically, and financially. I know its hard to gauge authentic in a book written by a ghost writer. But the voice in this book really feels genuine. The motifs and theme around cages and birds, while clique, was something I really connected to. The complicated emotions are fully on display. Its emotional without being just grief porn. It feels like a good balance.

After reading this I read through the comments and there seems to be some discourse about if what Crystal is saying is true or if she is just ripping on other girls. I don't know. For what it was it was a good read but not something I would go around recommending based on its subject topic.

Solid 3-ish

If "The Legends of the First Empire" was a delicious layered cake on your birthday than "Nolyn" is like eating whip cream straight from the can at 6am, still drunk from the night before.

For me, the Legends series is a master piece. I loved it so much and was honestly heart broken when I had to say good-bye to so many of those characters. So I was really excited to start "Nolyn" and to see what the children of the previous book were up to.

As always, MJS's writing was witty, funny, engaging, and honestly perfect. I enjoyed the writing even when I wasn't really enjoying the book. And I'm sad to say that there were large portions of this book that I really didn't like. I really struggled to finish "Nolyn" and contemplated DNF-ing a few times. Two months and a few weeks to finish a MJS book is so unheard of for me. I usually finish them in 2 weeks, not 2 months.

And you know, its got great characters, great writing, interesting plot points, and everything else you expect in a MJS. There really isn't anything bad about "Nolyn" except that its sitting in the shadow of a giant.