055 ☆

[tinkaton]

July + August reading round up! These last couple months have been almost entirely graphic novels and fanfic, oops. I read one single real book for the entirety of August. But c'est la vie!



FICTION

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

Historical Fiction, M/M Romance. In late 1950s New York, Andy, son of a newspaper tycoon, is set to inherit the paper from his father. But he's not prepared for it at all--in fact, he's not sure he even wants the job at all. Luckily he has newspaper writer Nick to help show him the ropes at the office... I love Cat Sebastian's historical fiction but I was putting off this series because the 1950s and beyond is not historical enough for me. That's just contemporary fiction to me at this point. BUT my friend read them and was like "read these" so I gave in lmao.

I never should have doubted, of course! It was exactly what I expected from a Cat Sebastian romance. This was sweet and fluffy, almost entirely character focused. There's little to no conflict (a few potential dangers lurking about, but nothing quite materializes), so if you're looking for something with a serious plot this won't be for you. But the characters are charming, the ups and downs of their relationship are fun to follow, and overall it's a lovely read. I'm still not completely sold on historical fiction post-WWII but Cat has yet to let me down.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian (★★★★★) [goodreads]

Historical Fiction, M/M Romance. The sequel to We Could Be So Good. Down-on-his-luck Eddie is having the worst baseball season of his career. Arts page writer Mark is still mourning the loss of his partner when he gets stuck doing sports column interviews with Eddie. Perfect for fans of sunshine puppy dog/serious grumpy cat couples.

This was very cute. I enjoyed it even more than the previous book, so 5 stars it is. I enjoyed Eddie and Mark as characters and I thought their romance was sweet. Mark was a fave, no surprise there. There's a lot of funny dialogue, and while, like the first book, there isn't a serious plot or high stakes, it never got boring to me and was a fun read throughout.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

Fantasy, Horror, F/F Romance. Shesheshen is a shapeshifting, amorphous monster that eats people, but she's made one fatal mistake: she's fallen in love with a human. A human whose brother she just ate and whose family wants her dead. Can she court Homily, keep her identity secret, and fend off everyone trying to kill her all at once?

3.5 stars rounded up, I'd say? I really enjoyed Shesheshen as a character/POV and the writing with its mix of humor and horror. There's a lot of body horror, given that the main character is a blob monster of sorts that eats people and uses their bones and organs to craft her own humanoid shape, but it feels more like a black comedy than straight-up horror despite its grossness. Unfortunately, these are the strongest parts of the book to me, as I wasn't particularly won over by the romance. YMMV of course, but it felt like something necessary for the plot to progress and I was more interested in Homily's family than Homily herself. But as long as you go into it not expecting a super developed romance it's a fun read.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Ennead Vol. 1 by Mojito (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]

Graphic Novel, Fantasy. My coworker handed me a copy of this book and was like "here read this it's a dark Egyptian mythology BL webtoon", and I was like "okay" and read it. This volume is entirely set up for the characters and the plot. When I am inevitably handed the next volume I'll probably read it.

Cosmoknights Vol. 2 by Hannah Templer (★★★★★) [goodreads]

Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi. "Cosmoknights follows a ragtag group of queer outer-space gladiators as they fight to escape--and possibly overthrow--the neo-medieval patriarchy that rules their universe."

I didn't remember a single thing about the first volume other than I enjoyed it, but I was able to pick this one up and follow along easily. It was a lot of fun, the art is great, and I love the designs and characters and overall worldbuilding. Lesbians in space fighting the patriarchy really does sum it up best I suppose. Excited to see where the next one goes.

Tristan and Lancelot: A Tale of Two Knights by James Persichetti & L.S. Biehler (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]

Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Romance. With Merlin missing and Camelot in danger, Knights of the Round Table Tristan and Lancelot join Arthur's estranged half-sister Morgan le Fay in a quest to find him. And also they find love along the way, I guess. While I do love an Arthurian retelling, this was mostly average all around, from the plot to the romance to the art. It was cute enough but probably better left to the actual YA target audience to appreciate.

Rainbow! Vol. 1 by Sunny & Gloomy (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]

Graphic Novel, Contemporary, F/F Romance. Another one of those cute YA comics that I think would be better received by the target audience than me. This book deals with some heavy topics (the MC has an absent/alcoholic parent) and focuses on the struggles of the main teen MC as she tries to navigate school/her job/her mother/her mental health. She does a lot of things that are probably very relatable for some readers, but come across as frustrating to read about from an outsider POV. Realism, I suppose! The art is super cute and colorful, which seems at odds with the subject matter a little.

Sparks Vol. 1: Portals by Revel Guts (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

Graphic Novel, Fantasy. A pair of satyrs at a magic academy--soon to graduate--are forced to work together after a magical accident throws them together. This was very cute! This volume mostly lays the groundwork for the characterization and relationship setup, with hints of a bigger plot coming in at the end. The art is fun and the characters are entertaining. I'd definitely be interested in reading more to see where this goes.

The Adventure Zone Vol. 6: The Suffering Game by the McElroys & Carey Pietsch (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

Graphic Novel, Fantasy. The penultimate arc of the comic adaptation of The Adventure Zone: Balance podcast. I never actually listened to the podcast so I don't know exactly what was cut, but even I could tell that there wasn't enough Suffering Game within this volume, alas. But the second half goes wild, I cannot waittt to see how this all concludes. I actually started listening to the podcast after finishing this lol but I've only gotten through the very first episode so this will probably be slow going for me. Which will happen first, me finishing the podcast or the last comic volume coming out probably in a year!!