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Summer reading post! I'm finally sitting down and going through what I've read in the last few months so I can do a reading update lol. It's mostly been graphic novels and romances of varying genres because I'm predictable. Summaries and thoughts under the cut though I may be lazy and do some copy-pasting from my reviews on Goodreads...
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
This was the last book in my Grishaverse re-read, unless I decide to read all the short stories again. The two Nikolai books are a bit of a mess, too long and scattered at times, but I still love them. Zoya is one of my favorites and honestly her sections of the book are stronger than the others. I still think none of the books hold up as well as Six of Crows, but the whole series is a delight and I would love to read more in this universe if Bardugo ever went back to it (and the fact she left the ending open to perfectly fit in another sequel......ma'am please). I'm not a fan of her Ninth House series so I'm just like PLEASE do the third book and then stop, do another Grishaverse book instead sjdhfksjhf.
A Thief in the Night by K.J. Charles
Charles does a lot of historical romance, mostly m/m, and her Will Darling Adventures books is one of my favorite historical m/m romance series. This novella in particular is a regency romance about a thief, Toby, who tries to get a job as a valet under false pretenses only to discover the lord in question, Miles, is the guy he met and seduced then robbed a few days ago. You'd think this would be the end of it, but instead he ends up helping the lord clear out the rundown house recently inherited from his late father.
I enjoyed this a lot! You don't need to have read the previous book in this "series" to understand anything at all, and being a novella it's a short, sweet read. Toby and Miles are interesting characters, I enjoyed their chemistry and banter, and I would have gladly read a longer book with them. But as is I think the story works perfectly fine and doesn't suffer from the feeling like something's missing that I sometimes get from novellas. If the book blurb sounds up your alley then you'll probably enjoy this.
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
I love me an arranged marriage so I had high hopes about this one. The main character, Velasin, is set to marry a woman from a neighboring country when his preference for men is discovered. Instead of cancelling the arrangement, they just have him marry the girl's brother instead. Of course nothing can go smoothly and soon enough there's an assassination attempt and someone trying to stop the arrangement, so Vel and his new husband Caethari have to juggle their relationship and the mystery of who's attempting murders.
Overall I think this book could've been cut down, it's a bit long and oddly paced, but I enjoyed Vel and Cae and their interactions which to me is the most important part of a romance-heavy book. The mystery and court intrigue wasn't the strongest but the world-building was interesting. And apparently there's going to be a sequel which I'm definitely looking forward to reading despite my complaints haha. Do heed the content warnings if you decide to check out this book though!
(And if you like the concept of arranged marriage plus political intrigue but want the sci-fi flavor instead of fantasy, check out Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, which I highly enjoyed!)
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
I feel like everyone's heard of this one at this point but basically this is a coffee shop AU set in a high fantasy world. An orc barbarian decides to hang up her sword and open up a coffee shop. That's it, that's the plot. She makes some friends along the way, has a few setbacks, but it's very much what it says on the tin, a low-stakes coffee shop AU set in a fantasy world. "A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth" could not have been more accurately put in the blurb. Personally I had to really suspend disbelief for this one because characters kept talking about how good coffee is lmao. But it's a cute, easy read, and there's a f/f romance side plot but it's not really a huge focus of the book.
The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro
This book is apparently a retelling of The Mysteries of Udolpho which I had never heard about before picking up this book, so I can't comment on how it holds up as a retelling/adaptation. Set in 1870s France, Emile is a marquis who is working as a servant in secret to avoid being disowned by his aunt for being gay. However the family he's working for all suffer from a strange illness on the full moon, and after finding a severed hand on the grounds one evening, even more mysteries begin to unravel... Basically this is a gothic YA novel with werewolves and a m/m love triangle which is all I needed to learn to pick it up lmao.
The first half of the book is mostly love triangle drama and it takes a while to really get into any of the supernatural/gothic horror content. It's obvious what the family's secret is from the beginning, and I think the story would've been better served getting to that stuff faster. A mystery is set up right away, with the severed hand Emile finds, and then that sort of takes a backseat to the romance. Which normally wouldn't bother me, but there isn't much substance to the romance here. I think this book was hindered by being YA. There are some surprisingly gruesome horror elements to the second half of the book (once they reach Udolpho Castle), but the romance definitely falls into the insta-love YA department of love triangle pining. I will give the author props for the end though, the setup the ending left us with made me actually want a sequel.
Overall there are better written books, but given that gay gothic werewolf YA is kind of a niche area, if that really sounds up your alley it's not a terrible way to pass the time. It was a quick read for me despite the length, and if you can deal with lots of "ohh alas I like two boys and two boys like me whatever shall I do" then perhaps you'll enjoy this book.
GRAPHIC NOVELS:
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
I may have mentioned this one before? But I just wanted to mention it again because it was sooo cute and the art is gorgeous. To avoid having to get married when her father passes away, Lady Camembert disguises herself as a man and moves to the capital city, where she meets Princess Brie and ends up falling in love with her. If you enjoy f/f princess romance stories, Shakespeare-esque crossdressing tomfoolery, cheese puns, pretty art, or all of the above, this is for you. It's a little silly at times but we love a silly yet fun and sweet romance comic.
The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio & Jenn St-Onge
A middle grade graphic novel about "the transformative power of friendship. And an immortal demon with the power to take over the world. But mostly the friendship thing." The art in this is very nice, it definitely fits the spooky vibes, and there's some genuinely creepy sections for a middle grade comic book. However I felt like the pacing and plot could've been tighter. Some good stuff here we didn't get the full potential of, but still a fun read for any older MG or YA readers who enjoy spooky stuff.
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle
Becca transfers high schools in an elite San Francisco suburb, falls in with the popular girl crowd, then finds out her new friends are werewolves who prey on boys who take advantage of girls. Great art, fairly basic storyline, briefly touches on serious topics but doesn't really dive deep into any of them. Still a fun, quick read if you just want messy teen girl werewolves.
Lore Olympus: Volume 4 by Rachel Smythe
I feel like I'm the odd one out in that I don't love Lore Olympus. And yet I'm still reading it 100 chapters in. By volume 4 the art has definitely improved but the story hasn't been progressing much. I enjoy Persephone and Hades as characters, though I'm much more sympathetic to Minthe than I think the book wants you to be lol. I enjoy the Underworld characters a lot, I would love to just read a spin-off with Hecate and co. I'm also actually pleased at the depiction of Hera, she gets the short end of the stick in Greek myth adaptations so often. Hera, Hecate, and now Ares I think are my favorites, he's so stupid I love him. I guess at the beginning I just had a bunch of tiny nitpicks but at this point I'm just like. Okay I'm just along for the ride I'm just floating on by, show me what's happening next.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
This was the last book in my Grishaverse re-read, unless I decide to read all the short stories again. The two Nikolai books are a bit of a mess, too long and scattered at times, but I still love them. Zoya is one of my favorites and honestly her sections of the book are stronger than the others. I still think none of the books hold up as well as Six of Crows, but the whole series is a delight and I would love to read more in this universe if Bardugo ever went back to it (and the fact she left the ending open to perfectly fit in another sequel......ma'am please). I'm not a fan of her Ninth House series so I'm just like PLEASE do the third book and then stop, do another Grishaverse book instead sjdhfksjhf.
A Thief in the Night by K.J. Charles
Charles does a lot of historical romance, mostly m/m, and her Will Darling Adventures books is one of my favorite historical m/m romance series. This novella in particular is a regency romance about a thief, Toby, who tries to get a job as a valet under false pretenses only to discover the lord in question, Miles, is the guy he met and seduced then robbed a few days ago. You'd think this would be the end of it, but instead he ends up helping the lord clear out the rundown house recently inherited from his late father.
I enjoyed this a lot! You don't need to have read the previous book in this "series" to understand anything at all, and being a novella it's a short, sweet read. Toby and Miles are interesting characters, I enjoyed their chemistry and banter, and I would have gladly read a longer book with them. But as is I think the story works perfectly fine and doesn't suffer from the feeling like something's missing that I sometimes get from novellas. If the book blurb sounds up your alley then you'll probably enjoy this.
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
I love me an arranged marriage so I had high hopes about this one. The main character, Velasin, is set to marry a woman from a neighboring country when his preference for men is discovered. Instead of cancelling the arrangement, they just have him marry the girl's brother instead. Of course nothing can go smoothly and soon enough there's an assassination attempt and someone trying to stop the arrangement, so Vel and his new husband Caethari have to juggle their relationship and the mystery of who's attempting murders.
Overall I think this book could've been cut down, it's a bit long and oddly paced, but I enjoyed Vel and Cae and their interactions which to me is the most important part of a romance-heavy book. The mystery and court intrigue wasn't the strongest but the world-building was interesting. And apparently there's going to be a sequel which I'm definitely looking forward to reading despite my complaints haha. Do heed the content warnings if you decide to check out this book though!
(And if you like the concept of arranged marriage plus political intrigue but want the sci-fi flavor instead of fantasy, check out Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, which I highly enjoyed!)
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
I feel like everyone's heard of this one at this point but basically this is a coffee shop AU set in a high fantasy world. An orc barbarian decides to hang up her sword and open up a coffee shop. That's it, that's the plot. She makes some friends along the way, has a few setbacks, but it's very much what it says on the tin, a low-stakes coffee shop AU set in a fantasy world. "A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth" could not have been more accurately put in the blurb. Personally I had to really suspend disbelief for this one because characters kept talking about how good coffee is lmao. But it's a cute, easy read, and there's a f/f romance side plot but it's not really a huge focus of the book.
The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro
This book is apparently a retelling of The Mysteries of Udolpho which I had never heard about before picking up this book, so I can't comment on how it holds up as a retelling/adaptation. Set in 1870s France, Emile is a marquis who is working as a servant in secret to avoid being disowned by his aunt for being gay. However the family he's working for all suffer from a strange illness on the full moon, and after finding a severed hand on the grounds one evening, even more mysteries begin to unravel... Basically this is a gothic YA novel with werewolves and a m/m love triangle which is all I needed to learn to pick it up lmao.
The first half of the book is mostly love triangle drama and it takes a while to really get into any of the supernatural/gothic horror content. It's obvious what the family's secret is from the beginning, and I think the story would've been better served getting to that stuff faster. A mystery is set up right away, with the severed hand Emile finds, and then that sort of takes a backseat to the romance. Which normally wouldn't bother me, but there isn't much substance to the romance here. I think this book was hindered by being YA. There are some surprisingly gruesome horror elements to the second half of the book (once they reach Udolpho Castle), but the romance definitely falls into the insta-love YA department of love triangle pining. I will give the author props for the end though, the setup the ending left us with made me actually want a sequel.
Overall there are better written books, but given that gay gothic werewolf YA is kind of a niche area, if that really sounds up your alley it's not a terrible way to pass the time. It was a quick read for me despite the length, and if you can deal with lots of "ohh alas I like two boys and two boys like me whatever shall I do" then perhaps you'll enjoy this book.
GRAPHIC NOVELS:
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
I may have mentioned this one before? But I just wanted to mention it again because it was sooo cute and the art is gorgeous. To avoid having to get married when her father passes away, Lady Camembert disguises herself as a man and moves to the capital city, where she meets Princess Brie and ends up falling in love with her. If you enjoy f/f princess romance stories, Shakespeare-esque crossdressing tomfoolery, cheese puns, pretty art, or all of the above, this is for you. It's a little silly at times but we love a silly yet fun and sweet romance comic.
The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio & Jenn St-Onge
A middle grade graphic novel about "the transformative power of friendship. And an immortal demon with the power to take over the world. But mostly the friendship thing." The art in this is very nice, it definitely fits the spooky vibes, and there's some genuinely creepy sections for a middle grade comic book. However I felt like the pacing and plot could've been tighter. Some good stuff here we didn't get the full potential of, but still a fun read for any older MG or YA readers who enjoy spooky stuff.
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle
Becca transfers high schools in an elite San Francisco suburb, falls in with the popular girl crowd, then finds out her new friends are werewolves who prey on boys who take advantage of girls. Great art, fairly basic storyline, briefly touches on serious topics but doesn't really dive deep into any of them. Still a fun, quick read if you just want messy teen girl werewolves.
Lore Olympus: Volume 4 by Rachel Smythe
I feel like I'm the odd one out in that I don't love Lore Olympus. And yet I'm still reading it 100 chapters in. By volume 4 the art has definitely improved but the story hasn't been progressing much. I enjoy Persephone and Hades as characters, though I'm much more sympathetic to Minthe than I think the book wants you to be lol. I enjoy the Underworld characters a lot, I would love to just read a spin-off with Hecate and co. I'm also actually pleased at the depiction of Hera, she gets the short end of the stick in Greek myth adaptations so often. Hera, Hecate, and now Ares I think are my favorites, he's so stupid I love him. I guess at the beginning I just had a bunch of tiny nitpicks but at this point I'm just like. Okay I'm just along for the ride I'm just floating on by, show me what's happening next.
no subject
I've had a hard time finding graphic novels I can get into, but the first two on your list seem promising! I'll see if I can find them at my library. :D Really glad you shared your reviews here!
no subject
I love graphic novels so I'm happy to share recs! If you'd like more here are some I've given 4 or 5 stars on Goodreads 👀
Mamo by Sas Milledge
Roadqueen by Mira Ong Chua
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag
The Tea Dragon series by Kay O'Neill
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
What kind of comics do you prefer to read?
no subject