I really wanted to like Girl, Woman, Other more than I did. But the writing style didn't pair well with how scattered my attention was during the time I was reading it.
4 stars because I recognize the merit of the book, it simply came to me at the wrong time.
A stunning, nuanced, fabulously queer read.
I can't think of another book that gets both lesbian and bisexual representation so right! Plus the characters were complicated and compelling. None of the main characters existed to simply be a foil for any other.
Probably my favourite read of 2021 and certainly one of my Top 5 favourite Queer books.
The plot, characters, and setting were all great, but the execution was lacking. I wish we'd had less of the first half and more of the second half...and a bit more of a resolution.
What this book really could have used is a better editor. With the right one to help curb some of Emily Danforth's rambling tendencies and lopsided arc this could have easily become 5 stars.
THE HIGHEST OF RATINGS POSSIBLE
If it were a thing to give a million stars, I would.
I got a reading copy of Gideon back in December, when I went to pick up my contract at the book store I now work at. The quote about lesbian necromancers in space drew me in and my god, Gideon did not disappoint.
The titular character, Gideon the Ninth, is uproariously funny in a way that feels deeply familiar. There's a certain sort of queer charm to the way she speaks that reminds me of an amalgam of so many queer folks I've known.
Harrow, her counterpart, is perfectly grumpy and distrusting (and holy shit wow powerful and formidable) an a way that complements Gideon well, without flattening either of them.
And the STORY oh my god the story. Chunkier books, like this, can sometimes feel either too drawn out or have pacing issues. I was rapt the entire time. Laughing out loud (on the train! in the back room at work! at home, on the couch!) the entire time. Wanting more, more, more the entire time.
My only qualm is that I tore through Harrow there Ninth just as quickly and Alecto has been pushed back from 2021 to 2022.
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