Cass

i had a whole review typed out but didn't know I needed to save on each individual section so :')

Read this for a queer book club because the organizer had it recommended as a queer book. Dear readers, queer side characters that are almost entirely unimportant to the plot do not make a book queer. This is a straight romance. Neither love interest is queer. Their romance was mid for me--the conflict started out with understandable reasons, but fettered out into both of them knowing they like the other and doing nothing about it for no well-written reason. This man put his jeans on after sex just to get back into bed to cuddle???

The main story, antagonist, and mysterious owner of the house ended up being anticlimactic for me. The end was less interesting than the theories I had in my head and I feel like there could have been more done with seeds planted earlier in the story then dropped or forgotten/ignored? It was a quick and easy read and overall fine.

read for a book club. Enjoyed several aspects, but wish more time was spent on characters and their relationships rather than the battle tactics. Or fleshed out the magic more, but again, lots of battle tactic build-up for that to not be the point. Could use more editing refinement--several words were VERY overused throughout. The sex scenes were enjoyable but it took far too long to get there and without a focus on the relationship and its slowburn, it's frustrating, but not in the way it should be.

If you're into dnd, it'll be more of your thing, but at times it felt like it was throwing in more dnd aspects just because, and not because it supported the story.

A very fun take on vampires, with really good and interesting commentary on consent, accessibility, and more. I enjoyed the two main characters a lot and thought the build of their relationship was very enticing. I *did* think it was going to be a bit more explicit than it ended up being, but I still had lots of fun.

review from 2018:

I have just finished reading Book One: Theory of The Heretic’s Guide to Homecoming and in a less-than-eloquent way of putting it, I’ve lost my shit.

First and foremost, every bit of it is mind-blowingly smart as anything. From the first paragraphs to the last, as new as each character, place, name, god was to me, at its core, it is comforting and familiar. When you think about it separate from reading, it may seem impossible to comprehend receiving so much information, so much background, so much heart and character and detail, but nothing felt more natural than taking it all in. Not only has it rekindled my drive for reading, but it has given more fuel to how much I love and appreciate the art of storytelling.

I’ve done my first read-through and I cannot wait to read it again, this second time allowing myself to note and underline and star and sketch and allow this copy to physicalize the love I have for it, for as of now all it has to show are a few dog-eared pages from where I was forced to take a pause.

I cannot think of a beautiful or elegant way of saying please get yourself a copy of this book as soon as your fingers can press the proper keys. Just GO.

It's been a few days since finishing this book, and thus finishing this story and I'm still feeling so full. The poeticism and word-wizardry is such a gift to read and the continuation of the story is beautiful.

This book made me laugh and cry and smile and reflect, not only on Ronoah and his friends and experiences, but on my own self. To be able to invest yourself so deeply into a book and its story and characters and to have that book prod back, lodging itself into your little brain folds to think on its philosophies and theories to apply in your own practices is a gift.

I already cannot wait to re-read

I had read this because it received glowing excitement from many people I know and they were excited for the show, so I figured I'd give it a go. I bought all the books, including Six of Crows, anticipating to love it and very quickly was underwhelmed and disappointed. There is a glaring issue with fat people in this book and the first chapters especially do NOT let you forget it. Nearly EVERY vaguely unpleasant character, or person we're supposed to hate, is described with some derogatory way of being fat or chubby or filled out while simultaneously emphasizing how skinny the protagonist is. First time or two, I was trying to convince myself it was a fluke, just a one or two time mistake, but it just kept happening. I finished the book and was underwhelmed with the story in general and didn't feel engaged enough to continue, so I returned them all.

Honestly enjoyed the show more than I expected based off of reading the book, and might pick up Six of Crows one day because I hear it's much better in pretty much all ways.

I'd put off reading this book for months because I didn't realize it was YA and was expecting a much harder read but when I finally got to it, I blasted right through because I was SO into it. This book moves fast and hits hard & heavy--Xiran didn't come to fuck around. They balance the tone & rating of YA with some very heavy topics phenomenally. It doesn't shy away from the horrors it discusses, but simultaneously never felt like it was crossing a boundary into Adult Fantasy. It completely impressed me all the way through, reading Mecha fights I could imagine like straight out of an anime, all the way to the polyamory which I knew about going in, but was still delighted by how it was portrayed and talked about by the characters. Absolutely cannot wait for the next book!

This book is so, so special. I blitzed through it in a matter of hours and it spoke to me on so many levels in a way only one Indigenous person can touch another. The socio-political struggles of native identity, tribal membership, cultural knowledge, and more all within your tribe and outside of it up against the many, many issues native country faces all seems like a lot because it IS a lot, but it's perfect in capturing that muchness. There is no one native issue and I think the way this book refuses to let you forget that is good, especially for readers who don't already KNOW that.

The mystery and core of the STORY really did NOT allow me to put this book down. I simply HAD to finish it before going to sleep, even if it meant reading till 3am. SO worth it. I think this book captures the cycle of feeling caught up in an overwhelming amount of responsibility and problems that feel too big to solve yourself wonderfully.

Picked up this book from a sapphic book recommendations list and overall, it was fine for me? In early chapters, I felt like if I put it down and forgot about it, I wouldn't pick it back up but around chapter 8 or so, finally got to the point where I was hooked enough to finish it.

Several minor details were distractingly incorrect, namely the fencing and climbing, which, in the face of a character who is a "method writer" felt like the writer of the book could've stood to have some similar practices when writing this. Of the three weapons in fencing, épée is the only one that doesn't wear a lamé. Fencers who value their equipment wouldn't place the tip on the floor, much less with any pressure. Serious climbers, especially Olympic level ones, don't care about Mt Everest--it takes a specific skill set and money for a good guide and enough oxygen to summit Mt Everest but it doesn't require being a good climber and is certainly not what qualifies you as a good climber.

The actual mystery was interesting once it got going, but the execution felt rushed? In a way? It left me unsure of how I was supposed to feel, who I was supposed to feel sympathetic for, and "why" some of these characters did what they did. Overall, I think it just wasn't for me, and that's okay, and think people who know less about fencing and climbing would be able to be taken in by the story itself more successfully without distraction.

Rich, powerful emotions, detailed characters and descriptions, and a powerful journey & struggle with oneself. I love the innate queerness and closeness of the Council system, I love our main characters, I love all of the small details about the world and cultures and people. The details about hair are such a joy to read. I wanted to pick up the sequel immediately!

I debated on the rating for this book for a long time, even after my second read, but finally settled on 5 stars. After my first read, I was battling with 4 or 5 due to world building details feeling a little too convoluted/unclear, but especially on my second read through, I realized it was my fault for reading too fast to pick up on what I had complained about previously. I adore that this book was even more enjoyable the second time through and can't wait to re-read it more and more.

This book has swords, lesbians, a thrilling haunted house murder mystery, necromancy science, and more. Along the way on my first time around, I came up with some wild theories that all ended up being really wrong but we're decent guesses. I initially went into this book expecting it to be way harder to keep up with than it was, based off of MANY reviews along the lines of “you won't know what's going on at all but you'll love it”. I personally didn't find it hard to follow–the whole point of a murder mystery is not having the answers or solution until it tells you? You can't solve every Sherlock Holmes book before the end for the same reason. Anyways, fantastic read that has me full of brainrot even months later.

An absolute 5-star book that fist fights you the entire way through. It is a masterful depiction of grief and the loathsome emptiness when one cannot cope. It gaslights you till it hurls reveal after jaw-dropping reveal in your face. Like Gideon, it's an absolute treasure to re-read. Unlike Gideon, this book is not nearly as clear cut, and that's a good thing. It deserves to be meditated on and re-read and discussed. The religious trauma written into it has it demanding shared worship of the story as a means of appreciation and understanding and I think that's fucking cool and awesome. This book does to the reader exactly what it means to and rips your heart out perfectly (again). Harrow is a phenomenal character and the narrator is positively fascinating.