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mweis's reviews
1249 reviews
The Apples Hung Like Stars by Ali Williams
2.25
I love the idea but the concept needed more pages to work for me
D3F3CT by Olive J. Kelley
5.0
def think I need to go back to Junker Seven because I remember being a bit disappointed by it and I adored this
As the Sun Comes Up by Olive J. Kelley
3.5
pacing felt a little off on this one so it was a bit of a let down after surprisingly loving the first
The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap
4.25
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
What an absolute delight! I admit that I was excited about this when I requested it, and then sort of lost interest by the time I actually received it so I did go in with middling expectations but I was pleasantly surprised by this. Set in 1828 Edinburgh during the Burke and Hare murders, The Resurrectionist follows James Willoughby, a second son determined to study surgery. He is naive and starts out feeling a bit like a wet blanket but I ultimately loved the journey we follow him on. The book feels a little young, as we are following a coming of age story and James is a student, but I love the way Dunlap wove together this coming of age story with gothic historical fiction and an almost true crime element. This feels quite reminiscent of Dana Schwartz's Anatomy: A Love Story, but where the romance felt flat for me in that one (which ultimately left me frustrated because it was marketed as a love story), I was living for this one. Though I am admittedly a sucker for a queer historical. I found the writing and setting very atmospheric which was refreshing after seeing some of books set in this era feel too modern. The writing is a bit more flowery than I generally prefer but it worked for me considering the time period of the setting. Overall, I think this was very much the right book at the right time for me, and I really enjoyed my experience. I'd be interested in seeing what Dunlap writes next.
What an absolute delight! I admit that I was excited about this when I requested it, and then sort of lost interest by the time I actually received it so I did go in with middling expectations but I was pleasantly surprised by this. Set in 1828 Edinburgh during the Burke and Hare murders, The Resurrectionist follows James Willoughby, a second son determined to study surgery. He is naive and starts out feeling a bit like a wet blanket but I ultimately loved the journey we follow him on. The book feels a little young, as we are following a coming of age story and James is a student, but I love the way Dunlap wove together this coming of age story with gothic historical fiction and an almost true crime element. This feels quite reminiscent of Dana Schwartz's Anatomy: A Love Story, but where the romance felt flat for me in that one (which ultimately left me frustrated because it was marketed as a love story), I was living for this one. Though I am admittedly a sucker for a queer historical. I found the writing and setting very atmospheric which was refreshing after seeing some of books set in this era feel too modern. The writing is a bit more flowery than I generally prefer but it worked for me considering the time period of the setting. Overall, I think this was very much the right book at the right time for me, and I really enjoyed my experience. I'd be interested in seeing what Dunlap writes next.
Earthdivers Vol. 1: Kill Columbus by Stephen Graham Jones
3.25
Loved the concept and the art style but the plotting was confusing
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
4.75
*I received an audio review copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
What an incredible debut! I was initially drawn in by this gorgeous cover and then I saw Medieval West African political fantasy and I was sold. The book starts with Òdòdó in her hometown after it has been conquered by the king of Yorùbáland, then she is abducted and learns she is to become the second wife of the king that invaded her homeland.
I loved the world Sangoyomi created here and the way she took the bones of a Greek myth that's well known in Western cultures and used it to introduce her audience to history and culture of West Africa, which might be lesser known. I also found Òdòdó to be such a compelling main character. She is taken from her life where she was a social pariah and given power and fortune but it comes at a cost, and I loved following her as she navigates that. While this is classified as fantasy, it's more so historical/alternate history/mythology than a traditional fantasy book. There are mentions of witches, but in the sense that witches are women who live outside of traditional norms, and there are mentions of gods.
I will say that I found the first half to be quite slow. For a while I was thinking this would be a high 3-star read, but there are some twists in the back half that had me unable to put the book down. I absolutely love that Sangoyomi went there with her characters and I cannot wait to she what she writes next! I received an audio review copy and really enjoyed Ariel Blake's narration.
What an incredible debut! I was initially drawn in by this gorgeous cover and then I saw Medieval West African political fantasy and I was sold. The book starts with Òdòdó in her hometown after it has been conquered by the king of Yorùbáland, then she is abducted and learns she is to become the second wife of the king that invaded her homeland.
I loved the world Sangoyomi created here and the way she took the bones of a Greek myth that's well known in Western cultures and used it to introduce her audience to history and culture of West Africa, which might be lesser known. I also found Òdòdó to be such a compelling main character. She is taken from her life where she was a social pariah and given power and fortune but it comes at a cost, and I loved following her as she navigates that. While this is classified as fantasy, it's more so historical/alternate history/mythology than a traditional fantasy book. There are mentions of witches, but in the sense that witches are women who live outside of traditional norms, and there are mentions of gods.
I will say that I found the first half to be quite slow. For a while I was thinking this would be a high 3-star read, but there are some twists in the back half that had me unable to put the book down. I absolutely love that Sangoyomi went there with her characters and I cannot wait to she what she writes next! I received an audio review copy and really enjoyed Ariel Blake's narration.
Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror by Xueting Christine Ni
4.0
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I really enjoyed Sinopticon, a collection of Chinese science fiction collected by Xueting, and I have gotten more into horror over the last few years so I was thrilled to see there was a collection of Chinese horror. Like with many anthologies, there are hits and misses here, but overall I really enjoyed this! Throughout these 14 stories there is a range of horror subgenres and settings cover large chunks of the country. Rather than just focusing on cities like Beijing and Shanghai, there are stories set in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Hunan provinces and often if the story is set in a city, it's the fringe. Many of the entries are quite long, which I've come to expect from "short" Chinese fiction (when I taught short fiction, I had to put a page limit on my students because I had multiple students try to turn in short stories that were 50+ pages). Unfortunately one of the longest stories in the collection was the one I got along with the least and the one I'm most sad about disliking. Records of Xiangxi is an adventure horror in the vein of like Indiana Jones and it's set in southern Hunan province which is really close to where I used to live and it's tackling themes like the horrors of war and greed and playing with the idea of prejudice towards things that look "weird" or “deformed". There is so much about this novella that scream up my alley on paper but I could not get behind the writing style.
That being said, there were stories that I really loved here. The Waking Dream tackles the fears and pressures of the modern workforce with an interesting science fiction twist which seems to mirror a lot of the AI conversation happening in Western societies today. Have You Heard of Ancient Glory? was apparently pulled from a real story Zhou Dedong had seen reported on in 2019 and highlights the tight rope between changing burial practices due to rising land costs and ecological concerns and cultural traditions/beliefs about the afterlife. It also highlights the rising concern about home ownership and future prospects in China. The Ying Yang Pot takes on a superstition surrounding hotpot in Chongqing but make it a ghost/possession story. Forbidden Rooms is a suspenseful locked room thriller that tackles isolation, specifically due to rising economic pressures and the long hours of corporate culture.
I really enjoyed Sinopticon, a collection of Chinese science fiction collected by Xueting, and I have gotten more into horror over the last few years so I was thrilled to see there was a collection of Chinese horror. Like with many anthologies, there are hits and misses here, but overall I really enjoyed this! Throughout these 14 stories there is a range of horror subgenres and settings cover large chunks of the country. Rather than just focusing on cities like Beijing and Shanghai, there are stories set in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Hunan provinces and often if the story is set in a city, it's the fringe. Many of the entries are quite long, which I've come to expect from "short" Chinese fiction (when I taught short fiction, I had to put a page limit on my students because I had multiple students try to turn in short stories that were 50+ pages). Unfortunately one of the longest stories in the collection was the one I got along with the least and the one I'm most sad about disliking. Records of Xiangxi is an adventure horror in the vein of like Indiana Jones and it's set in southern Hunan province which is really close to where I used to live and it's tackling themes like the horrors of war and greed and playing with the idea of prejudice towards things that look "weird" or “deformed". There is so much about this novella that scream up my alley on paper but I could not get behind the writing style.
That being said, there were stories that I really loved here. The Waking Dream tackles the fears and pressures of the modern workforce with an interesting science fiction twist which seems to mirror a lot of the AI conversation happening in Western societies today. Have You Heard of Ancient Glory? was apparently pulled from a real story Zhou Dedong had seen reported on in 2019 and highlights the tight rope between changing burial practices due to rising land costs and ecological concerns and cultural traditions/beliefs about the afterlife. It also highlights the rising concern about home ownership and future prospects in China. The Ying Yang Pot takes on a superstition surrounding hotpot in Chongqing but make it a ghost/possession story. Forbidden Rooms is a suspenseful locked room thriller that tackles isolation, specifically due to rising economic pressures and the long hours of corporate culture.
Goaltender Interference by Ari Baran
3.25
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I remember being pleasantly surprised by Delay of Game when I read it a few years ago and wanting to read more from Ari Baran, though I skipped Game Misconduct after reading some reviews and determining the bully romance angle would not be for me (though I loved seeing that couple in Delay of Game). Here we follow Aiden Campbell, who has just retired from his job as the New York Liberty starting goaltender. He's not handling retirement well and when his rookie (and new Liberty starting goaltender) forces him to go out one night, he runs into Matt Safaryan, captain of the Montréal Royal and Aiden's ex. The reader quickly realizes that the breakup was messy and despite being a decade ago has still left its mark on both men. This run in leads to Aiden and Matt reconnecting and we follow that journey. One thing I love that Ari Baran does is give us a really deep character connection. Aiden and Matt are both messy main characters and they make mistakes but they feel authentic even if they can be frustrating. I also love that Baran writes diversity into a sport that is still very straight and white. All of these books follow M/M relationships but Aiden's mom immigrated from South Asia and that detail is baked into who he is as a person rather than just a token diversity element. This also really digs into the concept of "after" for professional athletes. Aiden retires at the start fo the book and Matt is in the final year of his contract and they're both struggling to learn what a life without hockey could be and I thought that was really well done. I think I struggled with some of the second chance elements of this because for one, it's not my favorite trope, and for two I didn't love the pacing and the way the previous relationship was explained throughout this story. I also struggled with the fact that some key plot elements would have been resolved if they just talked to one another. As previously mentioned, I think those pieces made sense given where the characters were at but from a pure enjoyment level, I am a hard sell on plots that hinge on miscommunication. I enjoyed this though and I will likely go back and read Home Ice Advantage and any future works they write in this series.
I remember being pleasantly surprised by Delay of Game when I read it a few years ago and wanting to read more from Ari Baran, though I skipped Game Misconduct after reading some reviews and determining the bully romance angle would not be for me (though I loved seeing that couple in Delay of Game). Here we follow Aiden Campbell, who has just retired from his job as the New York Liberty starting goaltender. He's not handling retirement well and when his rookie (and new Liberty starting goaltender) forces him to go out one night, he runs into Matt Safaryan, captain of the Montréal Royal and Aiden's ex. The reader quickly realizes that the breakup was messy and despite being a decade ago has still left its mark on both men. This run in leads to Aiden and Matt reconnecting and we follow that journey. One thing I love that Ari Baran does is give us a really deep character connection. Aiden and Matt are both messy main characters and they make mistakes but they feel authentic even if they can be frustrating. I also love that Baran writes diversity into a sport that is still very straight and white. All of these books follow M/M relationships but Aiden's mom immigrated from South Asia and that detail is baked into who he is as a person rather than just a token diversity element. This also really digs into the concept of "after" for professional athletes. Aiden retires at the start fo the book and Matt is in the final year of his contract and they're both struggling to learn what a life without hockey could be and I thought that was really well done. I think I struggled with some of the second chance elements of this because for one, it's not my favorite trope, and for two I didn't love the pacing and the way the previous relationship was explained throughout this story. I also struggled with the fact that some key plot elements would have been resolved if they just talked to one another. As previously mentioned, I think those pieces made sense given where the characters were at but from a pure enjoyment level, I am a hard sell on plots that hinge on miscommunication. I enjoyed this though and I will likely go back and read Home Ice Advantage and any future works they write in this series.