• Book Reviews,  Fiction

    SPIRITS ABROAD by Zen Cho | Audiobook Review

    8th February 2022
    Cover of Spirits Abroad (Zen Cho)

    SPIRITS ABROAD by Zen Cho, read by Emily Woo Zeller

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    Because Laura loved the previous version of this book (her review), I couldn’t wait for this rerelease of Spirits Abroad. Just when I was going to preorder it, I found out that the audiobook is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. THE Emily Woo Zeller who narrated Last Night at the Telegraph Club (my review). So I had to listen to the audiobook.

    And yes, this short story collection is magnificent.

    I don’t know how to review this book because there are 19 stories in it, but I’m going to talk about a few of my favorites and their hidden meanings. If you’re here for a review, I’m sorry to say this “review” would probably be more of an analysis.

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  • Book Reviews,  Fiction

    SWIM by Eric C. Wat | Audiobook Review

    14th January 2022
    Cover of SWIM (Eric C. Wat)

    SWIM by Eric C. Wat, read by Feodor Chin

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    This book blew me away. I didn’t know what to expect when I started SWIM. That it was queer and Asian sold it for me, no questions asked. And I got so much more out of it than I could ever have imagined.

    At first glance, the story felt somewhat mundane, but I happen to love fiction that shows us people’s everyday lives, no matter how unexciting, so I loved it from the start. Sometimes, I needed to remind myself that this wasn’t a memoir, because Carson Chow (周遠和; 40, gay, Hongkongese American) speaking to me in first-person made it feel like one. His family immigrated to the US from Hong Kong when he was a child, and the nuances of an immigrant family are threaded throughout the storytelling.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    IF I WERE A WEAPON by Skye Kilaen | ARC Review

    11th January 2022
    Cover of If I Were a Weapon (Skye Kilaen)

    IF I WERE A WEAPON (All These Gifts #1) by Skye Kilaen

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    This was such a thrilling read! Ever since SJ Whitby got me hooked on their Cute Mutants series (my review of Vol 1), I’ve been obsessed with superpowered queer people. And Kilaen gave us an adult story of nanite alien–infected sapphics that is at times cute, somewhat dark, and mostly exhilarating.

    Deneve Wilder (she/her, bi/pan) can see the future. Sort of. When her nanites lead her to Austin (oooooh shiny), she didn’t expect to end up staying with Jolie Betancourt (she/her, bi/pan), another powered woman who wants nothing to do with her. But the nanites insist. Soon, both women find themselves in danger greater than either of them has every been in before.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    THE BECOMING by Nora Roberts | ARC Review

    7th January 2022
    Cover of The Becoming (Nora Roberts)

    THE BECOMING (The Dragon Heart Legacy #2) by Nora Roberts

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    pairing : cishet white woman + cishet fae man
POV     : multiple 3rd-person (omniscient?)
location: Ireland + Talamh (fictional)
indie?  : no

    4.5 stars rounded up.

    The Becoming is the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy. While I enjoyed The Awakening (my review), I loved this sequel. I love the writing and the characters! Even though I didn’t fully understanding the magics, it’s okay because Breen doesn’t understand either. Also, I’m not rating for the romance aspect (I’m not feeling the chemistry); I’m rating for how awesome the people in the book are.

    Having learned more about her past and the powers within her, Breen is now back in Talamh; this time, with her best friend Marco (gay, Black) with her. As the situation in the world of Fey becomes more dire, Breen has to think fast and train hard to defeat the evil god Odran.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Nonfiction

    EDUCATED by Tara Westover | ARC Review

    28th December 2021
    Cover of Educated (Tara Westover)

    Educated by Tara Westover

    CW: misogyny, gaslighting, violence, psychological & physical & spiritual abuse, child abuse, use of N-word by family member

    I have to thank Westover for writing this memoir. It must have taken her a lot of courage to relive everything and share her own life story with the world.

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