Hsinju’s Lit Log

ARCs, Book Reviews, Fiction

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi | ARC Review

20th September 2020
The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2) by Roshani Chokshi
- Publisher: Wednesday Books, September 22nd 2020
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
- Format: Ebook (eARC)
- Page Count: 416 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
CW: dismemberment, torture, blood Forging, off-screen killings, emotional abuse, alcohol, (possible) panic attacks, antisemitism, racism, suicide of a very minor character, bombing, manipulation

I love the tagline, “They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.” Upon finishing, I realized just how true it is.

“We debase ourselves for the ones we love.”
Laila
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Book Reviews, Fiction

Fresh Start by Nicole Pyland

19th September 2020
Fresh Start (Chicago #0) by Nicole Pyland
- Publisher: Pyland Publishing LLC, 2017
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+, Mystery
- Format: Ebook
- Page Count: 485 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Alyssa Masters had sat in prison for two years for a double-homicide she did not commit. The news of her case is all over the country. So even though she is now a free woman without criminal records, it is very hard to live a normal life. Then Hannah Granger shows up for rental viewings at Alyssa’s workplace without knowing who Alyssa is. Hannah is relocating after traveling for three years and just losing her mother. Will their friendly encounter develop into something deeper with Alyssa’s past hanging overhead?
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ARCs, Book Reviews, Fiction

The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus by Alanna McFall | ARC Review

18th September 2020
The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus by Alanna McFall
- Publisher: Atthis Arts, 2019
- Genre: Literary Fiction, LGBTQ+, Fantasy
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 286 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Chelsea Shu died a tragic death on NYC Subway tracks and never got to attend her brother Osric’s wedding. After discovering an afterlife as a ghost, she befriended Carmen, a fellow spirit, and Cyndricka, a homeless mime-performing human. The three of them, incidentally the Triple Cs, set out on foot for a cross-country trip to attend Osric’s postponed wedding in San Francisco. They understood it would be a difficult journey, but little did they know what was actually in store for them throughout the months-long walk.
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ARCs, Book Reviews, Fiction

The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair | ARC Review

17th September 2020
The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair
- Publisher: Ylva Publishing, October 1st 2019
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: eARC
- Page Count: 285 pages
- My Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Content warnings: non-consensual kissings between the main characters, one instance of bi-erasure from a minor character, underlying misogyny from antagonists. Note that ableist language is also present in the book (crazy, insane, mad, blind).

Sinclair definitely surprised me with The X Ingredient. I don’t normally do well with ice-queen, age-gap, office romance, but I wanted to try anyway. And I am so glad I did.
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ARCs, Book Reviews, Fiction

The Holiday Detour by Jane Kolven | ARC Review

16th September 2020
The Holiday Detour by Jane Kolven
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, September 15th 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 240 pages
- My Rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Content warnings: misgendering from main character and minor character, car accident, recalling parental loss

As someone who is both genderqueer and sapphic, The Holiday Detour is very difficult for me to review. I wanted to love it so badly but I didn’t. I appreciate Kolven writing a sapphic story featuring an f/gq relationship however, so I rounded up my rating. There are too many issues that kept me from fully enjoying the story, but it was nonetheless chaotically entertaining.
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