November and December Reviews

So I didn't write a review for November. Mostly because I only read one book that month (I was a little busy writing my own book on top of starting my new job, which has been A Lot), but I figured I'd combine November and December, and here we are now. This is my blog, I make the rules. So let's dive in!

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Okay, this review is going to have to be short because my word count has to go towards NaNo instead of this, but holy shit was this book a Trip.

Andrew and Eddie were everything to each other, but when Eddie dies of an apparent suicide miles away from him, Andrew is left adrift, determined to prove Eddie didn't kill himself; he was murdered. Surrounded by people he doesn't know and the crushing weight of losing his best friend, Andrew picks up the inheritance Eddie left him and lives in the place that should have been theirs. But things are darker than Andrew knows, curses and killers lurking in the corners of his vision. Andrew, haunted by the ghost of Eddie, has to figure out what happened to him before the specter and their shared curse kills him--or before the person that killed Eddie does the same to him.

This book was creepy as hell. It's certainly not for the faint of heart in regards to blood and ghosts, but also in regards to apparent self inflicted harm. Andrew runs the gamut with illegal substances and driving fast cars, high points interspersed with haunting shadows and cursed land. There were definite points where I had to stop for a bit, or powered through the things that made my wrists tingle, but it was worth it in the end.

The characters in this book are all fucked up. They're interesting and loyal and lively, but they're also all dealing with grief and trauma, and should probably all be in therapy, especially after everything that went down in this book. Riley is one of my favorites, a voice of reason that never lost his desire for a good time, and absolutely the person Andrew needed. Sam started out as someone I didn't think I'd ever grow to like, but just like Andrew I found myself fascinated by him, eager to see how his relationship developed with Andrew.

Andrew himself was somehow both extremely unreliable and reliable as a narrator. We as the readers knew what he wanted and why, but his methods and strange behaviors made it difficult to believe him. He was processing his grief and doing all sorts of very unhealthy things, but all in the name of trying to understand what happened. The whole story is twisty and ghoulish, and the mystery was one I never quite solved until the end. But it was a fascinating journey, watching all the pieces fall into place.

The setting was very gothic, and despite the story being set in the tail end of summer, reading it in fall felt much more appropriate. Maybe it was just because I wanted to curl up under a bunch of blankets to hide from the darkness every time I put it down. Maybe it was the seasons changing outside my window as I read, creating a much more haunting and chilling atmosphere. Regardless, Summer Sons was a lot, but overall really very good. It's set in the world of academia, which adds a level of structure and deadlines to it without impeding the main ghost hunting story line. I was pleased with this and it's very hopeful ending, especially after all the shit the characters went through to get there.

Similar to: the closest books I could come up with were The Dead and The Dark by Courtney Gould in spooky murder mystery ways, and then The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic for dangerous/violent vibes

A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske

(Side note: WHOOPSIE, the picture is out of order, but it's snowing now so I'm not going to retake it.)

This book was so much fun, oh my gosh. I love magic in a "modern setting" (really anything that isn't castles and medieval stuff), Jane Austen type regency era, and beautiful prose, and this book did not disappoint in any of those categories.

Robin Blythe, still dealing with the recent death of his parents, has just been assigned a new government post. He's the liaison for the magical world of London, only, Robin's never heard of magic before, not until Edwin Courcey walked into the office and opened him up to a completely unexpected world of magic. Robin and Edwin have to solve the mystery of where Robin's predecessor went and what he was after, before the runes Robin's been cursed with kills him. Facing new dangers, including the very real possibility of falling in love, they have to rely on one another and hope that whatever they can uncover is enough to save every magician in England.

I love regency era stories--Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite movies, and I think the era has so much potential for the type of romance that can really develop into something wonderful. The fact that this is a queer love story makes it even better. Propriety and manners dictate so much of society, so when characters are able to come together despite their reserved feelings, it really just feels so satisfying. Combine that with a bit of magic and boom, I'm obsessed.

Some of the prose was a little intensely flowery, but, again, that's sort of to be expected with the type of book and era it was set in. If I had trouble following sometimes because I was exhausted, that's on me. The writing is beautiful and the descriptions, especially the ones that used light, both physically and metaphorically, were absolutely stunning. And it fit the storyline and the way each character thought, with Edwin's complicated thought process and Robin's ability to see something beautiful and wonderful even in moments of panic. They were so different, but they way they fit together was so satisfying. Not technically enemies to friends to lovers, more of a reluctant coworkers to friends to lovers, which honestly works just as well.

The world building was fascinating--the way Marske wove the children's game of cat's cradle into something as fantastic as magic is such a creative move. I love when people taken something considered "simple" and turn it into something grand and complicated and, well, magical. All the steps involved in magic made it clinical at times, but that never stopped the wonder and awe from reading about it, whether it was from Edwin or Robin's perspective. Their falling in love was as sweet as Robin's fascination with magic and the small but effective ways Edwin used it.

Robin and Edwin both were fabulous characters, with their own depths and secrets and wants. Edwin's history created walls, hiding him away to keep him safe, and to watch Robin take them down, show Edwin he could be loved, was so, so lovely. I love when a super closed off character is given the love they deserve and finally feel comfortable giving their true selves.

And the mystery! All the pieces and hints were there, slowly revealed as the clever characters pieced the puzzle together. I picked up on some of them, but certainly not all of them, and enjoyed those just as much as the ones I figured out. Overall, this was a joy of a book, and I certainly look forward to it hopefully ushering in an era of queer, magic, regency books, because that might be my new favorite genre.

Similar to: Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Fence: Striking Distance by Sara Rees Brennan

I picked this book up somewhere for super cheap because I've loved both CS Pacat and Sara Rees Brennan's works, so seeing something that was a weird conglomeration of the two felt like a fun way to spend $7. And while I wasn't familiar with the characters before starting (I didn't read Pacta's graphic novels, I'm sorry, turns out I can only read so many books), I certainly feel like I know them now.

Following four boy son their school's fencing team, this story has four very different point of views leading the way. School flirt Aidan is forced to acknowledge his crush on his best friend Harvard when Harvard starts dating a new boy. Harvard, after a couple disastrous dates, embarks on a fake dating adventure with Aidan, eventually recognizing his own feelings. Seiji, awkward and hard working, walks a bit of a dark line on the "criminal" side of things, masterminding a prank to protect his roommate. Nicholas has high aspirations and a go getter attitude, reaching desperately for the thing that comes so easily to Seiji. All four of them have to lean what teamwork means in order to have a chance at the championships.

This book was just fun. The characters were all fun in their own ways, and reading from their perspective was absolutely fantastic. Each boy had a unique voice, and getting to spend time with all of them figuring out themselves and each other was such a delight. I was a little more partial to Aidan and Harvard at times, but that's only because I love a good pining, especially when it's both side thinking it's unrequited. Idiots in love! And they were SO CLOSE to figuring it all out too. I'm hoping there's a future book (or in the comics) where they end up together. They're in love, your honor!

That's not to say Nicholas and Seiji weren't fun too--they had some of the funniest moments in the story, both of them starkly socially awkward and missing a bunch of social cues but in completely opposite ways. And yet, they found ways to get along and help each other in their own special ways. And while there were harsh (or uncomfortably awkward) moments, the boys in this story ultimately wanted the best for each other, learning to function as a team even as they were forced to face the difficult parts of themselves.

Brennan is a hilarious writer, and stepping into a story she was telling where the world was already established by another writer was a little bit odd, but I found my footing before too long. I may have to check out Pacat's graphic novel series now that I know the characters, though I don't know that it would be as humorous as Brennan's story. Then again, Pacat also has a very good sense of humor, and Brennan will trick you with funny phrases and then break your heart. This story ended hopefully, with plenty of room for these boys to get into lots more trouble.

Overall, like I said in the beginning, this was a very fun read.

Similar to: Running with Lions by Julian Winters

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

I don't know what possessed me to read two queer sport books back to back, but I did it, and honestly it was a cute time.

Scottie's still reeling from her recent breakup with her girlfriend (and the loss of on of the best basketball players at her school), when she hits another student's care in her school parking lot. That car, unfortunately, belongs to mega popular cheerleader Irene, Scottie's sworn nemesis. The girls are forced to carpool to school as punishment, and in doing so realize they have a chance to help each other out. One fake dating scheme and the possibility for actual closure seems fine and all, at least until real feelings get involved.

I love fake dating. It's trusting a person without wholly trusting them, but sooner or later absolutely has no choice but to turn into actual trust, if not real feelings. It's even better when paired with what is essentially enemies to friends to lovers, but GAY and with sports. The sports don't actually matter that much to me, but it was nice to see this book giving cheerleaders the respect they deserve for their athletic abilities.

Scottie was dealing with a lot, and while she tried to play off her breakup a bit, there was a lot of deeper trauma there than anyone realized, including her. She had to figure things out, and I was proud of her when (spoilers) she had an actual conversation with Irene about how she wasn't ready to move on while she was still mourning her previous relationship, rather than jump in without thinking. And her ex messed her up a lot, so to see the fallout of a relationship like that was really important. High school relationships, even queer ones, which aren't too often depicted as toxic in modern media (at least as far as I've seen), can take time to get over, can be abusive, can have lasting impacts on people. And this book showed that with both Irene and Scottie, then gave them to the space to figure themselves out and grow before going back to one another. I really appreciated that they didn't rush into things, that they owned up to their mistakes, and they actively worked to fix what went wrong.

Parts of the book felt juvenile, but I'm mid twenties reading about high school students they're supposed to be juvenile. It was actually kinda of nice to step back and have that distance, to look at their problems, their breakdowns, with the clear eye that things do get better. I appreciate Scottie's family too, the way her sisters and best friend took care of her and how her parents really, truly cared. Scottie's friends were cool too, but HANDS DOWN my favorite character was Honey-Belle. And the fact that their town was called Grandma Earl and was all Christmas themed. Incredible world building, truly spectacular.

That's kind of it, this was a fun, sporty, queer read, and overall I had a good time with it.

Similar to: I don't know, also Running With Lions by Julian Winters, contrary to this review I don't actually read a lot of books about sports

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

You know how I said I didn't really read sports books? Apparently that was a lie because this was the third queer sports book in a row.

Spencer is flying under the radar at his new school; no one knows he's trans and he's going to keep it that way. He joins the soccer team and starts to fall for a boy he probably shouldn't, but things are okay, at least until he's benched for a clerical error--or at least that's what his coach believes when his birth certificate says female. Spencer has to decide if he wants to come out and play or sit on the sidelines and watch the games--and life--go by.

This book was fun! Spencer is a delightful narrator and I rooted for him to get on the team and then get the guy! I didn't understand most of the technical sport lingo, but it was fun to tag along.

This book had a good amount of of rep, from Spencer being biracial and trans to his little brother's autism. It took place in Ohio, not the most progressive state, but in a decent town that had people willing to try to be better (even if they had a few others who definition weren't). I appreciated the people who had Spencer's back and helped him settle as himself in his new school, including crush turned boyfriend Justice and the rest of his team.

I don't have much else to say because my brain is mush after this month (year, really) but I had fun and that's what matters.

Similar to: all the queer sport books I mentioned already, you know how this goes

And that's it! The last books I read in 2021. I've got a bunch I'm excited to read next year, as well as new ones to be released. I hope next year is a little bit kinder but just as full of books. Happy New Year!

Keep writing, my friends!

Sam

Reading recommendation: Extraordinaries by TJ Klune, because I'm excited to finally read the sequel

Media recommendation: you know I gotta recommend Red (Taylor's Version), because it is arguably better than the original and also I haven't stopped listening to it since it came out