LRRC Week 22
So, uh, I'm still posting this more for me than for anyone else because if I fall out of line it will sit in my head and itch there until it drives me (more) up the wall, but obviously, there's a lot of shit happening right now. In case it was unclear, I stand with the protestors against police brutality. Black Lives Matter, ACAB, abolish the police. If you somehow don't follow me on twitter, I've RT'ed a bunch of stuff on how to help - go do that.
#43: RUTHLESS GODS by Emily A. Duncan
I feel about the same about this book as I did about the first in the series - the aesthetic is really fun, I'm into the idea of the godly magic and the monsters, but I wasn't really grabbed by the characters or the story.
Which is kind of a bummer, because a lot of the tension in this book is spurred by a romantic relationship that I didn't really care that much about. I didn't care if the relationship succeeded, if the characters got back together (or even, really, if the characters in the relationship died). They kept betraying each other, or at least planning to, and I...didn't really care about any of it.
I genuinely don't know exactly where or why the story lost me. The prose was very nice, and there were parts where I was more invested, but on the whole I felt a bit disconnected. I'll probably still check out the next book in the series, but this fell squarely middle of the road for me, in a way that was a little frustrating. I wanted to be here for the aesthetic!
#44: WHEN WE WERE MAGIC by Sarah Gailey
Ooof, this book hit in a really good way.
It starts out explosively (heh) but in such a way that brought back a lot of feelings about my own teenage self, which I am just far enough away from to no longer be, but also to still feel the lingering tendrils of the shame and doubt that became me in those years. Maybe I'll never be free of those, but that's okay, because books like this exist!
I've been a fan of Sarah Gailey's work for a long time, and they do not disappoint. As uncomfortable as I was at times, it made sense as discomfort; being a teenager is frequently deeply uncomfortable, even if you're not magic and have never killed anyone. It cut through to the teen part of myself and my teen feelings and really sunk in good.
The characters are all interesting and memorable, and their bond is genuinely very good and touching as far as found family goes, but also, the part that made me cry was in the main character's relationship with her "actual" family (I almost typed "blood" but she's adopted so that's not quite true, not sure if there's a better term for that).
This book made me nostalgic for something I'm not sure I've ever actually had, which is giving me some sad feelings, but also a testament to Gailey's writing. If the beginning is tough (as it was for me), I encourage you to push through. It was worth it for me.
NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA:
#45: The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
#46: The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson