Review: When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

Posted on by
Reply

Raeve is my kind of psycho killer. Okay, she’s not psycho, but also not fully sane either. She definitely is feisty, which is always a good trait in a heroine. She is a paid killer for a rebellion group in the Fade. She does her job well. Until a truly heinous man kills her friend, and she goes on a killing spree, gets caught, and is sentenced to death. Enter Kaan. The King of the Burn. He rescues her because, you wouldn’t you know, she’s his long-lost love thought to be dead. Yes. That is kind of a spoiler but also pretty obvious from the get-go. They do have a lot of fun banter between the two of them. You can see how, in a different time, they would be drawn to each other. This book has a lot of world-building. So much that it comes with a glossary and cast of characters at the very beginning of the book. It does take a few chapters to figure out the world, but once things all fall into place, it’s a very quick read. It’s an almost 700-page book that I read in less than a week. I am very interested to find out how Raeve became Raeve because it is very far from where she began. The ending introduces a new villain that I am not sure was needed, as there were already some pretty good bad guys, but hey, what do I know. I will just have to wait until the next book.

Review: I, Medusa by Ayanna Gray

Posted on by
Reply

The myth of Medusa has been having a moment lately. I have seen a lot of discourse about how Medusa wasn’t the monster that she is portrayed as in the original stories but a victim. Even reframing her as a feminist heroine. This book takes on her myth from Medusa’s point of view. From her childhood as the only mortal child of minor Gods to priestess to monster. It was a tough read to be sure. Medusa is a very sheltered young woman. Her family is trapped on their island, and they cannot leave. What she knows of the outside world is what washes up on the shores. Things start to change when she accidentally kills the fiancé of her sister. This interaction introduces her to the Goddess, Athena, who is impressed with her honesty and gives her an opportunity to train as one of her priestesses in Athens. She moves to Athens and falls in love with the city but is also overwhelmed by so much of the injustice. In her time, she learns to navigate the politics of the temple and, in her naivety, makes some pretty terrible mistakes. During a festival, she leaves her friend to go to the restroom. She falls asleep and is rescued by a young man who escorts her home, but she left her friend behind. I’m sure you can guess as to what happens, and in the first moment of how cruel Athena can be, her friend is dismissed because she is no longer “pure,” even though she is the victim. Medusa will find herself in the same situation when Poseidon becomes interested in her. You know the story. Poseidon rapes her; Athena, who can’t punish Poseidon, punishes Medusa. Giving her hair of snakes and can turn anyone into stone. Her sisters stand up to Athena, and they are also turned into the same monsters. They soon take their revenge on any man that comes to their island, but Medusa is never really much into it. When her friend from Athens comes ashore, she realizes she wants more. They leave the island and start a new life, but Medusa realizes she cannot give up her rage and how it will get her friend and lover in trouble, so she leaves and goes back to the island, where she will live until she is murdered by a male “hero.” This really is a good illustration of how rape culture continues to endure over millennials. As an adult reading, I can see all the mistakes she makes and know instantly what terrible thing is going to happen because of it, because I have grown up being taught how to avoid these exact situations. This is a really harrowing book to read but I do feel it necessary.

Review: The Long Game by Rachel Reid

Posted on by
Reply

The next season of Heated Rivalry is going to wreck me if this is anything to go by. Damn. While Heated Rivalry was Shane’s story of his struggle to embrace who he is. The Long Game is Ilya’s story of his finally confronting the trauma of his childhood. We pick up with Shane and Ilya about three years after the end of Heated Rivalry. They are still in a secret relationship. Ilya signed with Ottawa, the worst team in the league, but it allows them to remain close. However, their arrangement isn’t starting to wear on them. They are both tired of hiding but also afraid to come out. Ilya is fighting depression and, for the first time, really dealing with the trauma of the death of his mother. I would argue that Shane is dealing with an eating disorder, but it’s not really treated as one in the story, so I might be reading too much into it. In the first book, it’s heavily implied that hockey is the villain of the story because it is the culture that is not only preventing them from openly coming out, but also Shane’s internalized homophobia that has prevented him from truly being himself. This one is no longer implying but coming right out and saying it. Shane is not out publicly but is to his team. Word has gotten back to the commissioner of the league, and he basically threatens Shane with never coming out while he is still playing. *Spoiler* Shane and Ilya are accidentally outed by Hayden when one of his videos goes viral. Ilya’s team is much more supportive, while Shane’s worries about coming out come true when his team not only isn’t supportive of him but blame him for losing a playoff game and accuses him of throwing it for Ilya. This is, by the way, the season after they have won the Cup for the third time. The unfairness of it all is crushing, but honestly, probably a more realistic outcome if this were to happen in real life. There is a very satisfying scene at the end of the book when Shane tells the commissioner off. This book was a lot more emotional for me than Heated Rivalry, and if the show adapts it as loyally as it did the first one, we are all in for a very emotional ride. I do think I should read Role Model before the new season, as it is rumored that the book’s main characters will be the B-couple, like Scott and Kip were in the last season. It makes sense because from what I gathered from this book, it takes place at the same time, and their plots intersect in a couple of key moments.

Quick Review: Brimstone by Callie Hart

Posted on by
Reply

This book was good, but Quicksilver was better. It took a bit for me to get into this one. Saeris is now half fae, half vampire, and is the Queen of the vampires because she killed the king of the vampires. This obviously complicates things because of the half-fae, but also mated to the man the vampires have been fighting for centuries now. The other issue I had with Saeris and, to a certain extent, Fisher ae becoming too powerful. It seemed like Saeris was discovering a new power that no one had seen for thousands of years to save them at the last second. It was all a little bit too convenient, but also, if a character is too powerful, it starts to take the suspense from the story because you know they will win, because no one can possibly overpower them. You know what I mean? Superhero movies have the same issue sometimes. The second issue was that there was a minor subplot of Fisher and Carrion going on a side quest to retrieve Saeris brother, but so far nothing has really come from it. Hayden is kind of a brat. She did so much to protect him, and once she was gone, he was quick to believe the Queen’s propaganda about her. But anyway, once he is rescued, he isn’t really a part of the rest of the book. I kind of forgot he was there. I assume he will play a bigger part in the next book. All in all, it was a satisfying romantasy but not as satisfying as the first book.