June Book Wrap up

In June I spent 99 hours reading and I read 9 books. Most of them were Audio Books because I have a long commute and there’s lots of traffic. I need to read more of the physical books on my shelves because they are getting out of control.
This has been an interesting month for reading. Books I thought I’d love bored me and books I would have usually never contemplated buying may become my favourites.

Stats

Number of books: 10

Hours
Total: 99h
Average per day: 3.3h

Pages
Total: 4460
Average per day: 148.6

Physical: 2
Ebook: 4
Audio Book: 5

Science Fiction: 1
Fantasy: 9

Young Adult: 4
Adult: 6

Queer Representation
MM Romance: 7
FF Romance: 3
Trans Characters: 2
Non-binary/Gender Queer characters: 2
Bisexual/ Pansexual Characters: 5
Asexual Characters: 0

1 star: 2
2 stars: 1
3 stars: 2
4 stars: 3
5 stars: 2
Average Star Rating: 3.35

The Court of Broken Knives ( Empires of Dust #1) by Anna Smith Spark

Genres: Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Format: Audio
Did Not Finish
Queer Rep: Didn’t get far enough to find out. Although I think the male point of view character at the beginning mentioned being in a relationship with another man.

The Story

Soldiers are marching through the desert to get to a city where they plan to murder the emperor. They attack and kill a dragon and that’s as far as I got. Well I did make it to the city where stuff was happening but it was tough to care.

Thoughts

There were so many adjectives. The characters and settings are described in such detail that they drown whatever action is happening. I got so frustrated. I just wanted the author to pick one description and move on.
Instead we got descriptive words that mean the same things, like dirty mud brown eyes. This is just one example but it felt like this was every line. I also feel that we’d get the point with just one of those words.
This starts in the desert with a load of soldiers and none of them were interesting. There’s a fight with a dragon and it failed to hold my attention. In Havemercy they managed to make me, if not like then at least I enjoyed the rough characters of the dragoncorps. Here I just wanted them to get out of the desert so we could get to the plot.
I felt like the writing was needlessly disgusting and over the top. I don’t want to hear about the food, yeah because it’s disgusting but also because I don’t care. Sure have one description about how awful the food is but you don’t need to go on and on. Yeah I get it, the food is terrible.
When the viewpoint gets switched to someone at the palace it goes on and on about the building and how this is the richest city in the world. By the time we get to characters I’ve zoned out.
I can’t even tell you how many times we’re told this is the richest city in the world. It’s repeated so many times I wondered if this was parody.
I was getting flashbacks to reading the wheel of time when the start of every book you had to follow the wind rustling in the trees until we eventually found characters. I always skipped the first few pages until I found a character actually doing something. There were also lots of descriptions of clothes and food that I didn’t care about but at least they were easy to skip. I can’t believe I’m praising The Wheel of Time.
I was going to listen to this on normal speed but I don’t think I was five minutes in and I was like nope, this is going on double speed because if I was reading this I’d be skipping all these bits.
You should only read this if you can tolerate endless descriptions with very little plot or characters. Or if you love purple prose this was probably written for you.
I was so looking forward to this and I my disappointment is making me hate it more than I normally would a book that’s a bit too wordy.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: Audio Book
1 star
Queer Rep: Two male characters like each other but nothing really happens between them until the end and they don’t get as much time as the two straight couples.
Disability Rep: Caz has a leg that was broken and didn’t heal properly so throughout the book he walks with a cane and a limp. Until the end of the book where the cane disappears along with his injury. He manages to perform stunts an able bodied person would struggle to pull off and at one point he does it while carrying Inej.

Story

Six teenagers pull off a heist while we get a whole load of flashbacks to their tragic backstories that is meant to make them sympathetic but just brings the plot to a halt.

Thoughts

Initially I gave this book two stars because young adult is not my genre and there were all these positive reviews from people who do like the young adult genre. However, now that it’s a month later and I have some distance from the book, I’ve realised how much I hate it.
Let’s start with the characters.
I could barely tolerate these characters and that was before I found out how old they were. Caz acts like he’s in his late 30’s early 40’s. I do not buy him as a 17 year old boy. Especially when he’s meant to be a hardened crime boss.
The others are no better. They all sound like they are a decade older than they are meant to be in the story.
They also have skills that would take longer than a couple of years to master.
At times they could be fine on their own but together they were intolerable.
Also there just so happened to be six of them so they could all be paired up. One of the couples is a male male romance but they didn’t get as much time as the other couples. I may not be right about that though because Nina and Matthias were so insufferable it felt like their sections went on forever.
I hated Matthias. I don’t care if he’s only the way he is because that’s the culture he lived in. He’s a bigot who was actively hunting down Nina’s people to enslave and kill them. Everytime she felt she felt she had to apologise to him for doing what she had to do to get away from him I wanted to shake her.
It gets even worse when it’s Matthias’s point of view. He’s a massive hypocrite and he can’t see the irony in the things he’s thinking or saying. They should not be a couple. Nina was fine on her own but I stated dreading the flashbacks to when they met.
I have no patience for stories where the character has done horrible things in the name of his religion to a group of people and then we’re meant to feel sorry for him because that was the culture he was raised in.
Nope, not happening.
What makes it worse is that the book tries to make the prejudice Nina holds to Matthias’s people the same as the prejudice he holds to hers. As far as I can tell these two countries are at war because Matthias’s country follows their religion which is that people like Nina should die. So it’s understandable you’d fight back against the people wanting to commit genocide. Not the same thing at all.
Then you’ve got Inej and Caz who again when separated from each other are perfectly fine characters. I enjoyed their viewpoint sections but as soon as they started mooning over each other I started to lose my patience.
This book does not need 6 point of view characters because the characters are mostly together. There is no need to switch viewpoints.
And the ending is ridiculous. I won’t spoil what happens to Inej but I was sat there thinking seriously, you’re doing this to her to motivate Caz.
I was not impressed with the six different narrators. It was terrible. I’m not saying the performances were bad but the switching between them was. It pulled me out of the story and may have made it harder for me to connect with the characters. I think they should have had one narrator or two at most. Just have the guy doing Kaz’s chapters because out of the six of them I’d say it’s Kaz’s story more than the others.
I thought this would be my sort of book and it was so disappointing. There were so many good reviews. Unfortunately I spent most of the time rolling my eyes. This did not help my YA aversion.
I’m not continuing on with this series. I’m just not willing to subject myself to this experience again. It’s made me hesitant to pick up anything by Leigh Bardugo in the future. And that’s a shame because she recently published a Wonder Woman book that I was excited to read. I’ll probably pick it up eventually but I want to forget Six of Crows first.

The Remnant Fleet by Geonn Cannon

Genre: Science Fiction
Format: Ebook (from storybundle)
2.5 stars
Queer Rep: FF Romance, Non binary characters

Story

This is set on a space station that’s not only important to humans but also all the aliens in the area. There’s a whole lot of conflict between different species and they’ve all got to coexist on the space station. Then these superior aliens turn up and they want to destroy all life in this part of the galaxy.

Thoughts

The aliens are all very alien and interesting and that’s the good part. There’s a species that will have sex in front of other people but eating is a deeply private thing. So an individual of this species likes to sit in the cafeteria and watch people eat because it’s kinky to her.
I wish this could have just been about the politics of the space station because how the aliens related to each other was compelling.
Like when Bowery figures out someone is committing a crime because of the two species involved.
That’s interesting but the plot quickly moves on to a villain that wants to wipe out all the species in this galaxy.
Then we get more viewpoint characters and the action is moved away from the space station. I found it hard to remember all the different characters and I wished we’d just stayed with a few.
Started out good but it lost me at the end. There were too many viewpoint characters for such a short book. Especially when their first section is in the second part of the book and I’m not sure I remember who they are.

Heirs of Grace by Tim Pratt

Genres: Fantasy
Format: Audio Book
3 stars
Queer Rep: The main character is bisexual and she actually states that she is bisexual. This shouldn’t be a big thing but it is. There are also non binary characters who are related to the main character. The main character also has a best friend who is gay and he shows up a few times but he’s not a big part of the story.

Story

Becca inherits a house from a father she had never met. Then she finds out she’s got siblings and some of them are willing to kill to get her inheritance. Also the house is magic.

Thoughts

Everything about this book was fun. The magic is great. There’s a sword that heals when you cut someone and a car that becomes invisible when you turn it on.
The main character is bisexual and she has a gay best friend but he’s only a minor character. She has siblings who are triplets and they have no gender. They are also have a hive mind and have no separate identities.
It follows the main character discovering that magic exists and then how to use it to protect herself and her friends.
This was much better than I thought it would be but the middle got tedious. I think I just can’t stand romances this sweet.
The ending saved it though. I love the ending and I wish there was a sequel.

The Circle by Sara Elfgren

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: Physical
3 stars
Queer Rep: There is a potential relationship developing between two of the female main characters but nothing had happened by the end of the book. Apparently the book has more queer characters as it goes along but I’m not that confident. There’s a throwaway gay boy at the beginning of the book who dies (bury your gays).

Story

A boy appears to commit suicide and then some girls get powers because they are witches. There’s also a prophecy about how they were going to save the world.

Thoughts

There’s not much queer stuff in this. The boy who dies at the beginning is gay and there’s a whole lot of homophobia from characters and the world in general.
This is not a book to read if you’re struggling with being LGBTQ+, especially if all the people around you are awful. There’s lots of dark thoughts and suicides.
I would not have enjoyed this book when I was a teenager. Now though I’m more secure in who I am and I don’t listen to any nonsense but it still makes me tired.
It’s not a homophobic book but it presents the world as it is for queer people. It’s not fun it’s depressing. I prefer books where the queer characters are happy about their queerness.
Saying that, there is a place for representing the bad side of being queer. I do get angry when stories that are meant to be historical ignore the struggles of queer people.
The two girls who are attracted to each other don’t act on it. So there’s not really a lot of queer rep here. I might read the second book but it won’t be any time soon.

The High King’s Golden Tongue ( Tales of the High Court #1) by Megan Derr

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Format: Ebook
4 stars
Queer Rep: The whole plot revolves around the two male main characters getting together. There’s also another romance between two male side characters and in the background there’s a relationship going on in between two female characters. I’ve also just learned that there are at least two trans men in the book.

Story

Alan is sent as a consort to the high king but is immediately rejected because he looks too soft. The king wants a consort who’s a tough soldier like his previous husband because they are about to go to war.
As it turns out Alan is more useful than a soldier because the court is a bit of a mess and nothing is running smoothly. Politics is what he was born and trained for and he’s very good at it. He also speaks multiple languages which means he’s called a silver tongue. But because he’s so good at languages he gets the nickname golden tongue even though he protests there’s no such thing.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed Alan trying to help even after he was rejected and the king keeps putting his foot in his mouth, accidentally insulting Alan at every turn. That’s not something I usually enjoy. I hate when there’s lot of misunderstandings that could be easily solved by the couple just talking to each other. In this case they are talking to each other but that’s kind of the problem. They value different things and keep second guessing the meaning behind what the other is saying.
There’s no homophobia in this world and there are multiple queer romances. The king’s previous husband was a trans man and he gave birth to their children. This wasn’t obvious to me in the book so I thought it was some sort of magic or the author didn’t care. Then I went on goodreads and someone asked why only some men get pregnant. The author has confirmed they are trans men. The pregnancy issue didn’t bother me because I’ve read much stranger things in fantasy. If that’s the world then that’s the world so my mind didn’t go to trans man being pregnant because I’ve never read that before. I have no experience of it. I’m glad there are trans characters in this book but it might need to be more obvious that they are trans rather than the world is just different to ours.
The sequel is about one of the characters from this book and I can’t wait to read it.

The City’s son by Tom Pollock

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: Ebook
4.5 stars
Queer Rep: The female main character is in love with her female best friend but they’re not together by the end. I think she’s bisexual because she kisses a boy and has feelings for him but it’s not stated. I don’t know the sexuality of the best friend.

Story

Beth is a graffiti artist in london. She gets in trouble at school and then while out in the city at night she gets attacked by a Railwraith (like a ghost train) and is saved by the prince of the city. He introduces her to a whole world she didn’t know existed.
While Beth is exploring her best friend Penn and her father go looking for her. They also get into a whole lot of trouble.

Thoughts

I really like magic Londons and the author was particularly creative with the different magical beings who live in this one.
It’s also a secret magic London where people either don’t notice what’s going on around them or they forget.
Pretty much everything is magic from the streetlights to reflective surfaces. The city was the main character and it kind of overshadowed the actual characters.
I’d recommend this book but not without a warning because there are some pretty disturbing parts.
What happens to Penn is horrific. She gets captured by what is essentially a barb wire monster and trapped for days while she’s used like a puppet.
Beth and Penn aren’t together by the end but they’re heading that way. I really hope they get together in the sequel. I will not be happy if this is just queer baiting.

Kushiel’s Dart

Genre: Epic Fantasy, BDSM
Format: Physical
4.5 stars
Queer Rep: Phedre has sex with men and women. She also has an intense relationship with the female villain. There’s a relationship between two male side characters and there seems to be none to very little homophobia.

Story

Phedre is someone who’s struck by Kushiel’s dart which means she enjoys pleasure and pain. She’s also part of the night court where they worship their god by having sex and paying off their marque (like a debt). There’s so much more to it than that but I don’t think I’ll do a good job explaining.
Phedre is trained to be a prostitute and a spy by Anafiel who takes control of her marque when no one else will. She gets involved in a whole lot of politics and has to save her country from being invaded and taken over.

Thoughts

There is a lot of politics in this book and I think it’s going to take me rereading this a few times to understand fully what’s happening.
Sometimes it goes into way too much detail regarding the history of the countries and the families in it. I skipped those passages because Phedre explaining in an infodump was never going to stay in my head.
The book starts during Phedre’s childhood where her mother sells her into indentured servitude in the night court. Then we follow Phedre through her childhood until she becomes a spy and the plot actually starts. I didn’t mind how early the book starts because Phedre is an interesting character to read but really a lot of that could have been cut.
Phedre is probably bisexual because she has sex with men and women but her sexuality is probably more accurately described as submissive. Gender seems irrelevant to her.
There’s also a sort of love triangle that doesn’t feel annoying like love triangles usually do. Probably because there’s no competition between the two guys. Phedre has sex with both of them. The motto of the book is “love as thou wilt”.
There’s a theme of bending instead of breaking that runs through the whole book. Phedre and Joscelin get taken as slaves and Phedre has to teach him to be flexible to survive because he’s the type to not compromise and get himself killed.
I appreciated that Phedre didn’t have to learn to pick up a sword and fight. That seems to be what happens to fantasy heroines. Phedre doesn’t have to become less feminine to succeed.
I really enjoyed this book but I’d only recommend it if you like character driven political fantasy.
It’s very slow going and I skipped the parts that went on and on about the history between people, which is probably why I didn’t follow some of it.
I can’t wait to read the next book Kushiel’s chosen.

House of shattered Wings (Dominion of the Fallen #1) by Aliette de Bodard

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Alternative History, Murder Mystery, Angels
Format: Audio Book
5 stars
Queer Rep: The main character is in a relationship with another woman and there’s a relationship between two male side characters.

Story

Phillipe is an immortal who was dragged into the war by the fallen angels and was made to fight. So he hates the fallen and avoids them at all costs until he comes across a newly fallen angel and gets dragged back into the politics of the houses.

Thoughts

This is an alternative history of Paris set after the second world war with queer characters and magic. I love this book so much.
The houses are run by the fallen angels and they control Paris. It’s a bit dystopian and post apocalyptic.
We follow Selen who is head of House Silverspires which is the greatest of the houses and was founded by Morningstar (Lucifer). She’s trying to keep the house from being destroyed while people start getting murdered. She’s also trying to figure out what Phillippe is and where he gets his magic from.
Then there’s also Madeline who’s addicted to angel essence and trying to keep that a secret because it would mean expulsion from the house and that’s not a good way to survive. She’s also terrified of Asmodeus who’s the head of house Hawthorne. He took over the house 20 years ago in a bloody coup that left the previous head of house dead along with anyone loyal to them. Madeline managed to get Silverspires to take her in as a dependent. Unfortunately for her the recent murders mean the houses see Silverspires as weak and so force their way in.
There’s so much I love about this book.
I listened to it as an audio book and I love Peter Kenney’s voice. He’s so good but it also shows that just because you have more than one viewpoint character doesn’t mean you need that many narrators (I’m looking at you Six of Crows). He does a great job at all the different voices and accents. I could listen to his voice all day.
I recommend reading this book unless you’re squeamish because there are a few violent moments. Along with descriptions of how they deal with dead angel bodies.
Next month I’m going to read the sequel House of Binding Thorns.

 

 

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Trilogy #1) by N.K.Jemisin

Genres: Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian
Format: Audio Book
5 stars
Queer Rep: There are so many queer characters and relationships. Alabaster is only attracted to other men. There’s a polyamorous relationship between two men and a woman where they raise a child. There is also a trans woman.

Story

This book is set in a world where the world becomes impossible to survive for a period of time and the people call it a season. They spend all their time preparing for it. Building high walls and stockpiling food. Everyone has a use name and everyone follows stone law.
So a season is approaching and Essun comes home to find her husband has murdered her son and left with her daughter. He did this because he discovered the son was an orogene who can control energy. Orogene are hated by pretty much everyone. Essun has been hiding that she and the children are orogenes for years but now her secret’s out and she’s got to leave the comm and find her daughter before a season comes.

Thoughts

I don’t want to go into too much detail because I’ll spoil it but this book is so wonderfully tragic.
It explores systematic oppression and how abuse can keep you under the control of your abuser. Even if you grow more powerful than them.
The quote at the beginning of the book just sums it up perfectly.
“For all those who have to fight for the respect everyone else is given without question.”
The orogenes are taken away from their families as children and taught how to control their abilities so they don’t hurt anyone. This is presented by the guardians as the only way but it quickly becomes apparent that it’s really not.
They teach the children to fear them and that they can never say no to a guardian. This is done in lots of horrible ways but the way that stands out to me is when a guardian breaks a child’s hand to see if she can stop herself from using her powers.
They are also forced to breed regardless of their own sexuality. Cyen and Alabaster have to reproduce despite her not being attracted to him and him being gay.
Some parts are written in second person which is strange to read and can take a while to get used to, if you do manage to get used to it. Not everyone likes that style.
I highly recommend this book but make sure you’re in a good frame of mind before reading it because it won’t make you happy.
The sequel is The Obelisk Gate and I’m reading that next month.