aether's reviews
107 reviews

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Loved this book! The way the author talks about music takes you to an entirely different place. It makes reality sparkle. This book takes unexpected turns all along the way and I was here for all of them. I would not have thought an aliens x demons love story would have blended so well! I also love that all of the transphobic people in this book get their comeuppance.

Content Warnings

The Ruin of Beasts by Maria Ying

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A fantastic conclusion to the Those Who Break Chains series. No idea why it took me so long to finish, the book is just exceptional. I love how easy, and effortless the idea of gender and polyamory is portrayed. Maria Ying's vocabulary is unparalleled and their righting is so much fun. I can't wait to jump into their next series!

Sunstone, Vol. 1 by Stjepan Šejić

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emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Great introduction to what the world of D/S relationships actually looks like!

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.

The book has some really interesting kernels of ideas that intrigued me - the circumstances of the apocalypse, the networks of communication, etc. But the text itself was so full of specific descriptions that it felt like it took 10 pages to get through what could have been said in 2. It was difficult to keep momentum up when everything was described in such specific ways, with list and lists of items noted for what was present in each scene in ways that didn't feel relevant or useful. I wanted deeply to like this book, but couldn't push myself to finish it.

ADHD & Us: A Couple's Guide to Loving and Living with Adult ADHD by Anita Robertson

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challenging informative fast-paced

5.0

This book spoke so directly to the experiences of both myself and my wife, as two people navigating a relationship where one has ADHD. Being seen so deeply was very validating, even if it was difficult to shed a light on the reality of some pieces of how I (as a person with ADHD) operate with a partner. The strategies in the book ranged from endearingly goofy to challenging & constructive. If you are a person with ADHD who is struggling to make your partner feel loved in the ways that matter, or you are the partner of someone with ADHD, I cannot recommend this book enough!!

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A fascinating novella filled with lush descriptions of a verdant world filled with decay and decomposition. A young, queer woman looking to find herself in a queerplatonic situation that threads a world of dreams and mystery. It was a short read, it definitely felt to me like Hval using it to process feelings of queerness through the vivid and putrid descriptions of growth.

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book is Evangelion + The Locked Tomb + Wrath Goddess Sing. It contains such _beautiful_ descriptions of coming into technology so indescribable that it breaches the divine. Yang has such a way with words when describing destiny, the unknown, and the unknowable. The breaks in narration throughout were a little heavy-handed, and I wish there was _a little more_ to the ending. There's a tease at what could be a possibility for what is actually the case, but not enough that it makes me want to strongly introspect the rest of the book. I would recommend this in a HEARTBEAT for anyone who loves screwed up chosen one with absurd power who pilots a mech story line.

As Happy as Pirates or Burglars by Jemma Topaz

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced