ankonyx's reviews
744 reviews

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.75

This was so fun and engaging to read! I loved the world, the magic and the complex/morally grey characters. I loved the queer normative world (I love when fantasy doesn’t have homophobia, it’s such a simple thing but man does it make me happy)

While it is fantasy, the MC and her culture are very purposefully depicted as Jewish, and there is a lot of antisemitism that she deals with throughout the book.

Content Warnings

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

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funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Fun and campy ! A little bit of a satirical spin on classic fantasy. Fast paced, deeply enjoyable. Interesting world and premise, and while I would have liked to explore it more, it can stand on its own and will be satisfactory to a lot of readers.

Content Warnings

The Left Hand of Dog by Si Clarke

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Fun and silly little space romp! I like how gender was explored and how every9ne used she/her like our agender transfem protagonist :)

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is Hazelwood’s horniest book and it might be off putting to her regular audience. I still enjoyed it, as I am a fan of her writing style and the way she writes characters and their relationship. Don’t really have much deeper to say lol

I liked that we got some of Scarlet’s therapy sessions in book, her personal arc was well handled.

Lukas ranks pretty mid of the road (but on the mature end) on my Ali Hazelwood Love Interest Emotional Constipation Scale (in which Levi is the high end and Jack is on the mature end). I don’t know how much this makes sense to anyone else but it gives the vibes if you understand what I mean (I am not expecting anyone to).

Mild spoilery stuff below
While I wasn’t personally put off by Pen being the ex and still really close with Lukas (fun fact. I’m a lesbian. This should explain enough lol), I can see why a lot of people would be put off by it. It’s a bit annoying to have it constantly shoved in your face, even right after sex scenes.

The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

"I meant the missing pieces of your soul," he said as he examined it. "Do you feel the wind whistling through the gaps?"

I thoroughly enjoyed this! The cover gave me more romantasy vibes but it really isn't that. It's a dark political fantasy, with a side of toxic yuri. The characters are not perfect people and are all deeply flawed, but their actions line up with their characterizations. There was a mix of royalty politics and religious politics at play, both intertwining wonderfully. The religious politics has the witches (women herbalists) against the catholic church flavour/style but with this world's equivalent which isn't to everyone's tastes, but it was well handled here. I also enjoyed the necromancy and the depiction of Death, and I'm excited for the sequel.

Queerness was casual and not societally frowned upon, which I find refreshing in political fantasies like this.

4.5-4.75, bumped up because I just want to see more of this kind of thing

Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans

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5.0

Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced