citrus_seasalt's reviews
302 reviews

Might raise (or lower??? idk) my rating, who knows. Somewhere between a 4 and a 5 stars. I see some people confused about the differences of the plural self POV and Yetu’s singular POV, but I think by the second or third plural self chapter the timeline should click into place. I also think that based on me reading this and “Sorrowland”, I can gather that Rivers Solomon always writes very creative premises that duelly capture the complexity of generational trauma, especially racial trauma. The worldbuilding done with Solomon’s interpretation of “The Deep”s lyrics was also fascinating, it’s easy to pinpoint from Yetu’s personal journey which section of the song is being written about, but it’s still very much their writing.

Honestly, I predicted Oori’s significance as soon as that one human in the Rememberings was introduced (I feel like a lot of the book’s messaging hinges on the events from those memories being repeated in a way), but I liked seeing her kinship with Yetu, since she spent so much of the novel feeling like her struggle was unique and couldn’t be shared by anybody. And this is a very minor thing, but I appreciate that the thing that finalized Oori and Yetu’s relationship was a more personal (and grand) gesture of love, rather than a kiss or something else of the sort. 

Yetu was kind of a difficult character for me to get invested in, though. Not only is the beginning a little slow, but the Rememberings hollowed her out. uhhh I’ll continue writing this later i got some ice cream and an audiobook i wanna listen to as I eat it

Despite the short length of this novella, there is so much to process. Maybe there could’ve been a few more pages because of the quickness of the ending, but that should still be a testament to the author’s talent, in my opinion. 

(Please let me know if I misspelled any characters’ names! I only read this via audio.)

Fast-paced, gorey, and engaging in a way that often juxtaposes the inherent bleakness of the narrative by placing you in the shoes of the Chain-Gang viewers. Those factors, and fantastic narration done by Shayna Small, Michael Crouch, Lee Osorio, and Aaron Goodson (but mostly Shayna, to be honest) made chapters easy to listen to in one sitting, but also left me with a lingering sick feeling, and a dread palpable enough to make me hesitant to pick up my Playaway again, despite how invested I was. This isn’t subtle and never tries to be. Yes, this led to it being very easy to see when inner or external monologues were mouthpieces for the points the story was making, but it also put so much emphasis on the theatrical, outrageous nature of the premise that I think it worked in a way. That’s, of course, subjective, but I didn’t dock many points.

There’s another major reason Chain-Gang All-Stars kept my interest from start to end, though: The cast is extensive, with tens of POVs of different roles. From the Links mentioned in the summary (and part of the titular show within a book), to viewers keeping themselves watching a real-life battle Royale with the power of cognitive dissonance, callous TV executives, and even a scientist I won’t reveal the plot importance of, every possible moral question and political aspect of this horrifically realistic dystopia is proposed and answered in the form of these characters’ thoughts. It was so incredibly easy to be immersed in this book’s futuristic America, and not just because it’s only a fictionalized continuation of current systemic racism. This was a mixed bag, though. Not only are some POVs less bigoted than others, and it gets nearly impossible to count how many there are after a certain point, but I sometimes felt detached from a character’s emotions. Particularly (I’ll be placing emphasis on them since they’re who I care about and is meant to be rooted for), some of the Links, and the resistance fighters. While I found Mari, Kai and Nyle’s POV’s compelling, and a realistic depiction of a grassroots movement, I didn’t feel a strong emotional pull towards them, despite how well-rounded their characters were. I think it was just the writing style? Only a few of the POVs are written in first-person. (But also, there were some moments in the first-person chapters where different emotions still felt spelled out?)

I feel like Hendrix and Simon were the two characters where it was easiest to feel their spirals, likely because of the first-person writing, but also how they were read: Hendrix’s narrator, Aaron Goodson, actually sang in the audiobook, and characterized him with a vulnerability and dry-sounding misery that was absolutely haunting. I’m still unsure how to feel about Simon, but his instability was also narrated very well by Michael Crouch and it was honestly disturbing to listen to. Of course, though, a bulk of the book’s heart is in Loretta Thurwar and Henrietta Stacks’ relationship. There are several points in the story where, in the hands of a less mature author, they could have easily turned on each other, or broken up over a misunderstanding. Instead, their security, and their precarious balance between being a tether for the other’s humanity and being a commodity of the public eye, offered a softness (and occasional reprieve) between the violence. (I also liked the poly aspect with Mac, and Thurwar’s thoughts around what both of her relationships offered her.) They were sweet, even until the heartbreaking end.

If I had to list my second favorite dynamic within the Angola-Hammond chain (and eventual found family), it would be Staxxx and Rico’s mentor-mentee dynamic. Staxxx’s motivations could definitely be a little dubious sometimes, but Rico was such a noticeably young, not-jaded Link within the group that it was both sweet and heartbreaking to see his earnestness, and his excitement at kinda being taken under her wing. And plus, Staxxx keeps her humanity intact throughout and genuinely cares about so many of her other Links. Ugh.

Unsure how to feel about the anecdotes? They grounded Chain-Gang All-Stars, at least in part, in reality. But I also felt they would sometimes break the flow of the story, especially narrated. (Worth noting that Shayna Small narrates every anecdote, so sometimes, her voice would pop-in during another narrator’s chapter.) And despite the heaviness of their subject matter, I thought that they sometimes made a characters’ experiences feel tied more to their statistics, instead of given weight. 

But overall, I’d definitely recommend this. Though. I’d be a little pissed if it gets an adaptation, given… y’know. 

another biased as fuck 4 star rating bc yes this has pacing issues. Yes, the storytelling format was clunky. Yes, this advertises two other Bingo Love installments halfway through the book and it’s really annoying. But it was CUTE, OKAY. I mean I think the segments of them as teens were cuter than the present day ones bc they went over the different steps of their relationship more BUT STILL. I loved the art style too, AND THE ENDING MADE ME ACTUALLY CRY? GODDAMNIT I JUST WANTED TO READ SOMETHING FLUFFY😭

perfect Valentine’s Day read tho if you want to get to something short and sweet. I just happened to be 8 days late for that

was thinking of giving this a 4.5 or 4 stars at first, but then I got to Aaron’s POV and they went all in with the poetry!! I was hesitant about how I’d feel about this, considering as it’s focused around U.S. colonial-era history, but both Aaron and Oliver’s complicated thoughts about connecting with history and trying to find themselves in it, definitely will resonate with a lot of people in several different ways. Genuinely, it’s so awesome to see in literature the mindset of a person getting into queer history to better know themself. Oliver having a Tumblr is just the cherry on top of the accuracy LMAOOOO 

It also helps that the romance feels natural and is so, so sweet. (Yes, there’s some conflict, but none of it feels contrived, and it’s pretty on-brand for their different home environments.) The phone call scene before they go to the reenactment had me gigglinggg, they’re so sweet in an awkward way, and besides that, Aaron and Oliver have distinctive voices I love to see banter. (Not sure when else to say this, but I thought the text-speak was actually fantastic LOL. Genuinely got flashbacks to my first and only relationship I had in freshman year)

This is the second book I’ve read by Robin Gow, and not only do I appreciate him keeping creativity and vulnerability intact in his contemporary narratives, but also the ways he writes about the complexity (and confusion) of gender. God, so many of Aaron’s thoughts especially were things I remember writing about in my journals (or just thinking) when I first came out!! I also loved how while both him and Oliver were trans boys, they had different thoughts around their expression and their gender. I always gobble up whenever t4t romances do that!! (something something Lakelore mention.)

I think the only criticism I have is that Oliver’s chapters often felt choppy, but this’ll definitely cement Robin Gow as an auto-buy author for me. For this being a YA debut, he nailed the feelings of being a teen, and showed that through  vulnerable and often beautiful passages. (But. Why have I been reading so many small town trans-centered stories recently, is that my niche now💀🙏) (that’s a joke. I grew up in the suburbs) 

Part Bildungsroman that sometimes got lost in its aquarium-lit nostalgia and melancholy, part semi-average coming-out YA contemporary, always emotionally dense, fluid, and such a realistic look into dysphoria and the pain of being closeted that it was sometimes draining. Thank you to Alex (@obscure.pages) for recommending this so highly! I think I’d have to be bribed with an absurd amount of money to go through this again, but the writing was beautiful and absolutely visceral.

River is a character I don’t expect everyone to like. They’re self-deprecating (and even self-sabotaging), frequently resentful or anxious, and their growth is a very slow process, where within that awkward timeframe that it can’t quite happen yet (when they don’t have access to all of themself), they take out their resentment on others. The small-town Ohio setting was intrinsically tied to their identity-based claustrophobia, something that I thought that, while not written with subtlety, was tangible and easy to empathize with. I loved seeing a coming out story like theirs. It was complex and longer-term, in a way that is rarely depicted in queer media. Their characterization is complex, too, and goodness, that’s always wonderful to see even if sometimes results in mortifying decisions! Seeing them grow up was also a bittersweet and rewarding experience.

I liked the side characters, too. Indy and Catherine’s ever-changing characterization through River’s eyes was especially interesting: Catherine goes from feeling a little superficial, to being a realistic depiction of a long-distance but good friend that pops in and out of your life. Her bluntness goes hand-in-hand with River’s, but she’s more confident and not as jaded. Indy… I had mixed feelings on, I won’t lie, just because of how heavily they’re idolized at first, and their relationship with River sometimes tiptoeing into codependency. (Although, a lot of that is addressed.) For that reason, I found it difficult to root for the main relationship, and didn’t give this book a perfect rating. However, as much as the break up pissed me off, the writing being more obvious about Indy’s commitment issues helped to characterize them as someone imperfect.

Side characters, cont: I enjoyed River’s support system, too. Namely, the Chengs, Everett (I liked his solidarity especially when him and River were teens, even if he didn’t have a ton of on-page time with them), and the highschool swim characters (they have more development than the college ones, lol). Their role in River’s development was obvious, but they were still endearing. A lot of that, I think, comes from how personal in nature the plot feels. There’s definitely a feeling of looking back on all these memories with a mix of sadness and joy, that just radiates from the pages.

I definitely feel like this is like “The Ship We Built” by Lexie Bean in that it near-flawlessly encapsulates the mindset of the age group it’s writing about. (This time, though, I get to be in the target age range!! What a special experience!) Specifically regarding River’s anticipatory nostalgia, I can see it being too much melodrama for some, and I found it a little repetitive I’ll admit, but I remember feeling that way throughout both middle and highschool, haha! Holy shit though, I love that the teenage experience isn’t romanticized. Mrs Cheng’s conversation with River (and the quote that came from it) was incredibly validating. River’s youth ticks some coming-of-age flick checkboxes, however, there’s still the suffocating feeling of still being young enough to have to live under your parent’s house and control, while you figure out yourself and your independence.

I agree with Laurel on this being a unique YA novel. I hope more people check it out. I hope this helps teens and can get in language arts curriculums one day.  I definitely won’t be looking at Portuguese man o’wars the same way.

(P.S., someone please make this into a film!! I’ll pay hundreds of dollars just to fly to wherever it plays.) 

Well. I definitely liked “The Flicker” much more than this one, haha. (That was the book that got me to check out Edgmon’s backlist.) One of my book besties (hi, Alex) recommended me this and I feel like that one Dextor’s Laboratory audio of him crying at his locker and saying “I’m sorry, my mentor. I have failed you”.

Blah. I’ll preface this with that I read this on audio, narrated by the pretty cool Dani Martineck. I’m not used to listening to more than one audiobook by the same author within a month’s timeframe— I started this originally to ease some of my impatience around not having access to the Sir Callie book 1 audiobook, but then ended up finishing “The Witch King” not too long after the last 4 hours of Sir Callie. So if you’re wondering why I made a surface-level comparison between how those two deal with systemic oppression and monarchies… now you know, lol. I’ll include more bits of feedback on their narration throughout my review (I always do that), but I enjoyed the emotion they brought to the characters. Specifically, Tessa’s breakdown was one of my favorite parts, it sounded inconsolable in a way I haven’t heard from an audiobook before? Anyhow, I think my favoritism comes from Dani having a slightly less blunt-sounding “narrator voice” than others I’ve listened to (does anyone know what I mean lol??), but like, I think I’d have to listen to more clips of them talking out of character to know if that still stands.

(Also, the line from 18% in that says “He has no right to sound as angry as he does. I was fourteen, acne-riddled, and pissed at the whole world the last time he saw me.” made me laugh so FUCKING HARD, ESPECIALLY with how it was narrated, and I had to pause my audiobook for a moment)

Wyatt was an okay protagonist for me, he got hit with a bunch of development around 60% in, and while it was good, it also felt a little like whiplash. It’s probably just a me issue, though, that still happens at a relevant part of the plot and I was like, listening to a couple chapters to fall asleep, so. It was moreso the writing style that made me groan at some of his thoughts or dialogue. The 2020/2021 gay internet humor that I vividly remember seeing on reposted Tumblr screenshots is so dreadfully dated😭 I can’t quite tell if listening to the audiobook worsened or lessened the impact of the juvenileness. On one hand, sometimes the writing felt almost conversational, and I think it would’ve started to really grate on me if I’d only read it in text form. On the other, HEARING “little gay worm”, and some inconveniently timed thirsting, was agitating and a little embarrassing.

OH MY GOD SPEAKING OF IT BEING DATED I just remembered Gin saying “I’m what you may call a ‘theydy’” when talking about being a nonbinary lesbian😭PACK IT UP

(Did not help that the plot had some of my own icks, even if they were meant to be subverted. The Fated Mates thing, Wyatt trying to pretend he wasn’t in love with Emyr and so they have this sort-of-rivalry throughout that’s more pitiful than thrilling because the text reminds us several times that their dynamic only reached this point because of predetermined circumstances. I appreciate how the bioessentialism of the Fated Mates matching has to be dissected because of the protagonist literally being trans, but either the wording was repetitive or it was surface-level. Or both.) 

I’m unsure what to think of the worldbuilding. Good lord though, I did not like how Asalin was established! There was so much worldbuilding done in the form of infodumping through flashbacks, and not only was this hellish to distinguish in auditory form, but this continued until the HALFWAY POINT? And anyhow, while I think H.E. Edgmon’s dedication to establishing a distinct culture for Asalin was super interesting, and I do love getting to read about fantasy food that isn’t basic (but still sounds delicious), the fairy world in general has a couple plot holes within how its kingdoms are distributed. In short: typical debut novel woes.

Another debut novel-typical issue I noticed was the pacing. There are entire chapters, particularly in that first half with the worldbuilding infodumps, where nothing will happen except for a lengthy plot-heavy conversation. Ugh.

Unsure how to feel about the other characters, but I did love Maritza and Paloma. They were fun, and I thought as much even before Wyatt did, plus their voices were nice to listen to. I can’t really think of any other favorites except for maybe Briar, she barely does anything wrong, the softness in some of her lines is narrated really well, and I was a little worried about how she was practically Wyatt’s rock, but she addresses that later on. (OMG!! the singsong “tell Emyr I say hello” was adorable. Silly and soft.) I was peeved by how unlikable Clarke was, but that’s much funnier after the ending. 

And, of course, while I appreciate the moderately anarchist, “fuck the system because we can’t actually change it from the inside” allegory that’s barely an allegory (see: 2021 publication date), I didn’t think it was handled in a way meaningful enough to stick with me. Too many ideas were reiterated too many times. 

Not sure if I’ll read the second book? If I do, it’ll likely be in physical form, but I’ll see how that prediction holds up.

A solid sequel, but it didn’t quite have the same impact as the first book. The twists weren’t as batshit, for starters. I think some of the chapters towards the end were a little too heavy with their allusions and references to the first book, and instead of them feeling like these full-circle emotional moments, they just felt tired. Like another Goodreads reviewer, I also lamented the lack of an older Kodiak and Ambrose POV: while the past timeline was an interesting way to psychoanalyze the characters, and Sheep was an adorable companion, I didn’t like having to relive the same development and maturity the two had in “The Darkness Outside Us”. Though, I do also understand keeping the focus on Yarrow and Owl to stick with the YA demographic. (Also in the words of that specific reviewer— “Unwarranted, but understandable.”) At least a couple of chapters, maybe in that last present-day portion where we flip-flop POVs, could’ve had that?? 

Still, I found Owl and Yarrow’s isolated lives, their desperation, and their existentialism around how to be human when they have no other role models besides their family, to be compelling. (But I liked Owl’s POV slightly more.) I just really wanted to know the inner workings of older Ambrose and Kodiak, since they have a lot of (sorta) unspoken questions about not just how to raise their kids but also the ethics of this fledgling civilization, and, like, how much of their kids’ worries are they aware of or do they think about? What about being the only model for romantic love that Yarrow and Owl will see in their lifetime?? What about the inherent grief in having Owl literally be made of the same genetic material as Ambrose’s sister?? 

As for the past timeline, while it was still very interesting, and all the events culminated in a predictable but still devastating end, I didn’t find the “newly introduced” (in quotations, because they’ve been mentioned before) characters to be that compelling. Seeing more of Sri was cool, though. Devon  became a little annoying to me, only because the nuance in his character seemed to be lost after a certain plot twist. 

Like its predecessor, though, I did enjoy the scientific aspects. Although this entire story is obviously a work of fiction, there’s still a commitment to making the science seem realistic, which is pretty rare for me to see in sci-fi. It’s smart, and a breath of fresh air. 

It was also very interesting to see how OS shifted as a character in this book?? They were still blunt, and terrifying, but not as violent. (With the exception of one scene.) I think seeing their banter(?) with the kids was one of the highlights of the book. 

Overall, this was a tense, but enjoyable, read. I completely understand if someone who read the first book only wants to stick with that one, though. It works as a standalone, and the writing of “The Brightness Between Us” doesn’t mesh with everyone.