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Life Minus Me

(Evanstar Chronicles #.5)

Sara Codair (Goodreads Author)

3.92 · Rating details · 13 ratings · 14 reviews

Mel is half-Angel, but despite her ability to heal and read minds, she feels powerless to help anyone. When a prophecy shows a local pet supply store owner driving their car off a bridge, Mel sets out to stop it.

Baily, owner of Barks and Bits, is barely holding it together. Things keep going wrong, and their depression spirals out of control. Just as they start wondering ...more

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Published January 6th 2020 by NineStar Press

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Average rating 3.92 ·

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· 13 ratings · 14 reviews

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Jan 11, 2020 Luce rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2-stars, 2020-read, angst, netgalley-review, cover-appreciation, family, job-academic-college-student, job-shop-owner-worker, novella, paranormal-werewolf-vampire-ghost

2.5 Stars for this novella that is a prequel to Codair’s novel, Power Surge. I have not read Power Surge which was published in 2018. In retrospect, I wonder if the author assumed that readers of Life Minus Me would have read Power Surge. Obviously, not a good assumption if true. I didn’t read the book summary of Power Surge before reading this book.

In this story, the main characters are Mel, a college Pre-Med senior, who also happens to be half Angel and half human and Elf. Because she is only 2.5 Stars for this novella that is a prequel to Codair’s novel, Power Surge. I have not read Power Surge which was published in 2018. In retrospect, I wonder if the author assumed that readers of Life Minus Me would have read Power Surge. Obviously, not a good assumption if true. I didn’t read the book summary of Power Surge before reading this book.

In this story, the main characters are Mel, a college Pre-Med senior, who also happens to be half Angel and half human and Elf. Because she is only half Angel, her healing powers are limited and alas, she doesn’t have wings. She also has the power to read minds. She has to control her telepathy otherwise she can be overwhelmed with the thoughts of those in her vicinity. In this world, the paranormal “culture” of Angels, Demons, Elves, and Pixies are unknown to most humans. The second character is Mel’s younger cousin, Erin. Erin has been struggling with mental health issues. The previous year, Mel saved Erin after she attempted suicide. Erin is also not fully human and so human anti-depressant medications do not work well for her. Erin also doesn’t know she isn’t fully human. I may have missed it, but I don’t know if they ever fully explained why her family is keeping it a secret from Erin. Erin “suffers” from visions and prophecy, taking the form of dreams. Perhaps it is dealt with in Power Surge? The third main character is a human, Baily. She and her Uncle co-own a specialty pet store, Barks and Bits which sells dog food, treats and accessories. Erin recounts her recent dream to Mel, that Baily would drive her car off a bridge. Mel is determined to prevent it from coming true.

So why only 2 stars? I felt that too much is assumed that the reader has prior knowledge having read Power Surge, which Erin is the main character. Such as, Erin identifies as they/them or non-binary. In Chapter One, I read “If Erin discovered it for themself...” I thought it was a typo so of course I googled it. Oh, is she gender neutral? It wasn’t until halfway through the book when Mel and Erin “just happen” to meet Baily on a walk, that Mel introduces themselves by stating that Erin’s pronouns are they/them and hers is she/her. Baily tells them she also prefers they/them. Certainly, this could have been mentioned much earlier? Maybe in the near future, it won’t need to be explained at all, but for now earlier would alleviate confusion for readers like me.

This book has a number of trigger warnings - depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self harm, and mention of infertility and miscarriage.

An ARC was given to me by NineStar Press and Netgalley for an honest review.
...more

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May 29, 2020 iam rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, lgbtqia, nonbinary-genderqueer-fluid, paranormal-magical, transgender, ownvoices, new-adult

A somber read about angels, suicide, and helping others before oneself.

Read the full review on the blog.

Content warnings include: depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm, panic/anxiety attacks, misgendering, dog biting other dog, getting scammed and losing a lot of money; mentions of miscarriage, infertility, breakup/divorce.

Overall, Life Minus Me totally engaged me with it’s muted atmosphere. It might have a limited palette of mostly washed-out, somber colours for its theme ...more

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Jan 31, 2020 R.J. Sorrento rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs-book-reviews

This novellette prequel was great for my paranormal fix. I’ve really gotten into this genre lately, and all the better when they feature queer characters. It was refreshing to find a book with a small cast that included multiple nonbinary characters (both Erin and Baily use they/them pronouns). Being nonbinary wasn’t the main focus, and it wasn’t the stem of either characters’ mental health issues, which was also great....

The main plot, Mel’s mission to save Baily’s life was a story worth tellin ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 More Bedside Books rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq

Life Minus Me by Sara Codair set in New England during the dead of winter is a prequel novelette, though also working as a standalone, in the paranormal Evanstar Chronicles series. Written in dual perspectives of Mel (demisexual cis woman) a part angel/elf/human pre-med student who becomes fixated with trying to prevent the suicide of Baily (pansexual and nonbinary) co-owner of a local pet store for dogs. The protagonist of the series Erin (nonbinary) who is Mel’s cousin too plays an important r ...more

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Apr 02, 2020 Isaiah rated it it was amazing

To see a full review check it out here.

Compelling characters? Check.
Great writing? Check.
A plot that kept me reading? Check.
Enby characters that just are without transphobia being a plot or their only plot being enby? SUPER CHECK.
Lots of cute dogs? Check

What more could I ask for? ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 Margaret Adelle rated it liked it

I've been meaning to add more diversity in my review collection, so when the author offered me this book with multiple enby characters, I was happy to accept.

While it's a prequel and I have not read the first book in the series, it's simple enough to get the gist of the story. Mel's background can be pretty confusing (She's Angel, Elf, and Human, descended from Demon Hunters) and feels a bit too... "protagonist-y," for lack of a better word. But the world is one you can easily recognize and the ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Sarah Remy rated it really liked it

Nonbinary main character PLUS dogs? Angels AND demons? Yes, please.

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Jan 02, 2020 Sara Codair added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: nonbinary, lgbtq, contemporary-fantasy, new-england

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 01, 2020 Silas rated it really liked it

Half angel, pre-med Mel has the ability of telepathy and healing, though she’d much rather have wings. For the most part, she’s able to block out the nonstop inner thoughts of those around her as long as she keeps her guard up. Her opinion on being half angel is complicated: her inner mission is to help others, which she has trouble doing, or so she thinks. Her cousin, Erin, is also not fully human, though they don’t know this yet. As this is a prequel to Codair’s book Power Surge where Erin is Half angel, pre-med Mel has the ability of telepathy and healing, though she’d much rather have wings. For the most part, she’s able to block out the nonstop inner thoughts of those around her as long as she keeps her guard up. Her opinion on being half angel is complicated: her inner mission is to help others, which she has trouble doing, or so she thinks. Her cousin, Erin, is also not fully human, though they don’t know this yet. As this is a prequel to Codair’s book Power Surge where Erin is the main character, they have yet to discover their true heritage in this story. They have wicked, vivid dreams that they don’t know yet are premonitions.

When Erin and Mel get together at a diner and Erin sees an individual they saw commit suicide in their dreams, they confide in Mel about their dream. Mel recognizes it as a possible premonition and quickly tries to befriend Baily, the person Erin recognized.

Baily runs and partially owns a store for dogs and their human owners with their uncle, Cooper called Barks and Bits. When Uncle Cooper suffers from a massive stroke—at a diner in front of Mel and her cousin, no less—Baily is left to tend to the store by themself. This is no easy feat for anyone, especially a person who struggles with anxiety and depression on a daily basis. As someone who struggles with these, I think the portrayal of Baily’s difficulties was spot on. I was able to connect with them instantly, through their internal rationalizations—no matter how irrational they seemed—and their negative self-talk, they came to life on page for me. Some of these internal thoughts were painful to read, but I was pre-warned with appropriate content warnings before delving into this book and I’m grateful for that.

To Baily, their life is a mess. Between their uncle having a stroke, their dissolved relationship, their neighbors’s dogs always fighting and Baily feeling responsible for it, they hold onto a ton of guilt, harmfully internalizing it.

I saw other reviews concerned about having not enough information if you haven’t read Power Surge. Although I plan to read it, I haven’t yet and I don’t think it was necessary to have read it prior to Life Minus Me. I understood the characters, their plights and the fantasy elements within the story just fine.

That being said, I do wish I would’ve read Power Surge beforehand to understand a bit more behind the intriguing tension between Mel and her cousin, Erin. It briefly mentioned that, by listening to Erin’s thoughts, Mel thwarted their past suicide attempt, and Erin appears to have conflicted feelings around the event. In the beginning, they seem to hold Mel’s actions in a dark light, as if she didn’t do Erin any favors by preventing them from harming themself.

I also expected to see a bit of growth for Baily in their self-confidence and possibly some resolution between them and their ex-partner, but the ending still left me satisfied.

I’m definitely picking up Power Surge to discover more of this world of demon hunting half angels, elves with premonitions, and pixies who can be bribed easily with the right amount of candy. ...more

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Sep 05, 2020 Ulysses Dietz rated it really liked it

REVIEWED BY ULYSSES DIETZ
MEMBER OF THE PARANORMAL GUILD REVIEW TEAM
This book, by an author who specializes in Queer literature, is a bit of frontier for an old cis gay guy such as I. It is a prequel novella to a 2017 book by the author called Power Surge. There is no romance to speak of here, and certainly no M/M romance, given that the only M characters are elderly, straight, or dead.

All that said, Codair offers her readers a sensitive and thoughtful look at the lives of people who are not on REVIEWED BY ULYSSES DIETZ
MEMBER OF THE PARANORMAL GUILD REVIEW TEAM
This book, by an author who specializes in Queer literature, is a bit of frontier for an old cis gay guy such as I. It is a prequel novella to a 2017 book by the author called Power Surge. There is no romance to speak of here, and certainly no M/M romance, given that the only M characters are elderly, straight, or dead.

All that said, Codair offers her readers a sensitive and thoughtful look at the lives of people who are not only non-binary, but also beset with issues related to serious social anxiety. Mel, a smart, blond undergraduate with a steady boyfriend, is also half elf and maybe less than half angel. She’s got some human, but I’m not sure I got the whole bloodline correct. In any case, she’s someone who cares—perhaps too much—about her duty as an angel (from a family of demon hunters!) to protect people.

One of her projects is her cousin Erin, who has no clue as to their family lineage or their special powers. Erin is non-binary (they/them) and divorced from someone named Jules who is, as far as I could tell, non-binary and/or trans. They, like Mel, suffer from serious social anxiety, but unlike Mel they have dealt with it. To a point. Theirs is a fraught relationship, because for all their love for each other as kin, Erin resents Mel’s meddling and Mel can’t help but freak out about Erin’s unacknowledged identity as paranormal.

As if this isn’t complicated enough, they overhear (Mel mindreads) another young non-binary person named Bailey, who runs the local pet supply shop with her uncle, Cooper (one of the elderly M characters who barely exists here except as a plot prop). Bailey and Erin seem destined to be friends—but Mel understands that between preventing a disastrous prophecy and dealing with her cousin’s social anxiety, it’s not going to be an easy road.

I gave this book four stars, because I think it does a great job of presenting a non-typical group of characters, weaving in the rather startling paranormal aspects of their universe. It was hard for me to get past all of the gender identity content, especially given how I identify. But the fact is, Codair does her darndest to open up this world to me, and I think the real world needs more writers like her. ...more

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Jul 08, 2020 Books That Burn rated it it was amazing

*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Life Minus Me is a short and ultimately hopeful story of a wingless half-angel trying to help other people when she's not quite all right herself. Featuring casually excellent nonbinary rep and many cute dogs. I want more so I'm glad there's another.

This is a short book which implies a much more complicated world than could fit in novelette form. It eschews deep backstory except to sketch fairly complicated family liv ...more

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Feb 05, 2020 Narrelle rated it really liked it

I’ve been really enjoying some more diverse fiction, especially books with non-binary and trans characters – these are books which reflect much more of the world around me and the people I know! Among these beautifully written and fresh books are Alison Evans’ Euphoria Kids and Highway Bodies; Amanda Jette Knox’s Love Lives Here; and works by Mary Borsellino and Tom Cho.

This week I read Life Minus Me by Sara Codair, which features humans (including two people using ‘they/their’ pronouns, human-h I’ve been really enjoying some more diverse fiction, especially books with non-binary and trans characters – these are books which reflect much more of the world around me and the people I know! Among these beautifully written and fresh books are Alison Evans’ Euphoria Kids and Highway Bodies; Amanda Jette Knox’s Love Lives Here; and works by Mary Borsellino and Tom Cho.

This week I read Life Minus Me by Sara Codair, which features humans (including two people using ‘they/their’ pronouns, human-hybrids, some dogs with heaps of personality, and some folks with difficult mental health issues.

The novella begins appropriately with a warning about depictions of suicide, suicidal ideation and related issues. If these are triggering topics for you, do be mindful before starting this book.

Life Minus Me is a prequel in Sara Cordair’s Evanstar universe, which I haven’t read. This makes the somewhat complex backstory a bit tangled from time to time, and exposition a little heavy, but once that slight clunkiness is out of the way, you can get into the story.

We open with Mel, who is part human, part angel, part elf; she’s also a healer and a medical student. Her cousin Erin remains not thrilled with Mel, due to Mel’s intervention in saving their life after a suicide attempt. Erin also has paranormal gifts, about which they are unaware, and so their prophetic dreams about the death of Baily, part owner of the Barks and Bits pet store.

Baily is another person struggling with daily life and suicidal thoughts. When their uncle has a stroke, Baily’s barely-coping coping mechanisms break down. Mel, who can read thoughts, decides if she can’t help Erin, she might be able to help Baily. At the same time, Mel is clearly neglecting her own health in her drive to help others.

It’s a fairly dark world into which the reader steps, full of people finding life difficult to manage. It is, however, also a hopeful world, where solutions aren’t simple or easily gained, but there’s light on the path.

The characters read sympathetically,and of course the presence of Baily’s and Erin’s dogs perhaps embody that best.

Mel’s family business of being demon hunters is a background note which later and a bit suddenly becomes more foreground – I’d just about forgotten an earlier reference to it. That story element will clearly be more of a motif in the rest of the series.

Life Minus Me is dark at times, but it doesn’t wallow in the darkness. It’s a bit densely packed with backstory for a novella, but it certainly offers a solid foundation for the novels of the series: where I hope we might see more of Baily and their dog, of Erin and their secret abilities, and Mel getting a better grip on life. ...more

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Jan 16, 2020 Ryan // Vale rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, mental-health, trans, trans-authors

I want a dog now. That's it. That's the review.

Okay, kidding. Here's the actual review:

Having read and enjoyed Power Surge in 2019, I was excited when Codair announced that there would be a prequel novelette with the character of Mel at it's centre. It definitely lived up to expectations.

This book follows half-angel, and secondary character in Power Surge, Mel and non-binary petshop owner Baily.

When Mel's cousin Erin has a prophetic dream of Baily killing themself, she goes on a mission to save ...more

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Dec 08, 2019 Kristīne Vītola marked it as listed

Shelves: lgbtqia, asexual-and-or-aromantic-mc, published-20-ace-aro

Demisexual MC (Mel) ?
https://lgbtqreads.com/2019/12/06/exc...
https://twitter.com/ShatteredSmooth/s... ...more

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About Sara Codair

Sara Codair

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Sara Codair is an author of short stories and novels, which are packed with action, adventure, magic, and the bizarre. They partially owe their success to their faithful feline writing partner, Goose the Meowditor-In-Chief, who likes to “edit” their work by deleting entire pages. Find Sara online at saracodair.com or @shatteredsmooth.