Alexis’s review of The Wicked and the Willing > Likes and Comments
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captain raccoon. wrote: "this sounds incredible (tho i will be mindful of the content guidance if/when i read it).
also
why is nasty-horny a thing i now know.
"
You're welcome.
"if you are looking for monstrous sapphic women who are definitely monstrous and definitely sapphic in a story full of sex, power dynamics, vampires, murder, violence, torture, horror, blood, frocks, and colonialism then this is 100% the book for you. You’re welcome."
I'm glad that frocks are in there to add a little balance, lol. I don't know why it hit me as so funny, but "frocks" stuck out as "one of these things is not like the other!"
I'm definitely not in the mood for this book right now, but I will keep it in mind for the future if/when I am. In the meantime, nasty-horny will stick in my head as well. Also, trying not to think about vampires ejaculating.
Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful review.
I loved this review (and, indeed, all of your reviews). Not sure I’d love the novel unless I were in exactly the right reading mood, but that mood sometimes happens. Vampirism is such a great metaphor for colonialism.
Tracie R. wrote: ""if you are looking for monstrous sapphic women who are definitely monstrous and definitely sapphic in a story full of sex, power dynamics, vampires, murder, violence, torture, horror, blood, frock..."
I mean, I put frocks in there as a deliberate piece of whimsy but the book does have some amazing dresses in there. I mean, mostly torn apart and covered in blood, but they're still amazing ;)
And, yes, I would definitely wait until the right mood was upon you before diving in here - not that it's not *fun* because in a dark, twisted way it really is, but you have to be ready to meet it where it's at.
Karen wrote: "I loved this review (and, indeed, all of your reviews). Not sure I’d love the novel unless I were in exactly the right reading mood, but that mood sometimes happens. Vampirism is such a great metap..."
I'm really glad this book, and books like it, exist: I think having queer stories that explore a range of genres and mood is really important. Something that lowkey worries me is that we seem to be in this intra-community war (that I definitely did not sign up for) in which fluff readers complain about people who like darker books and people who prefer darker books look down on fluff-seekers. WE CAN HAVE ALL THE THINGS, PEOPLE.
Thank you ever so much for the term nasty-horny, which I'll go ahead and stash in the same corner of my mind where I keep come spelled out as cum. 😂
I enjoyed reading your review & the points you made! The story sounds incredibly intriguing and I'd like to give it a go sometime when I'm in the mood for dark things. I just need to find something super fluffy to read afterwards, to cleanse my soul-ish places. Or maybe I'll just go snort some coke off a stranger's genitals, which I now know is a thing. This review has been extremely educational!
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Thank you ever so much for the term nasty-horny, which I'll go ahead and stash in the same corner of my mind where I keep come spelled out as cum. 😂
I enjoyed reading your review & the points you ..."
Omg, how dare you. Nasty-horny in NO WAY deserves to be housed with come spelled with a 'u' - the former is descriptive and useful. There are no excuses for the latter.
For all it's darkness and going-there-ness I genuinely didn't feel like I needed soul-cleansing after this: maybe it was the extensive trigger warnings or just the fact I had a strong sense of confident authorial control while I was reading. Plus all the endings are cathartic and one them is genuinely positive.
Enjoy your cocaine snorting!
Alexis wrote: Omg, how dare you. Nasty-horny in NO WAY deserves to be housed with come spelled with a 'u' - the former is descriptive and useful. There are no excuses for the latter."
I mean, I'm pretty sure I heard that in the house of nasty-horny, they spell come with a u, Alexis!
Oh yay, it's nice to know that all of the endings are cathartic & I do genuinely love a choose-your-own-adventure. I'll probably keep a feel-good book ready on my to-read list, just in case I need one.
Speaking of feel-good stories, did you see that Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is available on NG? I went for it and am currently trapped in pending. I waaaaant.
The way you describe the gap in perception between the viewpoints put me in mind of that novel about the soldier killed by all the weird girls in white at the old house that was made into a movie with one of the famous blonde actors in it. I remember not ever being able to decide what I think was what really happened after reading it, with so many divergent narratives.
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: Omg, how dare you. Nasty-horny in NO WAY deserves to be housed with come spelled with a 'u' - the former is descriptive and useful. There are no excuses for the latter."
I mean, I'm ..."
I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get to discover gems like this.
Nicole wrote: "The way you describe the gap in perception between the viewpoints put me in mind of that novel about the soldier killed by all the weird girls in white at the old house that was made into a movie w..."
I'm so sorry, I'm coming up blank on what this might be but divergent narratives are a complicated trick, for sure.
Oooh, the film Nicole mentioned sounds like The Beguiled, with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. I've only seen it once, a long time ago, so I might not be right.
Shell wrote: "Oooh, the film Nicole mentioned sounds like The Beguiled, with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. I've only seen it once, a long time ago, so I might not be right."
Omg, magic reference spotting powers there! Thank you :)
Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get to discover gems like this."
YOU DO?! Well, color me green with pining eyes. I feel like my NG lucky streak may have run its course because I've been stuck in pending on it for a while. But, as you say, there's always a gazillion other wonderful books waiting & my to-read list stretches on to infinity. I'll be happy for your take on Astrid once you're ready for it!
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get to discover gems like this."..."
Actually... okay I don't know how to say this without looking like all kinds of arse in multiple direction but this is not like a weird NG flex ... but from what I've heard from other people most requests for that book seem to be pending rn. Which I think is some combination of the book not being out for a long time (so they probably want to gate the reviewing a bit, so there isn't 600 million immediately and then silence until the book releases) and probably it being highly popular which means triaging the requests is going to take a while. The only reason I have it is because I'm auto-approved for Berkley which isn't a mark of how awesome I am. It's pure author privilege bullshit over which I feel simultaneously embarrassed but ... not above using to get my hands on a copy of Astrid Parker.
Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get..."
Oh, yay! That gives me some hope I may still be approved. Also, Alexis! You might get books faster than the average NG user, but you still put in allllll of the work on reviews. And with you, specifically, that equals going genuinely above & beyond what I see as adequate feedback. Your reviews have often swayed me to books I never would have grabbed on my own, or sparked some very interesting discussions in the comments, or educated me on important & worldly issues, such as various levels of horniness & body parts I might snort drugs from. You put time & thought into your reviews. It's not like throwing out a super quick 'book was gud. i rly lieked!' for you.
All of which is to say, you're doing exactly what you're meant to as an NG user, and doing it exceptionally well, so. You deserve all the Astrids that come your way, beyond what you see as "author privilege bullshit" and I'm glad you got an early copy because I enjoy hearing your thoughts on books! SO PLS ENJOY WITH ABSOLUTELY ZERO EMBARRASSMENT OR GUILT. <3
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardshi..."
Thank you, you're so sweet. I should probably say that I write long rambly reviews because I genuinely enjoy it, long and rambly is my style in general, and it's how I like to engage with texts. Basically I don't have many friends who read in the same genres as I do so ... this is how I get to talk to people about these kinds of books. Which is a bit pathetic, now I state it in public, but I don't like to take credit for *how* I review because it's pretty selfishly motivated. If I could do this in a neat paragraph (as many people can) and still enjoy it as much, I'd probably do a neat paragraph.
Also I realise you just said a nice, reassuring thing to me and I'm now picking at the nice, reassuring thing you said, which is the worst. But while I have seen what low look like fairly low effort NG reviews I think they're usually in the minority and the rules of NG are pretty clear in terms of the exchange: it's *a* review for an ARC, with no particular demands in terms of length or approach. And I can definitely see why people might not write an essay if they didn't like a book, because otherwise it might look like a teardown job. Plus there's always the added complexities than some authors can get mean on Twitter or their fanbases can take exception to any reaction that is overwhelmingly positive.
All of which is to say, I shall indeed enjoy my guilt-free Astrid Parker :D
Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. W..."
Yeah, the majority of my IRL friends are lit-ficcers, a category I only read a few times a year, so I hear ya. Regardless of my perception, or my genuine want to be nice to others when they feel embarrassed or uncomfortable over something, you have the right to pick at it if you see things differently! So you're deffo not the worst.
I will say, though, I don't feel it matters whether your reviews are written from a selfish place (and I would also argue that literally EVERYTHING we personally chose to do as humans comes from a selfish place), my thought is that you complete the reviewing task well, and as such, I would imagine you'd go to the top of any 'WANT REVIEW FROM' list, even if you weren't an author, and regardless of the other valid points you made. But who knows!
ANNNYWAY. U WRITE GUD, ALEXIS. I appreciate your reviews & I've added this dark-ish delight to my want-to-read list, so thanks!
Any chance you would be willing to mention what that graphic novel is so I can avoid that (or at least prepare for it)? 😬
Melanie wrote: "Any chance you would be willing to mention what that graphic novel is so I can avoid that (or at least prepare for it)? 😬"
Err, graphic novel?
I’m curious too - the one that was marketed as a feel-good story but began with a violent SA 🙏🏻 if you are able to name titles pls
Rachel wrote: "I’m curious too - the one that was marketed as a feel-good story but began with a violent SA 🙏🏻 if you are able to name titles pls"
Sorry to be all evasive but I'd rather not, as that looks namey and shamey, and I don't want this to be about a particular book so much as ... maybe the industry should think about how it's marketing things maybe?
Gean Choo being described as little horny masochist made me chuckle. She is that !!! And I was surprised too at the number of people who were Team Verity. Verity can't even bring herself to call Gean Choo by her name and instead prefers the English translation of her name that alone makes me choose Po Lam.
#TeamPoLam
I literally bought this book moments before reading your review, and you basically just sold me on it a second time. Impressive.
Siddhi wrote: "Gean Choo being described as little horny masochist made me chuckle. She is that !!! And I was surprised too at the number of people who were Team Verity. Verity can't even bring herself to call Ge..."
I mean, Verity does hit all the boxes for dark rom vampire protag, but I think part of what the booking was doing was, y'know, invite us to de-construct that. Explore where attraction/toxicity lies, especially when it's shot through with extra privilege and colonialism. So yes, I can't understand why anyone was "this is the good kind of hot" rather than "this is hot and I feel bad about it" 😂😂
K.C. wrote: "I literally bought this book moments before reading your review, and you basically just sold me on it a second time. Impressive."
I really hope you enjoy!
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captain raccoon. wrote: "this sounds incredible (tho i will be mindful of the content guidance if/when i read it).also
why is nasty-horny a thing i now know.
"
You're welcome.
"if you are looking for monstrous sapphic women who are definitely monstrous and definitely sapphic in a story full of sex, power dynamics, vampires, murder, violence, torture, horror, blood, frocks, and colonialism then this is 100% the book for you. You’re welcome."I'm glad that frocks are in there to add a little balance, lol. I don't know why it hit me as so funny, but "frocks" stuck out as "one of these things is not like the other!"
I'm definitely not in the mood for this book right now, but I will keep it in mind for the future if/when I am. In the meantime, nasty-horny will stick in my head as well. Also, trying not to think about vampires ejaculating.
Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful review.
I loved this review (and, indeed, all of your reviews). Not sure I’d love the novel unless I were in exactly the right reading mood, but that mood sometimes happens. Vampirism is such a great metaphor for colonialism.
Tracie R. wrote: ""if you are looking for monstrous sapphic women who are definitely monstrous and definitely sapphic in a story full of sex, power dynamics, vampires, murder, violence, torture, horror, blood, frock..."I mean, I put frocks in there as a deliberate piece of whimsy but the book does have some amazing dresses in there. I mean, mostly torn apart and covered in blood, but they're still amazing ;)
And, yes, I would definitely wait until the right mood was upon you before diving in here - not that it's not *fun* because in a dark, twisted way it really is, but you have to be ready to meet it where it's at.
Karen wrote: "I loved this review (and, indeed, all of your reviews). Not sure I’d love the novel unless I were in exactly the right reading mood, but that mood sometimes happens. Vampirism is such a great metap..."
I'm really glad this book, and books like it, exist: I think having queer stories that explore a range of genres and mood is really important. Something that lowkey worries me is that we seem to be in this intra-community war (that I definitely did not sign up for) in which fluff readers complain about people who like darker books and people who prefer darker books look down on fluff-seekers. WE CAN HAVE ALL THE THINGS, PEOPLE.
Thank you ever so much for the term nasty-horny, which I'll go ahead and stash in the same corner of my mind where I keep come spelled out as cum. 😂I enjoyed reading your review & the points you made! The story sounds incredibly intriguing and I'd like to give it a go sometime when I'm in the mood for dark things. I just need to find something super fluffy to read afterwards, to cleanse my soul-ish places. Or maybe I'll just go snort some coke off a stranger's genitals, which I now know is a thing. This review has been extremely educational!
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Thank you ever so much for the term nasty-horny, which I'll go ahead and stash in the same corner of my mind where I keep come spelled out as cum. 😂I enjoyed reading your review & the points you ..."
Omg, how dare you. Nasty-horny in NO WAY deserves to be housed with come spelled with a 'u' - the former is descriptive and useful. There are no excuses for the latter.
For all it's darkness and going-there-ness I genuinely didn't feel like I needed soul-cleansing after this: maybe it was the extensive trigger warnings or just the fact I had a strong sense of confident authorial control while I was reading. Plus all the endings are cathartic and one them is genuinely positive.
Enjoy your cocaine snorting!
Alexis wrote: Omg, how dare you. Nasty-horny in NO WAY deserves to be housed with come spelled with a 'u' - the former is descriptive and useful. There are no excuses for the latter."I mean, I'm pretty sure I heard that in the house of nasty-horny, they spell come with a u, Alexis!
Oh yay, it's nice to know that all of the endings are cathartic & I do genuinely love a choose-your-own-adventure. I'll probably keep a feel-good book ready on my to-read list, just in case I need one.
Speaking of feel-good stories, did you see that Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail is available on NG? I went for it and am currently trapped in pending. I waaaaant.
The way you describe the gap in perception between the viewpoints put me in mind of that novel about the soldier killed by all the weird girls in white at the old house that was made into a movie with one of the famous blonde actors in it. I remember not ever being able to decide what I think was what really happened after reading it, with so many divergent narratives.
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: Omg, how dare you. Nasty-horny in NO WAY deserves to be housed with come spelled with a 'u' - the former is descriptive and useful. There are no excuses for the latter."I mean, I'm ..."
I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get to discover gems like this.
Nicole wrote: "The way you describe the gap in perception between the viewpoints put me in mind of that novel about the soldier killed by all the weird girls in white at the old house that was made into a movie w..."
I'm so sorry, I'm coming up blank on what this might be but divergent narratives are a complicated trick, for sure.
Oooh, the film Nicole mentioned sounds like The Beguiled, with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. I've only seen it once, a long time ago, so I might not be right.
Shell wrote: "Oooh, the film Nicole mentioned sounds like The Beguiled, with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. I've only seen it once, a long time ago, so I might not be right."Omg, magic reference spotting powers there! Thank you :)
Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get to discover gems like this."YOU DO?! Well, color me green with pining eyes. I feel like my NG lucky streak may have run its course because I've been stuck in pending on it for a while. But, as you say, there's always a gazillion other wonderful books waiting & my to-read list stretches on to infinity. I'll be happy for your take on Astrid once you're ready for it!
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get to discover gems like this."..."Actually... okay I don't know how to say this without looking like all kinds of arse in multiple direction but this is not like a weird NG flex ... but from what I've heard from other people most requests for that book seem to be pending rn. Which I think is some combination of the book not being out for a long time (so they probably want to gate the reviewing a bit, so there isn't 600 million immediately and then silence until the book releases) and probably it being highly popular which means triaging the requests is going to take a while. The only reason I have it is because I'm auto-approved for Berkley which isn't a mark of how awesome I am. It's pure author privilege bullshit over which I feel simultaneously embarrassed but ... not above using to get my hands on a copy of Astrid Parker.
Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardship because I get..."Oh, yay! That gives me some hope I may still be approved. Also, Alexis! You might get books faster than the average NG user, but you still put in allllll of the work on reviews. And with you, specifically, that equals going genuinely above & beyond what I see as adequate feedback. Your reviews have often swayed me to books I never would have grabbed on my own, or sparked some very interesting discussions in the comments, or educated me on important & worldly issues, such as various levels of horniness & body parts I might snort drugs from. You put time & thought into your reviews. It's not like throwing out a super quick 'book was gud. i rly lieked!' for you.
All of which is to say, you're doing exactly what you're meant to as an NG user, and doing it exceptionally well, so. You deserve all the Astrids that come your way, beyond what you see as "author privilege bullshit" and I'm glad you got an early copy because I enjoy hearing your thoughts on books! SO PLS ENJOY WITH ABSOLUTELY ZERO EMBARRASSMENT OR GUILT. <3
it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. Which, honestly, is no hardshi..."Thank you, you're so sweet. I should probably say that I write long rambly reviews because I genuinely enjoy it, long and rambly is my style in general, and it's how I like to engage with texts. Basically I don't have many friends who read in the same genres as I do so ... this is how I get to talk to people about these kinds of books. Which is a bit pathetic, now I state it in public, but I don't like to take credit for *how* I review because it's pretty selfishly motivated. If I could do this in a neat paragraph (as many people can) and still enjoy it as much, I'd probably do a neat paragraph.
Also I realise you just said a nice, reassuring thing to me and I'm now picking at the nice, reassuring thing you said, which is the worst. But while I have seen what low look like fairly low effort NG reviews I think they're usually in the minority and the rules of NG are pretty clear in terms of the exchange: it's *a* review for an ARC, with no particular demands in terms of length or approach. And I can definitely see why people might not write an essay if they didn't like a book, because otherwise it might look like a teardown job. Plus there's always the added complexities than some authors can get mean on Twitter or their fanbases can take exception to any reaction that is overwhelmingly positive.
All of which is to say, I shall indeed enjoy my guilt-free Astrid Parker :D
Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "it's, like, whatever wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I have Astrid Parker on my kindle right noowwwwww - but I'm trying to trim down my NG back catalogue first. W..."Yeah, the majority of my IRL friends are lit-ficcers, a category I only read a few times a year, so I hear ya. Regardless of my perception, or my genuine want to be nice to others when they feel embarrassed or uncomfortable over something, you have the right to pick at it if you see things differently! So you're deffo not the worst.
I will say, though, I don't feel it matters whether your reviews are written from a selfish place (and I would also argue that literally EVERYTHING we personally chose to do as humans comes from a selfish place), my thought is that you complete the reviewing task well, and as such, I would imagine you'd go to the top of any 'WANT REVIEW FROM' list, even if you weren't an author, and regardless of the other valid points you made. But who knows!
ANNNYWAY. U WRITE GUD, ALEXIS. I appreciate your reviews & I've added this dark-ish delight to my want-to-read list, so thanks!
Any chance you would be willing to mention what that graphic novel is so I can avoid that (or at least prepare for it)? 😬
Melanie wrote: "Any chance you would be willing to mention what that graphic novel is so I can avoid that (or at least prepare for it)? 😬"Err, graphic novel?
I’m curious too - the one that was marketed as a feel-good story but began with a violent SA 🙏🏻 if you are able to name titles pls
Rachel wrote: "I’m curious too - the one that was marketed as a feel-good story but began with a violent SA 🙏🏻 if you are able to name titles pls"Sorry to be all evasive but I'd rather not, as that looks namey and shamey, and I don't want this to be about a particular book so much as ... maybe the industry should think about how it's marketing things maybe?
Gean Choo being described as little horny masochist made me chuckle. She is that !!! And I was surprised too at the number of people who were Team Verity. Verity can't even bring herself to call Gean Choo by her name and instead prefers the English translation of her name that alone makes me choose Po Lam.#TeamPoLam
I literally bought this book moments before reading your review, and you basically just sold me on it a second time. Impressive.
Siddhi wrote: "Gean Choo being described as little horny masochist made me chuckle. She is that !!! And I was surprised too at the number of people who were Team Verity. Verity can't even bring herself to call Ge..."I mean, Verity does hit all the boxes for dark rom vampire protag, but I think part of what the booking was doing was, y'know, invite us to de-construct that. Explore where attraction/toxicity lies, especially when it's shot through with extra privilege and colonialism. So yes, I can't understand why anyone was "this is the good kind of hot" rather than "this is hot and I feel bad about it" 😂😂
K.C. wrote: "I literally bought this book moments before reading your review, and you basically just sold me on it a second time. Impressive."
I really hope you enjoy!
also
why is nasty-horny a thing i now know.