I saved this novella to read during the holiday season specifically so I could enjoy it's festival gaiety at the same time that I was. I loved this adI saved this novella to read during the holiday season specifically so I could enjoy it's festival gaiety at the same time that I was. I loved this adventure, it was short and sweet and I loved getting a sense of how the musketeers became so close. As in, even in this prequel story it's well established that they are close and operate closely as a unit, but it also gives depth to that closeness and further layers the intimacy between them with the unexpected sharing of secrets.
Again, I loved that it was plotty, but still character driven - emotionally rewarding and entertaining. I loved the politics and the romance as always, and having this end just before the events of Musketeer Space felt awesome. This was a quick and joyful read, including all the best bits I enjoy about the holiday season and making fun of all the things that can be so annoying about this time of year. I adored it! You can read this as a standalone novella without having read Musketeer Space I think, but I also think that having read both that there's definitely extra to be gained being familiar with both. ...more
This is a follow up audio serial that I 'read' via Tansy's podcast this year, and it returns to the world of Castle Charming and the mysteries and sheThis is a follow up audio serial that I 'read' via Tansy's podcast this year, and it returns to the world of Castle Charming and the mysteries and shenanigans involved there. This is a riff of another fairytale as you may have guessed and it's a great one. The characters delight, the story intrigues and there's just so much to love in this follow up to Glass Slipper Scandal....more
How much do I continue to love this story universe by Tansy? Eleventy million, that's how much. I keep loving these characters more and more if that'sHow much do I continue to love this story universe by Tansy? Eleventy million, that's how much. I keep loving these characters more and more if that's possible. I don't know how but it seems to just keep getting better. I have no intelligent or thoughtful review of this story to give, I'm incapable, I am only squee, there is only the glorious whirling of my whimsical joy about this story and this series in general. If you love fluffy, geeky, urban fantasy that does wonderful things with tropes and gives you characters that you can really delight in, and plot problems that are both ordinary and a bit over the top, run don't walk to Fake Geek Girl, followed by Unmagical Boy Story and then this one. You're welcome....more
Proper for reals review to come, since I was lucky enough to get an eARC for this, but EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE! THIS WProper for reals review to come, since I was lucky enough to get an eARC for this, but EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE! THIS WAS JUST SO FANTASTIC AND AWESOME AND WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!! Is the unfiltered glee-whimsy-gush from my brain just now. It's perfect. ----
The above review still counts, and sums things up perfectly, but for a more in depth review take a look at my blog The Conversationalist, a tiny peek of my more thoughtful review:
If you’ve always admired Lois Lane, if you enjoy YouTube vloggers, if you think that the mediascape is ever-changing and are delighted by the possibilities, and if you love superheroes, queer romance, and characters that you want to make friends with, this is the book for you....more
This is utterly brilliant, I love the writing, the narrator and the murderbot character! I want more of this, I am so, utterly, smitten. The characterThis is utterly brilliant, I love the writing, the narrator and the murderbot character! I want more of this, I am so, utterly, smitten. The characterisation of murderbot was utterly gorgeous! A really well thought out representation of how experiencing connection with others might be fraught for a robot. I just... there are no words, this is awesome. I need more....more
I’ve been meaning to read Musketeer Space for a long time, I am not a serial reader so I patiently waited for it to be available in ebook. And then I I’ve been meaning to read Musketeer Space for a long time, I am not a serial reader so I patiently waited for it to be available in ebook. And then I sat on it for a long time, because I realised I didn’t want to *finish it* and not have it to look forward to. And then I got to the last year of my midwifery degree, and it seemed like the ‘perfect’ time I’d been waiting for had arrived. I felt haggard and overwhelmed, overwrought, and desperately needed comfort reading – and this delivered everything I needed and wanted at the time in plentitude.
I am unfamiliar with any of the original translations of The Three Musketeers, and I’ve really only seen the Disney movie version. But despite this I’m familiar with the high notes of the story and I loved the way that Tansy’s retelling used these, made them so familiar and yet, completely new. If ever there was a historical tale that was suited to being recast into space opera it’s this one – what a brilliant fit! Adventure, duelling, romance, political intrigue, war and danger at every turn, space battles! This book was glorious, I wholeheartedly loved it.
Meeting Dana was fantastic, I adored her from the outset! All ambition and shiny hope! Naivety and hunger for adventure! My heart went out to her as the reality of things crashed down around her, but also relished her learning curve and resilience, plus her determination. I also loved the friendship between the musketeers, I appreciated how well I got the sense of their longtime friendship and commitment to one another very early on. Plus, I thought the way in which they befriended Dana was very true to their personalities and made sense, I absolutely bought into it hook, line, and sinker and let myself be completely swept away in the story.
I loved the political intrigue and the way in which covert romance and politics, gendered and cultural played into the telling of the story. Tansy did a magnificent job in the complexity here, painting it into a space opera setting but retaining what elements needed to be familiar, and yet managing to create a new vision that was indulgent and entertaining for the reader. The unfolding of the plot was varied, I loved the way the pace differed depending on the tension and I loved that while it was very character driven, this was not at the expense of the plot or vice versa.
Every so often as a reader you have the rare opportunity to read a novel like Musketeer Space that truly speaks to you and moves you, a book that seems to give you every heart’s desire and fill you to the brim with emotion. Musketeer Space is a spectacular book and I can’t recommend it highly enough....more
I generally struggle with short fiction, but I picked this to challenge and stretch myself. It was not the easiest read for me, being more conceptual I generally struggle with short fiction, but I picked this to challenge and stretch myself. It was not the easiest read for me, being more conceptual about ideas rather than characters. However it was well worth persisting and I'm glad I read this. Primarily I was interested to challenge myself with more short fiction. Secondly, I wanted to support the genre and the idea of hope and imagining a future of resistance, renewal, and eco politicism....more
An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The release of Beauty in Thorns is one that I've been looking forwaAn ARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The release of Beauty in Thorns is one that I've been looking forward to throughout 2017 and I'm delighted that I had the opportunity to read it for review ahead of its release. This book draws again on the historical background of fairy tales, not just their origins but also how those stories were used and told and celebrated throughout history. In that sense, Beauty in Thorns is unique in its retelling of Sleeping Beauty because it situates the story in amongst people using the story and celebrating it, rather than retelling the story of its origin. Beauty in Thorns is steeped in history and offers a window into the middle class where love, families, and being an Artist clash.
I found this a really enjoyable book to read, I fell into the prose immediately and enjoyed each page I turned, it was enjoyable and relaxing to read. Different than Forsyth's previous book The Beast's Garden which was a magnificent and necessarily uncomfortable read, I loved the pacing and how the story with all of the characters unfolded. There's a drama to the storytelling that brings the characters and their motivations to life, from making the 'right' choice, to pursuit of one's passion, the foibles and triumphs of love, of families and children and various achievements. I especially loved Forsyth's focus on the lives of women in and how they influence and inspire aspects of history that are often accorded achievements of men. Often this is absent of the reality of the daily life setting which I feel makes the story and those achievements and aspirations all the more compelling. I was especially drawn into the yearning expressed by Lizzie and Georgie who wanted to pursue art for themselves and found it all but impossible.
Although this book is a gentle read, it does deal with difficult topics around mental illness, disordered eating, addiction, the loss of children, and the other realities of health in that era. The book deals respectfully with these topics as well as I am able to judge but I note this for anyone who would rather avoid them. However, that Forsyth does not shy away from these topics as part of the reality behind this re-imagining is part of what gives the narrative strength and depth, the characters lived for me and I laughed, loved, and mourned as they did.
I've long been a fan of Forsyth's work, but with every new book there is something new and amazing to appreciate about her writing style and its evolution. I loved reading Beauty in Thorns, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, or the contemporary retelling of fairy tales, especially one not based in fantasy....more
An eARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is presented as part of my contribution to the AustraAn eARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is presented as part of my contribution to the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2017. I’m also reviewing this book as part of the Read Diverse Books 2017 challenge and it qualifies as both an #ownvoices read as well as having characters who identify under the LGBTIQA+ umbrella. This review was originally published on my blog The Conversationalist
I love Saffron as a character and I really loved the way this middle book unfolded, and also rarely for a second book, the story is self contained and I was really satisfied with where it ended – no cliffhanger. You could read this, be satisfied and not *have* to read the third book if you weren’t interested. That’s really unusual for a second book in a trilogy and it’s well worth appreciating.
Also, while I found the first book An Accident of Stars slightly clunky in the writing and every so often I’d be thrown out of the story, this time, Meadows’ writing was much cleaner in style and I could just sink into the story without any struggle. Not only was I not thrown out, I found it very hard to put the book down because of things like sleep, an excellent recommendation to a book as far as I’m concerned. It’s worth noting that this is the second book in a the trilogy and I don’t think it can be read without the first one. I do think that you could read the first and second book though and be content with that as an ending and not *need* to read book 3, but if you’ve read the first two and liked them, there’s no reason not to jump in. I certainly can’t wait for the third book, it will be one of my most anticipated releases, that’s for sure.
In Tyranny of Queens I found myself more compelled by the characters and their plot, and I felt that all of the characters who featured as protagonists demonstrated growth and new awareness of themselves, their world(s), their relationships and in relation to the overall plot. I especially thought that we got to see more of a relevant and connected side to Gwen this time, we found out previously that she was in a group marriage situation with a son, but this happened mostly off screen. While we don’t meet her partners, the warm relationship she experiences with her son is one of my favourite relationships in the book.
I also loved watching how Saffron’s relationship with Yena grows – although for most of the book this happens separately and somehow I could always feel them connected. It’s a tiny thing but I really loved it. I appreciated how Yena was responsible for being a Sister and a Daughter in both chosen and forced ways and that this was complicated by her feelings about her self, her experiences and the time she has spent away from the culture she was trying to embed herself back into. Another aspect of characterisation and plotting I appreciated was the way both Kadeja and Leodan as villains and victims were both portrayed in sympathetic ways, ultimately responsible for their actions but very human in how their actions had come about. Leodan is perhaps the more forgivable of the two having been manipulated by Kadeja, but her own pain and compulsion are engaging as well.
I love the various voices in this book, like the first book, Tyranny of Queens there’s a lot of diversity to go around, different cultures, different relationship patterns, sexualities, genders, showing engaging characters who also have mental health and disabilities to consider, older and younger characters, lots of different power dynamics. I love all of this, and feel like the inclusion and sharing of these aspects was a lot more organic than in the first book. For those who are looking for a place where they may find their experience represented this is a good place to look, and for those who shy away from reading about their experiences centred it’s worth noting that it’s central to this entire book. It’s worth noting that in the beginning of the book it took me a little to remember who everyone was, what they were doing and what they were about but this did give way to enjoyment very quickly.
Lastly, I’m not always someone who enjoys portal fantasy but lately there’s been some excellent examples and both An Accident of Stars and Tyranny of Queens both count. The world-building is epic, the politics are intricate and layered with meaning and consequences. The relationships are complex and compelling as are many of the characters in their own right. The plot arc had me wondering how it would be solved one way or another and I’m curious to see how that plays out in the next book given how neatly this book ended. I can’t say enough good things about it, one of my favourite books of 2017....more
It's been a long time since I enjoyed a straight up contemporary romance, but once again Courtney Milan gave me exactly what I wanted. Excellent charaIt's been a long time since I enjoyed a straight up contemporary romance, but once again Courtney Milan gave me exactly what I wanted. Excellent characters with lives, friends and families, a believable and interesting romance. I adored this beyond reason and finished it around 1am, and very nearly couldn't stop myself starting the second one and the shorts straight away....more
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