claaaiiirrreee's reviews
369 reviews

The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex by Tamsyn Muir

Go to review page

4.0

wonderful story about my favorite sixth house buddies. it really helps to round out cam and pal and prove that they are just as cool and capable as they appear to be in gideon the ninth.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Go to review page

5.0

this book has everything. necromancers... lesbian necromancers... murderous lesbian necromancers.

for whatever reasons that ended up being irrelevant to how I feel about it, this book took me eight months to get through. i spent 7.75 of those months on the first 25% (i think i found some of the initial world building a slog), but once I hit the second quarter of the book i could not put it down.

muir’s writing style is completely captivating. each character has a completely distinctive and entertaining voice, the world is immersive and real, and the murder mystery plot positively rips. this book is creepy as hell and an absolute delight.

gideon and harrow.... harrow and gideon... phew. thank you.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Go to review page

5.0

positively excellent.

this one was a real doozy to get through — point of view changes and location changes keep you on your toes — but muir wrapped it all up in the end very satisfyingly. or at least as satisfyingly as she wants it wrapped up going into alecto the ninth. every single time i thought i had it figured out the rug was pulled from under me as the real answer unveiled itself to me, but every reveal made sense and felt earned.

as with gideon the ninth, muir’s writing in harrow is so smart, emotional, and funny. who else is brave enough to incorporate a “none pizza left beef” meme reference into a passage about God explaining why he’s got to stay alive for the sake of humanity? she gives such a clear voice to every character than in any given overheard conversations you can identify unidentified characters through punctuation and mannerisms.

through two books, muir has become an author i will instantly preorder going forward. i can’t wait to see how this story gets wrapped up in alecto.
Defekt by Nino Cipri

Go to review page

5.0

nino cipri did it again. this was gorgeously written — funny, devastating, sexy and (of course) anti-capitalist all in one. I’m so excited to see where this series goes and what cipri writes next.
The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

Go to review page

3.0

well, the cover is gorgeous.

i really struggled to feel connected to any part of this story, to be honest. the world building is somehow really light and heavy handed at the same time, the characters felt really two dimensional through the whole book, and the beginning 50% of the book felt confusing and vague on purpose to set up for the big reveal in the final third.

that being said, the reveal itself was engaging and interesting, so the final third of the book was saved for me. it just took incredibly too long to reach any sort of understanding of what was going on and i found myself losing focus and interest.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Go to review page

5.0

At this point... anything Casey McQuiston puts out, I'm preordering. And then devouring in one sitting. And then probably rating five stars.

Like with Red White & Royal Blue, One Last Stop showcases McQuiston's effortless ability to develop protagonists you care about, love interests who are fleshed out and fully realized, and a supporting cast you wouldn't mind an entire spinoff series about (seriously, call me when the Myla and Niko book comes out). In One Last Stop, I fell in love with Jane (big time), Myla, Niko, Wes and Isiah (and everyone at Billy's, and everyone at Delilah's, etc. etc.) right alongside August.

The romantic arc of this book has literally everything–time travel, missed connections, yearning, angst, spice, conflict, conflict resolution, and a soundtrack that won't quit. Jane Su is the impossible woman of my dreams, and it's so easy to see why August falls in love with her immediately. Their relationship is such a gorgeously written WLW love story and I'm so thrilled to see it out in the world.

My only real critique of the book is I could have used more Noodle the Poodle.