Review Round-Up: Mothmen: Myths And Legends, Stolen Ink, Testing Pandora, Fourth World, Ariah, City
- RoAnna sylver
- May 2, 2017
- 1 min read
It’s been a good reading week, so here’s a round-up of seven! Mostly really good, one not-so-good, and some VERY, VERY GOOD. For full reviews, hit the Goodreads links! Thank you for reading, and enjoy!
Mothmen: Myths and Legends by Kaelan Rhywiol My rating: 4 of 5 stars “I speak your name, I remember you.” * * * First off, I don’t read a lot of erotica, so I don’t feel super-qualified to comment here. However, I really did appreciate the positive and healthy portrayal of a poly BDSM relationship, with a strong emphasis on consent, safe words, and communication! There’s also, I believe, ownvoice Native/First Nation rep, which I also can’t comment on, but glad to see it here and included in a story I really liked.
Stolen Ink by Holly Evans My rating: 2 of 5 stars Super intriguing concepts, super disappointing execution… which makes this almost more frustrating and discouraging. I looked forward to this one greatly/actually used it as a reward book – get stuff done, read the cool ink-magic tattoo-thief serial killer book with tons of gay and one example of aroace rep. Sounded amazing. And that is why it has two stars instead of a flat one. The concepts can be interesting, and non-awful aro/ace rep is rare, and that is one part of the book that doesn’t disappoint. Vyx is good and I’m here for her. THE REST, HOWEVER…
Testing Pandora by Kaia Sønderby My rating: 5 of 5 stars I can’t get to my highlights, which is quite bothersome, as this story (a novella prequel to FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE) has so many lines worth highlighting it’s kind of unbelievable. Or would be, if I hadn’t read/been blown away by the first book of the main series, FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. I’ll try to get to them and provide a more specific review, but in very short (continue on Goodreads)
Fourth World by Lyssa Chiavari My rating: 5 of 5 stars “You will have to search. Seek, and you will find. Begin where we began—the answer is in plain sight, if you know where to look. The three sisters will guide the way. Touch the highest peak, and you will find me in the place where freedom lies.” * * * Atlantis, guys. Freaking Atlantis. On Mars. Conspiracy theories. Buried secrets (and bodies). Sci-fi concepts so lyrically described it sometimes feels like high fantasy. Natural dialogue, a thoroughly detailed society and culture with its own quirks and preconceptions, exploring language and communication and miscommunication and disasters of errors. A coming-of-age story in several ways; there’s a moment when we all realize how huge and vast and frightening the world actually is. Here, we find there are two worlds to contend with, learn the workings of, unite, and ultimately save.
Ariah by B.R. Sanders My rating: 5 of 5 stars “My mind is indecisive, wretchedly so, but my heart is not so patient.” * * * Oh my goodness. Oh. I’ve spent like ten minutes just staring at the screen and mentally breathing into a paper bag because words kind of don’t… begin? (A quirk of my Definitely Not Typical brain = the more important something is to me, or the more intense an emotion I experience, the harder it is for me to express it in words. That’s what is happening here, so forgive any strange phrasing. *Ariah’s words rid me of mine.*)
Failure to Communicate by Kaia Sønderby My rating: 5 of 5 stars “I’d read Ancient Earth books, watched Ancient Earth vids, and more often than not, FTL travel was described in terms of colors. Shifting colors, prismatic colors, the colors of a rainbow or a nebula; but always colors, as if the state of the universe itself was not already beautiful enough without paint splashed on. But I—I watched the universe turn to cosmic fabric around us, the warp threads of silver and gold stars, the weft strands of eternal darkness, and I let out a small, joyous laugh at the sheer exquisiteness of it.” * * * Sometimes theres no better words to read than ‘Book 1.’ This is the first book in a series, and I am more grateful and joyful for this fact than I have been in a long time.
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