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grayjay's review against another edition
1.0
The beginning irked me because I found it condescending. Like many an urban fantasy before it, an uninitiated protagonist was used to teach the reader all the rules about how magic and fairies would work in this universe, and although I admit it's a convention of the genre, I was annoyed. By the end of the book I was happy because it was a good mystery and I like fairies. Not having BPD, I don't know how accurate the portrayal of the protagonist was, but I have some personal experience with mental health and it did resonate with me, and I felt it added necessary character interest. I'll probably read the next installment eventually.
posies23's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It's hard to classify -- it's in the "fantasy hollywood detective but also more" genre. Saying anything more will ruin the fun of the experience.
I thought that the writing, the narrative voice, and the storyline were all engaging and intriguing. I will definitely be reading more by this author!
Highly recommended!
I thought that the writing, the narrative voice, and the storyline were all engaging and intriguing. I will definitely be reading more by this author!
Highly recommended!
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I read this as part of Dewey's 24 hour Readathon
This was wonderful and complex and an intriguing read. I can't think of many books (that I've read) with protagonists/narrators who are amputees, or have various mental health issues. It's one of the reasons this book stands out so well. Also, the handling of the fey is wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the complicated interpersonal relationships. The partnership of Millie and Teo, the issues Millie had with the other residents of the Arcadia project, not to mention David, Clay, Vivian, Inaya, etc...they were all so delightfully complex and wonderfully realized. I greatly enjoyed this read, and am looking forward to the next installment.
This was wonderful and complex and an intriguing read. I can't think of many books (that I've read) with protagonists/narrators who are amputees, or have various mental health issues. It's one of the reasons this book stands out so well. Also, the handling of the fey is wonderful. I actually really enjoyed the complicated interpersonal relationships. The partnership of Millie and Teo, the issues Millie had with the other residents of the Arcadia project, not to mention David, Clay, Vivian, Inaya, etc...they were all so delightfully complex and wonderfully realized. I greatly enjoyed this read, and am looking forward to the next installment.
intostarlight's review
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I like the world-building as well as the fact that the story is character-driven, but this ultimately fell short for me. The greatest thing that this book has to offer the sometimes stale and formulaic urban fantasy genre is its main character, a double-amputee queer woman with borderline personality disorder. I liked the humanity that this brought to the story, but I also got irritated that the author too frequently attributed all of the main character's poor decisions, actions, and inability to deal with anything, ever to her borderline personality disorder. The other thing that could've kept me from liking this book as much as I think I should have is that I have a random bias towards LA, and I've never really been drawn to stories about the "underbelly of show business." But overall, I found this book a fascinating insider's view on borderline personality disorder, but kind of flawed as a novel.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
"Borderline" is Mishell Baker's debut novel and one of this year's nominees for the Nebula Award. It is an impressive first novel with a sassy, sarcastic, double amputee for a heroine. The first-person narration is witty and fast-paced. The fusion of modern-day Hollywood with bona-fide fairies is clever and creative.
Page by page, I found "Borderline" a quick, engaging, intelligent read. Yet, when I paused, I found it slightly less than the sum of its parts. Between reading sessions, I wasn't drawn back to the book and its characters. Millie, the protagonist, wasn't deeply attached to other people. Perhaps as a result, I wasn't deeply attached to her. (The character who intrigued me most was Teo, not Millie.)
It is a mark of the book's quality that it kept me happily entertained even though I am not the target audience. I usually prefer secondary-world high fantasy to contemporary urban fantasy. And I very rarely enjoy fairies/fey in books. Elves yes, fairies no. This book managed to overcome my prejudices.
Page by page, I found "Borderline" a quick, engaging, intelligent read. Yet, when I paused, I found it slightly less than the sum of its parts. Between reading sessions, I wasn't drawn back to the book and its characters. Millie, the protagonist, wasn't deeply attached to other people. Perhaps as a result, I wasn't deeply attached to her. (The character who intrigued me most was Teo, not Millie.)
It is a mark of the book's quality that it kept me happily entertained even though I am not the target audience. I usually prefer secondary-world high fantasy to contemporary urban fantasy. And I very rarely enjoy fairies/fey in books. Elves yes, fairies no. This book managed to overcome my prejudices.
violinknitter's review
3.0
Meh. Very meh. Just not for me, I think. I don't think the audiobook narrator did it many favors.