reliures's reviews
370 reviews

Blackouts by Justin Torres

4.25

Queer literary fiction following a young unnamed man nicknamed Nene, attending to Juan, a dying man in an abandoned institution in the middle of the desert. Connecting through the work of Jan Gay, an undervalued queer author and activist from the early 20th century, their rediscovery of her work and life is intercepted by archival documents and flashbacks of their personal experiences as gay men. 

Important themes on historical and scientific erasure and manipulation, rediscovering and passing on knowledge, mental illness, queer history and culture, sexuality and identity, latinidad, etc are touched upon in this book so it was an enriching experiences for me in addition to discover unknown figures of queer history. 

Structurally it’s not a linear progression, but a series of vignettes depicting either the protagonists life or historical events. 

The writing style also felt very eclectic in style and quite experimental with the use of cinematic screenplay-like writing or pages with just a few lines of dialogue, with an almost surreal feel to it. The desert and abandoned setting also added to this psychedelic atmosphere.

With the addition of real reproduced documents (some with redacted text) , this books more than flirts with other genres like historical fiction and non fiction, plenty of other cultural and literary references too. 

The heavy use of mixed media and eclectic writing style, in addition to the non linear structure, lack of resolved end, sometimes clunky dialogue made for a very challenging read, as it sometimes pulled me out of the story and not connected to the characters. 

Despite some personal reservations on the story itself and the structure, the themes really makes this an important and enriching book for any queer readers. 

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

5.0

Mystery thriller about a mother, who, one night when she’s home alone with her two young children, sees an intruder in her house. Desperate, she and her children escape into an hidden room. 

The beginning was already extremely tense, the author using great imagery and words to convey the tension and danger, the heart pounding threat of being preyed upon.

A little before the midway of the book, the plot goes into a direction I didn’t expected (or expected later on) but I didn’t mind it at all. I felt it was really interesting afterwards to see chapters with a slower pace, still underlined by tension but with a sort of surreal quality added to it that mirrored the main character’s situation. The last chapters restarted the frantic tension and danger, and the ending was really satisfying for me. 

The style felt very lush and intricate with a sort of litfic quality in the writing that I absolutely loved. 

I also really liked the main character, her resilience and courage. 

Throughout the novel we see flashbacks of her life, her thoughts and feelings on what is happening to her; the author perfectly exploring themes of motherhood, family, gaslighting, mental health, survival.  

Overall a stunning debut novel, a real page turning thriller with gorgeous prose, I’m looking forward to read more by Tracy Sierra. 

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

5.0

Buddy read with @glitterpricked

Queer literary fiction taking place in 1950s Paris where David, a young American, waiting for his fiancée Hella to come back from Spain, meets Giovanni, an Italian barman and starts an abrupt and passionate affair with him. 

This short but powerful book was an incredible dense read, dealing with themes about queerness, shame, homophobia, masculinity, misogyny, social conformity. 

James Baldwin delivers each line with a sharp and compelling tone. Each line written  felt experienced and personal, as he truly understands the characters and infuses them with his own story as a queer man who lived during that era in Paris. 

Both David and Giovanni are flawed and complex characters, the author perfectly described the intricacy of someone dealing with their sexuality, gender identity, their internalised bigotry in a conventional society.

Yet living in a society that condemns, if not legally, then morally, that queerness, the two  characters find themselves in Giovanni’s room, a place of liberation and love, where they can be themselves and not having to be in a state of self deception. 

The dichotomy between the two, is shown literally: Giovanni is a passionate, solar being, who search for a true emotional connection but is utterly unable to live alone. He also shows himself as a very traditional Italian, with a patriarchal and misogynistic attitude.  

David on the other hand, displays moment of selfishness, denial and impassiveness. His struggle with his sexuality and sense of self, his shame and self loathing, his struggle with his masculinity, his inability to accept love, dating back to his unhappy youth, did softens his flaws, making him a interesting character. 

 

Metaphorically I also noted this opposition between the two is shown throughout different references in the book ( for example Judas/Jesus or innocence/guilt). 

Sometimes it felt as David saw himself in Giovanni, or as his mirror image, specifically the passages where he imagines what Giovanni is doing, it felt like he was living through them.  

Their secretive, whole consuming passion (une passion dévorante as we say in French), in addition to Hella’s impending return and other various problems (money, unemployment, dubious relationships), makes the tension slowly escalate and the author perfectly describes this mounting dread that slowly eats away at both characters until it explodes into a tragic finale.  

This book felt very much like a photograph of its time yet it reminds us that today acceptance and respect are essential. 

This review is a mess, a more capable reviewer will probably articulate better why this book is incredible, yet I feel with this book I felt I experienced more than I read it. 

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

4.25

Sci-fi horror mystery where Gyre, a professional caver on a foreign planet, dives down into a strange underground cave system, monitored by Em, a woman with mysterious intentions. 

I really liked this book! The writer did a great job setting up the claustrophobic, confusing and creepy cave system.  

The characters were both flawed and realistic, the tension between the two was really well rendered, each of them having their own secrets. 

I also did like the sapphic angsty yearning. 

The mounting tension and dread concerning the cave itself and what happened in the past was also well rendered by the author, the paranoia corrupting Gyre’s mental health, like a parasite. 

Some parts I struggled through, some elements felt a bit repetitive or too long, I felt like shaving some pages off could have made it more into a page turner. Also the ending felt a bit abrupt to me. 

Overall this was an incredibly solid debut novel ! 

The Illusions by Liz Hyder

4.0

Historical fiction taking place in 19th century Britain, where magicians and pioneers in filmmaking come together and try to create a never seen before spectacle.  

A charming little historical fiction, that touches upon a particular moment in history full of changes in the world of art, technology and spectacle , specifically for women. It was nice to see that particular era talked about. 

The magic tricks and filmmaking aspects were really interesting and I did like the parallels between these types of entertainment. The elements of magical realism felt very à propos too but I wanted to see more of it. It was great to see women having agency and wanting independence. 

The main characters were likeable though not perfect and each had their own flaws. 

Although well written, I did feel the plot was a bit too straightforward, lacking in tension and everything felt too convenient. I wasn’t on the edge and to be honest a bit bored at times. The romance was cute but nothing incredible, it was nice to see some queer representation in a side character. 

A charming little story, very cozy though it lacked something for me

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

4.5

Mystery thriller with elements of horror, this novel follows a widowed vicar and her daughter as they settle into a new village known for its martyred burnings several centuries before. 

So I quite liked this book, it’s less supernatural horror then I first expected but it’s a real page turner with a fast paced story and plenty of twists, some I kind of guessed early on and others I didn’t. Even so, I did love the twists and the ending. 

All the characters were compelling and I did like the different POVs and timelines. 

The writing were engaging and sharp, the atmosphere was perfectly set up and really felt creepy and ominous. 

A very solid mystery and I’m looking forward to read more books by this author. 

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

4.25

 non fiction exploring the horrifying exploitation and murders of members from the Osage tribe in early 20th century Oklahoma by white Americans .
An eye opening book on a series of horrifying historical events that targeted Native Americans, it’s thoroughly researched and written though some parts interested me less and felt dry to read. It’s a good complement of information for anyone who saw the Martin Scorsese movie. The audiobook is well narrated, I would totally recommend in addition to a digital/physical copy that has illustrations of the different individuals involved in these events. 

I’ll definitely check out the author’s other books. 

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

4.5

4.5 stars 

Fantasy mystery where an investigator and her assistant, helped by enhancing abilities, try to solve a series of strange murders, in an empire whose external walls are threatened by terrible leviathans. 

As a fan of the author’s previous Foundryside trilogy (though I still need to read book 3), I was looking forward to check out his newest work. As with his previous books, this fantasy mystery was a great read, with unique world building and very compelling characters, written in an evocative and smooth style. 

I loved how the world and magic portrayed is centred around plants, brews, poison, contagion and special enhancements. 

The mystery itself was really interesting and I loved seeing the characters intelligently putting the pieces together. It felt very much in the vein of a classic detective story like Sherlock Holmes but the fantasy setting and quirky characters made for an intriguing story. 

I loved the inclusion of queer characters, specifically in the mc as the author has done in his previous books. 

This was an incredible read and I’m really looking forward to read the next book in this series. 

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

4.0

Dystopian sci-fi action novel taking place where prisoners fight each other in gladiatorial games. 

The writing was really good, the author had a concise and evocative writing and really created a unique voice for each pov. 

This book on important themes like systemic racism, the glamorisation of violence, the injustice in innocents being condemned. 

The world building was great, it felt like a mix between Gladiator, Bloodsport and Escape from New York. The descriptions felt very visual and this book could definitely be turned into a movie or series. 

I liked the main characters, Thurwar and Staxxx and their relationship was truly touching. 

I felt the chapters were too disconnected from each other which made the story not flow smoothly and was bothersome at times; though the abrupt ending felt write too. 

Some of the side characters had only one or a couple of chapters and I would have liked to see more of their points of view, others I did not care about. Some plot points were also barely touched upon and I wished we had delved into it more because they seemed really interesting. 

The audiobook was incredibly well made, the voice actors all did a tremendous job, although the narration of the notes felt a bit awkward. 

A good book tackling some important themes, I will definitely check out the author’s other works. 

California Bear by Duane Swierczynski

4.75

Crime thriller taking place in L.A., a convict just came out of prison thanks to a retired cop trying to exonerate him, and reunites with his sick daughter. The reunion takes a turn for the worse when it coincides with a serial killer from the 70s emerging from his hibernation to hunt again. 

I loved this book, the author did a great job keeping the tension up, the short chapters with the various points of view made this a real page turner full of twists. The writing was snappy, with some comical moments and funny dialogue. I loved how the authors explored themes of parental love, true crime, wrongful convictions, the fascination for serial killers and its exploitation by Hollywood. 

All the characters were quirky, memorable and compelling. 

The father-daughter relation was truly the emotional core of the book and discovering it was inspired by the authors own life made it really special to read it ( I do recommend reading the afterword). 

An incredible fast paced read, I’m looking forward to read more books by this author !