Author: Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Your friendly neighborhood book/music/writng/occasionally movie/TV blogger who reads too fast and has an arsenal of absurd gifs at her disposal :) she/her ⭐︎ ISTJ ⭐︎ (pfp by @KorinMalin from picrew)
Posted in Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (1/18/21)–Killing November

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

First off, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that it’s Martin Luther King Jr. day. Thank you, sir, for everything you have done in an effort to better this nation. ❤️

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

I put this one on my TBR after being blown away by How to Hang a Witch last year, and it sounds just as gripping! I still haven’t read Haunting the Deep, but I’m eager to get into more of Mather’s work.

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (1/18/21)–KILLING NOVEMBER by Adriana Mather

Amazon.com: Killing November (9780525579083): Mather, Adriana: Books

Blurb from Goodreads:

It’s a school completely off the grid, hidden by dense forest and surrounded by traps. There’s no electricity, no internet, and an eye-for-an-eye punishment system. Classes include everything from Knife-Throwing and Poisons to the Art of Deception and Historical Analysis. And all of the students are children of the world’s most elite strategists—training to become assassins, counselors, spies, and master impersonators. Into this world walks November Adley, who quickly discovers that friends are few in a school where personal revelations are discouraged and competition is everything. When another student is murdered, all eyes turn to November, who must figure out exactly how she fits into the school’s bizarre strategy games before she is found guilty of the crime…or becomes the killer’s next victim. 

So why do I want to read this?

Netflix Hargreeves GIF by The Umbrella Academy - Find & Share on GIPHY

One thing I’d definitely like to note…I haven’t even read Deadly Class, but this book sounds similar…(has anybody here read or watched it? Let me know…)

[ahem] anyway…

Mather’s talent in How to Hang a Witch was 100% her characters and mastery of the art of tension; with the medium of a school where the students are literally bred to kill, I’m so excited to see how she executes this again! I’m usually not one for mysteries or thrillers, but this is a twist on it that I’ve rarely seen in the world of YA. The “every student for themself” aspect also gives it another layer of tension, which I’m eagerly looking forward to.

This one’s available at my library, so I might have to snag a copy soon…

Count Dooku GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

In conclusion, Madeline finds herself, in a very rare instance, actively looking for a certain YA thriller.

Today’s song:

[insert Walter dog here]

That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: January 11-17, 2021

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.

As I mentioned earlier, the beginning of the week was rather overwhelming, so I had to take a short break from posting so I could get my schoolwork done. But things are quieting down for the time being, so I have a bit more time to wind down.

I *accidentally* got a huge library haul last week (a bunch of my holds came in when I least expected them to), so I had a lot to read. It was definitely a little bit hit-or-miss, but I’m glad to say that some of my most anticipated releases lived up to the hype! I also have some books that I ordered with my gift card that should be ready soonish, and I can’t wait to read them…

I’ve also been steadily working away at editing my main sci-fi WIP, and I finished up my initial edits on Friday! From here, I’ll be doing a whole lot of tweaking for my outline and some other research, but in a few months’ time, I’ll be on my way to writing my second draft!

GIF the coen brothers - animated GIF on GIFER

Other than that, I finished up season 2 of The Mandalorian (*sniffles*), watched Barton Fink, and listened to a whole lot of Julien Baker. I’m also going to start WandaVision tonight with my family, and I’m SUPER excited! (I’ve always had a soft spot for the Vision…)

Imagine Marvel Universe — -GCV

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Legendborn–Tracy Deonn (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: Legendborn (9781534441606): Deonn, Tracy: Books

The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures–Noelle Stevenson (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson

Be Gay, Do Comics!–Matt Bors et. al. (anthology) (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Be Gay, Do Comics: The Nib, Bors, Matt, Lubchansky, Matt, Mirk, Sarah, Harris, Eleri: 9781684057771: Books - Amazon.ca

I Kissed Alice–Anna Birch (⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: I Kissed Alice (9781250219855): Birch, Anna, Ying, Victoria: Books

THE ONE, LONELY POST I MADE THIS WEEK:

THE ONE, LONELY SONG THAT WENT ALONG WITH IT:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

The Novice (Summoner, #1)–Taran Matharu (for book club)

The Novice - (Summoner Trilogy, 1) By Taran Matharu (Paperback) : Target

Today’s song:

That’s it for this (very short) week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Book Tags

Enola Holmes Book Tag

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hey there, bibliophiles!

You probably noticed that I didn’t post anything for about a week and a half or so. The first two weeks of school were just really overwhelming and I had quite a lot of projects to do and quizzes to study for, so I had to take a little time away. But things are starting to go back to a manageable level school-wise, so I’m back. For now. And hey, three-day weekend!

Anyway, I went through some of my tags that I’ve been wanting to do, and I found this one! Enola Holmes was absolutely a series that shaped my childhood, and even though I found the Netflix movie to be a bit of a disappointment, I think we can all agree that Millie Bobby Brown is phenomenal.

This tag was created by Cielo @ Bellerose Reads, and that’s where I originally found it as well. 🙂

Rules

  1. List the rules and the prompts of the tag in your post
  2. Thank the person who tagged you and pingback to their post
  3. Give credits to the creator of the tag, Bellerose Reads, and pingback to her post.
  4. Tag at least 5 people to do the tag.

Let’s begin, shall we?

Enola Holmes: strong woman is the new black – The Movievaures

🌹THE ENOLA HOLMES BOOK TAG 🌹

ENOLA HOLMES: An independent and smart female protagonist

Amazon.com: Daughter of the Pirate King (9781250095961): Levenseller, Tricia: Books

Alosa Kalligan from Daughter of the Pirate King was my first thought–strong-willed, independent, and the captain of a pirate ship at just 17. Gotta love Alosa.

SHERLOCK HOLMES: Your favorite mystery/thriller book

Amazon.com: Grown (9780062840356): Jackson, Tiffany D: Books

I don’t read much mystery, but Grown was such a raw and powerful book! Monday’s Not Coming was incredible too…I’ve only read three of her books, but Tiffany D. Jackson is definitely a master of the YA mystery genre.

EUDORIA HOLMES: A character that defies the rules of their society

Amazon.com: How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse: Book One of the Thorne Chronicles eBook: Eason, K.: Kindle Store

Rory Thorne from How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is the perfect example for this prompt–not just defying the royal family by taking control of her situation and starting a revolution, but…I mean, eventually becoming a space pirate is the ultimate defiant move when you’re a princess, I would think.

MYCROFT HOLMES: The most annoying character you know

Amazon.com: The Hunger Games (9780439023481): Collins, Suzanne: Books

It’s been a while since I’ve read The Hunger Games, but I haaaaaaaaaaated Gale. The whole “catnip” nickname was just an instant dealbreaker…[vomits]

LORD TEWKSBURY: A character you want to protect at all costs

Amazon.com: The Gilded Wolves: A Novel (The Gilded Wolves, 1) (9781250144546): Chokshi, Roshani: Books

Zofia from The Gilded Wolves is just too good for this world. And now that I’ve read book 2…[cries]

INSPECTOR LESTRADE: A loyal side character

Amazon.com: Raybearer (9781419739828): Ifueko, Jordan: Books

Sanjeet from Raybearer always stayed by Tarisai’s side, and he was the PERFECT side character! I think he was my favorite character in the whole book, honestly…

MISS HARRISON: A book that aged like milk

The Familiars: Epstein, Adam Jay, Jacobson, Andrew: 9780061961106: Amazon.com: Books

Whew, this one’s a throwback for me…

The Familiars was my favorite series for a while when I was in elementary school, but even when it was still coming out, I remember being super disappointed by the fourth book. (Unnecessary, didn’t like the style of the illustrations, cliffhanger that was never resolved…) I’ll still always have a soft spot for this series, but I remember outwardly cringing at the writing the last time I flipped through it…

LINTHORN: A character you hated from the very beginning

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

This one was a major disappointment…

Pru from Instant Karma bothered me almost from the get-go…she was just so demanding and bratty. (And hey, I get being mad for getting a C on a group project, but…would it really kill you to settle for a B?)

EDITH: Your favorite book with Black rep

Amazon.com: An Unkindness of Ghosts (9781617755880): Solomon, Rivers: Books

It was super hard to pick just one book for this prompt, but I read An Unkindness of Ghosts last summer, and it blew me away!

I TAG:

The World Is Quiet Here — Enola Holmes (2020)

Today’s song:

NEW JULIEN BAKER AND IT’S ABSOLUTELY TRANSCENDENTAL (plus this video is INCREDIBLE)

That’s it for this book tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Book Review Tuesday, Books

Book Review Tuesday (1/5/21)–Among the Beasts & Briars

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles! This is my last day before I have to go back to school… :/ so heads up, I’ll probably be posting less frequently in the next few months because of school.

Anyway, this book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020. Ashley Poston is one of my favorite authors, and I’ll always hold her Heart of Iron duology close to my heart. And although Among the Beasts & Briars didn’t quite hit the level of wondrousness of that duology, it was still a fantasy like no other that I’ll always cherish.

Enjoy the first book review Tuesday of the year!

Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston

Among the Beasts & Briars–Ashley Poston

Cerys leads a quiet life in the kingdom of Aloriya, working with her father to tend the royal gardens. But behind her life of peace is a haunted past–as a child, the woods surrounding her kingdom stole her friends and her mother. She has never seen them again since. But by some miracle, the woods left Cerys alone, marked only by traces of magic in her blood.

When the woods invade the coronation of Aloriya’s new queen, Cerys is forced to flee. Joined by a familiar fox who followed close behind her in the gardens and a bear hiding momentous secrets, she must journey to the heart of the woods, where it is said that an isolated town has escaped the curse that took her mother and friends. But the woods hold secrets darker than the three could ever know…

Fantastic Mr Fox Animated GIF | Fantastic mr fox, Fox gif, Mr fox
Soul of Stars spoilers without context

TW/CW (from Ashley Poston): Frightening Situations, Secondary Character Death, Trypophobia, Bleeding/Self-Harm (not suicidal), Animal Attack, Blood, Grotesque Transformations

I saw a fox outside my window this morning when I woke up…maybe it was a sign that today was the perfect day to write this review…

I think Among the Beasts & Briars was the last book I read this year, and I honestly can’t think of a better book that I could’ve ended the year on. Ashley Poston’s pulled off another masterpiece, chock-full of lovable characters and lush imagery.

With all of Poston’s novels, what shines the most is usually the characters; I’m delighted to say that Among the Beasts & Briars was no exception! Cerys was such a lovable heroine. I’m always drawn to and relate to characters who don’t possess the typical qualities of traditional heroes/heroines–they’d rather stay on the sidelines, aren’t quite so brave, and are unwillingly forced into strange situations. Like Aurora Rising, I really resonated with the message that you don’t have to be brave or be from a noble background to be the hero of your own story, and Cerys exemplifies that theme in its fullest.

And I can’t talk about characters without talking about Fox! He was such a delightful character, and I loved his development as he grappled with his transformation. There’s no shortage of interesting details in his POV of the shifts between his fox form and the unintentional human form, and he and Cerys had the best chemistry. Vala was also wonderful, and they made for a perfect trio of fantasy misfits. I won’t spoil anything, but Seren was one of my favorites too–REDEMPTION ARCS DONE RIGHT, PEOPLE!

VFX Movies Gallery

I also loved the fantasy world of Aloriya and the woods. Poston’s prose makes for so much lush imagery, making for a world that’s as lived-in as it is fantastical. My favorite aspect was absolutely the Woodcurse–there was clearly so much time spent creating the mythology around it, and it was simultaneously fascinating and creepy. And Hellboy made me a sucker for all sorts of spooky monsters, and everything that got swallowed by the Woodcurse just made the paranormal part of my heart so happy.

As with most of Poston’s novels, Among the Beasts & Briars was reasonably dark, but at its heart, it had such a resonant warmth to it, a glimmer of hope and joy no matter what. With every novel she writes, it clearly shines through how much she loves crafting stories, and it shines through on every page.

All in all, a fresh and unique addition to Poston’s pantheon of masterful literature. 5 stars!

Princess Mononoke gif - GIF on Imgur

Among the Beasts & Briars is likely a standalone, but Poston is also the author of the Heart of Iron duology (Heart of Iron and Soul of Stars) and the Once Upon a Con series (Geekerella, The Princess and the Fangirl, and Bookish and the Beast).

Today’s song:

I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the version with the whole cast on the Legion score, but Noah Hawley has such a gorgeous voice…this makes me cry every single time

That’s it for this week’s Book Review Tuesday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (1/4/21)–Marrow Charm

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

I shelved this one early last year and forgot about it, and I definitely want to see if it’s available at the library now…I’m always here for tales of magic gone sinister.

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (1/4/21)–MARROW CHARM by Kristin Jacques

Marrow Charm (The Gate Cycle, #1) by Kristin Jacques

Blurb from Goodreads:

Azure Brimvine lives in a world decimated by magic. One where humans have retreated underground from the overwhelming dangers of the surface. But Below is no safer than Above. Magic borne plagues continue to eat away at the remaining human cities. A sickness that doesn’t merely kill, but creates aberrations from the stricken: people twisted by magic into something dark, dangerous, and powerful. 

But when Azzy’s brother, Armin, is infected and cast out into the Above, she sets out after him, determined to be there for him no matter what he becomes. The world Above is full of monsters, both wild and cunning, some more human than Azzy was led to believe. 

Her search for Armin leads her to Avergard, a ruthless city of inhuman lords and twisted creatures. Azzy must find allies and forge new bonds in this broken world, brave the perils of the Above, and reach Armin before his new power is used to open the Gate once more.

So why do I want to read this?

Pan's Labyrinth: Pale Man on Make a GIF

Leave it to me to do a Goodreads Monday on a book involving plague during a global pandemic…

[ahem] anyways…

Even though our protagonist’s name definitely bugs me, I LOVE any kind of story that explores the dark side of magic. I especially love the idea of a sickness borne from magic itself, something that molds its victims into something more sinister. Reminds me a little bit of the Woodcurse in Among the Beasts & Briars. And if the writing’s good, I’m excited to see if/how Jacques explores the effects of this magical plague on this human society.

All that, and the cover gives me THE BEST of vibes…

So Exciting GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

In conclusion, I’m here for the dark magic and the spooky vibes. Shut up and take my library card.

Today’s song:

OKAY SO I LISTENED TO THIS WHOLE ALBUM LAST NIGHT AND IT HAS NO BUSINESS BEING THIS GOOD

That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: December 28, 2020 – January 3, 2021

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope these first few days of 2021 have treated you all well.

My last reading week of the year was definitely a surprisingly good one–almost all of what I read, I ended up rating in the 4-5 star range! I never really plan out my monthly TBRs, but I have some great reads in my cart from the gift card I got to my local bookstore, as well as a bunch of holds from the library that have started to trickle in. I don’t want to jinx it, but January seems like it’ll be great for reading.

Fox Tv Good Luck GIF by MasterChef Junior - Find & Share on GIPHY

I also finished my 2020 reading challenge with 279 books! I put my goal at 275 this year, so we’ll see how it goes.

And I forgot to mention this in my 2020 post (linked below under “posts and such”), but I have one more resolution: Read more books from marginalized voices! I feel like I’ve tried to do that for a few years, at least, but this year, I definitely want to make more of an effort.

Other than that, New Year’s Eve/Day were both fun; my family always does a movie marathon for NYE, and we did some Christopher Nolan movies this year. Of course, since both of them were pretty lengthy, we only ended up watching two movies. Interstellar was depressing but beautiful, and it was a lot of fun to rewatch Tenet. Even if the latter still confuses me to no end. We also watched Wonder Woman 1984 on New Year’s Day, which was…disappointing, to say the least. It’s honestly shocking to me that it’s the same director that made the triumph of a movie that Wonder Woman (2017) was. Sigh…

I’ve also been listening to a bunch of music–I downloaded Julien Baker’s Turn Out the Lights and The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds; I haven’t listened to the latter in full yet, but the former was decent. Not as good as Sprained Ankle for me, but still good. And then there’s the matter of the Fargo and Legion scores…[cries]

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA–edited by Emily X. R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma (re-read) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA: Suma, Nova Ren, Pan, Emily X.R.: 9781643750798: Amazon.com: Books

Under Falling Skies (The Travels of Scout Shannon, #1)–Kate MacLeod (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Under Falling Skies by Kate MacLeod

Among the Beasts & Briars–Ashley Poston (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Among the Beasts & Briars eBook by Ashley Poston | Rakuten Kobo

Wilder Girls–Rory Power (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: Wilder Girls (9780525645580): Power, Rory: Books

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them–Junauda Petrus

Amazon.com: The Stars and the Blackness Between Them (9780525555483): Petrus, Junauda: Books

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Book Tags

Schitt’s Creek Book Tag

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Saturday, bibliophiles, and more importantly, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎆

This tag’s been *patiently* waiting in a little sticky note on my computer since the beginning of quarantine, so I figured that it would be good to start the year off with a cute book tag. I watched most of Schitt’s Creek in 2019, but I finished up the last season at the very beginning of quarantine, and it’s so consistently funny and feel-good!

I found this tag over at Kayla’s Wordsmithy, and the tag was originally created by Julie @ Pages and Pens and Aimee Reads over on Booktube.

Let’s begin, shall we?

SCHITT’S CREEK BOOK TAG

JOHNNY ROSE: An uplifting book with a good message

Schitt's Creek Johnny GIF | Tell-Tale TV

My first thought was This Time Will Be Different—a beautiful tale of resistance, friendship and family. (Plus, that cover…)

This Time Will Be Different — Misa Sugiura

MOIRA ROSE: An over-the-top character you can’t help but love

Unacceptable Schitts GIF - Unacceptable Schitts Creek - Discover & Share GIFs | Schitts creek, Creek, Funny comedy

Jax from Heart of Iron steals the show in both books in the duology–no shortage of witty quips and HEAPS of sass. He’s the best.

Heart of Iron (Heart of Iron, #1) by Ashley Poston

DAVID ROSE: A book that represents your aesthetic

All The Schitts Creek Gifs You Need - Funny Or Die | Funny comedy, Schitts creek, David meme

Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam perfectly fits the bill for this prompt–a quiet, atmospheric sort of space opera with an interstellar romance woven in.

On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden | Avery Hill Publishing

ALEXIS ROSE: Best character growth/arc

Go Alexis GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

I recently finished Among the Beasts and Briars (which was PHENOMENAL, by the way), and I loved Fox’s growth throughout the book. I guess being accidentally transformed into a human against one’s will just does that to the brain.

Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston

STEVIE BUDD: A book with a favorite ride or die friendship/group

Emily Hampshire Stevie Budd GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY

I love all of the chaotic space misfits in Ann Aguirre and Rachel Caine’s Honors trilogy, especially in book 3, Honor Lost. They’re all just so distinct in personality and bounce off each other so well, and they’re all just so sweet together.

Amazon.com: Honor Lost (Honors Book 3) eBook: Caine, Rachel, Aguirre, Ann: Kindle Store

TED MULLENS: Favorite book with an animal on the cover

Pop Tv GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY

Definitely not my favorite book, per se, but The Storm Crow has quite a few animals on the cover.

The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow, #1) by Kalyn Josephson

PATRICK BREWER: Ideal love interest

Pop Tv Medication GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY

Aurora Burning. One word: Kal.

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff: 9781524720926 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

COMMUNITY SERVICE: A book you read for school/buddy read/readathon challenge you had low expectations for but ended up being amazing

Amazon.com: All Out of Pretty (9781939547484): Palmer, Ingrid: Books

I read All Out of Pretty for my school’s book club a few years ago, and it blew me away! Difficult to read, for sure, but raw and powerful. I’d highly recommend it.

“EWW, DAVID!”: A book you DNF’d because the content was too much for you

Ew David GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

I wouldn’t say that Infinity Son was “too much” for me, per se, but it was just a steaming mess. I just couldn’t put up with it after about the 25% mark or so.

Amazon.com: Infinity Son (Infinity Cycle) (9780062457820): Silvera, Adam: Books

“LOVE THAT JOURNEY FOR ME”: Best series ender/overall series progression

Amazon.com: TRUEL1F3 (Truelife) (LIFEL1K3) (9781524714000): Kristoff, Jay: Books

TRUEL1F3 was my absolute favorite of the Lifelike trilogy, and such an explosive end to a trilogy like no other.

“EAT GLASS”: An author/series you broke up with

Eat Glass GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

I got through the first four books in the Shatter Me series (definitely hit-or-miss, but book four was great), but then Defy Me came along with all these flat-out RIDICULOUS twists that made no sense at all, so I gave up.

Amazon.com: Defy Me (Shatter Me) (9780062676399): Mafi, Tahereh: Books

“VERY UNINTERESTED IN THAT OPINON”: A popular opinion that you disagree with

David Rose Comedy GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY

Alright, let me just say it out front: I did NOT enjoy The Cruel Prince. The worldbuilding was great and I liked the little illustrations, but none of the characters were likable. At all. And Jude and Cardan’s relationship is all kinds of toxic. (HOW AND WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE LIKE HIM?)

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) by Holly Black

I TAG ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE! And if you haven’t watched Schitt’s Creek yet, I highly recommend it!

Pop Tv Catherine Ohara GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY

Today’s song:

Realizing that both the Fargo: Year 4 score AND the long awaited Legion Season 3 score/covers came out recently was the best kind of late Christmas present

That’s it for this book tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Random

2020

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant
Jenn's Pick: The Very Best of a Very Bad Year [Contributor: Jenn] ~ Just About Write

A few months back, I was looking through my diary, and I stumbled upon an entry from around early December 2019. I was thinking about all of the movies that were (supposed to) come out this year, and I wrote something along the lines of “2020 is gonna be my year!”

Boy, I had no way of knowing how astronomically wrong I was about that.

But you’ve heard everyone say how unprecedented and generally awful this year was. And a lot of it sucked for me too–grieving, doing school online, general paranoia about the state of the world, and, well, the ongoing global pandemic. So I think we can all agree that 2020 definitely sucked on some level.

i can go lower - GIF on Imgur

But I’m not here to talk about all that. For even though this year was awful for everybody, there were still some bright spots. I read some amazing books, discovered new music, got introduced to some amazing movies, discovered my new favorite show (Fargo!), and I even finished the first drafts of not one, but two of my WIPs!

And in terms of this blog, it’s been a pretty good year, I’d say. This was my first full year doing this whole book blogging (mostly) thing semi-seriously, and now I’m almost at 350 followers! I started getting eARCs through Edelweiss as well, so that’s been an adventure. Along the way, I’ve found so many like-minded souls and discovered so many unique and wonderful blogs. So thank you all for helping me get through this trash fire of a year. Lots of love to all of you. 💗

Now, as with last year, I have a few new year’s resolutions for this blog:

  • I’m going to start putting trigger warnings/content warnings for the books I review. I really should’ve started this earlier, but I think it’s a great way to inform readers of what they’re in for, and if there’s certain elements that they would react negatively to. Again, should’ve started this earlier…whoops…
  • I might do monthly wrap-ups, probably starting at the end of January. I already do weekly updates, but I like the idea of compiling everything I’ve read in the span of a month sounds fun. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how much I actually read in the span of a month…

But other than that, you can probably expect what I usually do here. I’ll try to do more original posts soon (I have one planned, so stay tuned!), but I promise that this blog in 2021 will have lots of bookish (and non-bookish) content and more.

So let’s get through 2021 together. Good or bad, we can all support each other to move past the dumpster fire that this year was. Let’s better ourselves, be kind to others, spread all the love we can, and for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE JUST WEAR YOUR MASKS AND LISTEN TO THE SCIENTISTS. IT REALLY ISN’T THAT HARD.

Heart Love GIF by Jef Caine - Find & Share on GIPHY

[ahem] anyway, I suppose this concludes 2020. We can do this, everybody. As always, lots of love. 💗

you'll be ok gif - Google Search

The final song of 2020:

That’s it for this year! (good riddance…)

As always, have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves. And a happy new year to all.

Posted in Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (12/29/20)–Cemetery Boys

Posted on by Madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles, and welcome to the last Book Review Tuesday of the year!

I figured this book would be a good note to end a year of reviews on, judging from how much hype it’s gotten this year. I put it on hold a few months back (sometime in the summer, I think?) and it just came into the library a few weeks ago. It’s got a super high average rating on Goodreads (4.41 at present) and no shortage of glowing reviews, but although it didn’t live up to all the hype for me, it was still a cute story of ghosts and #OwnVoices queer joy.

Enjoy this week’s review!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Cemetery Boys–Aiden Thomas

Yadriel’s conservative family doesn’t accept him as a trans boy, but he remains determined to prove himself to them–by any means possible. His means? Summoning the spirit of Miguel, his murdered cousin. Problem is, Miguel isn’t the spirit he summons–by accident, he summons Julian Diaz, his high school’s troublemaker. Julian joins forces with Yadriel and his best friend Maritza to find out how he died–but they might uncover something more sinister in the process.

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This one was easily one of the most hyped YA books of this year, and I was definitely excited for it, even if I tried not to get my expectations too high. I wouldn’t say it was a disappointment for me, but it didn’t live up to the mountain of hype for me. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Let’s start off with the good stuff. First off, the representation! I loved seeing the variety of Latinx representation and culture (and I was especially excited to see that Julian was Colombian-American!), as well as the diversity of gender and sexuality, especially with Yadriel. For some reason, I see hardly any trans boys in YA literature, but I love that we have this fantastic #OwnVoices rep in Cemetery Boys!

And beyond that, this novel managed to be appropriately spooky and lighthearted at the same time. There was definitely a kind of 80’s paranormal vibe to it, which I really enjoyed. I loved the intricacies of the brujx culture, as well as all of the individual laws of what a ghost can/cannot do. It’s always interesting to see each author’s different takes on the limits of ghosts and spirits. Never a dull moment.

However, Cemetery Boys wasn’t without its flaws. My main problem was the writing itself–it seemed to lean too much on telling as opposed to showing, and it felt a bit too bare-bones for my taste. Maybe it’s just me. And even though I love the representation, Yadriel wasn’t the most likable of protagonists, either–he came across as rather entitled and whiny, for me. A bit self-centered.

Also, I feel like there was an opportunity to discuss some of the sexism in Yadriel’s conservative family; I get that the point of the whole “stay behind with the women” scene was to highlight how much of a transphobic jerk Yadriel’s dad was, but especially seeing that Maritza has a significant role in the book, I feel like that could have been addressed instead of ignored completely. Thomas did a great job of highlighting aspects of trans life and tackling transphobia, but there was definitely a missed opportunity to challenge some of the present sexism.

Most of my other issues were more nit-picky though; Yadriel’s dad changed his mind about Yadriel a *bit* too quickly for realism, but honestly? It’s what we need. And you know why? Because queer people need happy endings too. (@ Netflix please tell me you hear me) And Cemetery Boys was the perfect kind of feel-good story of trans joy.

All in all, a feel-good, #OwnVoices tale that struggled in the writing and protagonist department, but made up for some of it with LGBTQ+/Latinx representation and a lighthearted paranormal vibe. 3.5 stars!

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Cemetery Boys is a standalone (and Thomas’ debut), but they are also the author of the forthcoming retelling Lost the Never Woods, slated to arrive in March 2021.

Today’s song:

That’s it for the last Book Review Tuesday of the year! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!