Qing
Overall: C+
“The Cynic's Christmas Conundrum: A Novelette” is a quick holiday romance story featuring two queer women of color. While the story centers on Amara and River's burgeoning relationship, it could benefit from deeper exploration and clearer pacing.
Amara and River are likable protagonists, and their connection is cute to follow. However, the story feels rushed - particularly in the middle and towards the end where the timeline becomes confusing. I wasn't sure how long it had been between River watching opera singer Amara's performace and her New Year's Eve announcement.
The story primarily unfolds within the two leads' apartments and has limited exploration of Brooklyn outside of throwaway lines. The setting feels generic and could easily have taken place in another city like Portland or Seattle.
The cover art is visually appealing. It showcases the two gorgeous women embracing against a beautiful cityscape backdrop. However, the typography leaves much to be desired.
Overall, “The Cynic's Christmas Conundrum” presents a sweet wintery romance with between two characters with interesting and unique professions (an opera singer and graphic designer). However, the initial conflict between Amara and River felt weak. The relationship felt more like a “weak dislike to lovers” rather than “enemies to lovers.” This book includes an explicit sex scene. It is a quick read for those looking for a lighthearted wlw romance.
Overall: C+
“Hex” was recommended in “101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered” book and the entry intrigued me. Looking for something creepy, I grabbed it from Libby. After finishing it, however, I realize “Hex” is one of those books with an original, intriguing idea that would have been better executed by a different author.
The premise of a town cursed by the haunting of a creepy 18th century is a novel one and the first half of the book sets it up effectively. It's just the rest of the story that unravels.
A few things frustrated me. The first thing was the treatment of women. They are either terribly written or completely irrelevant. Women don't have to be central to a narrative, but at least treat them as human beings if they are included.
The second thing is the relentless focus on breasts and nipples. There are booby (boobie....?) looking things. There are boob grabs. There is boob mutilation. Boob, boob, boob...nipple. It's like the author had a deeply unsettling experience with breastfeeding or something.
Final thing was the ending. The descent into crazy shit makes sense with the themes of religious fervor and conformity. However, I still hated HOW it go to that ending.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the first half of the book. The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job. The witch was genuinely intimidating and scary and I was invested in the impending reckoning that she was going to unleash. However there were also plotholes and nonsensical character actions. “Hex” is a book that I really wanted to love but just like. I think I only like it because of the potential I see in it. It seems this author has splendid story ideas but poor execution.
Overall: B+
The book started off sluggish, but by the middle, it picked up, and I couldn't put it down. The premise of colonizing a planet with a sentient “Mother Nature” in goop form was really intriguing, but there needed to be more world building. Character development was arguably the strongest aspect of the book. Vinh and Amara's toxic relationship, along with their dynamic with Jesse, was compelling. However, I think the focus on this dynamic weakened the horror aspects of the story. While I haven't read many books with environmental horror, I felt like more could have been done here.
I could have used more horror elements and world building, but what is there is genuinely fascinating. This story will stick with me for a while.
