Star Eater Reads

Book: Platform Decay by Martha Wells Publishes: May 5, 2026

I’ll keep this a bit short, because if you’ve read Murderbot Diaries, then it doesn’t take much for me to convince you to read it. But if you haven’t ready Murderbot Diaries, then WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? This one literally comes out the day after this review is posted.

As always, Wells makes a perfect mix of action with a tinge of Murderbot’s sarcastic humor and a touch of its unintentional wholesomeness. Our aroace icon is to rescue one of its human’s family members from being hostage through a whole structure that surrounds a planet. It never ceases to amaze me how much grander and cosmic the worldbuilding gets in these books.

Also, if you are a fan of Three cameos, you’re in luck!! (I am such a big Three fan, lowkey underrated character). Murderbot, our monarch of the stars though it would hate that level of attention - I will absolutely praise the great joy of the Murderbot Diaries. Seriously, if you aren’t already reading these, start now.

What’s good to note is that if you haven’t read book 7 (System Collapse), that’s alright, you won't be spoiled too much (but I’ll just silently judge why you’re skipping randomly in the series). You do still need context from some previous books before that though, so keep that in mind. If you’re debating on picking up the next in the series, please absolutely read this one! There’s a slightly more wholesome tone to it than the last couple that I surprisingly really liked (and needed).

It also wouldn't be right for me to not hype up Kevin R. Free reading for the audiobook. I did not get an ALC, but he has done such a consistent job all across the board for every book so far, so if you are considering about getting the audiobooks, treat yourself because he does such a perfect job of capturing Murderbot, truly.

Nevertheless, I want to thank Tor Publishing Group and Edelweiss for gifting this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review of the book. Thank you, Martha Wells, for bringing such a fun and iconic aro-ace character to life. I also want to thank you for reading and supporting this blog. In this silly and strange universe, you matter to me. Take it easy out there. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Book: The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee Publishes: May 5, 2026

The concept of a samurai in a science fiction setting already had me intrigued. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a middle-aged protagonist. So much current sci-fi/fantasy feels like it centers on characters in their 20s, and sometimes maybe their 30s (excluding all those fae that are hundreds of years old or whatever). So much of just the concept of this book was already pretty refreshing to come into. I do wish I had the time and energy to have read this sooner, but life happens, and I’m glad I can even get this review out by the time of the book’s release (the day after this review comes up).

The premise I’ve pitched this book for others to read is a sci-fi samurai who investigates the mysterious disappearance of her worst ex-apprentice in a foreign, icy world that has been isolated from Earth for centuries, and now this world is corporation-run and corporation-ruled as they work to slowly warm the deadly cold climate. I recognize it isn’t a pitch that will catch everyone, but I feel like it encaptures the aspects that intrigued me the most.

When I started reading the first couple chapters, I recognized the slow pace and had that bad feeling I might DNF (because I really can’t stand slow paced books, sorry), but I found myself surprised that I couldn’t put this book down. I kept going and going, wanting to find out the next part of the mystery, figure out what happened in both Isako’s and Martim’s careers as she uncovers more of what happened. I found myself so curious about this world and the internal conflicts within the corporate entanglements of the story.

The characters intrigued me so much. The level of detail that is given to their characterization and moral beliefs, where and when lives interweave between the characters, and the different history that Isako shares with each of them (or even their history with each other) had me making constant mental notes. Also, for once, the protagonist knowing such a large amount of characters beforehand (because she’s been in the industry for such a long time). Plus, I actually felt that every character’s strengths and weaknesses were very balanced. Nobody felt too strong, too safe, or even too smart, leaving every conflict and encounter as a pretty fair coin toss. I am not fond of mysteries outside of my occasional dabbles into Nancy Drew stories, but this was one mystery I needed to get to the bottom of with Isako.

Even though I was able to predict a couple events in the novel, getting to the point they happen in the story still hit me like a punch to the gut. The emotional beats that Isako encounters really hit more than I anticipate, and I - like Isako - found myself more attached to other characters by the end of the novel than I anticipated (so get ready for some nice and somewhat subtle character development).

My only nitpick with the book - which is surprising that I would even be one to write this (as I clock in about a 0.75 on the apple visualization scale of 0-5); I did end up wanting more visual description of the world itself. There are descriptions for specific buildings and rooms, but never really describing the city in visual detail that makes it specific or iconic to itself compared to that of a normal city. It’s completely possible I forgot a paragraph, but I would have liked to know what certain cities looked like more compared to others. It didn’t lower my enjoyment of the book much, it’s more of a small preference.

A 500+ page read is a hard pick for people who don’t often read that length, I get it. But this really is a book to take your time with - absorb the information, organize out the clues, piece together your theories - then come back to read more. For anyone looking for a good slow-paced intersection between mystery and sci-fi, this book is such a good pick.

In any case, I want to thank Orbit Books and Edelweiss for gifting this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review. I also want to thank Fonda Lee for creating this incredible novel that I’m pretty sure I’m going to dwell on for the next few weeks. I, of course, want to thank you for reading and supporting this blog, and a reminder, dear reader, that in this infinite and cold universe, you matter to me. With spring rains coming around, make sure to take a moment to cozy up and enjoy the gentle comfort of the rain; you deserve a break every once in a while, too. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Book: Break Room by Miye Lee, translated by Sandy Joosun Lee Publishes: April 28, 2026

What are we like to the people around us in the break room? We find ourselves at work as us at our most normal, whatever that may entail. This is the same sentiment I’m sure many of the contestants within the Break Room walked in thinking.

I felt like I had walked in and right out of this novella. It was shorter than I expected, and I found myself going back repeatedly, picking up new details and putting together new ideas in my head about each of the characters and myself. There is very little I can share without spoiling, so I highly recommend you read the book yourself, set it down for a couple days, then come back and read it again.

This book had me reflecting on things about myself. I find most of the things I do at work pretty “normal,” whatever normal means, I suppose. The few things I do out of the norm has been a delight for my coworkers (i.e. my sense of whimsy and propensity to dance a little jig when a good song comes on). Perhaps this is what makes me not be the office villain, but when I went to work the day after I finished this book, I went for my lunch break and felt a smidge more conscious of each thing I did. Is there about my routine that is weird? Is it weird that I have a routine? I like to think that me turning on the exact same Markiplier video every time I am stressed and gone to lunch is the only weird thing I do. (FNAF: Help Wanted 2 - Part 5, by the way)

Following Ice Cube as he figured out the rules of the show and clawed for new information about his fellow contestants had me leaning in like listening into office gossip. Lee has such a good hand on keeping just the information you are curious about just far enough out of reach. It has left me thinking for days after finishing this story about the characters, the show, the show’s reception, the main character, and maybe even the possible cast for the supposed second season of the show.

My largest complain about this book, to be blunt, is the cover. The US cover it is releasing with is one of the ugliest book covers I have ever had the displeasure of seeing. This is also why I have both the US cover and the beautiful UK/original cover up for this review. I have no clue who is behind the design decision for the US cover, but this feels like an absolute crime of the arts to replace the lovely cover with the tacky colors, minimalist-of-the-minimalist picart style, inconsistency in the lining of the various objects, and the jarring choice of title/author arrangement. This does not knock down my opinion of the book’s content itself, but I needed to make it clear how disappointed I am with the art for the US cover.

Aside from that, my only other issue I took is that the book feels a bit too short. I feel there was a bit more content within the show that could have shed some light on things I felt didn’t get satisfyingly concluded, though that may also have been through condensing phrases in translation. That isn’t to say the translation is bad, just the opposite.

The translation by Sandy Joosun Lee is incredible. I like to believe that when a work is translated, you gain a new layer of interpretation within a text - something between the reader and the author. Translating itself is an art, and it was clear Sandy Lee was very intentional and thoughtful in the placement and choice of every single word in this book. There is still a sense of magic despite the setting being a totally contemporary world. While I have not read the original Korean text, I think this is one of the best translations I’ve read.

Thank you to Miye Lee for bringing this fresh perspective into the world and Sandy Joosun Lee for expanding it for others to read. It is a blessing. Thank you to Bloomsbury Press and NetGalley for gifting an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review of the book. I also want to thank you for reading and supporting my reading blog! A reminder to you, dear reader, that in this strange and vibrant universe, you matter to me. Stay hydrated and stay cool out there. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Current books planned to read for April:

+ Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir + Platform Decay by Martha Wells [ARC] + The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee [ARC] + Sleeping on Paper Boats, Vol. 2 by Teki Yatsuda

I know I have been doing a hard take off on all my reviews this last week. I am out of the depressive hellscape of winter, but my real life has been a whirlwind so far this year! I think I ended up slowing down to about a book or two a month? Of course, I don’t expect myself to beat my insane count of over 120 in 2024, but I’ve since shifted my goals out of reading quantity. Last year had been about expanding my reading, and this year is now trying to lower down the TBR list.

Some life updates. I started doing full time classes in college and still working part time at my favorite bookstore, so last year’s absence of posts was mostly time management. I don’t intend to regularly post, but whenever I finish a book, I do plan to post it up here, if I get around to it. My entire bookcase/bookshelves crashed, so about 85% of my books are now sitting in unorganized stacks on a spare desk in my study/office room. I have yet to find a good bookcase at the moment, but they all seem fairly happy where they sit at least. Although, honestly, seeing them in so many stacks does really place the pressure on how much my physical TBR has truly grown…

My bingo board I made earlier this year has yet to have a single mark, which really stems from me getting through my ARCs, which is what pushed me to read and review the last few posts on my blog. I am lucky I have enjoyed all of them thus far, I feel bad when I DNF ARCs, but I’ve made a habit of DNFing books I don’t like past page 50, considering how short on free time I have amidst my studies. Hopefully, it isn’t a habit that sticks too tight after graduation.

I also recently read Come Closer by Sara Gran. I had debated on making a review for it, but I worried it may be too harsh. I was utterly bored with the book the entire way through, but I also know I wouldn’t have picked it up if it weren’t picked for a horror book club I like to attend. I can tell it is decently well written, but I just wasn’t a fan throughout the entire book. I had even worried about reading it at night (which I tend to avoid reading horror before bed), only to wind up reading the whole thing past midnight and had zero feelings about the characters except maybe a minor annoyance. I’m still unsure about posting a legitimate blog review, but let me know if you’d like to see one.

I’m excited about my upcoming reads. I’ve been recommended by every queer and their mother to read Gideon the Ninth, every one touting it is absolutely my vibe (which, come on, lesbian necromancers in space is absolutely something I would be into). Now that it’s been picked for my sci-fi/fantasy book club (which if you want to read along, we do have a Storygraph challenge up). I will always love Murderbot, so I’m excited to see the next installment. Sleeping on Paper Boats had been an impulse purchase back in November. It was such a beautiful cover, but I don’t read much yaoi manga in particular (or just manga in general), but when I saw it was also classified under horror, I decided to pick it up. I’ve been meaning to read volume 2, but just never got around to it among other reads, but I loved the first volume and am a bit sad it is so short, but supposedly, all the best manga are (according to my friends). [Also, this has led me to purchase the first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died, which is on my shelf and will read… eventually.] Lastly, Last Contract of Isako is the one I know least about. I’ve had my eye on Jade City, Fonda Lee’s other book, but I was gifted this ARC and- as much as it is a chonker compared to my other recent reads (though it will be comparable to Gideon), I look forward to giving this book a shot.

This has already been a much longer starlog than I anticipated, but if you enjoy seeing my funky update on my life and reading, let me know. I may post a starlog a month or something (hopefully shorter), I’m not sure yet. We’re just coasting through the cosmos at the moment, going where the cosmic current takes us.

Book: Year of the Mer by L.D. Lewis Publishes: April 7, 2026

If there is ever a way to sell me on a book, the words ‘sapphic’ and ‘fantasy’ are gonna immediately catch my attention. I was pitched this ARC with those being in the first sentence and all else I glanced was some inspiration from The Little Mermaid, whether it Hans Christian Andersen’s or Disney’s, it didn’t matter because I knew I'd eat it up. I read a mermaid princess book a long time ago and was heartbroken it didn’t lead to her getting with her loyal best friend and instead the merman who showed up in book 3. I needed my sapphic mermaids like ten years ago.

Let me settle the Little Mermaid expectations before hyping you for this book because I need others to read this novel so I can talk about it with them. The inspiration is a sort of far off continuation, the future descendant of Ariel and how the world of mers and humans went on with a mer princess becoming queen to a human land. While it took me a while to put the pieces together, I must confess it was because I was an idiot who did not even recognize how Queen Arielle’s name being similar to Ariel until about 75% through the book (I know, I know, but I glanced back through the book and saw everything else tie together, so trust me on this one). This isn’t a retelling by any means, and I love it so much more for that. (Frankly, I’m a little tired of retellings lately).

The book takes a bit longer than I expected to setup but in retrospect, it actually works out much better. It sets up the political tension in a period of peace time that doesn’t feel like it’ll last. It sets up Princess Yemaya’s ambitions, her relations to each of the characters the support the Crown, including her romance with her loyal very personal guard, Nova. Thankfully, history isn’t shoved all in the beginning and is instead interspersed throughout the novel, coming up when relevant to provide context. The twists throughout the plot feel well supported but also not too predictable; there were a handful of twists that I did not predict myself.

The tone of the book is dark and fairly serious with many brief moments of characters poking fun or taunting each other that brings a levity that neatly breaks up the heavy overtones of the story. Bloodthirst is a common running theme throughout the novel that really intrigued me. Running parallel to this bloodthirst is the consistent warnings to Yemi to not be tempted or cave into rage or revenge, and yet within her is a vindictiveness with an underlying thirst for blood. Yemi’s temptation and chase for this is something many marginalized peoples feel but learn to tame so early on. All around Yemi, she is surrounded by people who have no luxury to right any wrongs they are done. Yemi, being a princess, is too privileged in her incoming power to recognize what consequences, what life others will have to go through in the aftermath of whatever revenge she intends to exact. Yet at the same time, there is a satisfaction to following Yemi on this crimson path. Where the path leads and what happens on it, I’ll leave you to read and find out.

As much as this is a fantasy story about merpeople and an impulsive princess with her loyal lady knight, it is also a tale of feminine rage, of power, and of revenge. I was also lucky enough to obtain an ALC for this book, and Janina Edwards brings a smoothness like breath below an ocean current to this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The teasing between Yemi and Nova was sweet and fun in Edwards’ voice, and I loved her voice for Ursla. Absolutely phenomenal job. This book is amazing in both print and audio format for either audience. Anyone looking for an unhinged main character, look no further.

I want to give a thank you to L.D. Lewis for bringing this awestriking work into the world. While I place no immediate pressure, I truly hope to see more of the land and waves of this murky, bloody story (if there is a continuation). Thank you, Edelweiss and Saga Press for gifting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Additionally, thank you Libro.fm and Simon & Schuster Audio for a nice glimpse into the ALC. I will absolutely be hyping up this book in my bookstore and to all my reader friends, especially as I think this will make a nice dark start to the warmer seasons of this year. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog! A reminder to you, dear reader, that in this vast ocean of stars and cosmos, you matter to me. Stay hydrated this season and keep cool. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Book: The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens Publishes: May 26, 2026

As someone who is a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons, this book definitely felt like a D&D adventure. The tone matches with the playful and clumsy vibe of the typical adventuring party.

In the past, I had read and reviewed So This is Ever After which I had described similarly. In comparison, this new book is far more adventurous and focuses less on romance, which worked perfectly for this story. When I reread So This is Ever After with one of my book clubs, more than one of us had mentioned wanting to know what happened on their quest and wondering how Lukens might write such a tale. While this follows a completely new adventuring party and likely a very different, slightly more fantastical world, I think it was very fun for Lukens to take the readers on this great adventure across the kingdom of Avoury. The shenanigans and hijinks the party goes through across their travels kept me wanting to come back for more, always curious what happens next. It’s an excitement for adventure I’ve always related to my youth.

I enjoyed the bits of world-building interwoven through the novel alongside the ecological world-building of the fauna across the land. Not enough fantasy books go into the ecology of fantasy creatures aside from dragons, so it was very refreshing to see the behaviors of things like little pixies and manticores - where they might rest, where they stand on the food chain, how are they affected by human disturbance. Also, the range of monsters featured across the book was very fun and truly felt like the adventure I often search for in adventure novels, yet the way Ellinore goes about such encounters also sort of subverts the expectations placed on a typical hero. The party as a whole makes me think of my own D&D party, especially in our early days and our sillier, low-level adventures.

The romance is a bit awkward at times, but I think Lukens wrote it that way purposefully. While I don’t typically like YA romance plots because of the strong second-hand embarrassment/cringe from the characters over-analyzing or over/under-reacting around their crush is a bit too much for me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic and interactions between Ellinore and Aven. I do particularly enjoy a good rivals-to-lovers trope, even if I didn’t get the strongest sense of rivalry to start. This romance felt a bit weaker in comparison to Lukens’ other novels, but I don’t mind it taking a backseat to the high fantasy aspects of the adventure, though I know some usual readers of Lukens’ YA novels may tend to prefer the romance. (I personally enjoy anything from F.T. Lukens, romance or fantasy or both!)

Ellinore’s character development across the novel was very satisfying to read, which is something I don’t comment on very much. The other characters had their own unique color, but they also worked very well into highlighting Ellinore’s strengths, acting as simultaneously good hype support and good lesson teaching. It truly showed a bit more of Ellinore’s internal vs external struggle more. These dynamics sort of felt to me that Ellinore gives the vibes of Geralt (from the Witcher series), but in much lighter of a setting and holding a higher propensity for silliness. The dialogue between each of the characters is fun and feels fluid. While it doesn’t follow typical high fantasy style, the casual tone aids this book being a quick and fun read.

Out of the couple I’ve read so far, this is probably my favorite of Lukens’ novels. Anyone looking for a fast, easy read that is just an overall fun, high fantasy adventure, I’d definitely recommend this. I think for people who like fantasy media and are having a hard time coming back into reading, this is also a fantastic book to start.

Thank you, F.T. Lukens, for creating this fantastic adventure! (Also, if you ever wrote a TTRPG One-Shot campaign booklet, I’d totally get it!) I definitely look forward to the release of The Last Best Quest Ever, and I hope it receives attention across all the lands! Thank you, NetGalley and Margaret McElderry Books for gifting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review. While I’m sure she wouldn’t enjoy it, I hope Ellinore receives all the attention from our world, too. Thank you all for reading and supporting my blog! A reminder to you, dear reader, that in this often dreary and slowly more dystopian world, there is magic in the right places when you know where to look, especially within you, and remember, you matter to me. I hope you are having a lovely spring and holding tight in the wavering temperatures, and also staying safe wherever you are. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Book: Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne Publishes: July 7, 2026

Cozy scifi truly is the future. I admit I was hesitant at first - the cozy fantasy subgenre has started to wear down on me, honestly. I’ve had some of the most difficult few months in my life, and this book provided not only a comforting place within the Destitute but also gave me the wonder of exploring new places in the galaxy, the good warm feeling of having completed an adventure, and the peace to know that no matter how difficult it gets, I’ll be okay.

I found myself dropping all my other books to find solace in this one, and it truly came to me in a time I really needed it. Even so, I will give a thoroughly honest review. I do love this book a lot, and I will absolutely sing its praises as always with Rebecca Thorne. I very much enjoyed the Tomes & Tea series, and this exploration surprised me. The aspects I found lacking/disliked in Tomes & Tea are completely gone in this book. Threats actually feel legitimate and the stakes feel real in many ways in this book. There isn’t a lot of safety nets already in place when risky decisions are made, which makes those decisions hold more weight when the characters take them.

The worldbuilding feels simultaneously more fleshed out and not overbuilt. There is a healthy balance between the storytelling and worldbuilding, which I appreciate not being drowned in it within the first few chapters. Details actually work their way into narration fairly naturally in most cases, which made the read easy.

I do run into one common issue I have with Thorne’s writing usually which is that the ending always feels a little rushed. Not as in it was written super fast, but - like many other endings Thorne has written - this one also feels like the pace picks up way faster than any other part of the book in the last ~50 pages. Some of the characters feels a little flat or gimmicky at times outside of a single deeper moment, but the main cast of characters all feel pretty fleshed out. I found myself particularly liking Lyric, while they are a main character, the details and personality just made me so happy and my heart set aflame. Nasra and her alien species really drew me in, too; I found myself absorbing every little detail about her, though (again, outside of a singular moment), she felt a bit flat/2-dimensional as a character (though that may just be my personal reading).

I can easily see the comparison to Murderbot Diaries in terms of character interaction and the overall feeling of each character, but they and their dialogue has Thorne’s own flavor to it, which is nice and carries a little more diva energy and flair for drama in a wonderful way. I think people who enjoy Murderbot would quickly find a favorite character in this book, but even for those who somehow didn’t find Murderbot taking up their every waking thought, the cozy atmospheric moments tied with everything else that goes down in this book make it easy to love.

As said, I do plan to hype this book up at my bookstore and book clubs. Despite my complaints, I did enjoy every moment through this book. I really appreciated this book being here in this time of my life especially when comfort and coziness is exactly what I need. Thank you for always being the awesome you, Rebecca Thorne! What an icon. Thank you NetGalley and Bramble Books for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to this release and I want all my cottagecore sapphics all over this book, including all the masc cottagecore sapphics (I see you hiding in the back, this starship wouldn’t run without y’all <3).

Thank you all for reading and supporting my blog. A reminder to you, dear reader, that in this starry & sometimes lonely galaxy, you matter to me and you are never alone. I hope you take a good moment to relax and enjoy the air on our lovely Earth, to appreciate the life we have. You are made of stardust, made of the very material that makes everything. So as you love the stars, love thyself. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

All My Noons and Midnights Are For You by Luria

Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Language of Liars by S.L. Huang [Publishes April 2026]

Calculus, Chemistry, and History textbooks

I have a primary board, and if there is a slot I wish to fill but may not want to read yet, I can replace it with the same slot on the alt board. If you got a lot of these on your TBR, feel free to join!

What's your reading goals look like this year?

Since my last update, over a month ago, it feels everything has become so heavy suddenly - we’re 4 months into 2025 and it feels like it’s been an entire year since New Years. This isn’t a new sentiment, I’m sure, and many of my own issues are an echo with many others - college tuition, chaotic work schedule, a transphobic father. There are times these things weigh too heavy, and I spent January through March reading far too many books dealing with heavy topics (a surprising amount about grief), all of which I reserve my opinions until possibly later this year since it was for judging for an award (of which I will not disclose).

I went through the beginning half of this month recovering from a reading slump, working on other hobbies to rest my brain during my off time until I was ready to return. I hope my few readers here have also partaken in some other hobbies in my absence. Without further ado, let’s see what books I’ve been consuming and could potentially become future reviews here.

Book: Interstellar Megachef by Levanya Lakshminarayan ⭐ 5 / 10

The giant donut on the cover was a brilliant marketing decision. I bought 36 donuts to my sci-fi/fantasy book club to match the cover, only for all of us to be disappointed that not a single donut appeared in the book. This very much felt like a recurring theme in my experience of reading this book.

I went into this book having expected some kind of Chef Showdown type of show, maybe even a Gordon Ramsay-type character calling the protag an idiot sandwich (as said by a friend at the book club). What I got was only just below 10% actual cooking competition and 90% space politics. I wouldn’t have minded this as much if the marketing hadn’t colored my expectations for the book (via pull quotes at the front of the book, its cover, and its blurb beginning with “Masterchef in space”) to be a much lighter atmosphere of story.

I could not bring myself to care for Serenity Ko (or any other character we randomly switching perspective to), who proved herself to be nothing more than an ignorant asshole from beginning to end with the end of her supposed arc being ‘there’s no I in team’ despite her consistent mistreatment of Saraswati, of which her being forgiven felt like it happened too easily. As much as this book succeeds in its accurate parallels of xenophobia in this universe to the racism in current-day English-speaking countries [which I can only speak for the US], it falls short in creating a satisfying awakening and education on bigotry to Serenity Ko (not that it needs to be super thorough, it just felt like it never really happened).

The casual inclusions of both every character formally introducing themself with their pronouns and the featuring of a few characters that actually used neopronouns (both went by some form of xe/xir and were both not human but I can’t complain) made my heart happy at the queer normativity within the setting. The sapphic romance developing between Saras and Ko felt pretty rushed (in writing) and didn’t feel like it actually fit into their stories. As much as I love a good sapphic romance (and I sure do love collecting them too), this just fell short of my expectations.

With as harsh of a review I feel I’m posting, I want to back up by acknowledging again that this book was written fairly well in terms of the kinds of xenophobic conflict between Earthlings and Primians. The representation of food in this conflict was also made impressingly well. I’ve had my own experiences and heard many more from other friends very similar experiences as Saraswati faced in the kitchen from Good Cheer Chaangte. These portions of the book were written so well that I feel they make this book worth the read. I would have given this book a higher rating if its marketing hadn’t clouded my expectations so much which ended up coloring much of my opinion as a reader.

Despite my low rating, I’d still recommend this book to other people with a heavy disclaimer as to the actual focuses of the book rather than what the marketing team led consumers to believe. This book stands incredibly as its own story and I would have preferred it be allowed to shine in that way.

In any case, thank you for reading and supporting my blog. A reminder to you, dear reader, that in this flavorful galaxy, you matter to me. I hope you get a good stretch in as spring slowly blossoms into the winter cold. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Book: Dust Spells by Andrea Lynn ⭐ 7.75 / 10

I’ve always been fond of the idea of dust storms (not their actual existence in reality of course). Perhaps that stems from my intense fascination (because obsession is a word too far) for severe and strange weather phenomena. A tornado in Wyoming turning red from all the red dirt it pulls up, lightning spreading out like a web and lasting several seconds before blinking out of existence because of the intensity of its electrical power.

This book takes place in the 30s, in the midst of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Following Stella, who dreams to make it out of this Southern town and become a Hollywood star, sells moonshine and helps her aunt take care of a boarding house where a drifter comes to stay that seems to particularly charm Stella. By this point, I expected this story to become a steamy historical romance, of which I am not the biggest fan of. I was pleasantly surprised when the plot took a turn as Stella, the charming drifter, and her two sisters are out getting wood from a deteriorated, abandoned house when they get caught in a dust storm. Escaping the dangerous winds and blinding dust, they take a leap into a pocket dimension with a particularly kind, ghostly gentleman who may have been crossed in his deal with the devil.

Alongside the fantastical plot, Lynn writes an intriguing look into life in the 1930s. Stella’s close relationship with her sisters, her developing feelings for Lloyd, the scars (literal and figurative) and the histories behind them from each character, the bits of Romani stories and culture shared between the sisters, and the details in the lives of background characters pulls the story together in a way that makes the daily life part of it real.

While this is a great book, my gripes are mostly from the fact I am simply not a fan of historical fiction. I’m not quite sure why it isn’t my preference, to each their own. The ending also felt a smidge rushed in my opinion. All the central conflicts were wrapped up and concluded, but I felt Archie came to his own forgiveness a little too easily. Speaking of forgiveness, while I understand she’s Stella’s sister, I feel like Lavinia was still let off the hook a little too easily for the way she treated Mattie and Stella.

All in all, I still enjoyed this novel and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in a fantastical twist on a Dust Bowl era story of 3 sisters sticking together in Great Depression Kansas.

In any case, I want to thank you for reading and supporting my blog. A reminder to you, dear reader, that in this (star-)dusty and colorful galaxy, you matter to me. I hope you have a wonderful, cozy winter. Stay warm and until next time, I’ll be reading!

Book: So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens ⭐ 8 / 10

I’ve noticed a slow uptick in D&D related romances, of which I’ve only read one and decided it wasn’t for me. Many of their blurbs feel like they are written for people who want to play D&D but haven’t, so they dream via reading a group in a book. This book doesn’t feel like that at all.

To anyone who plays TTRPGs, particularly of the high-fantasy caliber, this book properly feels set within that setting, without the strange zoom-out of seeing the players outside of the game. Each of the characters feel colorful with their own unique personalities and backgrounds, yet they all weave together well as a group that was once strangers at the start of their quest, but this book isn’t their adventure - this book is for the players who wonder what comes after? When we defeat the Vile One and his legion of the dead, when we restore the throne and put the crown upon our hero’s head, what happens after?

It plays such a delightful twist on the heroic story where the after isn’t absent of its own story. All the while, we as readers get to appreciate a good friends-to-lovers slow burn across Arek’s shenanigans. We follow the new King Arek as he realizes placing the crown upon his head unleashed a curse tethering him forevermore to the throne. Not wanting to be king and not wanting to panic his friends, he tries to find a way to break the curse or live through it, all the while hoping to avoid cursing anyone else.

I first read this book last year as an audiobook. I return to it this month with a physical copy to truly appreciate my favorite part of the whole book - the side characters all finding love for themselves, too. Set within this queernorm fantasy, they are each an absolute mess that I adore (Sionna is my favorite). They each do so well within their roles of the adventuring party and as the king’s council. Sionna, Rion, Bethany, and Lila are the true stars of the show in this novel.

While I know many people can appreciate a slow burn, and I liked this one, I typically can’t stand it (most of the time). Matt and Arek are denser than neutron stars and their constant misunderstandings of each other’s feelings do start to grind my gears as it continues to happen. They are very cute together, but multiple times, I found myself rolling my eyes at Arek misinterpreting Matt’s feelings (or vice versa).

Despite their annoyances, I still do love this book. I have two other titles from Lukens which I intend to read this year, but I couldn’t help but want to come back and give this one another read. I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a funny and sweet fantasy romance, not just for the main pair, but for the rest of the adventuring party, too.

In any case, thank you for reading and supporting my little blog. A reminder to you, dear reader, than in this fantastical and often sweet Milky Way galaxy, you matter to me. Stay hydrated and keep warm under the covers with a good book. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

Book: I Am Not Jessica Chen by Anna Liang ⭐ 6 / 10

DISCLAIMER: I want to thank Harlequin Audio and Libro.FM for gifting this ALC to me through their bookseller program. I was not paid to do this review, I have only received this free as a gift in exchange for an honest review of the book.

There’s this one quote that really stuck with me from high school that I don’t identify with quite so much since I’ve left the small bubble that was my teenage world, but it’s a phrase I can never quite let go of. Having attended a very competitive school where most of the groups I had wanted to fit into were all AP/Honors students that dedicate every minute of their lives to their success and hope of getting into an Ivy League school. I did not take all AP classes (just one), I did not get straight A’s (but close, A’s and B’s), I was not top 10%, and I took statistics instead of complex calculus classes.

Having identified much of my early life closer to my Asian ethnicity, I felt like nothing encapsulated my high school experience more than when one of my classmates joked halfway across the classroom from me - “I’m not even an Asian at this point, I’m a B’sian.” Having straight A’s, being a perfect student, perfect child, perfect person, doing everything to an inhumane level of perfection was always the high expectation placed around my Asian identity - and many other Asian-Americans could agree, I’m sure, the impossibly high standards set by parents or family members, then held up by our peers and teachers in schools - having doubts about whether it is even possible but watching someone else achieve it all effortlessly.

In this experience, Ann Liang absolutely kills it in this novel. Jenna’s experience in her constant comparison and living in the shadows of her perfect cousin, Jessica, are not only incredibly relatable but also a surprising recreation of the same feelings and experiences I’ve heard from dozens of people before. I’m aware these experiences aren’t just within the Asian community but also happen and are relatable to many others, too.

For this novel in particular, however, I truly like the subtle nods to specifically Chinese culture - Jenna’s family never drinking cold water (always hot), always having to bring something to the family gathering even when insisted not to by the host, and other little details really made me feel like I could see my friends’ families in the place of different characters. It all truly felt so real. Jenna’s relationship to it all is also written very well in a tender way that elevates the emotional aspects of the story and makes her so relatable. For most of the book, these were all the elements I really loved.