Another reading roundup! March and April were somewhat more succesful than the first two months of the year, and much less disappointing, with 3 novels and 3 graphic novels.



FICTION

Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]

Historical Fiction. In the early 1900s, the ambitious Vivian Lesperance is determined to escape her small-town life. In New York she finds Oscar Schmidt, middle manager at a soap company. She's gay, he's gay and easily manipulable, they get married. Enter old money scion Squire Clancey, who is rich and autistic and very into candles at the moment. Under Vivian's careful guiding hand, personal care empire Clancey & Schmidt is formed. But running a business while your "partners" are more interested in each other than the work can take its toll.

3.5 perhaps? I enjoyed this book, but I think it was lacking in just enough ways that I can't quite give it 4 stars. While I don't mind an omniscient narrator in the sense that it's not a writing quirk that annoys me (but apparently some readers feel more strongly about it), I do feel like it prevents the reader from getting to know the characters as in-depth as I would've liked. Maybe I'm just more used to reading historical romances than historical lit fic, but it felt like there was a lot more "telling" rather than "showing" given how much of the book was narration rather than dialogue or action. The prose might also be a sticking point for some people, but I thought it was well-written and stylistically fun, slightlyyy bordering on pretentious but never tipping over the line.

It's an interesting premise (I am a fan of exploring lavender marriages in historical fiction) and the characters were interesting enough, especially Vivian. She's not very likable, but she had the most going on for her of the three imo, with her ambition and devotion to the business conflicting with her struggles emotionally connecting with people. Which I suppose is why the ending was slightly disappointing with how it sort of just...drops everything. I also would have preferred to see more of the relationship build up before the time skip, both for Oscar/Squire and for the trio as a whole.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

Fantasy Mystery. In a world where monstrous Leviathans threaten the safety of a powerful empire surrounded by walls built to keep them out, engraver Dinios Kol is magically enhanced with the perfect memory. He employs these talents as the assistant to eccentric investigator Ana Dolabra as the two of them are called upon to solve the mysterious murder of a man who died when a tree spontaneously grew out of his body. Of course this death is no mere accident, and Din and Ana must uncover a scheme that threatens the whole empire.

This was a good book! Though I feel like I'm the only person for whom the murder mystery was the least interesting part. The mystery plot was very well-crafted, I enjoyed it, but it never really shocked or surprised me in any way. Maybe I'll forever be chasing the high of experiencing Murder on the Orient Express for the first time, I don't know. I don't tend to read mysteries so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

Otherwise I enjoyed this book a lot, and it was the characters and worldbuilding that really caught me. I'm very excited to get my hands on the second book. Ana and Din are a fun team, and the secondary characters were interesting and Din meshed with them in equally interesting ways. The universe is very intriguing, I'm looking forward to learning more about the Empire/the leviathans/Ana herself in the next book hopefully!

(Also it was so funny reading this and being like, okay, Din definitely has something going on with this side guy, if a normal person was writing this I would be predicting they're gonna hook up, but unfortunately a presumably straight guy is writing this book and we know how straight male fantasy writers are. Imagine my shock later in the book when they were confirmed into each other sdjfhskjhfs I'm so sorry for doubting you Robert Jackson Bennett.)

Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

YA Horror. Andrew Perrault is a high school senior who likes to write macabre fairytales. When he returns to Wickwood Academy for his final year, Andrew discovers that his best friend (whom he is in love with), artist Thomas Rye, has been fighting off nightmarish monsters in the woods outside school. Turns out that Thomas's drawings are coming to life and killing anyone close to him, and Andrew and Thomas are the only ones standing between them and the destruction of their school.

The writing in this book is very pretty and atmospheric, much like the horror it contains: the forest as monster, beautiful flowers twisted into grotesque body horror. There were definitely a few descriptions that left me a little queasy as someone who rarely interacts with horror media, but I really enjoyed this book. There's a little bit of mystery, a little romance, and lots of monsters. There's also some really cool monster illustrations! I didn't see the twist coming until the first "obvious" indicator that something was amiss so they definitely got me there lol.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

YA Fantasy. Dorian Leith can see ghosts, and he uses this power to help them move on. When the key to Death’s Door is stolen, preventing anyone from being able to go into the afterlife, the ghosts turn to Dorian for help. If they don't move on, they're consumed by a ghostly rot that begins to drive them mad...

This was a fun and slightly melancholy graphic novel about death and grieving. I enjoyed both the overarching plot and the meditations on grief, fear, and burnout. Because the MC is literally a ghost therapist there is a decent amount of "therapy speak" in the dialogue, but at least there's an obvious reason for it in this lol. The art was very cute too, with some appropriately spooky designs for the ghosts in certain parts. Overall I enjoyed this one!

A Song for You & I by K. O'Neill (★★★★☆) [goodreads]

Middle Grade Fantasy. Rowan is training to become a ranger, but when they get their partner, a flying horse named Kes, injured in their eagerness to prove themself, Rowan starts to doubt their own abilities. Assigned an easy task traveling across the countryside while Kes heals, Rowan teams up with lackadaisical sheep herder Leone as the two of them attempt to overcome their personal struggles.

A cozy fantasy about connecting with nature and discovering your true self. The art in this was lovely, a very soft style with lots of atmospheric scenes and beautiful landscapes. I don't think I enjoyed this one quite as much as the Tea Dragon books or The Moth Keeper, but it's still a worthwhile read for any K. O'Neill fan and I'd especially recommend it for that middle grade age group. Good trans/NB rep for the younger readers.

All Princesses Die Before Dawn by Quentin Zuttion (★★★☆☆) [goodreads]

Contemporary. "August 3, 1997. In the bathroom of his suburban home, eight-year-old Lulu is trying on his mom’s lipstick. He dreams of kissing his best friend, a neighborhood boy. Meanwhile, his teenage sister, Cam, covers her much-older boyfriend sneaking up to her bedroom by blasting the latest summer hits. In the kitchen, their mother is waiting for their father, who didn’t come home last night. On TV, newscasters are announcing the death of Princess Diana...."

A short slice-of-life graphic novel that follows a day in the life of a single family, its members all struggling with a different kind of relationship problem. The art is very nice, with a dreamy quality to it that fits the fairy-tale vibes. Unfortunately I don't have much more to say about this one, good or bad!