Reviews and Comments

Miriam Robern

miriamrobern@books.theunseen.city

Joined 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Housewife who reads and writes on the side.

In another life I got a BA in English Literature, which means I've read all the white men authors. I'm now making up for lost time by reading all the women authors and queer authors and authors of colour.

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The Awakening by Kate Chopin (Paperback, 2013, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform) 3 stars

The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899. Set in New …

No The Ending Is Not Good, Actually

2 stars

Content warning Spoileriffic!

The Transition Zone 5 stars

Mostly, he's been running from his feelings. His father died years ago, and with no …

Zoom

5 stars

Sleek and streamlined, this is a story optimized for speed. It's a quick read, but not a vapid one. The characters are deftly rendered in minimalist strokes and the plot moves forward quickly and inexorably, like an endurance run. Crossing the finish line is well worth it.

Alex 4 stars

By all accounts, Xander's life is pretty great. His family is loving, his best friend …

Good Transition-Romance

4 stars

Zoe Storm writes a great transition-romance story today, and this is one of her earliest forays. Which is to say: it's simple, straightforward, and well-executed. It's light on the startling insights into the human condition but the characters are well drawn, the conflicts paced nicely, and the plot pays off in a wholly satisfying way. It's an early work, but it's still a solid creative effort.

Falling All In (Bella Books) 5 stars

Podcaster Sarah Cooper is used to giving others advice but when her own relationship crumbles, …

Complex Characters and Very Satisfying Romance

5 stars

Villaneuve draws some deft characters with maddening hangups crashing into each other's lives, wanting to connect while not wanting to want to connect because they have so many other bigger priorities. It's profoundly satisfying to see them get over themselves.

(Also there are girls kissing which is my only barometer of quality any more.)

Enemies of Dorley Hall 5 stars

The Sisters of Dorley Hall series continues.

(Proper back cover copy still pending.)

Superlative Social Commentary Masquerading as a (Very Long) Shitpost

5 stars

This book series started as a jokey premise but it grew into something much more and in its third installment it is blossoming into incredible colour, incisive commentary, and challenging themes. Greaves continues to deliver powerful plotting, charming prose, and fascinating character portraits.

I'd say I cannot wait to see where this goes but I'm going to have to wait regardless.

Welcome to Dorley Hall 5 stars

Mark Vogel is like the older brother Stefan Riley never had, until one day he …

Absurdly Good

5 stars

This feels like one of those jokes that went too far and then struck gold. It takes a very niche story trope—there's a secret conspiracy feminizing young men into girls!—and turns it on its ear—a trans girl discovers the conspiracy and accidentally-on-purpose gets herself "captured." But then it peoples this whacky story with a raft of deftly-drawn and inescapably human characters, a labyrinthine backstory, and a compelling day-to-day progression of multiple plotlines. And the end result is one of the most incisive examinations of dysphoria ever produced. I cannot recommend this book (and its sequels) highly enough!

To Own the Libs 5 stars

How far would you go? Seven months ago, Lily started transitioning.

It had been a …

Genius Roasting and Heartwarming Self-Revelations

5 stars

Storm takes this absolutely absurd premise and makes it work—the protagonist is believable, the plot development inevitable, the unfolding revelations and romance are beautiful. There is no small measure of humour, as well, and deep wells of compassion for all of us humans stuck in such an absurd world as this. A truly marvelous book.

Performative Masculinity 4 stars

Emily Wilson has a secret: she's a girl.

No one outside of her family knows. …

Beautiful Obliviousness

4 stars

A lovely example of the genre "okay they're both in love but they're too stupid to realize it." Obliviousness is one of Storm's most finely-honed specialties, and she wields it like a painter a brush and a surgeon a scalpel. The characters are well put together, and I have an especial love for the protagonist's unquestioningly supportive family. I am confident I will go back and read this one again.

Middlemarch (EBook, Dana Estes) 5 stars

Eliot’s epic of 19th century provincial social life, set in a fictitious Midlands town in …

Middlemarch is my favorite book

5 stars

Can't believe this absolute unit of a book doesn't have many reviews. Tons of vibrant characters, loads of twisty plots, and all presented in incisive and delightful prose. It's MASSIVE and took me literal months to finish, but it's so worth it!