Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
"A Rip Through Time" by Kelley Armstrong 4 out of 5 stars In 2019, Detective Mallory Atkinson is in Edinburgh to be with her dying Nan. She decides to go for a jog when she’s attacked and strangled…and wakes up in 1869 in the body of housemaid Catriona. Catriona had been attacked in the same spot as Mallory, but 150 years before. Mallory believes that solving Catriona’s attack is the key to returning back to her time. But as Mallory investigates, she discovers more about Catriona’s past. She also discovers that Catriona’s master, Dr. Gray, acts as a sort of medical examiner for the police, who find themselves up against a gruesome murderer– and Mallory fears she may be the only one who can find him. So, I love Kelley Armstrong. When I saw the blurb for this book, I was SO EXCITED, and I wasn’t disappointed. Time travel and murder? Yes, please. I will say that you could probably find faults in the time travel logic, but I’m just here for a fun read, and that’s what this book is. One aspect I found very interesting in this book is how Mallory tries to navigate the world. She’s operating on knowledge from old, Victorian novels and the very little history she remembers. This leads to her making assumptions based on stereotypes. I appreciated the breaking down of these stereotypes and the focus on how these people are all human, doing the best with what they have at the time. The murder mystery of the book is also good. Yes, I had the killer pegged earlier on, but I still enjoyed how it all played out. Overall, this is a strong first book in a series and I can’t wait to see what Armstrong comes up with next! SCROLL FOR SPOILER-FILLED RANTINGS ***SPOILER-FILLED RANTINGS*** I don’t have many, but I just really just want to give a shout out to the relationship between Mallory and Isla. Isla believes Mallory’s time travel story and becomes a great ally. Towards the end, Mallory chooses her relationship with Isla over Dr. Gray, which YES. Mallory understands the hardships Isla faces as a woman in the Victorian Era and chooses not to betray her trust. Of course, I’m sure we will get some Mallory-Dr. Gray romance in future books, but for right now, the Mallory-Isla friendship is what I’m here for!
0 Comments
Hello, world! I am super late posting my April wrap-up-- oops! It's been a rough week and every time I tried to get myself to post, I just couldn't. BUT! I'm here now, so without further adieu, here is my April 2022 Wrap-Up!
1. Crushing by Sophie Burrows 4 out of 5 stars To anyone who thinks graphic novels can’t tell a story because of pictures- read this. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a wordless graphic novel, but the illustrations were beautiful and I loved that the story still came through. It’s a beautiful story about how you can feel lonely, even surrounded by people. 2. Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-America by Laura Goo 5 out of 5 stars This book is funny, heartbreaking, and just really, really good. It tells the story of Laura as she navigates the world as the queer daughter of Chinese immigrants. It also touches on her fear of being Wuhanese American during the pandemic. We see the Wuhan Laura remembers and loves. We also see Laura deal with racism, including some that she has internalized. I think this is a very important perspective that the world needs right now. 3. Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor’s Life by Marilyn Nelson 3 out of 5 stars I had never heard of Augusta Savage before reading this book. After reading it, my heart breaks for her. She overcame so many hardships and accomplished so many amazing things, just for the world to forget her. This is written in poems from Augusta’s perspective and also includes pictures of some of her work. 4. Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell 4 out of 5 stars This book is so much fun. I LOVE true crime and get judged about it a lot. I really enjoyed Hilary's exploration into why people (mostly women) love true crime so much. She acknowledges the problems with the true crime world, such as the focus on the killers rather than the victims; the fact that victims of color get little to no attention; and that many people of color are wrongly imprisoned. I also found it fascinating that she found a connection between being an anxious person and enjoying true crime because that is me. My only complaint about this book is that the type was so small on some pages and it was hard to follow the panels. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it. 5. Unlock Your Storybook Heart by Amanda Lovelace 5 out of 5 stars Every time I read this author, I feel it in my heart. 6. Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples 3 out of 5 stars I read this because I know so many people who love the series. It's a good first volume and I will definitely keep reading. 7. Cold by Mariko Tamaki 2 out of 5 stars I just wasn't feeling this one. It wasn't bad and I wanted to know how it ended. But it was okay for me. 8. The Agathas by KAthleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson 5 out of 5 stars See full review here 9. Rainbow Boy by Taylor Rouanzion, illustrated by Stacey Chomiak This is one of the cutest books I've ever read. 10. Dig Two Graves by Gretchen McNeil 5 out of 5 stars Every time I read the synopsis of the next Gretchen McNeil book, I get excited. Especially this one. Dig Two Graves is about Neve and Diane, who meet at camp and joke about "getting rid" of the bad people in their lives. Until Neve's former best friend is murdered and Neve receives a text saying, "your turn." Y'ALL. That alone had me so excited to read this and I was not disappointed. It was twisty and fun and I loved it. 11. Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram 4 out of 5 stars I am a sucker for all things boy band related and I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it showed the struggles that come with fame and how everyone is dealing with something, whether you know it or not. 12. The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle 4 out of 5 stars Content Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders This is a powerful graphic novel about mental health, friendship, and identity. I loved how Win and her friends expressed themselves through their zine. 13. A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Muldoon and Will Hernandez 5 out of 5 stars "You are valid. You aren't broken. You're not alone." This book is exactly what it says- A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality. It covers definitions and the ace spectrum, but it goes deeper than that, too. It discusses how hard it can be to realize you're ace (took me a really long time because I hadn't even heard of it until recently) and how difficult (and sometimes awkward) it is to explain it to others. I appreciate all books that discuss asexuality since there aren't many, but this one is a great intro and I highly recommend it. 14. Forward March by Skye Quinlan 5 out of 5 stars Content Warnings: homophobia, mentions of self-harm, bullying ACE LESBIAN REP!!!!!!! ***Small disclaimer that because there are so few ace books currently, I am rating this 5 stars (couldn't decide between 4 or 5). That may change somewhere down the road when there are more options. But for now, this book is probably my favorite ace book so far. I loved that we had a character discovering their queer identity as an ace lesbian. Asexuality is so under-represented in media and it's very misunderstood. This book shines a light on the spectrum of asexuality and that ace people can still have happy, healthy romantic relationships. I also appreciated that the book was about more than Harper discovering her queer identity. Yes, it was an important part of the story, but there was so much more going on. This book is also about friendship, family, and finding what makes you happy. Overall, I just really loved this book. On a personal level, I related to Harper so much. Being ace can be so confusing, especially because it is a spectrum and experiences can vary greatly. But I relate to Harper so closely and it was just so great to have that. This book will remain in my heart for a very long time. 15. A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson 5 out of 5 stars Love this book. It really is a quick and easy guide and everyone needs to read it. 16. Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement by Stella Caldwell 4 out of 5 stars This is a really great overview of the history of the LGBTQ+ movement. It definitely is more of an overview than a deep dive, but it's a great start. I learned a lot reading it and I have a lot of historical figures to research. |
Details
AuthorI'm HaileyAnne! I'm a queer librarian who loves books and kpop. Archives
August 2023
Categories |