J.S. Fields

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June 21, 2021

Review: The Silences of Ararat by L. Timmel Duchamp

Genre: contemporary fantasy / contemporary dystopian

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis bisexual / cis pansexual (unclear narratively)

Warnings: none

Review

Paulina is a sculptor in a sort of THE HANDMAID’S TALE type dystopian future, where the ultra conservative faction of the USA has splintered off (Congress of Christian American States), elected a king, and follows ‘Christian’ teachings. Her husband, the king’s advisor, has gone missing and is presumed dead, leaving liberal Paulina only her sculpture by which to show her dissent.

Queen Hermione is everything a conservative king could want – beautiful, kind, doting, and able to hang on his every word without punching him in the face.

I have to admit, the branding of her image, combining “white” purity with womanly fecundity, revolted me. In person, though, I barely noticed it, distracted by the glimpses I began to see of an intensity I’d never before noticed. Those glimpses intrigued me. Maybe, I thought, there was something below the surface of wifely perfection composed of expensive grooming and constant deference to her husband and his most trusted advisors. Hermione was, after all, an actor. It was just possible she was consciously playing the role of the young third trophy wife and not merely following the script without noting she was doing so.

The king’s paranoia drives him to eventually accuse Hermione of adultery with his brother, and the ensuing trial and altercations result in the deaths of her two children and, as far as the public knows, of Hermione herself.

Paulina is the rescuing sort, turns out, and through using her innate magic to turn living things into sculpture, she fakes Hermione’s death, rescues the queen, and sequesters her in her own house. Romance blooms, the two women plot a delicious revenge on the king, and general emotional turmoil ensues.

The thought of her life as one of unending loneliness made me want to cry. “For godlike, love. That’s not what I meant when I talked about your needing to be strong.”

She took my hand and brought it to her cheek. “You are so good to me,” she said. “Better than I deserve.”

In that moment, Hermione’s entire attention was fixed on me in a way I hadn’t before experienced. The intimate intensity of her gaze kindled a dozen small flames licking at my skin that the sensation of my fingers on her face fanned into a blaze. To conceal what I was feeling, I pulled her close in a hug. “You don’t deserve to be lonely,” I said. “You don’t deserve to be abandoned.”

I began to pull away, only to be engulfed in confusion as her lips nudged mine and her fingers stroked my neck, feeding the conflagration of my most sensitive nerve endings. I had thought my sexuality desiccated and frozen, my heart petrified into stone. But my heart now beat so powerfully that I was suggested with heat, and the pulse in my vulva beat so strongly that I could no longer think.

Out of all the Conversation Pieces by Aqueduct Press that I have read, THE SILENCES OF ARARAT is definitely in the top five strongest installments (nothing will ever evict any of the Lucy Harper books from my heart, and the one about the girl journeying through the underworld still makes me smile). The narrative is strong and tight, with little fat and solid character development. The author spends enough time developing Hermione and the king that, when the inevitable betrayal occurs, it is both expected but still heart wrenching. The slow build up to the revenge, coupled with the romance arc, made the book a quick, delightful read.

The nonlinear narration did make the first half of the book confusing, though its a novella so the confusion was short lived. By the end of the book I didn’t mind it at all, although it makes me unlikely to reread.

For a fun dystopian with a satisfying revenge plot, you can join up with Paulina and Hermione to take down the king by buying the book here.

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: bisexual, contemporary, dystopian, fantasy, pansexual

October 15, 2020

Review: The Harbinger by Mary Eicher

Genre: urban paranormal

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian

Warnings: child rape threats late in the book (a few lines from a baddie trying to be scary)

Review

‘Stunningly beautiful’ attorney Artemis Andronikos is hiking with her twin brother when he falls to his knees and clutches his head, claiming to hear loud bells. Three days later her brother dies, along with a host of other people, all of whom have heard the same bells, exactly three days prior.

Nosy reporter Lucy Breem is determined to solve the mystery of the bells and tracks down Artemis. Intrigued by Lucy’s hypotheses, Artemis agrees to help her investigate the bells and their potential significance as death harbingers. Meanwhile, the bells spread, people collectively lose their minds, and strange new religions spring up. Also children become clairvoyant and there may be angels…I’m not super clear on that part.

The premise of this book was interesting, even if the execution left something to be desired. Based in the principles of continuing human evolution, the internal head-bells are discovered to be an early warning system of impending death, potentially giving people a chance to get their affairs in order. People, of course, are notoriously bad at this, and things spin wildly out of control. Cults pop up. Entrepreneurs try to make a buck. As more and more people are affected by the bells, the situation becomes exponentially worse–though timely, as the book has a lot of the same human ridiculousness that we are witnessing right now with COVID.

Thus, the plot is inventive and dynamic. The characters are alright–the two main women are moderately three-dimensional, though Lucy’s daughter is definitely the stand-out character. The main villain is an archetype but that makes him easy to hate, which is useful in a book like this. The other POV characters mostly serve to drag out what would otherwise be a tight plot, and there’s far too much head-hopping, especially early on, to really hold reader attention.

The plot technically concludes about 50 or so pages before the book does, which is always frustrating. This could have been helped by a heavier editing pen, and in fact there were numerous scenes that rehashed early scenes from a different POV, which made the narrative drag. Some editorial tightening could have easily removed these issues and made for a much more dynamic book.

One of the reasons I didn’t really connect with Artemis and Lucy came from the writing of the romance/love scenes, which, to me, bordered on silly, dime-novel romance tropes (which are fine, in dime-novel romances):

It was a side of Artemis she hadn’t seen before, but she wasn’t all that surprised. She already had decided the astonishing woman had depths yet to be plumbed. And Lucy couldn’t deny a growing desire to plumb them.

Plumbing in this sense makes me think of plunging a toilet or snaking a drain (since we’re going down into depths), and I don’t really want that associated with boinking a woman. There’s also a strange combination of too many adjectives per sentence, and not very descriptive adjectives happening:

Seeing her, Lucy couldn’t turn away. Artemis was standing in a relaxed contra-post pose. She was stunningly beautiful in the slanted yellow sunlight. Her slender body was perfectly proportioned, and she looked like the product of a Michelangelo or Polyclitus.

—

Artemis had a similar reaction watching Lucy’s attractive body gradually emerge from her clothes. It made her juices flow and she felt an urgent need to dive into the cool water of the pool.

I’d have much preferred to ‘watch’ them get undressed and see their reactions so I could experience them too, instead of reading about them like a reporter was giving me highlights of a show I’m not allowed to see. An unfortunately, ‘beautiful’ and ‘attractive’ don’t really tell me anything about either character. It’s so much more fun in these kinds of scenes to see what the characters notice about each other, specifically, so you learn what they are into. Maybe Artemis likes tattoos. Maybe Lucy likes freckles across the bridge of a nose, or chin dimples. That’s what I want to know.

Another issue was the narrative’s reliance on telling us what was happening, instead of showing. Most of what should have been excellent action scenes were not shown, but told about in summary, which completely destroyed any potential tension. Also also Artemis sets the would-be mass murdered free at the end, who had endangered Lucy’s daughters life half a dozen times, and literally wtf with that? There’s compassion, and then there’s failure to protect.

This is another of those books that had a lot of potential, but needed a strong editorial hand to trim the fat from the meat, and really let the plot live to its potential. Still, if you’re after an f/f contemporary paranormal from an indie press, you could do far worse. I was entertained, but not enough to continue with the series.

You can see if you hear the harbinger bells by buying the book here.

 

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: contemporary, lesbian, paranormal

January 27, 2019

Review: Open Water by Pol Robinson

Genre: contemporary romance

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian

Warnings: none

 

Review

As I’m sure readers have noticed, I’m not the biggest fan of contemporary romance. I often find it lacks greater plot outside the ‘how will they get together,’ which I enjoy, don’t get me wrong, but I like it with a healthy side of pew pew, too.

I picked up OPEN WATER on a whim because I had a lot of traveling to do and the author is also a scientist. I was very surprised by the content: excellent pacing, strong characterization, solid but not overbearing use of tropes (evil girlfriend especially…come on, we all have one), all set against a thrilling Olympics setting.

Even readers unfamiliar with rowing sports will be swept away by the description and competition. The romance is slow and sweet, with no sex scene but great emotional payoff. The ‘chase’ is just about perfect, with plenty of twists and turns.

There are a few POV switches that appear to perhaps be unintentional, as the book is mostly third limited with a few forays into omniscient, but it doesn’t really detract from the story. The editing is clean and the cover more than reasonable (especially for small press).

OPEN WATER reminds me a lot of CHASING GHOSTS (so no surprise I like it) in its focus on a greater plot over romance. Like CHASING GHOSTS, the characters have rich external lives. Unlike CHASING GHOSTS it doesn’t have a sex scene, but really the romance and build up was more than sufficient in this book.

 

You can buy OPEN WATER in paperback here and ebook here.

 

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Filed Under: book review Tagged With: contemporary, lesbian, reviews

May 28, 2018

Review: Dreadnought by April Daniels

Genre: modern fantasy (superhero) (YA)

Pairings: f/f (implied for future books)

Queer Representation: trans lesbian, cis lesbian(?)

Warnings: gender dysphoria, verbal abuse, TERF antics that may be triggering for some readers

Rating: five stars

 

Review

Danny, a trans girl, is hiding behind a dumpster, painting her toenails and enjoying some alone time, when the superhero Dreadnought dies right in front of her. She inherits his powers, among which include the ability to take her ideal form. But while Danny is delighted with the sudden and mostly-absolute gender change, those around Danny, especially her parents, are not. Also super villains and stuff. Bam pow. You know how it goes.

Let’s just hit the (trans) nail on the head

This was a great book. It was written by a trans woman, and the realness of the emotions really shine through. As a trans reader, I deeply connected with Danny on multiple occasions, and appreciated the author’s diverse probing of trans issues–particularly the subtleties of dysphoria (for instance, Danny doesn’t take issue with her junk). I love how the superhero ‘thing’ was continually pushed aside by Danny because she just wanted to revel in looking like a girl, finally, and that even though Danny has the heart of a superhero, that’s not what this book is about.

Not all of the transition accounts will resonate with all readers, of course (and the trans experience is as unique as the human experience). Danny’s discussion of what it’s like to have tons of estrogen coursing through her system instead of testosterone would have struck me fairly sexist even a few years ago, although I’ve had enough trans friends on hormones describe much the same thing that in this instance, it resonated.

Plot

This book shares a lot in common with C.B. Lee’s NOT YOUR SIDEKICK, in terms of slice of high school life and also superpowers. Both deal with prominent issues, although NOT YOUR SIDEKICK definitely spends a greater proportion of its plot on superhero dynamics, while DREADNOUGHT merely warms up to them, spending more time on Danny’s journey. DREADNOUGHT also doesn’t pull any punches, and readers are walked through transphobic parents, entitled male BFFs, and a particularly problematic TERF superhero (who came across more as a caricature than anything else, and the narrative would have been stronger, in my opinion, if her attacks were more subtle).

In many ways this book read more like a prequel, or an extended prologue, to a greater story. That’s not to say it didn’t stand on it’s own, or wasn’t enjoyable. Indeed, the pacing was excellent, the emotions hard hitting, and there was a depth to the story I was not expecting. That Danny is not only trans but also a lesbian was an unexpected bonus, and I do look forward to where the romance line might lead in future books.

Some side thoughts

While I have read some critique of the overt transphobic reactions in this book, and while yes, they could be potentially triggering (there was at least one instance where I had to put the book down and take a walk), I think it bears mentioning that cis readers are often not awake enough to the subtleties of implicit bias. If Danny’s experience was diluted down to extended stares from classmates, indifferent and chilly parents, and a superhero legion who tolerated her presence but never really welcomed her, I don’t think this book would reach nearly the same audience. The overt transphobicness of Danny’s interactions may be somewhat dated, or seem over the top, but they certainly are not over, by any means, for queer teens, and there are plenty of us older trans people who remember those types of days all too well.

 

After a slew of disappointing books, it was great to be able to immerse myself in a world where a trans girl gets to really get her wish. And if that wish is to look like a (female) supermodel, and she gets superpowers to boot, then, well, maybe we can start tipping the scales away from all those cis het white dude superheroes with the washboard abs. It’s about time trans girls got to look hot in spandex, too.

 

You can buy DREADNOUGHT in paperback here, ebook here, and audiobook here. For more teenaged superheroes that aren’t cis het white guys, consider also C.B. Lee’s NOT YOUR SIDEKICK.

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: contemporary, fantasy, reviews, superhero, trans, YA

November 3, 2017

Review: Born Out of Wedlock by Lyn Gardner

Genre: Contemporary

Pairings: f/f (lesbian)

Rating: five stars

 

Review

I’ve spent a few days trying to figure out how to write my review for this book. I want to state first and foremost that I loved it, so note that any snark that follows comes from a place of deep, deep love.

Plot
This book, well over 400 pages, appears to have attempted to include every lesbian trope known to humankind. You have to admire it for that, at the very least.

Addison is rich, smart, and full of herself. In order to keep hold of her family’s business she has to get married by her next birthday (because of course she does) or she loses it all. Gay marriage is legal and on the table, but Addison will not bow down to the contractual gods of monogamy. Or relationships. Or feelings. Why would she, when there is scotch?

Joanna is (of course) up to her neck in debt, oh so hard working (and refuses to take charity), and cares for her elderly father, who has suffered several strokes. She needs help, but won’t ask for it, but when this opportunity falls into her lap, she has to think of her father. Various cliche plot devices land our two heroines together, married, in Addison’s ginormous mansion, trying to live together and not strangle each other. Cue an amazing array of incidents in which the two must work together, Addison screams, Joanna wins the argument, and Addison’s walls slowly erode.

I’m just going to warn you now that there are babies at the end. Of course. That’s not really a spoiler, though, because with basically two characters, I think we all knew they were going to get together. The road there, however, is hot.

Which brings me to…

Sexual Tension
Sexual tension in this book is like a 10 right from the start. And it stays high basically until the last 75 pages, which is some damn fine writing. Addison and Joanna don’t even kiss until like 200 pages in (and it’s on the damn cheek! I was rage texting friends). The eventual sex scenes are drawn out and delicious. There’s a scene that could be described as dubcon (dubious consent), except we’re in third omniscient, so it’s clear that it’s not. But we really should talk about…

POV
This book is written in third omniscient, which is not a writing style I care for. The head hopping is constant. CONSTANT. It would have been super irritating, except Lyn Gardner is an exceptional writer and really nailed the details. So what should have been excruciating was flawless. Sound work on this!

Description and Other Writing Points
Description was top notch in this book without becoming purple and without wasting pages on, for instance, how the ivy clung to the manor. Just enough to give a good image, and then moving on to character. Detail was in-depth enough to make me wonder just how much research Gardner had to do in some areas, because I can’t imagine someone knows that much detail about old cars, fine jewelry, architecture, contract law, and masonry, all at once. The little details in this book really impressed me.

Baring the last 75-100 pages (wherein BABIES come into play–this last bit is super skippable unless you need your HEA), this was a tight, tense contemporary book that held me completely gripped. Hands down I would recommend it to any reader of f/f, even those who prefer spec fic, based on the sound writing and excellent detail and character work.

 

You can buy the ebook here and the print version here

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: contemporary, lesbian

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