Category: LGBTQIA+ Representation - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Split Book's Curse

7/12/2023

Wolf's Curse (Otherworld: Kate & Logan #2)
by Kelley Armstrong

Logan, Kate and some of their fellow campers are sheltering inside a cabin in the woods, which is never a safe place inside of horror movies. But outside is even worse - there's a demon hanging around and she's really pissed off about supernaturals trampling through her territory. But she's open to making deals. Because it's totally a good idea to do that.

Splitting this story into two books was such a bad idea. I let nostalgia blind me a bit during the first book, but this one has fewer redeeming qualities. The characters walk in circles. The plot follows them and also goes around and around until you lose interest. Look, I did sort-of enjoy this - mostly because of Kate - but it's hard not to be annoyed when you see so much potential being squandered.

Return to the Otherworld

6/12/2023

Wolf's Bane (Otherworld: Kate and Logan #1)
by Kelley Armstrong

Kate and Logan Danvers, werewolf twins with famous werewolf parents, are sent to a summer camp for supernatural beings - except most of the other teens there don't like their kind, a scary monster is stalking them through the woods, and the counsellors seem oddly unbothered by some of the dodgy stuff happening among the campers. What more can go wrong?

This was a great way to return to the Otherworld universe and it's exactly what you'd want for an adventure starring Elena and Clay's kids. And a creepy camp is honestly the perfect setting for this kind of story. But there's a problem - this is clearly one book split into two. The cliffhanger doesn't really work because the tension and excitement it generates aren't any greater than what can be found in earlier chapters. I did enjoy this book, though. Really appreciated the queer rep.

The Missing Developmental Edit

19/10/2023

The Last Love Song by Katie Holford

I received this ARC from Blackstone Publishing (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Mia Peters grew up in the same town that her famous mother, the singer Tori Rose, was always trying to leave - in fact, Tori never returned from her final tour. Mia doesn't really know what her mother was like, but she's about to. Tori Rose has gifted her a scavenger hunt for graduation and Mia only has one week to solve it before her best friend and crush, Britt, also leaves her behind to chase the music.

If you can manage to suspend your disbelief enough - and it is very hard at times - this is a cute, if unremarkable, YA read. I really liked the premise and some of the characters were interesting, if underdeveloped. The major issue is that we're supposed to believe that in a small town certain characters never crossed paths with Mia. Or that she wasn't able to find out her mother's cause of death from anyone in town or online (trust me, you could find this stuff on the Internet in 2006 and many articles from that period are still searchable now). Had these issues been smoothed out, I might have really enjoyed The Last Love Song.

Definitely A Fave Debut

18/9/2023

The Only Black Girl in the Room by Alex Travis

I received this ARC from Alcove Press (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Genevieve Francis has been stuck, both professionally and personally, ever since Jude, her ex-boyfriend, proposed to her at his father's funeral. Now she's working for a newspaper staffed mostly by straight white folk, unable to avoid their microaggressions or further her career. But then she gets a chance to make a name for herself: writing a profile on Jude, wealthy and desired CEO. Mixing ethics and an old flame - what could possibly go wrong?

I loved this so much! What an incredible debut. I adored Genevieve right from the start, thanks in no small part to the exceptionally strong narrative voice that Travis gave her. It made me sit up and pay attention. I'm also keen on second-chance stories - and this is one of the most satisfying ones that I have read, because both MCs had to really work for it and we get to see them both grow so much. Gosh, I am going to be thinking about this book for weeks.

Lastly, I should add that it's so important for these stories to be told, but it's equally as important that we read them.

Street Library Gem

16/9/2023

Fated Blades (Kinsmen #3)
by Ilona Andrews

Matias Baena is trying to get some work done when beautiful and deadly Ramona Adler, from a family that his own has hated and competed with for generations, arrives with news of a betrayal that could destroy everything their families have built. Teaming up to retrieve their stolen property is difficult, but necessary. Resisting the pull between them might be considerably harder.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I found this book in a street library box, but gosh I'm glad that I grabbed it before someone else could. I'm very impressed with how much world-building the authors managed to fit into a book of this size, especially since the story had to keep flowing (and flow it did, thanks to the excellent pacing). This paired perfectly with my post-lunch pot of tea. It most certainly is NOT going back into the street library.

Taking A Gamble

28/8/2023

Driven to Distraction (Gamble Racing #1)
by Renée Dahlia

Ondrej needs to focus on reestablishing himself as an S1 driver with a new team and doesn't need any distractions. Cue the arrival of Hudson into his orbit, the historian Ondrej's father has hired to solve the mystery of a unique Bugatti that has been missing since WWII. Distraction is inevitable. But whether or not it will lead to something else is another matter entirely.

A super steamy and super fun romance with the added bonus of a mystery (though I do wish more pages had been devoted to the later, since it was so fascinating!). I really liked how Ondrej and Hudson were give the space and plenty of time to develop their relationship, especially given how much they had to work through. I'm happy to report that this book is just as good as its cover. ;)

Phase II: A Waste of Money

19/8/2023

Path of Vengeance (Star Wars: The High Republic)
by Cavan Scott

The Path of the Open Hand are retreating to Dalna where they will make their final stand against the Force-abusing Jedi. Marda Ro is now the Guide and should be as faithful to the Mother as she has always been, but doubts have begun to grow. Meanwhile, her cousin Yana Ro has only ever been faithful to her family... but the Path may tear them apart for good.

I've already talked at length about the issues with Phase II and here is another prime example of it. These major plot details should have been in the adult novels, which needed to contain the main thrust of the storyline (something that would have made the Phase run more smoothly). Those books, unfortunately, added nothing truly meaningful to the arc and ought to have been the YA storyline instead. Honestly, what on Earth were these authors thinking!? It's a great way to alienate adult readers... you know, those folks with disposable income.

Another great weakness of this book is that it had to info dump the events of the audiobook. As a result, there was too much recapping, too much "telling". What a slog. Phase II is also slightly shorter, so Cavan Scott had to cram in every important detail he could into the pages of this novel. It's a bit of a mess. I will grudgingly admit that it could have been more of a mess, as Scott managed to make some of it acceptable. The Big Reveal, alas...no one could fix that.

I've disliked Phase II as a whole, but it would have redeemed itself if the climax had managed to stick the landing. It did not.

Side note - my Australian-printed copy had multiple spelling errors, though I'm pretty sure this was due to someone not knowing how to properly find/replace Americanisms in the manuscript. Oops. I actually emailed the publisher about this, because it's the 2nd recent Star Wars book to have the issue... no response, so I will assume they realised and hoped no one would notice lol

Phase II: The Quest for More Money

14/8/2023

Quest for Planet X (Star Wars: High Republic)
by Tessa Graton

Padawan Rooper Nitani should stay on Batuu and wait for word from her Master, but galactic communications have been unreliable since the unrest on Jedha. Rooper has only the Force to guide her when she is swept up into the Hyperspace Chase; she wants to help her friend, Dass, in his pursuit of Planet X. It won't be an easy quest... especially if the Path of the Open Hand gets involved...

This was a fun entry of Phase II and I quite enjoyed it. The premise was more interesting than some of the other stories set in this era, which certainly helped. And I'm such a sucker for a "maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way" storyline. I find the Path of the Open Hand annoying but their presence was minimal in this book (thank goodness). Rooper is also very likeable.

But oh my gosh. I lost count of the amount of times I saw the spelling error "feellings" in my copy. I suspect someone was a bit careless with the find/replace function...

First Fright

13/8/2023

Final Night (The Revenant Records #1)
by Kell Shaw

Lukie heads to a party in 1983, but suddenly finds herself waking up on the beach in 2003 - two decades after she was killed. She's not completely back from the dead, though. And the clock is ticking for this new revenant. She has until dawn to find her murderer and put an end to the supernatural reign of terror that has afflicted Breakwater Bay for decades.

I had a blast reading this - and not just because I have a weakness for urban fantasy and anything related to the 1980s (ha!). Perfectly paced and just the right length, Lukie's story grabs hold of you and doesn't let go until the end (which leaves you wanting more, of course). Honestly, this would make a fantastic TV pilot episode. A very strong debut.

Red, White & Hell Yes

22/7/2023

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Son of the President of the United States, has a nemesis. Prince Henry, British royal, bland, boring and absolutely infuriating. Alex cannot stand him. But after a very public incident at a royal wedding - involving the cake no less - he and Henry are forced to portray a fake friendship for the media. But that friendship might soon become something more political volatile.

Gosh. I just loved this book so much and moved mountains so I could finish it without interruption. The story starts out being utterly cute and then becomes deliciously angsty. My kind of romance. And yay, bi rep! It's nice to feel seen, because I too had that "so if I like the opposite gender, I must be straight" thing going on until my early twenties. Now I must impatiently wait until August 11 for the film adaptation.