Reviews and Comments

The cover blurb from Annalee Newitz calls this a “queer-mystical fairy tale” and what a great representation that is. A big warm blanket of a queer fairy tale. Yes there’s darkness and bones and ghosts and flesh eating flies like in any good fairy tale, but there’s hope and growth too. Tachyon, I hope you consider publishing a complete birdverse anthology someday, R. B.’s work belongs in a great gilt-edged tome.

I can see how someone who thought this was a romance novel due to the cover and marketing might be disappointed. It has a romance! But it’s really more a very dense and beautifully written novel full of the minutiae of estate management and like, 18th/19th century European court intrigue and inheritance law with some magic. (Fortunately I find these things fascinating and I’ve now ordered the rest of the series)

HOT DAMN.

That’s a big meh from me.
Started out interesting, but never actually made good on any of its promises, and just got increasingly twee in its delivery.

Also, this is on me a little, but all the verbiage on the jacket about “women’s bodies” should’ve given me a hint about how terfish it was going to read like. Not giving this bullshit a pass anymore.

Wow. I had actual goosebumps through the whole final chapter. Should be recommended reading in gradeschools, for sure.

What a vivid book, so dark and gorgeously detailed. The best modern gothic horror I’ve read or watched, hands down. I loved it.

This book was near perfect?? Like it was written for the exact strange set of tropes and settings I’m most in love with?? Anyway, fanatic book, equals or surpasses Strange & Norrell amazingly, will go on my reread shelf.

Who told me about this book? I don’t remember, but it’s a hidden gem (ha!) and deserves more recognition. Thrilled to hear the final two books are still being written, because I foresee wanting them badly when I finish these four.

This was good.

Short and sweet and gorgeously written. I don’t know what spell the author cast to channel haunted 19th century British soldiers home from war so convincingly. Had to put it down partway through to go buy her newest novel.

This was far stranger and more twisted than I was expecting, which is extremely my jam.

This was extremely fun. I’d absolutely read more adventures of Hamad and Onsi (and Fatma!!) and the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities.

This wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Like a dark fairy tale retelling run through with weird fiction. Actually a lot about it reminded me of Kelly Link’s short story about the convenience store and the zombies. I love this kind of thing, to be clear.