Tag: LGBTQ+

Book Review | Son of Sin, Omar Sakr

Anna BratchfordLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

An estranged father. An abused and abusive mother. An army of relatives. A tapestry of violence, woven across generations and geographies, from Turkey to Lebanon to Western Sydney. This is the legacy left to Jamal Smith, a young queer Muslim trying to escape a past in which memory and rumour trace ugly shapes in the dark. When every thread in life constricts instead of connects, how do you find a way to breathe? Torn between faith and fear, gossip and gospel, family and friendship, Jamal must find and test the limits of love.

In this extraordinary work, Omar Sakr deftly weaves a multifaceted tale brimming with angels and djinn, racist kangaroos and adoring bats, examining with a poet’s eye the destructive impetus of repressed desire and the complexities that make us human.

My Thoughts:

I picked up this book at an event at the State Library last year and I honestly wish I’d read it sooner. This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful read. I flew through it in just over two days and was completely immersed for every moment.

Told in parts, across main character Jamal’s life as he grows to try and accept himself and navigate his world. Each section felt distinct with subtle changes in narrative voice to indicate as such. On the whole, I feel I connected more, and so, more enjoyed reading the earlier half of the novel. It didn’t take away from the ending for me in any way, but I did find the earlier sections of the novel more impactful.

With this novel, Sakr treads the line between poetry and prose wonderfully. It is easy to tell that he is a poet – his use of language to evoke emotion in his work feels rather lyrical. Making the emotions that much more tangible to me as I read. While this is a work of fiction, there is something painfully real, and honest in Sakr’s words.

I highly recommend this novel. There is something intoxicating about the use of language in this novel which has stuck with me well after I finished reading. I will most definitely be on the look out for anything else Sakr publishes, as well as having a look for his poetry too.

Book Review | Me, Elton John

Anna BratchfordLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of twenty-three, he was performing his first gig in America, facing an astonished audience in his bright yellow dungarees, a star-spangled T-shirt and boots with wings. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again.

In Me Elton also writes powerfully about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father. In a voice that is warm, humble and open, this is Elton on his music and his relationships, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story that will stay with you, by a living legend.

My Thoughts:

In all honesty, I don’t read enough autobiographies. Not that one has to read any at all if it isn’t your thing. However, I do find them interesting, and even entertaining, depending on the person the book is about that is. This was one such occasion. Elton John wasn’t really on my radar as a musician until a couple of years ago now, but his music has become something I listen to quite regularly now. So when I saw he had an autobiography coming out I was instantly interested, especially after watching the bio-pic about him – Rocketman.

I ended up both reading the physical copy I have as well as listening to the audiobook. I’d switch between the two rather than read and listen at the same time, so I would like to go back and listen to the whole book at some point too. The audiobook was narrated both by Elton John himself, as well as Taron Egerton, the actor who portrayed him in the film and I think their narration really enhanced my experience with this book. It was so interesting learning more about his life and his thoughts on his own music and music writing process.

This autobiography was highly entertaining while simultaneously being honest, and heartfelt. I found myself chuckling at some things while feeling emotional the next moment. It never felt dry or stodgy to get through, especially as I am a predominant fiction reader and sometimes find it difficult to stick with any non-fiction.

For any Elton John fans, or for anyone who is just curious for more of an insight into such a vibrant human, this is the autobiography for you. I highly recommend the audiobook for this too, if that is something you enjoy.

Book Review | Broken Valley, Owen Lach

Anna BratchfordLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

Adan Testa is on the run. Somehow he can use the centuries-old tech left behind by Neska’s original colonists. And that makes him the target of powerful forces willing to do whatever it takes to learn Adan’s secret for themselves. With relentless Union operatives hot on his heels, Adan and his friends begin a perilous journey along the 500-year-old trail to find the only thing that can give Adan the answers he seeks.

Don’t miss this thrilling new addition to the smash hit Queer YA Sci-Fi series The Neskan Chronicles from best-selling author Owen Lach!

My Thoughts:

I love a good sequel. I feel like book two is always the hardest of a series to get right (book one aside, and other than maybe the last in a series). It’s the one that – as much as book one – convinces the reader that they should keep going. I know I find it much harder to stop reading a series if book two is great. Broken Valley by Owen Lach – second in the Neskan Chronicles – has certainly done just that.

The story picked up pretty much where book one left off which I really liked for this novel. It was nice just settling back in with the characters and their story. Like with book one, I found myself on the edge of my seat for the most part, anxious for the fate of these characters on the run. Though things were a little slow at first, the pacing ramped up quickly enough to make for an exciting read. With some of the intense fight scenes some of my favourites in the book.

The development of the relationship between the protagonist Adan and his boyfriend Garun was really sweet. Especially with how gentle and supportive they were with one another as they dealt with the stress of the events of the last book.

I also really enjoyed the further exploration of the world where this novel is set as well as its history the more the protagonist Adan learned. Lach has created an interesting world with a very in depth history which I think enhances the story.

This was a reality great book for my first read of the year. I recommend this novel for anyone looking for an exciting sci-fi novel, with great characters and an intriguing plot. Just make sure you’ve read book one ‘Founder’s Mercy’ first!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for gifting me this ARC (Advanced Review Copy). I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title will be published 24th January 2023

Book Review | Jack’s on Fire, Owen Lach

Anna BratchfordLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

What if you were a queer teenage musician outed by his vengeful ex-boyfriend and not a fairy tale princess trapped in a castle tower? What if your wicked stepmother was your ordinary, thoughtless, uncaring mother? What if your fairy godmother was your older brother? What if your Prince Charming was captain of the JV soccer team? Maybe you’d be forgiven for not realizing you were living in a sort of fairy tale.

Faced with the impossible choice of staying home to risk being sent away to Father Sullivan’s special school for exceptionally happy boys or moving in with his older brother in California, 16-yr-old Jack Martin leaves behind everything he knows in Minneapolis to go to San Francisco.

My Thoughts:

This was an absolute delight to read! It was so nice to read a Queer story that was filled with so much joy and hope, but that didn’t shy away from the realities of being a Queer teen. This, I think this threw me a little at first, everything was always going so well that I was waiting for something to go seriously wrong for Jack but it didn’t happen, not like I expected anyway. I realised a little while in that the hopefulness of the story, and the series of lucky events read just like the fairy tale the novel’s tag line promised. I loved this novel for that.

I loved as well that Jack seemed so disbelieving in his good circumstances after such a rough start to the beginning of this story. It would be so easy for him to take it all for granted, but he questions it before he accepts all the good things happening to him. I think this really does align with a lot of Queer stories (and for people’s stories in general, but in this specific context, Queer stories especially) where the person has it rough for so long that when things start heading in a positive direction it seems almost impossible. This made Jack’s character, so much more genuine for me.

I did find though that some of the dialogue felt a little off, especially the regular use of “bro” used between Jack and his brother, and “babe” used between Jack and Damon. Those dialogue choices almost brought me out of the story as I read. if I also found there was a lot of narrative that slowed down for the story for me.

The relationship between Jack and Damon was really sweet. I especially loved Jack’s awkward, and almost fumbling internal dialogue, especially when he was around Damon or thinking about him. It felt so natural for his character and the story.

As I said before this was a really lovely romance to read. Pick this one up if you are looking for a heartwarming read with engaging characters and great plot.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for gifting me this ARC (Advanced Reader Copy). I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title was published 27th September 2022.

Book Review | Felix Silver, Teaspoons, and Witches, Harry Cook

Anna BratchfordLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

After his parents announce that his bizarre, emerging abilities are getting in the way of their divorce, Felix Silver relocates to Dorset Harbour and becomes the charge of his Grandma Aggie. As Felix adjusts to life in a new school, Aggie decides that it’s time he learn The Silver Way, and teaches him all she knows about sorcery and magical arts. When Felix and his new friends decide to solve the mystery of local teenagers who have gone missing, Felix learns that his crush, Aero, has a big secret. Is dark magic creeping into the town, and can Felix learn enough from Aggie and the witches of Dorset Harbour to combat it?

My Thoughts:

‘Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches’ was a really fun, easy read, with likeable characters. The plot was fairly straightforward, but engaging, which kept me reading right until the end. This book had some interesting friendships/relationships in it too!

There were a few things I found that lessened my enjoyment though. On the whole I found that the novel didn’t feel quite as polished as it potentially could have been. Grammatically I didn’t find any issues, but the story felt quite rushed to me. This meant that the characters felt underdeveloped, and as a result, less easy to connect with as I read. The romance was sweet but to me it felt a little rushed as well, or even rather instantaneous after the first meeting. This made it something I couldn’t happily invest myself in.

The last thing I found was that it was difficult to tell who was narrating a chapter until a couple of paragraphs in. This made it hard to follow the story once there were multiple narrators. This could easily be helped with name of the PoV character with the title of each chapter.

The plot itself I found really interesting, and especially with the fun magic system. I loved how magic seemed to be integrated with the town it was set in. I would have loved to have seen more of the limitations of the magic, and more learning about how it works as Felix is still learning. I loved how the magic of each person was channelled through a teaspoon, such a fun idea, but I feel it could have been explored further.

Overall I really did enjoy reading this but I feel that there were a few things that could really improve the way the story is told and make it more impactful. I do not hate it in the slightest, and am interested to see if the final publication has been edited further. I will be getting myself a copy to see if the issues I found were just part of the early reader version. Especially as I think this story is such a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for gifting me this ARC (Advanced Reader Copy). I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title will be published 30th August 2022.