AJ_in_Huchiun
39, they/she/he Homeschooling my nd kid by necessity. Chaotic š§ based on hold status/vibes. I do occasionally read things that arenāt even a little bit queer š End settler colonialism everywhere
3089 points
AJ_in_Huchiun commented on KittenInACave's review of How We End
This zombie novel hit all the notes I most love - a thing thatās like gold dust in a genre populated largely by cis male authors, and books full of hyped up straight cis male Americans with a zillion guns, army training, huge muscles, an arrogant attitude, and a hard-on for being the great protector of everyone around them (because obviously no one else could be!).
It was of absolutely no surprise to me when the male MC, Jake, stated that his favourite author was my favourite zombie author, because I see so much of Sarah Lyons Fleming's work in this story - and I mean that in an incredibly flattering way, not at all in a āthis is too similarā way. They share a focus on building positive, supportive communities, on found family, on diversity, and on real-feeling characters who both develop real care for those around them, and who have huge character growth throughout the seriesā, in very genuine-feeling ways. (If you loved this book as much as I did, I really do strongly recommend her work - the first book in her zombie universe is Until the End of the World), though I especially love the later 2 series, where the diversity gets deeper and my heartstrings get not just pulled, but at times utterly destroyed.)
Even better, How We End isn't set in the ubiquitous some city in America, where access to guns is easy and the book is like almost every other zombie book. How We End is set in London, and employs some fantastic creative writing to navigate that world.
Happily, there's some beautiful representation here. The book is written by a trans man, and his experience in the queer community really shows in the genuine, slowly unfolding story of our main character Jake. It shows in the choice to employ the help of a sensitivity reader to improve anything that needed it. In the care with which a story of addiction has been written. In the fact that these characters were sensible enough to employ PPI to protect themselves and each other, in a real world where so many people mock masking.
I loved that this author chose a spore based zombie outbreak over the average kind of virus spread. It lent a lot of creativity to how the group had to handle the zombies, and protect themselves - and it's frankly a terrifying scenario - not least for its similarity to something actually found in nature.
The pace of the book varies a lot, between periods of super high tension, running and fighting, and slower moments showing a community coming together and figuring out how to survive together. How to keep a group fed and healthy. How to work through their personal issues in a way that hurts the group as little as possible. How to extend kindness and mercy to each other during times of struggle, and even harmful behaviour. It hit about a perfect balance for me, creating an almost cosy atmosphere at times, which then gets knocked on its head by the next terrifying scene that has the potential to pull their new family apart.
Is there anything the author could have done better?
The one thing I can think of here is that I felt there were some aspects that felt a teensy bit rushed, or overly convenient? Like, they put together a functioning setup in a house they settled in, just a bit too easily, a bit too quickly, with the group just happening to have the multiple specialised skills needed to pull it all together. However, none of this really detracted from my enjoyment, it was just casual thoughts along the way that ideally they just needed a bit more time to set something like this up, that it needed to be shown to be a little more complicated - and that would've made it feel a lot more realistic. I'm refusing to remove stars for this nitpick, however. I just loved this one too much!
I read this in audiobook format, and I'm moving straight onto the prequel novella, How we Began, also in audio. I can't wait to see where that takes us! (I'm a little sad the 3rd book isn't yet out in audio, but I'll switch to the Kindle book for that, as I refuse to wait!) The narration was great, with two narrators, for the MMC/FMC. I slightly preferred the male narrator, as, unusually, he did a better job with the female voices than the female narrator did with the male voices - but I really appreciated the dual narration, and I find it works incredibly well in a dual pov book.
All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this romp through a zombie-infested UK! It's been one of the book highlights of my year so far! I will be recommending this to everyone I know for years to come!
įįį¢
Content Warnings
There's a great list in the beginning of the ebook, so I'll copy that here for anyone who needs it. (Thank you to all authors who include these!)
Violence Gore Addiction Mass death, including the young and vulnerable Suicidal thoughts (no one dies) Transphobia (mentioned, not explicit) Dead naming (once) Child abuse (mentioned, not graphic)
33AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
So today I was talking with a bookclub I was going to join, but decided against it because unfortunately I was very very different from them and they just wouldn't have a good time since I don't fit in at all. (Womp womp for me. Maybe next time!!)
For a moment, we actually almost started an argument. They brought up the last book they read, and I meantioned that I also read it and unfortunately didn't like it... I know I shouldn't have said this, I was just nervous and blurted it out!! But the conversation basically turned into an argument that hate-reviews and/or overly negative reviews should not be public if they aren't constructive because the author spent a lot of time on their book and it won't change now that it's published, that if you aren't an editor or author yourself you don't have the credentials to offer such criticism, and that all reviews should offer some kind of constructive criticism to help the author grow for their next work...
And more, but... I didn't really feel like retelling how a group of people yelled at me... š
So. I write pretty negative things about a lot of books. Unfortunately I am very fussy and picky with books most of the time, and I have definitely written a hate-review(?) or two before. But I NEVER tag authors or insult them as a person. I always thought that if you buy a product, you are open to criticize and dislike it, because reviews aren't for the one that made the product... but for people looking to buy said product.
The whole thing made me feel some type of way, and I'm not sure if I'm just being sensitive because they called me out but I just wanted to know what other people think and how you guys write your reviews! Do you think authors belong in reader/review spaces? How do you go about writing your reviews? I'm very curious and I want to do better with my own reviews.. š¦
72AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Is there a way to change the 4 featured books on a list youāve created?
One of my lists has featured books that are similar and not representative of the whole list.
10AJ_in_Huchiun commented on moss-mylk's update
AJ_in_Huchiun is interested in reading...
The Hyacinth Labyrinth
Jamie Pacton
0AJ_in_Huchiun commented on AJ_in_Huchiun's update
AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a List
Audiobooks Narrated by Natalie Naudus
Natalie Naudus has narrated hundreds of audiobooks so bear with me as I try to get them all on this list!
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AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
What is a specific scene in a romance book that made you put down the book/kindle and say "What the actual fuck am I reading?"
Don't forget to drop the title š
127AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Anyone else have a few audiobook narrators that you love and can recognize immediately? Iām currently listening to my fourth audiobook this year that was narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and at this point when I hear her voice, Iām immediately comforted. I also feel like I associate a little piece of each one of the characters she reads with her voice, which is a cool little phenomenon. Iām going to make an effort this year to be a lot more aware of whoās narrating the books I read so that I can start to make some more of those connections!
40AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post
AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Iāve been wondering about a couple of things on pagebound-
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I looked through the FAQs and couldnāt find an explanation for why there is no dm option on here. I can see lots of reasons for/against but am just curious on the reasoning. The reason why Iām wondering about this is:
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How do people connect on here more personally or about something in someoneās profile/taste that they didnāt recently post about? I am always looking for more people to follow and often want to connect about something they said in their profile description or books on their taste list, but I donāt know where to do that. I know a big part of it is about anonymity which I appreciate. Curious how other people interact in this context. Thanks!!
20Post from the Pagebound Club forum
Iāve been wondering about a couple of things on pagebound-
-
I looked through the FAQs and couldnāt find an explanation for why there is no dm option on here. I can see lots of reasons for/against but am just curious on the reasoning. The reason why Iām wondering about this is:
-
How do people connect on here more personally or about something in someoneās profile/taste that they didnāt recently post about? I am always looking for more people to follow and often want to connect about something they said in their profile description or books on their taste list, but I donāt know where to do that. I know a big part of it is about anonymity which I appreciate. Curious how other people interact in this context. Thanks!!
20AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post
Just finished chapter two. I feel i'm flying through the chapters because the things El-Kurd writes about so far are things I already know on an instinctive level as a black woman. I wonder how people who are just learning about respectability politics read this chapter, because to me it felt a lot like he's calling the reader out specifically at the end. I mean, he's calling out the world at large for their willful ignorance, I know that, but the anger here felt more direct:
"But what about the others? The others who suffocate under this shrinking definition of humanity?...What about those without halos, the angry men who wander the streets with mouths full of spit and venom, the children whose shoulders are burdened by the straps of rifles, the women who choose an explosive path?...Do they not deserve life? According to whose law?"
Or maybe it's my anger getting mixed up when I read that passage because I hate the respectability bullshit and the hypocrites who love playing this card to no end.
2AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I have been in a reading slump since I finished The Last Letter - Rebecca Yarros ... I can't STOP thinking about that book... The last time a book did that to me was Tillie Cole's A Thousand Boy Kisses & A Thousand Broken Pieces
13AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Good afternoon Bookaholics!
Your question of the day may be quite a debate....
Do you think booktube/booktok are helping reading or hindering it? This can be for you personally or for the reading community as a whole š¤
48AJ_in_Huchiun commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
What's the most diabolical thing a character has done from a book you've read or your current read?
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