arian's Book Journey

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of this book!

You know how books always have it in their blurbs that the fans of XYZ will love this! This book also has compares itself to other books. But out of the gate, this book is a lot like If We Were Villains, and not only because both stories are about Shakespeare and have Hamlet in it. Being compared to that story is a huge compliment from me, believe me. What can I say about Thoughts Be Bloody, if not that I loved it so much.

The writing. It was simply so beautiful, so evocative and atmospheric. It takes you right to the scene, and it also makes you feel so many times. So suspenseful as well, and Horatio is such a good unreliable narrator. This book deals so much with memory and time, so it's all muddled up with confusion and mystery; this story has such a good way of depicting that and making you feel just a little confused as well. I know that a lot of reviewers ended up DNFing this book because of the unconventional writing style, the back and forth between different tenses, but I am such a sucker of unconventional writing styles that are meant to reflect the story, and so I loved this so much. One of the best things about the book honestly.

This is such a beautiful love letter to Hamlet as well. I don't think you have to necessarily read the play in order to enjoy this book, but it's makes for such a lovely experience if you have read and loved the play. If you have read Hamlet, you know what is going to happen, since it has similar story beats, but it doesn't take away from the experience at all. It just fills you with a sense of dread (in a good way) of what's about to come. It was also really fun identifying the little details that come from the play itself!

The representation, so good. The main character of this book is a trans man, with one of his love interests being a trans woman, and I think it's handled so well. It's a very touching portrayal, and the fact that Horatio is trans also plays a significant part in this complex he has about feeling very small and weak, very not powerful compared to his peers. Lia was lovely, and my heart breaks for her suffering, for how she just cannot catch a break.

Now I really want to re-read Hamlet and get around to reading a few more retellings.