Minotaur

by J.A. Rock

Know this: I am not a warrior. I am a disease. When I was six, my parents died. When I was sixteen, I was locked away in Rock Point Girls' Home. Nobody wants to deal with a liar. An addict. A thief. Nobody except Alle. She is pure, and she's my friend in spite of all the rotten things I am. There was once another girl like me-long ago. A cast-off daughter. A lying little beast who left a red stain across the land with her terrible magic. She's imprisoned now in a maze high up on the cliffs. They say she's half woman, half bull. They say she dines on human tributes and guards a vast treasure. They say she was born wicked. But I know her better than the history books or stories do. She and I dream together. Our destinies are twisted up like vines. Except I'm not going to turn out wicked like she is. I can save myself by destroying her. I'm going to break out of this place, and I'm going to enter the labyrinth and take her heart. And once I'm redeemed, maybe Alle will love me.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult, Lesbian, Urban Fantasy, Dark

254 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2015

About the author

J.A. Rock is the author or coauthor of over twenty LGBTQ romance, suspense, and horror novels, as well as an occasional contributor to HuffPo Queer Voices. J.A. has received Lambda Literary and INDIEFAB Award nominations for MINOTAUR, and THE SUBS CLUB received the 2016 National Leather Association-International Pauline Reage Novel Award. J.A. lives in Chicago with an extremely judgmental dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

DNF at 18%.

No rating on this one... but it was weird. J.A. Rock, I love you SOOOO much, but this book... I had a really hard time getting into it due to the format. I just didn't enjoy it.

[Julio Genao]

after that amazing blurb, there is no fucking way i'm not reading this.

[lov2laf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book thinking it would be a certain way and ended up with something very different. Because of this, I'll tell you what this book isn't and then what it is....

It is not a badass heroine adventure story. I was thinking/hoping it would be something along the lines of Tiana Warner's 'Ice Massacre' and this is far from it.

It is not a warm and fuzzy coming of age romance.

It does not have an all together likable protagonist.

The book centers on a girl in her late teens but I wouldn't necessarily call this a YA book, either, due to darker and mature content. Then again, my favorite book as a teenager, that I must've read twenty times over, was about a former druggie, depressed girl living in her estranged father's house after her mother committed suicide and she herself was ostracized from her school due to unwittingly playing a part in getting a popular girl murdered (and who's ex-boyfriend happened to be the murderer)...so what do I know? It's a fuzzy line sometimes.

That said, the book isn't bad, either...depending on what you're looking for.

Thera is a surly, unlikable narrator for the story and is far from "good". She's a traumatized, neglected and rejected sixteen year old who we meet as she enters a girls home. The first 60% of the book takes place in this home where she meets Alle, the girl she comes to love, along with a couple of girls she befriends that are just as unsavory as she is. During her time in the home, she does evolve, but not entirely...and there's a certain tragedy to all of the girls' stories in their present as you read. Stephen King's 'Stand By Me' comes to mind when I think about this book if that helps any.

The last 40% of the book takes place in the labyrinth where it turns into an 'Alice in Wonderland' type story so there is an aspect of fantasy adventure...it just takes awhile to get to it.

Overall, the book has an odd tone, not only for its darkness, but because I couldn't tell if the book was based in reality and not a fantasy book at all or if we really were in some different world. By the end of the book, that inquiry gets answered but it leaves questions, too...

There is a girlfriend relationship that develops between Thera and Alle that has a sweet aspect but it's not exactly for romantics.

The language of the book is written with richness and beauty...and I get the feeling this book is chock full of metaphors and allusions that I missed and would be well-served to be in some kind of book club discussion.

It does have ethnic diversity. Both Thera and Alle are non-white...The ethnicity isn't mentioned explicitly but Thera is described as having darker skin than others, with Alle being dark-skinned and the darkest of anyone in the home.

Ultimately, 'Minotaur' is a good book but it doesn't feel good to read. It ends on a higher note, though.

Heather Rose Jones (an author herself) has a very apt and descriptive review on Amazon for 'Minotaur' so I suggest you check out her thoughts, as well.

Do I recommend it? If you're into darker stories and anti-heroes written with rich language, then yes. If not, you may want to skip it.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

From the summary blurb and cover, this looked like a decent female-centric fantasy/adventure story (maybe even a bit of urban fantasy) with a little Greek mythology thrown in. Unfortunately, none of that is the case here. I found the entire story disjointed and actually rather boring. Most of the story takes place in a home for wayward girls following a protagonist who is in desperate need of a good slap. I couldn't get behind her, her quest to kill the minotaur (which she gives herself more or less out of the blue), or her claim that the minotaur shares dreams with her (in no part of the book does this seem to even happen even though that's the claim on the book's dust jacket). Throughout the book I had a difficult time figuring where or when it is taking place; at times it sounds like modern times, and at others it feels like the distant past. It's a detail I found distracting and frustrating for a majority of the read. Not recommending this book by far.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our story is very simple.
A girl who was scared loved one who was brave. A girl fool enough to try to play hero saw the underlying hornlessness of monsters. And in a sweet shock of ruin, two women found forgiveness, and they held each other in the wreckage left by one for whom forgiveness meant nothing. That is a tale ornery in its rejection of heroes, in its changeable villain, in its unwillingness to yield to invention.

Minotaur is most compelling because of its absolute unique setting and characters.
The setting is a mix of contemporary and mythos, neither being solely one but always intermingling.

I am not a contemporary reader at heart. I do enjoy these books now and then, but what gets me really enthusiastic is if you add a fantastical element to a story or make it the sole focus of it. Be it paranormal, science-fiction, fantasy, steampunk or anything else, that is what makes my heart beat faster, that is what fills me with awe and wonder. If these books have the main purpose of being a fun read, thats great and I just love to dive into another world and have a good time. If these books add a deeper meaning, philosophical questions or something similar—be it subtle or a larger focus—I am even more likely to be fascinated and might even end the book with the feeling of having learned something, about the world, about myself.

“The brave are not the ones who merely answer the call. Any fool can embark on a quest. The brave are the ones who do their duty and come away, not with a monster’s head on a pike, but with some new knowledge.”

Minotaur delivers all this :)

And one reason for this is the character set. I guess we all love to read about good people, about heroes and heroines, people we can look up to and get inspired by. Well, that’s not what you will find here. No. You will find someone who you might be able to relate to in their imperfection. You will find people who are fucked up, because of what life dealt them, because of just who they are, and you will witness how these people can do better and how they change, in parts, but stay themselves as well.

“Why. Why why whyyyyyy? Everybody full of whys.” She rolled again, slowly, and faced me. “Does it come as any surprise that cast-off daughters are angry, that destruction is art, that a person might do a thing simply because it is within her power to do it?”


Minotaur is divided into three parts. The first is the longest and plays in a girl’s home. Some of them are there because they are orphans, some because no one wants them… It’s a dark place, but it is a home, a place to stay, and a place to grow.
This is the part of the book that I liked the most. It takes its time and introduces the characters. There are light and funny moments. There is foreboding. There is sweetness and ugliness. I found this to be very compelling.

The last two parts only make out about 30% of the book, and were for me a little less good. The nature of the tale called for a different kind of telling and pace, and I just enjoyed the first one more.
I was also a bit lost concerning the conclusion. I don’t want to go into details here. It just feels to me like I’m missing something, that I, maybe, didn’t really get it, or everything.
And that might be because of two possible reasons. I was a bit distracted while reading the last part, being on commute and exhausted from being out and about the whole day, so it is likely I actually did miss something. The other possibility is of course that JA lost me, that she couldn’t really deliver or didn’t want to deliver. I don’t know. I don’t want to reread the last part. The book was very much worth it for me despite this and I take thoughts away from this anyway, and it reminds me of this text passage from the book here:

Miss Ridges had said once that reading meant nothing unless you could articulate what a story had given you. But I’d always disagreed—though I’d never found the words to argue. You didn’t have to be able to analyze to appreciate a story. You had only to be able to feel, deep in a place that didn’t deal in words, how that story was yours and everyone else’s too.


I want to also add that I highlighted tons of sentences and paragraphs. Many more than I put here in my review or my updates, because JA wrote this beautifully.


Um… This is not a fluffy read, but its also not dark or oppressing, at least I didn’t think it was.


Coming to the end, I think this is a great and very unique book, and I’d encourage you to read this if that’s what you like :)

[Free_dreamer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review @Scattered Thoughts And Rogue Words

1.5 stars

This is the first F/F book I’ve ever read, so when Melanie asked if I was interested, I wasn’t sure at first. But I really liked “When All the World Sleeps” by J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry, so I figured I might as well give it a try.

The reason why I really didn’t like this book isn’t that it’s F/F, I didn’t mind that part, though it probably isn’t really for me. Anyway, I couldn’t stand Thera from the start. She’s not an evil woman, or even dangerous. She’s just an angry, whiny teenager, who hates the world. She’s selfish, incredibly annoying and not exactly the brightest out there. She goes off to slay a monster and doesn’t even think about bringing a weapon till it’s too late? Seriously? She lies for absolutely no reason whatsoever, even to Alle, who she’s oh-so-in-love with. Something I didn’t buy, by the way. When Alle doesn’t behave the way Thera wants her to, she’s furious and throws a temper tantrum. And as soon as she gets the opportunity, she cheats on her. What kind of love is that supposed to be?

Then there’s the world building, which was essentially non-existent. It felt like America in the 50s or 60s, except that the girls all wear pants and sweaters. And there’s magic and curses and a monster, of course. Which is the extent of world building we get here. I still don’t know whether this is the only town with magic and such, or if it’s commonplace all over the world. I still don’t know just how the magic works. Or is there even magic at all? I’m not sure. For heaven’s sake: Dear authors all over the world, if you’re going to write FANTASY, PLEASE DO SOME WORLD BUILDING. Seriously, that’s a major pet peeve of mine. And no, it’s absolutely no excuse that this was supposed to focus on the romance. You can do both, romance AND world building.
Apart from the protagonist, who I couldn’t stand, and the world building, which didn’t exist, very, very little happened during the first 60% or so. Then the plot finally started to pick up and was somewhat interesting for about 10%. Then it all went downhill again and I was just fed up with everything. I even skimmed the last 5% or so, since it just wouldn’t end, although there really wasn’t anything left to tell. So, essentially there wasn’t much of a plot here either.

In short, I did not like this book. At all. The protagonist was irritating beyond words, there was absolutely no world building, the romance wasn’t convincing in the least and very little actually happened for more than half of the book. The half star I added is for the basic plot idea, which did sound interesting, and the 10% of somewhat interesting plot. I’m really not sure if I ever want to try anything by J.A. Rock again.

Cover: The cover by Imaliea is the best part of this book. It’s what first caught my eye. Though in hindsight, I have no idea why Thera is carrying a sword here…

[Hectaizani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thera Ballard is an orphan, her elderly aunt can't handle her so she drops her off at Rock Point, a home for unwanted girls. Thera Ballard is a drug user, a thief, and a bully. Thera Ballard is a liar, she tells anyone who will listen that her mother killed her father with an ax, or was it father killed the
mother? Thera Ballard is really just a girl, like any other girl her age, trying to find out where she fits in. But then, Thera Ballard wants more than anything to be a warrior so she can slay the Minotaur and win acclaim and fortune.

The Minotaur, besides being a creature out of Greek legend, is a very real fear in Thera's hometown. She is an actual monster, confined to a maze high up in the cliffs on the outskirts of town. They send her human tribute and pray she never escapes. Thera embarks on a quest to slay the Minotaur and in the process she finds herself.

This was a difficult review to write. I enjoyed the underlying story, but found it difficult to connect with the characters. Perhaps this is because instead of an angsty teen I'm a middle-aged woman. I'm sure that the intended audience, a young female who is still fresh to feelings of love and loss, who thinks that one day she will save the world will find it more amenable. More often than not I'd stop and think "now why would she do that, it's so stupid" and have to put myself into the character's shoes to realize that she wouldn't know any better. I'm not the right audience for this book. Having said all of that, the writing was clean and crisp, with excellent descriptions. Technically everything is in the right place, and the flow and pace of the story moves along well. It's my fault I didn't enjoy it more than I did.

[Coyote · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost: a special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted so much to like this book more than I did. It has all the props and bearings of a story that speaks to my heart: mixed media narratives; a wayward institute housing a menagerie of atypical girls; a minotaur with overtones of lesbian symbolism [e.g., how the characters in the wayward institute referred to women of a certain persuasion as "unnatural" "BD"s]; an urban setting that feels as tangible as it does fantastical.

Unfortunately, the pieces never seemed to summon anything to life for more than a few disparate passages at a time; however, the fragments that did work, were incredibly magical--absolutely stunning, even. Thera's monstrous heroism and her quest for redemption is a beautiful thing, yet unfortunately it only exists in spurts amidst poor attempts of world building (e.g., the notes?? left between the staffers of the wayward institute that take away from the tangible realism in the worst of ways), a complete dearth in surrounding character development and, most egregiously, excessive "telling" versus "showing".

Amidst it all, there is most definitely a great short story. I firmly believe that with some serious parsing down that there is an incredible love story and redemption quest here--if only it weren't mired down in the would-be One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest mimicry.

[Carrot · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I really enjoyed the beginning of this one. I found it different, weird and relatable. Not that the situation was relatable, but the anger. The frustration of feeling like you're misplaced, a constant outsider. It truly was written well and very engaging.
When I started reading - it was defiantly a 4.5, but as the story progressed I found it to be a bit disjointed, the MC's were unfeeling towards one another and I felt myself grow distant and uncaring of how the mystery of it all would play out and also the fate of the MC's. The last 40% of the book was a meager 1.75 which resulted in an overall grade of 3.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 out of 5

* I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review. *

Know this: I am not a warrior. I am a disease.

"Minotaur" was most definitely not what I was expecting, but in the best way possible! Instead of the young adult adventure story that I was expecting based on the summary, I found myself completely absorbed by a spellbinding tale of monsters, redemption, and love.

Told from the point of view of Thera, a sixteen year old orphan, "Minotaur" weaves mythology and the real world together in the small town of Rock Hill, which is still recovering from a monster attack years before. Thera is the first to admit that she's more villain than hero, with substance abuse and authority problems a mile long, but through her eyes we see that good and evil aren't as clearly defined as people want to believe.

I loved every single thing about Thera's character. On the surface she's frustrating, selfish, and disrespectful, but she has reasons for acting the way she does, and a brilliant mind behind the misbehavior. She's an unreliable narrator, so I felt like I had to read beneath the surface to really understand her.

Keep reading the review on Just Love !

[Tiffany (BookAndCoffeeAddict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the 1930’s, Minotaur is 60% coming-of-age story and 40% monster hunt adventure.

The book opens with 16 year old Thera Ballard coming to live at Rock Point Girls’ Home, an all-girls orphanage, after the last of her family, an elderly aunt, washes her hands of the troublesome teen. Thera is pretty much mad at the world and determined to hate everyone and everything. Despite herself, she makes friends at the home and even finds herself falling in love with one of the other girls there, Alle. This is the coming-of-age part of the story.

Rock Hills, a small coastal town south of the orphanage, was the scene many years ago of the bloody rampage of the Minotaur – a vicious sorceress with her own anger problems stemming from the hand the universe had dealt her. Thera feels a kinship with the Minotaur that becomes a kind of obsession to the point where a few times she actually thinks the Minotaur is literally in her dreams and thoughts (this is never confirmed one way of the other). Eventually, Thera sets out for the labyrinth to confront the object of her obsession. This is the monster hunt adventure part of the tale. This was also my favorite part of the story – the domain of the Minotaur is an almost non-stop horror show of dark, page-turning imaginings.

This book ended up being much deeper than I thought it would be. We spend a lot of time in Thera’s head. She’s the first person narrator of the story, so that’s only natural, but she’s got some issues, some deeply emotional issues, and the action in this book is minimal, taking a backseat to Thera’s thought processes as she deals with the world, people, and events around her. I never really liked Thera, but that’s ok – she doesn’t want you to like her; in fact, at times she thrives on being despised and feared. The only person who’s high opinion she cares about is Alle’s, and even then there are times when, in a fit of pique, Thera purposely tries to make Alle dislike her as well. Thera is a complicated girl, which is what makes her such a fascinating anti-hero.

All in all, I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying Minotaur. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was beautiful and yet ugly in a way that captivates. I will absolutely be on the lookout for more books by the author.

*I received a copy of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.

[Lotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think what I liked most about this book was the realistic starkness of girls growing up in a home.

[Heather Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been several times in conversations on facebook groups where people threw out the question "what do you look for in a LesFic book?" My answer has often been "beautiful writing," but it can be hard to explain what I mean by that. So now I have something I can point to and say, "That's what I mean by beautiful writing in LesFic."

Minotaur by J. A. Rock isn't a book that would ordinarily have caught my attention. In fact, I bought it entirely because it appeared on the Book Clips series at The Lesbian Talk Show podcast(*). (I confess it's the first time I've bought a book based on being included in the series.) I was so impressed by what I heard that I think I pulled out my iPhone and called up the iBooks store while still sitting in my car at the end of the commute when I listened to it.

Minotaur is a fantasy. Or maybe it's a YA-ish story of adolescent rebellion in a home for wayward girls. Maybe the titular minotaur actually did terrify the town in a previous generation. Or maybe it's an urban legend, whispered among the girls at the Rock Point Girls' Home as a terrifying entertainment. Maybe Thera has a vivid imagination, or maybe the tangled imagery in the opening monolog is remnants of her being hopped up on stolen drugs. Maybe she's an unreliable narrator...or maybe she really will become a hero that slays a monster.

I read this story not knowing whether the promise of fantasy was genuine or a misdirection, and I won't spoil that aspect for other readers. At its heart, this is the story of an unwanted, neglected girl who turns herself hard to survive, then learns how to open herself again for love--both the love of friends and romantic love. The setting is a dreary, narrow-minded small town, still stuck in an era when the sympathetic counselor at the Girls' Home who shows too much affection for the girls is whispered visciously to be a "BD," which it took me a while to decode as "bull-dyke." So when roommates Thera and Alle begin exploring their tentative desire for each other, there are layers of confusion, ignorance, and despair to work through. They promise to stay together when they age out of the home, not truly believing such a thing is possible and each doubting that she is worthy of that sort of love.

As I said above, on the surface, it isn't the sort of story that usually attracts me. But the language--oh my, the language. J. A. Rock has an extraordinary command of voice, of description, of easing you into an alien world (in this case, the world of Rock Point) and making you care about the inhabitants, even when they're people you wouldn't much like in real life.

The only place where the book faltered for me was in an extended descriptive passage after the book changes gears when Thera leaves the Home. (I'm being a little cagey here to avoid spoilers.) There was a section that went on aimlessly and--dare I say--self-indulgently just a bit too long. The plot picked up again just about when I was at the edge of my patience, but I certainly wasn't sorry I kept going.

This is not a light and fluffy book. There are dark bits and violent bits and a few squicky bits. But it's solid and compelling and ultimately triumphant. (I'd consider that last a spoiler, except that too many readers of queer stories need to know they aren't going to get punched in the face by Queer Tragedy.)

(*) Full disclosure: my own podcast series "The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast" also runs on The Lesbian Talk Show.

[SK]

*I was provided an ARC of this by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

DNF at 69%

I just couldn't will myself to finish this book.

WARNING: THIS BOOK HAS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT

The story starts off at the prison camp, Rock Point, for young girls who were either abandoned by their families or are orphans. Our main character Thera was sent by her aunt after supposedly having trouble with drugs. Thera becomes interested in the local legend of the Minotaur, as well as the new girl Allendara.

I can't quite say I have a grasp of what where the plot was going. It just felt like we were being shown snippets of Thera's life at Rock Point and the way the events happened, there was no build-up nor any good transitions. It seemed like random things just kept on happening after one another. There were also moments I felt were just done for shock value and were supposedly giving out a message but instead, I felt like they were cheap plot devices.

I went into this book only knowing that it was a fantasy so I was expecting a lot of world-building and adventure. It may have some fantastical elements but it has a modern setting? I actually can't tell what the setting is since the world-building wasn't that great. The only thing you really learn about the whole society's culture is about the minotaur. Otherwise, you're left with a vague vision of what the place looks like and in what time era.

There is also hardly any adventure. The adventure starts around 60% in and it's not really exciting or anything. I didn't find myself wanting to know what happens to Thera and the girls or about the mystery surrounding the minotaur.

I also am not a huge fan of the writing. I felt like it tried too hard at descriptions yet in the end, you don't really know much about the whole world or even what Rock Point looks like. I also don't understand the whole point of the report system they had. Reports are rather formal but in here, the reports are really informal. Not only that, but actual conversations are done in reports which really made no sense to me since in real life, people would actually talk some of those issues out and not write them down (especially since the reports are supposedly formal).

The characters are also bland. They were just sort of there and one-dimensional. I also disliked the romance in this story. It sort of came out of nowhere and felt insta-lovey. I also didn't think it was very healthy and I got super annoyed that the love interest wasn't telling Thera anything. She kept saying "Trust me" when she herself doesn't seem to really trust Thera anyway.

Overall, I really didn't like this.

[Griselda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written...but badly executed. There was so much detail in emotions (hence...beautiful) but the action scenes were short and anticlimactic (given its long build-up). The ending was unsatisfactory, and although I enjoyed the journey, I felt robbed of suspense.
Our protagonist, although a teenager, has the emotional mindset of a child. That's probably what made her interesting. Child-like heart but adult-like brain (or at least she wanted to act adult, anyway).
The love interest isn't really about love....but about need and want.
Character development is uninteresting since regardless of the circumstances, they were all haunted by their pasts.
The labyrinth itself, full of promise and spooky potential, was treated like a badly managed circus so it makes no sense that our main character, as ignorant as she is (not in a bad way...child-like nature) was able to get through.
And the beast, perhaps, was the most devastating of them all.

I would have settled for a longer book if it had better action. It felt like the beginning, to which we get to know our main character, wasn't necessary for the task of the labyrinth. My guess is that the author originally wanted to make the labyrinth scene, thought about it, but then fell in love with the backstory and focused more on that than on the labyrinth itself. It honestly felt like it was a story that you can read to children to scare them. Which is the total opposite of the beginning, where that felt more like young adult and learning to find oneself. It felt like two completely different stories, merged together. We could have had a story with Alle and Thera...and we could have had a story of the labyrinth. The two together didn't really seem to work out well. I guess I just had higher hopes for the horror aspect of this book.

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

And secretly, I liked redemption. I liked monsters who regretted and heroes who mustered a revolted sort of compassion for their enemies. Even better were the heroes who saw villains as a mirror—not one that reflected the world precisely as it was, but one that showed the hero what she might become.

Quite different from everything else that I've read from J.A. Rock and honestly? This one was my favourite. It hits the spot for me specifically in several ways: girlhood, queer love, creaturedom, stories, mythology, what it means to be a monster, girls wavering between monsterhood and heroism. Thera falls into the latter category (I don't even think much of her being called an antihero) but doesn't easily accept the label, struggles with knowing her own motivations and being so drawn to the beast. This story is told with major hindsight, i.e. when Thera is an adult, and usually I don't like books that are told like that much... but Rock made it work.

A big part of why I liked this book is the writing: expressive and striking and thoughtful and soooo evocative, but without ever getting flowery or overblown. I've been on a streak where I read a book per day, but I deliberately made myself slow down for this one, take a little more time with it, because I so wanted to linger over the language. At one point it felt like I was highlighting every other line. The fantasy, almost fairy-tale-esque nature of the story really worked for Rock's writing.

This lacked coherent world-building, and I would have liked to see a little more for the romance between Thera and Alle. But overall I think this can be counted as a great success, and a wonderful read.

Also: made me think of one of my very very favourite pieces of art. Woman Carrying the Bull by Vladimir Fokanov.

[Ry Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange and evocative book that plunges from realistic fiction with overtones of magical realism straight into trippy fantasy-as-metaphor with shades of horror. It's a story about growing beyond a terrible childhood couched within a dark anti-fairytale. It didn't always go where I expected, but it made me more than willing to strap in and go along for the ride.

[Cleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how to rate this. This is a very strange, compelling story but I feel like it promised a bit more than it delivered.

[Yue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook was awesome and very different. I expected something more clear-cut but very much enjoyed swimming in these shadows instead.

This is a story and characters who aren't neat or nice. There's no pre-determined path and no one can really be boxed as a particular archetype. Most characters are people of colour and the two main characters are explicitly dark skinned. The POV is unreliable and sometimes rambling, sometimes wistful, sometimes so angry she charges at everything like a bull. She's also changeable, lost, fierce, loving and afraid.

Between urban fantasy, coming-of-age, first times, recovery, horror and mythology, the closest genre to shelves this work might be dark fantasy, unless f/f queer-lit takes precedence. It's a messy book without toppling over into gritty gratuity, though it has a good share of ghosts and gore, too. Best of all, it has a happy ending for our queer women romance - though that, too, is rather complicated. The bulk of the story barely scratch the Minotaur's and focused instead on getting to know the main characters, even if it all ties up at the end.

The reader is also the writer and this always gives me a special joy and eagerness to listen and hear *their* version, how they render their own works. What stuck me first is that J.A. Rock is a tremendously talented reader: if you can listen to a sample (for instance on Audible) give it a go and you'll see what I mean. She has an eloquent speech and does wonderful voices. Each character have their unique rhythm, pitch and pattern which unfolds the story like a play. A dark, unreliable, uncertain theater piece.

All in all this was a weird, spooky, at times disturbing and at times wonderful story.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Audio Review ****

Macabre, dark, and complex along the twisting path of a story structured much like the labyrinth of legend. It was definitely a right person and mood type of story and I happened to be just such a listener for this unique, introspective tale.

Ever have one of those books come along that makes you scratch your head about what to say? Not that it was a bad read/listen, but that it was so far outside the usual and that it crosses so many genre lines that... loss for words. I've got just such a one here. But I will try.

First of all, this is YA in age of characters, but not really YA in scope of readership. Secondly, its coming of age and getting past abuse, loss, grief, and anger so it might seem fiction, but then again, there are relationships and romance. Oh and much of the book seems a contemporary setting of a girl's orphanage home, but then there was the labyrinth and the tumble into Wonderland territory mashed with mythology. And that is just the dilemma of what genre it falls in. I'm going with fantasy romance.

Secondly, I said it was a coming of age and romance and it is, but this girl has some pretty dark, tortured thoughts and she's not likeable and sort of wears that badge proudly so there are musings of unreliable narration going on for me when it comes to Thera, but really, she's just seeing things through the lens of her own hard experiences. I enjoy that sort of thing at times- getting inside a disturbed person's mind, but I will admit that it made it a slower-paced piece because reflection and not a lot of action take up nearly half the book.

I'm still not sure what to make of the last portions. The labyrinth was incredible in its craziness, but for that reason, it was perfectly drawn. The ending was wistful and distant so that I felt I was being pulled back from the intimacy I had felt with the sole narrator, the heroine.

This is a coming of age piece and it was more of an exploration into physical intimacy by the two roommates, Thera and Alle. They become intimate, but it is not a lengthy description. Theirs was something almost sweet and a little innocent mixed in with the budding passion. But because these are mostly disturbed girls in their group of friends, there is some crudeness from others (reference to a BD which I had to look up 'bull dyke' and refers to a very masculine lesbian) so the audience for this is probably more adult.

The fun part for me was the surprise that the author, JA Rock, was narrating her own piece. What a fantastic match. I've never experienced this before and of course she nailed the timing, tone, and the characters because they are hers. Oh, well okay, she has a really good narration voice, too, and I know bringing a story's narration to life is not simple and takes skill, but I do wonder if its easier or harder because it was hers. Well done, though, either way.

All in all, this was parts bizarre and parts melancholy, but still a very good piece of story writing that I've come to expect since I've been reading/listening to her books. I would recommend Minotaur to those who are looking for something a little different, slower paced, and enjoy F/F Fantasy Romance.

My thanks to Riptide Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Ness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I
Loved
This
I loved the lyricism, I loved the jagged edges, I loved the bravado and vulnerability.
Thank you, J.A. Rock

[Caroline Naught · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many books attempt to traverse genres. Few do it well. MINOTAUR does it brilliantly.

Having read the book’s blurb, I expected a lesbian romance—perhaps even a young adult, lesbian romance. That said, I doubt many publishers of YA titles would have dared tackle this novel. Although the main characters fall within the YA age range and definitely struggle with growing up, none of them are quite so precious as the Chosen Princess those stories too often star. Even Alle, the girl cast as the romantic lead, is capable of literally stomping weasels. These girls live in a gritty, dirty world. Thera, the reluctant heroine at the center of MINOTAUR, is trapped not only in the girl’s home she is forced to live in but by her own self-perceived corruption.

MINOTAUR starts slowly, in the fashion that many gothic novels do. Because of this, I had a hard time getting into it until Alle showed up. It wasn’t the chemistry between she and Thera that kept me avidly flipping pages after that, however. Though their romantic scenes sizzle, they pale in comparison to those involving Thera and the “monster.” As a reader, you know the two must inevitably meet, and dread mounts as the book races towards that conclusion. The sensual and surreal climax comes across like a delicious reworking of LEGEND.

My biggest critique of the novel is that it felt fifteen pages too long. While the final chapter ties dangling plot and thematic threads up nicely, it also drags. Moreover, the “punchline” on the last page would have fit better in a modern day horror movie, and seemed beneath the gothic style Rock had maintained throughout the book. Still, these are minor quibbles about an outstanding story. Four out of five stars.

I received a copy of MINOTAUR from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mónica BQ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book mostly to just be done with it, since it had been languishing in my TBR pile for years now. I no longer read anything from this author.

As for the book, I think that it suffers from typical YA book mistakes. First, it tries to portray a supposed anti-hero but since the character lacks depth or a more detailed explanation for certain actions and behaviours Thera is mostly just an annoying teenager that rubs you the wrong way the entire book. Second, the story is so fragmented in mini plots that there's no real story arc to overcome. I never quite got what the book was actually about (coming of age perhaps???).

At the time of this book's original publication I was exited about it for many reasons, but the one thing that I never appreciated that Riptide Publishing did with this book and several other of their YAs was that they were advertised and marketed to same audience and in the same way that their adult queer books were and so their YAs never actually reached their intended public. Right now, RP is basically a non-thing for me and I don't even know where I stand anymore. So, that obviously has coloured my perception of this book.

[QUEERcentric Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Kiersten Jane for QUEERcentric Books

Thera Ballard is not a warrior—she is a disease. From those opening lines, The Minotaur by J.A. Rock, takes you on a reinvention of myth as Thera must confront the monster with whom she has a shared destiny.

Locked away in Rock Point Girls’ Home from the age of sixteen, the story picks up on the day Thera is admitted to the home. An aggressive, lying drug addict, Thera prefers antagonists to heroes, revels in ambiguities and shadows, thrives on gore and on hardship.

But more than all of those things, Thera craves redemption. Then maybe Allie will want her.

Read Kiersten's full review at QUEERcentric Books

[RaShae Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I def recommend this is you want a book with Greek Mythology and girls who love girls. Especially if you want a book including those things and POC girls. That would be my number one reason to recommend it to be honest.

I'll give this book 4.5 stars. It was good enough for me to stay interested. I felt a connection enough to the characters to want them to survive. This is not a book you want to read if your looking for heroes though. Also not if you want books about nice mannered girls.

I def recommend this is you want a book with Greek Mythology and girls who love girls. Especially if you want a book including those things and POC girls. That would be my number one reason to recommend it to be honest.

[MissTbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is interesting and in a certain way innovative, but honestly I had difficult to "feeling" the characters.
The writing is good but for me too unemotional.
It takes too long to fit into the story, the first part for me was boring (it goes too slow for me).
Probably I had other expectation (more lust, more sexual tension...) or simply I've read it with the wrong mood, I don't know.

[Blow Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review can be found here at Blow Pop's Book Reviews.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can read my full review here.