Sam > Recent Status Updates

ugh . my brain is fighting to connect the dots here and stakes are being upped faster than i thought. our narrator is living a nightmare honestly

taking this read slow so far but it’s solid. i enjoy the dream sequence descriptions. i wondered at first if they might be over-focused on, but i feel like the turmoil in the waking world is given equal attention.

fascinating start. i’m not very familiar with nautical terminology but this book is not incredibly heavy-handed with it. also has full-page illustrations and they’re good … i can’t wait to read more.

i’m sweating. i require a happy ending

great read so far. i won’t say too much but this is a really interesting portrayal of a) greek diaspora experience (although it isn’t super in-depth. it’s enough to get a taste for those who don’t relate) and b) refreshing to read about a difficult relationship between mother and son. “difficult” puts it kindly

getting spicy ….

a few typos here and there but nothing impeding my reading experience. definitely requires interest and general knowledge of greek myth to catch references made by both characters about classical literature which i think it accurate to the time period. liking the build-up between our two leads so far.

really has me by the throat. electric. and very much a proper mystery that only keeps me with my nose buried in it but i'm gonna have to read the rest tomorrow

this book is tearing me up. also as i read the character relationships become more and more complicated in a good and realistic way-- there's a reason why despite eddie being taken in by andrew's parents, they are Not referred to as brothers by both andrew as the narrator and the book summary

20 more pages down during lunch .. this book is really intriguing. if or when i reread it though, i will need to remember this book is intense enough that it’s no casual or light read

once again lee mandelo’s writing voice deliverssss. i am just so excited to see where this book goes. the premise is intriguing and the narrator’s emotional reactions are written out so believably that i feel like i’m there (and i can feel the stakes and promise of the unrevealed plot).

simultaneously sweet and stressing me out. can’t wait to see where this goes

ripping my hair out (positive)

willing to ignore minor typos and very occasional omitted words. this book is beautifully written. i feel like reading this requires concentration to really be able to grasp the way the author describes character emotions (abstract. very enjoyable).

really liking the imagery so far! again, independently published so i’ve already caught a couple typos, but i’m overlooking pretty much all punctuation oddities that don’t throw me off since the style of writing is meant to be more flowery. gonna have to see if this stirs up any bad personal feelings around catholicism.

pedantic comment again. "wet" instead of "whet" [appetite] on p. 253. independent publish probably???

plot is progressed jarringly abruptly and through dialogue (like i can tell what the author might want to set up essentially?) in chapters 17 and 18– feels like certain emotional aspects of turmoil should have been dealt with by narrating characters with greater focus. typos on pages 94 and 237 (course instead of coarse, amble instead of ample) likely would have been caught with more editing.

i picked up reading again after a hot second and jumped like 150 pages. still trying to figure out if the writing style is “appropriately mature enough” for what i expected? i’m enjoying it so far but being 200 pages in, i’m wondering if the world-building to establish background for the existence of magic will really show up in non-expository or force-fed ways. still enjoying it though.

typo on page 50 ... we move ..... i'm liking this so far, i've only just hit the time travel part and i'm interested to see more of the past explored

that was chapter 1-- definitely a lot of world-building going on and establishment of past events but nothing stifling or boring so i'm intrigued and i like it so far. i think i'll have a better idea of who our narrator is after another few chapters

been a hot freaking second since ive read a more hardcore fantasy novel w an actual magic system and especially one involving time travel. really interested. anticipating a slower development arc in general since this book is like 400+ pages

fantastic writing so far for sure. big fan of the writerly voice and how the perspective of small-town ostracism is depicted