Fall 2019 - Blog Posts
Aesthetic
October 🍁🕯️
no one:
me: here’s a flow chart of 41 lgbtq+ book recommendations, have fun!
disclaimer: this is a very non-comprehensive list since I’m only including books that I’ve read
Review: The Songbird’s Refrain by Jillian Maria
Summary: When a mysterious show arrives in town, seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Brighton is both intrigued and unsettled. But none of the acts capture her attention quite like the blue-eyed woman. Locked in a birdcage and covered in feathers, the anguish in her voice sounds just a little too real to be an act—because it isn’t. The show’s owner, a sadistic witch known only as the Mistress, is holding her captive.
And she’s chosen Elizabeth as her next victim.
After watching the blue-eyed woman die, Elizabeth is placed under the same curse. She clings to what little hope she can find in the words of a fortune teller and in her own strange dreams. The more she learns, the more she suspects that the Mistress isn’t as invulnerable as she appears. But time is against her, and every feather that sprouts brings her closer to meeting the blue-eyed woman’s fate. Can Elizabeth unlock the secret to flying free, or will the Mistress’s curse kill her and cage its next victim?
Before I begin, I’d like to mention that I received a free digital copy of this story from @byjillianmaria in exchange for an honest review. Before being selected for this, however, I was completely certain I would purchase the book anyway, making this a fantastic opportunity to take in the story.
All in all, this story was a great read and I really enjoyed it. It’s not very often that I get to read a story with such an organically and naturally written character that’s a member of the LGBT+ community and, as a member of that community myself, Elizabeth was a great main character to read. The relationships between the characters, too, were incredibly interesting to learn about throughout the story and, I’ll admit, were my favorite aspect of this novel.
About two-thirds of the way through the story, the plot began to feel somewhat jumbled to me. Newly introduced details, despite having ties back to the beginning of the novel, felt forced to me, and it made it difficult to read a handful of the later chapters. I’m unsure as to whether this confusion was intentional, as Elizabeth may have been overwhelmed by the information, or if it was due to rushing the plot progression (or my own misunderstandings). Either way, this did clear up in the last couple of chapters, allowing me to fully enjoy the ending.
I enjoyed this book, and I think this would be an enjoyable book for anyone that enjoys fantasy stories with elements of horror and mystery such as this one!