This is a Tor novella that is part of a LGBTQ story anthology. I...liked it? Sort of? It's got a Hannibal-esque horror feeling to me, with certain other elements of like myth and gutterpunks and a vaguely post-apocalyptic vibe, but none of the story really stuck with me, and I never felt like I had a good grasp on the protagonist. One of those "I am sure that this story is really for someone, but that someone is not me" books.
Grade: B
The second book in this duology! This one was also great, even if it didn't quite have the delight of Assembling the Gang in Six of Crows. But overall I really enjoyed the story, and how the relationships deepened, and hey a gay romance! Don't mind if I do. The story suffered a tiny bit from the fact that there's an action event mid-book that COULD be the final heist of the story, but because of where it falls in the book, you know it can't be. Part of that is reading a YA novel as an adult who's read stories like this before and understand the narrative formula, but I thought some of the fakeouts could have been concealed slightly more. Overall though it was a delightful conclusion to the first book and I enjoyed it immensely!
Grade: A
Boy I didn't really like this one either! This is a romance between two marines post-WWII, which should be exactly up my Band of Brothers-loving alley. But I didn't like them as individuals or how they were together, and I found the particular brand of homophobia to just not be for me at all. Nope!
Grade: C
