I had put off reading this book initially bc the idea of the blind man who can "see" ghosts turned me off. However, since it was on sale and I am despI had put off reading this book initially bc the idea of the blind man who can "see" ghosts turned me off. However, since it was on sale and I am desperately trying to meet my reading goal by the end of the year, I decided to give it a try. The writing was good, too, so I figured it was worth the risk.
The book is shockingly good - and despite my worries about a cliched/ableist presentation of blindness, Danny was portrayed really well and fairly realistically. He's still fairly recently blinded, but at the same time, he values his independence. There is no miracle cure here (unless you count his "seeing" ghosts, etc. as such), which was also a relief--I'd worried a bit about it initially, I'll confess.
It was really interesting to see three POVs: Danny's, Logan's, and Sophie (the ghost). I liked the way Danny's POV tried to represent that of a blind man (we don't see that very often), and attempted realism, such as the way Danny eats or pours his drink, for example.
Although the love does happen quickly, it's shockingly believable. The chemistry between the two men is well developed, and both characters are sympathetic. It was interesting to see a ghost drawing power from emotions (specifically sex), and it really was a page turner.
It ends very satisfyingly, too, though I wouldn't have been disappointed to see this turn into a series.
My only gripe is there seem to be a few inconsistencies, but the book really is a nice treat, so I was willing to overlook those.
Merged review:
I had put off reading this book initially bc the idea of the blind man who can "see" ghosts turned me off. However, since it was on sale and I am desperately trying to meet my reading goal by the end of the year, I decided to give it a try. The writing was good, too, so I figured it was worth the risk.
The book is shockingly good - and despite my worries about a cliched/ableist presentation of blindness, Danny was portrayed really well and fairly realistically. He's still fairly recently blinded, but at the same time, he values his independence. There is no miracle cure here (unless you count his "seeing" ghosts, etc. as such), which was also a relief--I'd worried a bit about it initially, I'll confess.
It was really interesting to see three POVs: Danny's, Logan's, and Sophie (the ghost). I liked the way Danny's POV tried to represent that of a blind man (we don't see that very often), and attempted realism, such as the way Danny eats or pours his drink, for example.
Although the love does happen quickly, it's shockingly believable. The chemistry between the two men is well developed, and both characters are sympathetic. It was interesting to see a ghost drawing power from emotions (specifically sex), and it really was a page turner.
It ends very satisfyingly, too, though I wouldn't have been disappointed to see this turn into a series.
My only gripe is there seem to be a few inconsistencies, but the book really is a nice treat, so I was willing to overlook those....more
This is one of those books that I can't really find any fault with--I really loved how the character arcs were interwoven, and it was a phenomenal "trThis is one of those books that I can't really find any fault with--I really loved how the character arcs were interwoven, and it was a phenomenal "traditional" haunted house story (it reminded me a lot of the original B&W The Haunting film), but it just felt a little meh to me. I'm not even 100% sure I could put my finger on it. Maybe it's partially because I don't really like historical fiction as a general rule? Again, technically, the writing was fine, and I don't have any complaints. It just didn't really grab me, and it's not like I'm super excited for the next book.
Recently, I read a review (for another book) by a gay man complaining about how often female M/M writers don't fully understand the dynamic in a male homosexual relationship, and he mentioned particularly how "off" the roles of who's the Top vs Bottom, etc., can be. It's actually something I think about a lot (maybe because I'm a writer? I don't know) but it definitely struck me in this book and actually pulled me out of the story completely, even zapping the sex scene for me.
(view spoiler)[The whole book, Vincent is portrayed as the (sexually) aggressive one, and despite being "told" that Henry is controlling, I never really felt that in the book. He struck me as a little bit more submissive (at least when it came to sex) and especially with his backstory of being "used" by Isaac, I really thought he would be the bottom. Of COURSE a Top could be used in the same situation, where he's very young and is manipulated by an older man. I'm not saying that's not possible. What I am saying is that everything about Henry screamed bottom (or at least switch) and everything about Vincent screamed Top, and yet when they finally have sex, Henry is the Top and Vincent is the Bottom. And that whole scene just broke for me. It felt ridiculous and unbelievable and I just couldn't buy it. Again, I'm not saying that a Bottom has to be meek or a Top has to be aggressive, but I don't know if I've ever read an M/M book where I was struck so heavily with the dissonance as I was in this book. In fact, IF Henry was as controlling out of the bedroom as he supposedly is, I could easily see him being the type to enjoy "giving it up" during sex as a break from constantly having to be in control. (A common psychological phenomenon.) Also, it felt like Henry was constantly going to Vincent for support, and not the other way around. Not saying that the Top has to be an alpha either, but that was another thing that really just struck me and made me go, huh? There was just nothing about Henry that told me he would be the "dominant" one in bed, or anything about Vincent that said he'd be the "submissive" one. (Notice the quotes here.) I guess maybe it was a characterization issue, or maybe I'm just insane. But it really struck me, which is why I felt it was worth mentioning. (hide spoiler)]
Long story short, while this was a pretty good example of the genre, and I admire the multicultural aspect (especially considering the time frame) I just didn't get into the book the way I have with others. I really liked the unique psychic ability (Vincent "tastes" ghosts), but I just don't see myself getting too excited to read further books in this series.
Also, it was a little irksome to see the trope of (view spoiler)[the BUTLER DID IT, which I pretty much figured out early on (I also figured out that Miss Devereaux was trans, but that was a nice twist, especially considering the time period) and the way the bad guy reveals everything at the end. God, I'm so sick of that. (hide spoiler)]
All in all, if you really enjoy the "haunted house" genre, you'll probably enjoy this book. Otherwise, you may want to give it a pass.
Note: I also thought A Casual Weekend Thing did a much better job with the Native American/White paring than this book did, if that's something that interests you.
Merged review:
This is one of those books that I can't really find any fault with--I really loved how the character arcs were interwoven, and it was a phenomenal "traditional" haunted house story (it reminded me a lot of the original B&W The Haunting film), but it just felt a little meh to me. I'm not even 100% sure I could put my finger on it. Maybe it's partially because I don't really like historical fiction as a general rule? Again, technically, the writing was fine, and I don't have any complaints. It just didn't really grab me, and it's not like I'm super excited for the next book.
Recently, I read a review (for another book) by a gay man complaining about how often female M/M writers don't fully understand the dynamic in a male homosexual relationship, and he mentioned particularly how "off" the roles of who's the Top vs Bottom, etc., can be. It's actually something I think about a lot (maybe because I'm a writer? I don't know) but it definitely struck me in this book and actually pulled me out of the story completely, even zapping the sex scene for me.
(view spoiler)[The whole book, Vincent is portrayed as the (sexually) aggressive one, and despite being "told" that Henry is controlling, I never really felt that in the book. He struck me as a little bit more submissive (at least when it came to sex) and especially with his backstory of being "used" by Isaac, I really thought he would be the bottom. Of COURSE a Top could be used in the same situation, where he's very young and is manipulated by an older man. I'm not saying that's not possible. What I am saying is that everything about Henry screamed bottom (or at least switch) and everything about Vincent screamed Top, and yet when they finally have sex, Henry is the Top and Vincent is the Bottom. And that whole scene just broke for me. It felt ridiculous and unbelievable and I just couldn't buy it. Again, I'm not saying that a Bottom has to be meek or a Top has to be aggressive, but I don't know if I've ever read an M/M book where I was struck so heavily with the dissonance as I was in this book. In fact, IF Henry was as controlling out of the bedroom as he supposedly is, I could easily see him being the type to enjoy "giving it up" during sex as a break from constantly having to be in control. (A common psychological phenomenon.) Also, it felt like Henry was constantly going to Vincent for support, and not the other way around. Not saying that the Top has to be an alpha either, but that was another thing that really just struck me and made me go, huh? There was just nothing about Henry that told me he would be the "dominant" one in bed, or anything about Vincent that said he'd be the "submissive" one. (Notice the quotes here.) I guess maybe it was a characterization issue, or maybe I'm just insane. But it really struck me, which is why I felt it was worth mentioning. (hide spoiler)]
Long story short, while this was a pretty good example of the genre, and I admire the multicultural aspect (especially considering the time frame) I just didn't get into the book the way I have with others. I really liked the unique psychic ability (Vincent "tastes" ghosts), but I just don't see myself getting too excited to read further books in this series.
Also, it was a little irksome to see the trope of (view spoiler)[the BUTLER DID IT, which I pretty much figured out early on (I also figured out that Miss Devereaux was trans, but that was a nice twist, especially considering the time period) and the way the bad guy reveals everything at the end. God, I'm so sick of that. (hide spoiler)]
All in all, if you really enjoy the "haunted house" genre, you'll probably enjoy this book. Otherwise, you may want to give it a pass.
Note: I also thought A Casual Weekend Thing did a much better job with the Native American/White paring than this book did, if that's something that interests you....more
I didn't fall in love with Adrien English immediately. And I found The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks disappointing. But it was clear, by the time 4.5 stars.
I didn't fall in love with Adrien English immediately. And I found The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks disappointing. But it was clear, by the time we got to books 4 and 5 of AE that Josh Lanyon had really grown as a writer.
This little book has kind of a slow start--admittedly not necessarily the best opening if you rely only on the kindle preview. However, I decided to give it a try anyway, and it really was a page turner.
Flynn is definitely no Adrien English, but that's OK. He's likeable in his own way, and though he does have a lot of growing up to do (as Kirk reminds him), your heart is with him. Not many books are willing to seriously tackle issues of heavy grief, of depression, suicide, and even life post psychiatric admission, but Lanyon manages to do it in a way that is both realistic without being melodramatic or overwrought.
Though the "mystery" of the ghost itself reminds me a lot of the Kate Chopin story "Desiree's Baby," it still managed to work, and Kirk and Flynn have a great relationship - not instalove, just a good man supporting another when he needs it.
I guess I'll summarize the story since the blurb doesn't really do it justice.
Flynn Ambrose is grieving. Several months earlier, his "one," the man he grew up with and thought he'd spend "forever" with, died suddenly, leaving him shattered and broken. After a brief stint in a mental institution, Flynn has retired to an old house in Connecticut, filled with antiques, which was owned by his late great-uncle, a bit of an eccentric. Most of the pieces are remnants from a museum for the arcane his uncle ran, and Flynn hopes to spend the next ten months cataloging them--a way to get out from under his parents' thumbs and supposedly on the road to recovery.
Of course, the truth is that Flynn has barely been sleeping or eating, not feeling hungry and too worried that if he sleeps too long he'll forget Alan, his dead lover.
It isn't long before Flynn begins to see something in this large antique mirror in his quarters, bringing him into conflict with the other tenant of the house, Kirk, an ex Army Ranger and aspiring playwright.
Though initially it would seem easy enough for Kirk (or even Flynn) to blame sleep deprivation (or simple insanity) for the supernatural happenings, soon both men are forced to realize there's more than meets to eye in the large mirror.
I'm eager to learn more about Kirk in future installments, and also see how the other ghosts are handled. Really enjoyable little novella and I'm anxiously anticipating the next in the series.
Merged review:
4.5 stars.
I didn't fall in love with Adrien English immediately. And I found The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks disappointing. But it was clear, by the time we got to books 4 and 5 of AE that Josh Lanyon had really grown as a writer.
This little book has kind of a slow start--admittedly not necessarily the best opening if you rely only on the kindle preview. However, I decided to give it a try anyway, and it really was a page turner.
Flynn is definitely no Adrien English, but that's OK. He's likeable in his own way, and though he does have a lot of growing up to do (as Kirk reminds him), your heart is with him. Not many books are willing to seriously tackle issues of heavy grief, of depression, suicide, and even life post psychiatric admission, but Lanyon manages to do it in a way that is both realistic without being melodramatic or overwrought.
Though the "mystery" of the ghost itself reminds me a lot of the Kate Chopin story "Desiree's Baby," it still managed to work, and Kirk and Flynn have a great relationship - not instalove, just a good man supporting another when he needs it.
I guess I'll summarize the story since the blurb doesn't really do it justice.
Flynn Ambrose is grieving. Several months earlier, his "one," the man he grew up with and thought he'd spend "forever" with, died suddenly, leaving him shattered and broken. After a brief stint in a mental institution, Flynn has retired to an old house in Connecticut, filled with antiques, which was owned by his late great-uncle, a bit of an eccentric. Most of the pieces are remnants from a museum for the arcane his uncle ran, and Flynn hopes to spend the next ten months cataloging them--a way to get out from under his parents' thumbs and supposedly on the road to recovery.
Of course, the truth is that Flynn has barely been sleeping or eating, not feeling hungry and too worried that if he sleeps too long he'll forget Alan, his dead lover.
It isn't long before Flynn begins to see something in this large antique mirror in his quarters, bringing him into conflict with the other tenant of the house, Kirk, an ex Army Ranger and aspiring playwright.
Though initially it would seem easy enough for Kirk (or even Flynn) to blame sleep deprivation (or simple insanity) for the supernatural happenings, soon both men are forced to realize there's more than meets to eye in the large mirror.
I'm eager to learn more about Kirk in future installments, and also see how the other ghosts are handled. Really enjoyable little novella and I'm anxiously anticipating the next in the series....more
Original review: Maybe the best of the series. I love how Vic has discovered new facets to his talent as the series progressed, and I love how (view sOriginal review: Maybe the best of the series. I love how Vic has discovered new facets to his talent as the series progressed, and I love how (view spoiler)[Jacob's turned out to be a powerful Psych in his own right, and how their powers compliment each other. (hide spoiler)] I love the series. I love Vic, and I hope we see many more books in the future.
Re-read January 2014: Still holds up. I think this is the only book in the series that really deserves a full 5-star rating. It's the most complete - we get a good balance of tension, action, Psych stuff (that makes the series unique), and character development (of talent AND internal growth). It's also probably a book you _could_ read on its own, independent of the other books, though since I recently re-read them all, that could be falsely colored perception.
I'm going to re-read Book #7 next, but I think part of what bothered me so much about it will still plague me. While book #6 really feels like a culmination - that Vic and Jake have been working toward something, the next book in the series feels like a dropped ball. Like some of the things that popped up and made this book so good are seemingly forgotten. But, I'll see if I still feel that way now that the rest of the series is fresh in my mind.
Still, this book is going on my "favorites" shelf (in fact, let me make one to put it on!) and I could definitely see myself re-reading it again, on its own, from time to time.
Merged review:
Original review: Maybe the best of the series. I love how Vic has discovered new facets to his talent as the series progressed, and I love how (view spoiler)[Jacob's turned out to be a powerful Psych in his own right, and how their powers compliment each other. (hide spoiler)] I love the series. I love Vic, and I hope we see many more books in the future.
Re-read January 2014: Still holds up. I think this is the only book in the series that really deserves a full 5-star rating. It's the most complete - we get a good balance of tension, action, Psych stuff (that makes the series unique), and character development (of talent AND internal growth). It's also probably a book you _could_ read on its own, independent of the other books, though since I recently re-read them all, that could be falsely colored perception.
I'm going to re-read Book #7 next, but I think part of what bothered me so much about it will still plague me. While book #6 really feels like a culmination - that Vic and Jake have been working toward something, the next book in the series feels like a dropped ball. Like some of the things that popped up and made this book so good are seemingly forgotten. But, I'll see if I still feel that way now that the rest of the series is fresh in my mind.
Still, this book is going on my "favorites" shelf (in fact, let me make one to put it on!) and I could definitely see myself re-reading it again, on its own, from time to time....more
On one hand, I really like the concepts, but on the other, I never felt connected to the characters the way I would haThis book is a hard one to rate.
On one hand, I really like the concepts, but on the other, I never felt connected to the characters the way I would have liked, and it felt a little unbalanced.
The novel is narrated in the first person by "Ethan," a ghost, who, like most ghosts, has almost no memories of his former life (he knows he was stabbed to death, but that's about it). He's in love with Charlie, a powerful medium, whom he's been with for almost ten years.
Charlie not only has the ability to see and speak with the dead (as well as see into the "beyond"), but he can also help the dead possess bodies and can even "make them real" (corporeal).
Charlie is also in love with Ethan, and they often pick up guys at gay clubs so that (via possession) they can have sex together. The dead can't smell or touch or feel in the same way the living can, so possession (either getting pushed into someone else, or pulled into Charlie) is the only way Ethan can experience these things.
The problem is that Ethan is literally draining Charlie's lifeforce by being with him all the time, and that pains Ethan.
Things get shaken up when a detective named Briggs shows up to arrest Charlie for the death of a scientist named Sullivan whom Charlie worked with for several years when he was a young teen. He also had a pretty abusive relationship with Charlie (manipulating him through love and sex). Things soon get complicated as it is revealed that Charlie isn't the murder but something far more sinister is at work. It doesn't help that Briggs is gay and attracted to Charlie, setting up a bizarre love triangle.
The world building is interesting, including the idea of the "sedit," or malicious creatures that were never alive but exist in the beyond (and who will "eat" ghosts if given a chance). The concept of different planes of the beyond so that ghosts can't always interact together (a good way of solving the problem of "why doesn't Charlie just kill himself so he and Ethan can be together?" - since the answer is, they might not end up together). The idea of a scientific explanation for ghosts and how Charlie's powers work, using physics and so forth, was also really intriguing.
I also liked the whole love triangle concept, the way Briggs and Ethan had a kind of connection, etc.
But part of the problem is the book is so focused on the love between Ethan and Charlie, and Ethan is so vaporous (in more than the literal sense of non-corporeality), and Charlie is clearly a fucked up little monkey, so that really harmed the "epic love story" aspect for me.
I really was hoping we'd see Ethan somehow discovering more of who he is, or at least give us more of a sense of WHY Charlie was so in love with him. I could understand why Ethan loved Charlie, but not so much the reverse. Even his narrative voice was devoid of personality, and that was a real shame, IMO.
Same with Briggs. He fell in love with Charlie instantly, and we know very little about him.
We also never know what Charlie does for a living. He doesn't seem to work, but he has to pay for his food and apartment somehow, and he doesn't live off his abilities. That really bugged me.
It would have been nice to have a little less of the cliched (even if it is given a slightly different twist) of Armageddon plotline and a little more character development.
I will say the book does have a HEA, and how it worked out really surprised me.
Overall, though, I felt as if this book had a ton of potential, but it ultimately fell a little flat, which is disappointing.
I think books like The Tourist and The Yearning did ghosts-in-love-with-humans better overall.
Merged review:
This book is a hard one to rate.
On one hand, I really like the concepts, but on the other, I never felt connected to the characters the way I would have liked, and it felt a little unbalanced.
The novel is narrated in the first person by "Ethan," a ghost, who, like most ghosts, has almost no memories of his former life (he knows he was stabbed to death, but that's about it). He's in love with Charlie, a powerful medium, whom he's been with for almost ten years.
Charlie not only has the ability to see and speak with the dead (as well as see into the "beyond"), but he can also help the dead possess bodies and can even "make them real" (corporeal).
Charlie is also in love with Ethan, and they often pick up guys at gay clubs so that (via possession) they can have sex together. The dead can't smell or touch or feel in the same way the living can, so possession (either getting pushed into someone else, or pulled into Charlie) is the only way Ethan can experience these things.
The problem is that Ethan is literally draining Charlie's lifeforce by being with him all the time, and that pains Ethan.
Things get shaken up when a detective named Briggs shows up to arrest Charlie for the death of a scientist named Sullivan whom Charlie worked with for several years when he was a young teen. He also had a pretty abusive relationship with Charlie (manipulating him through love and sex). Things soon get complicated as it is revealed that Charlie isn't the murder but something far more sinister is at work. It doesn't help that Briggs is gay and attracted to Charlie, setting up a bizarre love triangle.
The world building is interesting, including the idea of the "sedit," or malicious creatures that were never alive but exist in the beyond (and who will "eat" ghosts if given a chance). The concept of different planes of the beyond so that ghosts can't always interact together (a good way of solving the problem of "why doesn't Charlie just kill himself so he and Ethan can be together?" - since the answer is, they might not end up together). The idea of a scientific explanation for ghosts and how Charlie's powers work, using physics and so forth, was also really intriguing.
I also liked the whole love triangle concept, the way Briggs and Ethan had a kind of connection, etc.
But part of the problem is the book is so focused on the love between Ethan and Charlie, and Ethan is so vaporous (in more than the literal sense of non-corporeality), and Charlie is clearly a fucked up little monkey, so that really harmed the "epic love story" aspect for me.
I really was hoping we'd see Ethan somehow discovering more of who he is, or at least give us more of a sense of WHY Charlie was so in love with him. I could understand why Ethan loved Charlie, but not so much the reverse. Even his narrative voice was devoid of personality, and that was a real shame, IMO.
Same with Briggs. He fell in love with Charlie instantly, and we know very little about him.
We also never know what Charlie does for a living. He doesn't seem to work, but he has to pay for his food and apartment somehow, and he doesn't live off his abilities. That really bugged me.
It would have been nice to have a little less of the cliched (even if it is given a slightly different twist) of Armageddon plotline and a little more character development.
I will say the book does have a HEA, and how it worked out really surprised me.
Overall, though, I felt as if this book had a ton of potential, but it ultimately fell a little flat, which is disappointing.
**spoiler alert** So I went and bought another copy since I caught up on Masanaga San and my two new manga volumes I’m subbed to don’t come out until **spoiler alert** So I went and bought another copy since I caught up on Masanaga San and my two new manga volumes I’m subbed to don’t come out until next week.
I have to really admire this mangaka’s skill in drawing scary af spirits. Only the second time I’ve seen someone do this kinda thing so well. It really makes you feel for Miko having to see these things all around her.
I’m very scared of the “god� and his shrine maidens� now more than ever. I have a feeling that they’re up to something sinister� I wonder if Godmother will be able to help Miko learn some ways of protecting herself�
And speaking of, I’m very nervous about this new spiritualist, who was apparently Godmother’s last apprentice and the one I suspect sent her that photo� The fact that she won’t teach people anymore and that he’s so� creepy make me wonder what may happen� bad enough Miko has those creepy shrine maidens to deal with� now she has this weirdo too?
Very tempted to sub to this as I feel like it’s only just beginning to shift from curiosity to “edge of your seat, can’t wait to see what happens next.�...more
So I’ve been watching the anime and really enjoying it. I love the balance of creepy af ghosts with the humor of Miko’s reactions.
I couldn’t wait to sSo I’ve been watching the anime and really enjoying it. I love the balance of creepy af ghosts with the humor of Miko’s reactions.
I couldn’t wait to see what happened next so I bought this volume of the manga (eventually I may buy the first two volumes).
This volume doesn’t really have the humor of the aired episodes of the anime (dunno if the anime is true to the manga or not). But it’s VERY creepy�. Didn’t really scare me but I can appreciate the designs and all.
It was interesting how our expectations were subverted here in a slightly different way than what I am used to from the anime� but now I may end up buying the next volume too bc I’m so incredibly curious as to what will happen with the god’s attendants/shrine maiden things, etc�....more
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