Akiva Reads

by L.R. Lam, Laura Lam

Read #2, October 2023: Pretty much the same feelings as first time. Obviously I didn't get the second (or third) at the time, but I'm looking to fix that by the power of eBay. It feels like much longer ago than 2015 that I last read this, but I guess 2015 was a long time ago (!?).

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Read #1:

This contains mild spoilers, but only if you have absolutely no idea how Micah and Iphigenia are connected, and it's not hard to guess.

I liked Pantomime so much, but the end was hard to read. I'm still not totally decided about whether the violence was shocking because it really did come out of nowhere or because it was in keeping with the rest of the book and I was shocked because I cared so much about the characters. The scene where Micah for some reason decides that the only way he can explain his condition quickly is to take off all his clothes was honestly as hard to read for me as the deaths.

I just gave up on The Other YA Fantasy Novel With Trans Characters, [b:Eon: Dragoneye Reborn|2986865|Eon Dragoneye Reborn (Eon, #1)|Alison Goodman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1299076175l/2986865.SY75.jpg|3017319], and I was thinking that the main problem I had with it was that it was all about magic and I don't really read fantasy anymore. That's not quite true, though---Pantomime is fantasy (albeit with a steampunk edge), and I really enjoyed the fantasy elements.

It would be hard to overstate how great the LGBTI representation is in this book. Laura Lam did an awesome job, y'all. Micah wonders at one point if he likes Aenea in a straight way or a gay way. Just... <3. There are a number of other awesome gay, lesbian, and bi characters too.

I'll be looking out for the second one!