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Our relationship felt like a Christmas gift that you hadn’t asked for and weren’t expecting to receive, but the minute you saw it, you knew it was perfect for you
Erin McCarthy -
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbyfGNdMXZ4?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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Mitsuiro Pancake – Kinoshita Keiko
Salaryman Miyasaka harbors a secret love for his childhood friend, manga artist Minami. He knows that someday Minami will find a girl and he’ll have to say “Congratulations”, but so soon?!
Miyasaka’s unconditional love for Minami is beautiful but for heaven’s sake, let it get requited, the poor guy!
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Imperfect Match – Jordan Castillo Price
A man whose future is assigned – A heart that yearns to be free.
Lee Kennedy’s destiny is controlled by the Algorithm. It’s the reason he’s still in college, regardless of his good academic performance. He’s switched his major repeatedly and stalled on his Master’s thesis, but there’s only so much longer he can hold out. Because once he graduates, the Algorithm must be triggered.
Everyone in Lee’s family has allowed the Algorithm to match them with a spouse. As has everyone on his block. His neighborhood. In fact, everyone he’s ever known. Pairing with his own chosen match seems inevitable…until, at his sister’s wedding, he meets Roman.
The waiter lives in the Taxable District, a run-down neighborhood that’s only a brief train ride away, but feels like another world. The seedy District is governed by different standards—different expectations—so it’s not exactly a surprise that Roman isn’t married. But it’s definitely a shock to taste his lips.
One forbidden encounter has Lee reeling. He questions everything. His past. His future. And especially the Algorithm. He longs for the freedom to choose not only his own partner, but his own destiny.
When defying the Algorithm will cost everything—family, home, and even livelihood—is Lee strong enough to take another path?
Hmm…did I just listen to this in the wrong frame of mind or is Jordan Castillo Price off her game?
Written in the same style as Hemovore and narrated by the same person, the great Joel Leslie, Imperfect Match is a dystopian story of freedom, self-discovery and the courage to travel the road less taken.
I liked JCP’s style of avoiding info dump by delivering the information bit by bit through casual mentions or as part of a character’s thoughts or actions. This was really effective in Hemovore where the polarized world of V+ and V- cases seemed oh so real. Here, the worldbuilding was patchy. What is a boomer? What makes a boomer different from taxrats? What was that plague? What kind of government do they have? How do you tax the Taxable district when they use the barter system instead of cash? I have so many questions.
For me the Benefit district vs Taxable district conflict was just a convoluted version of your average rich vs poor conflict and I would have enjoyed the story more if it was straightforward contemporary where rich kid Lee had to slum it in some third world country. It would have made it more diverse too.
The romance was nothing spectacular. Both Roman and Lee were likable people but I wasn’t feeling too invested in their relationship. There were big chunks of the story were Roman was not even present and these chunks were the parts where Lee had his awakenings. Nothing really shocking, just a privileged person discovering that his privileges come with a price and that the other side of tracks seemed more and more appealing.
There is not much conflict. The boomers were discriminating against taxrats and Lee’s choices but Lee’s family was supportive and the taxrats were welcoming. And though Lee went against the Algorithm, there were no dire consequences.
I’d say this is okay. I didn’t hate it but this is not a JCP book I would recommend.
P.S.
Review of Hemovore here.
Review of JCP books here.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a like
Soundtrack: Right Place
Artist: White Lies
Album: Friends(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39290871-imperfect-match)
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[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A7riig57bTjRvFD7wkw4RUP&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Imperfect Match by Jordan Castillo Price
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They are giving us pieces of a real life instead of the whole thing. They have perfected the art of giving us just enough freedom; just enough that when we are ready to snap, a little bone is offered and we roll over, belly up, comfortable and placated like a dog
Ally Condie -
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf1bnStn8ac?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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Love You –
Munya Munya Sue (Kobato Mebaru & Ogura Muku)
The first story is by Ogura Muku sensei, and the latter is by Kobato Mebaru sensei.1. Bear-kun is always laughed at for being so clumsy and useless, despite his large size. So, he has come to hate the fact that he is large. Squirrel-kun finds him crying, and one thing leads to another and Bear-kun ends up helping Squirrel-kun using his large size.2. The eldest brother in the wolf family is actually a fox… a golden fox. He knows he’s “different” from all the rest. One day, he falls in the swamp and gets covered in mud… as a result, he is black like his brothers. When the second eldest brother sees this, he begins licking the fox to expose the beautiful fur. Together they discover the pleasure their tails can bring.
Anthropomorphic doesn’t sound so cute so yeah, furries!
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Gnomon – Luchia Dertien
Emile Delaurier is a beautiful militant revolutionary, a living beacon of righteous justice for the world. For Renaire, an artist in a constant battle against the demons in the bottle, it was obsession at first sight. His devotion led to two years of homicidal partnership as Renaire followed Delaurier in his ruthless quest for equality through the death of the corrupt, like a murderous Robin Hood.
Then Delaurier breaks his pattern, leading Renaire into Russia to kill a reporter with no immoral background, and gives no explanation for his actions.
When Interpol contacts Renaire, he already has enough problems—keeping Delaurier alive, dealing with the shift in their relationship, and surviving the broken past that still haunts him. But when he learns what Interpol wants from him, Renaire must face the truth about Delaurier: that a noble man isn’t always a good one. He’s left with a choice no man should ever have to make—to follow his heart or his morals.
My first impression was that Gnomon sounded like an 18th century novel set in the modern age. Then I learned the novel started life as a Les Miz fanfic and things started to click
Some niggles though: How are Delaurier and Renaire traipsing all over Europe with a suitcase full of weapons with nary a disguise without getting caught? With the kind of iconic face Delaurier has, somebody should have recognize them already. Plus the pair, and STB members as a whole, are really not the most circumspect of criminals. Most of all, Renaire has explicitly mentioned to an Interpol agent no less that he and Delaurier have killed people. Shouldn’t they be handcuffed and read their rights already?
And so while my analytical side keeps pointing out anomalies here and there, the more excitable part of my brain shushed it with gentle reminders to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride. I did and I was swept along Renaire’s all consuming obsession that turned into love that, happily, Delaurier reciprocated just as passionately. Also, Will M. Watt charmed me with his narration, so, really, resistance is futile.
How obsessed is Renaire? Every time he gets knock down and open his eyes, he marvels at how beautiful Delaurier is. He also paints him all the time and follows him EVERYWHERE. Because Delaurier leads and Renaire follows. That is the way of their world. I normally find this kind of obsession suffocating (which is why Call Me By Your Name didn’t work for me) but Luchia Dertain did a great job portraying Renaire’s overwhelming feelings without making me gag. I also love the prose, which is written in Renaire’s point of view, and how it sounds so very Renaire.
Gnomon is a story of two beautiful, madly in love, crazy, stupid revolutionaries out to change the world. Actually, Renaire, who has PTSD and is a chain smoking alcoholic, doesn’t really believe in the CAUSE, he is in it for Delaurier. Delaurier is the leader. He is “the fire that burns so bright” that Renaire could “feel it from five stories up” because Renaire needs to feel something. This is a not a sweet, fluffy love affair. This is two unhinge people making things difficult for themselves because they’re
shitwired that way. Somehow they made it work. And yes, I will follow these stupid terrorist boys.P.S.
My unpopular opinion on Call Me By Your Name here
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
Soundtrack: Red Right Hand
Artist: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Album: Let Love In(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25765861-gnomon)
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[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A0qHeP8zt2WWef7EWCs1ECj&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Gnomon by Luchia Dertien
