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Kindle book reviews  [message #76532] Sat, 08 February 2020 20:15 Go to next message
American_Alex

Toe is in the water
Location: New York, upstate
Registered: October 2017
Messages: 98



In the YA/gay book genre, there are a ton of Kindle books available, many for $5 or less. Some are great, some are crap, but regardless, every one of them has glowing reviews on Amazon, most of which are probably sockpuppet reviews. So, I thought this might be a good place for people to share the gems and the clinkers they have found there. I'll start out with a couple books I've recently read:

The Climb, by Damien Benoit-Ledoux:
Rating: 9/10

For a YA/gay novel, this series is probably the best of the year. It deals with a young man who is a ward of the state (a common scenario in the genre lately, it seems), with strong , believable characters, drama, plot twists, and real romance. This book doesn't shy away from difficult issues either, like alcoholism, homophobia, psychological trauma and heartbreak.Skyler, the main character, is an orphan who has already had a lot of hardship in his life, and when his sexuality is publicly revealed his entire world is destroyed, yet he perseveres and starts all over again in a new town with a new family. The book follows his personal growth through extremely difficult circumstances, while never becoming saccharine or predictable. And as for the romance scenes, well, this is as good as I've ever seen in young gay literature. This book is destined to become a classic. As far as sex in the book, I'd rate it "PG", nothing explicit, really only inferred. I wouldn't hesitate giving this book to any young gay male, or even their parents.

The only real criticisms I have on this book are minor; he goes from bitter reality to near-paradise in one move, which I think strains credulity just a bit. Also, it seems that all of his issues clear up over a single summer, which seems just a bit extreme. He goes from being a closeted fundamentalist to being a proud, out teen with a boyfriend and a crew of out-and-proud teen friends in only 90 days...well, I guess it's a nice fantasy.

This seems to be just the first book in a series which the author is still producing. I would've liked a bit more development of some of the characters in the first part of the book (which we never hear from again), but being that this is a series, they may show up again in future volumes.



"Able was I ere I saw Elba"
Re: Kindle book reviews  [message #76533 is a reply to message #76532] Sat, 08 February 2020 20:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
American_Alex

Toe is in the water
Location: New York, upstate
Registered: October 2017
Messages: 98



Lukas With a K, by Kameron Tyler
Rating: Incomplete (but from what I've read so far, I'd give it maybe 5/10, with a 2/10 for value)

This book was a disappointment for several reasons. It starts out promising enough, being in a setting somewhere other than rich, white suburbia, but it never really develops from there. The main character, Lucas, seems to be growing, but then suddenly, things get worse, then they get much worse, then.....the book just ends; no explanation, no promise of a second part, just leaves you with a cliffhanger.The writing style and number of typos are not terribly professional, being more in line with some of the better free story sites online, yet he had the audacity to charge $10 (that's the price WITH my Prime membership) for what amounts to little more than a pamphlet. Even if this book was twice as long (and actually finished the story), that would still be twice what the book is worth. There is really nothing about this book you couldn't get for free on several sites, nor is there any person I could think of recommending it for.

[Updated on: Sat, 08 February 2020 20:21]




"Able was I ere I saw Elba"
Re: Kindle book reviews  [message #76534 is a reply to message #76532] Sat, 08 February 2020 20:42 Go to previous message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



"American_Alex wrote on Sat, 08 February 2020 20:15"
In the YA/gay book genre, there are a ton of Kindle books available, many for $5 or less. Some are great, some are crap, but regardless, every one of them has glowing reviews on Amazon, most of which are probably sockpuppet reviews. So, I thought this might be a good place for people to share the gems and the clinkers they have found there. I'll start out with a couple books I've recently read:



--
I can think of a better use for the forum than providing alternative reviews of books sold on Kindle. Please review them on Amazon, on Goodreads. I'm not really into providing a server for this purpose.

You're welcome to recommend a story. But giving us a list of tales you hate and despise, no thank you



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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