And why did it take me so long to watch Gap: The Series?
Where I talk about the books (+ other stuff) I read last month, which may or may not be F/F. But don’t worry, I’ll let you know, and I usually read something gay each month.
Kiss of Seduction
I’m a sucker for monstrous love interests, so a steamy sapphic love story between a human and a succubus is right up my alley. After escaping the grips of her captors, Evie must learn how to reclaim herself following a year of traumatic sexual abuse. Her savior, Natalya, is a being of pure Sin whose touch is agony and whose kiss is a death sentence. But unbeknownst to Evie, Natalya has her own history to recover from—a recovery that might just start with Evie and her strange ability to survive Natalya’s kiss.
Kiss of Seduction is consensual, healing, and romantic. It’s exactly the kind of read I’m looking for when I just want to shut off my brain and indulge in some safe, fluffy cheese. But that’s also kind of the novel’s downfall. It reminds me a little too much of YA romance, with the meek, “perfect” (but just like every other girl) special protagonist and the much more powerful (and interesting) love interest who just sees something about her that no one else can.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Someone You Can Build a Nest In
While one of the most anticipated books of 2024 (according to several publications), I can only describe Someone You Can Build a Nest In as…alright. Following the trend of “cozy fantasy, but what if [blank] monster?” Someone You Can Build a Nest In centers Shesheshen, a shapeshifting wyrm with a biology that I can only describe as “body-horror core.”
When Shesheshen is chased out of her home and off a cliff, she’s nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human who happens to come from the aristocratic family that wants Shesheshen’s head on a pike. Unfortunately, Shesheshen falls in love with the woman, tumbling into a series of events that culminate in a confrontation with Homily’s toxic family.
As a story, Someone You Can Build a Nest In plays it mostly safe and non-offensive. I found myself wishing that the novel just had a little more grit to it, especially when its protagonist is an eldritch horror and the female lead struggles with ideations of self-harm and familial abuse. For me, the “vibes” of cozy fantasy can work well under the right premise but also dilute a story’s substance in certain circumstances.
Unfortunately (for me), Someone You Can Build a Nest In dips into the latter.
⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Gap: The Series
IDOLFACTORY
No, seriously. Why was I one (and a half) year late to the party?
Gap: The Series is awesome. Of course, I understood that it was “probably pretty good” from the media attention it picked up on release and the…numerous amounts of fanfic flooding my ao3 feed for a solid six months, but I resisted watching the series because…
Honestly, I don’t even know why.
Part of it is that I rarely have the time or patience to sit through a TV show, and part of it is that I would almost always rather read a book or play a video game instead. But I finally got my butt in the chair and binged this series.
And it was so worth it.
Great performances[1], awesome cast, amazing story. The girls have such great chemistry with each other—the best I’ve seen so far in a live-action series. If I have one complaint, it’s that I wish Sam stood up to her grandmother more. I understand that the series was also trying to push an LGBTQ+ friendly narrative to an older Eastern audience, but still.
So, yeah. If you haven’t already—don’t be like me—go watch Gap.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
[1] Minus that one car scene with Sam’s second sister, because what was that. Ma’am, I am not looking at a face of surprise and horror, and also please try not to laugh through your tears.
Tbh I really enjoy these impressions/ reviews of stuff you’ve read, lets me know if I will like it or not. Appreciate them and also hoping for more posts like this haha. Will check out Gap cuz you praised it so much.
❤️