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Foxes, Policemen, and Gods
Aug. 20th, 2026 01:20 pmSing Fox to Me by Sarah Kanake
This tells the story of teenage twin boys, who are left with their grandfather in a remote area of Tasmania.
It was very well written, especially with the four viewpoint characters having very distinct voices.
But it was very depressing and pretty unpleasant. I kept going until over halfway through, hoping for a sense that things might get more positive by the end, but the gory animals deaths got too much and I ended up DNF-ing it.
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Well-written, layered, intellectual – about history and culture and religion and discrimination and complex relationships and personal morality and challenging authority – but I just couldn’t persuade my over-stretched brain to get into it.
I gave up when I realised I’d spent two days not reading because I didn’t want to read this book.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
I was not expecting to enjoy this book, but I wanted to give it a try after hearing other people talk about it.
It's a 'dark retelling' of the Hades/Persephone myth, set in a modern-day city 'ruled' by the Thirteen, who take on the names of various Greek gods and goddesses when they accept their roles.
The writing isn't fantastic - there's a lot of repetition and it's a bit basic.
The world-building is almost non-existent and what is there makes very little sense.
But there's a pleasing level of self-awareness at certain points, suggesting it's not meant to be taken wholly seriously - though I don't imagine you're supposed to find it as funny as I did, especially in the first half.
It has a reputation for being quite transgressive and I was expecting a lot of toxic aspects to the romance - but it's actually mostly really sweet, and the sex is pretty vanilla (despite early discussions of BDSM) - with a satisfying emphasis on consent and pleasure on both sides.
There are only two sex scenes in the first half - then another seven in the next 100 pages. But the last 100 pages don't have any at all (except for the final scene) - and that's also where the plot really ramps up and the climax (no pun intended) is exciting, tension-filled, and had me very much wondering how it was all going to work out in the end.
I loved Hades (he's basically John Wick, which is a big draw for me) - and also Hermes for the humour and straight-talking.
As mentioned, the setting of this story makes almost no sense at all - but I really enjoyed this anyway, and I'm actually keen to read on in the series.
This tells the story of teenage twin boys, who are left with their grandfather in a remote area of Tasmania.
It was very well written, especially with the four viewpoint characters having very distinct voices.
But it was very depressing and pretty unpleasant. I kept going until over halfway through, hoping for a sense that things might get more positive by the end, but the gory animals deaths got too much and I ended up DNF-ing it.
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Well-written, layered, intellectual – about history and culture and religion and discrimination and complex relationships and personal morality and challenging authority – but I just couldn’t persuade my over-stretched brain to get into it.
I gave up when I realised I’d spent two days not reading because I didn’t want to read this book.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
I was not expecting to enjoy this book, but I wanted to give it a try after hearing other people talk about it.
It's a 'dark retelling' of the Hades/Persephone myth, set in a modern-day city 'ruled' by the Thirteen, who take on the names of various Greek gods and goddesses when they accept their roles.
The writing isn't fantastic - there's a lot of repetition and it's a bit basic.
The world-building is almost non-existent and what is there makes very little sense.
But there's a pleasing level of self-awareness at certain points, suggesting it's not meant to be taken wholly seriously - though I don't imagine you're supposed to find it as funny as I did, especially in the first half.
It has a reputation for being quite transgressive and I was expecting a lot of toxic aspects to the romance - but it's actually mostly really sweet, and the sex is pretty vanilla (despite early discussions of BDSM) - with a satisfying emphasis on consent and pleasure on both sides.
There are only two sex scenes in the first half - then another seven in the next 100 pages. But the last 100 pages don't have any at all (except for the final scene) - and that's also where the plot really ramps up and the climax (no pun intended) is exciting, tension-filled, and had me very much wondering how it was all going to work out in the end.
I loved Hades (he's basically John Wick, which is a big draw for me) - and also Hermes for the humour and straight-talking.
As mentioned, the setting of this story makes almost no sense at all - but I really enjoyed this anyway, and I'm actually keen to read on in the series.
