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Evanstar Chronicles #.5
Life Minus Me
Mel is half-Angel, but despite her ability to heal and read minds, she feels powerless to help anyone. When a prophecy shows a local pet supply store owner driving their car off a bridge, Mel sets out to stop it.
Baily, owner of Barks and Bits, is barely holding it together. Things keep going wrong, and their depression spirals out of control. Just as they start wondering if they’d be better off dead, a new friend provides a glimmer of hope. But is that enough to keep living?
Mel never thought saving Baily would be easy, but she can’t figure out when, where, or why Baily’s suicide will happen. As her confidence fades away, she wonders how she can help anyone when she needs so much help herself.
Baily, owner of Barks and Bits, is barely holding it together. Things keep going wrong, and their depression spirals out of control. Just as they start wondering if they’d be better off dead, a new friend provides a glimmer of hope. But is that enough to keep living?
Mel never thought saving Baily would be easy, but she can’t figure out when, where, or why Baily’s suicide will happen. As her confidence fades away, she wonders how she can help anyone when she needs so much help herself.
- GenresLGBT
93 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2020
37 people want to read
About the author
Sara Codair
35 books58 followersSara Codair is on a hiatus from writing at the moment. They are putting their energy into things like triathlons and their day job. One day they may return to writing. Goose the Meowditor certainly misses deleting their stories.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 12, 2020
2.5 Stars for this novella that is a prequel to Codair’s novel, Power Surge. I have not read Power Surge which was published in 2018. In retrospect, I wonder if the author assumed that readers of Life Minus Me would have read Power Surge. Obviously, not a good assumption if true. I didn’t read the book summary of Power Surge before reading this book.
In this story, the main characters are Mel, a college Pre-Med senior, who also happens to be half Angel and half human and Elf. Because she is only half Angel, her healing powers are limited and alas, she doesn’t have wings. She also has the power to read minds. She has to control her telepathy otherwise she can be overwhelmed with the thoughts of those in her vicinity. In this world, the paranormal “culture” of Angels, Demons, Elves, and Pixies are unknown to most humans. The second character is Mel’s younger cousin, Erin. Erin has been struggling with mental health issues. The previous year, Mel saved Erin after she attempted suicide. Erin is also not fully human and so human anti-depressant medications do not work well for her. Erin also doesn’t know she isn’t fully human. I may have missed it, but I don’t know if they ever fully explained why her family is keeping it a secret from Erin. Erin “suffers” from visions and prophecy, taking the form of dreams. Perhaps it is dealt with in Power Surge? The third main character is a human, Baily. She and her Uncle co-own a specialty pet store, Barks and Bits which sells dog food, treats and accessories. Erin recounts her recent dream to Mel, that Baily would drive her car off a bridge. Mel is determined to prevent it from coming true.
So why only 2 stars? I felt that too much is assumed that the reader has prior knowledge having read Power Surge, which Erin is the main character. Such as, Erin identifies as they/them or non-binary. In Chapter One, I read “If Erin discovered it for themself...” I thought it was a typo so of course I googled it. Oh, is she gender neutral? It wasn’t until halfway through the book when Mel and Erin “just happen” to meet Baily on a walk, that Mel introduces themselves by stating that Erin’s pronouns are they/them and hers is she/her. Baily tells them she also prefers they/them. Certainly, this could have been mentioned much earlier? Maybe in the near future, it won’t need to be explained at all, but for now earlier would alleviate confusion for readers like me.
This book has a number of trigger warnings - depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self harm, and mention of infertility and miscarriage.
An ARC was given to me by NineStar Press and Netgalley for an honest review.
In this story, the main characters are Mel, a college Pre-Med senior, who also happens to be half Angel and half human and Elf. Because she is only half Angel, her healing powers are limited and alas, she doesn’t have wings. She also has the power to read minds. She has to control her telepathy otherwise she can be overwhelmed with the thoughts of those in her vicinity. In this world, the paranormal “culture” of Angels, Demons, Elves, and Pixies are unknown to most humans. The second character is Mel’s younger cousin, Erin. Erin has been struggling with mental health issues. The previous year, Mel saved Erin after she attempted suicide. Erin is also not fully human and so human anti-depressant medications do not work well for her. Erin also doesn’t know she isn’t fully human. I may have missed it, but I don’t know if they ever fully explained why her family is keeping it a secret from Erin. Erin “suffers” from visions and prophecy, taking the form of dreams. Perhaps it is dealt with in Power Surge? The third main character is a human, Baily. She and her Uncle co-own a specialty pet store, Barks and Bits which sells dog food, treats and accessories. Erin recounts her recent dream to Mel, that Baily would drive her car off a bridge. Mel is determined to prevent it from coming true.
So why only 2 stars? I felt that too much is assumed that the reader has prior knowledge having read Power Surge, which Erin is the main character. Such as, Erin identifies as they/them or non-binary. In Chapter One, I read “If Erin discovered it for themself...” I thought it was a typo so of course I googled it. Oh, is she gender neutral? It wasn’t until halfway through the book when Mel and Erin “just happen” to meet Baily on a walk, that Mel introduces themselves by stating that Erin’s pronouns are they/them and hers is she/her. Baily tells them she also prefers they/them. Certainly, this could have been mentioned much earlier? Maybe in the near future, it won’t need to be explained at all, but for now earlier would alleviate confusion for readers like me.
This book has a number of trigger warnings - depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self harm, and mention of infertility and miscarriage.
An ARC was given to me by NineStar Press and Netgalley for an honest review.
June 6, 2020
A somber read about angels, suicide, and helping others before oneself.
Read the full review on the blog.
Content warnings include: depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm, panic/anxiety attacks, misgendering, dog biting other dog, getting scammed and losing a lot of money; mentions of miscarriage, infertility, breakup/divorce.
Overall, Life Minus Me totally engaged me with it’s muted atmosphere. It might have a limited palette of mostly washed-out, somber colours for its themes, but it nevertheless painted a wonderful, nuanced story that I enjoyed a lot.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Read the full review on the blog.
Content warnings include: depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm, panic/anxiety attacks, misgendering, dog biting other dog, getting scammed and losing a lot of money; mentions of miscarriage, infertility, breakup/divorce.
Overall, Life Minus Me totally engaged me with it’s muted atmosphere. It might have a limited palette of mostly washed-out, somber colours for its themes, but it nevertheless painted a wonderful, nuanced story that I enjoyed a lot.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
February 12, 2020
This novellette prequel was great for my paranormal fix. I’ve really gotten into this genre lately, and all the better when they feature queer characters. It was refreshing to find a book with a small cast that included multiple nonbinary characters (both Erin and Baily use they/them pronouns). Being nonbinary wasn’t the main focus, and it wasn’t the stem of either characters’ mental health issues, which was also great....
The main plot, Mel’s mission to save Baily’s life was a story worth telling. In the book, there are references to the film It’s A Wonderful Life. Although Mel states that she isn’t a fan of the movie, this book shows how precious human life is, and the impact we have on each other.
I have not read Power Surge yet (Life Minus Me is its prequel), but I really want to after getting to know Mel, Erin, and Baily.
If you enjoy paranormal novels with queer characters that value the importance of family, friendship, and life itself, check out Life Minus Me by Sara Codair.
For more check out my blog https://www.rjsorrento.com/blog/life-...
note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The main plot, Mel’s mission to save Baily’s life was a story worth telling. In the book, there are references to the film It’s A Wonderful Life. Although Mel states that she isn’t a fan of the movie, this book shows how precious human life is, and the impact we have on each other.
I have not read Power Surge yet (Life Minus Me is its prequel), but I really want to after getting to know Mel, Erin, and Baily.
If you enjoy paranormal novels with queer characters that value the importance of family, friendship, and life itself, check out Life Minus Me by Sara Codair.
For more check out my blog https://www.rjsorrento.com/blog/life-...
note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 2, 2020
I've been meaning to add more diversity in my review collection, so when the author offered me this book with multiple enby characters, I was happy to accept.
While it's a prequel and I have not read the first book in the series, it's simple enough to get the gist of the story. Mel's background can be pretty confusing (She's Angel, Elf, and Human, descended from Demon Hunters) and feels a bit too... "protagonist-y," for lack of a better word. But the world is one you can easily recognize and the central conflict is easy to follow.
The emphasis on mental health was intriguing and I appreciate that it showed two different characters and their differing responses to their trauma and treatments. I can't speak to the validity of the mental health shown, but it seemed fairly nuanced from an outsider's perspective. Given that so much of the story is focused on depression and anxiety, it's one you need to be in the right mood for. Light, fluffy reading this is not.
The big reason that this is a 3 star for me is due to the juxtaposition of fantasy and contemporary. While there are fantasy elements and abilities, it feels like they exist more as devices to move the plot forward, rather than a major factor. In some cases, it feels like they muddy up the story more than they help by asking the reader to figure out complicated fantasy backstories. But, judging by the synopsis, it looks like the first formal book in the series likely deals with that. So I would suggest reading the first full book first, then following with this one after.
While it's a prequel and I have not read the first book in the series, it's simple enough to get the gist of the story. Mel's background can be pretty confusing (She's Angel, Elf, and Human, descended from Demon Hunters) and feels a bit too... "protagonist-y," for lack of a better word. But the world is one you can easily recognize and the central conflict is easy to follow.
The emphasis on mental health was intriguing and I appreciate that it showed two different characters and their differing responses to their trauma and treatments. I can't speak to the validity of the mental health shown, but it seemed fairly nuanced from an outsider's perspective. Given that so much of the story is focused on depression and anxiety, it's one you need to be in the right mood for. Light, fluffy reading this is not.
The big reason that this is a 3 star for me is due to the juxtaposition of fantasy and contemporary. While there are fantasy elements and abilities, it feels like they exist more as devices to move the plot forward, rather than a major factor. In some cases, it feels like they muddy up the story more than they help by asking the reader to figure out complicated fantasy backstories. But, judging by the synopsis, it looks like the first formal book in the series likely deals with that. So I would suggest reading the first full book first, then following with this one after.
February 7, 2020
Nonbinary main character PLUS dogs? Angels AND demons? Yes, please.
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January 2, 2020Hi Readers,
I’m going to use this space to tell you a little about the content warnings.
Depression is a major theme in this book. Self harm is mentioned in Chapter 1. Suicidal ideation happens throughout story. In the beginning of Chapter 7, there is a mention of a past miscarriage and possible infertility. The last warning is also a spoiler, so it is your choice whether to read it or not.
There is a suicide attempt at the end of Chapter 7. It carries over to Chapter 8.
I’m going to use this space to tell you a little about the content warnings.
Depression is a major theme in this book. Self harm is mentioned in Chapter 1. Suicidal ideation happens throughout story. In the beginning of Chapter 7, there is a mention of a past miscarriage and possible infertility. The last warning is also a spoiler, so it is your choice whether to read it or not.
There is a suicide attempt at the end of Chapter 7. It carries over to Chapter 8.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2020
Half angel, pre-med Mel has the ability of telepathy and healing, though she’d much rather have wings. For the most part, she’s able to block out the nonstop inner thoughts of those around her as long as she keeps her guard up. Her opinion on being half angel is complicated: her inner mission is to help others, which she has trouble doing, or so she thinks. Her cousin, Erin, is also not fully human, though they don’t know this yet. As this is a prequel to Codair’s book Power Surge where Erin is the main character, they have yet to discover their true heritage in this story. They have wicked, vivid dreams that they don’t know yet are premonitions.
When Erin and Mel get together at a diner and Erin sees an individual they saw commit suicide in their dreams, they confide in Mel about their dream. Mel recognizes it as a possible premonition and quickly tries to befriend Baily, the person Erin recognized.
Baily runs and partially owns a store for dogs and their human owners with their uncle, Cooper called Barks and Bits. When Uncle Cooper suffers from a massive stroke—at a diner in front of Mel and her cousin, no less—Baily is left to tend to the store by themself. This is no easy feat for anyone, especially a person who struggles with anxiety and depression on a daily basis. As someone who struggles with these, I think the portrayal of Baily’s difficulties was spot on. I was able to connect with them instantly, through their internal rationalizations—no matter how irrational they seemed—and their negative self-talk, they came to life on page for me. Some of these internal thoughts were painful to read, but I was pre-warned with appropriate content warnings before delving into this book and I’m grateful for that.
To Baily, their life is a mess. Between their uncle having a stroke, their dissolved relationship, their neighbors’s dogs always fighting and Baily feeling responsible for it, they hold onto a ton of guilt, harmfully internalizing it.
I saw other reviews concerned about having not enough information if you haven’t read Power Surge. Although I plan to read it, I haven’t yet and I don’t think it was necessary to have read it prior to Life Minus Me. I understood the characters, their plights and the fantasy elements within the story just fine.
That being said, I do wish I would’ve read Power Surge beforehand to understand a bit more behind the intriguing tension between Mel and her cousin, Erin. It briefly mentioned that, by listening to Erin’s thoughts, Mel thwarted their past suicide attempt, and Erin appears to have conflicted feelings around the event. In the beginning, they seem to hold Mel’s actions in a dark light, as if she didn’t do Erin any favors by preventing them from harming themself.
I also expected to see a bit of growth for Baily in their self-confidence and possibly some resolution between them and their ex-partner, but the ending still left me satisfied.
I’m definitely picking up Power Surge to discover more of this world of demon hunting half angels, elves with premonitions, and pixies who can be bribed easily with the right amount of candy.
When Erin and Mel get together at a diner and Erin sees an individual they saw commit suicide in their dreams, they confide in Mel about their dream. Mel recognizes it as a possible premonition and quickly tries to befriend Baily, the person Erin recognized.
Baily runs and partially owns a store for dogs and their human owners with their uncle, Cooper called Barks and Bits. When Uncle Cooper suffers from a massive stroke—at a diner in front of Mel and her cousin, no less—Baily is left to tend to the store by themself. This is no easy feat for anyone, especially a person who struggles with anxiety and depression on a daily basis. As someone who struggles with these, I think the portrayal of Baily’s difficulties was spot on. I was able to connect with them instantly, through their internal rationalizations—no matter how irrational they seemed—and their negative self-talk, they came to life on page for me. Some of these internal thoughts were painful to read, but I was pre-warned with appropriate content warnings before delving into this book and I’m grateful for that.
To Baily, their life is a mess. Between their uncle having a stroke, their dissolved relationship, their neighbors’s dogs always fighting and Baily feeling responsible for it, they hold onto a ton of guilt, harmfully internalizing it.
I saw other reviews concerned about having not enough information if you haven’t read Power Surge. Although I plan to read it, I haven’t yet and I don’t think it was necessary to have read it prior to Life Minus Me. I understood the characters, their plights and the fantasy elements within the story just fine.
That being said, I do wish I would’ve read Power Surge beforehand to understand a bit more behind the intriguing tension between Mel and her cousin, Erin. It briefly mentioned that, by listening to Erin’s thoughts, Mel thwarted their past suicide attempt, and Erin appears to have conflicted feelings around the event. In the beginning, they seem to hold Mel’s actions in a dark light, as if she didn’t do Erin any favors by preventing them from harming themself.
I also expected to see a bit of growth for Baily in their self-confidence and possibly some resolution between them and their ex-partner, but the ending still left me satisfied.
I’m definitely picking up Power Surge to discover more of this world of demon hunting half angels, elves with premonitions, and pixies who can be bribed easily with the right amount of candy.
January 7, 2022
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book from the author.
I knew so very little about the book. The things I knew going into this:
iam had previous reviewed one of Codair’s books and said nice things.
The author seemed really nice and gave me the information I needed to make a decision to read the book (I still did not fully read the descriptions. I got as far as “Mel is half-angel” and went “the last time I heard of this, the book were a terrible sounding romance. I’m IN!”)
The book would be queer friendly, which is 100% always a plus.
So without further ado, did this book live up to my weird expectations? Very much so! It actually was so much more than I had thought and I am really glad I didn’t read a description. It was a wild ride from the beginning to the end. I had no idea just how true anything was that was being said. Mental illness was a major theme and so was suicide. A lot of the time when mental illness plays such a large roll, there is this idea that the narrator is unreliable, so I was waiting for that shoe to drop. I am just so glad it never did. There were mentally ill characters that were reliable! They had issues getting help, they had issues with the help they got. They were so wonderfully unique and just YES.
The queer content was mostly focused around pronouns, but there were hints on some enby/enby action which I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. I was shipping two characters so hard, despite them never really interacting or having a real chance. GIVE ME ENBY LOVE. I am just going to go pout in the corner since I didn’t get my way.
The plot was linear and wonderfully written. I was able to keep up, not everything was revealed right away. There is clearly a bigger plot happening with angels and demons. There were some details leaked, but they were not the focus. They did make me want to read more. I want to find out just how far this can go. I am not the biggest fantasy fan, but the angels and demons walk among us and is normal thing is the one way fantasy works for me. Unlike every other author I have read in that genre, I have no doubts Codair will be able to write a story that is not filled with sexism, racism, and just really weird romance that is icky (you know the kind were the man is super dominant and consent isn’t very convincing since if you can’t say no, you can’t say yes dynamic? Yeah, I don’t expect that here). Neither of the enby characters were sexually assaulted or murdered, just putting that out there casually. I look forward to this world building. Thankfully I have the next book, which I will start in just a few minutes.
There are multiple dogs in the book. There was talk of bully breed discrimination. There was talk about how little dogs can get away with bad manners and terrible training because of their size. There was even a mutt main character. Codair speaks to my dog loving heart. Give me a mutt, give me a bully, give me more cute dogs!
I got an ARC of this book from the author.
I knew so very little about the book. The things I knew going into this:
iam had previous reviewed one of Codair’s books and said nice things.
The author seemed really nice and gave me the information I needed to make a decision to read the book (I still did not fully read the descriptions. I got as far as “Mel is half-angel” and went “the last time I heard of this, the book were a terrible sounding romance. I’m IN!”)
The book would be queer friendly, which is 100% always a plus.
So without further ado, did this book live up to my weird expectations? Very much so! It actually was so much more than I had thought and I am really glad I didn’t read a description. It was a wild ride from the beginning to the end. I had no idea just how true anything was that was being said. Mental illness was a major theme and so was suicide. A lot of the time when mental illness plays such a large roll, there is this idea that the narrator is unreliable, so I was waiting for that shoe to drop. I am just so glad it never did. There were mentally ill characters that were reliable! They had issues getting help, they had issues with the help they got. They were so wonderfully unique and just YES.
The queer content was mostly focused around pronouns, but there were hints on some enby/enby action which I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. I was shipping two characters so hard, despite them never really interacting or having a real chance. GIVE ME ENBY LOVE. I am just going to go pout in the corner since I didn’t get my way.
The plot was linear and wonderfully written. I was able to keep up, not everything was revealed right away. There is clearly a bigger plot happening with angels and demons. There were some details leaked, but they were not the focus. They did make me want to read more. I want to find out just how far this can go. I am not the biggest fantasy fan, but the angels and demons walk among us and is normal thing is the one way fantasy works for me. Unlike every other author I have read in that genre, I have no doubts Codair will be able to write a story that is not filled with sexism, racism, and just really weird romance that is icky (you know the kind were the man is super dominant and consent isn’t very convincing since if you can’t say no, you can’t say yes dynamic? Yeah, I don’t expect that here). Neither of the enby characters were sexually assaulted or murdered, just putting that out there casually. I look forward to this world building. Thankfully I have the next book, which I will start in just a few minutes.
There are multiple dogs in the book. There was talk of bully breed discrimination. There was talk about how little dogs can get away with bad manners and terrible training because of their size. There was even a mutt main character. Codair speaks to my dog loving heart. Give me a mutt, give me a bully, give me more cute dogs!
September 5, 2020
REVIEWED BY ULYSSES DIETZ
MEMBER OF THE PARANORMAL GUILD REVIEW TEAM
This book, by an author who specializes in Queer literature, is a bit of frontier for an old cis gay guy such as I. It is a prequel novella to a 2017 book by the author called Power Surge. There is no romance to speak of here, and certainly no M/M romance, given that the only M characters are elderly, straight, or dead.
All that said, Codair offers her readers a sensitive and thoughtful look at the lives of people who are not only non-binary, but also beset with issues related to serious social anxiety. Mel, a smart, blond undergraduate with a steady boyfriend, is also half elf and maybe less than half angel. She’s got some human, but I’m not sure I got the whole bloodline correct. In any case, she’s someone who cares—perhaps too much—about her duty as an angel (from a family of demon hunters!) to protect people.
One of her projects is her cousin Erin, who has no clue as to their family lineage or their special powers. Erin is non-binary (they/them) and divorced from someone named Jules who is, as far as I could tell, non-binary and/or trans. They, like Mel, suffer from serious social anxiety, but unlike Mel they have dealt with it. To a point. Theirs is a fraught relationship, because for all their love for each other as kin, Erin resents Mel’s meddling and Mel can’t help but freak out about Erin’s unacknowledged identity as paranormal.
As if this isn’t complicated enough, they overhear (Mel mindreads) another young non-binary person named Bailey, who runs the local pet supply shop with her uncle, Cooper (one of the elderly M characters who barely exists here except as a plot prop). Bailey and Erin seem destined to be friends—but Mel understands that between preventing a disastrous prophecy and dealing with her cousin’s social anxiety, it’s not going to be an easy road.
I gave this book four stars, because I think it does a great job of presenting a non-typical group of characters, weaving in the rather startling paranormal aspects of their universe. It was hard for me to get past all of the gender identity content, especially given how I identify. But the fact is, Codair does her darndest to open up this world to me, and I think the real world needs more writers like her.
MEMBER OF THE PARANORMAL GUILD REVIEW TEAM
This book, by an author who specializes in Queer literature, is a bit of frontier for an old cis gay guy such as I. It is a prequel novella to a 2017 book by the author called Power Surge. There is no romance to speak of here, and certainly no M/M romance, given that the only M characters are elderly, straight, or dead.
All that said, Codair offers her readers a sensitive and thoughtful look at the lives of people who are not only non-binary, but also beset with issues related to serious social anxiety. Mel, a smart, blond undergraduate with a steady boyfriend, is also half elf and maybe less than half angel. She’s got some human, but I’m not sure I got the whole bloodline correct. In any case, she’s someone who cares—perhaps too much—about her duty as an angel (from a family of demon hunters!) to protect people.
One of her projects is her cousin Erin, who has no clue as to their family lineage or their special powers. Erin is non-binary (they/them) and divorced from someone named Jules who is, as far as I could tell, non-binary and/or trans. They, like Mel, suffer from serious social anxiety, but unlike Mel they have dealt with it. To a point. Theirs is a fraught relationship, because for all their love for each other as kin, Erin resents Mel’s meddling and Mel can’t help but freak out about Erin’s unacknowledged identity as paranormal.
As if this isn’t complicated enough, they overhear (Mel mindreads) another young non-binary person named Bailey, who runs the local pet supply shop with her uncle, Cooper (one of the elderly M characters who barely exists here except as a plot prop). Bailey and Erin seem destined to be friends—but Mel understands that between preventing a disastrous prophecy and dealing with her cousin’s social anxiety, it’s not going to be an easy road.
I gave this book four stars, because I think it does a great job of presenting a non-typical group of characters, weaving in the rather startling paranormal aspects of their universe. It was hard for me to get past all of the gender identity content, especially given how I identify. But the fact is, Codair does her darndest to open up this world to me, and I think the real world needs more writers like her.
Read
November 24, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Misgendering
Depression
Panic attacks
Suicidal ideation
Attempted suicide
Miscarriage mentioned
Infertility
Note : Mentions of financial difficulties after being scammed.
Misgendering
Depression
Panic attacks
Suicidal ideation
Attempted suicide
Miscarriage mentioned
Infertility
Note : Mentions of financial difficulties after being scammed.
July 25, 2020
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
Life Minus Me is a short and ultimately hopeful story of a wingless half-angel trying to help other people when she's not quite all right herself. Featuring casually excellent nonbinary rep and many cute dogs. I want more so I'm glad there's another.
This is a short book which implies a much more complicated world than could fit in novelette form. It eschews deep backstory except to sketch fairly complicated family lives for the POV characters. I mean that in the sense that we don't know how they got to be here, doing whatever they're doing, but we learn relevant tensions with family and friends and a particular family secret. It's a book about feeling useless and adrift, not quite good enough for whatever needs doing. It definitely gets dark in places, but it's also grappling with that darkness. It features some persistent suicidal ideation, but the reader is shielded a bit by rotating narrators.
I'm glad this leads into a larger series because my main thought is that I want more story. I like these characters, I care about what's happening to them. This book is a snapshot of a particularly terrible week but I would happily spend more time here. To me it's always a good sign for a series when I feel like I didn't get enough time in a book, especially when I'm discovering a world with sequels already published.
This book is full of good dogs; clearly written by someone who loves dogs very much. I'm not a dog person myself but the care is obvious and provides some brightness in what could have easily been a very grim book.
Book CWs for depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm, and mention of infertility and miscarriage.
Life Minus Me is a short and ultimately hopeful story of a wingless half-angel trying to help other people when she's not quite all right herself. Featuring casually excellent nonbinary rep and many cute dogs. I want more so I'm glad there's another.
This is a short book which implies a much more complicated world than could fit in novelette form. It eschews deep backstory except to sketch fairly complicated family lives for the POV characters. I mean that in the sense that we don't know how they got to be here, doing whatever they're doing, but we learn relevant tensions with family and friends and a particular family secret. It's a book about feeling useless and adrift, not quite good enough for whatever needs doing. It definitely gets dark in places, but it's also grappling with that darkness. It features some persistent suicidal ideation, but the reader is shielded a bit by rotating narrators.
I'm glad this leads into a larger series because my main thought is that I want more story. I like these characters, I care about what's happening to them. This book is a snapshot of a particularly terrible week but I would happily spend more time here. To me it's always a good sign for a series when I feel like I didn't get enough time in a book, especially when I'm discovering a world with sequels already published.
This book is full of good dogs; clearly written by someone who loves dogs very much. I'm not a dog person myself but the care is obvious and provides some brightness in what could have easily been a very grim book.
Book CWs for depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm, and mention of infertility and miscarriage.
February 16, 2021
I’ve been really enjoying some more diverse fiction, especially books with non-binary and trans characters – these are books which reflect much more of the world around me and the people I know! Among these beautifully written and fresh books are Alison Evans’ Euphoria Kids and Highway Bodies; Amanda Jette Knox’s Love Lives Here; and works by Mary Borsellino and Tom Cho.
This week I read Life Minus Me by Sara Codair, which features humans (including two people using ‘they/their’ pronouns, human-hybrids, some dogs with heaps of personality, and some folks with difficult mental health issues.
The novella begins appropriately with a warning about depictions of suicide, suicidal ideation and related issues. If these are triggering topics for you, do be mindful before starting this book.
Life Minus Me is a prequel in Sara Cordair’s Evanstar universe, which I haven’t read. This makes the somewhat complex backstory a bit tangled from time to time, and exposition a little heavy, but once that slight clunkiness is out of the way, you can get into the story.
We open with Mel, who is part human, part angel, part elf; she’s also a healer and a medical student. Her cousin Erin remains not thrilled with Mel, due to Mel’s intervention in saving their life after a suicide attempt. Erin also has paranormal gifts, about which they are unaware, and so their prophetic dreams about the death of Baily, part owner of the Barks and Bits pet store.
Baily is another person struggling with daily life and suicidal thoughts. When their uncle has a stroke, Baily’s barely-coping coping mechanisms break down. Mel, who can read thoughts, decides if she can’t help Erin, she might be able to help Baily. At the same time, Mel is clearly neglecting her own health in her drive to help others.
It’s a fairly dark world into which the reader steps, full of people finding life difficult to manage. It is, however, also a hopeful world, where solutions aren’t simple or easily gained, but there’s light on the path.
The characters read sympathetically,and of course the presence of Baily’s and Erin’s dogs perhaps embody that best.
Mel’s family business of being demon hunters is a background note which later and a bit suddenly becomes more foreground – I’d just about forgotten an earlier reference to it. That story element will clearly be more of a motif in the rest of the series.
Life Minus Me is dark at times, but it doesn’t wallow in the darkness. It’s a bit densely packed with backstory for a novella, but it certainly offers a solid foundation for the novels of the series: where I hope we might see more of Baily and their dog, of Erin and their secret abilities, and Mel getting a better grip on life.
This week I read Life Minus Me by Sara Codair, which features humans (including two people using ‘they/their’ pronouns, human-hybrids, some dogs with heaps of personality, and some folks with difficult mental health issues.
The novella begins appropriately with a warning about depictions of suicide, suicidal ideation and related issues. If these are triggering topics for you, do be mindful before starting this book.
Life Minus Me is a prequel in Sara Cordair’s Evanstar universe, which I haven’t read. This makes the somewhat complex backstory a bit tangled from time to time, and exposition a little heavy, but once that slight clunkiness is out of the way, you can get into the story.
We open with Mel, who is part human, part angel, part elf; she’s also a healer and a medical student. Her cousin Erin remains not thrilled with Mel, due to Mel’s intervention in saving their life after a suicide attempt. Erin also has paranormal gifts, about which they are unaware, and so their prophetic dreams about the death of Baily, part owner of the Barks and Bits pet store.
Baily is another person struggling with daily life and suicidal thoughts. When their uncle has a stroke, Baily’s barely-coping coping mechanisms break down. Mel, who can read thoughts, decides if she can’t help Erin, she might be able to help Baily. At the same time, Mel is clearly neglecting her own health in her drive to help others.
It’s a fairly dark world into which the reader steps, full of people finding life difficult to manage. It is, however, also a hopeful world, where solutions aren’t simple or easily gained, but there’s light on the path.
The characters read sympathetically,and of course the presence of Baily’s and Erin’s dogs perhaps embody that best.
Mel’s family business of being demon hunters is a background note which later and a bit suddenly becomes more foreground – I’d just about forgotten an earlier reference to it. That story element will clearly be more of a motif in the rest of the series.
Life Minus Me is dark at times, but it doesn’t wallow in the darkness. It’s a bit densely packed with backstory for a novella, but it certainly offers a solid foundation for the novels of the series: where I hope we might see more of Baily and their dog, of Erin and their secret abilities, and Mel getting a better grip on life.
April 3, 2020
I want a dog now. That's it. That's the review.
Okay, kidding. Here's the actual review:
Having read and enjoyed Power Surge in 2019, I was excited when Codair announced that there would be a prequel novelette with the character of Mel at it's centre. It definitely lived up to expectations.
This book follows half-angel, and secondary character in Power Surge, Mel and non-binary petshop owner Baily.
When Mel's cousin Erin has a prophetic dream of Baily killing themself, she goes on a mission to save them. This book discusses mental illness head on, both Baily and Erin suffer from significant mental health difficulties. I found reading from Baily's point of view painfully familiar in how much their view of themself mirrors my own as someone with depression and generalised anxiety.
This was a very enjoyable novella that discusses issues relating to mental illness not always talked about. I loved the non-binary representation and the exploration of Mel's mental state. If you read and enjoyed Power Surge I'd definitely recommend picking up this novella.
Content Warnings: discussions of suicide, discussions of self-harm, past suicide attempt, on-page suicide attempt, self-deprecating thoughts, suicidal ideation, mention of past miscarriage, loved one suffering serious illness (stroke)
(Apologies for taking so long to write up some of my reviews, I have been struggling a little with my own mental issues the past few months.)
Okay, kidding. Here's the actual review:
Having read and enjoyed Power Surge in 2019, I was excited when Codair announced that there would be a prequel novelette with the character of Mel at it's centre. It definitely lived up to expectations.
This book follows half-angel, and secondary character in Power Surge, Mel and non-binary petshop owner Baily.
When Mel's cousin Erin has a prophetic dream of Baily killing themself, she goes on a mission to save them. This book discusses mental illness head on, both Baily and Erin suffer from significant mental health difficulties. I found reading from Baily's point of view painfully familiar in how much their view of themself mirrors my own as someone with depression and generalised anxiety.
This was a very enjoyable novella that discusses issues relating to mental illness not always talked about. I loved the non-binary representation and the exploration of Mel's mental state. If you read and enjoyed Power Surge I'd definitely recommend picking up this novella.
Content Warnings: discussions of suicide, discussions of self-harm, past suicide attempt, on-page suicide attempt, self-deprecating thoughts, suicidal ideation, mention of past miscarriage, loved one suffering serious illness (stroke)
(Apologies for taking so long to write up some of my reviews, I have been struggling a little with my own mental issues the past few months.)
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