Borderline

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads4.5 starsI've been book funky . . . for like . . . WEEKS. I've binge-watched: Gotham, The Flash, and the first three seasons of Suits. I've decimated my Secret Garden coloring book. And on the day I read BORDERLINE by Mishell Baker, I tried to read four different books. FOUR. This is the only one that stuck. Millicent (Millie) Roper is a most unlikely urban fantasy heroine. She has two prosthetic legs. And I'm not talking futuristic bionic limbs that give her superhero-li [...]

A fairly ordinary urban fantasy plot and setting made stellar by a brilliant protagonist and a fascinating cast.This is basically Men in Black with Fey and magic instead of aliens, which sounds cool but it's been done before. What takes it into brilliance territory is Millicent Roper, a sufferer of Borderline Personality Disorder who is recovering from an extremely serious suicide attempt that's left her a double amputee, physically scarred and with some brain damage on top of her existing BPD. [...]

This was an unexpectedly good Urban Fantasy novel with Fae and a differently-damaged protagonist that sets it apart from most by dealing with mental illness.What? Mental illness? What kind? BORDERLINE Personality Disorder. :) Just think unstable and you've pretty much got it. It makes for hell on all her personal relationships, her professional relationships, and to make things worse, her suicide attempt took her legs from her.Woah. She's got problems. It should make for some rather interesting [...]

One of my friends once called me 'The Anti-Drama.' It was one of those moments of startling clarity, when one thinks, 'wow; that could be the truest thing I've heard.' I've found myself shying away from people that seem to enjoy confrontations, outbursts, reversals, confessions, and living life on a roller-coaster of emotion. All of this is to explain that it isn't Mishell Baker's book as much as it is her protagonist, Millie, of the borderline personality disorder and recent suicide attempt, th [...]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum bibliosanctum/2016/07/08/I’m so glad I finally got the chance to read Borderline. I admit I haven’t been trying out a lot of new urban fantasy lately, since after a while so many of the common themes start to run together until I can’t keep the different stories straight in my head anymore. Borderline, though, is special. Very special. It’s completely invigorating and just what I needed to rekindle my excitement for the genre.The story, which I originall [...]

4.5ish stars. This is a 400-page book that feels short. I honestly could have read 100 more pages and not complained. I was that into this. The setting, plot, sequence of events are pretty straightforward and not particularly deep. But I couldn't put it down.The Hollywood aspect of the story is glitzy and fun. The connections to real-world stars and savants and the alternate reality sources of their inspiration through fey Echoes is pretty awesome."So we can get inspiration from fey and vice ver [...]

Borderline is an amazing book in every way. While the story is fairly straightforward, Mishell Baker has made it something special in the telling.Borderline is fillied with deeply flawed characters, but Baker lets them be who they are without any apologies and the story is that much richer for it. Her writing is fresh and visual and feels intensely personal throughout. This book is going on my favourites shelf for 2016; it is a clear standout.Baker has established herself as a talent to watch an [...]

Okay, this was an astonishing example of how diversity revolutionises genre. The story here is pretty standard urban fantasy: young woman introduced to magical world, meets ragtag gang of misfits, solves crime. It's perfectly good urban fantasy, well written and niftily handled, just nothing to set the world on fire. What makes this an astounding read is that the protagonist/narrator has borderline personality disorder, and this is not window dressing or treated lightly. It informs every aspect [...]

3.5 starsA solid urban fantasy novel. The fae lore is not entirely new here, but the characters are. MC is a double amputee with a border personality disorder, for instance. Movie-centric Hollywood setting is not bad either.I would have liked it even more if there was more fodder to ship somebody. Basically, the story needed some romance in it, not just a few hints at a possibility of a romance. But this is how I like my UF. I am shallow like that.

My decision not to finish this Nebula Award nominated book has more to do with me and my reading preferences than the book itself. I actually really liked it in the first 50 pages. The writing is fine, and Mishell Baker has interesting characters and memorable settings (that house!) but as soon as it got to the first mention of fey it was like my brain shut down. I try to like urban fantasy but just have a hard time connecting to it. I really like it in TV form but not books, so sue me. So if yo [...]

So a queer double-amputee with borderline personality disorder walks into an urban fantasy novel about Hollywood and fairiesBorderline, Mishell Baker's debut novel, begins with an awesome first line: "It was midmorning on a Monday when magic walked into my life wearing a beige Ann Taylor suit and sensible flats." It perfectly sets the tone for a neo-noirish urban fantasy narrated with endearing flair. We first meet Millicent Roper in a psychiatric center, recovering from a suicide attempt that c [...]

4.5 stars. I loved this fast-paced story of Millie Roper and how she gets involved with the Arcadia Project. Millie, with her borderline personality disorder and her missing legs thanks to a suicide attempt off a building, is often her own worst enemy, saying and doing things that push others away and leave herself bereft of support.The Arcadia project and all the hints of the other world are fascinating, and I found the author's use of mental illness in the characters made for a fractious but i [...]

It's one of those books that I truly appreciate on a technical level, but fail to connect to on an emotional level. I can write a whole essay about the complexity of the characters, the originality of the plot, the beautiful description and detailed world-building and I definitely recommend Borderline to anyone who is looking for something unique! However, despite it's countless strengths, I kept finding myself looking at the number of minutes I still had left of the audiobook (the narrator was [...]

I don't have enough time to write a solid review, but this is book is one of those extremely fun ones that grabs you by the jugular and never lets go. Anchored by an incredible protagonist, the fairly ordinary urban fantasy story takes flight. (How's that for mixing metaphors?)

4.5"From across the room, I’ll admit death looks like a real babe. But I’ve been close enough to see what’s under her makeup, and no thanks. Really.”A few people whose opinion I value recommended this urban fantasy. So pleased I listened :O)Baker first of all offers us a protagonist with a difference. Millie is truly fascinating and the main compelling element of the book. Having a character who is not only a double amputee but also suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder (and oth [...]

UM? DEFINITELY THE BEST URBAN FANTASY NOVEL I'VE READ IN AAAAAAAGES.Millie Millie Millie. Sharply written, fully realized Millie. Her voice, her vulnerability, her biting sarcasm. Alternatingly lovable and terrible, and often both simultaneously. Millie is the main strength and focus of this novel, and as much as this will definitely appeal generally to fans of urban fantasy, it will also find an audience with readers who simply love great character-driven books. The other Arcadia Project agents [...]

I discovered Borderline through some explosive rave reviews when it came out in March, and a lot of those reviews focused on how well Baker portrays mental illness and physical disability. I had never read an SFF book with a disabled protagonist before (I don't suppose Miles Vorkosigan counts? Probably not, though there are plenty of stories around his damaged body and his clone twin Mark's mental trauma).So let me say first that I wish I had read Borderline much sooner than I did! Because it wa [...]

The nitty-gritty: A delightful blend of fantasy, the modern-day film industry, and quirky characters that will make you smile.It was midmorning on a Monday when magic walked into my life wearing a beige Ann Taylor suit and sensible flats.I’ve been salivating over this amazing cover for months now, and I was so excited to be able to read Mishell Baker’s debut. I thought I was going to get one type of story, but ultimately Borderline blew me away with its odd—but somehow workable—combinati [...]

Mishell Baker lays the well-worn elements (the fey, or Seelie and Unseelie Courts) in palimpsest over Hollywood, managing to make them fresh again. It helps that her fey are not the sentimentalized, emotional sixteen year olds that I've read in too many previous stories. They are seriously weird, and one of them is very scary indeed.Even more interesting when up against people with serious mental health issues, recruited into a secret organization to monitor an always volatile situation.Baker's [...]

Borderline je urbana fantastika koja prevazilazi samonametnuta ograničenja ovog žanra. Baveći se osobama sa raznim psihofizičkim poteškoćama, Mišel Bejker je načinila korak unazad i postrance u odnosu na savremene žanrovske tokove, potpuno izbegavajući BAMF protagonistkinju i power creep tako imanentan u urbanoj fantastici (videti romane Lorel Hamilton i Ilone Endrjuz), tako da je Borderline u neku ruku povratak korenima urbane fantastike, oličenim pre svega u romanima Mercedes Leki i [...]

A really fun, original and interesting take on Urban Fantasy. I really fell in love with Millie as a first-person narrator. Her internal struggles really resonated with me, and I love that she never really apologized for who she was or how she acted. She tries to cope as best she can with her afflictions and is a truly engaging character. All the characters, in fact, felt wonderfully created. Felt like I knew these people, could step into their shoes. The end felt a little abrupt but I enjoyed t [...]

Fantastic new novel - I believe that I will be recommending this to just about every urban fantasy fan I know! I was hooked on the world Baker has created from the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, conspiracies, Hollywood, and Millie, the tough lead who is physically disabled and has borderline personality disorder. Baker's diverse cast of characters really make this novel, but it just wouldn't be the same without Millie.

The more I think about this book, the more obvious it is to me that it would be impossible for me to properly talk about it. I’m not a fan of urban fantasy, and to be fair, I can’t even tell why. It’s one of the thing that defies logic, like asking me why I don’t like yoghurt. I simply don’t like it. Which is why when I first set my eyes on Borderline, I knew that I should probably stop looking at it and move on to other books, but I couldn’t as the description had me intrigued.It wa [...]

Recommended came from Mishell Baker Here's what she said about it:"I'm not sure whether this will be to your taste, but I thought it was quite well done, and fairly unique in the genre. The story is set in an urban fantasy world with a superpowers theme sprinkled with mojo and a dollop of fae. The protagonist might be classified as an antihero were she more focused. Unfortunately, she suffers from borderline personality disorder, and is on the wrong end of a suicide attempt when we meet her. In [...]

I’ve always been a fan of books where a hidden world of fantasy lurks under normal city life, but the past few years I’ve had trouble finding ones that could surprise me. Borderline is the answer to my prayers. Millie was a promising young director and film student until a failed suicide attempt. A year later, she is a double amputee struggling to cope with her Borderline Personality Disorder. When a mysterious woman shows up offering a job and a new start, Millie takes the chance. The plot [...]

Did the fact the story revolves around Hollywood and the film industry and I just happened to go to film school and take a trip out to Hollywood myself to peddle a screenplay make me enjoy this story even more than I would have otherwise? Possibly. But I don't think so. How many unique and absolutely fantastic things can I list about this book? Hmmmlets seeCharacters - When do you see a protagonist in a fantasy book who is handicapped? When do you see a protagonist who has a mental disorder? Whe [...]

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a WriterMillie has borderline personality disorder which means she has a pattern of unstable intense relationships where she fears abandonment, holds a distorted self-image, and is prone to extreme emotions and impulsiveness. So it is no surprise that after a failed affair she attempted suicide and lost a promising career as a film director. Now a double amputee survivor she has accepted her new reality and pursues a spot at the Arcadia Project working wit [...]

I read this entire two book series back to back – literally starting the second book seconds after ending the first, so my review might possibly combine the two books by accident. But I’ll try to keep things separate.The book, the first one, the one this review is attached to, opens with a young woman resting in a wheelchair in a mental institution (there might be a different name for the place, but that’s how I was thinking of it – mental institution, I mean, it is filled with ‘crazy� [...]

Pros: fascinating protagonist, thought-provoking, interesting mysteryCons: Millicent Roper, director and UCLA student, is in an institute for borderline personality disorder and an attempted suicide that left her with two prosthetic limbs and a lot of physical and emotional scars. When Caryl Vallo approaches her with a job offer, she’s intrigued by the secrecy surrounding it. The Arcadia Project regulates travel between our world and Arcadia, and one of their nobles hasn’t returned as schedu [...]

Review from Tenacious Reader: tenaciousreader/2016/0I was thought Borderline sounded really interesting, but I have to confess to putting it off at times because I was afraid it might be depressing, and I just wasn’t in the mood for a depressing book. When you read the synopsis, you learn the protagonist, Millie, is a double amputee survivor of a suicide attempt who also battles mental illness. That definitely is a subject that has serious potential to be emotionally draining, and, well, depre [...]