Let Them Read Reviews!

English BA Grad 📚Aspiring Publisher 📚Active Reader

[tometalk]

Read 5/8-5/8

Five Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not always in the mood for cozy fantasy but sometimes the stars align and it's exactly what I need. Juniper has spent the last several years living and working with his best friend, Mo. Some might describe his life as quiet but he loves working on their farm, going out to the pub (maybe picking a fight or two), and settling down for the night by the fire knitting and telling stories with Mo. When Juniper picks a fight with the wrong person he and Mo are unexpectedly forced into a quest to slay a dragon on behalf of the king.

Over the last few years of reading I'm discovering some things about my preferences and one of those is becoming very clear, I will always love a character that is a little shit. A little whiny, a little selfish, a little stupid, someone who would be more closely aligned with chaotic neutral. There is just something about these types of characters that I find so amusing and I love being in their heads. Juniper happily strolls into this category. This man would never survive a day outside were it not for Mo. Mo, full name Morningthall, occasionally Morn, is the hyper-competent man of all of our dreams. Mo keeps Juniper alive and helps point his moral compass in the correct direction.

I will say occasionally I felt this pushed a little too far into the "this is cheesy" mindset and some of the jokes started to feel a bit over played, looking at you only one bed. Not that you can't tell immediately what is going on between Mo and Juniper from the synopsis but if you happened to skip reading it or dove in months later don't worry the first page reminds you exactly what is happening between these two bros. Sometimes it's not about the mystery it's about the journey to realization. Overall this was such a fun time, I eagerly look forward to picking up a finished copy to add to my shelves!

[tometalk]

Read 5/4-5/6

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts with a bang and has an extremely compelling first line that I believe will hook most readers. Many of my favorites things appear at the beginning of Deathbringer. We have a bit of murder and mystery, a unique magic system, a school setting with complex house rivalries, and just a hint of some godly interference with the mortal plain.

I found myself immediately enraptured with following along in Viola and Sylas’ journeys. On one hand we have the outsider who’s grown up hating her magic and pretending to be an ordinary girl. On the other we have an heir to one of the oldest magical linages struggling to keep his focus on his goals after the recent loss of his father. When murders start piling up Viola and Sylas are forced into each other’s orbit where they must learn to confront some of their fears and prejudices.

I was all in on the book until about the 60-70% point when as I was working to untangle the mysteries of the plot it became harder to ignore some choices that were being made in the writing. First off, we are in a secondary world but the author chose to date the time period in the late 1930s. That brings certain expectations of our own views of attitudes and attire for the 1930s that I didn’t feel were followed at all. There doesn’t seem to be any important reasoning explained for the dates beyond my best guess that the author liked having them for her own timeline. I really don’t feel like they added anything for the story and in fact took a bit away from it when each chapter is telling me the date and I’m reading about extremely modern speaking individuals. While I was initially very intrigued by the magic system and the school setting the more I read the more the school became background noise. I can’t explain how the year looks for the students and how one is judged and able to move up in rank to the next level of education. They frequently just pass ranks out or demote students ranks for infractions. The glossary at the front of the book indicates it’s due to mastery of the types of magic but we also learn that purist’s rule and people should only be practicing one magic type. Anyone with more than one must have their magic sealed or will end up imprisoned. So how are they mastering multiple fields of magic? None of it was clear to me. I think there is only one school lesson on the page and it wasn’t a big classroom setting but seemed more akin to a student seeking one on one help from a professor during office hours.

The magic which was enchanting starts to feel basic and unexplored. We have three main classes of users that can then be split a bit further and is shown at the start of the book in a glossary. Since we have two point of view characters we learn a bit more about Aspieri and Mortemagi magic. Though learn is a strong word, I have a vague notion of what they can do but I don’t see how them studying at a school would benefit the Aspieri as the whole book they just have their snake relics bite people. There’s not much active magic involved on their behalf. The Mortemagi we don’t really learn much because the character is never in the classroom. We see other Mortemagi call up undead puppets and skeleton constructs but it’s not really explored how that all works beyond they’re drawing on some lifeblood power.

At the end of the book the things I loved got bogged down by everything starting to feel a bit basic. I found most of the twists overly simplified and easy to guess at. I struggled with the characters surrounding our main point of view couple as many of their characteristics started to appear a bit one dimensional. Overall because I was hooked for a significant part of the book it doesn’t seem fair to rate this any less than 3.5 stars. There is an interesting concept revealed at the very end but I’m not sure I’m intrigued enough to read book two.

[tometalk]

Read 1/29-1/30

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for providing me a copy of Queen of Faces in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit unsure of this in the beginning, it took me a little while to feel immersed in the world but at some point suddenly I was devouring pages and just couldn't stop reading. This book is full of shocking twists and complex conspiracies that kept me on the edge of my seat. Alternating between Ana navigating life at the cutthroat Paragon Academy and her new contract as a secret mercenary working for the headmaster of the academy to bring down an enemy the masses have believed to be dead for years. This is the bit that stops me from being fully invested in the story. Ana has no real training but like many plucky heroines is able to navigate extremely deadly and risky situations with if not ease, than a surprising amount of success where there likely wouldn't be.

I loved the characters Ana surrounded herself with and the way all of these relationships intersected. She finds friends for the first time in her life at her school and she also stumbles upon a quirky crew in her extracurricular activities, Another point of view character is introduced in the book early on but the complexities surrounding his character and his feelings about Ana were so interesting to watch unfold. I enjoyed this storyline so much I don't want to give anything about it away. I would also like to mention this book does such interesting things with gender and identity. In a world where if you are wealthy enough you can swap bodies with ease the ideas surrounding gender identity are quite different than the current real world climate. This was a highly enjoyable read and an easy 4.5 stars, I eagerly await the sequel.

[tometalk]

Read 11/2-11/2

Four Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has absolutely beautiful flowing, lyrical prose. Reading this was just such a treat for me. From the get go Kalie Reid perfectly inserts the reader into her world with lush detailed description. Maeve has been training all her life in the Abbey as an iconographer. Living under the Abbey's rule means she's been isolated and kept under thumb of the elders. Taught to never question the decisions of the elders, she's must blindly trust their judgment and embrace her devotion to the saints above all else. A chance to move up in the hierarchy appears but for it to be hers she must first travel outside the Abbey and paint the icon of an exiled saint. Jude has been living on the fringes for the past eight years. Sent away from the Abbey once he discovered some of their secrets, he has been desperately searching for ways to fully free himself from their grasp. Upon hearing that the small sanctuary he has created will be breached by a puppet of the Abbey he is desperate to undermine her goals and make sure the Abbey cannot reassert their dominance over him.

My absolute favorite part of this novel was the relationship between Maeve and Jude. This is truly a slow burn but it unfolds in the absolute best way. There is a scene where I just about lost my mind, where though they still don't trust each other, when Maeve is feeling poorly Jude takes care of her.. Reid made this scene where Jude brushes Maeve's hair one of the sweetest and most sensual things I've read. I was screaming while reading! I loved the two of them discovering all the similarities they shared and how the Abbey let the both of them down. Both left isolated and desperately craving love and connection, they must learn to trust one another in order to find happiness.

Now the plot of the novel and the world-building I will admit I occasionally struggled with. There are several reveals that I honestly felt like had already been revealed to us because of the way parts of the novel hinted so strongly that it was already basically saying, "Hey, this is what's happening." I'm also still not fully clear what the elders were doing with the saint's magic, how exactly does altering people's memory lead to the control they have amassed? The beautiful prose combined with Maeve and Jude just really made this novel for me. I was so invested in the two of them I could not give this book any less than four stars.

[tometalk]

Read 10/13-10/17

Four Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have not been this immediately drawn into a book in such a long time! From the first few pages I was locked into this incredibly interesting world. Set within a near future of our world mysterious holes of darkness have opened across the world with dark creatures escaping and causing chaos. Sascia, our main character, has always been drawn to the dark and she's developed a side hustle taking tourists on illegal fishing trips to capture their own little dark creatures. This supports her as she takes remedial classes to maintain her spot in the coveted Umbra Program, a small group of young adults who have show exceptional skills related to studying the dark. There are mechanical geniuses who have developed special light technology to combat the more dangerous dark creatures as well as those more interested in the biology of the creatures and plants that live and thrive in the dark. Sascia's specialty is entomology with further specialization in Darkmoths. As someone who has had an interest in entomology in the past I really enjoyed seeing Sascia interact with her insects. I adored the descriptions of the dark and all of the creatures the writing did such an amazing job making this setting sound so beautiful and magical. The closest pop culture reference I can think of would be the fauna from the Avatar movies with their luminescence.

Books that center around time phenomena always make me a little nervous and this one was no exception. Sascia comes across a never before seen humanoid creature from the dark who is insistent that she has betrayed them. The following week that same creature appears looking younger with no recollection of the hatred they held for Sascia. Shortly after a third, older iteration appears asking Sascia for help. I think it can be incredibly difficult to play with time and maintain the plot in a way that makes sense and does not contradict itself. Somehow Kika Hatzopoulou manages to pull off this ambitious novel in an extremely satisfying way, you will not be disappointed.

I also enjoyed the queer-norm aspect present throughout the book. The creatures of the dark have the ability to shift between the sexes and can choose how they present whether that be male, female, or intersex. As the book goes on and we learn more about the Dark we learn that there are more gender designations present with in the world. Within our own side of the world Sascia and her Umbra cohort display various queer identities and discussion around identity is always discussed with care and respect.

So why did I knock off a star? There's a point somewhere around 40% where the book really slowed down for me. There's a few very big moments in quick succession and then the energy dips in a way that I was finding it hard to want to come back to when I had to put the book down for real life. Once the action does pick back up there's a point where the plot beats and reveals for some aspects felt a bit too simplified for my taste. I did really love the ending and I remain so impressed and delighted how well the author navigated the various timelines interacting. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for this author's future releases.

[tometalk]

Crawling out of my hole because you all must read this amazing book that released today! I haven't been the same since I read it.

Read 6/10-6/13

Five Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This book lured me in and I was instantaneously under Imogen's spell. I was genuinely so upset I had to be an adult with adult responsibilities like going to work when I had much better things to be doing like finishing this book. This book has it all! A FMC and MMC with absolutely stellar chemistry. I ate up every single scene they interacted in. A neat take on sirens that I'm excited to see explored more in the sequel. A plot revolving around the ruling descendants of gods with some truly incredible political intrigue that had me on the edge of my seat. This was a fantastic debut and now begins the long wait for the sequel.

[tometalk]

Read 2/1-2/2

Four Stars

I enjoyed Hafsah Faizal's previous duology The Sands of Arawiya and I have been eagerly anticipating A Tempest of Tea since its announcement several years ago. I always feel a little trepidation when books are compared to Six of Crows, it just became so popular that any book with even a hint of a heist had Six of Crows slapped on as a comp title. A Tempest of Tea really delivered in the right ways for me. There's a heist, there's a lovable but morally gray crew, and there's some fun twists throughout the way. Add in some vampires and I'm fully sold on the concept of this book!

Arthie was a great protagonist. She is the owner of a tea shop that is often on the wrong side of the law due to nature of the tea she sells. Arthie is a lot of fun, she's highly intelligent and always have a trick up her sleeve. One of the first few scenes of the book where we see her outwitting the people ransacking her shop was so tense and I adored seeing her smarts shine through so early on. I also enjoyed slowly discovering her secrets throughout the book, although I do feel there was a twist that felt quite easy to spot early on. I really enjoyed Jin, Arthie's adoptive brother. He's a charmer and I loved all his interactions with another major character, Flick. Flick's storyline was maybe my favorite of the main characters. I really enjoyed her growth throughout the book. Rounding out the our heist crew are Matteo and Laith. I have opinions on both but they're quite spoilery so I'll have to simply stop at they exist you'll have to form your own opinions about them.

While the majority of this was very fast paced there were a few moments where I felt the flow of the story got a little odd and moments that dragged despite the action that was happening. I was also just not into Arthie's romance in this book. I felt like it occurred way too quickly and did not feel organic at all. While I wouldn't classify this currently as having a love triangle because one of the character's interest did not read as anything more than lightly flirty for most of the book, I do think at the end there are two characters who seem to be set up as potentially both being love interests for Arthie in the next book. In contrast I was 100% here for every interaction between Jin and Flick and I do honestly think the book would have read much better if they were the only characters displaying romantic feelings, at least in this installment. Part of that is because Jin and Flick are shown to have a history that Arthie simply did not have with the characters set up to be her partner. I would have needed more time and slower development to even start to believe in Arthie's romance.

All in all this was a great read and I had lots of fun. I cannot wait for the second book!

[tometalk]

Read 8/13-8/16

Four Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm so happy vampires have been getting a resurgence the past few years. I've loved reading vampire novels since I was a young preteen who definitely shouldn't have been in the paranormal romance section of the bookstore but had a mother who was happy to let me read whatever interested me. This book was everything vampire books should be. It's dark and gothic, with amazing moments of political intrigue, and queer as hell. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded, while there are certainly moments that are not the most shocking it's because Chupeco laid the clues out for us to discover and work out along the way. Remy was a great main character. I really enjoyed being in his head as he struggled with his loyalties and personal desires. I also really loved Xiaodan and Zidan. They are the epitome of grumpy/sunshine and their interactions were always so cute but their interactions with Remy were just pure gold. I think a lot of people will struggle with the world building with this and I've read a few reviews that mention it. The setting feels Victorian-esque. with horses and buggy's and a lack of electricity but there's also a strong medical science presence with recent developments of analyzing DNA from blood samples and genetic modification. It's not something that particularly bothered me but I can see how it would frustrate others. I think based on how vampires have plagued the human population it makes sense why medical science would receive more attention than other disciplines. It's even seen very early on in the book when Remy describes the medicine he and other Reapers must take in order to remain strong enough to fight vampires. Another aspect of the world I'm endlessly fascinated by is all the different vampire courts and I hope we get to see more of them and how they differ from each other in the next book. I can't wait to hold this chunky book in my hands, luckily the release date isn't too far away!

[tometalk]

Read 7/20-7/20

Five Stars

It's very important to take the authors warning about the books potential triggers seriously because they happen quite early in the book. The main character is sexually assaulted in chapter 2 and it is graphic. He then attempts suicide for the first time in chapter 3 and for a second time at the end of chapter 9 into chapter 10. The second attempt is from another characters point of view so while it is still shocking and upsetting it didn't read as raw to me as the first attempt did but your reading may differ. Throughout the book the sexual assault is referenced as well as the suicide attempts and suicide ideation. There is also a significant animal death in chapter 14.

I really fell into this story. I immediately connected with Velasin and felt his emotions so deeply. There are so many lines from him that just really hit me and I wanted to write down and save for later. I've been thinking more and more lately about annotating books and this is definitely one, on reflection, that I wish I had made the attempt at least. I love a smart character and one who just knows how to play the political game and once Velasin arrives in Qi-Katai we really got to see him come alive in this way. Caethari read like a himbo and you know, I'm not mad about it. Just let the man follow his smart husband around and do his best to protect him. The side characters are equally great I really enjoyed Velasin's best friend Markel, who uses others prejudices against his mutism to spy for Velasin. Caethari's ex-lover and friend, Liran, was another standout. He was a scene stealer in all the scenes that he was in and I enjoyed the energy he brought to the book.

I also found that I really enjoyed the world this is set in. The book is primarily set in the country of Khyte, particularly the city, Qi-Katai, where Caethari's family acts as the lords of the town. I loved the acceptance of Khyte for both gender and sexual identity. There are third gender characters, trans characters, gay characters, lesbian characters, the list goes on. Their inheritance laws were also so interesting to me. One character discusses them fairly early in the book but I loved how it wasn't the basic eldest child gets everything. Also, as the book is about Velasin and Caethari's marriage there were some fun wedding traditions that made for great scenes. Particularly a certain ceremony that is had to welcome the new partnership into the community.

I do think the weakest part of this story was the mystery element. Yes, going along with Velasin and Caethari as they tried to figure it out was entertaining but I had an inkling of who was behind everything about a third of the way into the story. I also would have preferred a better reveal than what we got. Especially considering comments made about the character's intelligence.  I was much more interested in watching Velasin learn to trust himself and figure out his place in his new world. His personal character journey was very well done. The relationship that develops between Velasin and Caethari was so incredibly sweet it may give others a toothache but it was just what I was looking for.

[tometalk]

Wow long time no see, I’ve struggled a bit with writing reviews and have found it’s easier to just rate and move on to the next book. But I will try to be more active in reviewing. One will follow this in just a bit! 

[tometalk]

Read 10/7-10/8

Four Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit my feelings on this book are a bit all over the place. I originally requested it because I was intrigued by the synopsis. Curses, an eccentric love interest, a woman trying to earn a living for herself in a man's world. Then I kept getting distracted by other books until I finally realized that the release date for this was creeping up on me. Then it became a little bit like a school assignment where I felt like I had to read it and so was less than excited about the potential story. However, this book quickly changed my mind! I loved Andromeda and her no nonsense way of approaching her work. She had limited options but she was determined and driven to do the impossible and finish a job 10 others had failed to do before her. Setting her against Magnus, for whom eccentric is a bit to kind of a word, was brilliant. I'll admit I fell for Magnus much quicker than Andromeda. He's just so ridiculous it's impossible not to love him.

I also deeply loved the setting of a cursed castle. It made this book the perfect spooky October read! All of the different manifestations of the curse were wonderful and I loved how they spanned the gambit of seemingly harmless to absolutely terrifying. The Librarian was a personal favorite, I love a figure who leaves threatening notes circles in books for one to find. I found the juxtaposition of the very English run household in the Ethiopian landscape truly interesting. Seeing Magnus's English employees who live with the consequences of the Evil Eye and the curse spurn the debtera amulets as superstitious nonsense was maddening.

Early on in the book I had fallen so in love with the characters and was so intrigued where the story was going I was convinced this was going to be a 5 star read. However, around the 60% mark some things started happening in the story that felt really unnecessary and kind of disappointed me from where we had been. There are also some reveals that just raised a lot more questions for me based on information we were given at the very beginning of the story. To be as vague as possible most of these revelations and issues come from moments relating to Saba in the last third of the story. That said there were still plenty of great moments in the later part of the book. I loved that we got to really dive into Andromeda's complex relationship with Jember. He was such a prominent figure hanging over Andromeda's head for the first half of the book I was so excited when I realized we were actually going to get to meet him and see their relationship in action. All in all this was a very good read, perfect for October, I will be picking up a physical copy to put on my shelves when it releases in a week and a half!

[tometalk]

Read 7/26-7/26

Five Stars

"Redemption story, they said? There will be no redemption. It is not me who is wrong. It's everyone else."

This book has no faults. It's depiction of female rage is so utterly perfect. I love Zetian so much, she is so driven and utterly relentless in her quest. We love a boss bitch (and so do Yizhi and Shimin!) Yizhi was such a sweet boy and I loved how devoted he was to Zetian. There's something hidden about him though, I really hope we get to delve deeper into his character in the second book. Shimin is Yizhi's opposite in someways. He's rough and a killer but inside he has strong morals and is really a big softy. I really loved the discussion surrounding addiction in relation to his character, it was especially well done.

The war machine Chrysalises the pilots and concubines power were extraordinarily interesting. Though I wasn't a big follower of the show, they reminded me a bit of Digimon creatures. Each Chrysalis has a basic standard form but with more energy from the pilot and concubine they can transform to an ascended form, which is larger and more powerful. If the pilot and concubine are a balanced match they may even achieve the heroic form which always ends up looking like a humanoid warrior with the specific Chrysalis's features. The animal form to humanoid form evolution are what reminded me most of Digimon.

This book was a wild ride. I literally could not put it down and read it in a single day. The characters were compelling, the action scenes kept the book moving at a fast pace, and the ending blew me away. I have so many questions now and I need the next book in my hands! Please preorder this book you will not regret it! Not to mention that cover will look gorgeous on every bookshelf.

[tometalk]

Read 7/1-7/2

Three Stars

I'm a little baffled on how I feel about this book. For a while I really thought this might be a five star from me. I was really loving the characters and the idea behind the coin toss was super interesting. Stevie had the high potential to be a manic pixie dream girl and thankfully she never turned into that stereotype. She's an average girl who has been moved around a lot because of her father's job. There were some really interesting sections about her conflicting feelings toward her father as the reason she constantly has to start her life over but is also seeking his approval for the one thing she really loves, music. I also really loved the discussion revolving around the various "best friends" she's had throughout each move and how quickly the relationships sour and turn into out of sight out of mind. I didn't have nearly as many moves as Stevie but I did leave the town I grew up in and moved half way around the country right before I started high school. It is hard to keep in touch across time zones and physical distance and the people who you thought you'd be close to forever quickly turn into acquaintances. Drew and Shane were great characters as well. I really enjoyed their relationship, though I could have used a few more scenes exploring their friendship. The primary focus was really each boy's relationship with Stevie and the close friendship really fell by the wayside. Drew is our classic brooding musician who's popular because his father is big in the music industry. He's got a rough relationship with his father since like Stevie, his father is often absent and at the start of the novel Drew's parents are estranged. Shane is described as a chubby music prodigy. He's sweet as can be but is pretty insecure about himself, especially when he compares himself to Drew.

There are a couple of things I could have done without. I really disliked how Shane was constantly moaning that he was in the friend zone with Stevie. It's just such a garbage concept and the fact that he was clearly the author's favored choice in the flip rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not quite sure why a character who only prefers Stevie as girlfriend rather than a girl who is a friend is better than a boy who just got caught up in a misunderstanding. However, there was this one issue that really started to bother me and the more I thought about it the madder I got. Drew's father is famous for discovering Bruce Springsteen. Now as far as I could tell this book is set in the current year or very close to it. At one point it's mentioned that Drew's father is sixty-five. Now I'm not a huge Bruce Springsteen fan but as the book mentions it's a little impossible to live in New Jersey without having a vague idea about Springsteen's career. So a quick Googling said that Springsteen got his record deal in 1972, that would mean that Drew's father was sixteen when he "discovered" Springsteen. It's just such a ridiculous thing that just kept bothering me more and more. It would have been so easy to have his father discover some fake celebrity so this kind of issue wouldn't crop up.

Ultimately there are some really beautiful moments in this book. Music is such a big theme throughout and I loved how that wove it's way throughout the story. One of my favorite lines is Stevie comparing the boys to types of songs on an album and how those songs and therefore the boys make her feel. There's also great discussions about fathers. Stevie and Drew both have famous father's who are largely absent from their lives and Shane's father died when he was a preteen. I just really struggled to get over some of my issues with this book even though the one that bothers me the most is probably me being pedantic.

[tometalk]

Read 6/20-6/21

Four Stars

No one writes characters like Casey McQuiston. They're just the perfect level of quirky and fun. I loved this book because I loved the characters. August, who spent her childhood as a reluctant P.I. has been bouncing from school to school and major to major trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Jane, is a charming outgoing punk literally straight out of the 70s, who's found herself stuck on a subway line. There's also August's three eclectic roommates. Niko, a good physic and terrible bartender. Myla, Niko's girlfriend who makes sculptures out of things like mouse traps and tiny frog bones. Wes, lost his inheritance when he quit school to be gay and create art, now works as a tattoo artist at night and sleeps most of the day away with his dog Noodles. I also have to mention Isaiah/Annie Depresant who lives across the hall, an accountant by day and a fabulous Drag Queen by night. That's not even getting into the amazing cast of characters who work at Pancake Billy's House of Pancakes where August finds herself employed.

I loved the mystery element that wormed its way throughout the book. There's the mystery of the missing Uncle that's followed August around since before her birth and then the mystery of who Jane is and how to get her off the subway. Parts of the mysteries will not be surprising but uncovering the answers was still deeply satisfying. One of my favorite elements of the book was the bit of mixed media with missed connection posts and articles that all subtly and not so subtly feature Jane throughout the years. I will say the pacing was a bit slower than what I was hoping for. I wanted a faster read when I picked this up and there are moments where the story feels a little sluggish. That said McQuiston has now been cemented as a favorite author and I can't wait to read what they put out next.

[tometalk]

Read 5/25-5/29

Five Stars

I've been sitting on this trying to come up with the words to describe how much I loved this book and they're just not coming to me. So: THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! PLEASE PREORDER IT IMMEDIATELY YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! That's it, that's all I've really got. If you like ATLA you'll like Jade Fire Gold. There are some small cute similarities like the mentor of our exiled prince loving tea and our prince being less than enthused. There's also elemental magic but unlike in ATLA it's possible to wield more than one element, though it is rarer for someone to be able to do so.

Literally every character in this is perfect. From our protagonists, Ahn and Altan, to their supporting cast of Tang Wei, Linxi, Tai Shun, and Leiye. I just love them all so much! Ahn was perfect as a kind of dark chosen one. She has the potential to save everyone or destroy the kingdom. I enjoyed her slow discovery of her mysterious past and her struggles to understand her forbidden magic. Atlan is such a tragic hero but luckily Tang Wei keeps him from getting too caught up in his past drama. Tang Wei brought a lot of needed levity to the story and her relationship with Linxi was so sweet. Tai Shun is a precious baby who must be protected at all costs. I always love a snarky shady character and Leiye fits the bill perfectly. Honestly though we need to talk about that epilogue because my brain hasn't stopped screaming since I read it! June please tell me there's a book two! I need to know what's going to happen next!

[tometalk]

Read 6/5-6/5

Four Stars

I loved this book so much! I loved Pony and Georgia and I think the evolution of their relationship felt very true to real life. Including Georgia's own brief questioning of what a relationship with Pony means for her own sexuality. I saw some criticism over her questioning and I feel like it's important people recognize that ignorance plays a part in this, not maliciousness in invalidating Pony's identity. These are literal teens in Texas and it's made very clear that the community is conservative. I will say I'm upset that this book had to dead name Pony, especially because we almost got through the entire book and though there was a close call earlier it's only at the end that it happens. I just don't think it was something that was necessary to the book. I'm also a little upset by the message that Pony's friend Max kept pushing which was basically if you're not out, you're hurting the queer community. Never mind that it could be dangerous to be out and not everyone has the same circumstances.

Besides Pony and Georgia one of the best characters in this book was Pony's sister, Rocky. She was just so incredible and I loved her relationship with Pony. She was his main support system even with the thousands of miles in between them it was made explicitly clear that if he needed her she'd drop everything to help him. There was a super touching scene where things aren't going well for Pony and Rocky gathers some of her queer friends to call him and tell him that life gets better and remind him that he's not alone. I can't wait to read Tobly McSmith's next book, Act Cool, out later this year!

[tometalk]

Read 6/6-6/7

Four Stars

This was such a wild ride! I was so sucked into the mystery of Aces and some of these scenes gave me serious chills. Reading this late at night was uhhh maybe not the best choice. I enjoyed nearly every second of this book and the things I didn't really like are small and more me nitpicking aspects of the story. Chiamaka and Devon were excellent narrators. I love the differing perspective each brought to the story. Chiamaka comes from a wealthy family but never fit in at school until she makes a plan to claw her way to the top in high school. Devon is a scholarship student who loves music and can't wait for the day when he can help his mother out of poverty. I loved the way each secret about the two was slowly revealed and got worse and worse and the book went on. I think if you know the premise of Get Out, on of this books comps, it is fairly easy to guess at what's going on but the journey to that discovery was still amazing.

I'm still a little confused by aspects of Terrell's character. There are some threads that were laid out and then never discussed again. I understand the purpose behind some of them and without getting too spoilery the idea is to cast suspicion on to every other character in this book including our narrators. However, I think there were some things that warranted further explanation and examination. I'm also a little on the fence on how I feel about Chiamaka's easy acknowledgement of her sexuality. On the one hand, yeah for some people there's not really any big questioning moments or worry about being anything but straight. On the other hand, in the beginning of the book Chiamaka is shocked that Devon is gay because he's Black. If she feels that way about Devon why would she not feel any kind of dilemma about her own sexuality? The epilogue was another aspect I was iffy on but because it's literally the end of the book, I can't really say much about it. All in all this was a great book, I highly enjoyed it and I look forward to reading more from Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.