Dee

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pick this up if you want a conversation starter on why stereotypes and racial prejudices can be damaging. It's a cute, funny, kid-friendly story about growth and balance. Skunk is the chaotic energy everyone needs in their life while Badger has the focus and drive we all wished we had.

Absolutely adorable. 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking for a sweet book to bliss out to. Get the physical where possible, because if it's even half as beautiful as the e-copy then you all need this whimsy in your life.

Full review coming to the blog on the 14th!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
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Oof this one hits way too close to our present day. The pandemic parallels left me uneasy, but it also helped me get even further into the story. I didn't need to suspend belief the way I would have before 2020 so I was able to just focus on the characters and the plot instead of being horrified that a flu could devastate the human system quite so seriously.

Now for the real reason why you should pick this book up. This book is hard to read; these characters do not have an easy time of existing in the midst of their world being a constant chaos, and yet they do not stop showing up every day and giving their all to preserve life. You fall in love with each and every character you come across, no matter how little time you have with them even as you watch the realities of life ram into them time and again.

The lines that sum up this book and this life is “we'll go to sleep then, very soon. That's all we have to do for tonight. And then when we wake up tomorrow - We'll see what we'll see.” There's no preparing for life during a pandemic, it just is. Donoghue's world is gritty and gory, and if you're squeamish this may not sit well with you, but life and childbirth are gritty and gory and oftentimes life threatening.

Three days have never felt so long and yet so short. Read this for the tender moments, read this for the tense moments. Just read this.

Well...that was an experience.

Oh why did that have to happen. Now my heart is all broken but I'm also all excited for the next scheme. Gah. Roshani how could you?!

Yes Rin!

Suitably cute with a sprinkle of ‘omg what else can possibly go wrong for these two' thrown in for good measure. This one can incite anyone into activism because it reminds you continuously that it's a matter of life or death for some people and so the LEAST you could do is go out and make sure your vote is counted.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a dense read which is to be expected as the topic it covers isn't one of rainbows and fluffy animals. There are moments of such pure, raw pain that make you feel so deeply for Hassan and his family. It's tense and scary at times but always, always gripping.

It starts off very slowly and gives you a lot of information all at once, information that I was not at all familiar with, but I found myself compelled by the idea of it. It highlights ethnic and religious stigmatization (the Greek Christians against the Turkish Muslims and vice versa) in a struggle to claim one's belonging.

This isn't my next great love, but it will stand out in my memory for a significant amount of time.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I sat smiling for a full minute after I finished this book, not because it was a happy story but because it was a beautiful story. I don't know if I would have fallen in love with this story as quickly as I did if it weren't for the narrator. His voice made the painful moments more palatable and he soothed me when my heart ached for the characters. The emotional impact of this story is as powerful at 1x speed as it is at 3x which is a testimony to the pacing of the plot. Truly beautiful work.

Pranny, Noi and Alisak are trying to survive amidst a war in a landscape littered with minefields and air filled with enemy crafts, forced out day after day with no guarantee of surviving each trip. At 17% in I was firmly in love with all three of these children and deeply afraid for their safety even though I knew that logically the likelihood of them losing life or limb was high.

By the end of the book, I wasn't ready to let this story go and found the letting go to be bittersweet. I already miss it.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

These are the facts: religion, sex, power, and money are at the center of human existence. Our job, in order to exist in this world, is to find a way to marry all of these, otherwise what you're left with is a life of constant suffering.

This story centers on a family who faces tragedy and hardship over a lifetime, where each attempt to crawl out of their fate is met with yet another moment of human cruelty. Betrayals have become a fact of life for each member of this family at one point or another. We mainly follow the twin daughters, Bibike and Ariyike, who are forced to grow up much too early after their parents fail miserably at the one job required of them: parenting. In constant bargains with the only resource they own (their bodies), they are able to carve a tolerable existence for themselves and learn life's harshest lesson: we all make decisions based on our own selfish desires within that moment and we are forced to spend a lifetime with the consequences, good or bad.

This isn't an easy or pleasant book to read. There need to be content warnings for: rape (implied), abuse of power for sexual gain, blood, and forced abortion. However, the author manages to deliver her message in snippets that clearly shows the worst of humanity. Read at your own risk.

Have you ever read a book and felt so stupid for the entire thing but then by the time that it was over you understood exactly what I had just been a part of. This book has subtle commentary on gentrification and racism disguised as the healthy vs the infected. This book lies so closely to our present reality that it's scary. The sanitization of the hands, the quarantine, the bogus medication being touted as a cure; it all hits too close to home for comfort. 

Don't expect a linear timeline. Don't even expect a clear delineation between the two timelines either. Whitehead requires you to pay precise attention to every little snippet lest you get left in the dust. 

Brilliant, understated horror.

The digital review copy that I received was almost impossible to read. DNF.

This book, as with all of King's books, was a lot. It was intense in all the right places and disturbing in so many other places. Growing up the movie adaptation for this book freaked me out so much that I hated walking next to drains and I despised clowns. I also didn't realize for quite a few years that it was a book (shame on me) and when I did find out the share size of it intimidated me. That being said, I'm glad I picked this one up. Yes, all of the things that people have said is wrong with this...is wrong with this. There are too many moments of superfluous vulgarity and slurs that could have been left out without sacrificing anything of the plot. However, each of these moments had its parallel sprinkled throughout which was something that I could appreciate. Everything was always connected even if you couldn't see how at first, especially considering how King writes with dual timelines/constantly shifting timelines.

I am disturbed and now I have to go bleach my eyes and ears to forget that any of this ever happened.

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4.

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This book is a lot. The characters are a lot. The plot is a lot. I think, had this been broken into a duology it would have been an EASY 5 stars for me. But there comes a part of this book where it begins to feel LONG. You feel every bit of those pages. That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy them, but, oof.

There were so many interwoven layers that you aren't sure how they'll interconnect until they do and then you are like: Shannon is a GENIUS! Ead's storyline was by far my favourite, but being in her head most of the time that was bound to happen. However, I like Niclays a lot, and I see people saying they didn't. How???? The man is in pain! Give him a break <3.

It takes some time to get into because of how much world building needs to be done, because it's an intricate world, but it's so worth it!!

I didn't hate it...

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Their dynamic should work (hate to love, rivals to partners, headstrong af, grumpy vs eternally happy, well loved female character vs a feared male character) but it only just missed the mark for me. I wanted just a bit more of the explanation of her super palette (which is reminiscent of something but I just can't remember what). I wanted a clearer view of heir romance being developed so it didn't feel quite as rushed. But it was enjoyable and the recipes were a nice little addition.

The audio of this book was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The creatures are still a threat and there's still so much Malorie doesn't know. There is still the intrigue and fear that was present in book one, so in that respect, Malerman has a hit on his hands. True to form, our main characters are also tasked with going on a trip to find another group of survivors and so we have the main plotline. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first one.

Audio review: If you enjoyed the narrator the first time around, then you'll be satisfied as Cassandra Campbell been enlisted to narrate this one as well. This lends a sense of continuity to the stories that is pleasantly satisfying as already familiar characters have not changed. The flow wasn't an issue as the chapter breaks were quite clear. There also weren't any distracting music or sound effects to take you away from the tension of the world. Sometimes effects are needed, this time the book worked well without them.

What?

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Ok, I've stepped far enough away from this book to have formed a real opinion. I really enjoyed that there were a new set of perspectives in this one. We weren't following Harper anymore but we didn't miss any of the world, in fact, we were able to be immersed even more into it. We saw what the people on the ground were really feeling after the events of the first book and that type of fallout wouldn't have been as apparent coming from Rhen or Harper's POV. We also didn't miss any budding romance either as SpoilerGrey and Lia Mara (new character) as a couple makes my heart warm. Obviously them working as a duo means that Rhen and Grey's friendship won't be able to work without some level of sacrifice.

What frustrates me about the turn this book takes is that it feels like a slap to the face to all that Rhen, Harper and Grey worked towards all throughout book one. It didn't make any sense to Spoilerbring Lillith back as an antagonist after they finally broke the curse. Plus having Grey contest the crown despite him never wanting to be king...all this for what?! Ugh

I'll need some time to get over this hurt.

It got gooood towards the end. A villain I can root for

This is exactly what I needed right now ❤️

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I picked this one up after a non-stop immersion into dark fantasy where I needed a pick me up and this book does just that. Their banter both on and off social media is just adorable (#PepperJack for life!) and the graceful way in which they navigate their family drama is so much mature than most in their position would be.

As is to be expected in some YA, the parents in this book suck!! Pepper's mother's singleminded focus on “winning” this twitter war comes at the expense of her daughter's education and she doesn't seem to care. She trivializes Pepper's concerns every time they're brought up. When we eventually get her backstory I understand the hurt that caused her to act that way, but I still don't agree with it. Jack's dad Spoilerwas painted as the victim when after all of this he was the true VILLAIN of this story. Now I understand why he wasn't interested in fighting back, because he knew he was dead wrong! Absolutely trash behaviour. It wraps up very neatly which I also appreciated. I hate when rom-coms are left open-ended so this was right up my alley. All in all, a fun read.

When I first started this book I was extremely irritated by Arrah and I couldn't connect with her struggle. I felt that she was selfish and greedy so she didn't deserve the magic she was so craving. I thought her mother was vile (rightfully so) but I did like her Grandmother and her father. They seemed interesting enough, but was that sufficient reason to read an entire book? I wasn't sold.

Until. Until I became invested in her and redacted relationship, and I wanted retribution for certain characters SpoilerOshe and Kofi. The plot became worth the frustration of the adults being trash and Arrah not thinking before she makes life-altering decisions. 

There were some reveals in here that were just on point! So many interconnected layers! Worth the read for that alone if we're being honest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

- My story is the story of sugar. -

How do you adequately express how raw and sensitive and broken open this piece makes you feel? You can't. You simply let it happen. You simply shout from every rooftop to anyone willing to listen, that this script needs to be consumed in all forms of media. From the devastating truths that the ‘Foreword' lays bare to the reader, to the emotions each character is forced to portray, this work proves its necessity. It's a beautiful pain that I want shared the world over because we NEED to talk about our dirty pasts.

Jackie Kay says it best when she said that “there can be no such thing as too many stories about slavery.” The way that part of human history is swept under the rug is the reason much of the world is the way it is today. This is a good first step.

I am an idiot! How could I have felt anything but absolute love for this book???! Where I could not STAND the very essence of Rin, now I'm like yes girl, kill those bastards, take those poppy seeds, call down that god. Get, it!!!! I want all that revenge. BURN THEM ALL!

Is Rin still a greedy, reckless bastard? Of course! But she also loves her people and so she's willing to do the hard thing, the maybe not so smart thing, in order to save them. This is war and war is anything but pretty. History will either absolve you for your decisions or it won't, but in the moment there isn't really time to stop and predict which way it'll end up.

I definitely WILL be continuing with this series. Past me knows nothing, ignore her silly behind. Absolutely trash.





>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
May 2019: 3 stars. I know that there are people that looooved this book. I know that. I know that the idea of this book is intriguing. What I also know is that I really didn't care about Rin or her struggle. I didn't like her overwhelming greed.
I'm not sure if we're supposed to like how “unwavering” and “determined” Rin is, but all it read to me was greedy and wreckless. Thoughtless even.

Idk man. Idk.

Won't be continuing this series.

<3

Every time I pick up one of these I question why it takes me so long to do so because I always enjoy the reading experience. I fell in love with Tyson and I want to adopt him as my own. He is so sweet and pure and loveable. Genuine souls like him deserve everything!!!! 

I don't remember the movies well so for me most of this is fresh and I can't wait to see where this all goes. I want to know how the prophecy comes to pass and the pacing of these books means that it won't feel drawn out even if it takes me ten million books to get there (it doesn't, I know but...).

This is beautiful as an audiobook.

Ok ok. I guess I wanna see where this goes after all.


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The first time I picked this one up I was ready to DNF. The writing style wasn't sitting with me and I wasn't convinced with the romance (still not tbh), but I liked the premise so I wasn't fully ready to give up on it. After a few years, and with the help of the audiobook, I got through it. The plot was enough.

Sal had a singleminded focus on revenge that was built upon this idea that the Queen was perfect and powerful and would appreciate their efforts towards the cause. What they ended up finding in the end of their story is that not everything is as it seems, even the Queen is human and sometimes single-minded focus can't sustain a full life. 

I can't wait to see if they are able to meet their final goal or if real-life expectations get in the way. 

p.s I can't speak to the validity of the gender-fluid rep, but I did appreciate the little inner monologue Sal would have whenever they were either misgendered or addressed by the proper pronouns. I like that it wasn't just a throwaway line about their identity and then it's never brought up again. No, their identity is given the space it deserves.

I just want to know what changed...


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This book is wild because while you're engrossed in the past you Spoilerforget that we're following what is essentially the villain of the story and you can't help but want her to succeed. And then you go back into the present and you're like. Oh. Right. It takes a heck of a lot of skill to do that. Rin Chupeco is selling me on Tea's logic and I don't know what to do about it. 

How does this end?!!!