Lauren

Oh, my word! What an unexpected treat this book turned out to be! I've already bought 3 copies to give away to friends, and none of them are middle-grade readers ;)
The voices are authentic, characters are all delightful - I can't say that there are any I found unlikeable - the theme will never not be relevant (yes, even for adults - funny how some of our problems with friends and family Never really go away)

And if you read this and don't want to be Ms Flora Mae well then I don't know what to tell you.

Oh my, this book was simply wonderful! Rather than give a synopsis, I'll try to share my impressions. (You can find synopsis anywhere.)
Firstly, if you're interested in an intersectional, authentically afro-scifi space opera more reminiscent of what Mockingjay was trying to do... this novel is going to meet your niche interests. It's wonderfully creative in a way that many writers are too cowardly to attempt. And it doesn't take it's self too seriously (I hope I'm not the only reader who caught the Ylvis reverence)

My previous relationship with [a:Laurie Halse Anderson 10003 Laurie Halse Anderson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1563830499p2/10003.jpg]'s [b:Speak 39280444 Speak Laurie Halse Anderson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529044298l/39280444.SY75.jpg 118521] was back when it was first published. I was still in high school (and so, the perfect audience) and I remember telling my English teacher about it - hoping to have it added to the reading curriculum. Yes, I was That Kid™ - which for my teachers was either obnoxious or encouraging. I recognized, as a then yet-unnamed feminist wunderkind, that it had an important and relevant message. 15 years later the #MeToo movement took the world by storm (maybe if my English teachers had listened to me back then than people would have been less upset by the news and behaviors would have long since changed. Coincidence?)This is a memoir-in-verse, and I applaud Anderson for sharing her story with us not once but twice. We surely don't deserve it and she gives and gives of herself over and over again.

Last time I mentioned how sad I feel for anyone who dropped Runaways at the start of Rowell's run. I didn't realize then that by now I QUADRUPLE that sentiment. Let me explain.
Anytime a best-selling author writes for comics, I'm leery. Writing for comics isn't something you can just mosey on into, even if you're a brilliant, talented, and golden example of authorly prowess. Writing for comics is a different medium and therefore a different process. You really need to understand the medium, and I feel like most of the time Best-Selling Authors are way too cocky to do this right. There's a sense that comic readers will read any old drivel so there's no pressure to be your best or even try. So yes, Rainbow Rowell was successful as a novelist, so you're right to scrutinize her efforts. Also she writes YA romances, which I know it's unfair, but I fully expect comic fans to disregard her for that alone.
And I'm here to tell you that those fears are unjustified!
Rowell has said in the past that she's been a comic reader far longer than some of us have been alive. Runaways was one of her all time favorite series. She understands the medium and the series. And honestly, writing YA Romance was good Practice for writing for Runaways especially. (Yeah, that's right. Writing beloved and hugely successful books like Eleanor & Park is, in fact, Practice for this woman. Like, No Big Deal??)
There's a nuance of emotion within this volume that the previous volumes have been building up to, and are in fact Rowell's specialty. I'm just so proud of it. To think I've been on this journey with these characters for a decade or more (some of it fun, some of it disappointing garbage) all leading up to... This Moment. Is it possible for it to get better???

Also of note, I was heartbroken that Kris Anka left the series (though I understand why he had to) but I'm truly happy with Andrés Genolet beautiful art. UGH. this book is so good, you guys.

Ho.Lee.F*k.You know, I remember thinking, when all this was going down in the news, that it felt like a spy thriller playing out in real-time. Edward Snowden is like a Cinderella Jason Bourne: just an average nerdy lad with vanilla, nerdy government job who happened to find out some extremely bad stuff the government was doing. How bad? Actually, let me paint a picture for you: if you ever bothered to watch 2003's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle... it's basically the premise of the movie. Life imitates pulp, as it were.In fact, a lot of people are still blissfully unaware of what Snowden was actually saying 6 years later. (A phenomena that fascinates me: how distrustful people are of raw, ugly facts) Love or Hate Edward Snowden, he's still one of the most fascinating figures of our modern era. If you're insterested in reading more, I also suggest reading [b:Mindfck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America 48349662 Mindf*ck Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America Christopher Wylie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570129884l/48349662.SY75.jpg 73625651] and perhaps considering going off the grid.

Ok, so Two Things. I loved the original run of Runaways very much. If I have any issues with it it's that it's just a bit too mid-2000-and-aughts. It's amazing how quickly some of this became cringe, though the Homestar Runner references are something I will always cherish. Still, though, that doesn't make them unreadable and therefore they hold up very well. That's the 1st Thing.
The 2nd Thing is that I already loved this franchise and I already loved Rainbow Rowell, so if there's a target audience for this run, it's probably me (and people like me, of course). I feel like it's worth mentioning at this point just to disclose that I'm biased. That said, I really, really, REALLY pity the ones who dropped Runaways on the first of Rowell's Single Issue, because boy did they mess up.
The growth and development at this point in the series are so satisfying. I'm going to try not to fangirl too much over Rowell's work alone. I just really think the franchise is being salvaged and nursed into a beautiful comic-book baby.

I loved this book. It may be my favorite thing I've read all year. But first, let me explain how I came to pick it with such enthusiasm in the first place.
See this image?

Yes, it's the same one on the cover of the book - the original, in fact. It lives in infamy in my family now as the “weird vintage ad that broke my brother during a family dinner at that nice restaurant.” Basically, we were celebrating a birthday in the family - I can't remember whose, maybe my mom's? My brother was scrolling through Facebook on his phone only to see this and thought it was so funny that he started laughing so hard - you know the kind of laugh that you can't breathe anymore. It comes to a point it's not even the thing that was funny in the first place, you're just laughing at how hard you're laughing that you can't stop? It was like that. It dragged us all in laughing at him - his face was turning red - then purple. Maybe he would have died if one of us hadn't thumped him on the back a few times. It is a great picture, though.
So now this image resurrects a few times a year and it's an immediate sale. He has a t-shirt with it on it. I have this book. I'm going to cross-stitch into a sampler at some point.

Right, well as for the book it's self, I'm glad it lived up to its cover. If it hadn't had it would have been too tragic for me to go on. I'd like to think it left a similar impression on Kevin Wilson when he saw it while scrolling around on Facebook one boring Sunday morning and it was a direct inspiration for this story. I loved the characters, I loved the children, and I especially loved the casual sass of Lillian's narration.

Why did I give it a 3star review originally? Ah yes, because I didn't yet know how to read French properly at the time

I would like to make a few comments about this novella. First, though it is a novella, it felt more substantial than a lot of full-length novels I've read. Which is to say, it's got a lot of depth going on. This has a lot to do with the relationship that Rhys and Moira have. It's fully fleshed out and feels authentic. For instance, I know a lot of readers are going to buck back against the bi-phobia, but I feel like the way it is handled was a touch of authenticity. What I mean is, it's not “bi-phobia” in an ugly and aggressive way. Instead, it's something the characters are learning about themselves and are trying to cope with in a healthy, if (literally) messy, way. (I've personally done a lot of therapy work and I tend to come across some set-backs in my conscious that are on an equal level of ugly and harmful to people I care about. But you can work through it!) So don't black list this book because some reviewers will cancel it; instead, read it for yourself to see how well it's handled!
The last thing I want to bring up is the way witchcraft is depicted in the book. This is to say “PERFECTLY.” I myself have limited exposure to the “real thing,” and it's adorably naive how a lot of authors (and cultures), erm, seem to think it really is. Moira is an exemplary witch. I know less about real magicians, so I can't comment on the authenticity of Rhys' work.

Lastly, I'll try to defend my 3⭐ rating - even though I enjoyed this book, I tend to give 5⭐'s for books that I can't forget during and after reading them, so that's a bit rare. 4⭐'s are for books that wow me technically

Pretty general stuff, but sometimes you'll hear exactly what you've been waiting to hear.

Why oh why did I sleep so long on this book?? It hit all the right marks:
• Funny
• Whip Smart
• Realistic characters (I mean - even the unlikeable characters were unlikeable in the sense that they were still relatable. Why is this so rare??)
• Never Boring.
When I say I devoured this book, I mean it. I easily lost sense of time while reading it and deeply mourned being away from it.

I've been waiting for this book since 2014 - that's 5 years. It's in my hands now and man did I ever miss Rainbow's banter.

I face such a moral quandary when I read true crime for entertainment purposes, even more so when the author is the criminal, and thrice-over when the author is hilarious. Thankfully, this time I was spared as this criminal is nonviolent.

I actually picked this up at the Dollar Tree - I mean, how can I turn this down for a dollar?
I think it's really cool that Disney is putting out middle-grade books featuring Leia more centrally. But I'm no longer really the target audience. I'm not a super-fan or even really a kinda-super fan of Star Wars, so a lot of the world went over my head.
C'est la vie! Still an excellent find for a $1!

Long since I've pretty much given up on anime, Kino no Tabi remains one of my all time favorites. It's a special series, I'll give you that.
As happy as I am with the revival of the series, I am a little disturbed by one tiny little thing. Initially, Kino his or herself is ambiguously gendered. This never bothered me at all, the character is shrouded in mysteries far more important than their gender. But we do learn at some point in the series (in this revival, immediately) that Kino is a woman who dresses as a man simply for practicalities sake.
What bugs me here is that the art in the manga kinda takes some advantages and accentuates their more womanly features. It's subtle, and though I know anime is fan-servicey, I always felt this series was above that.

Beyond that, if this is your first time hearing of series, I highly recommend reading it. It's unlike anything you've read or watched before.

So, while I enjoyed this book and the mission it set itself out to do, I want to make a few comments. I'm reading and reviewing this as a 30 year old woman - that's worth mentioning just because this is a YA book which is intended to educate and inform teenagers and other young people about sexual health in ways that they might not necessarily be exposed to. While I think that's VERY important, I'm personally way past that.
But if I had to read this as a teenager, I don't think I would have handled it with the grace and understanding that the Adult Me has with it. I know I would have related to the heroine, because I too was often asked for relationship advice while having no experience in the matter. But also - sex scared the bejeebas out of me and I would have tuned it out even if it was well informed and frank. So this would have been a complete miss with a younger me.
I applaud the author and I hope this book helps educate (braver than I would have been) readers.

Whoa.

Let's get this right out of the way: this is not to be confused with Peter S. Beagle's “Last Unicorn” (nor the classic animated film inspired by it). Nor is this about actual living unicorns. Though it is, in a way.
If you're someone who is interested in animal or bio conservation efforts, I think this is important to read. More than anything, though, this is a totally enthralling adventure story of the kind you didn't think really happened anymore. It was exciting and informative and bolstering.

Sigh
Ok, so this was a really fast read for me, but I'm giving it a low rating purely based on my own personal tastes. For some readers, this is exactly what they want, but for me, it's exactly Not.
So every romance reader likes their own genre and gimmick and what-have-you. For example, I love historicals and slow-burns. This book is the exact polar opposite of that: it's a lusty Contemporary. So I'm gonna go ahead and give myself a brownie point for reading outside of my known comfort-zone, but please don't view my low rating as a discouragement for yourself.
Side note: I do really like the fact that there are a lot of intriguing side characters that lend themselves out to their own books in the series, and because of that, I might still revisit it as it progresses.

This is so sweet and adorable. If this book existed when I was 9 years old, I'd be the happiest kid - my parents & grandparents wouldn't get me to shut up about it. But as a 30-year-old, it was still charming.

While I'm a lifelong fan of this franchise, I felt like - up until now - Clear Card arc has been especially childish and a little boring. But finally we're getting somewhere! Things are starting to come together and make sense, and I feel guilty for.underestimating CLAMP.

This was a heavy, sometimes grueling book to read. I appreciate that about it - we don't get many insider views about the Vietnam War, and from the perspective of a female photographer makes it more interesting. However, I had a bit of difficulty caring about or believing nearly every character.

Kvothe, could you be a little more condescending? “Not many people realize this...” “Something a lot of people don't know” yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah.
I get it - this story is largely told from Kvothe's point of view, and as such he aggrandizes EVERYTHING about himself. But how does that not make him intolerable for most readers? I did complete it, but with much eye-rolling and groaning.

One of my all-time favorite novels is Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. When I first read it, I was completely rattled by it in a way I'd never been before. For days - and even at this point, years - after I'd read it, it left a profound brand on my mind. Books like that are rare, and I've been searching for it's equal ever since.
I think Claire Fuller's Our Endless Numbered Days is as close a cousin to it as I'll ever find. It's at turns both whimsical and alarming. I'm left with so many questions, and I'm still not quite satisfied with what I can come up with.

Looking for something to read? Might I recommend something that's more or less relevant?
A few years ago, Steven P. Morrissey said: “Spent the day in bed - really happy I did... I love my bed, and I recommend that you stop watching the news. Because the news contrives to frighten you.” And lo, my friends and I rejoiced. (This was shortly before the same man turned out to be a far bigger rancid piece of turd than we were previously led to believe, though the thought had occurred to us in the past now and again.) Because who among us didn't see sleepy-beddy-bye-time as the best part of our day? Who among us didn't wish that our lives could be wasted away in sleep and in a sea of old Doritos crumbs?
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is the ultimate female fantasy, in that case as our heroine embarks on a lazy year of complete alienation. This book is weird (I know a lot of you are reading this and trying to argue back that YOU don't ever think about sleeping in chip crumbs as the height of luxury. Rather the opposite. Or that YOU don't want to be alienated. Or, even, that this isn't a “female fantasy” AT. ALL. As far as you can tell, anyway. Does Jason Momoa braid the heroine's hair at any point? Oh well, here I am ignoring you.) It's sorta trippy. But boy does it say everything I've wanted to say for all of my young adult years. And thus, it is one of my favorites.