Dana

I loved book 1 and I loved book 2 as well!

I believe I listened to both of them too. I really enjoy this narrator; Caitlin Davies. I'll look for more from her!

I love an enemies to lovers romance and this one felt even more enemy to lovers than book 1! I did really like Chrysantha even if I sometimes disagreed with her methods - I wanted her to make up with her sister and to drop her facade! She did in the end and I was very glad the two sisters made up. 

The whole thing was quite mysterious and I enjoyed learning Eryx's secrets with Chrysantha. It was fun!

Their romance was super fiery and fun but quite drawn out. I liked it for sure! I was also very glad that Kyros did not become a villain just because she rejected him. I did want a tiny bit more to the ending, maybe seeing that week before the two appear before the king and queen again, but I'm always eager for more!

Another fantastic book from Tricia Levenseller!! Looking forward to many more from her. 

Chatting with my darling coworker, we discovered what it was about this book that made it feel like not a T. Kingfisher book; it's very setting focused. Most of her books throw you into the action and sweep you along briskly while this one started with a bang then slapped you to a halt with many, many pages of world building.

Not that it was bad, but it felt unnecessary. As far as I know, this is a standalone and to emphasize the world that much just isn't like her previous works. Especially since the plot takes you into an entirely different world - although perhaps that is why the worldbuilding was necessary; to show the stark differences. Overall, it dragged in the middle for sure, but picked up in the end. 

I'm also simply obsessed with her romances. I was giggling and kicking my feet at the end when Anja was teasing about hiring a guard. I really loved them. 

As for plot, it was... convoluted but interesting for sure! Again, this felt like it could have easily been at least 100 to 200 pages shorter if the world building was cut because... it didn't seem relevant. The stuff with the gods was interesting but didn't really further the plot. Learning about Anja's upbringing was nice, but didn't need to be so elaborate. 

Don't get me wrong; I still really enjoyed this one. But it's not one I'd recommend for people to start with if they wanted to read T. Kingfisher. But for fans already, it's worth the read in the end! I love fairytale reimaginings and this was a good one!

I really enjoyed ‘The Spellshop' and figured I'd give book 2 a try, especially since Caz was one of my favorite characters in the first book. 

I was surprised at how much I loved it! It was interesting for me to follow an extravert so closely, but then she really just craved connection rather than being surrounded by people. I highly enjoyed seeing her hijinks and Terlu was just so earnest and kind that I loved her immediately. Not to mention she clearly struggles with anxiety and I also identified with that. 

I really liked the clear plot and felt that it wasn't drawn out or too much for the “cozy” setting. I liked that while Terlu clearly wanted to help, she wouldn't overcommit or make promises she couldn't keep. I loved her integrity. I also really liked Yarrow. He was rough in the beginning, but opened up and blossomed by the end. I liked all the other plants and the mix between the lush plant descriptions and the mouthwatering food descriptions, I was just utterly absorbed into the audiobook.

Which I did think that Caitlin Davies did an excellent job at portraying everyone and I would happily listen to more from her!

I really loved the heartwarming happy ending and I'm so excited that there's third book coming out in the future!

DNF. Not as into it at the moment. Might return to it later.

Tricia Levenseller proving herself one of my all time favorites yet again with her debut adult novel!!

OH MY GOD IT WAS SO GOOD. It took no time at all for me to get into it and I was ABSORBED. I loved Olerra and Sanos and could easily read a million more of their adventures. It took a little to get used to the Amarran way of things but I really liked it - for such a short book, the world felt thought out. I wouldn't say fleshed out, we learn very little of the lands other than the two featured here, but the countries we spend the most time in, I got a good grasp on their world.

As for the romance, oh wow it was smoldering. I love an enemies-to-lovers and I really liked seeing how they progressed. I loved that they felt like real people, doing their best, shouldering their expectations with their own desires. And I felt they were well balanced. 

Just all in all, fantastic. And the sex scenes are HOT. DEFINITELY not a YA! I hope for many more adult books from Tricia Levenseller!

I'm surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. The reviews seem to be rather polarizing; you either love it or hate it. I feel like I fall solidly in the middle... It wasn't groundbreaking, but I was still looking forward to picking it up and reading on.

I liked Oraya. She was spitfire that refused to be doused. Was she kinda naive and manipulated? Yeah, but given her circumstances, I could forgive her. I liked Raihn enough; he was kind and trying to cling to his humanity but so judgey and harsh at times. I really liked Mische as a side character and wished she'd stuck around! Oh well.

I thought the plot was ... interesting. It was very Hunger Games meets Twilight and nothing new, but it was interesting and fun and while the challenges were way too easy/sped through, I found them interesting. 

I called a fair amount of plot points/twists but there was one I did not see coming: Oraya being Vincent's bio daughter?? Was it confirmed? Or speculation? Either way, it opened the doors to so many more questions.

I will be continuing on for now as I did enjoy it and want to know what happens next!

DNF at 15%

I have ZERO desire to pick up this book again. Maybe I'll try again in the future, but its a DNF for now.

DNF at 15%

The language, while beautiful and very well crafted, is just too high brow for me at this moment. I need books to shut my brain OFF, not ones I need to turn ON to read.

This was a difficult one to rate because I LOVED the start and I enjoyed the end, but the middle was somewhat dull and dragging.

I need to stop saying that I don't like horror because I really enjoy everything Mira Grant has written that I've read. I LOVED Parasite when I read it and this is similar vibes but different (obviously).

I really liked the introduction, seeing how Anastasia was created and immediately establishing her as ‘other'. Some books would use the reveal ‘Oh my gosh, I've been an alien this whole time???' but this one is almost brutally honest with the reader. No, these aliens are killing children in a horrific way and assimilating into society and not even hiding it.

I liked Anastasia a lot; she's a customer service rep but enjoys helping people, she's got a cat (whom I hope made it), and she's faced with the invasion with a unique position. She fiercely loves her friends to the point where I was wondering which side she was going to take. It's supposed to be in doubt through most of the book, but it was very clear towards the end what was going to happen. I really liked her friends too and seeing them through her eyes was interesting. She could recognize the fear, shock, pain, and anger they had towards her and her kind, but they too loved her fiercely and took Anastasia's side through it all. 

I found the middle, specifically the lead up to the invasion, so incredibly boring. I understood why things happened the way they did; to build anticipation, to world build the alien's history, and to make you care more about the characters but it sort of backfired. I was so bored during the info dumps, I barely paid them any attention, I didn't care for most of the characters, and I was just ready to get on with it! Then the invasion started happening and things moved all TOO quickly.

In the end, despite the major pacing issues, I did really enjoy the story. And that last page or two with the final “twist” did leave me breathless. Definitely recommend if you like alien invasion stories!

Cute, quick read! It definitely feels like a translated story to me (Cornelia Funke is German), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just made some of the sentences clunky. 

I liked it a lot. It was fun to also figure out the plant riddles along with Caspia and her friends. I really liked that she was able to make friends and have a great time in Brooklyn despite her initial pessimism. I really liked the feeling of magic without there actually being any magic.

Great for any Middle Grader who is interested in plants!

I swear, I complained through 98% of the book. No really, my buddy read comments would back me up.

I didn't care for much about it; the plot was droll, predictable, and every problem was resolved within 5-10 pages. I didn't care for the characters; they were boring, predictable, and rather one dimensional. I couldn't get a solid read on the setting (I know there's an author's note with her inspirations for this original setting, but it still made it hard for me to ground it in reality). I REALLY didn't care for the writing; I never in my LIFE have read a book with a worse case of “telling, not showing”. Everything was so plainly laid out, repeated so you didn't miss it, everything was so... undetailed. It felt like high school fanfiction where you have short chapters that end with an unnecessarily dramatic final sentence to ensure readers came back for the next upload...

Good lord, did I hate the writing.

And even though I called who the traitor was fairly early, I did get caught up in the dramatics of the ending. And goddammit, I'm thinking about reading book 2. You know when you're watching a terrible movie, but you're already this far in, you might as well finish it...

I did like it! I just didn't love it. Part of the magic of ‘The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin' was that I felt like I was reading a novel of someone's D&D campaign. I could tell when people passed or failed their checks, I recognized spells and abilities! But in this one, it did not feel that way. The way the Mists worked felt like a DM railroading the party. The way the party flipped from ‘strangers who want nothing to do with one another' to ‘bestest friends who have each other's backs' was jarring and not at all shown. 

I liked the premise; Strahd finding Tatyana within one of the many adventurers who find themselves in Barovia and attempting to claim her for himself. I thought it was interesting how the party solved the issue of Tatyana's soul trapped with Fielle's. I did not like that the rest of the party abandoned Fielle to go on this adventure that took nearly half the book. They didn't even tell her they were leaving! I did not like that Fielle in the start was apparently NOT that kind, sweet girl as the ending revealed. I didn't like the end because it implied another book to come and I'm not sure I want to follow this crew anymore. 

I was mostly annoyed with the poor pacing. It was somewhat implied that the group had spent time together off screen which is how their bonds grew. Or if it wasn't implied, they just really flipped between chapters. I was so confused I was making sure I hadn't skipped a chapter! 

But the way they came together in the end was nice and they did.... kinda?... save Fielle. While the very end was somewhat satisfying, I'm confused as to how it would play into a larger story. All in all, a fun adventure, but not the most satisfying.

Edit: Just remembered the name of the book and like...... what did that have to do with anything? Strahd wasn't looking for an heir, but an equal to rule with him but still subservient to him. He was never going to pass along power... I'm confused.

Put together by the same group that did ‘Tasting Light', this is a middle grade collection of short sci-fi stories. I enjoyed the YA collection so I have high hopes for this one!

‘To-Do List for the Apocalypse' by Jenn Reese
4 stars
I liked this one! I thought it was a good look at a kid going through a divorce with just the right “Doomsday” spin. I did hope to see a bit more, but it was also a good ending spot.

‘Calm Down, People! It's Just Space Bees' by Carlos Hernandez
2 stars
It was kinda funny, kinda cute, but mostly I'm confused as to when this takes place. They reference the year 2089, but use outdated memes like ‘O rly?' It absolutely took me out of the story. I liked their reasoning for going to space, but I agree that it's pretty dangerous to send a kid up there... and then to send a mission with three people allergic to bees, TRANSPORTING BEES? It's deadly risk when it could have been avoided... Just not a fan.

‘The Whistleblowers' by Kekla Magoon
3 stars
I got our two main characters confused a lot. I couldn't remember which kid's mom was a scientist and which kid's dad was a janitor. I even thought they were in the same family for a little! But once I figured it out, I liked it. I thought it was just okay, maybe a little preachy and predictable. I would have liked to see a little more resolution with the girl and her grandpa.

‘Aesop's Elevator' by William Alexander
5 stars
I really liked this one. I love 2nd Person POV stories and I thought this was well done. While we don't know the age of ‘you', its clear they're a child but old enough to understand their family friction. They are clever and innocent and I liked how it was resolved. Go Turtletown!

‘Zabrina Meets the Retro Club' by Maddi Gonzalez
3 stars
I didn't know what was happening and by the time I was into it, this adorable short story comic was over. Very cute of course, but I wasn't sure what kind of a story they were trying to tell.

‘The Most Epic Nap in the Universe' by A. R. Capetta
5 stars
This is the perfect short story length to me. It's long enough to have a resolution without skimping on the details within the story. I really liked this premise; humans, after destroying the Earth, made a pact to survive a thousand years in space peacefully before attempting to find a planet to make home, so that they don't just continue to destroy planets. I liked the marmots as a cute mascot and a scientific advancement. And I liked the characters. I would read more about this world!!

‘A Proposal to the Animal Congress' by Eliot Schrefer
4 stars
I'm a fan of Eliot Schrefer so I was looking forward to this! And its written as a series of messages between AI animal representatives... interesting. I liked this, especially at the end when it comes full circle, but the messages (and AI) make the whole exchange feel... sterile. It didn't evoke any emotions, although it was funny!

‘Of What We Never Were' by David Robertson
4 stars
Interesting take but I wanted to know what was up with Adam before the report. I wasn't sure if he was AI or stuck at home, but at least I found out what's up before the end of the story. I liked it. I thought Stacy was acting just fine for what she's been through and the end made me smile.

‘Red, Right, Returning' by Fran Wilde
3 stars
I was getting confused with all the multiverse talk and the many iterations of Olli. Still, a kinda fun story but left me more confused than satisfied.

‘The Traveler' by Wade Roush
5 stars
I really liked this one. It felt like a fitting end. By sending a time capsule into space, Lucy prolonged humanity's existence. It felt both nostalgic and futuristic at once.

Total stars: 38/50 76% or 3.8/5 rounded up to 4/5 stars. Math.

Overall, I liked these! I think I liked the YA collection better, but there were some really fun stories in here. I look forward to more short stories from this group if there are more! 

Great children's encyclopedia of mostly sharks and other popular marine life! Sharks are my favorite animal and I love learning about them! The pages are filled with great full color images plus little fun facts. Bonnethead sharks (in the hammerhead family) are the only known sharks to eat plants! Over half their diet is sea grass!

A solid ending to the series! I liked that a lot of the loose ends were tied up either by the end or with the epilogues. I liked seeing them all get their happy endings after all! I liked the minor twist to what happened to Dani and how to resolve it - it was really there all along! In the end, a good three volume series that's humorous and sometimes quite serious but has a good heart. It can be quite jumpy and confusing though, so it's best to read all three in one go.

This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!

Read 4 volumes

THAT WAS SO CUTE????? It's so goofy and cute and I like that we see Akane playing the game. I thought the game would only be mentioned. I loved all the characters, especially our two main characters. Akane is such a dingus but so earnest and sweet! Yamada is blunt and cold but so kind and thoughtful! I really like them together!

I can't wait to continue on in the series!

I was hooked the whole time reading but things are getting confusing and twisty. Despite the characters being assigned a color for their speech bubbles, it was difficult at times to tell who was speaking. The pace is breakneck and tends to jump and skip around. But despite all that, I really liked it! Its much darker than I expected this series to get... but there's only one volume left and I can't wait to read it!

Very cute, somewhat serious book about the trials and tribulations of being a teen trans girl in high school. Phoebe encounters the worst kind of transphobes; the ones that pretend to be your friend. Everyone in the book ends up making some stupid mistakes, saying some hurtful things, but in the end, just being yourself is what sets Phoebe free. I did really like that she decided to remain single at the end on her own terms, her own choice.  Take what I say with a grain of salt, though, as I am not a trans girl. A great graphic for teens, especially queer teens.

DNF @ 30%

Completely a me thing and not the book!! 

100/5 stars

Now, I am a big Critical Role fan. I loved recognizing the names, places, and things that exist in Exandria! But did this also hit all my favorite romance tropes anyway? YES.

My perfect romance cocktail includes:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Travel
- One bed (and it happened twice)
- Heroics
- Sheltered girl finding her independence
- Smoldering sex scenes

Shake well, add in some humor and mystery, and we have Tusk Love!! While this does have one trope I hate (third act breakups), I didn't mind it too much. It felt natural, not forced. And made the ending all the sweeter. The romance in this book is INSANE. The chemistry, the pining, the teaching each other and bring out the best in one another? UNMATCHED. This is THE romance. 

I need about 4,263 more books describing Guinevere and Oskar's adventures, thanks. 

Okay Navessa Allen is on my instant buy list. 

I really enjoyed this new one! I never would have thought dark romances were my thing but these books put such a humorous spin on the darkness, it didn't even feel like a dark romance! Then I remember what Nic did to the landlord and yeah it's kinda dark. 

But I really liked Nic. He was smolderingly hot, obsessed with Lauren, and a tortured white knight. I liked getting into his head even though I wasn't a fan of his in the first book... getting to know him helped. He made hella mistakes but I genuinely felt he learned from them and wanted to be a better human. And I couldn't help but cheer for him!

Lauren was a good lead. I liked her passion for her job and that she refused to let anyone dim her shine. I did not like that she self sabotaged when things would get serious with Nic. After their third act breakup (I trope I despise), she threw a pity party that she really just brought onto herself. It annoyed me. I totally understood where she was coming from but she never gave Nic a chance to explain despite him promising to tell her everything. Let him speak!

As for plot, I liked it. It was interesting enough. I liked the plot of book 1 more, but this was good. The climax was so tense!!! And I loved that Aly and Josh were more than a small cameo. They were part of the book. 

And there's going to be a book 3???? ABOUT TYLER????? Yes, I need it now. Thank you. 

Also the sex scenes are incredible and there's A LOT in this one. Like 100/10 loved it. 

The series is gearing up for a final book! (Or two if we're lucky!) I liked seeing Kori with EDS, it was interesting! Kira was awful, as she ought to be, and I'm curious to see how the sisters resolve (or not) their issues. I liked seeing the whole gang together even if it was for only a few pages. I'm looking forward to the end!

Finally continuing the series. A solid follow up to Beast Boy Loves Raven, picking up right where we left off. It was a little jarring but there's enough recap for me to remember the plot. I liked this despite the book following Damien more than Dick. But it's called ‘Robin' for a reason. It's about both of them really and learning to become brothers and fitting into their new strange family. Looking forward to Starfire's story next! She's always been my favorite. 

This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!

Read 4 volumes (complete)

I really liked this one! We mostly follow the kitten's inner monologue as he navigates being picked up by an ex-yakuza member with a serious case of resting bitch face. Turns out this guy is super sweet and loves all the stray animals at the animal cafe with his whole heart. I really liked that it was super low stakes and cozy, but it ended in a way that felt abrupt. I didn't feel like the whole story was told! But overall, super cute and super short so worth the read!

I started this book at the airport and quickly realized that this was a book you need to commit your full attention to. I returned to it after my vacation and took my time, learning the names, places, lore of this elaborate world. 

I really liked how the worldbuilding felt natural. Something about the writing made it feel not as info-dumpy as I think others would have written it. Plus with our fascinating cast of characters, I was clamoring to learn more about them and the world they grew up in. I really loved our main trio; Kissen, I imagined as a bitter, harder Merida from Brave, with flaming hair and a wildness. Elo, I saw as Wyll from Baldur's Gate 3, a noble, strong, handsome man who follows his code of honor closely. And Inara, I saw as Lucy from the Chronicles of Narnia, the best of them, the kindest, although learning to be hard, a big heart, optimistic and loving in the face of the bitter coldness of the world. And Skediceth, whom I saw almost as Kyubey from Madoka Magica (wild reference, I know), but I won't say more of him.

The plot was fairly easy to follow and the twists were excellent. I was really following along and enjoying every moment. But I do really tend to like books following a journey. And a majority of this book is traveling. 

Fair warning: there is a cliffhanger ending, but I thought it was well wrapped up despite the obvious ‘I need to know what happens next' feeling. I will absolutely be continuing!