Dana

This one really surprised me! Starting with a bratty half demon prince who's destiny is to be the “prince of evil”, meeting the Hero of Virtue, pretending to help their rebellion while planning on betraying them, not actually wanting to betray them, and ending with a beautiful story of being who YOU are and not what destiny says for you. I liked the art and the story was well done!

Well done modern retelling of The Secret Garden. I enjoyed the art a lot and the story was as faithful as I remembered. I wasn't sure how to feel about how mental health forward this take was but it was respectful and easy to understand for middle to high schoolers. I thought it was an original and, indeed, modern take. Overall, pretty good!

These books are just plain fluffy and spicy fun.

In this one, we follow Hen, the self designated “funny, fat, friend”, becoming the main character of her own life. She meets Tyler, a hot Texas contractor and they start a whirlwind romance. I liked that this one seemed almost a slower burn than the other two. They took their time and seemed to truly be friends before making further moves. I still am not a fan of third act breakups but again, I understood why it happened and the stories are good enough for me to keep going through the series. 

I look forward to reading more in the series!

I think a lot of what I complained about in book 1 was fixed (for the most part) in this one! The writing is much smoother and ironed out. There was a lot less clunky and predictable dialogue! Elspeth was shoved to the background of the book so I found her a lot less grating. Elm and Ione, whom I liked in book 1, stepped into the spotlight and I really enjoyed them.

I thought this one was well plotted too! I could follow what was going on and there wasn't too much filler. I really liked flipping between Ravyn and the card hunting party (more action and tense) and Elm and Ione (political intrigue and walking a fine line). I was absorbed into the story of this one much more than book 1. 

I think this was a very well done ending and I was glad that this was a duology and not stretched into a trilogy. I was even emotional reading the ending. 

All in all, this was a good YA series! It wasn't as good as the hype made it out to be, but it ended well and I enjoyed the ride. I still think it would have been better if it was darker and more of an adult series, but it reads and feels quite Young Adult.

I'm obviously reading these out of order, so for my second Kelsie Hoss book, I really enjoyed it!

I like that Hoss's writing is really easy to digest while still bringing out the emotion and showcasing the love of the main couple. I really enjoy her character work! Birdie was such a great FMC who learns not to settle and how to stick up for herself and who she is. Cohen was a great supportive man who wanted his lady to shine even when she didn't believe she could. 

The plot was well done; even if I hate 3rd act breakups. But I understood why and I also wouldn't let a man stop me from pursuing the career of my dreams. I appreciated that Cohen at least understood that he was the problem in that scenario. And I liked that he took it upon himself to attempt to fix it. I don't like miscommunication tropes and luckily there is none of that! I also really liked Cohen's son, Ollie, who was a great kid and supportive of his dad.

I look forward to reading the next one I can get my hands on!

Okay I'm NOT part of the majority who loves this book. I thought it was just okay. I thought Elspeth was boring and never even tried to make things better for herself, almost entirely relying on others to take care of her. 

But I did really like the plot. It was interesting and the last 50 pages were WILD. They brought the rating up a whole star. I was thoroughly entertained. 

However, I really didn't enjoy the writing. It felt very YA while the contents of the book were trying to be new adult to adult. The writing was just awful; so many cliche phrases and clunky sentence structure that was trying to come off old timey but felt just stilted and forced. It was trying too hard. 

As for characters, they were all just fine. I wasn't super into any of them. I even thought that Elm and Elspeth had more screen time and banter than Elspeth and Ravyn. I did like that we definitely did not have a love triangle; I appreciated there wasn't one. I really liked the Nightmare and his twist/reveal was well done but I wanted MORE! 

I thought that this book definitely had potential but needed to go a step further; be darker and scarier. It was almost there! 

All in all, I'm definitely finishing out the series but I'm not over the moon for it like a lot of others are. 

I've been wanting to read this one for ages ever since coming across the Facebook and TikTok ads. It did not disappoint!

I knew this was a ‘middle of the series' book but you truly don't need to read the others to understand this one. I hopped fully in and enjoyed the hell out of it. Sure, I knew Hen and Tyler have a whole book dedicated to them and I definitely want to read it now, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything serious by starting with this one. 

I really loved Farrah and Gage! Gage was hot as hell and Farrah was a smart, spunky, and deeply loving mom. I liked that she didn't compromise on her standards and stuck to being herself. I liked seeing Gage's inner thoughts and learning he was a huge softie (and constantly thinking about how sexy Farrah was). I loved the plus size rep too!

Overall, a really good plus size romance! I would read this again and read more in the series!

All three books in this series are 5 stars.  I already want to reread all three.

A fitting end to this fairytale; in blood and promises and tragedy. I really enjoy how every character we meet is developed and more than meets the eye. I enjoy how I can be keeping up with the events as they happen at a breakneck pace and yet still be open-mouth shocked at some small event.

Vasya, that wonderful, ugly, brave little girl, oh how I adore you. And Morozko? How can a frost demon be so hot? I loooove them. I love that neither wish to change the other or stop them from being who they are. And while that causes them to be in conflict a fair amount of times, they rely and trust and depend on one another so beautifully. 

I am obsessed with this beautiful fairytale. It also gives major ‘Uprooted' by Naomi Novik vibes and that's one of my favorite books ever. Definitely this is now a top 5 series for me. Just stunning.

Stunning, solid follow up to book 1! 

There's something about Katherine Arden's writing that literally transports me into medieval Russia. It's just so well done and I absolutely devour every word. 

I have no idea how every character we meet is so well rounded and given such depth when there are SO MANY CHARACTERS in these stories. I found Vasya much more human this time; she was making stupid mistakes and indulging her selfishness which on the one hand, good for her but on the other, it was difficult to read about the fallout. Especially with her siblings. Olga is a bitch but I can sympathize with her journey; she went through a lot at a young age and I understand why she treats Vasya so. 

Also... Konstantin Nikonovich, what I wouldn't give to punch a fictional character so hard in the balls. I hope Vasya kills him in book 3 genuinely. I despise that man. 

Overall, solid sequel and I can't wait to round out the series with the final book!

I knew I'd like this one based off what I've heard of it and other reviews. I did not know that I would LOVE it. 

I chose this one to read as it's recommended as the perfect winter story and it is! The whole book feels like being wrapped up in a thick duvet, a steaming mug of cocoa nearby, and a fierce snowstorm just outside a dark window. It's evocative and thoughtful, written like a timeless fairytale about fairytales in Russia where a strange, but brave woman is the heroine.

Shockingly, I did not mind that there was the faintest sliver of romance. Really no romance at all, save the strength of familial love. I usually clamor for more romance, especially between frost demons and brave women. But I love that Vasya does not need him, just her freedom to be who she is without cages or expectations.

I am eager to get my hands on books 2 & 3 to see Vasilisa's story unfold because it is truly just beginning.

Stunning art. Absolutely beautiful to read. But I was missing a fair amount of plot. Who were the Giants? What did they want? What happened with the rapture stuff? And what happened next?

If this was a first book in a longer series, I'd have had no issue with it and I would have picked up book 2 immediately. But this is a standalone and I'm just left yearning for more. Overall, a good story that leaves you with questions but top notch art. 

I really liked this one! Pitched as Lovecraftian Veronica Mars, it definitely fit that vibe. I liked the mystery and while it was kinda spooky and eerie, its not too scary. I liked the plot, but it all felt a little too fast paced for me to get really invested in. I liked the full color art and that the action kept it rolling. 

Overall, a good monster mystery pick for teens who like Cthulhu. 

Apocalypse starts with zombie squirrels? Amazing. A coming-of-age dystopian story following four teenaged friends that make you feel like you're right there hanging out with them? Awesome.

The art is really pretty and I like the pops of color but some things got lost in ‘translation' when it came to action sequences. 

The story is solid enough, I just wished for more of a solid end as in will the squirrelpocalypse ever end?? How exactly did it start??? World building was fine, but not enough for me personally. 

Overall, great for teens on the cusp of adulthood who like the end of the world.

Books about coming out always touches a soft spot in my heart. I really enjoyed this one; I've always enjoyed the violin and viola and I could relate to the kids feeling the pressure. Well written and I really liked the resolution too and the message that you can and should depend on your friends. A lesson I still need to learn too! 

While I definitely related to Norah being the “good” kid whom her parents didn't have to worry about, that was still a lot of pressure on her to be an adult at 12. And the hair issue(s) took a backseat to the family dynamics which left me wondering why this was titled ‘Knots' and there was such an emphasis on her hair in the summary. The hair stuff was a side plot, not the main plot, in my opinion. 

Overall, a good pick for a middle schooler who might move a lot and is an older sibling.

It's well done, don't let the rating fool you. It's well written but I had a hard time keeping up because the science isn't really explained, the villain is def a cartoonized Elon Musk, and the kids were pretty dang awful to one another at first. But it just ended up being fine to me. 

Overall, a good pick for any STEM enthusiast who might have had a hard time working with a team in the past.  

I liked this one even if the whole premise is the ‘miscommunication' trope. I did understand why Marnie did what she did, but I'd have fessed up much sooner than she did when it was really getting serious. But all's well that ends well, and I loved the tiny hint that Tiffany might like girls too. It makes the characters feel more real. 

Much more sad than scary, although there are moments that might scare grade schoolers. Overall, a good pick for a spooky read for middle schoolers who aren't looking to get the pants scared off them. The art is lovely and the writing was well done. 

There's plenty of hard-to-stomach things in here; genocide, murder, existential crisis, and feet fetishes. But the overall tone was hope and survival. Believing in the good of humanity when even humanity proves awful. 

Plus this book was fucking HYSTERICAL. I don't know if I've EVER laughed out loud reading a book as much as I did this one. 

I actually really loved Carl as a main character. He's one part himbo, one part dumb, one part roll-with-the-punches, and one part clever as fuck. One thing that bothers me about some fantasy stories (especially isekai ones) is that the main character will take AGES to get with the program and ends up making dumb decisions. Carl took everything in stride, learned and adapted immediately, yeah still made some mistakes, but he is such a good boy. I like Princess Donut and I look forward to her getting knocked down a peg with her attitude. Plus they now have a freakin velociraptor??? Amazing. 

All in all, if you like LitRPG, dungeon crawler video games, hilariously snarky characters, foot fetish AIs, and stories of hope, this could be for you!

DNF @17%

I wasn't feeling the vibes at this moment. I might attempt to return to this but I hate when protagonists adamantly deny ‘fae aren't real. This isn't real' when like bitch, this is happening, get with the program!!

While I did really enjoy returning to Alex's head, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first. What I really liked about [book:What Moves the Dead 58724626] was that it was “factual” or “scientific” in a way, as opposed to this one which was supernatural forces. I, for some strange reason, am not creeped out by supernatural things. The fungus in WMTD is something that could happen as opposed to a folktale ghost story of WFAN. That's just my two cents.T. Kingfisher does weave a delightful story and it's totally worth the read. I hope we get another in this series!

Utterly unsettling but still absorbing.Horror, gothic horror even, is not usually my cup of tea. But since I've adored everything T. Kingfisher's written, I figured I'd give this one a shot. The writing, unsurprisingly, was excellent. Absorbing, witty, keeping the reader in on the inside jokes, and never revealing too much or too little.I went through a brief fascination with Cordyceps a while back. Cordyceps is the fungus that takes over ant's brains and bodies and when they've essentially eaten the host, make the body climb as high as it can to spread it's spores to look for more ants. This fungus was the inspiration behind [book:The Girl with All the Gifts 17235026] (I'm pretty sure) as well as ‘The Last of Us', the video game and TV show. I'm pretty sure this was also inspired by Cordyceps because it is quite similar, but really makes it more horrific. All in all, if you're looking for a short, creepy little novel, this is for you! I shall go hope I don't have nightmares about this later.

My guilty pleasure series back with a new favorite!

The past few books have felt formulaic and I wasn't interested in the characters but this one took those complaints and changed for the better! I LOVED Annella. She's super spunky, smart, and did not let her husband get away with being a shit! And Graeme, I just love a man who falls in love with a woman on first impression of her bullying a guy into letting her treat his injuries. It was not only funny, but really gave insight to both Annella and Graeme's character. I'm a sucker for he-falls-first stories and he's such a lovestruck idiot, I loved it. 

Okay so I loved it. 

If book 1 could be summed up as ‘thriller mystery with gays in space', book 2 could be summed up as ‘mysterious queers surviving on an alien planet'. And honestly if that doesn't make you excited about reading it, I don't know what will. 

I did find the parallel timelines super interesting. I liked learning about what happened to OG Ambrose and Kodiak and yes I cried. It really added layers to the original story as well!! It was very masterfully done! Makes me wonder how much of it was planned or accidental since the author hadn't intended to write this sequel originally. 

It took a little while getting used to Owl and Yarrow as narrators but they were so full of life, it was easy to slip into their minds. I really loved Owl. She's my favorite. And Yarrow was so well written that my heart broke for him while it shouldn't have. 

As for plot!!!!! The twists?!!!!! The gasps I gusped!!!!!! It was just so damn good. This series will have tons of rereadability with so many small details to pick up on the second time around. 

All in all, one of the best sequels I've ever read and a fantastic YA scifi series!!

I must be one of the few who aren't here to read the Holly Black story. Which to be quite honest I was really looking forward to until I learned it was part of the Folk of the Air series which I didn't care for my first time around (I will attempt to read it again I think).

‘An Eternal Fire' by Chloe Gong
4 stars
I really liked this opener! It's a fae mythology I'm unfamiliar with but I felt like I didn't quite get enough context to figure out what Tian'er was (clearly a faerie, a xian, but what is that?). However, I did really like the little twist with her grandfather.

‘Fool' by Rory Power
2 stars
I wasn't sure who or what our narrator was. They just... existed. Then all of a sudden, didn't. I wasn't sure what it mean that the door had closed and they were on the wrong side, especially since they were also not in Paris anymore either. I supposed they were trapped in an in between space. Not entirely sure.

‘The Senescence' by Dhonielle Clayton
4 stars
Super interesting despite having not read the other short story that this world is based on. I liked it a lot even though I found the end somewhat rushed. I know it's a short story and so they have a limited space, but I didn't understand what made Lelah worthy? But all in all, I still really liked it.

‘Rotten' by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson
3 stars
Don't get me wrong; I liked it. But I found the narrator to be abrasive as she's meant to be, but it didn't make me want to connect with her. However, I did like how it ended.

‘Blue Amber' by Anna-Marie McLemore
4 stars
Ooh I really liked this one. It had a fairytale feel to it which is kinda like duh because these all have faeries. But I really enjoyed the writing and feeling of this story and world. I would certainly read a novel length story about this magic spinning dressmaker.

‘Revelry' by Kwame Mbalia
4 stars
Also really well written. It feels like the first chapter to a full novel and oh that ending left me craving more! I really enjoy stories that feel full of life and complete.

‘La Tierra Del Olvido' by Zoraida Córdova
5 stars
This was so good, it made me reevaluate the past few stories. I absolutely loved it. I can't even form the words to describe it.

‘Always There and Never Seen' by Natalie C. Parker
2 stars
This one needed maybe one more page. Something to show our main character making an effort and not to end on a note of hopelessness. It felt like that to me at least. Especially since her mother is homophobic and likely to never accept her. Maybe it's that I just didn't see her reasons for staying very clearly.

‘Dear Diary' by L.L. McKinney
5 stars
Just super eerie and creepy and told through journal entries that give the reader the perfect amount of information while instilling in us that this is an unreliable narrator. Plus the changes in font and the stuff on the journal “pages”? Super cool and unique! Well done!

‘The Night and Her Darkness' by Nafiza Azad
3 stars
I enjoyed it enough but it was difficult at times to read as there is a trigger warning for child abuse for a reason. A very interesting take on a faerie but didn't really explain it much at all.

‘The New Girl at Autumn Prep' by Christine Day
4 stars
I loooved that. It was a great analogy and I enjoyed having a faerie be our main character this time. My only wish was that we did see her during school and how she learned and grew from the bullying and prejudices.

‘The Honest Folk' by Holly Black
3 stars
As a story on its own, it's okay. Heather kind of figures things out really quickly and it's clear there's more to this story with the hints towards Jude and Cardan and so on. Overall, its good but needs the context to be great.

‘Ask Twice' by Ryan La Sala
4 stars
I love stories with Changelings. And I felt like it really fits perfectly with drag. I definitely almost cried reading the climax and resolution of this one. Stunning short story.

‘Birch Kiss' by Tessa Gratton
3 stars
Told in 2nd POV, it got confusing more than once. I didn't know who was who, what had happened, and how they were going to fix it. But I love when queers are allowed to learn so I did enjoy it enough.

Overall, that's 50/70 stars making it roughly 3.5 stars rounded up because the ones I loved, I really loved. Well done anthology!