Dana
Hello new comfort read!
I absolutely adored this book. It had some of the elements of my high school experience (I did drama (never landed a role but behind the scenes stuff) and was in our role playing game club) and things I'm super passionate about now (D&D) and blended it with an enemies to lovers fluffy romance that I ADORED! Even Riley's family drama hit a bit too close to home.
I found the writing well done for a YA novel set in a modern high school. It was a little cringe at times, but I figured that's because I'm an old lady by now :) But overall, I still really liked the writing. It flowed nicely and the pace was well done until the end. The end felt a little rushed, but it ended so cute, I let it slide.
Great for musical fans and D&D fans! Lots of little nerdy easter eggs references to find in there too! Definitely one of my favorite books of 2024 already!
Some of my favorite books are ones that make monsters (trolls, goblins, beasts) into the love interest. I can't remember how I head of this book, but once I discovered its a troll romance, I was sold.
And honestly, its not even a romance. This is a story of survival; an action adventure. It has some romance sprinkled in but only after their relationship as friends is already being developed. I liked that it wasn't rushed at all.
Lark is a phenomenal main character. She's clever and smart, but too trusting and sometimes naïve. She's stubborn and fights for what she thinks is right even when her survival depends on her not acting at all. But overall, she's a survivor. She does what she must to survive in this post apocalyptic world and she is the first to admit all her mistakes and errors. But she's survived them and learned and knows better.
I loved the writing as well. It's written so well and in a way that had me eager to turn every page. I would definitely read more by Charlie N. Holmberg! I might even buy this one for my troll romance collection.
This was a really well done high drama romance graphic novel. A lot is going on for Valentina, but it doesn't feel like too much. It was very well paced and very well written! I really enjoyed the art as well.
This is a good pick for high schoolers dealing with relationship drama, family issues (divorce), those struggling with their identities, and any hopeless romantics. Well done in my opinion.
Huge disclaimer: Yes it took me a year to read but I read maybe 85% of it within one sitting because it is so GOOD. It was definitely a case of ‘I don't want the book to end so I won't finish it'.
I saw a TikTok of this book and was like ‘oooh yes age gap romance, assassins, badass lady' and downloaded a free sample to my kindle. I LOVED IT. So I bought the paperback.
Quick aside: even though this is self published, the physical quality of the book is just as professional as any trad published book! It's very well laid out and the cover is stunning! Very very nice! And affordable! Highly recommend!
The plot is twisty and turny and while it doesn't hold your hand and walk you through everything, there are resources in the back to help supplement. I loved how the plot was never straightforward. I felt so on edge at every turn! I also enjoy how book 2 is neatly set up while giving our stars of book 1 their HEA.
And speaking of our stars of book 1... I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I adored how they are so flawed but doing their fckin best. I love that they learn and grow and compromise and felt so human. I love love love their romance too. It's so sweet and steamy and the mutual pining is *chefs kiss. I don't typically read a lot of spice but this has a perfect amount for me. Enough to definitely be spicy but not enough to be considered distracting from the actual story.
As for the writing, I was so impressed. It's incredibly well written. The emotions were done just as much justice as the badass fight scenes. And fight scenes there are aplenty. I found that I could easily follow along with the action and I got lost a few times but in those chaotic messy scenes where even the characters are lost. It was just really well done.
There's only one thing I didn't care for but that's entirely personal preference. SpoilerI'm not a fan of pregnancy tropes as plot motivations and our leading lady gets pregnant at the end and it causes quite a stir.
Overall, if you like badass ladies, action assassins, an age gap romance well done, and want to support an indie author; this is the one for you! I already purchased book 2 and hopefully that won't take another year to get through.
Well done graphic that tackles a lot of tough subjects. I liked all the topics it broached; sexuality, friendships, teammates, bullying, family dynamics, abuse, and maybe a few more I'm forgetting. And while it did touch on all these things, it did wrap up a little too neatly for me? I wish there had been a little bit more to it, or more of an epilogue where we get to see the bullies get their just deserts. But that's just me.
Interesting take on the apocalypse. The world ended not because of zombies or the rapture, but by magic. And it's up to Marguerite, Daisy, and their new friend Jacin to save the world by collecting powerful artifacts for Marguerite's uncle to perform a spell to save the world.
The reality of the situation was a wonderful twist and very well done.
The story starts off somewhat slow and very confusing because there is a fair amount of exposition to get through before the story starts moving.
Interesting graphic novel about racquetball. Mostly about family and friendship dynamics but all centered around racquetball. I thought the main character was rude and selfish through most of it, but I liked that they realized their actions caused someone else pain and also attempted to repair their relationship with their father. I liked the other main character with their happy-go-lucky attitude and how they find the confidence to be proud of the things they love.
Overall, a good message about being true to yourself and the importance of communication; with friends, family, and yourself.
Loved the art style and the diversity in the book! Different body types, disabilities, identities, and races! Made it feel real.
The plot was a little difficult to follow at times. I barely understood the motivations until they met the Ojja-Wojja and then it was resolved in a matter of three to four pages. Not necessarily a bad thing, just too neatly wrapped up. And not that I wanted consequences for our heroines, but they did unleash this evil entity on the town with zero repercussions.
Overall, a great spooky read that ends a bit neater than it should, but still satisfying.
Cute story for middle schoolers/advanced grade schoolers about Batcat who isn't sure if they're a bat, a cat, or just themselves. Loved that this book normalizes using the singular ‘they' for Batcat. And the message of ‘you can't be bad at being yourself' was also a delight to read. I liked that Batcat learned a lesson in what felt like a very natural way.
Good for emerging readers!
Interesting story about a boy who delves deep, deep, deep into his never ending basement in search of his baby sister's stolen sock. It was interesting that there's no narration and that the story carried itself. It was well done most of the time, but sometimes the lack of narration and the images had me confused as to what just happened.
The whimsical yet spooky illustrations make this one really special.
2.5 stars rounded up.
An interesting take on Cruella's backstory but fell short for me. This presents Cruella's mother as an emotionally abusive parent, manipulating her feelings with gifts and lies, and despite everyone who's ever treated Cruella kindly telling her that her mother is shitty, she sides with her. Every. Time. It was difficult to read at times with large text chunks that didn't flow well in graphic format, but I liked the art style for the most part. Overall, just okay.
Super cute and quick graphic novel that places an importance on the family you choose than the family of blood. Love all the monsters and the art style is really cute and yet still works well for telling the story.
Great found family of misfit monsters. Recommend for any middle schooler and up who likes monsters.
Don't take how long I read this book to heart; it's been a rough reading slump.
I FREAKING LOVED IT. The Pride and Prejudice meets Howl's Moving Castle mash up of my dreams.
I loved Dora so much and Elias is just the best example of hard exterior, soft heart. Not exactly grumpy/sunshine, more grumpy/clueless. But it was just so well written.
Super fun spooky novel following three friends; a vampire, a werewolf, and a witch. They're being hunted by a supernatural fanatic and his not-so-enthusiastic friend. The witch wants to go to the Hallowlands where the supernaturals and monsters live but her friends hesitate thinking she's too fragile. That causes a rift in their friendship and naturally things get wacky.
The colors and bold lines were really cool, but sometimes hard to follow. The plot was all over the place and there's definitely room for more books. I'd recommend this for 8th grade and up.
I really liked Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter's other graphic novel, [b:Dungeon Critters 52750856 Dungeon Critters Natalie Riess https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579080309l/52750856.SX50_SY75.jpg 61879184], so I had high hopes for this one too. I really liked this alternate world's twisted cryptozoology. It was interesting, fun, and fresh! I liked the human elements too; from Penny's relationship with her mom, to Luc's backstory (which I wished I knew more of!!). Overall, a solid, fast paced graphic for cryptid fans!
Trying to get back into reading is hard.
‘Cadence' by Charlotte Nicole Davis
4 stars
Deals with grief and gender identities and what makes you ‘you'. Well written but I wish it was ever so slightly longer.
‘On the Tip of My Tongue' by William Alexander
5 stars
I am a sucker for stories in 2nd person. I love that it brought such an ambiguity to the genders of both the narrator and the person they are dictating the story to. I loved the creativity of the title and how its so integral to the plot. I was fully sucked into this story like the coffee sucked into space.
‘Melanitis' by Junauda Petrus-Nasah
4 stars
As a white woman, I feel I can't accurately rate/have an opinion on this story. However, I found the theory of it awesome. In a world where you can get a “disease” to turn black, how would white men react to suddenly being black? I thought it was spot on. These FANs would lobby for rights, not for Black people, but for their own; white men with melanin. I will say the story felt a bit preachy at times; rightfully so, but then the issues with our main character took a backseat. Their gender and hair identity questions didn't seem like the focus. Overall, it was a fantastic premise that I would love to read an actual novel about, but as a short story, didn't seem to fit.
‘Extremophiles' by A.R. Capetta
5 stars
Maybe its because it combined two of my favorite things (space and oceans) but I really liked this one! The letters were a cute device and while a lot of the sciencey speak made my eyes glaze over, I still felt like I “got” it. I love (again) the genderless way of speaking. It makes me feel cozy. I honestly could read books upon books of bored teens in space.
‘The Memory of Soil' by Wendy Xu
3 stars
A comic! I was super excited but... I don't think I understood it. It's short and alludes to the beginning of an interesting friendship, but ends before I felt like I even got attached to either of the characters. We still don't really know why Astrid is there or what's keeping her in a funk. We don't know why the robot was there. Felt like a prologue to a story that will never happen.
‘Walk 153' by K. Ancrum
5 stars
My favorite story of them so far. We follow a young man who is working his way through college as a walker; someone who straps a camera to themselves and walks around for homebound people to watch. On one particular walk, his client hacks into his headset and speaks to him. Thus striking up an interesting friendship. It was beautiful and heartbreaking seeing their instant connection. I was truly along for the ride. Wonderful.
‘The Weight of a Name' by Nasugraq Rainey Hopson
3 stars
Other than the mention of space travel, I don't see how this was sci-fi. Not that it was bad. It was well written and interesting and I was on the edge of my seat to the end to see if they made the deadline. It was interesting to learn about this group of people; those who live in the arctic. However, still confused on how this is sci-fi.
‘Twin Strangers' by Elizabeth Bear
2 stars
Another one that didn't seem very sci-fi, just high school drama. They don't explain what the ‘dops' are very well, but I assume its like an AI clone of yourself, a doppelganger. Our main character's betrays him by ratting out his best friend for cheating. Liam also struggles with an eating disorder that's never discussed. I did not feel for Liam nor did I care for the drama at all.
‘The Cage' by E.C. Myers
4 stars
I like the idea of parallel universes because in one of them, maybe I'm a publish author. Anyway, this follows the transcripts and recordings of two misfit kids as they attempt to jump universes. One of them disappears and the other attempts to follow suit. This is all in the frame of a true crime podcast reporting about the first missing kid. Interesting premise that fairly delivers. I really liked the end where they discuss that each person's CHIP is individual and the two recovered missing kids have two different CHIPS... proving the parallel universe theory correct despite the skepticism the podcast host has. Really enjoyed.
‘Smile River' by A.S. King
3.5 stars
Scary how I could see this being our future. This is a story that spans many generations. Rose 2051 is the daughter of a man who invented permanent smiles for women; then removal of their feelings as well. Next is Rose 2100 who feels way too much but can't. And Rose 2150 who is going to save them all by changing the algorithm. It ends before she can achieve her goal, but I think she'll make it happen. The title comes from the river nearby where a lot of women throw themselves in when they can't take their smiling, emotionless existence anymore. Brutal, emotional, but well put together at least.
Average rating: 3.85 stars rounded up to 4
I enjoyed this anthology enough. I really like HARD sci-fi, like in space and stuff, so some of the more mild sci-fi wasn't a huge hit with me. Overall, worth the read!
I loved it. I played some TTRPGs in high school but never got to play actual D&D until a high school friend reached out and we got to play online since we were split up over a few states. It was awesome! And I've played a bunch since and so I identified with both Lana and Cass.
Yes, things wrap up nice and neat and the story isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's fun. It's fun and there's a lesson without being too preachy. I really really enjoyed it.
This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk.
Read 2 volumes
Volume 1 is not really volume 1. I went into it blindly and could clearly tell I was missing some major exposition. The story is fine so far but I'm not sucked in. It felt like the book held me at arms length since I didn't read the prequel, which is apparently not optional.
This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk.
Read 4 volumes
Super cute series about a yakuza right hand man, known as the demon, who's new job is to take care of the boss's daughter. I loved seeing Yaeka come out of her shell with Kirishima. And how she's changed him! Looking forward for more!
Edit 8/12/23: the story development was interesting. Im glad to see Kirishima learning and growing and discovering he has something precious he wants to protect.
This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!
Read 1 volume
I've seen the anime so I knew what to expect but I didn't realize the manga was in the four panel style. Makes sense with the short and witty punchlines. I hope the manga goes past the anime and we see Sakura able to truly confess her feelings! And I hope Nozaki replies!
This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!
Read 3 volumes
A solid start. My heart breaks for these kids but I'm glad they found each other to confide in. I'm looking forward to seeing this progress. I know it's going to get worse before it gets better.
Edit 8/12/23: this series makes me feel for the characters so intensely.