This book has a cat, which means it's automatically a good book. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

The Other Side of the Sky has some of the most fascinating worldbuilding that I've come across in a long time, and I would love to live there. On the one hand, there are sky islands with a steampunk kind of vibe, which I absolutely adore. But then there's the world below the clouds, which is full of mythology and magic and gods. It reminded me of if A Prayer for Vengeance met parts of the Mortal Engines series.
I actually found the plot to be the least intriguing part. I still really enjoyed reading the book and there were a few action scenes, but there wasn't much sense of urgency until the very end. I do think that book two will have some really interesting interactions, however.
North and Nimh were both very interesting and unique characters in my opinion. Nimh reminded me of Beru from There Will Come a Darkness, but her backstory and upbringing really just rounded her out to be intriguing. North is your typical charismatic prince, so of course I liked him too. The bindle cat is adorable and I know he's going to serve some special purpose. The rest of the cast of characters was pretty small, but once again, I can see that changing in the sequel.
The Other Side of the Sky is a beautiful blend of sci-fi and fantasy elements in a story focused on love and divinity. Fans of A Prayer for Vengeance and Strange the Dreamer should be sure to check out this sweet YA fantasy.
4/5
Link to Libby Annotations

"Love breaks many rules, Kaylin, but not this one."

Why did I wait so long to read Curse of Shadows? I mean, I'm glad I only have to wait 4 months for the book instead of several years, but I am so emotionally distraught right now and I just...so many things happened that I was not prepared for and my roommate probably thinks I'm insane because I was screaming at one point.
This book picks up right after the last one in the Amassia series with Marcus having returned home the bearer of bad news. Now charged with a quest to collect the remaining whistle bones and basically save the world, he and the original cast of characters set off on an action-packed journey. And when I say action-packed, I mean so many different things happened. There was rarely a dull moment, especially past the 60% mark. While most of the plot twists are fairly predictable due to foreshadowing, I still got surprised by the direction the plot turned multiple times. And the ending? Emotionally damaging.
The list of POVs expands in this book two (although I would've much rather heard from Belair, Samsen, and Piper, but whatever) and I actually don't think I had a least favorite POV in this one...actually, probably Salila. Of the main cast, Salila is my least favorite; I think she's cool but I don't like her and Marcus. Samsen, Piper, Belair, and Tyche all had their good moments and I'm excited to see more. I liked Marcus too, but honestly, Ash and Kaylin took the cake here. I didn't love them in the first book but the angst at the end of this one? It hurts so much.
The Amassia series is one of those series that gets better with each book, and considering I read Curse of Shadows in less than 24 hours, I'm super excited for the next book.
4.5/5
Link to Libby Annotations

Most of my annotations for this book are "no no no no no no go away"...

Relics of Ruin was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I am so glad that I got to read it early. I loved the first book and I was super excited to return to the archives and mysteries. While I still enjoyed this one, I will admit that I think I liked the first one better.
While the first book focused on a murder mystery, this one is about theft (which isn't as fun of a crime, in my opinion). The mystery was good and I really liked the additional POVs that we got this time. I also think it will make more sense when I inevitably reread it because some of the dots didn't connect right away. I didn't call the main "plot twist," but I did enjoy just riding along with the flow of the books. I think my favorite parts were probably the scenes with Richa, Amadea, and Ibramo at about the 85% mark, just because they were the closest to the danger from the end of the previous book.
This series excels at making me care more about characters than I should. I'm still not sold on Ibramo, but I think he was the only main character I didn't like. I had issues with Tunuk at first but he grew on me. Quill is still my favorite, and I was kind of sad we didn't get as much of him as in the first book, but it looks like that might change in book three? Yinii and the other archivists are still very interesting to be and I love their dynamic. But Richa and Amadea? I love them so much, mostly Richa. We got more of his backstory and let me just say that if Stellano Zezurin shows his nasty little face again, I will personally find a way to enter the book and punch him so hard. I hate him.
Even though I found it to be a little less fast-paced than Empire of Exiles, Relics of Ruin still packs a great mystery with lots of twists and some really great found family dynamics. I don't want to wait for book three.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
4/5

I want my Swift spinoff immediately, thanks. I would love a prequel story about him, hint hint.

Masquerade of the Heart was one of my most anticipated books of 2024 because Garden of the Cursed was quite frankly amazing and I wanted to finish Marlow and Adrius's story ASAP. And while I had my reservations in the first half...wow does the second half make up for it.
I think this was one of those cases where my expectations got the best of me. The part of the plot that I was most excited to see more of in book two (Adrius's curse) was resolved fairly early on, so I was a bit disappointed. Followed immediately by a ton of rich people drama, I had my doubts about the direction the plot was going. But there were several scenes that genuinely surprised me towards the end, and the action definitely picked up as the story progressed. The final scene was pretty good and, once again, there were a bunch of plot twists to keep me on my toes.
Our cast of important characters really expanded in this one, but I'll keep this short. Vale reminded me a little too much of Lehrer from The Fever King for my liking, and I hated him. Gemma reminded me a lot of Biana from Keeper of the Lost Cities and she grew on me. The same goes for Silvan and his little snake. Adrius got on my nerves a few times in this one, but I still think he's a really good book boy and Marlow is still one of my favorite main characters of all time. Swift, though, if you couldn't tell, is my favorite by far, and no, I don't take criticism.
Although I think I like the first book just a tad better, Masquerade of the Heart was definitely worth the wait and I'm so glad that I got to finish this amazing duology early.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
4.25/5

"'I don't know any of those cursebreakers,' Adrius replied easily. 'I know you.'"

Garden of the Cursed is single-handedly convincing me that I sometimes have good luck. Not only is it yet another incredible by Katy Rose Pool, but I ordered a used copy and ended up with a signed, exclusive edition? My dreams have come true (and it's so beautiful).
This is yet another one of my fantasy-mystery reads where we join Marlow as she tries to break a compulsion curse on her ex, Adrius. I'm not usually a fan of second-chance romances or fake dating, but this book has proven to me that there are good examples of those tropes. There's so much angst and I'm here for it. I love all of the twists and turns and red herrings. The only thing I have any issue with in the plot is that most of the scenes are just party scenes with a bit of drama, and I'm hoping to see maybe a bit more action in the sequel but that's my only complaint.
I love all of these characters so much. If Swift doesn't get a happy ending, I'm going to riot. There's also Toad, the magical cat, and I love her. Most of the other side characters are designed to be unlikeable, so I wasn't really fond of them. But Marlow and Adrius? They're one of my favorite book couples and I love Marlow's personality and Adrius's sense of humor. They're amazing.
The last time I reviewed this, I said "I apologize for the person I will become when the sequel comes out," and guess who just got an ARC of the sequel. I love this duology so much and cannot recommend it more, and I am so unbelievably excited for one of my most anticipated reads of 2024.
4.5/5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Maybe that's all love was. Handing someone a knife and trusting that they wouldn't cut your throat."

I firmly believe that Katy Rose Pool is incapable of writing a bad book.
There Will Come a Darkness is one of my all-time favorite series, so when I found out that Katy Rose Pool was releasing a new duology, one that's a mix of fantasy and mystery, I was ecstatic and it was 100% worth the wait.
A murder mystery filled with so many twists and turns that I managed to call only one of them, agonizingly angsty romance, loveable characters, a unique magic system, and a cat named Toad? What more could you ask for?
I read this entire book in basically one day. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire thing, annotating the heck out of my poor e-book because I felt that everything was noteworthy.
Marlow is an incredibly cool protagonist and Adrius is one of my favorite love interests. I love Swift and Toad and the vibes of the story as a whole.
110% will recommend to everyone I speak to for the next 24 hours, and I apologize for the person I will become when the sequel comes out.

Link to My Annotations

"And then it was simple, because they were bonded, and there was no one she'd rather be more vulnerable with than him. No one she trusted more. He was a part of her, and her of him."

Wings of Shadow is the final book in the Crown of Feathers trilogy, and re-reading this for (I think?) the third time only solidified this as one of my favorite series of all time. The world-building is beautiful and I love the parallels, and overall it's just so amazing.
Tension has escalated in the empire and now there appears to be three sides: the Phoenix Riders, Avalkyra and her strixes, and the Empire. I won't go into too many details to avoid spoilers, but this book is the angstiest one yet. There are some scenes that live rent-free in my head, and there are just so many parts of this book that I adore. The ending made me cry harder this time than I had before, which doesn't make sense because I knew what was going to happen.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, one of my favorite parts of this series is the characters. Tristan and Veronyka are literally "couple goals" and I think the reason I love them so much is that despite their romantic relationship, it has the feeling of a platonic one because they're so perfectly balanced. Sev and Kade also deserve a lot of attention because Sev's angst and Kade's reassurances mean everything to me. Avalkyra's arc still intrigues me greatly because despite being the antagonist, there is still a part of her that longs to belong with the heroes. The only POVs I didn't love were Elliot and Sparrow, but I have to keep reminding myself that she's 15 (12) and that their dynamic really is unique. I don't dislike them, I just got mad when their POVs interrupted everyone else's sometimes.
Wings of Shadow is the epic conclusion to the Crown of Feathers series, and if you're love high fantasy with rich history, intriguing and beautifully written characters, and a plot involving the rise and fall of royalty, this is a trilogy you don't want to miss.
4.75/5

Once again, a book has fallen victim to not meeting Abby's extremely high expectations, and it's not the book's fault.

I picked up The Space Between Worlds because I thought it was a multiverse murder mystery and it sounded super cool. As it turns out, I just assumed it was a murder mystery based on the description and then got mad when it wasn't, so my opinion on this book isn't completely fair and I'm going to try to be as unbiased as I can because of that.
I haven't really read multiverse books before, so I was a bit scared going into it but the worldbuilding was actually fairly easy to follow. There are infinite universes, yes, but only 380 or so are similar enough to Earth 0 to be traveled to, and only if a person is dead in the universe they want to visit. The book mainly takes place in Earth 0 and Earth 175 (although there is backstory in 22). Most of Cara's other selves are dead and I assumed she would be trying to figure out why, but instead, it was mostly political rivalries and corruption within the company. The story had potential and the worldbuilding was cool, but it felt very slow to me and I also found the ending to be unsatisfying. The problems are sort of resolved, but it just felt like a lot of build-up for something that never came.
I also had mixed feelings about the characters. Cara is a very stubborn main character and I thought her backstory was very neat, but I didn't love her personality at times. As a "sorta" love interest, I found Dell to be a bit bland just because she was so aloof and we didn't get a reason until almost 30 pages from the end. There were also 8 different "Niks": Two Senior Niks, three Nik Niks, and 3 Adraniks (except one has a different name). Admittedly, I think the Adranik and Nik Nik dynamics between each universe were probably my favorite part because there was a fair amount of tension behind each introduction to a new character because I had no idea if I could trust them or not.
I think that The Space Between Worlds is a neat sci-fi book, but personally, I don't know if it was for me.
3.5/5

This has to be one of the coolest fantasy curses I have ever seen.

Queen of Shifting Sands is a fantasy story about an arranged political marriage, a curse, and a country on the brink of war. It is fairly politically focused, which isn't usually my preferred kind of book, and so I did struggle to get into it but the last 20% or so was really good.
Widowed by the death of the last king, Lystra enters an arranged marriage with Elerek, the firstborn of the royal family who was cursed as a child. The kingdom is unsettled by the death of their prior king and the assassins threaten to attack at the end of the summer, leaving Lystra and Elerek to gain as much support as possible before then. Like I said, I found the political plots to be a bit boring (but that's just my preference). However, Elerek's curse really intrigued me. Everyone he touches is doomed to "drown" in the desert and their bodies slowly turn to water over time. I haven't seen a curse like this before and I really enjoyed seeing the way the various characters interacted with it. The ending was also very intriguing and I'm excited for book 2 already. I did sort of call the plot twist, but not entirely.
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but the main four were Lystra, Elerek, Razhar, and Myra. Myra grew on me as the book continued, and I didn't mind Razhar. I thought Lystra was a great example of a well-written and strong female protagonist, and I liked her a lot. I also liked Elerek and his inner turmoil. The rest of the cast was okay, but I don't remember them well.
Queen of Shifting Sands is a solid political fantasy story with hints of romance and magic, and I really want to read book 2 ASAP.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5

How do you know you've read a book too many times? When you look at the sentences in other languages and know exactly what they say because you remember google translating them the last time you read it.

In my defense, this is my third time (I think?) reading The Knowing. As a companion novel to The Forgetting, it focuses on the aftermath of society realizing they don't have to forget anymore...meaning they now NEVER forget.
The story takes place on another planet where people either forget everything every 12 years or they remember everything and are forced to relive their most horrific memories frequently. Samara is one of the Knowing, and she seeks a way to Forget the memories that haunt her. Beckett has just arrived on a new planet with the intent of exploring it. There's a fair amount of adventure, plenty of politics and betrayals, and just a tinge of romance. The beginning and the end are fairly fast-paced, although the middle can admittedly drag at times. However, the last 50 or so pages are incredibly fast-paced and I was on the edge of my seat because somehow I managed to forget how it ended.
The characters are relatively intriguing as well. The practical uses of Samara's memories intrigued me the most (she can tell time and temperature perfectly), and I thought her interactions with Beckett were neat, too. I liked Beckett mostly because of his interest in anthropology, and his sense of humor was good as well. Jill kind of got on my nerves from the beginning and I need to know how old Nathan is because I picture him as like 12...and he's clearly not. The other characters - specifically the Knowing like Reddix - were also interesting, but they weren't the focus of the story.
Fans of The Forgetting will enjoy the easter eggs in The Knowing, but it also functions as an interesting sci-fi story about healing from the past.

4/5

counting this towards my reading goal because I read basically cover to cover and that's a lot of pages