This was my most anticipated book of 2024, and it really delivered...in the form of my tears.

The Heart of the World is the stunning conclusion to the Isles of the Gods series, and it's filled with angst and banter, and also what is quite possibly one of my favorite found families of all time. My e-book is filled with so many highlights and annotations (most of which are me screaming), but I enjoyed this so much.
Picking up right where the previous book left off, Leander, Selly, and Keegan have just arrived home after Leander became the Messenger (aka vessel) for his goddess of war, Barrica. Meanwhile, Laskia is the Messenger for Macean, the god of risk. War is brewing as the rivalry between the gods is reborn once more, and it's up to the main cast of characters to put a stop to it before the whole world is destroyed. The first half of the story was extremely angsty (which I loved), and I also enjoyed the contrast with Selly now being the one out of place in palace life. I thought the ending was satisfying (if a little cliche, which is one of my only complaints) and I cried...a lot. My only other issue was that pacing really slowed down in the middle for character development, but I still enjoyed it.
My favorite part of this duology, though, is probably the characters and their dynamics. I loved seeing Selly's character growth as she adjusted to a new world and how her stubbornness kept her sane. Leander, of course, was amazing as well. He was especially angsty (which I loved), and I enjoyed seeing his character arc. Keegan is literally me, and I love how he fits into Selly and Leander's dynamic. I surprisingly also liked Kiki, especially because she complements Keegan so well. I also liked Jude a lot more in this one because he's Extra Sad Boy now, and Laskia grew on me too.
The Heart of the World is the long-awaited sequel to The Isles of the Gods, and it's filled with angst, love, banter, and libraries.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC! (No, really, I almost cried when I got the email that my request was accepted.)

4.75/5

As I re-read what was probably my favorite childhood series, my reviews will most likely be different from how I usually discuss books.
I'd like to start out by explaining why.
Keeper of the Lost Cities was the first book series Little Abby read that didn't have an animal on every cover, and it might have been the series that got me into fantasy (I say might because I don't remember if I read this before or after the Lost Heroes series by Riordan). Therefore, I have to give credit where credit is due and for that reason, I don't feel comfortable rating this series with my opinions as someone who is no longer a fifth grader.

I don't really have a plan for any of these reviews besides sharing the notes I took on the books in the Notes app on my phone, which I'll add at the bottom for anyone who is interested. They're mostly going to be me pointing out stupid details and pointing out the details the author forgot in the decade it's taken her to write the series thus far. Shannon, I'm begging you. Please. End the series. I don't need bonus novellas; I need closure.
But I briefly wanted to mention, upon my 8th(?) reread, what I think drew me to this series.
Look, in hindsight, there are parts of it that are kind of cringy. Sophie is very much a "not like the other girls" protagonist in this one, and she ends up in the healing center more times than I bothered counting. But all things considered, it also has a lot of my favorite tropes? Found family is the big one (especially in later books), but I've always loved magic systems with multiple types of magic. I also can't deny that there a variety of Keeper "things" that keep finding their way into my own writing and I can't make it stop (the most notable being: blue eye descriptions, freaking Fitz himself, and the clothing choices).
But that's enough of my ramblings for now. I'll include my notes below, and they may contain spoilers for future books, just a heads up.

Book 1 Notes:
- Literally, why didn't Sophie's parents homeschool her or try to find an online school if she hates public school so much...
- Also, as far as I'm aware, no one has gone on dinosaur field trips for, like, 30 years
- So, with the screaming children in the museum, Fitz didn't block out their voices despite being such a "strong" telepath
- First of all, Sophie just ran from a hit-and-run scene (pg 13)
- "He shrugged. 'Laws are rarely broken'" (22) - right, and that's why this entire series exists
- GETHEN WEARS SPANDEX (41)
- "'Kidnapping is a human crime. I've never heard of an elf even considering such a thing - much less trying it'" (51) - not Alden giving the Neverseen ideas
- Not Alden telling Fitz, "You've never had to watch someone fade away," too.. buddy is just predicting the whole plot
- Bronte is shorter than Oralie and Kenric (58)
- In addition to the Offish, the Vackers just have a random conservatory? Why? (117)
- Is Juline having human movies an early indicator of her allegiance to the Black Swan? Or is it just a coincidence? (154)
- Marella "girls are annoying" Redek (173) is like the only potentially canon lesbian
- (254) what did Valin do to get detention? I'm just curious...
- "No Empaths were THAT powerful" in reference to Keefe being able to sense her emotions from across the room... is that Sophie's doing or Keefe's weird genetic stuff?
- (261) Keefe has a photographic memory and the parallels between him and Sophie are established soooo early
- Not Dex calling his mom's ability useless (285)
- What is the purpose of having fancy star people (Sir Astin) if they're not allowed to know Elementine, which is, like, the only relevant star?
- (308) Sophie must be extremely good at sandcastles to make an "exact replica" of Eternalia
- (324) hindsight is 20/20; Tiergan is over here telling Sophie that no one "got rid of her" and that she's special like it isn't the most obvious thing in the world that he's Black Swan
-(355) is Alvar claiming Alden is crazy with the fire theories because he's Neverseen and doesn't want Alden to keep investigating?
- (366) Okay, so a messenger delivers the adoption cancellation scroll ... I would assume that for messengers to deliver mail, they need access to all houses in the Lost Cities ... so if I was in the Neverseen, I'd just be a mail person, cause then you get free access to everyone's houses...
- (409) I want to see more Mesmer stuff ... like give me the implications
- (420) do we know exactly who the kidnappers are? Like which of the Neverseen kidnapped Sophie? Because someone shows hesitance about hurting Dex (I looked it up: it's supposedly Gethen, Brant, Trix, and Alvar)
- (445) First of all, Sophie could've easily done a Quick Look at the identities of the Neverseen here, and secondly... which Neverseen member is fat?
- (459) does the Neverseen have a hydrokinetic that they were able to create a tidal wave?

"She was Aelin Ashryver-Galathynius - and she would not be afraid."

Heir of Fire is the third installation in the Throne of Glass series, and going into it, I remembered literally 1 semblance of a scene and then misremembered the ending (leaving me emotionally unprepared). While it isn't my favorite book in the series, the last 10% is what made me continue to read the first time I read this series.
The reason I'm still not a huge fan of this book is because I'm not really a Rowan/Celaena fangirl...I found their scenes to be slower than everyone else's, and of the POVs, I dreaded theirs the most. That being said, I feel like not much happened in this book as a whole. Until the last 30% or so, the characters are mostly just slowly working towards their little goals, and it's not really all that interesting. I almost rated it lower than Crown of Midnight, but the ending spared it from that fate because it hurts so much.
As I said before, Rowan and Celaena are my least favorite of the characters. I think it might just be that I have an issue with main characters in half the books I read, but I wasn't drawn to them and their dynamics for the first half of the book. Aedion also annoyed me for a while, and I still think he's kinda bland. Manon, Abraxos, and the Thirteen are some of my favorites just because of their vibes and that they're not hyper-focused on romance, at least for this book. Dorian and Sorscha were my favorites in this, and Dorian is definitely better upon a reread? I don't know why or how. I'm also still a Chaol apologist, sorry not sorry. He's literally the meme about "you say you want complex characters, but you didn't try to understand him."
Even though Heir of Fire isn't my favorite book in the series, I think it sets up well for book 4 (which was my favorite the last time I read it), and I'm glad Celaena finally picked a love interest.

3.75/5
Link to Libby Annotations

Just like with the first book in the series, I will not be rating or reviewing Exile in my typical manner because it has a special meaning to me.
The only "review"-esque feedback I'll give is that I don't know whether or not I prefer it to the first one. Sequels are hard because a part of me will always be nostalgic for the uncomplicated introductory scenes of the first books. While I think the first book in the series is a little more "cringy" than this one, I think parts of it were more interesting, whereas the sequel is more "angsty" than anything.

Anyway, here are the notes I took on Exile (which may include spoilers for this book and the rest of the series):
- we are 5 pages in and Sophie has a wedgie ... I don't know what I expected
- "But talents couldn't be switched off once they'd been triggered" (9) - besides the obvious ability restrictor in book 3, I'm really surprised no one has found any other way to nullify talents because, dang, that would be useful
- (19) Dex literally saw his best friend dying in front of him, and he was paralyzed and helpless to do anything, but oh, no, his trauma isn't relevant at all
- (27) not Grady shipping Sophie and Dex
- (81) I wanna know when/how Brant proposed to Jolie
- (87) there are conveniently 3 extra chairs in Brant's house, which doesn't make sense considering Grady and Edaline are supposed to be the only ones who visit him...
- (91) and also ... who feeds Brant? Or he pretends to, at least, cause it's not like he's gonna garden and get food himself ... and he only gets one visit a year, and they didn't bring him groceries
- (94) okay, so Sophie is really intrigued by Brant saying he knows her from somewhere, and maybe he's trying to, like, imply that she looks like Jolie, but buddy just made himself more suspicious by doing that and hurting Sophie
- (145) someone get Dex some therapy
- (192) did we ever figure out who was around Silveny's enclosure and why? (I know it was the Neverseen ... but why not take her then)
- Why haven't the elves gone to space yet? Why haven't they explored Mars? Surely they could make space travel easy
- (321) it can't be healthy for the elves to do this many drugs ... like, Elwin's and Tiergan's solution to everything is a sedative
- (335) I wish we got to see more of Brant before Jolie's death because it would make it 10x more impactful to actually see this boy writing sappy love poems
- (342) I want to know what Sandor's reaction was to being told he has to go babysit a teenage girl and go to classes with her for the rest of his life
- (365) love that Alvar is like the only one unaffected by Alden's situation (besides the first part when they're in the bedroom and he acts all shaky)
- (368) did Alvar act all nice to Sophie because he wants to gain her trust and maybe convince her to switch sides? Or is he just being nice to be nice?
- (372) Bronte says only negative emotions can be inflicted, which isn't true for Sophie, but it must be true for him ... which is kinda sad to be honest
- I have mixed feelings on the Cadence is Jolie theory because a) different eye colors b) I think Sophie would recognize her facial structure and c) I'm just not sure yet
- (412) Tiergan "I'm Not Part of the Black Swan" perfectly reciting the Black Swan poem over here...
- (420) I've seen theories that descrying isn't real and Terik is Talentless, but what if he just has another ability that he wants to keep secret
- (445) Dex doesn't feel safe and he thinks the Neverseen are watching him but nope only Sophie's safety matters apparently
- (446) one of my biggest pet peeves in this series is that every time Dex tries to open up about what he's feeling, he gets about two sentences out before suddenly we're talking about Sophie and her feelings
- (469) the Black Swan must haven an operative inside the stupid Prattles factory so that they can get all those rare pins
- (566) Bronte asks Sophie to teach him positive inflicting and I like to imagine it's because he's hurt too many people accidentally

So apparently, I'm allergic to realizing when series are spinoff series, and I might have gone into this one unprepared again.

Heir returns readers to the world of An Ember in the Ashes through three main, intertwined POVs. It's been probably 4 or 5 years since I read the original series, so I'll be honest and say that I probably missed a LOT of easter eggs and familiar characters, but I think this book was enjoyable on its own, too.
The story follows three "different" plot lines and characters. Aiz wants to free a "goddess" of sorts; Quil must defend his empire from a new threat without becoming the monster that was his father; and Sirsha is on the hunt for an assassin who murders children by ripping out their hearts. I really enjoyed the plot twists because they were delivered so nonchalantly (meanwhile, my annotations are in all caps), and while I did call a lot of them, I was super excited to see my theories confirmed. I also loved how the 3 narratives tied together by then, and I can't say too much without spoilers, but there's a plot line that gave major Immortal Longings vibes, and I was so excited for it.
Of the POV characters, I think Sirsha was my least favorite. Her backstory was intriguing, and I still liked her a lot, but I didn't connect with her. I thought Aiz was super interesting, and her character arc was incredibly well done. Quil's POV was my favorite, mostly because Sufiyan was my favorite character overall, and I wanted every chance to see him that I could. I also really liked Arelia and Cero as side characters. My only issue character-wise was that I didn't love the romance. I think it's just a me thing because Sirsha and Quil match a lot of popular tropes; it just felt a bit insta-lovey and yet still lacked a little chemistry?
Heir is the first novel in Sabaa Tahir's new fantasy duology and it promises beautiful writing and exciting plot twists to create a wonderfully woven story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4.25/5

Once again, I'm not offering much review-type feedback on this book, but I will say that I think this starts my favorite section of the series (aka books 3-5).

Here are my notes on Everblaze, and they may contain spoilers from the book and other books in the series:
- Dex is the on-call IT guy now, and he needs a raise
- (14) So the elves just left an empty house in San Fransico, and nobody notices it?
- (23) Why do I picture the evil tower from The Lego Movie when they talk about Candleshade?
- (29) I feel like Gisela and Cassius definitely sleep in different beds
- (35) "The elves don't have police cause they're too peaceful" ... maybe they should? Like? They rely entirely on goblins for protection
- (40) Y'know, Sophie worries a lot about what happens if she goes to Exillium or whatever, but Jurek has a pretty great job with animals that she could get if she happened to end up there
- (87) Jolie had potions for black hair (Raven Lovelylocks) and brownish/yellow eyes (Liquid Amber Eyes)
- (89) Not Brant writing love poems about fire to Jolie
- Y'know what would be a super helpful ability? Time travel ... that or the ability to at least see through time
- (133) Why is Forkle so upset about not having a wife?
- (150) I still don't trust Terik completely ... unless he has some sort of ties to the Black Swan, why is he so adamant that Sophie go to him?
- (155) Terik says he wasn't all that different from Keefe as a kid ... what is he implying?
- (159) Also love how we basically ignore the fact that Keefe had a homing device on him for a whole book ... and the Neverseen still never used it to blow up Sophie
- (172) So apparently now Sophie doesn't get her own private changing room because it says that she was headed towards the girl's changing room
- (179) Sandor spends so much of his time in detention
- (191) I'm surprised Tiergan didn't veto the code word "everblaze" because why would you pick that when going into a pyrokinetic's head
- (215) Kenric studied inflicting? Why? If he and Brant truly are brothers or something, maybe it was to help him manifest?
- (265) Jolie has a cheese box
- (279) Not Bronte literally complaining because he doesn't get to see Fintan ... and he also knows all the pyrokinesis facts
- (396) Keefe is planning is own wedding, and he wants robotic spiders
- (397) Did the Black Swan sneak into Candleshade to leave a note in Keefe's pocket?
- (422) The Neverseen can walk on water?
- (494) Oralie refuses to have a part in testing the ability restrictor because she's Sophie's mom
- (526) What if Bronte sees Fintan reflected in Sophie? He passes along the message "it takes a special person to see the darkness inside of someone and not condemn them" ... it feels like something he or Fintan said to each other
- (536) Again, with Dex's trauma ... he lets himself get burnt to save Sophie and I'm sure it gives him flashbacks but Sophie just ditches him and tells him to take care of her dad
- (598) Love that Forkle's mode of attack is a belly flop

I forgot how angsty and annoying Keefe is in this one...

Here are my notes on Neverseen, and note that there might be spoilers for this book and others in the series:
- (5) Dex's feet are smaller than Fitz's ... it's not relevant at all, but it's a thing
- (9) Alden really sent out a 6-year-old boy into the human world to search for some obscure 4(?) year old girl
- (43) Not Sophie stopping to talk about Hitler
- (56) "...and I'm sure you've heard how valuable Alvar has been to the Council" ... who's gonna tell 'em?
- (99) I hope Sophie realizes she isn't special for reading the entire encyclopedia by age 6 because I read two entire animal encyclopedias by the same age
- (124) How many tires did it take Keefe to take the oath? He never says, but he claims he got a message, so I assume he got it eventually unless he lied
- (146) So if cognates are, like, basically married in a sense, does that imply that Quinlin was third-wheeling with Alden and Della? Or was Della the third wheel?
- (198) Why would a Psionpath be dangerous?
- (221) Gisela couldn't have recruited Jolie because she only joined the Neverseen after she got pregnant with Keefe (15 years ago), and Jolie died/got recruited 17 years ago ... so it would've had to be Umber or some other secret woman
- (234) Why did Gisela want Keefe to be a Conjurer?
- (242) I'm starting a deep voice counter because so far, Keefe, Gethen, and Tiergan all have deep voices from what I remember, so here: Timkin is #1
- (303) So if Forkle had been Sir Astin all along, has he always played the role of a star teacher guy? Literally why?
- (314) I'm surprised that the Neverseen hasn't recruited a Beguiler yet because that could be SUPER powerful ... although I wonder if that and mesmerizing even work on Sophie because she's probably too special for that
- (317) Terik and Alina were the only two mentioned to help sedate Prentice, so either one of them could have applied that sopradine ... I have my suspicions of Terik because he tries to be so close to Sophie, but Alina would be so cool on the Neverseen
- (318) Why is Terik so sweaty at the prisoner exchange? Because he was carrying Prentice (who Tiergan holds like a baby, by the way), or maybe because he knows he did something wrong?
- (356) Deep Voice #2: Wylie (it's also intense)
- The theory about the Elvin world being a dystopia seems more and more true because they have the ability to help all the humans and they withhold it because of some old grudge
- (374) Also love how Dex's inception day is in 3 weeks, and someone better celebrate it or else (update: no one noticed or cared)
- (394) So Ruy was in Ambi, meaning he's indecisive and also thinks outside the box
- (470) Keefe probably just hates Tam because he reminds him of himself
- (474) Tam = fruity (implies Sophie isn't his "type")
- (481) Sophie notes that Terik looks ashamed of not knowing how this plague started, and she assumes it's because he and the Council knew, but what if it's actually because he's evil
- (492) Ruy's parents were the ones to turn him in to the Council; he got expelled at level 4 (14) right after he manifested; he is considered "irredeemable"
- (495) Blur apparently knows some technology stuff
- (515) Why can't anyone leap to Slurps and Burps ... because in book 1 Edaline and Sophie had to walk, and now they're walking again
- (532) I can't imagine that Vociferators are in high demand ... what good does someone who can make loud, ugly sounds do?
- (540) Terik shouts, "This is madness" at Fintan.. could he be playing good, or maybe he's genuinely confused as to why Fintan is revealing himself (if he's not familiar with the Neverseen's plans)
- (552) Ruy was still going to Exillium when he was part of the Neverseen (he was a part of it when Keefe was 5 or 6)
- (562) Not Alvar pretending not to know who Ruy is
- (571) Not Alvar flat-out teasing Forkle about how he knows where their hideout is
- (579) Why DID Lady Cadence loan Sophie her markchain?
- (596) Why was Dimitar just sitting in his throne room waiting for them?
- (621) Alvar was the youngest EVER to enlist in the Neverseen ... and he also throws Ruy under the bus here!
- (660) Alvar is worried about Ruy being alone at the hideout and doesn't want to be late
- (672) Is Magnate Leto Forkle's true form? Because he undoes his ruckleberries to turn into him

Like I said, I won’t be reviewing this series, but for some reason I just really like the vibes of Lodestar and it’s probably my favorite book so far?

Anyway, here are my notes on the book, and just a spoiler warning for this book and the rest of the series:
- (6) Deep Voice #3: Fitz has a deep crisp accent
- I think people forget Biana and Fitz’s traumas when it comes to their brother and keefe (who is Fitz’s best friend) betraying them in less than 48 hours
- (27) Keefe says the Neverseen had ALL their Technopaths working on the cache, which implies to me that there’s at least 3 of them … and if that’s the case, surely at least one of them could make high tech weapons for the Neverseen or ability restrictors because a 12 year old boy could
- (34) why does Forkle not like his Magnate Leto look
- Grady thinks Keefe is going to be like Brant (saying Sophie is like Jolie) and Edaline thinks Keefe will be like Jolie by being a double agent
- (43) Kenric wasn’t part of Project Moonlark but is he involved with the Black Swan in some other way?
- (58) why DID the Neverseen attack the registry? (Update: they erased Alvar, Brant, Fintan, and Ruy’s records)
- (159) Fintan wipes his mind of anything he doesn’t want to remember … what if he wiped his memories of Bronte on purpose
- (225) Juline is the only Collective member with a family at home that she lives with
- (343) Ruy is in charge of teaching Keefe skills because he was (according to Keefe) Exillium’s star student, which also makes me wonder why hpe got kicked out if he was so good at everything … also Alvar makes Keefe do his chores
- (368) When Alvar let Sophie get away when he was the Boy Who Disappeared, the Neverseen locked him in a flaming room for a day and I’m just imagining Ruy’s reaction (maybe he made a secret force field to protect Alvar or maybe he just sat outside the room and worried the whole time )
- (390) why are Grizel and Sandor kinda Percabeth coded? Like, childhood friends to lovers, turning down important positions (Grizel didn’t join the queens Royal guard) to stay together … I guess the similarities end there but still…
- (396) Ruy and Alvar are fighting again … Ruy is going to get punished and he wants Alvar to share the blame to lessen the punishment but Alvar said no … I’m choosing to believe they’re both too traumatized by previous punishments but honestly they’re giving Lovers Doomed By the Narrative right now
- (399) Fintan called Ruy a disappointment
- (407) Marella is ALSO not Tam’s type, and Linh says he’s into brunettes but … are we sure that’s what he’s referencing
- (421) is there a reason Jensi is one of the three people to burst splotchers on the first day of training?
- (432) Oralie recommended Sandor to watch Sophie? Did she know him before?
- The ability-centricity of the world of the elves itself harms everyone, not just the Talentless. Grady is seen as a tool or weapon to be utilized by multiple parties throughout the series, and his ability defines him more often than his own personality does. He is not allowed at the Summit because he might mesmerize someone, and while I understand the concerned, it’s not just the summit where Grady faces prejudice and I feel like it’s something that’s not discussed enough in the series, especially given what little we know about his past and how he lost all of his friends when he manifested and how they pinned the blame on him whenever they felt like it.
- (439) Ruy is being a big drama queen right now
- Listen, I know spiral staircases are aesthetically pleasing but also … all it takes is one elf in a wheelchair and suddenly they can’t go anywhere because you don’t have any freaking elevators … unless there’s some Elvin magic floating wheelchair tech that I’m not aware of
- (474) I get the symbolism of a sword in a stone but also like … why not just make it a fake sword that can’t do anything on the off chance that prisoners will break out … it seems stupid to taunt them at that point
- (509) Sandor and Grizel need to be a thing by the end… like, they’re so sweet with each other and if they die I will cry so hard … now I’m just picturing them falling in battle together
- (520) If Forkle has figured out a way to trigger abilities, why not just make the kids at Foxfire do that instead of go through ability testing
- (575) Sophie infuriates me because she literally has a chance to look at Ruy’s face right now but doesn’t
- (578) AND once again Dex’s trauma is ignored … he got trapped in the mirror room and I’m sure it reminded him a little of his kidnapping
- (582) Terik thanks Sophie for bringing the alicorns to Foxfire … why is he so excited about it
- (630) Honestly, Dimitars logic is sound … his own people gain nothing from alliance with the elves and I think he’s right to question them (even if he has other flaws)
- (659) what feels wrong about Brant’s death to Sophie? Is it that she later realizes there were 4 figures on the beach, including Vespera? What is it?
- Did Brant get a wanderling? I can see why he wouldn’t but … he was still a victim of circumstance and maybe he was evil but it was because the world forced him to be

From rainbow magic fairies as a kid to rainbow magic heists as a teen, I think I've finally come full circle in my rainbow magic reading.

YA fantasy heists are usually my favorite kinds of books, so it comes as no surprise that I also really enjoyed Until We Shatter. My favorite part, though, had to be the magic system and the worldbuilding. I'm a huge fan of religious themes, especially when they deal with zealotry, so I was vibing with the themes in this book. I also LOVE magic systems with pretty visuals and aesthetics, so I adored the color-coding systems and also the visual of shattering.
This story takes place in a world where there are shades (basically full-blooded magic people) and hues (half-blooded magic people who everyone hates). Cemmy is a Bronze hue who works with a team of other hues to steal a mysterious object from the clergy. I thought the pacing was pretty quick, and while there was only one major heist, I appreciated the tiny tension scenes throughout. I predicted most of the main plot twists, but I was mostly guessing from vibes and I think they were still well done. My only issue is that the slower pace in the middle left me a little bored, as did some of the misunderstanding tropes, but I still enjoyed the story.
I also appreciated the found family vibes in this book. Cemmy's complicated relationships with Novi, Chase, and her mother made her an intriguing character, and I enjoyed her narration. Novi wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Lyria. Ezzo and Eve were cute too. As far as Chase goes, I was intrigued by his backstory, but I wasn't a huge fan of his personality (just because he felt a bit tropey), although I still liked him. I thought the villain was interesting as well, and I'm kind of sad that this is a standalone because I think his evilness would have been very intriguing to see in a series.
Until We Shatter is a fast-paced YA fantasy novel filled with found family vibes, colorful magic, and plenty of plot twists that will appeal to fans of heists of all kinds.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.75/5

Most of you know the drill by now; I'm not reviewing Nightfall traditionally because it's a childhood favorite and all that. I will say that this is the point in the series where I have read most of the books less than 5 times, and therefore I don't remember as much, so I am excited for the remainder of the series (because I don't know exactly which chapter is which). I also liked this more than I remembered, which was a pleasant surprise.

But without further ado, here are my notes on this Nightfall, and just a fair warning, there may be spoilers for this book and others in the series:
- How Amy managed to escape Gethen by "thinking of darkness" is beyond me ... like, dude just ignored the "darkness" coming from the closet?
- (24) Look, Alden's plan to drug Sophie was great in theory, but dude left himself with 4 unconscious teenagers who are gonna hate him forever now
- (39) Livvy has been with the Black Swan for 18 years, meaning she was probably appointed to the Collective pretty early on ... why is everyone in the Black Swan so new?
- (49) Something I really hope this series will eventually address is how the elves completely cut themselves off from humans because of a betrayal that happened thousands of years ago ... if the elves can truly cure, like, all of the diseases in the hospitals, why not point the humans in the right direction at a bare minimum? It seems cruel to let people suffer for a decision a few of their ancestors made so many centuries ago (ESPECIALLY because it's later revealed that their actions may have been justified) ... and I understand that there is bad in humans, but the elves haven't proven themselves to be much better at this point, and I think Sophie is losing sight of that
- (54) Sandor once fought a band of renegade trolls? For why?
- (56) Isn't it ironic how Sophie - Miss "I Don't Need Protection, I'm Fine" - is now insisting that her sister needs protection? It's come full circle, and I don't think Sophie realizes she's become the very thing she used to despise
- (66) We still don't know Livvy's ability
- Also, why haven't the Neverseen just assassinated Elwin? He's obviously the only "good" doctor because the Council goes to him, too ... and he doesn't have bodyguards or any defensive ability ... so why haven't they killed him and eliminated the only person keeping everyone else alive?
- During the kidnapping in book 1, why did the Neverseen even keep Dex alive? He was a 12-year-old kid with no ability, and they had no way of knowing that he was precious to the Black Swan (through Juline)... and at the very least, they could've wiped his mind and made him one of their soldiers because they're obviously lacking in numbers
- (124) Ruy and Fintan apparently argue a lot ... I'm going to pretend it's Fintan trying to spare Ruy the fate he experienced with Bronte or something
- (169) Did we ever figure out the "complicated history" behind Brumevale? Or why it's necessary to have a lighthouse in the sky? (it's a cool setting idea, but still)
- (180) If Forkle didn't create the Black Swan, who did?
- (217) What made Blur's living situation complicated all of a sudden? And why is his story for joining the Black Swan long and boring?
- Okay, the stupid crush cuff scene has to be the worst scene in the entire series, and I hate it so freaking much
- (274) Not Biana trying to live out the "brother's best friend" trope
- (319) Sophie really suggested that Dimitar and Keefe play a game of riddles...
- (400) Sophie "I'm Not Oblivious" Foster is blinder than I am when it comes to people flirting
- (444) Do you think when Ruy sealed Alvar behind the force field, all injured and half dead, he regretted it? Could this be part of why he and Fintan argue so much?
- (490) "Fintan and I have a long history, so if anyone can figure out the passwords protecting his secrets, it's me" - okay, Bronte
- (494) Terik's injury is supposed to clear his name from possibly working with the Neverseen? I'm still not buying it, especially because the only source was Bronte saying, "Because I said so"
- (496) Okay, fine, Forkle said he searched the memories of the Council members and saw nothing, but we don't know if Terik is really a Descryer, so there's always a possibility that his ability could prevent mind readings
- (541) Gisela makes it sound like Gethen regretted killing Cyrah (he was shaky afterward), so when did he change? Why was he so eager to kill Oralie?
- (573) And I thought Keefe was bad the past two books, but Sophie is reaching new levels of whiny and grumpy and angsty
- (600) Do the elves have anti-depressants? Cause they need some
- (642) This is the part of the series where I start getting frustrated with Sophie. I understand that she has her own issues and that the people who raised her may be in danger. However, she spends, like, a month wallowing in self-pity and then everyone's just like, "That's cool, we're glad you're better) and they move on? If there's a genuine issue here with her mental health, it needs to be addressed
- (697) Deep Voice #4: Fintan
- (700) "I'm assuming your mother doesn't know about this new hobby, given how much she sacrificed to keep you away" - Fintan to Marella ... what is he talking about? Did Marella's mom have ties to the Neverseen or Black Swan?
- Gisela really is the embodiment of gaslight gatekeep girlboss
- (714) I wanna know what happened to Grady when he tried to mesmerize the gorgodon, and my current theory is that it, like, put him in the mind/body of whatever he was trying to mesmerize (when he's enhanced by Sophie)
- (724) First of all, congrats to Biana for pretty much being the only one of the main crew so far to actually do damage to the Neverseen (besides Grady burning Brant's hand off, I think) ... and, also, I could write an essay on Fitz's protectiveness being his fatal flaw and how quickly he turns to anger because of it
- (735) I know I've said a lot about Fintan being like a father figure to Ruy and Alvar, but for the sake of canon at the moment, it almost feels like Ruy is helping Gisela because he's mad at Fintan for hurting Alvar
- (764) How did Gethen find out Prentice had been healed? Did he read Wylie's mind, or is there another traitor?