"Suddenly, she was so grateful it was Briar with her---Briar who knew her well enough to create a mystery for her. Briar whose beautiful magic always lit up the darkest places. She blinked back the prickle of tears. She was supposed to let him go, for both their sakes. But after everything, Briar was still here, right beside her, not asking her for any promises or explanations."

Look, we're not going to talk about the fact that I read this in less than 12 hours.
The Bone Spindle series is one of those hidden gems I can devour in less than a day. The Severed Thread did not suffer from Second Book Syndrome at all and I actually think I enjoyed it more than the first book.
The story follows Fi, Shane, Briar Rose, and Red on their continued journey to stop the Spindle Witch. The pacing was great and I kept telling myself "one more chapter" before proceeding to read three. I loved the angst and the character growth too. Fi and Briar are still my absolute favorites and I adore them (Briar's POVs were a real treat because he just simps for Fi the whole time). Shane and Red really grew on me in this book. In the first book, I hated Red and Shane was cool, but I didn't think she had much depth. Red and Shane's backstories are spotlighted in this book, and I really like them now. (Cinzel is amazing as well). The only character I didn't like was Perrin, because I thought he'd be creating a love triangle but it doesn't appear that he will so he's on thin ice for now...
The ending was awesome and I can't wait for the next book to be released (why do I have to wait four months?)
This series is one of my favorite fairytale retellings of all time and it's a great action-packed read for fans of fantasy adventures, witches, and heist-like shenanigans.
4.75/5

"'You and your promises,' she whispered. But in spite of everything, she believed it. Shane had saved her, over and over. She was the only person in Red's life who'd ever made her a promise and kept it.'"

"Lia dumped Mateo to the floor, and he fell like the sack of potatoes he was."

I wasn't anticipating on reading this book so soon, but I'd seen a lot of reviews saying it's best to read the series close together, so I decided to read the sequel before I forgot what happened in the first one.
He Who Breaks the Earth is the sequel to She Who Rides the Storm, but I almost wish that they'd been combined into one book.
Did I read this book in less than 24 hours? Yes. Was it because I was on the edge of my seat? Not really. At about 20% into the book, the characters introduce a plan to kidnap another character and use him as a hostage...and I was very intrigued. I read the next 50% waiting for them to make a move, only to realize that this obviously was not going to happen. I think that's my main issue with this book: it felt like nothing happened. There was one "big goal," but it felt like there were no stepping stones to get there and the characters just took forever to get places and make decisions. I was excited for the end because the ending of the previous book was amazing, but this one felt a bit anticlimactic.
Honestly, the characters kind of fell a bit flat for me at times too. I've seen a lot of Anwei slander, and I can't disagree because the girl just didn't learn from her mistakes. I feel like Lia and Knox took a backseat in this one; obviously, Lia was still part of the action but I just didn't connect to her as much. And Knox...well, he spent most of the book unconscious or locked in a closet, so... I liked Mateo still, but he frustrated me with his obliviousness at times. I also have the unpopular opinion of liking Noa; I saw everyone else hating on her POV but honestly, I thought she was cool so I didn't mind. Aria was my favorite character, though.
While I think She Who Rides the Storm was much better than He Who Breaks the Earth, I did still enjoy parts of it and I'm glad I finished the series.
3.25/5
Link to Libby Annotations

All I want for Christmas is a book from the skull's POV, please and thank you.

After watching the first season of Netflix's Lockwood and Co., only to find it canceled a few weeks later, I decided to take matters into my own hands and so here we are, finishing up a great, YA paranormal series.
The Empty Grave is the fifth and final installment in Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood and Co. series, and I think it might be my favorite one.
This series has so many great attributes: the humor is amazing, the found family vibes are immaculate, and yet there's also enough action and mystery to intrigue any reader. I love all of the characters (yes, even Holly) and I'm so glad that I got to finish out the series with this emotional roller coaster. There were plenty of wholesome scenes and plenty of angsty ones, too.

Spoiler

My only complaint is that some mysteries never get solved; namely, the skull's identity and his whereabouts. I would read an entire book just with his backstory and now him moving on.

As a whole, the Lockwood and Co. series is a YA series full of adventure, mystery, ghosts, and a found family that you'll root for no matter what.
4.25/5
Link to Libby Annotations

1,388 e-book pages. 1,388 pages. Those 2.75 stars are generous.
(also, this review may have spoilers for Fourth Wing, so proceed at your own risk)

Look, I didn't have high hopes going into this book. I didn't really like Fourth Wing, but I figured Iron Flame couldn't be much worse, right? It's supposed to focus on a rebellion, right?
Wrong.
There were only three (3) scenes that I found interesting in the entire book, and one of them was the climax. The other two were the only semblance of important plot points that I could find in this book. Because. It. Dragged.
I can deal with some drama in my "fantasy" books, but if I wanted to watch Violet and Xaden bicker like children for 1100 pages, I would've become a couples' therapist. I won't go into too much detail, but they literally picked fights over the dumbest and most hypocritical reasons. And then the introduction of ex-lovers? I was tempted to return the e-book right then and there.
So what's the plot of the book, you might ask?
Bickering, some "Violet is so cool" moments where she gets her butt saved by someone else and then praised for it, more bickering, an occasional spicy scene, very brief "action" scenes, and (you'll never guess) even more bickering!
And now you might be saying, "Well, Abby, you've done a whole lot of complaining" to which I would say "Trust me, I've given you the bare minimum and there's a lot more hatred pent up inside me." But then you'd ask why I rated the book 2.75 stars if I hated the plot so much and I'll answer with: of the few interesting scenes, I did enjoy them and also I tolerated, like, three of the characters.
Violet got on my nerves the entire time for various reasons and I couldn't care less about Xaden and the rest of the main cast, but there were a few characters that stood out to me. This feels like an episode of Dance Moms and I'm revealing the pyramid.
The three characters I liked: Sloane, Aaric, and Brennan. Sloane was good because she's full of hatred for Violet just like me. Aaric's backstory is the only reason I like him; I find it interesting and I hope the future books focus on him. Similarly, I don't have a reason for liking Brennan but I just do. I also didn't hate Bodhi but I think it's just because I like the name.
Overall, was I disappointed in this series? Quite a bit. But will I continue to read it? Probably, if only to complain about it. Judge me all you want, but I'm hate-reading and it's amazing. For some reason, a small part of me finds it enjoyable to read books only to judge them.
So I'm sorry for the rant. It was actually pretty tame compared to what I wanted to say. The book gets 2.75 stars for the implications of the ending.
And also, I 100% am a Dain apologist now. Do I like his character? No. But do I think he gets too much crap? Also yes.
Link to Libby Annotations

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

"I am just his destiny. Not his heart."

Beyond the End of the World is the sequel to The Other Side of the Sky, and it is just as gorgeous as its predecessor. The worldbuilding, guys. It's incredible. Sky islands and technology and magic and gods and cults and oral storytellers - they're all mixed together to create this stunning blend of science fiction and fantasy. I would move to this fantasy world in a heartbeat.
Once again, I felt like the plot was the weakest of the elements in this book. A lot of things occurred quite conveniently, but then again, it is YA. There was a greater sense of urgency in this one, but I did feel like the action was all resolved rather quickly. That being said, there were plenty of plot twists to hold my attention. My only big complaint was that for as horrible as the villain was talked up to be, the ending was a bit anticlimactic in my opinion.
I still love the characters, though. Throwing North and Nimh into their opposing worlds really messed up the balance and I loved watching them adapt. I was also happy that we got to see more of Saelis and Miri, and I loved them much more than I expected to. Also, the romance in this book was overall amazing. There were so many tiny details that made me happy (like Miri sleeping curled up in Sae's lap, or Nimh mouthing words to North to make sure he's okay).
Beyond the End of the World is like if A Prayer for Vengeance met The Knowing, and its stunning worldbuilding makes it a perfect read for fantasy fans of all kinds.
4/5
Link to Libby Annotations