amandasbrews's Reviews (454)

Fully and completely in love with this book, Jackie Khalilieh builds such a delightfully sweet friendship I felt like I was finding someone that would be in my life forever. I LOVED how clearly this story shows the confusion of being a teenager in a way that so many other stories don't capture. It's hard, confusing, and honestly scary to be a teenager and Something More is one of the most honest and sincere stories I've read in such a long time. Highly, highly recommend!

Asuka has trained most of her life to be selected to go on the world’s last ditch effort to save humanity. And, estranged from her mother, The Phoenix and it’s crew are all she has left. So when an explosion happens on the spaceship, Asuka is determined to find the cause of the explosion before everyone in the crew loses faith in the mission.

The Deep Sky is an epic space thriller that doesn’t let you forget about the humanity of the people that go on adventures like these. It is wide in scope and sincere in characterization. In an striking balance, it makes us think about how the earth came to the brink of demise while mourning the estrangement from our parents but also understanding the barriers between us.

Told in a non-linear timeline, Kitasei beautifully casts a wide net, exposing us to our deepest imaginings about the future of earth and humanity while grounding us in the tension between family members that you wish would understand you. In the middle of an epic space thriller, as the characters are tumbling away from earth at rapid speeds, Kitasei brings us closer and closer to home. As the action rises onboard the ship, the narrative slowly gets closer and closer to the individualized internal self in a stunning dichotomy.

As we got closer to the individual, I began to feel Asuka’s pain, I became grounded in the familiarity of her unbelonging. I felt a kinship to Asuka’s yearning to run away to the stars, a parallel feeling of being an imposter for claiming her heritage. The Deep Sky is vast, action-packed, and introspective; it’s a story that will stick with you through the stars.

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I loveee sailor moon and so i love that this is a sailor moon inspired fantasy. The story is super fun and full of intrigue. The forbidden magic and the way we can be powerful too. It's so so exciting to see a character grow into her powers like this.

Did someone say "Qing dynasty-inspired world of towering pagodas, monstrous airships and cut-throat politics" I'm so here for this silkpunk story fdkljfa

edit 9/21/2023: LOOK AT THIS STUNNING COVER!!!!! IM SCREAMING

The love for halloween and all things spooky is really Felt in this through every single story. Honestly such a delight!!

KYLIE LEE BAKER HAS KILLED ME AGAIN I NEED TO GATHER MY THOUGHTS AND COME BACK TO THIS IT WAS SO GOOD

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Pre-read: Kylie's first book was the first fantasy book I ever read with openly mixed Asian characters and her books mean so much to me. I just got a copy of this and I'm SO excited!!! More books by Kylie Lee Baker PLEASE

Merged review:

KYLIE LEE BAKER HAS KILLED ME AGAIN I NEED TO GATHER MY THOUGHTS AND COME BACK TO THIS IT WAS SO GOOD

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Pre-read: Kylie's first book was the first fantasy book I ever read with openly mixed Asian characters and her books mean so much to me. I just got a copy of this and I'm SO excited!!! More books by Kylie Lee Baker PLEASE

This book is so much fun and the magic is so interesting. The time switching kept me interested and confused but also in the know all at once. Time jumps are hard to capture, but And Break the Pretty Kings makes it so much fun! I absolutely love that Mirae will stop at nothing to save both her queendom and her brother, she's truly such an incredible character. There's so much love for so many things and so much conflict to keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book felt like home to any readers who loved Firekeepers Daughter. It's so nice to be back on Sugar Island and it's so nice to be reading writing that feels so familiar to a book that I loved. This story just as cutting and just as brilliant as the last.

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THAT ENDING???

I loved this book. It's full of teenage angst that's somehow completely in parallel with godly angst, because gods are always so angsty. It makes so much sense and it's done perfectly, I loved it.

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I just started this today and it jumps RIGHT into the action. Excellent, amazing, astonishing, no notes.

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