andat's Reviews (467)

Warning: this one is a slow start/build. Things don’t truly get cooking until page 250. Now that’s not to say it’s not beautifully written, this is a retelling of the “Goose Girl” fairy tale. You can literally see the stacks being built but it’s not got the action to match the build until the middle. Then it’s breakneck action from there on out. Vanja is an interesting character. She’s not exactly morally gray, but she’s not pure white either. She’s motivated by greed which lands her in hot water with a Lower God. Now she has a curse to undo in less than two weeks. Oh, and she has no clue how to undo it. Ragne is… a character herself. One that easily steals whatever pages she appears on.

I am so glad I stuck this one out. It truly did pick up in the second half. Very reminiscent of The Tainted Cup, but for the YA set. I am absolutely going to read more from Margaret Owen and Vanja.

Dammit. They got me again. They got me good. I was even going to knock off a star because it was the same trope from book one. And then they got me. And…and! They left me on a cliffhanger. 

Damn you Kaufman and Kristoff. You win. I’m sunk in now. Girls that kick ass and save the day? I’m there. But the twists? Yeah. They got me there too. 

Can I tell you how excited I was to be selected to read this??? I squealed. Audibly. For any of those of you who are not familiar with Tiffany D. Jackson, well, you soon will be. Her books do not miss.

And I’m happy to say, this middle grade murder mystery falls right into that category. It’s fantastic! Just enough intrigue (and yes, murder) to be interesting without being scary to you get kids. There’s good, healthy friendships being modeled through tough times. I also really love the way adults are portrayed here, flaws included. There’s some important messages here around Black history and the role it needs to be in modern life. Everything in this was perfect for the 9-12 age group. In fact, I would have no issue buying a copy of this for my youngest who is definitely leaning towards murder mystery books. A solid read all around! 

Thank you to Scholastic | Scholastic Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Can you ever really say you know your parents? Their hopes and dreams? Their past? Their memories? What if there was a defining moment, a trauma, that marked a before and after for not just them but a whole town? Would you be able to unwrap fact from fiction, especially when your own dad is at the center?

Olivia is a ghostwriter by trade. An unfortunate (and not untrue) soundbite and subsequent Twitter rant puts her on the wrong end of publicity and she’s forced to choose a job she wouldn’t want to touch with a 10-foot pole. Her estranged father requests her as a ghostwriter for his latest novel. Only it’s not a novel, it’s a memoir. It’s THE memoir. Where he tells the story of what happened the night his younger sister and older brother were murdered. Caught between doing her job and unraveling the lies of her father, Olivia has to decide if she is ready to expose her former life with her father and the possibility that he’s a murderer. What she uncovers is more than the story, it’s her history. 

I can already tell this is going to be one of the ones that stay inside my head for a long time. The narratives and perspectives, all the way to the last pages weave the entire story together. I am left wondering how many times I couldn’t get out of my own head and believed a narrative that didn’t fit reality. How many times was I the villain in someone else’s story? And in my own? Despite not being entirely based on a real story, this has the element of reality in it. I thought I’d figured it out several times, and I’m happy to say I was complies wrong. It’s a complex ending for a complex story. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up June 3 when it hits bookshelves! 

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a vampire and a werewolf walked into a bar, but the bar is actually a semi-sentient spaceship, then I have the book for you!

Oh, and the ship is not actually semi-sentient, it's fully sentient. And it really dislikes it when you hurt her humans. This was the space adventure I wasn't expecting but desperately needed. I laughed out loud, gasped, and yes, even cried reading this book. It's not cozy. It's not filled with political space drama. It was surprisingly emotional at times and Barbara Truelove is a genuis with how and why she makes you care about these characters. It's about the human (and human-adjacent) condition. 

And look, I know this is hard to believe. It's a werewolf and a vampire, how new and innovative can you get. It's a very fine line to walk with these archetypes and mythological creatures as main characters, but Truelove does an incredible job of keeping them from being one-dimensional and trite. She's brought them to life in a way that I've not seen before, and yes, humanized them with care and love. It's evident in how they interact with each other, and the respect she gives them. It was beautiful to read and I sincerely hope there's plans for more from these characters. 

Of Monsters and Mainframes goes on sale June 3. Pick yourself up a copy and I promise, you will be glad you did. 

Thank you to Bindery Books | Ezeekat Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I feel a little like the meme of the kid with the stick “come on…do something.” 30% in and there’s no shortage of build up. We see the magic system, which has a hefty cost for the ruling family that wields it. We see the political intrigue and those bristling under the current queen. But nothing is really happening yet. There’s a potential solution of the toll magic takes on the queen, there’s machinations moving in the novel class, and there’s the unruly daughter set to inherit the kingdom that has an empathy problem. Now don’t get me wrong, this is written beautifully. It’s not a chore to read through. I’m just not quite connecting with the characters in a way that has me invested. Yet. I’m holding out hope this is one of those that the last half is where the action sits. 

I couldn’t get there. I tried. The characters were so distant to me, almost like holding them at arm’s length. I never really got invested, and the connection wasn’t there. 

Thank you to Bindery Books | Violetear for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I’m not ready for this series to be over! I’ve procrastinated like nobody’s business and now it’s time. (Mainly because the library due date is coming up fast.) Also, side note: listening to the audiobook of these has been a pleasure. Not only do you get the correct pronunciation of the names, the voice actors are phenomenal. I love all the voices and accents that brought even minor characters to life. I highly recommend supplementing with the audiobooks! 

There are zero ways to give a synopsis of the plot without spoilers, so you all get stream of consciousness while I’m reading the last book in the Ember in the Ashes series. I know, I know. You’re welcome. (Who let Maui in here!?)

Yay! Cute chonky emperor baby!

Soul Catcher- get your head out of your rear end. You know how to spot a trap! (It’s a trap!)

A new player has entered the arena! Who are you mysterious stranger!

Ofc there’s a massive abyss of misery fueled by suffering. 

Laia, pls stop running into obvious traps. Kthxbai. 

Ew. Karkauns are gross. 

Well well well. We do learn more about the Nightbringer’s past! Very interesting!

Omg, Helene… throw poor Harper a bone, would you!?

Father!?!? FATHER! What!?!?!?

A queen!?!? Wife!?!? There was a wife!?

Way to bury the lede!

Angry Laia is my favorite Laia. 

I snorted audibly startling my husband and the pets at this exchange:

   “The river that did this to you. I don’t like it.”

   “Are you going to find the bad river, Elias? Make it pay?”

Avitas Harper is a distraction. Yes ma’am he is. You should do something about that. 

Livia wearing that throne like she was born there!

Omfg…FINALLY!

There he is! (Sorry to any Crowns of Nyaxia readers, but I had to!)

No. 

Nononononononononono. 

“How long since anyone offered him comfort?” My heart is breaking. 

“The Mother watches over them all.”

I’m not crying. You’re crying. 

It’s beautiful. I would not wish for a different ending. It’s perfect. It’s everything it needs to be and everything it should be. I’m only sad that it’s over. 

This series has done nothing to deter me from wanting a giant corvid as a mode of transportation. 

This is where we get to see the inner workings of the political machine. Told in multiple povs, we get a glimpse into the aftermath that took place at the end of Black Sun. Some have rallied troops and answered with a call to war, others are gathering closer to themselves hoping it blows over, and the rest are fanning the flames and hoping to come out the victor from the chaos. 

Rebecca Roanhorse is the master of letting it build to a fever pitch until all but the last pages. You are hanging onto your seat for dear life knowing it’s all about to hit the fan. And when it does… you will not be ready. This is that. 

(And again, I still have not learned my lesson because I have to wait for book 3 to be available at the library. Argh!)

I am so freaking mad that I slept on this series and author. Naomi Novik has the first sentence in book 2 quite literally a breath after the ending of Scholomance. El doesn't know why her mother sent her warning about Orion Lake, but she does what any good teenage wizard does. Completely ignores the warning. The stakes are higher, it's not just pass or fail - it's live or die. Even with everything they did to fix the equipment. Dry wit, sarcasm, and gallows humor ensue. 

Particularly, the sarcasm and gloom that radiates from El mirrors so much of my own high school and college experience, I can't help but feel a kinship towards her. Novik writes her outcast with such love and heart, you can see her tread that super fine line between lonlieness and protection. El's tenuous alliance with people she still can't  believe WANT to be around her, it's a nice little bit of sweet with all the sour that is Scholomance. I get El's headspace and why she shuts everything down before it starts. It's easier to survive when you don't have to care. But here she is, caring. And see where that gets her? 

I'll caveat this with the statement that this series might not be for everyone. The first book is like 60% info dump on the magic system, the schol itself, and the politics and mechanice of the students and their alliances. It's how my brain works when I try to get across loads of info, so even though it felt heavy but managable to me. I had a friend beg me to retry this series and it paid off. Personally, I've grown to love El, Orion (the numpty), Aadhya and Liu, Precious (iykyk) and yes, even Chloe. (Magnus, you're still a dick tho.) Oh and that entire cake metaphor with Orion and Leisel, just… chef’s kiss of perfection. 

And once again I do not have the next book ready and waiting, which I now very much regret!

(Before reading) Why do I feel like this is going to hurt?

(While reading) Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn. 

(After reading) Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn.