andat's Reviews (467)

I don’t know how I felt about this book. It’s a book. That seems like a solid foundation. I saw a lot of the same notes of my own childhood. My heart was breaking for her as I saw the path she was taking and why. Knowing where those end up and the damage that’s done along the way. Why your psyche and self worth have holes you could drive a truck through. Why you’re white knuckling your way through life hoping it is what you want while you know it’s not. 

It’s…yeah. It’s that. 

I don’t actually feel qualified to review this book. It’s so raw. It’s real life and Jennette McCurdy pulls no punches. I want to give it 5 stars. I do. It’s good. It’s… what it is. It’s her life. How do you give 5 stars to the absolute fuckery that she was put through at the expense of others? It feels…wrong. 

Go read it. It’s worth the time. Even if it means feeling uncomfortable with what you just read. You should read it anyway. 

Sleeping Beauty but make it fae with a side of changeling. It’s short. It’s not sweet. it’s a cautionary tale and the perfect little interlude between books. T. Kingfisher is a mad genius!

Let’s be real honest here. I slogged through book 2 to get to this one. Why? Mische. 100% Mische. Ok, and maybe a little of not having to read, “there she is” eleventy thousand times. (I know, I’m sorry.)

And then there’s Luce. Luce is my new favorite. Luce is everything. I am here for Luce. And also Mische. (But mainly Luce.)

OMFG. 

Look. Y’all. Anyone that was lackluster on book 2, hear me. Read it. Get through it so you can fall into book 3.

The fury. The betrayal. The hate. I feel it all. I want it all. 

My jaw is still on the floor. I am shooketh. The scream I scrumpt at the ending. 

I. Have. No. Words. 

None. 

(Except it was really good and you need to go read it so we can all talk about it. Kthxbai.)

If you even remotely have a fear of being lost in space, this book is not for you. 

However, if you enjoy a deep space travel with malfunctioning electronics and a murder mystery, this book is definitely for you. 

Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here not sleeping for like, ever. 

Damn good book though. 

I don’t know how Tahir does it but I open up her books and fall forward right into them. By the time I look up, I’m nearly halfway through the book and confused why I’m not in a desert listening to the storytellers before the caravans head back home. And then to do it with switching POV in nearly every chapter, too? It’s sorcery and I am here for it. 

Torch starts out literally in the same breath that Ember closes with. You lose no time and are vaulted right back in with Elias and Laia. Their mission remains the same, free Darin. 

How? How does Tahir do it? She can keep three separate story lines going with chapter PoV switches and I’m right there with her the entire time. Nothing drags, there’s nothing happening that feels superfluous or mislaid. It’s so intricate and so perfect…did she sell her soul to write this way? If so, could she kindly please leave directions to the crossroads in which the bargain was made. For uh, research purposes. Yeah. Research. 

It’s going to take days to unpack everything that happened. Wow. 

It’s come to my attention that there is an open door sex scene in the special edition version of this book between two minors. I will not recommend this book based on this information and amend my review to reflect that. I did not read this personally however there are reviews from others that cover this. 

So this is like hunger games, death race, running man, and the game together and that is how this book happened. Like, if you thought hunger games needed more Stockholm syndrome but also make it queer, then this book is for you! It defies explanation and classification. 

Also, there’s a while memory altering procedure they call the Wipe. With a capital W. And I am an immature 12 year old at heart and giggled every time I read it. And now you will too. (You’re welcome.) Don’t believe me? Here…

“I’ve gotten Wiped dozens of times now, and still…”

Yeah. That. See? (Gosh, I hoped they washed their hands afterward.)

Ok, I’ll stop. Aside from that, it’s written well but it is firmly on the YA side of things. The relationships are a little too toxic/unhealthy for me to feel totally comfy recommending this one for anything but the upper YA range. And I don’t even know what to think about that ending.

Overall, it’s aight.

Five stars is not enough. All the stars, forever. 

It’s official. I am a Tracey Deonn fangirl. I’ll read anything she writes, I don’t care if it’s a dang grocery list. I’m there. She’s earned a place on the always read list of authors. 

I am so sunk in. Bloodmarked starts off without missing a beat, you are right in the action. The Regents behave in exactly what you’d expect from a 1000+ year old organization, twisted and self-serving. Oh. And white. So. White. (I realize those two statements are redundant but I’m leaving it. The point stands.) Sel is battling his own demons (pun very much intended.) And Alice is Alice. (We all should have an Alice in our lives, she is the walking embodiment of best friend goals.) But Bree has to come to grips with the fact that every action and every decision carries more than just her on it. It carries the root, the Line, and it carries those at the Table with her. 

And the tension. It is palpable. Its corporeal. It’s flying off the page and smacking me in the face. So. Much. Tension. I’m living for it. Not only that, we get to see the history of Bree. The ancestors, the knowledge that had been locked away from her and those before her…until now. 

So many pieces click into place, so many details Deonn dropped that felt like throwaways. They were anything but. The strings draw tighter, bringing in the sweeping narrative to give it its ultimate purpose. And I didn’t see it coming. Hats off to you, Tracy Deonn. You are on a level most of us can’t even dream of being. Now, could you pretty please put my heart back together? It seems you’ve left it shattered there on the ground, under your foot. 

I don’t know what I thought this book was when I picked it up. It’s different. Dystopian vacation? End of the world respite? I literally can’t classify it. Just that’s it’s good, weird, and strangely compelling. 

I couldn’t stop reading it even if I wanted to. Not when the resort melted into fascism in 0.3 seconds. Not when the Beach Bod southerner takes over the helm. (Omg, the way she and her husband speak- if you have lived or live in the south, you will instantly know what kind of people they are from the dialogue alone. Damn impressive job making my skin crawl with dialogue alone. Hats off to you, MJ Wassmer!) Not when our unwitting underachieving hero, Dan tries to buck against the system that is Building A. And all because the sun melted right out of the sky one lovely afternoon. 

And look, I didn’t even touch in the multitude of things happening in this novel. This is one of the weirdest and most interesting books I’ve stumbled upon in a while. It’s sarcastic and irreverent. It pokes fun at itself and society in general, subtly. It defies explanation. Pick it up, read it, and let me know what you think of it. 

I am so glad I snagged this on Libby! It’s not a long book, just over 100 pages. It’s an incredible blend of history and New Orleans magic. Gah! And the way the accents are written. If you have spent any time around Cajuns, you can hear it in your head as you read. My only complaint is that I want more!

This one was epic. Coming at 611 pages, it’s massive and sweeping. With no shortage of Mephi (and a few new tricks) we start to see the seams come apart both for the Empire and the Shardless Few. I can’t help but notice Ragan’s depiction, especially from Nisong is so biting and true. Always the one that feels the world wronged him, always felt owed. Something in that juxtaposition of his poisonous anger and the way Nisong is so desperate to be wanted, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to shake her by her shoulders or offer her comfort and a sympathetic ear. And Jovis. My favorite character of all. How far he had fallen in the two year span, stuck with the one person he hated that controls his every action. Every chapter you just keep hoping he breaks away, finds a loophole, anything to find his way back to where he should be. It’s agonizing to watch him try and fail over and over again. 

This is such a good end to the trilogy. We get to see the history play out, the knowledge that had been kept hidden or unknown, and truly see of Lin has what it takes to keep the empire together. My heart broke for Lin, for Jovis, and even for Nisong. Instead of stomping on my poor heart, Stewart does the impossible and made it soar. Happy, joyous tears at the best possible ending for this trilogy. Sometimes you truly can find your way back.