This was a giant “fuck you” and I am here for it.

Helen Laser you are my new favorite narrator. 

It’s hard not to love anything by Neil Gaiman because of the masterful way he creates stories. I particularly like his short stories. Coraline isn’t the story for me but it was very atmospheric and chilling at times. 

so whimsical and heartwarming!

No better way to finish this book then blasting some Britney Spears ❤️

I’m very conflicted about this read.

I struggled mostly with the dual pov. Half of the story felt like being transported back to the days of One Direction. Angel, an obsessive teen who loves the boy band The Arc, was such a fun character to read through. She was my favorite part of the novel not only because of her obsessive personality but because she felt very grounded in reality. She is also very funny and self aware. I wished the book had solely been from her pov.

The other half of the novel is told from Jimmy, a band member of The Arc who is struggling with the what comes with being famous. While I loved seeing both sides of a parasocial relationship turned real relationship, I quite frankly just don’t like Jimmy as a character. While he’s dealing with real issues and emotions, he completely blocks out everyone else’s struggles and is very selfish. While that is relatable, it did not make for a very good character. I didn’t find myself rooting for him and kept wanting the chapter to change to get back to Angel.

I do always want to note when I listen to a book because sometimes the narrator can make a character worse, but I’m not sure that’s the case here. This feels like the first miss from Alice for me personally which is so surprising since the subject matter couldn’t be more perfect for me! 

This was so charming! I loved every second of it!

I don’t know if this makes sense but it reminds me of an episode of Phineas and Ferb. 

A triumph of a prequel.

In my opinion, there are few book series that compete with Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games in terms of world building. I buy into everything she sells and could devour book after book if she decides to write more.

To write a book about young Coriolanus Snow is to really unpack why The Hunger Games still exist during Katniss’ time and how they got to a point of pure entertainment for capital citizens. While Snow didn’t create the games, he definitely is the reason they have continued for 65 more years. When I read this the first time, I sympathized with Coryo for a majority of the book. He knew what he wanted and was good at getting it and that is typically what you hope for for a protagonist. Of course you have the person he becomes in the back of your mind but Collins does a great job of allowing you to still care about what happens to him; at least until the third part where things start to fall apart. The second time around, I was able to really see his “me before you” mentality all the way through. Which, in my opinion, made Snow more interesting. He’s always flirting with the line between good and bad, even as an 18 year old. Instead of the big reveal of him “turning evil”, I saw it in him the whole time.

Lucy Gray is such an interesting character. I wished we got just one chapter from her pov. For this read, I was really able to see her as the songbird AND the snake. She is just as good a manipulator as Snow and I like to think she was manipulating him the whole time. She is alive and well in my mind. I refuse to think otherwise.

Suzanne Collins please hear my plea for another book in this era from Tigris’ pov!!!!!!! 

This made me feel so warm and fuzzy. A fantastic read for October. It is made for fans of House in the Cerulean Sea. 

Exactly what you hope for from an all new PJO book!

I didn’t realize how much I missed Percy’s voice. He’s very silly and gives strong Peter Parker energy. After everything he’s been through, it’s nice to know he’s still the same kid. Now with plans for the future! As a diehard Percabeth stan, this book had me giggling and kicking my feet.

There wasn’t anything overtly special about Chalice of the Gods. If you look at it as a novella instead of a full length novel, it really checks all the boxes. I can’t wait for the next two!

Crossing my fingers for Percy and Annabeth’s future together!

This really scratched the romantasy itch!

This mirrors 'Mist and Fury' quite a bit but I can't deny how much I LOVED it.

The lack of 5 stars comes from not being totally sold with the world Yarros has created. I'm hoping this will be solved in future books. Otherwise, I think Fourth Wing is a very successful fantasy.