I think I need to sit and think this one over; a lot of it surely went over my head on the first read. 

It's a frame narrative, an exploration of what it means to be a reader and an author, but it's also more than that. It's dense, and strange, and some of it did not age so well, but still it made me think - and ultimately, what else is art for, if not to make its audience think?

Generic YA; nothing special, though I wish it had been. The premise is gripping enough, but the actual book doesn't deliver. The character development is surface at best, which - fair, considering it happens in only a day. Still; tropey and a little glib.

I wanted to like this book a lot more. I liked the premise - it just felt like the author didn't have the imagination to write a good, compelling narrative to go with that premise.

The exploration of fate/destiny as a theme could have been more pronounced and explored; the pacing was, frankly, wack. 

I don't know, for a classic, this is lukewarm at best.

I'm new to Patchett; I don't know why I held out on her for so long. This book was everything - the prolonged spiral of grief for a life you had sure is a powerful, drawn-out feeling, and it permeates every page.

Also, Tom Hanks' narration is impeccable. I really recommend picking up the audiobook if you can.

This book grew on me - I read it for a book club I do with my friends, and the more I got to sit with it and discuss it, the more I found myself enjoying it and appreciating the symbolism within.

Jess is an incredibly relatable protagonist, which helped. I found myself rooting for her not because I thought she was right for doing many of the things she did, but because, in the situation that she's in, I feel like many of us would have made a lot of the same mistakes. She was very easy to experience such a narrative with, both as the immigrated fish-out-of-water in a sea of cultural unfamiliarity (for herself as for the reader), and with her own repression fuelling the unsettling horror Cho infuses this story with. 

Combine that with the flowing, fluid prose, as well as the stunning visuals, and you have yourself a gut punch of an urban fantasy read.

A fascinating narrative that lost me at times; with lyrical prose suited to the point of view of a modern woman, a 17th century witch, and a mushroom alike. 

In a tone both humorous and profound, Caitlin Doughty explores the idea of death in western culture though a memoir of her time working in a crematory. 

I laughed; I shed a tear or two. There's something universally relatable about Doughty's experience with death and our society's denial of it. 

It was fun seeing how the Miyazaki film (which I'm a fan of) differed from the source material, and where it got its inspiration! 

As a standalone narrative, a little convoluted, but still very fun.

I enjoyed this book, much like its predecessor, largely due to my love for what I've dubbed "Thara Celehar in situations". Addison could put him in any situation, place the manuscript in front of me, and I'd love it all the same.

To my own detriment, I cannot engage with this series critically! I love Thara (and Iäna, and Merrem Tomasaran, and Anora, and all of them really) too much.

A fun, if a little predictable at times, continuation of Alex Stern's story. Where else is there to go but hell?

Also how is Alex still passing her classes?