This felt like an adequate conclusion to this duology. Kazi and Jace spend a lot of the book separated from each other. We get both of their perspectives as in the previous book. There was a reasonable amount of action and there was a lot of focus on the importance of family in the story, which I can always appreciate. I would note that if you did not like their relationship in the first book, then you will probably not like it in this book either. The romantic relationship between Jace and Kazi is pretty much solidified by this book and there is less focus on the development of their relationship and a lot more focus on the plot. We still get moments where their relationship with each other shines through, but it not the focus. Overall, I think this duology is less compelling in terms of its characters than the Remnant Chronicles that came before it. Nonetheless, it is still an enjoyable read and I would still definitely recommend it for its target audience.

This is probably the best published Hades/Persephone retellings I have read. Hades is modernized to be a god with an intimidating reputation in charge of a night club. Persephone is a goddess passing as a journalism student enrolled in an internship. On a night out, she accidentally ends up meeting Hades and inadvertently entering a 6-month contract with him. There is attraction between both of them from the beginning, but they have a series of encounters that allows them to build a relationship. They do not like each other at first which makes for a lot of arguing and banter to comedic effect. A lot of the side characters also see the mutual attraction before Persephone does which adds to the humor of it all. 

I appreciated that Persephone had a lot of bite to Hades' bark. She is one of the few people who despite being aware of his reputation, is not afraid to argue with him. They both are also able to implement each other's advice into their lives once they learn to see value in the other's perspective. Persephone visits Hades in his realm and gets to see aspects of him that she wouldn't have otherwise. They also both establish boundaries for their arguments even before they are together and respect those boundaries. They also consistently respect each other's autonomy. Hades also uses his power to protect Persephone as needed, not because of who she is to him, but because he feels that women should be respected.

As an example, Hades disciplines one of his henchmen for physically handling Persephone in a manner that is deemed inappropriate before he really knows her. He also comes to her rescue when she is harassed and drugged by Adonis.

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I think this is definitely worth picking up if you want a more modern urban fantasy take on Hades/Persephone. I would warn that there are a lot of sex scenes, so if that isn't something you are into, I would probably skip it.

I started this book with an open mind in an attempt to learn more about Islam. I should not that I am not Muslim and that my knowledge of Islam is limited. The author introduces this book as refuting a lot of the negative press that Islam has. However, I feel that in this endeavor the author failed somewhat. I understand that this is not the only representation of Islam and I will continue to search for other works that are more favorable.

I will cite some examples of how this book did not do itself any favors. While discussing the prophet Muhammad and his marriage to his wife Safiya the author states "the Prophet did not force himself on her - he married her" (page 8). I immediately took issue with this passage since it implies that marital rape is not possible. Thereafter in that same chapter the author spent an excessive amount of time noting how Muhammad was not a womanizer or a lecher. It felt like they were trying too hard to defend the founder of Islam as if it was someone that they knew personally. It just felt unnecessary and didn't sit right with me after the implied denial of marital rape/sexual abuse.

This book also discusses prostitution by stating, "Throughout the history of our species, men have systematically abused women by maintaining the institution of prostitution." (page 59). This makes many incorrect assumptions about the institution of sex work. First, that only women are sex workers, which obviously isn't true since there are indeed male sex workers. Second, it attributes the continued existence of prostitution only to men, which is also inaccurate considering that women are also consumers of sex work. Sex work is a business and as long as there is a demand for sex, there will be a business to fulfill that need. Even if you agree with the premise of the argument presented, it seems very flawed to assume that men alone are to be credited with the continued demand for the industry. The author uses it as a jumping off point to argue that Islam is often accused of advocating for the mistreatment of women. I felt like this could have been an opportunity for the author to present some of the progressive ideas within the Islamic faith. They do somewhat on page 61 of the book quoting Quran passages that outline the proper treatment of women. I can say that they are reasonably progressive arguments. Unfortunately, they do also quote Q 4:24 and note that husbands are only allowed to hit wives as "just a one-time permit and that too only in relation to the specific offence detailed in the verse." (page 60). I take issue with the defense of physical abuse no matter how minor. The author goes on to explain that is only meant to be something akin to a mild stroke and quotes Q 38:44 (page 60). This does not take away from how problematic I find this passage and only serves to paint Islam in a worse light than necessary. 

There are other examples of things within this book that I think made me question its value to the discussion around Islam. I'm sure there are probably better books on the topic out there, so I would not recommend this as a defense for Islam.

I really tried to get through this book, but I found it difficult because I don't understand why the main characters I'm supposed to ship like each other. All of their chemistry seems to be purely physical and there isn't any moment in time where their relationship feels like it has an emotional foundation. Considering how long it has been since the main characters have seen each other Carter's attachment to Emma doesn't make much sense. I felt that their relationship became physical way too quickly for there to be any accompanying emotional weight to it. The level of trust Emma instills in Carter feels misplaced under the circumstances. I will not be continuing this series given all of this. Maybe someone else will enjoy it, but it definitely is not for me.

The book is a marketed as a coming-of-age romance written in a similar vein to The Outsiders. However, it reads more like A Catcher in the Rye where I'm more likely to recommend that the main character get therapy for possible depressive thoughts and misogyny rather than a girlfriend. The prose does not read like that of a romance and the main character comes off as a stalker. I stopped at the point where he decided to take a trip to another city to see an old female classmate he barely knows but has a crush on (without her consent I should say). The story itself could be interesting, but I was looking for a romance and this isn't it. I may revisit this later because I do enjoy character exploration stories even if the main characters are not likeable. It was just disappointing that I wasn't getting what I was sold.

This takes place at the end of season 2 of the show. It is focused on Spock's doubts about where he belongs after Michael and Discovery have left for the future. He ruminates on whether he should stay on the Enterprise as a crew member during his time off after his last mission. In the interim, The Enterprise embarks on a mission involving peace efforts with the Klingon Empire. It was great to be able to see how L'Rell is dealing with the unrest within her empire with a significant amount of pushback because of her past with Ash Tyler and her relationship with Starfleet. There is some action as well as a lot of moments between Spock and Captain Pike as he accompanies the Enterprise on its mission while off duty. It was interesting to see L'Rell trust Spock to help her in her endeavor for peace. It is clear that many people feel Spock is someone of value who is both objective when necessary but also trustworthy. I feel this helped spotlight Spock's level of integrity and why he is such an asset to a crew. I feel like this is definitely worth picking up if you wanted to see more of Spock's inner thoughts as well as the aftermath of the "destruction" of the Discovery that the show didn't get the time to explore.

This serves as a follow up to what happens after Discovery leaves the Terran Empire to return to their universe. We learn that Terran mirror universe Michael Burnham is still alive and we get some glimpses into her upbringing which adds depth to her character. Through her actions we are quickly reminded that her morals are questionable at best (just as is the case with Phillipa). The story focuses on Michael making new alliances and negotiations with former enemies in order to take over Emperor Phillipa's former throne. Her cousin, who has taken over the throne since Discovery's departure. His strict genocidal policies make Michael seem like a better candidate for a ruler as the story progresses despite her ruthlessness. We are shown the fate of some season 1 mirror universe characters and are introduced to new ones as well. The ending is open ended but satisfying. If you wanted to get some expansion on the mirror universe and were left hungering for more after season 1, I would definitely recommend picking this up. It helps answer at least some questions that were left unanswered by the show.

This book provides a good general overview of the life of Jesus of Nazareth from a biblical perspective. The intended audience seem to be Christians new to the faith or individuals who want a brief introduction to Jesus and the New Testament. The book goes through about half of Jesus' life and provides some historical context with biblical citations for the more well-known passages pertaining to his life. I think the book accomplished its goal of being an introduction to one of the main figures in the Christian faith and it's something I would recommend for that purpose.

This was a fast-paced ridiculous fun romp. The premise is that Kade, a wealthy and charming businessman, switches bodies with Sora, a hardworking but less financially endowed PR representative. The body swap is triggered by a hand shake they have after Kade hires Sora and her brother (her business partner) as his new PR team. They each have to maneuver around each other's lives in order to survive the ordeal which makes for very entertaining times. Through the body switch, they help each other improve certain aspects of their lives. Through their respective benevolent acts for each other, they form an emotional bond based on mutual trust. This eventually evolves into a romance and sexual relationship. The premise is very humorous and I feel like the author definitely had some tongue and cheek fun with that. You have to suspend your disbelief a bit to really enjoy it, especially towards the end, but it was fun nonetheless and I would still recommend it if you want a romance that leans a bit more on the humor.

The main characters in this book are unique in terms of their professions. Frankie is a sex therapist with a podcast and Jay teaches rope play in his spare time. They meet when Frankie goes to interview him for her podcast. Jay is hesitant about entering a long-term relationship despite his initial attraction to Frankie. We later explore more of his character and understand that this is due to trauma he experienced in his last long term relationship with an older woman. The only part I find unrealistic is that he starts giving long term relationships a chance again because he likes Charlie so much. Realistically, I think barriers like that take longer to break down. However, I feel that the author did a great job showing Jay's insecurities through his actions and internal thoughts about his relationship with Frankie. 

Despite his initial reservations about being in a romantic relationship. Jay is an incredibly empathetic and sweet partner. There is a moment within the book where Frankie feels self-conscious about not being able to use Jay's restroom because it's not accessible for her to use independently. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the book because it helped put into perspective how disabled people can feel like they are burdening those around them at times. People generally want to have a sense of autonomy and independence in their lives. Unfortunately, having physical limitations can sometimes make that difficult. Jay's response to this was to modify his home to his girlfriend's needs. I'm hoping that disabled people that read this were also able to see their own experience reflected, but I cannot speak to that given that I am able bodied. I still found the gesture from Jay to be an adequately empathetic response from a long term partner.

I think this is a very sweet romance with representation for kinky sex and interabeled couples. I will definitely be reading subsequent books.