Things just got a lot stranger. Batman is still missing and the town fair gets attacked by a giant squid. Kathy ain't herself at all and seems to be mind controlled by some other force. Superman went to go handle finding Batman alone and may have left Damian and Jon in an even more dangerous situation unintentionally. I really hope Batman is found soon. Superman might need all the help he can get

**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**



Okay, I've got some things to say. I completely saw Tamlin becoming way too controlling at the beginning of this book and I'm glad Feyre left him. The real problem is that Tamlin doesn't see Feyre as an equal in any way and cares more about what he thinks is best and what he wants than her needs. That's a recipe for failure in any relationship, but especially a romantic one. Rhysand actually started to seem not as bad, even in the previous book. I know he gets a lot of flack for having drugged Feyre under the mountain, but he really only drugged her so she would suffer less and survive to play her part. I don't see him at all as a monster for that. Also, Rhysand actually respects Feyre's ability to make her own decisions and enables her to become more informed and educated to be able to defend herself. Tamlin on the other hand tried the restrain her in every way possible like a child and later like a prisoner. Not to mention that he would have hit her were it not for the magical shield she put around herself. Talk about a path to domestic abuse.

I think Tamlin also treats Lucien like crap a lot in this book. Lucien tries to plead Feyre's case and always gets shut down, just like Feyre. The dude doesn't even know how to friendship correctly. Even after all that, I didn't think he was so off the rails that he would sell all of Prythian out to get Feyre back. It's especially obnoxious because he still thinks she was just manipulated into leaving him even though he treated her like crap for months. 

I really like how Rhysand was shown to have such a different dynamic with his Inner Circle. Really comes to show how Tamlin doesn't actually have any friends. Quite sad, really. I'm still not sure what the relationship between Cassian, Morrigan, and Azriel is. I know there's probably a ship there that is endgame, but I'm not really sure if there is a love triangle there to begin with. Hopefully we'll find out next book. I do think that Nesta and Cassian are probably going to end up being a couple based on how much they bicker, though. I enjoy romantic relationships that start off with the two parties disliking each other. It's fun to watch. I guess that's also another reason I like Feyre and Rhysand. Based on that assumption, I think Azriel and Morrigan will end up together.

Maas definitely did a great job of giving Rhysand a Hades vibe. He gives off an air of fear in his Night Court and knows how to demonstrate ruthless power when necessary. He definitely doesn't enjoy being cruel, though. He's also super charming and flirty with Feyre which adds to his appeal. Even when he doesn't agree with Feyre, he allows her to have her say. He does the same with his close friends and that's really why he's able to gain and maintain their respect. 

Just a warning, that despite being categorized as a YA novel this book does contain a decent amount of sexual innuendos as well as sex. It's pretty well written for those that enjoy that kind of thing, but might turn some people off. Just something to be noted.

I have to say that I've come to appreciate all of the characters because they have all suffered through so much but have learned to each cope with their trauma. Rhysand has definitely helped a lot of them do that which comes to show that he is truly a good friend. He's also shown to be damaged and vulnerable and doesn't like his friends seeing him that way. I'm glad he's been able to open himself up to Feyre so as to not carry such a heavy burden by himself.

With that said, I have to say that Amarantha and Ianthe are disgusting. I can totally see why Lucien avoided Ianthe like the plague, she is super rapey. It must have been even worse for Rhysand having to screw Amarantha against his will for 50 years. No wonder he still had nightmares about that crap. 

Overall, I liked this book way better than the first book, probably because Tamlin wasn't super likeable to begin with for me and a lot more characters in this book are more likeable. Feyre is also allowed to have a lot of character growth that she wasn't really allowed to have in the Spring Court because she was in the dark about a lot of things. But yeah, sorry to any people that liked Tamlin. You'll change your mind after this book. I never really felt much for the guy. I was pretty indifferent, but now I definitely dislike him. He's horrible and I feel validated because I had a feeling Sarah J. Maas was planning for Tamlin to be a bad match for Feyre. Boy, was I right. Rhysand is way better, so I don't mind. I'm hoping we get Lucien back next book because he's really the one thing I miss about the Spring Court. Great installment, highly recommend! I didn't really feel the need to own physical copies of these books, but after this book I might get the box set.

**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**



I have been very impressed with Feyre's ability to manipulate people to her advantage. She really is the queen of political maneuvering at this point. She was able to fool everyone in the Spring Court into thinking that she was still in love with Tamlin. Well, everyone except Alis, who was already onto her, but Alis is a friend, so it's fine. I'm really glad Lucien was able to leave the Spring Court despite the horrible circumstances it happened in. Being barely saved from an act of sexual harrasment isn't exactly the ideal circumstance to escape in. I was cheering Feyre on when she had Ianthe's hand crushed. Sexual harassment is disgusting regardless of gender and I'm glad there is a book series out there that addresses sexual harassment from a female to a male. It's very rare to find examples of that and this book has a great one.

I have to say that there are a lot of things relating to relationships in this book that I didn't see coming the way they did. Like, I wouldn't have guessed that Mor is bisexual and homoromantic. I really feel for Azriel and a part of me is pretty upset that no one has told this very sad man that he literally has no chance with this girl he has been hung up on for 500 years. I understand Morrigan's struggle with coming out, but that doesn't make it any less painful for Az. 

Another thing is that I've been shipping Elain and Lucien pretty hard since the mating bond was revealed even though I know there isn't much there (at least not yet). I just really have a soft spot for Lucien despite what he's done wrong. He's a very angsty character, but unlike Tamlin I feel like he actually has space to grow more as a character and face a redemption arc that continues to be developed. I do hope he at least gets to have some contentment in the future. He's been through a lot and I think poor thing deserves it.

I know we don't actually see a lot of Amren and Varian within the series, so I wasn't completely expecting their relationship to be romantic in nature. Based on the last book I thought it was more of a sense of mutual respect. However, Varian really does seem to love Amren and she at the very least highly appreciates his presence. I know she's the kind of character that doesn't really need a love interest, but I think Varian is so fitting for her that it doesn't bother me. My favorite relationship in the book by far is Nesta and Cassian, though. I like that in comparison to the other romances in the book theirs is a lot more private and reserved. I really can't wait to read more about them in the future.

As for Rhysand's death, it didn't surprise me. There was way too much foreshadowing about Rhys always being willing to give up way too much for it to be subtle. I don't think it really took anything away from the moment he died, though, because it was so in character for him. The scenes where Amren gave up her body to the cauldron and Feyre was reacting to Rhysand's death really conveyed the emotions going through all the characters very well, I think. 

I don't think this is the best series I have ever read by any means, but I do have to say I've quite enjoyed it. Its strength is that it has characters that are complex and grow throughout the story. For me there's nothing worse than reading through a story and finding that the characters remained exactly the same by the end of the story. It defeats the purpose difficulties they face if that happens. Thankfully having characters that develop with the story is definitely one of Maas's strong points. I'm looking forward to reading more books by her in the future.

I don't really think that Me Before You needed a sequel. I mostly just picked this up out of curiosity. Personally I felt that having Lily as a plot point was obnoxious because it erased all of the character development Louisa had in the first book. It strangely felt like I was reading a different version of the same story about an adult woman who wasn't sure about what she wanted out of life or how to move forward from the stagnant position she was in. It didn't help that Lily could be such a brat and it emphasized that Louisa is way too nice for her own good. I'd say one of the high points of this book was probably Sam, because he seems like such a sweet guy that helped Louisa learn what love was again. The other subplot I really liked was about Louisa's parents having marital issues. I mostly thought it really funny that Louisa's mom was having a sort of mid life crisis that her husband was having a hard time understanding. It felt very realistic and in the end when he apologizes to her and shows her that he's willing to do what is necessary to keep her, it was very sweet. Even after so many years together they both care about each other even if they are having trouble understanding each other. I don't really recommend this book. It's unnecessary, you don't need to read it unless you really want to. It doesn't really add anything to the first story. If anything it felt like a few steps backwards. I don't plan on reading the sequel.

This was a fun fast read. I'm not a huge fan of the fact that a lot of the beginning of the relationship was just based on the character's physical attraction to one another, but that's because I've always preferred slow burn romances in general. It's not a bad romance, though, and it does a very good job of addressing a lot of the nuances of dating someone that isn't your same race or body size. Alexa is a very good representation of a confident plus size woman who is aware that her race affects her interactions with people. There are great instances in the book when she calls out Drew out on his privilege and helps him better understand topics pertaining to racial inequality in society. I give this book 3 stars not because it's a bad book, but because it's not something that I really feel a need to add to my physical library. It is very enjoyable for anyone that wants a romance with great social commentary and that moves pretty quickly.

I actually went into this book being super skeptical because I think books that feature people with disabilities, mental illness, developmental disorders, etc. can easily misrepresent those communities if they aren't well researched. I ended up looking up the author and found out that she actually has autism just like the main character, which made me feel way better about picking this up. I don't usually go for contemporaries, but the premise for this was so interesting I couldn't resist and I'm happy to say I wasn't been disappointed.

Stella is a very intelligent young woman and at first I found her parents to be pretty obnoxious and pushy. They really want her to date more and get into a relationship. They do seem to really care for their daughter and want the best for her, but the way they go about it isn't the best, I think. So far in her life Stella has had really bad dating and sex experiences. She freezes up during sex and hasn't been able to sustain a long term relationship with men. Her solution to this is to start practising, so she hires an escort, Michael. 

I have to say my favorite parts of this book all involved Michael. He's half Vietnamese and is very in touch with his culture and has a really cool relationship with his family. His interactions with his sisters are probably my favorite. It's so refreshing to see an Asian male lead being depicted in a positive light, because boy, is Asian representation in most forms of media really hard to find. Something I love that Michael recognized, as the decent human being he is, is that a lot of Stella's bad experiences with sex had nothing to do with her doing anything wrong, but with her sexual partners being inconsiderate jerks. He really is a sweet person that cares a lot about his family. He does the escort job to help out his family and hides that he works in that industry because he's so concerned about hurting them. I could tell he was a very sweet person even at the beginning of the story just based on the fact that he was willing to do repeat sessions with Stella. This is despite their first session being awkward and him usually refusing to do any kind of repeat sessions. 

Michael tries his best to make Stella feel comfortable and when she wants help with the dating aspects of a relationship rather than the sex, he is willing to help. He starts to fall in love with certain aspects of her personality, such as the fact that she is kind and humble, despite her socioeconomic status. Stella is also a relatable character. Her autism often makes her feel like she is broken, which makes her very adamant to share with Michael that she has autism. I think that feeling like something is wrong with you is something almost everyone can relate to at least at some point in time. She's also accidentally rude, and blurts out the wrong thing at the wrong time. I'm socially awkward at times too and lack a filter. Even though I'm not autistic I could relate really well with Stella when she would have interactions where she accidentally said the wrong thing. I think what truly shows her character though is that when she makes mistakes, she own up to them and apologizes. 

This book had characters that felt very real and human. They were flawed and both Michael and Stella had personal problems that they had to deal with separately. They were able to overcome, though. Stories like these where characters are forced to grow as the plot progresses are my favorite and are why this book was so enjoyable for me. Even if you're not into romance this is a book I would still recommend just because the characters are so worth knowing. Can't wait to read more books from this author.

I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book, but since the film was coming out on Netflix and I wanted something that was easy to get through, I picked it up. I actually liked this book for the reasons that a lot of people probably didn't like it. I had heard that some people were annoyed because Lara Jean often acted like too much of a teenager, but I found that profoundly refreshing. There are so many books out there about teenagers where they talk and act like people in their 30s and 40s. Lara Jean and the rest of the teens in this book feel peer pressure and insecurities that real teens have. They don't think like adults, and it wouldn't make sense if they did, honestly. 

Lara Jean had a collection of letters, each one written to a boy she liked at some point. After her sister Margot leaves to college and moves to Scotland (and breaks up with her boyfriend and neighbor, Josh) her letters go missing. The boys that she wrote them to, including Josh, end up getting them and approach Lara Jean about them. This, of course, is very awkward for her since she is still conflicted about her feelings for Josh since her sister broke up with him. When Josh approaches her about the letter, Lara Jean lies and tells him she is dating Peter, a popular boy that also got a letter from her. Of course to prove this point, she walks up to Peter in front of Josh and kisses him. 

This is a very teenage series of events, but it was super in character for Lara Jean and is something that I could see happening in a high school setting. It may sound silly, but teenagers do stupid things all the time. I could completely see a simple problem that could have easily been resolved by telling the truth being blown out of proportion like this by a teenager. One of the things I appreciated most about the story is that Lara Jean cares about what other people think of her, and that drives a lot of her thought process. Peer pressure is definitely something she experiences, but it's not surprising considering she's in high school. She tries as much as possible not to hurt the people she loves, and that includes her sister Margot, despite her being far away, and Josh. This is largely why she agrees to start a fake relationship with Peter. Peter can make his ex-girlfriend jealous and Lara Jean can get Josh off her back and avoid hurting anyone. Again, a very teenage solution to a simple problem, but not a stretch for realistic teenage behavior.

As I was reading the story, Peter quickly grew to be my favorite character. He's super charming and a really nice guy despite a lot of other character's opinions on him. He and Lara Jean have really funny interactions and he enables her to have fun and get out of her comfort zone. He also starts to appreciate what it's like to have a stable relationship for once and forms a pretty cool bond with Lara Jean's younger sister, Kitty. It's especially ironic because Kitty comes off as someone who is hard to take a liking to new people. The story had really interesting characters and showed how Lara Jean and Peter both changed within their fake to real relationship for the better. Definitely worth picking up if you're looking for something fluffy to read that has some nice family interactions and a funny romantic relationship dynamic. Great slow burn that is worth it.

I'd say this book is probably closer to like 3.5 stars. It wasn't bad by any means. I always have fun reading Rick Riordan books and this was a really nice adventure, I just feel like I wasn't as interested as I was with the first book. Apollo is still pretty self centered, but that's literally a character trait. He did continue to grow in this book, thankfully. This is definitely shown in his relationship with Meg and how he risks almost everything for her. His relationship with Leo is great to see too. It's really what had me hyped for this book. Leo Valdez is one of my favorite characters in this world and having him around was definitely a great thing. This installment actually addresses how living the life of a demigod consistently on some kind of quest has been affecting his relationship with Calypso since she left the island. I'm hoping that he and her do get some time off after all this is over. They really need it. I personally liked the first installment better because I feel like there was more going on, but this is still an enjoyable installment. I'm hoping to get to the third book soon. Hopefully before the fourth book comes out. We'll see.