I had never read an Iron Fist or Power Man comic and thankfully I enjoyed this first issue. Danny and Luke have some really nice banter that establishes that they have been friends for a long time and mutually respect each other even if they aren't working together as heroes for hire anymore. They get together for a one time thing to help a friend retrieve something that was stolen from her. I kind of knew that Jennie wasn't being completely honest with them and I really wanted to be wrong, but unfortunately I wasn't. Mariah Dillard is involved in all of this, so they're going to have a lot on their hands when they find out that their friend isn't as trustworthy as they think she is. A strong start to this run.

Rose McGowan is interesting and controversial in many senses. Despite all the controversy surrounding her, she makes some very valid points about cults and the cult like behavior she experienced in Hollywood. It was incredibly courageous of her to share her experiences when it came to witnessing harassment and abuse against other women in Hollywood and her own experience with harassment and what she witnessed while with the Children of God. It was intriguing to get an insight into her love life as well and astonishing to realize how much her upbringing affected her career as well as her self esteem and therefore her personal relationships. Her experiences reflect those of many women who have ended up in abusive relationships I’m sure. McGowan exemplifies how complex her relationships with men have always been and how in many ways it led her to accepting the misogynistic behavior around her. The chapter in her life and in this book about The Monster encompasses only one part of the trials and barriers that McGowan had to overcome. It also helped to reveal that women are a much larger part of the problem when it comes to promoting chauvinistic and sexist behavior and norms. This story helps to encompass that through the author’s experiences in a relatable way. Most importantly, it ends on a hopeful note with a call to action for all of us to be, or continue to be, BRAVE!

I am a sucker for Hades/Persephone retellings, and this one got me. For the entirety of the book you’re not really sure who the true villain is since you are only seeing the perspective of one character, Nyx. Her two main traits are that she is stubborn and conniving. When she finds out she is essentially being married off to an evil demon, she isn’t so much surprised as she is angry and ready to put up a fight to kill him when she gets the chance. Her first meeting with Ignifex is one of my favorite parts of the book because you get a good read of his personality. He’s charming and ancient and you can tell that he has a certain expectation of what Nyx will be like and is pleasantly surprised by what he finds. He seems to be particularly interested in her compared to his other wives. I assumed that was because most of them didn’t live for very long and he had never actually fallen in love with any of them. Nyx to me is a very complex character that serves as a good first person narrator for the story because her lack of knowledge on everything that is happening and her own character flaws help to make her more relatable. It is rare to have a main character like her that openly expresses feeling resentment, envy, and even jealousy, especially for her own family members at times. It gives Nyx a more human edge. I think what I loved most about the romance with Ignifex is that he knew that she felt all things and openly expresses that he loved her anyway. Usually romances in a lot of novels only focus mostly on the positive traits of both partners in the relationship, but this relationship felt more balanced to me in the sense that the flaws of each character were acknowledged openly. 

Ignifex is enslaved to his masters and forced to commit evil deeds, but despite his lack of culpability in doing them, he is still doing some damage there. This is what makes Nyx struggle with the conflicting emotions she has. On one hand, she wishes to protect her family and her people, and on the other she is in love with the demon that is supposed to be her enemy. Ignifex does have moments where he shows that underneath his more intimidating exterior, he does not which to be the bringer of evil he has been condemned to be. Nyx’s complexity is also demonstrated by her concern for her sister while at the same time feeling a sense of resentment towards her and the rest of her family. 

On the downside, this is not a book I would recommend in general, solely because I don’t think it caters to the general public. Much of the romance is more than anything else implied and it is difficult to tell how much time has passed when Nyx is imprisoned with Ignifex. For some people I’m sure their romance would come off as insta-lovey. I will be the first one to condemn insta-love in a book, but in this case the book doesn’t feel insta-lovey to me. I believe it has to do with the fact that Ignifex and Nyx spend a good amount of time together with no one else but each other and they learn about the worst parts of each other reasonably quickly, something that in a long term relationship usually wouldn’t be revealed into much later. The depth of their relationship I think makes up for any shortage of time it feels like they have together. The one part that did bother me a bit is how quickly Nyx seemed to become interested in Shade, though. He was the only person who from the beginning was outwardly kind to her, but I couldn’t see very clearly why that led up to their first kiss and pseudo romantic attachment. I couldn’t tell if it was just Nyx’s way of getting information she needed or if she liked him romantically. However, overall, this is a book I highly enjoyed despite any flaws. 

Thoughts on Tomes posted on her Instagram story how much she enjoyed this books so I ended up checking out the audiobook from the library. It's full of two characters with a lot of misunderstandings about each other that are reasonably realistic and come to show how wrong first impressions can be. I liked how Olive had such a complex family circle that was very accurately Latino. Her family is huge and they bicker, but in the end they really care about each other. Turns out by the end that not everything is as it seems and it was a fun ride. Ethan is really charming and likeable and Olive is complex and interesting and ends up finding out what she really wants to do in other aspects of her life as she gets to know him. A good romance for anyone that's looking for something quick to get through with likeable characters.

I have to say I enjoyed the second book in the series a lot better than the first one, but it was still lackluster for me. There were more characters introduced whose intentions weren't necessarily clear. You would think this would have built the suspense of the plot, but the plot felt so slow that it didn't. There was always something new and unexpected going on with the characters and even in their interactions. There just seemed to be something missing because by the end I didn't really care about what happened to any of the characters. I may or may not read the third novel soon. If you thought you should give up on the series after book one, I strongly suggest giving book 2 a try, it might be for you. I'm still debating if I'll continue.

This book is definitely better than I expected it to be and I do have plans of continuing the series. Bryn is a very well done three dimensional character. She reads like a teenage girl, but not in an obnoxious unrealistic way, but a very emotionally compelling way. For example, she is self aware of her unhealthy relationship with Drew and slowly forces herself to move on from her on and off again relationship with him. The other characters also have very distinct and funny personalities. Felix and Dani are shown to be really good friends who are willing to go through thick and thin for Bryn because they truly care for her. As friends they all try to help each other out and give each other advice when they feel the other needs it. Bryn's mother, grandmother, and uncle, despite his more brief appearances, also allow the reader to see that Bryn does have a family that worries about her. She doesn't always get along with everyone and they do disagree within the progression of the story but overall they all love and support each other. The romance in the book is also done gradually and paced appropriately. It takes a full 6 months for Bryn's relationship with Roman to develop. It doesn't come out of the blue and they don't feel an undying love for each other the minute they meet. They are even suspicious of each other when they first meet, which is perfectly logical under the circumstances. They do eventually become friends and find out things they have in common. I prefer it when romantic relationships develop this way because there is a natural progression where both parties gain each other's trust rather than just having a spontaneous attraction to each other. The only complaint I really have and the main reason this isn't a four star book is that I feel the author took too long to reveal what might be going on with Bryn's health. This made the story feel stagnant and slow at times, but I'll give it some slack since this book is supposed to be part of a series. The first book definitely felt like just an introduction to the more supernatural aspect of this world. Overall, I do think it's a good book and did a great job at character building, which to me can often make or break a story.

In the last installment in the series we didn’t get to spend a lot of time with June and Day together, and I think the author took advantage of the opportunity to do so in this book. We get to see Day and June spend more time together and therefore also see them disagree on how they want to approach the problems they are facing. It becomes very clear pretty quickly that they are still getting to know each other. I’m not at a point where I am in love with any of the characters in the series so far. They are likeable enough and are interesting to see in action, but they’re not in my top list of favorite characters. However, I care enough about them to keep going with the series and enough to have an interest to what happens to them. 

 The part I most appreciated about this installment is that The Colonies and The Republic are being depicted as something other than just “good” or “evil”. They are respective countries that are both run by governments with ulterior motives. Just like the rebels have people working for them that don’t have the best interests of the disenfranchised in mind, the same happens with The Republic. Anden is a character that reflects the movement within The Republic that wants to change the current government to fight for basic human rights within the nation. On the other hand, Day in many ways represents many of the poorer sectors of the Republic that are resentful towards the government. Despite this, Day, through his escape from The Republic discovers his own sense of patriotism and how he wants to fight for a better future for his homeland. 

 At the end of the novel it is quite upsetting to find out that Day has essentially received a death sentence. Although, I also think it will serve him as a point of motivation to do as much as he can before he’s gone. It’s also quite sad that his brother, Eden, went through so much experimentation that he is currently disabled. I’m hoping that the poor kid can recover. I don’t currently see a future for June and Day’s relationship. At this point I’m honestly expecting him to die, which yes, is upsetting, but I think the story would merit something like that happening. This is a dystopian world with high stakes after all.

I will clarify that I do not know anyone with cystic fibrosis nor do I myself suffer from it, but I am a biology major who attempted as much as possible to inform myself on CF so that I could catch on to inaccuracies depicted in the book. As a first, the cystic fibrosis protocol is depicted inaccurately. One of the largest inaccuracies was the fact that no hospital would have allowed a patient like Stella, who was on a transplant list, be anywhere near Will due to the high risk factor and liability issues. However, the book does a good job of depicting the stress and mental toll that terminal illness can take, especially when it affects a young demographic and curtails like expectancy so starkly. I liked that Stella and Will both were depicted as having friends and lives that did border outside of their illness. Often time people that are disabled or sick are put into a pity box where only people that are consistently caring for them are allowed to be around them, which of course isn't true, but is a widespread misconception. 

This story also hit home when it came to depicting how someone who has something like CF deals with it in a situation where their parents are deported. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there with parents that are illegal immigrants who must live with the fear of having them deported at any moment in time, but to have it mean leaving behind a family member that needs consistent medical care must be a whole other level. This is especially the case because the level of care needed for diagnoses like this are isolating as is, much more so when your entire immediate family isn't there to support you. My parents are immigrants and thankfully, legal citizens, but the illegal immigration crisis is something that is a crisis for many Latinos in the United States right now. The scenario with Poe depicted in this book was an eye opener even for me, so I'm glad that this book served to shine a light on issues that most people don't think, really. It was especially enlightening when Poe died and it was very clear his family would never see him again. It was a devastating character death, one that wasn't predictable, one that incited great emotion for me as a reader, and one that left an impression that will always let me remember the kind of crisis many immigrants go through. Overall, a great story that despite having flaws in accuracy, is still deeply moving and can give some much needed exposure to cystic fibrosis.

I've been reading the Mercy Thompson series and have mostly heard the characters in this series be mentioned. I was excited to get to meet them. Mercy always talks about how Charles is scary, and based on everyone else's reaction to him, she's not wrong. He is also very protective of those he cares about, though. You can tell that he cares a lot a out Charles and also getting to know Anna and making her comfortable. It was nice to see how a mating bond between two werewolves works. Anna is also a super interesting introspection into this world. She's an Omega and it's made pretty clear that they are different from other werewolves in many ways. It's almost like they don't have to bow down to a pack or an alpha really and are there to keep the peace. It's a nice addition and a great depiction of more submissive wolves. The word submissive tends to have a negative connotation and here it's shown that it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

On another note, I do not like Leah. I think she is an intriguing character, but she is obviously very resentful towards Bran's children, especially Charles. The worst part was seeing that Bran chose her as his mate because of his wolf and for the sake of protecting himself from falling in love with someone and possibly posing a danger to others. It's incredible how much Bran cares and I don't think anyone better could be the Marrok, honestly. He's willing to do what needs to be done even when that means killing a friend. I believe that there are insta love elements in the book, but I think it is explained well enough by the mythology of the world and the future promise that Charles and Anna will continue to get to know each other that it does not actually bother me. 

Anna's backstory is alluded to pretty often and it's clear that she has been a victim of abuse, sexual, emotional, and physical, ever since she became a werewolf. She clearly shows signs of that through her behavior, and it's nice that Charles is aware of it and gives her space. They both know their relationship has moved at a weird pace and Charles especially gives her space to be comfortable and establish her boundaries. I'm sure that largely contributed to me being okay with the pacing of their relationship. I'm looking forward to seeing how they get to know each other more and what role Anna will play within the pack. 

Asil added another element to the story that helped drive the plot and also show the effects of losing a mate ad a werewolf. I appreciated that by the end Asil had closure and despite not being able to get his mate back, he will at least be able to move on. I couldn't have asked for anything better for that ending really. I'm looking forward to the other books in the series.

I'm an avid Dungeons and Dragons player and the fantasy setting with dark elves and enemies to lovers trope is really what got me interested in this book. I'm happy to say the world building was done very well. The cultural differences between dark elves sand humans is clear and both culturs are given time to be explored. I really thought it was funny whenever Veron and Aless had to explain their respective customs to each other. From the beginning of the book, you can tell what a nice person Veron is and that he's not a jerk. When he meets Ales he's super polite and tries his best to seem non-threatening. Let me tell you, that's hard to do when you have claws growing out of you that are sharp enough to shred human flesh to ribbons. Alessandra does at times in the book come off as sheltered and naïve, but whenever Veron, who is obviously a good 2000+ years older than her, points them out, she does take the time to listen and change her perspective. I noticed a lot of other people had an issue with her being naïve sometimes, but I think they forget that she's very young, despite having to take on the role of an adult. On top of that, I think the only time naïve characters really annoy me is when they stay stagnant and don't grow throughout the story. Alessandra definitely does. She becomes more accepting of the fact that dark elves are people just like humans are and aren't as terrifying as they seem on the outside. She at first is afraid of the prospect of marrying a dark elf, but as she gets to know Veron and those he cares about, she opens up to learning their customs and realizes that Veron is a super respectful person. The same happens with a lot of the side characters in the story that are dark elves, like Veron's mother and Gavri. Gavri especially, who at first tries to manipulate Veron and Alessandra's relationship, but then befriends Aless. Aless even goes out of her way to convince Veron to forgive her. 

The romance between Aless and Veron was also developed very well. I assume that they didn't really know each other for a super extended period of time, but because they spent so much time together and became friends before lovers helped the relationship develop naturally. They also had a lot of time to just have casual conversation and learn lessons from one another. I'm so glad that this book didn't make them have hurdles in their relationship that could have just been avoided if they talked to each other. They communicate super well whenever they don't like something the other person did and are able to talk things out, which is how a healthy relationship should work. I also left this book being interested in the side characters like Gavri and her relationship with Zoran. I hope that in future books we get more backstory on how they met and had an eight year relationship. Dhuro also interests me, but that's just because I think characters that are kind of jerks on the outside but not bad people are intriguing. The sequel to this book will have him as a main character and honestly May 2019 can't come any sooner. Overall, this is a great book with cool world building and a great romance. It's exactly what I was looking for and delivered completely, hence my 5 star rating. I'll be ready to review the sequel when it comes out.