Oh I wanted to like this more than I did! With that beautiful cover, such an interesting premise. I will say, the world building and mythology were great in this book. I loved the changing of the Little Mermaid story with the addition of West African mythology. All of those aspects of the book work seamlessly together.

However, I wanted more development in the characters throughout. By the end, there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and I think this meant that some of their development faltered. The romance aspect also didn't quite feel like it wanted to go all the way. Maybe to save something for the sequel? Who knows.

I will say, the audiobook narrator for this is great. She has an accent that lends itself well to this particular story, and I'd recommend it if you're looking to read this one and like audiobooks!

The first couple of issues in this, bascially the Back in Black storyline, were probably the best thing about this volume. Taking place after the events of Civil War, Peter is trying to deal with the fallout of everyone knowing his identity. Which resulted in Aunt May getting shot. We get a darker, grittier side of Peter Parker, and I like the way it contrasts with what we know about his character.

I probably could have done without the Sandman stories, as they were a bit odd. It was just weird contrast between those and the rest of the issues included in this volume. So, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me!

I will admit, I kind of saw the twist coming. But that didn't take away from how fun this was! The best moments are still when Anya reads both Yor and Twilight's minds. Her facial expressions are just great. Their little family is absolutely adorable, and things will probably go terribly wrong, but they can get through it! 

The scenes where Twilight is trying to get Anya to apoligize are hilarious. I loved that sequence so much. I can't wait to read more about this little unusal family!

 Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! I love Tahereh Mafi's work, and I was excited to jump into her latest fantasy series. Especially because the cover is absolutely gorgeous! And I really enjoyed the Shatter Me books.

This book starts off strongly, establishing this world and the characters we're going to follow. The overall voice of the book starts out well, pulling you in with the mythology and the characters. From the beginning, you know this is going to be a lush world full of magic and mythology. And maybe even a little bit of romance.

However, I think the story loses something about halfway through the book. I'm not sure if it's the voice or the characters, but something shifts toward the middle of the book, making the ending feel a little too drawn out. Part of it might also be the pacing; it doesn't seem to know exactly where it wants to go.

One thing that might have made this book more effective if it was told in first person. It would have allowed you to get a better grip on the characters, and made the voices more distinct. From Shatter Me, we know that Mafi can write great voice, so I wish that those skills could have carried into this book.

All in all, I wanted a little more from this book, which was an anticipated release for me. But if you like high fantasy, enemies to lovers, you might just like this one! 

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This had such a promising beginning, but the pacing fell off a bit towards the middle. I enjoyed the Persian mythology aspects, though! Full review to come soon.

I definitely think this volume is better than the previous volume, bringing in some fun villains and adding to Peter Parker's personal storyline. Also I feel like someone should have figured out Peter is Spider-Man by now, with the way he's always disappearing. You'd think someone would put two and two together at some point.

There are some cringey moments when Spider-Man is fighting Kingpin, specifically in the comments that Peter makes about his weight. Those definitely did not age well.

But the Lizard comes back in this one and all I can think about is all those TikToks about Dr. Connors in No Way Home, insisting that everything can be fixed by changing everyone into lizards. 

A re-read for book club and it's just as amazing the second time around!
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Okay this was amazing! Humor, great characters, a fun little family. It was recommended to me a while ago, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. I flew through the first volume in one sitting becuase it was just so entertaining!

I also enjoyed the way the action sequences were done in this. And the moments where Anya reads Twilight's mind and he gets confused are the best. The chemistry between them all is off the charts. I can't wait to see where this goes next!

Once again, this is a graphic novel I saw on a list somewhere and knew that I needed to read it. And I definitely wasn't expecting it to become so emotional! At it's core, it's about a friendship between a girl and a ghost. But this friendship helps both of them to grow up, to move on. They're emotions that everyone can relate to, and there are some trully beautiful moments in this story.

The art, I think, helps this along. It's a colorful, adorable art style that fits right in with the subject matter. Lora is afraid of becoming a teenager because she thinks it means she has to leave the magic of her childhood behind. But she makes relationships throughout the story that show that you don't have to leave this magic behind when you become an adult.

Alexa's storyline was probably the most emotional in this book. She's a ghost, trying to remember how she got that way. However, like Lora, she realizes that she can't just stay a child forever. Especially as everyone around her grows older. I definitely teared up at moments in this book, which was unexpected.

All in all, I'm so glad I picked this one up. Another great graphic novel to add to the pile!

 Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing for an advanced copy of this to review! I saw somewhere that this had some Spirited Away vibes, and I definitely agree with that assessment. The world building and the mythology in this book are really well done. Oh brings you into this magical sea world, and continuously raises the stakes.

Not only is the world building well done in this book, but the characters are as well. Not only is Mina a strong, well developed character, but so are the friends and creatures she meets in the Spirit World. You can feel her determination on the page, and the supporting characters just help to make it a well rounded story.

While the world building and the characters were great, the main romance at the core of the book left a little to be desired. I think maybe it just needed to be a little more fleshed out than it was, and that would have made it more believable.

All in all, if you’re looking for something with anime vibes inspired by Korean mythology, this is definitely your book! 

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I saw something somewhere that said that this had <i>Spirited Away</i> vibes, and I definitely get that. This was great from start to finish! Full review to come next week.

I love how this sequel builds on the world that we originally got in Witches of Brooklyn. We get to see a little more of the witches that live in Brooklyn, we get a little more of Effie's magical training. It's just a great extension of that first book, which is always great to see!

The storyline about Effie's friendship changing with the introduction of someone new is a storyline that a lot of middle grade readers will relate to. It's always hard when your friends make new friends, and you can feel Effie's frustration with trying to deal with this. It's realistic, with a little bit of magic thrown in.

This is a really great middle grade graphic novel series, and I hope Escabasse keeps writing them!

Well this was adorable and emotional in probably the best ways possible. It felt very much like a teen novel, right down to the romance. There were some great discussions about queer identity, especially relating to bisexuality, and I am always here for that. Ollie and Will had great chemistry and even though their relationship wasn't always smooth sailing, it felt realistic for a relationship in high school.

The friends that Ollie meets when starting school in North Carolina are also well fleshed out, creating a fun little group where some of the relationships mirrored other ones. Ollie's relationship with Lara was probably the most interesting, especially since it seemed like they didn't hit it off at first. The evolution of their friendship was fantastic.

A lot of the emotional aspects come from Ollie's struggles with his aunt's cancer, and there are some really devastating scenes in here. They felt realistically portrayed, and I even felt myself tearing up at times listening to the audiobook.

The only thing I think I wish would have been done a bit better, and this could have been because I listened to it rather than read it, was clarity between the flashbacks and the current timeline. It always took me a minute when they were going back to the summer, which made things a little confusing.

All in all, if you're looking for something in the vein of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, this is definitely a book for you!