The art in this book is absolutely gorgeous. I thought that about [book:Witchlight|33534709] also. Zabarsky has this magical quality about her work that transports you to this world, with a beautiful color scheme to match. I love almost everything about this art style and will read any of her books because of that.

For the most part, the writing and the story matches the art. There are some heavy themes in this book, specifically focusing on cultural shifts and the need to changes things to suit the current population. The little society that's featured in this book is one very closed off from the rest of the world, and it shows in the fact that they're afraid of change. They need to be shown why this change can be a good thing for them.

Like in <i>Witchlight</i>, I do wish that some of the world building would have been a bit stronger. There are some aspects of this soceity that are unclear, partly because some of the world building happens in worldless frames. Which is totally fine! I think there are just some details that get a little lost in translation.

That being said, I think this is a graphic novel that will resonate with a lot of people, and the art is definitely worth the read. If you like witchy, magical graphic novels, you'll definitely want this one on your radar when it comes out on the 18th!

 Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this to review! Pet is such a gorgeously crafted novel, I was excited to see more from this world. I might need to re-read Pet now that I have this background information!

Before reading this, I felt like there was so much potential for this prequel. Emezi is truly a master at writing stories that parallel our own. There are so many conversations in this book about fighting back that are applicable to current society. One of the strongest messages in this book was that you don't have to be on the frontlines to help with a revolution. Bitter struggles with this concept throughout the entire book, and I appreciated this in the context of a young adult novel. Not all teens can afford to be on the frontlines of protests and such. But there are still ways they can contribute.

While you don't have read Pet before reading Bitter, I do think this book builds on the world from the first book. Or rather, it helps make the world easier to understand. Emezi could actually give us background on a number of other characters and I would read them all. I'm sure some of the main characters here have interesting backgrounds as well.

All in all, even though this is a short read, it packs a punch. Definitely one that should be on your TBR when it comes out in Feburary! 

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The way this parallels real world situations and brings in real world discussions is just beautifully done. I would say you probably don't have to read Pet before reading this, but you'll probably want to read Pet after reading this. Full review to come soon!

Lately, vampire stories in the YA realm have been a bit hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed the way Sterling imagined vampires in this one! The concept of the Death Oracle made for some interestinig twists to the way we typically image vampires. This is the second book where they focus on the fact that teenagers shouldn't be turned into vampires because their brains aren't fully developed, and I think Claire does a good job showing why. This book takes it further than the previous one, and I think it makes it more believable.

Both Elise and Claire have distinct voices throughout the book, and the way their relationship evolved felt realistic. I also appreciated the fact that Elise didn't realize she was queer until later in the novel, and the conversations about identity were on point. I love rep like this because queer identities aren't clear cut for everyone, and seeing characters who are also working to figure it out speaks volumes for teens who are also trying to figure it out.

There were a few things throughout the book regarding world building that could have been fleshed out a little more, but all in all, this is definitely an entertaining, enjoyable read!

I would definitely recommend this to people who like to play D&D because it 100% feels like a D&D game written into graphic novel format. Which makes it a fun adventure story, filled with a great cast of characters and some great action sequences. 

That being said, I wanted some of the writing to be stronger throughout the book. The art and the characters are really what carry the story, even though I felt like I was missing some of the background information about the world. Or maybe I just read the book too fast and missed something? Which could be entirely possible.

If you're a fan of role playing games, this is a graphic novel you'll definitely get a kick out of. There's a lot to enjoy here, and you'll be guaranteed to be enteratined if you pick it up!

Not a bad fantasy to start off the year with! I think Kemmerer really excels at writing character, and that's on display in this book. Tessa and Corrick both have great voices and their chemistry comes through nicely on the page. There is also a decent cast of side characters that really help to pull you into the story.

The plot is engaging enough to make you invested in the story. While the elements don't necessarily go outside of what you would consider a typical YA fantasy novel, the pacing was well done and the book didn't really seem to drag at any point. I'd actually recommend the audiobook because I think both of the narrators do a nice job bringing the characters to life.

Am I invested enough to read book two? I guess we'll see when it comes out! Lately it seems like I've been starting fantasy series and not following up with them.

I know everyone loves this, and honestly, I can see why! The art is absolutely gorgeous, all throughout the book. I loved the style and the subtle nature of the some of the illustrations. They work so well throughout the book to help tell the story they want to tell.

Despite the gorgeous nature of the art, the writing fell a bit flat for me. It was pretty rocky at the start, and while I do think it gets better the more you get into the book, I'm not sure it quite gets where it needs to be. Perhaps it's because it works better as a web comic? I don't know. Probably will still read the next volume, though!

Most of this felt pretty surface level to me, and overall, the text is really image heavy. Tamaki does such a great job with graphic novels, and I feel like that's what she should stick to? Either way, full review to come soon!

Everything that I said in my review back in January still stands in this re-listen! Given the current climate of LGBTQ book bannings, this book is so important. About a group of queer teens carving themselves a place where they might not otherwise be accepted. So many of Chloe's fellow students aren't out, so she's able to be a shield for those that don't feel safe to be out yet. There's just so much to love about this book, and I think everyone should read it!
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Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this to review! Casey McQuiston is absolutely one of my all-time favorite authors, and she’s written a YA! What isn’t to love? This is absolutely one of my most anticipated books of 2022. I am so happy to say that it lived up to the hype.

Best known for Red, White, & Royal Blue, McQuiston’s writing definitely lends itself well to a YA audience. McQuiston has a knack for writing great casts of characters that you fall in love with almost from the beginning. This is the cast for Shara Wheeler as well. What’s great about this book in particular is that none of the characters are who they were at the beginning of the book, in the best way possible. Growing up in this highly conservative, christian setting, this book is very much about finding yourself and finding a way to be yourself, even if everyone around you doesn't want you to be.

I said this when I originally posted my review on Goodreads, but this book is like a mashup of Footloose, Mean Girls, and Paper Towns. In like the best way possible. Maybe throw a little Breakfast Club in there. You get wrapped up in Chloe’s obsession to find Shara, but you also see how her journey to find Shara changes her. And how it changes Smith and Rory (arguably the best plotline, but that’s all I’ll say here). Once events really start to pick up, it’s difficult to put this book down.

I’ve seen some critiques for this book saying that Chloe is a bit selfish, which she is. She’s very much wrapped up in her own world for most of the book. But also, that’s the point? This is such a teenager thing, and it fit so well for Chloe’s character and her character arc. I am here to say we should no longer rate YA books down for portraying teenagers as accurate teenagers.

Anyway, it’s hard for me to rank McQuiston’s books, but I know that this one will absolutely make it on my re-read list. Which reminds me, I should re-read Red, White, & Royal Blue. It’s been too long. 
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This is like a combination of Footloose, Mean Girls, and Paper Towns, in the best way. I got to that second half and I couldn't put it down! Stay tuned for a full review to come next week.

I am torn about this one! I thought it had a bit of a rocky start, but it definitely picked up once all of the boys were in their respective places for the summer. Stay tuned for a full review to come next week!

I will admit, this book is difficult to put down once you start it. But fair warning: this one ends on a pretty big cliffhanger, so you'll probably be desperate for book 2! If you're looking for a character driven fantasy story filled with magic and curses and plenty of morally gray characters, this one definitely fits the bill.

The magic system is probably one of the best aspects of this story. It felt really unique and interesting. However, some of the overall world building in the book felt a bit disjointed and it became a little confusing overall. With that cliffhanger, though, I might be interested enough to pick up the rest of the series!