I'm actually super disappointed this didn't work out for me. It sounded so promising but there were problems from the start. Too many characters!!! We are almost immediately presented with am entire cast of family members,many of them having their own background we follow, and a lot of basic information about them. We don't actually really seem to get to know them well enough (at least imo) and everything feels surface level and I don't care about any of them. I usually like dual timelines, but here it was lacking. One was far more interesting and I found myself drifting off. The writing was fine but left a lot to be desired.

Short, cute, and sweet. I loved the theme/message of saving and preserving oceans/sea wildlife and I loved the subtle but adorable sapphic romance that was added. This had an important message that's perfect for a younger audience to read and understand!

I don't think I've given a fantasy a 5 star rating in a long time??!! But this was so deserving!! The characters were lively and well fleshed out, kiki was so cute, Shiori was headstrong, and they all felt multidimensional. The storyline itself was fresh, riveting, and there were so many magical elements woven throughout it that it was so easy to fall in love. The prose was beautiful and I could imagine everything perfectly. So so so lovely.

It was... interesting. It was incredibly depressing. It was one thing after another and it just had a negative vibe about it. The story is definitely that of a family just trying to survive and having to face so many obstacles, so maybe the dreary atmosphere is perfect. I just...can't 100% love a book that is just so bleak. Like 98% was bleak. The characters were also pretty flat and I just didn't care about them. Definitely a low 3 star rating but not quite bad enough to be a 2.

This book made me hungry. The recipes, the descriptions, everything just made my mouth water. I thought Emoni was a strong and bad ass character and I loved watching her grow and make her place in the world. Tyrone and his mother were so fucking annoying and so condescending to her like sir that's your daughters mama have some RESPECT. Anyways, I thought this was a great story of growth, relationships, and food.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this book, I'm walking away from it feeling...off. part of me did genuinely enjoy this and another found it off putting. I thought the characters were toxic 1000000% but the idea of wanting to sleep for a year and then leaving your old life behind was kinda relatable tbh. But I thought the narrator came off as whiney and irritating more than relatable.

Light spoilers- kinda

This was such a sweet read! I loved Gramma and nana rose and Lundy with my entire heart. Lundy is hands down one of the most best characters, his personality was iconic. I loved watching Del learn about the island/school and the life her gramma left behind. I didn't expect to tear up like I did at the end, but the reunion was so sweet!

I'm actually pretty disappointed in this! I was excited for this to come out but honestly, it was so boring. The characters were flat, the setting was basic, the storyline was was boring, and I wasn't even slightly scared when the weird stuff happened. It just felt like no actual heart or effort was put into making this story. There were so many opportunities to make this amazing but ultimately, it just wasn't good.

Everyone says they love Dorian but I found him to be horrible tbh. Maybe I read it wrong but from the first time we meet him he's soooo easily influenced by lord Henry or whoever his shit friend is and he begins to have a personality shift. I know it's about immorality, sins, selfishness, and all that stuff but... they just weren't likeable in any way. That being said, the message itself, the lyricism, the prose, and appreciation of the arts was pretty cool. The ending...oh my. Astounding, eerie, and atmospheric. Despite the character flaws, I think this is one of the best classics I've read. 4.5 stars!

Perfectly weird, atmospheric, and oddly kinda gross. Definitely speaks volumes about the evil of beauty culture and I thought it was an interesting concept to blend the evils of that with actual horror. The writing did switch up a bit for me and wasn't the best at times, which is why I'm docking it a point. But, it's rather unique and for that, it gets 4 stars.