“The clan is my blood, and the Pillar is its master.
On my honor, my life, and my jade.”

Just remembered I never ended up reviewing this!

This was good. And I understand that, since I'm literally the last person to have finally read this, I might as well have just told you I just realized the sky is blue but whatever. This book was really, really good.

I actually tried to read Jade City years ago, back when I really only read YA, and couldn't get into it. Even though I dnf'd it, I'd planned on trying again someday and I'm so glad I did. Through the years, I've heard so many people talk about how unique the reading experience of this book is, how immersive the writing style and vibrant the characters. They were all right.

If I feel this invested and connected in book 1? I can only imagine how I'll feel with the following installments.

Overall, this was fantastic, I should have read it sooner, and finishing this trilogy is now a very big priority. 

“This is a love story to its blade-dented bone.”

Going to do a very brief review of this one because I don't fully know how to put my thoughts into words.

I'm not the first and definitely won't be the last person to say that this book was masterfully crafted, from the world-building to the character work to the way the different themes are included and the use of first, second, & third person. There's so much this book did right and I don't want to go further without acknowledging that.

With that being said, I really disliked it.

I genuinely struggled with nearly every aspect of it. Sometimes, I felt like I was getting held away from the story and all I could see was the prose. I saw the talent in the writing, but I also didn't really connect with the writing style. The pacing felt off. The characters - though given a lot of character work - felt one-dimensional and empty to me.

As I'm saying all of this, I want to acknowledge that not every book is for everyone and I picked this one up because so many reviewers I respect love it. I totally get why! I also understand the different methods of storytelling implemented in this book and I'm in no way trying to insinuate that there was anything wrong with it.

It was just very wrong for me.

Overall, I see why this is as beloved as it is. I think it was incredibly impressive and I really, truly wish I could have liked it more.

I liked this!! 

There were a lot of unique, interesting plot elements and the twists from the original story felt both meaningful and well-done. 

This book was also quite boring and confusing at times. As for confusing, I will take some of the blame for that as I thought this was a standalone and have not read the companion novel. But for such a short story, I was almost surprised by how often I had to stop my mind from wandering and focus on the book again. 

Overall, this was nice. It's got a lot of really neat, well-crafted elements; but I probably won't think of it again. 

I've been trying to get into this book for years, switched formats no less than five times, and I think it's finally time I admit to myself that this book just simply isn't for me. 

“If longing is madness, then none of us are sane.”

Not much to say about this one other than the fact it was very okay 🤷‍♀️

I get why this one is so beloved, it's a very traditional YA forbidden love story with sapphics and the discussions of what makes us human at the core. In that sense, I thought it was lovely.

However! I was also very, very bored and never found myself connecting with anything. This is probably personal taste more than anything else, but everything felt rather bland or like it was trying to be poetic and just sounded like an old Tumblr post. Which isn't bad! Just not for me!

Glad I finally got around to this one as it has been on my tbr for literal years, but I do not think I will be carrying on with the duology unless I get very bored. 

"As the sun sets, stone gargoyles and bronze statues tear away from their buildings and plinths to hunt people through the streets."

This may be the most predictable book I have ever read.

It was also a pretty unique premise with a rich atmosphere, that almost made up for how completely expected every. single. plot-point was. I know this book is YA and therefore, sometimes needs to be a bit on the simpler side when it comes to plotting. But this almost felt like I asked an algorithm to come up with YA plot-twists, if that makes any sense.

There were moments that I felt really disappointed because I felt what the book could have been. I just wanted more. More depth to the characters, to the mythology, even to the evil gargoyles. This book is 336 pages and as such, it can feel incredibly rushed at times.

Still! It's a fun, quick read with mythology and evil gargoyles and complex family dynamics. It wasn't perfect, but if you go into it like it's a Disney movie, maybe, you won't mind the less fleshed out aspects.

Overall, I definitely wouldn't recommend this to someone that struggles with YA, but if you're looking for a quick, easy, atmospheric read and don't mind the most basic plot-twists to ever plot-twist give it a try!

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Super cute read, if a bit chaotic at times.

Pitched as John Wick meets Eloise at the Plaza, this book is about a girl who lives in a sanctuary hotel for spies. It takes place in a different version of our world, where all people have "Knacks" (basically... a metaphysical cutie mark). Some people are Normal and others are a part of "the Life". We follow Beatrice, the daughter of a famous spy, as she is coming into herself and dreaming of following in her mother's footsteps - despite her parents' own concern at the danger.

And as I said, this was super cute. Beatrice was a fun character, her interactions with the hotel and its inhabitants were fun, and I loved how original this was. There were moments that captured a John Wick energy for kids so well that it really was impressive.

It was also a bit messy. There were a lot of plot points that got brought up and then dropped, things that seemed like they would have pretty big consequences and then just... didn't. I also felt like this book struggled with its tone, trying to walk a line between childish whimsy and violence. It's an ambitious task and at times it was really well executed, others... not so much.

Overall, I still liked this. It might not have been perfect, but I thought it was cute and Rosaria Munda isn't really capable of writing a bad book. 

“It wasn’t the end that mattered, but every word leading up to it.”

lovely premise with an arguably less lovely execution.

I want to start by saying that I get why so many people love this. The idea of stumbling upon the town from your favorite books when you need it most is a beautiful thought, like finding yourself in Star's Hollow after the worst year of your life. There's something so beautiful about getting to be there for a world the way it was for you. Truthfully, those were the only aspects of the book I liked.

Everything else... oh boy.

The writing style is terribly redundant and self-indulgent. From the repeated "minty eyes" catastrophe to two characters clenching their hands into fists in the same paragraph to an insane amount of repeated phrases (such as, "perish the thought"), I was repeatedly hit over the head by how much I wish this book had been written slightly differently.

I also struggle with grumpy x sunshine, especially when the man is grumpy (usually just code for obnoxious asshole issues) and the woman is sunshine (usually quirky to an alarming point) and this book did not prove me wrong. It's also an incredibly hard line to walk for the author to convince me their feelings are changing and in this one, the chemistry felt so forced.

Not to mention the first time they kiss, she says he tastes like onion rings. I get it. I get why this was meant to be comforting. I would rather not have read it though :)

This might have been a 2.5 rating if not for the end. I won't go into spoilers, but damn. This isn't about the plot reveal, but about everything that happens afterwards. What the actual heck.

One final thing I wanted to mention, I did feel like the BIPOC were talked about slightly odd in here, but as I'm not in either of the communities mentioned, I can't speak on it. I did want to include it here, because ignoring it felt weird.
To put it briefly: The only Black character we meet (unless I missed the description of another character, which I very well could have) is an older lady running the diner and Eileen immediately thinks she looks like she's the town therapist, carrying everyone's problems on her shoulders. Then, there's a Samoan character that's described as "always wearing Hawaiian vacation shirts, with the charisma of Dave Bautista and the swagger of Dwayne Johnson."

Overall, I get why this book means a lot to certain people, but I just couldn't make it through my issues with it. 

At some point, this year will normalize and I will get better at staying on top of reviewing.

This one was cute and cozy, with enough stakes to keep the reader invested. The selling point for this book is the cozy, wholesome, cottagecore vibes and the childhood-friends-to-? dynamic between characters from two different worlds. It got a bit boring at times, but it was short enough that these times were easy enough to push through.

Not a new favorite, but still a fun time. 

"My heart spoke for me without any input from my mind. To be loved. To be touched. To be free. I yearned for it with every piece of me, the desire as strong as any hunger or thirst I’d ever felt."

Honestly confused on how to review this because I really liked it and I'm not entirely sure why?

Let me explain: this book is - in many ways - everything I dislike in a fantasy book, from the predictability to the asshole love interests to the inclusion of trials. And yet! I had a great time with this.

Something about it was incredible readable and even though I knew exactly where the plot was going the whole time, I didn't actually mind? I was having enough of a good time in the world and with the characters (who weren't even that revolutionary, mind you) that I didn't mind it being super cliche.

So. Do I recommend this? I'm not entirely sure lol. The only coherent thought I truly have is that - as far as writing style and plot progression goes - if you enjoyed The Prison Healer trilogy and are looking for an adult fantasy, you might really like this one.

I'm pleasantly surprised & slightly befuddled by my enjoyment of this book, but I managed to finish it during this hellish reading slump and for that, I'm grateful.