3 stars, purely for the fact that I kind of knew what I was getting into beforehand. I was aware of the heavy anime influence, soapy tone, the tropey focus on morality, and some kind of body horror mixed into the dark magic. (Dare I say it’s a packaged deal?) As fun as this book could sometimes be, I was still disappointed. I don’t think the story was aware of how one-dimensional or cheesy it could be. 

I can see why people liked the characters because I think at least the POV characters are distinct, and entertaining on-page, but most of the cast functions best in a group dynamic than on their own. What I DON’T understand though is how readers still can’t name main characters they disliked when Alexander is RIGHT THERE! took him ALMOST THE ENTIRE BOOK TO APOLOGIZE FOR BULLYING THE CATBOY FOR TENS OF PAGES(I know Iori has a name, I remember it bc I kind of loved how dramatic his entire story/arc was, but it’s funnier to refer to him that way). I did NOT see wtf Tatiana meant when she said those two “had a homoerotic rivalry” like I’m sure there’s that one scene where they dueled, but then Alexander kept purposefully trying to rile up Iori and get his powers to go haywire so he could “prove how much of a monster Iori was” STFU! (I guess I can see his motives but even at that point wasn’t it overkill haha?)

(was that just a bit about Tatiana trying to see some kind of not platonic subtext in people she thinks are interesting, though? bc from the getgo Iori was obviously going to get with Ellen, so it’s not a dynamic that’s entertained…)

And the magic was a little awkward in novel form. Magic transformations and magical girl anime/shonen-esque spells are pretty prominent but played completely seriously. It was silly. (Based on the author’s note, though, I think that specific element was something she was aware of?)

I don’t have much else to say besides that? I predicted both major twists: who was the Keeper Of The Heart, and the identity of the guy in Iori’s memories, but in the case of the latter I think it added more intrigue, and I was looking forward to seeing the characters piece it together. Can’t say the same about the former, that was painfully on-the-nose. But at least I got a laugh or two out of the speculation. Despite my criticisms, this wasn’t a horrible book to me (outside of Alexander I can’t name many character choices that were nonsensical, and oddly, the overall tropey-ness of story made the Ellen x Iori romance work?!??). I just thought it was very stereotypical. 

Also, would’ve worked better in a manga/anime format tbh! I heard making a manga was the original plan, but I hope the author’s going through with an adaptation at least. 

*******

pre-review:
I’M FREE i’ll put up a review at some point

settling on 4 stars for this! Overall a solid, very personal memoir. Provided a valuable (and pretty vulnerable) look into Palestinian identity. I was interested in how the different countries he’s lived in, and his lived experience as a refugee, affected his cultural and personal identity especially. (I’m gonna overuse that word a bit in the first part of my review, but it’s for a reason. Give me a moment and some mercy.) There are a couple of points and thoughts about that, especially how identity can be created/manufactured, that are going to stick in my head for a while.

In my general opinion, I liked the second half more(although of course, the first half pulled me in). Maybe I’m biased because it talks more about (intersectional) queer issues, especially as Madian starts doing activism work. But aside from that! I was moved by how Madian and his family’s feelings around loss were written. I loved the poem from one of his brothers that was included. (Probably also biased, as someone who’s lost a father.) 

(Also, I liked the stories the author was able to find about his family tree. Not only were they interesting, but they showed a lot of the resilience and pride in his culture present throughout the novel.)

The structure wasn’t entirely linear, notably towards the end, which I struggled with at points. But this is also a memoir—meant to talk about the emotionally significant parts of someone’s life rather than tell a neatly structured narrative, I’m not going to let it affect my rating.

The only downside I can think of is that unfortunately the writing was too straightforward at times. There were instances where parts in the author’s life would be summarized rather than detailed, which took away some of the impact. Although, how much that style is going to bother the reader definitely varies based on the person.

Perhaps I’ll give this 3.5 stars?? I’m not sure. (Probably not.) But to be honest, although this was only a 3 star read for me, this was a very entertaining 3 stars. I was still engrossed in the mystery and tenseness of the time loop from beginning to end! 

Take my enjoyment with a grain of salt, though! Part of that is definitely because I’m a nonbinary person named Drew who’s not much older than the character in this book with my name, and I also kind of related to them. (Either way, they were my favorite of the POVs.) The meta-ness of reading this beginning to end was both delightful and mildly distressing!

With that said, I have my reasons for keeping this at 3 stars. While I appreciate this sticking true to the rules of dark academia and actually critiquing the institutions it takes place in, the commentary was *very* heavy-handed. A lot of it felt surface-level—more like talking points than room for proper discussion, which was a shame, because practically all of its main characters are in the margins and have their own way of being wronged or ignored by Archwell Academy. 

(Also, some of the mystery was predictable.)

And the other reviews have pointed this out before me, but the ending was incredibly abrupt. I have several questions about the altered reality in the end of the novel. And one other factor I won’t name for spoilery reasons. 

Final criticism: Every main character had something to like about them, except for Rory!! I don’t care about her trauma and her reasoning. Her “redemption” was super rushed, her motives for most of the book were just “wanting to be like her mom” because of the power and respect she commanded, despite the harm she inflicted on other students being pretty noticeable throughout the loop, and it got a little repetitive reading that in her POV. And it still feels like an excuse for everything?? Fine, she’s a teenage girl with mommy issues and little knowledge about how her actions hurt people, but…still.

I don’t think I’d recommend this out of the blue unless I encounter a specific kind of YA reader I know would love this story(I’m thinking of a particular friend/cousin figure who might enjoy this, actually), but maybe I’ll pick this up again in the future if I’m looking for a book I’ve already read and know what happens in. (The irony!! But also, reading’s a coping mechanism for me, so you never know.)

Fun overall—the mix of fantasy elements and hijinks made it pretty obvious that the author grew up watching fairytale-inspired adventures, but I don’t really have anything special to say about this book? Aside from Fable’s magic, the story felt pretty typical, and I thought the friendships important to her development were rushed. However, I think kids within the target demographic will gain a lot from this, and like it more than I did. 

Intriguing in concept, rushed and flowery to a nearly incomprehensible degree in execution. I bumped up my rating to a 2 stars because thought the ending portion redeemed it, albeit not by much. So many things happened without much flow or proper development to connect them. The fantasy elements certainly didn’t help, they were either nonsensical(in the case of the caemi) or unclear(in the case of Tychon’s ghost, and the secret society/cult making people ascend to angelhood). Some of the concepts were interesting, and there were the starts to some genuinely intriguing or great story elements—like Adair’s relationship to Veaer, and the moral conflict central to the plot. But so much of this was just vibes. It’s sold as dark academia, but it’s missing the academia critique, so there’s just a bunch of pretty, creepy gothic imagery. What on earth was going on with the butterfly imagery/metaphors?? They kept popping in and out. And what about when they were supposedly in Veaer’s chest cavity, despite her being alive?!?! Was that metaphorical????

I also think this being placed in the world of Tell Me How It Ends without that context being given to the readerbase beforehand(this is sold as a standalone on the author’s Instagram) hindered the worldbuilding. Different terms and kinds of magic weren’t given much explanation. It’s even unclear when this takes place?! Because it’s clear from the last names that this is about the descendants of the TMHIE cast, there’s even statues of them important to Adraredon’s history, so how far in the future is this?? 

The characters were flat as paper. I barely gathered enough traits to be able to call Adair a “favorite”. The dialogue is frequently robotic, not a single thing outside of their attendance of and activities inside the academy is known about these characters, and Veaer’s characterization is essentially built around her obsession with Elise. (And I know this isn’t a characterization issue but, god, the run-on sentences. They were so frequent it sometimes stressed me out.) Which in the  beginning, is completely impossible to pinpoint a reason for. She barely knows this girl, doesn’t have many emotionally significant or vulnerable scenes with her, and basically only knows that she’s pretty and powerful. Also that she murdered her friend. But because of this, Tychon’s murder, and Elise asking Veaer to “help figure out his death” was basically the only thing that drew them together.  

Also, what the hell was going on with Tychon’s ghost??? His motives were super unclear. Did he still care for Elise after death because he was kind of in denial? Why did he choose to haunt Veaer?? Did he hope she’d seek justice?? What were his emotions about any of this?!?!?!?!

I was hoping to find this better than the reviews made it out to be, but this felt too much like a draft. If this had gone through more rounds of editing, I think it could be a gripping, creepy story. It feels weird to be so harsh about an indie, but there were genuinely so many technical and story issues that made it difficult to enjoy this.

Dear god this was a reading experience like no other. I would not like to experience this again.

Another massively entertaining addition to the Witchlings canon!! I unfortunately can’t gush as much about the friendship as I did in my review with the first book, since the main trio was in a miscommunication-caused conflict for a bulk of the first half (unfortunately reasonable/relatable, they also did just get close. That kind of friendship might be strong, but not entirely unbreakable). That did mean we got to spend more time with Seven only, which while that might be a bummer for some people, personally I was interested in how she’d handle her anxieties and new responsibilities. There’s still a lot that hasn’t been covered in that arc/aspect, but I expect it’s going to be wrapped up either next book or in the end of the series(whenever that may be).

The stakes were a little higher for this book, too! Now there wasn’t a risk of toadification but death. Oof. (None of the main trio dies though, don’t worry.) The conflict wasn’t as connected to the main cast as the first book’s was, but that’s not to say it was unrelated, since it went hand in hand with the theme of Spare rights this book(and also Thorn being scapegoated). Honestly, so far I think the series is going a pretty good job at both showing Seven, Thorn and Valley making Spare history and helping others like them gain visibility, while also still needing more protection for them and their coven. (I’m sure the creator being an author of color definitely helps.)

I’m also noticing a reoccurring theme of a mystery relating to the main plot! I’ve been enjoying trying to solve the solutions before the end(this one I actually was able to guess!), but if it’s going to be continued in the next book(s) I hope it doesn’t become formulaic.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, even if I think the first book is slightly better: For instance, Valley had an introduced love interest/girlfriend this book, and there wasn’t much time to know Graves as a character before that?? There are some other characters that are significant to the main cast that, while they had a role in the story, I don’t think they had the time to be as fleshed out.  Anyhow. Sequels are always at a disadvantage, though, because they don’t have the privilege of being wholly original! I’m still going to be reading book 3(and, ideally, not fight a 9 year old for a library copy).

This was a fun book!! I enjoyed the lived-in feel of the setting (even if sometimes it was definitely an excuse for the author to gush about Wellesley), as well as how the variety of arospec and acespec experiences were shown. Even with the two protagonists, although most of their bond was able to happen because of their shared aroace label, their experiences were vastly different. (Sophie’s dealing with the expectations forced onto her as an immigrant child and how that’s made her parents doubt or deny her sexuality, Jo grew up with gay moms and in a good environment to be queer but isn’t as comfortable in her sexuality as Sophie is.)

The screenshots throughout also added a layer of immersion, the accuracy in the rep of pointless online arguments and being terminally online was very amusing.

I do, however, wish there was more development in the characters!! Jo and Sophie’s friendship doesn’t feel organic until around the latter half because a lot of the conversations they have outside of aroace-ness are summarized instead of given on-page time. I wanted to root for them earlier on!! And some of the conversations about relationships and sexuality felt juvenile. I can partially excuse this because of the target demographic and the characters barely being adults, but in other moments it felt a little too silly.

(However!! We still got a platonic version of a dramatic rainy love declaration and I was a little obsessed with that)

Still though, this was a sweet, funny read. I hope all kinds of aspec people get some value out of this. I’m only questioning tbh so I can’t really contribute(not fully aro but under that umbrella), but there were still some lovely feels to feel. So. 

Of all the genres I’ve read and places I’ve looked, never once did I think that one of my favorite books of all time would end up being a children’s (middle grade) book. I remember seeing something about this in a random corner of Bookstagram last year, and I’ve postponed this on my pile because the subject matter made me nervous. While I understand if some people have to take breaks from the often graphic recollections Rowan writes, or if they might never get around to reading this at all, I don’t regret reading “the ship we built” at all.

The mind and thoughts of a child is so expertly captured in Rowan as a character. I’m sure part of this has to do with the author basing him somewhat off of themself at his age, but it’s still a skill I think is worth acknowledging. Putting you directly in Rowan’s shoes also makes the 90’s Midwest setting feel seamless. I heavily empathized with him…his loneliness, his preservation of his moments of joy, his sadness. Especially when he would directly address the reader. I cannot count how many times I wished to respond to his letters, fight his parents, or hug him. 

Because of how young the POV is (ten years old), and how the writing style has to be simple to accommodate that, there was a quiet profoundness throughout. Rowan might not know how to put himself, the love he has for his friend, and all of the emotions that come with living in the Beck household into words sometimes. It can definitely show. But the largeness of those feelings is still felt in all the pages. The love he had for his friend Sofie, and the way she cared for him just as much, brought a bit of light to an otherwise heartbreaking narrative. To see that kind of innocent queer love, too, was beautiful. 

Another thing I loved was how Rowan’s gender identity was written. For the first part of the book, he is still trying to figure out how he wants to refer to himself, something made harder by both his age and the hostility of his environment. He cycles through many names, as shown in the variations of sign-offs in his letters. Sometimes, particularly in the middle, his sign-off signatures can even be a signifier of his current mental state or emotions.

And the drawings, too!! I loved them so much. Not only were they precious, but they added a little more life to Rowan’s narrative because it meant you could more easily envision the different people, objects and places he was talking about. Rowan also evolves through his art, which goes on to show how he sees himself or wishes to be. It was a nice touch.

Anyways. I can’t recommend reading this in one sitting—not just because of just how upsetting the story can be, but also because this is very slow-paced. It feels like a recollection of several normal days, with the letters dated and spaced out in a way to feel like you’re watching the story unfold in real time. If you’re looking for something with a high-stakes final act, or a climactic ending, you’re not going to find one. But I would still give this book all the stars I possibly could, because if it touched my heart and soul on this level, I can’t imagine what it can do for people who know, or perhaps are themselves, a Rowan. 

Not sure whether to settle on 3.5 or 3.75(my designated “fun rating”unless explicitly stated otherwise), but I’m going with the lower option because this was more of a disappointment. It took a while for me to get used to this being a different kind of sibling story than I expected—despite this featuring both sisters on the cover, they’re apart for most of the book—but I acclimated to that aspect at least. I feel like their parallels excused them having arcs separate from each other. (Even if I was a little bummed.)

I predicted the twist villain ahead of time. Even before he became an enemy of Ophelia’s, he was a gross human being, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from an entitled misogynist. That seemed intentional, but I still don’t think there was anything spectacular about the kind of villain he was. He was a little cartoonish.

I wish Ophelia’s other half sisters had been fleshed out more, the island portion felt strangely paced. (Some part of the Cray’s Island wonkiness definitely has to do with the fantasy elements in this book being scarce, though. That also made the “curse” part confusing!! I couldn’t tell which “curses” were legitimate, overthinking, or metaphorical.) I also wanted to see more development for Ravi, his romance with Betsy was incredibly quick and didn’t give the readers time to start rooting for them to get together.

I’m not sure where in my review to put this, but I think the author really nailed the familial grief! (Sure, I would’ve appreciated being able to go without getting some flashbacks to my *own* parent’s death, but that’s a me problem.) Even if the impact wasn’t mentioned very much in the POVs, I appreciated when it was. But I would appreciate a less cryptic trigger warning list at the beginning of the book.

Anyhow. Even if this doesn’t do anything particularly new with the pirate adventure genre(besides having one of the protagonists be asexual and implied aro), I still enjoyed myself for most of the time I read this. It delivers on what it promises to: action, some family drama, high stakes(with surprisingly graphic violence), and of course, piracy. I can be a little disappointed with the delivery, but that’s it.

Checked this out on Queer Liberation Library because there were unlimited copies of the audiobook(and a friend had recommended this last year☺️), and it was so cute!! Incredibly affirming to trans and fat bodies, and I loved how important self expression was to Sam and Lily’s relationship. Despite this being very short, both characters felt rounded out, and everything from their interactions to the setting of Moony’s felt very real! (Something that was definitely helped by Sam’s narration feeling pretty conversational.) (Also, I loved Sam in general! They felt like a funhouse mirror of my own experiences as a nonbinary person. Their conversations and thoughts about gender resonated so hard.)

Oh, and speaking of Sam and Lily, their chemistry was off the charts?? Phew.

Honestly, this was delightfully queer and I’m glad to have this be my first introduction to Anita Kelly! Some parts in Lily’s thoughts felt a little repetitive I admit, but I still really enjoyed this.