*4.5 stars
kenji is the world's best boy, yes.

reading this made me incredibly anxious but also quite hopeful. the main character, ariel, had a bunch of issues going for him over his senior year of high school, and learning to balance all of that on top of making time for outside activities showed to be a great deal harder than he thought.

overall, a very enjoyable book with lots of slice-of-life elements showing ariel and his friends, as well as him with his incredibly close and incredibly jewish family. the rep was very sweet and nice to read about, and though i myself am not jewish nor a senior in high school, the anxiety surrounding living up to family expectations as well as keeping your head over water with school and social lives was relatable.

honestly, i really did enjoy the story. lagged a little during the middle, and the decisions ariel makes during the last half of the book seemed a little ridiculous when thinking about the rest of his character arc, i think it held up well.

romance-wise, since the blurb on the front by becky albertalli says "wise" and "romantic", took a backseat at times. it was pretty run of the mill, though adorable, and i wish there was more to ariel and amir's relationship beyond the surface moments we do get.

a nice read, i found it perfect for the change of seasons right now haha. as i'm wrapping up my sophomore year of university right now, i found myself calmed by ariel's arc. would recommend!

you had me in the first half, then you REALLY had me.

anyways book 2 will destroy the world, i just know it. i just KNOW it will. i dunno what to do now.

the beginning felt very much like the start to a series; all the set-up, building up to what we need to know before any real action were to start. things would happen, yeah, but the information and more setting up would be added and i felt out of the story.

the second half really HAD ME, though. i'm sat here speechless over so much that happened near the end, we were thrown for a loop for sure.

also, you can't tell me that not every single character here is bisexual. they are ALL bisexual, i sense it. this is THE queer hub, with like 4 characters on page stating they're queer .... yes this is what i've been waiting for. thank you, queen christine.

*3.5 stars, but i can easily bump it up every time i think of the characters.

quite easily, this was a fully character-driven book with a scenic backdrop, and the plot held my attention well enough. the setting of paris in the 1800s, with the balls and dance rooms, was a great touch that upped my enjoyment of the overall story, but the characters is where i felt the story truly thrived.

there were characters i found myself incredibly attached to from the get-go: enrique with his burning need for the validation and acceptance in where he felt he belonged. and laila in her past that weaved into her present, as well as her sweet and caring personality. and tristan, though i feel he deserved much more development besides from ehat séverin offered us in their past, he was soft and precious.

i wished for more from zofia, but i still adored her intellect and points where jokes kinda went over her head, that was an adorable touch. séverin, our main character, falls into this ploy as well. he was SO well-developed, but i couldn't find myself empathizing with him until the very end.

one character i had no qualms with loving was hypnos, he charmed me every time he opened him mouth. i want so much more from him omg

the dialogue was the strong suit, emphasizing the bond these character had with each other, but i felt the plot and the magic system needed more.

this didnt feel like a first book in a series with the world-building, like we were meant to understand what forging was from the start. i would have the reread the parts where it was explained to understand it better, which i wish didn't need to be a factor.

all in all, since i'm more into character-driven books than plot-driven ones, i found myself enjoying it enough.

*4.5 stars

i... i dunno what to do with myself after that ending but firestarter HERE WE COME