yeah um that was a masterpiece of a book thanks for the turmoil. i need the next book now

*4.5 stars

*4.5/4.75 stars

i have no clue how to understand this book, but i'm not at all surprised that i loved this book after the mess her other book, [b:The Wicker King|33158541|The Wicker King|K. Ancrum|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499702888s/33158541.jpg|53851691], made me. k. ancrum is an autobuy author, that's for sure.

if you like space, found families, pretty good enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance, and the last chapter that ripped my heart out and fixed it after it broke in the previous chapters, then you'll love this book. i promise.

edit: also!! i completely forgot about the cameo of her other characters from the wicker king in this book, i shed a good couple of tears. she knows how to string stories together and make me understand concept i thought i'd never be interested in.

this was good - good but disappointing
(triggers at the end)

this was still very interesting and had me interested enough to keep reading, and i read huge chunks when i did pick it back up, but at a point in the middle i didn't feel the tug to keep reading. all the characters were seperated somehow and there wasn't enough character focus for me?

something i loved in the short story collections i've read in this series was the focus on inner character monolgue and turmoil, in a sense. we got to read what the characters were feeling, thinking, what their intner reactions were versus their actual outward reactions. there wasn't much of that in this book, a lot of exploration of the world, and getting to know characters but from a more outside perspective. i think i just really enjoy being in character's minds, and particularly, in geralt's brain. but instead, we were following lots of characters; like dandelion and yennefer was incredibly intersting, but besides that, it wasn't much.

something i truly enjoyed, or rather someone, was ciri. i loved her introduction in [b:Sword of Destiny|25318857|Sword of Destiny (The Witcher, #0.7)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449159346l/25318857._SY75_.jpg|1877799] and knew i would love her the more she developed as a character. [chef's kiss] incredible stuff, and i loved being in her head as she grappled with training and her own trauma.

trigger warning for
assault, violence, grief, gore, death (not mc)

what the fuck was that..? wow.
(triggers at the end)

mrs. roanhorse, i dunno what you were tying to do here, but it most definitely hurt me in all the best ways possible. i need the next book now

the characters, the atmosphere, the setting... THE SETTING! this has to be one of the most beautiful, most interesting fantasy worlds i've ever witnessed. and the cultural aspects of indigenous culture was so wonderful to read about- very much insightful, past learnings in school could ever do for me. those characters were so beautifully woven, and i'm excited to see where xiala, serapio, and naranpa end up in the next book.

i'm so incoherent right now, that ending had me turning pages like i was the flash wtf.

trigger warnings for
racism, sexism, abuse, neglect, assault (physical, emotional, mental), death, graphic scenes of violence, gore, child abuse, grief

*3.5 stars
(triggers at the end)

this was fantastic. it showed the sides to police brutality that would only be heard from stories of those who'd lived it, and this book very much tells that story in the forefront. like other books in this subgenre of hard-hitting contemporary, it looks at the tough, and difficult aspect to police brutality, gang violence, and racism that plague the lives of black people and our journey day in and day out. something i thought to myself while reading this was how close to home it all hits, sometimes it got overwhelming with it.

but then honestly, ask most black folk, and we'll have similar answers: it hits close to home for expereiences we deal with in our white, eurocentric, homogenous society.

besides the message, i thought it was well-written and gripping, but i found myself connecting with the characters kind of shallowly. we had similar experiences, but i wasn't connecting with them like i would in other ways, like their personalities weren't fleshed out incredibly much or their relationships, past the brotherly relationship between marvin and tyler. that was magnificent and heartbreaking to read about.

trigger warnings for
racism, colourism, police brutality, gang violence, drug/alcohol abuse, death of a loved one, grief

i'm sorry but the white people here had the audacity.. the CAUCASITY!
(triggers at the end)

the way my brain was hurting during the last 40% of this book, listening like my life depended on it like HUH? what the hell was going on through the end; the way i had to go back so many times just to make sure i was hearing it correctly ... anyways

miss alyssa cole, i am SHOCKED and BAMBOOZLED! that was a good ass thriller, you really pulled the stops out and i listened.. i was LISTENING

RE-READ 02/05/2021 - my favourite book of all time? maybe. just maybe
(triggers at the end)

no words.... i don't know how to form words to describe how much this book got to me. this book got me, twisted my heart a million times, then gave me a pat on the back and sent me onwards in my life merrily.

read this if you want some witchy, small island sisters. a tight-knit family, a small little mystery, sapphic women, and a healthy conversation surrounding rape culture and sexual assault. this book really did it all, wow.

trigger warnings for
sexual assault, violence, trauma, death of an animal, slut shaming

DNF @ 40%

sorry i am just not enjoying this :( at the rate it was going, i would've given it about a 2.5, at the highest eep. and not to mention my audible app is busted idk and kept stopping the audiobook; maybe if i had a physical edition, i'd continue, but not for right now at least.

also the lying and keeping information felt only harmful to me.