Incredibly adorable book, that reminds us that something that others take for granted may be something that you're fantastic at. So don't let the nay sayers get you down.

*I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own*

It's incredibly refreshing to read a YA book that has College age protagonists, it feels like a rarity.

This book had me hooked from page one, or more specifically from the first time I heard Scarlett speak. I am a bit of a sucker for a lady with a southern drawl., which Sophie Amoss captured perfectly. I have no regrets about handing the physical book off to the next person waiting for it at the library, because I fell in love with Sophie's narration bringing Scarlett and Vivi to life. Enough so that I want to listen to it again.

I really enjoyed the use of New Age Magick being the cover for witches existing in real life, and it felt nice to see things that I use in my Practice being carried over to be part of this book. It is the kind of Fantasy Fiction I really wanted in my adolescence.

Also the description of things in this book were the kind of things that at points gave me chills because I could feel it on my skin as it was described.

This felt very similar to Legendborn by Tracy Deonn which I read recently, where the college is a cover for a secret society, but instead of the blatant racism we see towards Bree from those in The Order of the Round Table and the general lack of Diversity. We definitely see more diversity and acceptance within the racks of The Ravens. Which was interesting to experience overall.

Historical Graphic Novels have become a guilty pleasure. It is such an interesting way to consume history and pieces like this are so poignant in doing so the art allows for such a more intriguing story to be told.

This is a story I hadn't heard of before and found myself intrigued by, and I found myself immersed whole heartedly in this story of resistance and perseverance.

The last page left goosebumps on my arms.

A Beautiful collection of poems that made me feel empowered, and comforted.
In this day in age it's easy to feel pressured to meet all the expectations that are thrown at us, this is the type of book that you tab up so that when you need it you can flip to the poem you need.

This book doesn't fool around when it titles itself "The Japanese Art of the Cocktail" every photograph in the book is gorgeous I found myself staring wide eyed at the pictures, with the pandemic I had let my love of a beautiful cocktail fall to the side, as I don't really keep a large amount or variety of alcohol in my house it's not something that has been part of my quarantine.
Masahiro Urushido and Michael Anstendig's work makes me feel like this is something that I should be considering, taking time for myself and working to craft these beautiful masterpieces.

But even if finding some of the ingredients in these is impossible their are things that I learned about in here that I will be taking with me into the future, such as infusing alcohol with tea. There are some really mindblowing things in here.

We all know that Corporate Espionage is a thing, trying to steal industry secrets and what not. But in "The Spy Who Raised Me" this is taken to James Bond level.
This felt like stepping into my childhood once again, sitting way to close to the TV, as I watch transfixed by the show on it's screen.
I want to share it with every person I know, because it felt so nostalgic to enjoy something so completely.

4/5 ✰ {-1 star for not having enough bees)

When I began this book earlier this week, I felt like I was a on a merry go round as a bunch of children get it going at an insane speed that make you feel sick, but you can't get off because you're going so fast, and also you need to hold on desperately because the centripetal force does not care if you go flying off.
Having put it down and then come back to it later, I find it somewhat humorous to have had that feeling, and I'm sure I wouldn't have if I had been reading the physical book as opposed to listening to the audiobook. Because in my listening I missed the point of view change from Isabelle to Silva. Instead of my brain separating them out into different people, it was trying to put the pieces together to combine Isabelle and Silva into one continuous story.

But in coming back to finish this book I found myself entranced in the story about the 12 maidens and also Silva healing from her trauma and grief. It felt genuine, and made her a much more intriguing character, especially as she is faced with more troubles.

I think the story was incredibly interesting, I'm not sure I'd consider it a Thriller... Like the growth we see throughout the book makes me feel like it is a coming of age story, but that doesn't feel appropriate as Silva is in her 20s. But also with how Lampman dishes out the ending both in the Epilogue and Before. Doesn't give the same resonance. No matter the Genre this is an interesting read,
*I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own*

This book is definitely something that a younger Sam would have enjoyed way more than I could reading it now days. Just because my perception of the world has changed since High School.

This story has a very interesting concept and while it starts slow I do find myself wanting to learn more about the story of what happened to Cassandra's Mom, and what this magic system looks like. As well as getting to know more about the characters we see. But I feel like it falls short on so many fronts.

While this book talks a big game about feminism, it definitely doesn't feel intersectional. Especially when me hear what makes a sitter. "Who are the Sitters? Female. Young. Responsible. Highly Trained. Protective."
The fact that to be a sitter you are required to be female, rules out Cis-Men, and anyone assigned male at birth, and possibly Trans-Men.
Along with the very stereotypical traits of being Responsible and Protective. This book continues the expectations that Women are only of use when they are young, theoretically losing their powers as they grow older (leave child bearing age).

I also found myself gritting my teeth at the Mental Health depiction of Esme's Mom. This depiction felt like such a caricature of what Mental Illness is and doesn't work to normalize it in anyway.

Spoilers

Spoiler

Are we just going to throw Dion under the bus like that?
Like I get the fiction community has beef with Ginny Weasley getting brainwashed by Tom Riddle but like Dion gets a double hit.
He's left to take care of his sister who's basically the same age as him, gives him basically no respect has these magic powers she holds over his head and places their mother on a pedestal.

So when he is given the chance to theoretically get to know his dad, and then theoretically even more so bring him back into their lives he does so.
The story we see that lead up to this is muddled at best, and in reality we don't really hear how much Dion knew about what was going on.But Esme just chucks him to the side.

While Cassandra can just commit arson, and doesn't get a similar level of judgement.
It felt like there was very much a double standard going on in the judgement of characters in this book.

The first third of this book is literally the monotony of party planning, and while I can definitely relate to having no clue what is hip with "kids" my age. This was incredibly difficult for me to slog through, and it felt like I was being subjugated to some layer of hell. Especially as someone who has planned a convention and knows that magic or not you need a large team of people and weeks if not months of prep work beforehand,

Both the first and second third of this book is incredibly slow-paced. But if you can get through the party planning, you will at least be treated to some more insight into what Sitter culture, history, and practices look like. But in reality, you are left feeling like you didn't learn a lot, which really stinks given that The Summit was introduced as just the kind of place where we would learn that kind of thing.

I can't decide if it's because I'm not quite the demographic for this book or just Motives' choice. But I found it really hard to take the villain seriously. Like they felt like you could give them the level of credibility you would Dr. Doofenshmirtz, but they are actually a terrible person that will stab you,

I am definitely left with this really meh feeling, much like finishing the first book. Where I think the story is great, but the execution isn't there.