This book was, for the most part, cute and fun and very readable. There were a few things that kept me from rating it higher.


What I liked:

1. The relationship between Jase and Samantha. It was very sweet and fun, although I wouldn’t have minded if they’d been ‘just friends’ for awhile longer.

2. Tim. I really liked his character a lot. I loved his growth and that it felt realistic. He wasn’t ‘fixed’ by the end of the book. He was still battling with his demons, but the important thing was that he was still battling.

3. George. I loved George and all his little factoids and sensitivities. It kind of reminds me of my own son.

4. Tim and Jase’s friendship. I wish we’d gotten more of this, because the scene near the end where Tim calls out Samantha was probably one of my favorites in the entire book. I love that they go from being a little antagonistic toward each other to being good friends who are there for each other.



What I didn’t like:

1. Some of the side characters were under-developed. Not every character needs to be this fully fleshed-out, deep, complex person. That being said, some of the side characters ended up just being a little one-dimensional. Nan is an over-achiever with self-esteem and jealousy issues. Joel is the older, flirty, broody brother. Clay is the oily two-faced politician. All of the younger Garrett kids (with the exception of George) are just kind of there in order to illustrate the vast differences between Samantha’s family and Jase’s. Tracy is the rebellious older child. There just isn’t much under the surface of any of them.

2. Samantha’s mother. She was probably one of the most snotty, snobby, hypocritical, piece-of-garbage characters I’ve ever read about. I hated her from beginning to end, and I didn’t buy her ‘redemption arc’ in the slightest. It got to the point where she began to feel like a caricature instead of a well-written character.

3. The ending. I was going through this book generally happy, with the exception of how much I hated Samantha’s mom and her mom’s boyfriend, until the even happens near the end of the book. Not only did I hate the way Samantha dealt with the situation, I also hated that there were almost no real repercussions. It was a figurative slap on the wrist that felt very unrealistic to me. I don’t care how decent a human being you are, you don’t let things like that go.

4. The length. This book could’ve been much shorter than it was. The end became very repetitive. The same conversation was had several times. The same thoughts and concerns were stated over and over again. I wish it had been pared down a bit.

I saw that there is a companion book following Tim and I am all over it. I did like a lot of things about this book, even if it felt like it lost its way near the end.

I’ve had this book on my shelves for probably close to a year. If I’d known how much I’d enjoy it I would’ve picked it up immediately.

This book was fun and entertaining, with an cute and angsty romance that left me with a big dumb grin on my face.

What I liked:

1. An Aladdin retelling told through the POV of the jinni? Yes, please! I thought the author did a good job at incorporating parts of the source material while still creating her own story.

2. World Building. I thought the author did a nice job creating this world. It felt rich and lush and I would love to read another story set in this world.

3. Characters. At first, I wasn’t really feeling Aladdin’s character, but as he and Zhara spent more time with each other I warmed up to him. I thought she was a great character and loved how the author revealed her past to us in such an organic way. It didn’t feel info-dumpy in the slightest.

4. The romance. I really liked the slow-burn, angst-filled romance between these two characters. It’s one of the better ones I’ve read recently.

5. It’s not a series! Yes, there is a short prequel (I believe it’s novella-length) but for all intents and purposes, this book is a standalone, which I think is awesome. This story with these characters didn’t need to be three books long. This was the perfect length to create an engaging and satisfying story. It’s probably one of my favorite standalone fantasies.

6. Girl Power and friendships. I loved Caspida and her Handmaidens, and also the friendship that grows with them and Zhara. There isn’t all the negativity that usually accompanies these types of books, and I really appreciated that. Plus, all these ladies are badasses, and it makes me so happy!


What I didn’t like:

1. There were a few moments where the pacing felt a bit off and it felt just a little slow near the end. Even though the tension was building, there were a couple of scenes that could’ve been shortened a bit.

2. I wish we’d gotten more of Aladdin’s background before he wishes to be a prince. He wasn’t as developed in the beginning as I wanted, and it may have helped to get a little more of his background fleshed out.

I don’t have much in the way of critiques. Was it a perfect book? No. But I was super entertained by it. I feel like it was a case of the right book at the right time. I will check out more from this author in the future.

This is the first Holly Black book I’ve read. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I have to say I’m still not sure what I think about it.

What I liked:

1. The atmosphere. I think the dark, creepy fairy tale vibe is really intriguing.

2. The premise. I haven’t read many fae stories, and I liked that the human characters in this book were aware of the fae. It wasn’t some huge shock to them that they exist. Tales of them are told very candidly and I really liked all the little anecdotes told by different townspeople.

I also liked the idea that Hazel had made a deal with a fae for her brother.

What I didn’t like:

1. Pacing. After the intriguing opening, I found myself bored. Not a lot really happens in this book. Then at the end, we’re treated to a couple of chapters that felt really info-dumpy to me.

2. Lack of focus. I say this specifically in reference to the number of characters in the story. There are just so many different characters that I had a difficult time keeping everyone straight, which probably comes from a lack of development on the part of the author.
I also felt like the author was attempting to build up to something big and for me, the climax fell really flat. I didn’t feel any sense of high stakes and was surprised when we got to the end and it just...ended.

3. Loose ends. Now, this could be because I listened to this book on audio and I missed something, but this book didn’t feel complete. I’m not even sure I can come up with a concrete example, but it just felt like so many different ideas were thrown out there and not all of them were explored in a satisfying way. This could tie into the previous point I suppose.

Other odds and ends:

1. I liked Ben and the fact that there is a M/M romance in this book, but I didn’t like how it was executed. It’s instantaneous, and I don’t feel like either of them were particularly well-written.

2. The whole reason Hazel feels guilty about the deal she made is flicked away with almost no follow up. I wish there had been more tension around her reveal to her brother.

I really wanted to like this book, and I did appreciate Black’s ability to create a creepy world. I will try another of her books in the future and hope that I enjoy it more.

I ended up enjoying this book far more than I anticipated. I’d seen the mixed reviews and low average rating. And if it wasn’t for one thing, I think this book would’ve been a solid 4-Star read. Unfortunately, that one thing was the writing style, which is kind of important.

What I liked:

1. The premise. I love the idea that all of these people are misfits in some way. They come from different backgrounds and cultures, but come together to survive.

2. The execution of the story. I thought this story was very engaging. I didn’t want to put it down when I was reading. It’s fast paced and fun, even though fun may be a strange word to use to describe a book that gets pretty brutal.

3. High stakes. This book did not pull punches at all. People die, and the descriptions of fights and battles are blunt and somewhat gruesome. I liked the tension and sense of urgency that was created in this story.


What I didn’t like:

1. The writing. It really all comes down to the writing style for me. As addicting as the story was and how engrossed I wanted to be in it, I kept getting taken out of it by anachronistic dialogue and narration.

Now, I understand that this is a fantasy world and so the language isn’t *truly* out of its time because the author has a lot of leeway to create his own world. However, this is set in a time of Kings and Queens, before any real technological achievement. The ladies wear dresses, people ride horses...it’s not a modern setting. But then you hear these characters speak, and it’s like I’m reading a YA contemporary. Tilla is the worst offender, both is her speech and also her narration.

Some examples of modern words/phrases used in this book:

‘Partying’ pg 5
‘Make out’ pg 12, 26, 93, 233
‘Old fogeys’ pg 15
‘Snot-nosed brats’ pg 21
‘Just stay cool’ pg 25
‘He was hot.’ Pg 25, 246
‘Ate it right up’ pg 42
‘Mammoth’ pg 44 (this one may not be anachronistic, but this word exists because of the wooly mammoth. Did wooly mammoths exist in this fantastical world? If they did, then never mind.)
‘Get laid’ pg 51
‘Psycho’ pg 74, 117, 137
‘Crazy-ass’ pg 74
‘Same old shit’ pg 77
‘Straight up tried to kill him’ pg 77-78
‘Shut your face’ pg 78
‘Going at it’ pg 203
‘Hook up’ pg 229, 260

If I showed someone a list of these phrases and asked them what genre of fiction they belong to, I can’t imagine historical fantasy would be their first, second, or even third guess.

There were also several instances where entire sentences just struck me as very strange to see. They just seem too laid-back for this type of story.

‘She smiled at me and winked, actually, for real, winked. Pg 43

‘And I was still really pissed at him...’ pg 45

‘Lady Hampstedt was famous for her lack of tact, but come on, lady!’ Pg 53

‘“Exploded” doesn’t do it justice. It blew the hell up.’ Pg. 56
-This one is silly because to me if someone told me something blew up and then they said it exploded, I wouldn’t think one was more intense than the other. This just feels like the author trying to give Tilla a bad-ass edge. She swears a lot in this book and oftentimes it seems a little forced.

The unfortunate part of this is that the author is actually not bad at description. Right after the ‘blew the hell up’ comment he describes the explosion and how it affected them and it’s pretty good. It’s definitely evocative. But then he slips back into this modern style voice for this character and it just doesn’t work.

‘I wolfed down a handful of berries and they were, no joke, the most delicious things I’d ever tasted.’ 102

‘We’re so screwed.’ 114

‘I knew I was maybe overdoing it with the fantasies of Zell and me as Lightspire’s hottest couple.’ 237

‘He turned away from me with a shrug, and, holy shit, did that shrug piss me off.’ 238

‘You’re bullshitting us. You’ve never hooked up with anyone? Not even Lord Galen Hotpants?’ 260

I’m sure there are many people who will consider this nitpicky, and that’s totally within their right. But to me, it just took me out of the story.

2. Underdeveloped characters. Even though I liked the idea of the found family among this group of people, I do wish these characters were more developed. They all take on different archetypes and become a little one-dimensional, and the book suffers for it. I really wanted to like them, and there were moments that I did appreciate. But at the end of the day, I wish the characters were stronger.


Other odds and ends:

1. Lyriana has this whole speech about her first kiss and how it will be on her wedding day and how it will something sacred and special for her and her husband to share forever. Literally the next thing she says is that of course her marriage will be arranged because marriages are about politics and accruing power and not at all about love. I’m sorry, but these two things should be mutually exclusive. You can’t say that it will be sacred and special and then say that it’s political with no feelings involved.

2. There are a few inconsistencies with the characters. Tilla at one point talks about how strong she’s become and how when she was back at the palace she would’ve woken ‘half the castle’ with a stubbed toe. Literally nothing we’d seen or been told before that suggests that is true. For crying out loud, she oftentimes sleeps on a hard-wood floor by her brother’s bed in the stables because she’d rather be there than her fancy room in the castle. She is far from the pampered princess if we are to believe her in the beginning of the story, but by the halfway point we’re supposed to forget about that?
Also, Lyriana uses her heart magic early in the book, which seems to physical drain her, but when she does it later in the book she is fine. Doesn’t even seem to affect her. Maybe we’re supposed to believe her power has grown, but we’re never given any indication that it was progressing throughout the book.

3. I was only so-so on the romance in this book. Zell is interesting, but not well-developed. And Tilla was probably my least favorite character. I was more invested in a secondary romance that we barely got to see. However, I disagree with the people saying this book has a love triangle. Tilla is never interested in the other party. She is only interested in Zell the entire time. To me, in a true love triangle, there has to be at least some feelings on both sides.

I will be reading the next book. I liked this story quite a bit, and I need to know what happens next with these characters. I just hope I can settle into the writing style and just accept that he’s chosen to use modern language to portray his characters and the story.

3.75 stars
This book is not perfect. The number of times I wanted to shake both of these main characters and tell them to use their freaking words is so high I could’ve made a drinking game out of it. But at the end of the day, this book definitely had an impact on me, and that’s why I love reading.

What I liked:

1. The adults in Declan and Juliet’s life (aside from their parents): I really liked Rev’s parents, even though we didn’t see a whole lot of them. They had obviously opened up their home and their hearts to Declan, knowing that he needed them. I also really liked Declan’s English teacher and Juliet’s photography teacher and how they were positive figures for them in a time when they didn’t trust their own home situations. I also liked Declan’s community service supervisor. Juliet’s dad was fine as well. I wish we’d gotten a little more of their relationship in the book.

2. ‘You’ve Got Mail’ trope: Is it a trope? Yes. But I happen to be a sucker for this particular one. And I felt like this was done well. Normally these types of stories are fun and upbeat. This was was obviously much darker and more emotional. I liked the course of the relationship.

3. Bromance: I really liked Rev’s friendship with Declan. It was obvious that they both had very traumatic pasts and were protective of one another.


What I didn’t like:

1. Declan’s mother and (to a lesser extent) stepfather: When we learn about Declan’s history, I wanted to go and smack his mother upside the head. And his stepfather wasn’t much better. He gets a little bit of a pass because Declan never gave him a chance in the beginning, which led to their volatile relationship in the first place. Plus his stepfather didn’t know all of the history and so was acting on false assumptions. I did like that at the end of the book there has been some growth and they are talking about getting help and actually COMMUNICATING.

2. Juliet’s mom: I didn’t like the snapshots we got of her mother in this book. She seemed like someone who thought that whatever she was doing was more important than anything else that could possibly be going on. She was self-centered and neglectful. There is more I could say, but I won’t because of spoilers.

“Survival is insufficient.”

I did not know what to expect from this book. I’ve heard it talked about a few times here and there, and I don’t remember a single bad thing being said about it. So of course, I was a little nervous that this book wouldn’t live up to the hype.

Luckily for me, I thought this book was excellent. I would even go so far to say that it’s probably the best post-apocalyptic book I’ve ever read.

I love the way the author crafted this story. I follows several characters before, during, and after the outbreak of an apocalyptic disease that killed most of the Earth’s population. It is as simple and as complicated as that.

This story is not told linearly. We jump back from right before the outbreak to twenty years later to thirty years before. I’ve read books in the past where this was really confusing. Somehow, the author does it with ease in this book. As a reader I never felt confused about where and when the story was, and it was as simple as her stating things like, “Five years after the collapse”. It never felt clunky or affected the pacing.

The characters were also a strength in this book. Not all of the people we follow are likable. Actually, most of them have acted in ways that are unequivocally unlikable. But Emily St. John Mandel obviously knows how to write authentic, flawed, and yes, unlikable characters in a way that still makes you root for them to succeed or at least keeps you invested in their story.

The best, and perhaps scariest, part of this book for me was the fact that it didn’t feel wholly unrealistic that this could happen in our own society, whether because of a disease or war or any other number of catalysts.

At the end of the day, this is a story about people and the human need to not only survive, but to find something that provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment, no matter the conditions.

To some, that could mean setting up camp and trying to create some sort of community with like-minded people. To others, it could mean traveling from place to place to trade or provide entertainment. And still to others, it could mean seizing any kind of power you can by any means necessary justifying their actions through religion or some other mandate.

I loved the way the author wove all of these stories together and even offered up a bit of hope at the end of the novel. Even though it’s only the beginning of the year, I know this is going to remain one of my favorites.

When I purchased this book, I did so because I love Neal Shusterman’s Unwind series and also his Scythe series. I didn’t look at the synopsis or reviews or anything like that.

When I saw the cover, I just assumed it was a story about some sort of diving expedition. So imagine my surprise when I start reading and realize it is a story dealing with mental illness. And, in my very uneducated opinion, it handles the topic with respect and sensitivity.


Shusterman wrote this book in a way that I think anyone could relate to it, because even though we’re experiencing this through the perspective of someone struggling with mental illness, we do see his family’s feelings of helplessness and I think that’s something everyone can empathize with.


I don’t really know what else to say about this book other than that. It was heartbreaking but also hopeful in its way. When I read the note from the author at the end, that probably had as much emotional impact on me that anything else in the book did. He explains that his son has dealt with schizophrenia and the drawings that appear throughout the book were done by his son while ‘in the depths.’

I really think this is an important book that more people need to read. I’m so glad I was mistaken about the nature of this book. Definitely one of the most surprising and impactful books I’ve ever read.

2.5 stars I listened to this story on audiobook.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I started this book, and I’m still not quite sure what I think about it. I liked the concept, and the beginning of the book drew me in. I wanted to understand why this family inexplicably suffered so many accidents and also how a mysterious girl factored into everything. Unfortunately, I felt like the second half of this book didn’t live up to the potential of the concept.

Trigger warnings for physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and self-harm.


What I liked:

1. Ireland. Ireland is one of my most favorite places on Earth, so I was excited that this book takes place in Ireland.

2. Concept. The premise for this book intrigued me from the beginning. Just the title alone had me curious.

What I didn’t like:

2. Pacing. The second half of this book dragged for me. I wanted to learn more about Elsie and how she possibly factored into the accident season. Unfortunately, the author chose instead to focus on a big party thrown at an old abandoned house. In the end I understood what the author was trying to do, but as I was listening I found myself losing interest.

3. Writing/Tone. I was all set for some sort of creepy paranormal/ghost story, and I felt like the first half of the book set that up pretty well. In the second half of the book the writing style changes into almost a magical realism type of story. Honestly, it almost felt like two totally different genres from the first to second half of the story.

4. Romance. I actually wouldn’t have minded the romance between Cara and Sam, except for the fact that they keep calling each other ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ throughout the book. Just to clarify, these two characters are not related by blood at all. They are ex-step-siblings. But if I was playing a drinking game and had to drink every time one of them referred to the other as their sibling, I would’ve been wasted about 50 pages in.

5. ‘Twist’. Nothing in this book surprised me in the slightest. When I first realized what the twist was going to be I thought it was mildly clever, but then our characters didn’t figure it out for another 150 pages and I just got really bored.

6. Loose ends. There are things that happen in the book that feel like the author’s way to throw a red herring into the mix and mislead the reader. These things are never resolved in any way that is even remotely satisfying.

6. What kind of person throws a Halloween party at a creepy old abandoned house when they are sure they are more prone to accidents during the month of October?!

I’m bummed that I didn’t like this story. I thought it was going to be creepy and intriguing, and I’m pretty disappointed.

Listened to the audiobook for this. I’m so bummed that I’m writing a 2-star review for this book. I really loved Walk On Earth a Stranger. I haven’t read many Westerns, especially not YA Westerns. And this is a YA Western with fantastical elements. I thought it was very strong and gave it 4 stars.

Unfortunately, I feel like this series went downhill with each subsequent novel. Truly, the second and third book had so much filler that they could’ve been combined into one and it would’ve been a much stronger story.

What I liked:

1. The cover. This series should win some sort of award for most beautiful series covers. Just gorgeous.

2. It’s obvious that Rae Carson has done a lot of research on this time period and area. I appreciate that.

What I didn’t like:

1. Plot
This third book has a heist element to it, but I didn’t feel the high stakes and tension I wanted from that. Honestly, this book was boring.

The worst part was probably the end, after the heist had been carried out. The characters spent the last hour of the book explaining to a guy who wasn’t in on their plan all the ins and outs of what was going on. In reality they were explaining it to us, the readers. It was info-dumping, pure and simple. We were kept in the dark about their plans and all of these secrets, but the story is told in first person through the perspective of someone who was instrumental in the planning, which didn’t make sense at all to me. If the story was told in third person this structure may have been more successful, but as it was, it made for a clunky narrative.

2. Characters

I didn’t feel like the characters grew at all. I didn’t like Lee in the second book and this book did nothing to change my mind. The romance between her and Jefferson wasn’t successful in my mind. I preferred the Major and Becky’s relationship and wouldn’t have minded more of that as opposed to pretty much everything else in this second book.

Another issue I had was that the villains in this series are all so one-dimensional, especially Frank, who is evil just for the sake of evil.

3. Hypocrisy

!!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

So Lee and all of her friends decide that they need to take this guy Hardwick down. And he is not a good guy. He has caused A lot of hardship for a lot of people just to gain more wealth and power for himself. He surrounds himself with really morally objectionable people including murderers in order to obtain his goals. In theory, I understand why Lee and her friends would want to bring him down. However, the way that they end up doing this makes them just as guilty as he is in a lot of ways. First by stealing a safe full of money that Hardwick stole from other people, then by sinking his boat as it was sailing away from the bay.
As this act is being described, my first thought was, “What about all the innocent people working as deck hands on the boat?” Later on we’re told that everyone made it safely back to shore, which Lee gives a passing thought of thanks for. But what if they hadn’t made it back?! They obviously felt like it was a chance they were willing to take in order to exact revenge. Then, we watch as they split the money they stole from his safe. Lee mentions that it doesn’t come close to equaling what they had when they arrived in San Francisco. My first thought was, “What about all of the other people who Hardwick swindled?” And that is never once given any consideration. I’m sorry, but Lee can sense gold in the damn ground! All of her friends has the means to be very wealthy people when they get home. I doubt any of the other people who were stolen from have the ability to sniff out gold...but to heck with them, right? As long as our characters pull one over on the big bad?

This book just bothered me so much. It could’ve been over 100 pages shorter. In reality, it was completely unnecessary. I would’ve been completely satisfied to leave this as a stand-alone to be honest.

Ugh. This book is such a disappointment after really enjoying the first and liking the second. This book felt so damn unnecessary.

What I liked:

...
...

I actually rated this book at two stars until I began writing this review and realize that there was literally nothing I like about this.

What I didn’t like:

1. Too much science talk. This story is about a plague that manifests when the blood of two people mixes together. Let’s forget for a moment how asinine that is. I can suspend disbelief to some extent if the story is supposed to be supernatural in nature. But then to try to explain it in a scientific way is just absurd. I was listening to the audiobook and all of the scientific talk just went in one ear and out the other because it was ridiculous.

2. The romance. 🤢
I don’t get the Stellan/Avery hype. First of all, the love triangle was sloppily handled by the author. If it happened organically over the course of the theee books that would be one thing. But it felt like the obstacles thrown in front of Avery and Jack were just plot devices created to drive them apart and put her and Stellan together. To be honest, I kind of forgot about Jack for the majority of this book because he doesn’t do anything. When she finally breaks it off with him it was so devoid of emotion that I just didn’t care.

And the intimate scenes and romantic scenes between Avery and Stellan are cringy as hell. I am not one of those people who dislikes romance. I LOVE romance in the books I read. But this was so poorly done. I can’t directly quote the text because, as I said, I listened to this on audio, but it went like this:

Avery (thinking): Oh my, I love him so much. I love you. I want to say it. “I love you.” I say. And I do. I love him. “I love you.” I say again. I don’t know why I never said it before. I love you, I think to myself. “I love you.”

Stellan: “I love you, Kuklachka. I love you. I have loved you since I had to share oxygen with you. I love you.”

Avery: “I love you. Ever since we woke up tangled up together lying next to my ex-boyfriend. I love you.”

🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢

The dialogue was so so bad. Yes, that is a slight exaggeration, but not by much.



3. The pacing. Dear God, this book was so damn slow! I listened to the audiobook on double speed and it felt like it would never end. NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. NOTHING. There is one big reveal that happens near the beginning of the story that should be a big deal, but I just couldn’t be bothered to care about it. But the second half is so drawn out. Then as we’re approaching the ‘climax’ of the story, and the author could have built up some tension and momentum, she takes a break for who knows how many pages (it felt like forever) to throw a birthday party for Avery where they all hang out getting shit-faced and making out in The Louvre. It felt utterly ridiculous.

4. The audiobook. I listened to all three of these on audiobook. I appreciate that the author had several different characters with several different accents to do, and I think her accents were, for the most part, good. But for some reason her Stellan and Jack voices really rubbed me the wrong way. Especially Stellan. I don’t think it was why I didn’t like the Stellan/Avery relationship, but it sure didn’t help it.

If I hadn’t already read the first two, I would’ve DNF’d this book. Honestly, I could’ve read a spoilery summary of this and called it good, because almost nothing actually happens in this book. I’m not sure how that could be, since this is supposed to be an action-adventure type story, but it just did not work for me.