A little trippy. A little man vs. the capitalistic system. A little activism.

The art is blocky but bright and expressive during action moments. However, it looks somewhat unfinished or maybe undefined during the slower moments. Still, I love it when the character's eyes go yellow, it gives it that otherwordly quality.

But I’ll always give a kudos to any story with a Black hero who doesn’t have electric powers. 

Serviceable. But it doesn't dig deep enough for it to focus on Mia. very little of her personal life is shown or any meaningful times. Maye have been better refocused on the women's US team as a whole as that's what it read like

Still, will inspire and interest young soccer players 

Cute. Magical realism + journey to find the missing parent

Callie and Declan's relationship was adorable (the equivalent of sugary gum), but Declan was boring as dirt. Most of his character surrounds him as having feelings for her. There's no true love triangle but a rival is introduced halfway through. Most of this schtick is sexual harassment/"not getting the picture," but he was more entertaining when that dialed down. After a while, you see he's just delulu and funny.

The ending fight happened rather cleanly. Callie made a permanent decision fairly easily. This is a series, so I'd like to explore this more if I have any regrets. It's a little unclear how the dad ended up in his situation. At first, it's a clear kidnapping situation, but then maybe not.

The radish friend was a bit too much, but fun in small doses.

On the positive, I really enjoyed a certain reveal. Why? because it was entertaining. 

Overall, it was a mostly lighthearted read with

a few subverted f-bombs and a character killing another character).

I'm still charmed by this series.

Bigfoot and Nessie go to Scotland in a direct continuation of the last book (this series is episodic but remembers what happened before). Nessie takes the spotlight with an overbearing but well-meaning manager mother. 

It was funny and rewarding to watch Nessie finally find her voice.

The writing was fine and tended to repeat like a song chorus; music was a constant undercurrent. It felt very intimate. There was some nice quotables of the throes of new love. I liked the initial giddiness, but I never connected to the characters' relationship. 

The characters and situations are messy, but perfect characters are often boring. I don't think my issue was that it was a slow burn. But I lost interest around 60 pages in, as the pacing just seemed to go in a circle: 

Friends that don't want to break the status quo but know they're feeling something between them. Girl is forward. Guy (you) reciprocates heavily. Girl gets skittish. Guy is left to withdraw but goes back when in need of emotional support. Friends reconnect. Feelings still hang heavy. Their connection was repetitive in the worst way. Either do something or keep it on the playground.

I'm not mad that they broke up for a spell. He (you) needed to see a therapist at some point. your partner should be supportive always, but at some point, you also have to help yourself.

While the 2nd-person pov is unique, this story would work best as a movie or short film. The male lead (you) is emotional and emotionally repressed at the same time and has big feelings about love, grief, police brutality, Blackness (male-centered), and love. (You're) he's a creative at heart and tries to find the words and ways to express himself.

2 stars 

I really enjoyed the narrative voice here. There are about three different plots here, but the author managed to interweave and end them properly.

A little on the nose at times, but I thought it was refreshing. Yes, nature and video games can both coincide.

Really enjoyed Peril’s social awkwardness (lack of social cues and utter bluntness) and trying to redeem herself against the odds. Although the continual rejection she faces from others, may get old for some.

Those dragons weren’t letting up, but understandably someone that can burn you alive with one touch is dangerous business.

Oh snap, that ending!

-1 star for the baby dragon speak (I don’t know why it annoyed me) and the confusing

Tourmaline

reveal