I’m not in awe of Indigo like everyone else in this book is. She ain’t no divaaaaaa! 

But seriously, I didn’t mesh well with the long-winded purple prose. Instalove is to be expected for fairytales, but I feel like the man (and Azure) were terribly codependent on this chick who made them feel special. Because I didn’t care for the characters, I wasn’t invested in the mystery. 

I’m guessing Azure falls romantically in love with Indigo at some point, Azure tries to body snatch Indigo’s life, or Indigo accidentally loses Azure and never forgives herself. 

Overall, I don’t have an interest in continuing this, but the story excelled with setting a luxurious, gothic tone. It really leans into the magical opulence of the supernatural. 

I personally didn’t like this as much as the series, but we get a glimpse of why Snow was that way. We see where the affinity with poison, roses, and honesty stemmed from. This story doesn't intend to make you sympathize with Snow, but just to give you his origin.  But I don't know what's the point. We don't even see Snow get really despicable/gutter here

Still, I wanted to actually witness the rift between Tigris and him and the social climbing. We don't get that, so we can only fill in those pieces on our own. 

 The romance with Lucy was kind of just there. Despite starting off with an obvious power imbalance, I thought the love would've been more intense. 

The Hunger Games are more morbid than ever. You really feel the depravity of the game maker and the general feeling of griminess. Also, Dr. Gaul was a sadistic psycho, and I liked Sejanus more than I thought I would. This isn't a book I would ever reread, but it was okay.

Couldn’t hold my interest. Joey got very stereotypical YA “strong female-ish” in the sense of ‘look, she’s punching everybody and mouthing off all the time’. The Federation guy went 0 to 100 for no reason. The end got too scientific and boring before a reset button appeared.

Bittersweet but fitting. This series was exceptional, and I couldn't put it down. I was legit sad when I was nearing the end because there were no more pages.

Ending thoughts spoilers galore

I can't believe my Gale and Haymitch got to survive! Katniss couldn't ever see Gale the same way after his inadvertent bomb took Prim's life. too much to overcome. the whole reason she was in the games was because of her sister. I still liked her with Gale, but he was very much on sadboy hours here. Like, it's not the time for all of that sir. But I also adored the sweet sensitivity of Peeta. Peeta truly cared about Katniss to the bitter end.

This book gets war so beautifully well. honest to God, there are no victors. And no one gets out unscathed. Katniss isn't some Wonder Woman hero in the end. she's just a young girl trying to recover. she has PTSD and a drug addiction. and then the fact they have a version of Hunger Games with the capitol's kid ... whoo!

 This is a sequel that is just as good or better than the first book. I pay this book the highest compliment: I couldn’t put this story down and kept wanting to turn the page. The embers of a revolution start here.

For the longest, we have known Katniss and Gale's distaste of the Capitol, but we finally get other characters with the same viewpoint as well.

Touching on the romantic element briefly, I still prefer Gale with Katniss, but I love how Peeta is the epitome of kindness isn't a weakness. But sometimes, he could tone down the confessions of his undying love. Way to guilt her to love you, bruh. The love triangle never gets in the way and enters and departs smoothly when the book calls for extra drama 

 A fun, uplifting take on female puberty. Now, the book is stingy with its magical realism. I loved the vegetable pals and the hellhound. I kind of wish we got more info on the creatures, but it’s fine since the focus was on Margot’s growing pains and Kyra feeling them grow a part. 

Overall, I enjoyed it! 

This was weird but in a mostly good way. 

An interesting magical realism take on generational curses, anger issues, and maybe toxic masculinity if you squint, then there’s some child slavery thrown in on the side. The cartoony artwork complimented the story perfectly well though I disliked how chewed up Bobby’s lips looked in some shots. 

Overall, a very emotional and deeply personal story from the author. The ending wrapped up nicely. No complaints.

I’m pleased that Abel decided not to continue living with his dad and the father respected it. But Abel better understood his father’s faults. As we get older, we learn our parents aren't perfect. It didn’t make the abuse right, which the book acknowledges, but he sees how his grandfather started the nasty cycle.

Hello, it’s your old friend “do the ends justify the means” living in a wacky space setting. 

King Midas felt a little hammy here for lack of better words. He's a plot point meant to progress the story. Joey, Fatima, and Cooper all have their reasons for opposing the federation, but Joey's the only one willing to get gutter over it. 

None of the characters stood out to me, but this seems more plot-driven anyway.

Ultimately this wasn’t keeping my interest. If I didn’t already have volume 2, I probably wouldn’t continue it.

 - given a free copy for an honest review -

I vaguely remember the Greek story this was based on, but the story opens with a much needed recap. It was also a very fun choice to use in an octopus in place of a Minotaur. This story is set in space with aliens and royalty to boot.

The story takes itself seriously despite the wacky designs of the world’s inhabitants. A serious toll is continually paid to keep the maze running. Serious drama here and no one is playing haha, but it’s not gruesome or scary for younger readers. It’s just a matter of fact. Like, a knight who has to kill a dragon to save the kingdom.

I liked the relationship between Sima and his bodyguard Lanard, who is resigned to his fate to watch over this reckless young man. Surly character with a soft spot is some of my favorite tropes. In addition, the bit of depth given to the Maze princess's feelings was nice and acknowledged it’s not always that easy to let go of a problematic thing/place you love.

Concerning the artwork, the panels are easy to follow and has a good variety of images. It’s not just talking heads back to back. The color scheme is grayscale without shading. Sometimes, you could see too many words crammed into a speech bubble, but for the most part, the artwork worked fine.