Well-deserving of its praise. Despite the gore and darkness, I couldn't put this book down. Each new development had me desperate to turn the next page. I loved Katniss' tenacity and survival skills. 

The story is essentially a group of rich Dr. Seuss characters pitting teens from different districts together to fight to the death as their reality TV show entertainment - complete with influencer sponsorships too!

Anyway, I'll definitely be watching the movie version now!

 

I really love how charming this series is and how it manages to include such good life lessons without being corny or unsubtle. Fred is so sweet and shows that kindness is not a weakness. 

I thoroughly loved the narrative voice! Raven isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's confident but still has insecurities and a past of anger issues weighing her down.

I also enjoyed the humor because again Raven has no filter, and the titles of each chapter are very unserious. The vampires and the slaying had my interest by the throat; but no bloodsucking. We're classy over here. *wags finger*

Our deuteragonist also had my heart. He was an island boy with a lovely name and just as sad a past as Raven. They were good foils to each other and had good chemistry. Spoiler:

it’s a bit of whiplash how Khamari was so dutiful she can’t know about me blah bla, then he was fully pursuing her.

I crave more Black paranormal, so this was like a gift. I'd definitely read more from this author. Give me book two! Also, shoutout to Rose she was fun. I liked the whole cast of characters.

Once y'all pay writers and actors what they deserve, this better be on the list for a Netflix adaptation. And I'm not playing with y'all! I'm talking expeditiously.  

I enjoyed the conversations on the ethics of AI, with humanoid models in this case, and abusive parenting. But I can't get over the disbelief that Clem never once questioned her attraction to Kye, who for all intents and purposes is a robot. I'm not even saying they shouldn't have been together, but she had no self-doubt. When she saw his height, she said I want him NOW!

I liked the artwork and that it showcases a graphic novel that doesn't have to be background-heavy to convey a story.

ending spoiler:

i guess since she's a GMO baby she thought there was no room to judge or second-guess his programming.

Good tension and mystery throughout the story. Really enjoyed the dark political side of the houses and the grandmother's character. The best friend was boring, and I was ambivalent about the romance/male lead. I never liked him to be honest; his feelings for Quell never felt genuine. 

Overall, I didn't dislike the reading experience, but I'm not interested in a sequel. 

Great from beginning to end. I loved the messages of choosing our family, giving people a chance, and that the road to forgiveness is not instant. Couple that with the cutest "horrors" and some actually tense action sequences. I really couldn't put the book down toward the end.

This ended beautifully well, but I wouldn't mind another book with these characters either.

 Doc W. and the Cursed Undersa has a storybook, sing-songy narrative voice. The main character Doc has a Cinderella upbringing with his neglectful guardian Marsh but a love of nature keeps the young boy going. His kindness leads to a chance encounter with a mysterious old man. 
 
 This is another chosen one story with a legend that speaks of the Witch Doctor/The Last Baron to save them all. Strictly plot-driven as the most important personality trait anyone has is Doc’s inquisitiveness. I can’t speak to any of the Voodoo representation. There is a character King Legbah here, who I’m not sure is supposed to be Papa Legba or a heavily-inspired character. Much later in the story, Doc meets two other kids and they become a bit of a trio. One of the friends gets way more spotlight than the other. 

Note: the word “gypsy” is used constantly in the beginning, but it comes from the mouth of an obviously horrid, hateful character. A few curse words are present.
 
 In general, pretty interesting but many references were probably lost to me. Terror, peril, and action sequences are taken seriously, but it’s still a whimsical adventure. Extinct flora and fauna are constantly referenced as they still exist in the other worlds. These educational bits are woven in smoothly. The world-building felt like a kaleidoscope. There are so many different creatures in the other worlds, a mixture of real and fictional. 

A lot is going on. Some of it is confusing, but it has my interest. Sibylla is mouthy and indecisive, and she knows as much about the curse as we do. I would read book two though. Brom's brother is beautiful, by the way.

I'm not familiar with the Scottish tale, so everything is new to me.

Artwork is beautiful in a gritty way; Bard is very talented. Medical terminology, mixed martial arts, and boxing terms are woven throughout the story in a way that’s understandable and seamless.

The opening of this story is so ridiculous. It's like your typical shounen anime on steroids with how quickly things go from 0 to 100.

We’ve seen this underdog rising through the ranks story before many times, but it wasn’t boring. The major plot elements were established quickly. I would read volume 2, but I'm not personally invested in the premise.