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OH MY GOD I WAS CLUTCHING THE WALL I WAS SCREAMING CRYING SHAKING... GENIJSMLY SONSHIXKSKAKOSJSJSN i went through the entire spectrum of emotions while reading this oh my god i'm seeing shrimp colors i'm feeling shrimp emotions
more cogent review to come at a later time (tomorrow when i reread this book right after) because i'm geniunely stunned shaken surprised devastated...samantha shannon you shake my world i'm in awe of you.
i'm sitting at my desk shaken and stirred brother i can't even lie. i'm pounding my desk. my god! MY GOD! this book beat me lightly with a stick, raised me up and helped me sit down, threw me down the stairs, stomped on me, and finally helped me up. oh godmantha godnon we'll be singing your praises for years and years to come.
i jest a lot on this page but when i say that samantha shannon is my favorite author ever I MEAN IT. no other author has come close to evoking feelings in me that samantha shannon does with her work. i'd be willing to wait for years for her books. thank you samantha shannon geniunely i'm in awe of your talent.
incredible incredible sequel to an incredible series. and we still got two more left to go!!!!! i'm so scared and excited of what ms. shannon has next. if it's anything like the dark mirror, i'm already seated and ready with my credit card out.
more cogent review to come at a later time (tomorrow when i reread this book right after) because i'm geniunely stunned shaken surprised devastated...samantha shannon you shake my world i'm in awe of you.
i'm sitting at my desk shaken and stirred brother i can't even lie. i'm pounding my desk. my god! MY GOD! this book beat me lightly with a stick, raised me up and helped me sit down, threw me down the stairs, stomped on me, and finally helped me up. oh godmantha godnon we'll be singing your praises for years and years to come.
i jest a lot on this page but when i say that samantha shannon is my favorite author ever I MEAN IT. no other author has come close to evoking feelings in me that samantha shannon does with her work. i'd be willing to wait for years for her books. thank you samantha shannon geniunely i'm in awe of your talent.
incredible incredible sequel to an incredible series. and we still got two more left to go!!!!! i'm so scared and excited of what ms. shannon has next. if it's anything like the dark mirror, i'm already seated and ready with my credit card out.
a sweet ya romance that's breezy and light.
this book follows rochelle, a locked-in rising senior who decides to get a job as a way to strengthen her college application portfolio, only to realize that she's working with her nemesis, amira rodriguez. as rochelle settles into her job, she starts getting attached not only to her workplace, but her enemy as well. the plot is light and quick, with a few subplots that wind into the romance of amira and rochelle. while the third-act conflict is a bit strange #tome, it's also realistic and i appreciate the fact that it's wrapped up quickly. one minor complaint i had was the use of references. ik it's a contemporary ya book but if you have references in a book you date the book immediately. and the fact that this book is being published in 2025 and referenced among us...no please.
the characters were probably my favorite part of this book. rochelle's friendship with taylor and kerry was nice; their gc conversations seemed realistic, which is no small feat. i also liked the crew at horizon; jenny, lisa (is this a blackpink reference), danny, brigit, shawn, and glory. i liked how jamal interwove both groups. rochelle and amira had a cute build-up, going from rivals to amicable coworkers to lovers.
now what felt a bit unrealistic about this book was the college application process. as a former victim of the college apps process (i'm a senior so i did my college apps less than a year ago), there were a bunch of crazy statements.
this book follows rochelle, a locked-in rising senior who decides to get a job as a way to strengthen her college application portfolio, only to realize that she's working with her nemesis, amira rodriguez. as rochelle settles into her job, she starts getting attached not only to her workplace, but her enemy as well. the plot is light and quick, with a few subplots that wind into the romance of amira and rochelle. while the third-act conflict is a bit strange #tome, it's also realistic and i appreciate the fact that it's wrapped up quickly. one minor complaint i had was the use of references. ik it's a contemporary ya book but if you have references in a book you date the book immediately. and the fact that this book is being published in 2025 and referenced among us...no please.
the characters were probably my favorite part of this book. rochelle's friendship with taylor and kerry was nice; their gc conversations seemed realistic, which is no small feat. i also liked the crew at horizon; jenny, lisa (is this a blackpink reference), danny, brigit, shawn, and glory. i liked how jamal interwove both groups. rochelle and amira had a cute build-up, going from rivals to amicable coworkers to lovers.
now what felt a bit unrealistic about this book was the college application process. as a former victim of the college apps process (i'm a senior so i did my college apps less than a year ago), there were a bunch of crazy statements.
- you don't need a job for college apps. colleges look for well-rounded students, which doesn't necessarily mean you need a job. there are plenty of people ik who didn't have jobs and got into college just fine. i literally got into college with only working a job for 3 months in 10th grade.
- sat. now taking the sat in your senior year is really risky, especially since you would be doing college apps at the same time. you can do it; i know people who have, but it's usually a last-ditch effort to get like a 1500 and above. also, rochelle taking both the act and sat is unrealistic. there's no reason why she needs to take both, you literally just need one.
- rochelle talking about how she has nothing to do in the summer before senior year. usually the summer before senior year is when you start working on your college apps, so the fact that she wasn't is a tad bit unrealistic #tome, especially since rochelle seems very locked-in.
disregarding all that, this is a sweet and low-stakes ya romance novel with an likable group of characters to root for. i would recommend it for my ya readers.
unfortunately i wasn't able to get into this book due to its writing style.
this book follows five strangers in new york as they're brought together by one little cat. the main character is nuria, a barista who's dedicated to caring for stray cats in her free time. the cast of characters includes collin, a secluded author, bong, a grieving bodega owner, lily, a young cashier searching for her half-sister, omar, a friendly mailman, and cat, a little black cat who's the heart of the novel.
i did not enjoy reading this book. the writing style felt too simplistic; i saw multiple grammatical errors that frustrated me, such as missing commas and sentences starting with except and or. the similes used in this book were questionable to me at least ( "oozing like the middle of a chocolate lava cake" ). there were times where i was baffled by some sentences that were incredibly short and static, yet there were times where i found sentences overwritten, running on too long to explain a simple detail. also, references. we cannot be making too many references to the modern day, and this book has a crazy reference in the middle that i cringed at.
now for the characters...i think collin is creepy. that letter? MEN NEED TO ACT NORMAL. and then his behavior later with omar is crazyyy. also nuria for me was sometimes likable sometimes not. like girl i get your frustration with your mom but don't treat your friend like that come on now. and then her treatment of lily was nasty like how are you okay with one "stalker" but not okay with the other??? i liked lily, omar, and bong though.
ultimately this is a cozy novel and if you're into those you might enjoy this book. however the writing style and characters were lacking, resulting in an unpleasant experience for me.
this book follows five strangers in new york as they're brought together by one little cat. the main character is nuria, a barista who's dedicated to caring for stray cats in her free time. the cast of characters includes collin, a secluded author, bong, a grieving bodega owner, lily, a young cashier searching for her half-sister, omar, a friendly mailman, and cat, a little black cat who's the heart of the novel.
i did not enjoy reading this book. the writing style felt too simplistic; i saw multiple grammatical errors that frustrated me, such as missing commas and sentences starting with except and or. the similes used in this book were questionable to me at least ( "oozing like the middle of a chocolate lava cake" ). there were times where i was baffled by some sentences that were incredibly short and static, yet there were times where i found sentences overwritten, running on too long to explain a simple detail. also, references. we cannot be making too many references to the modern day, and this book has a crazy reference in the middle that i cringed at.
now for the characters...i think collin is creepy. that letter? MEN NEED TO ACT NORMAL. and then his behavior later with omar is crazyyy. also nuria for me was sometimes likable sometimes not. like girl i get your frustration with your mom but don't treat your friend like that come on now. and then her treatment of lily was nasty like how are you okay with one "stalker" but not okay with the other??? i liked lily, omar, and bong though.
ultimately this is a cozy novel and if you're into those you might enjoy this book. however the writing style and characters were lacking, resulting in an unpleasant experience for me.
a fantastic sequel that lives up to the heights of the first book.
robert jackson bennett has quickly become a standout author for me; i loved the tainted cup, and the founders trilogy is some incredible fantasy writing. i was so excited to read this sequel, and it lives up to the first book.
we're back with din and ana, this time in yarrowdale, a canton of the empire that din and ana serve. there, din and ana are faced with an impossible mystery, and as they start to unravel it, they start to reveal a dangerous conspiracy that involves the shroud, an all-secret compound that the empire relies on. the plot is fantastic; in the first book, there were times where i was confused and befuddled, but i was able to follow the plot of this book completely. there were moments where i was shocked; that ending was so unexpected. this book definitely dives more into the leviathans and the magic, and i liked the worldbuilding with the shroud. the politics of this book were engrossing, especially with yarrowdale not formally being in the empire.
the characters are enjoyable as always; din and ana's dynamic is such a fun one and you can really see how their relationship has grown from the first book. i loved seeing din as well; his struggles with staying in his position were realistic. kepheus mention we cheered! ik he'll be back in the next book. i also loved some of the new characters, especially malo. her quips and dialogue were enjoyable to read, and i loved her relationship with din, with her teasing him. malo was funny asf she had me laughing. thelanai was a very complex character as well; her arc is engrossing and a bit sad, but i think it's well-executed.
honestly i think i like a drop of corruption more than the first book! one of the best books i've read this year. if you're a fan of fantasy, mystery, and robert jackson bennett, this book is a must-read.
robert jackson bennett has quickly become a standout author for me; i loved the tainted cup, and the founders trilogy is some incredible fantasy writing. i was so excited to read this sequel, and it lives up to the first book.
we're back with din and ana, this time in yarrowdale, a canton of the empire that din and ana serve. there, din and ana are faced with an impossible mystery, and as they start to unravel it, they start to reveal a dangerous conspiracy that involves the shroud, an all-secret compound that the empire relies on. the plot is fantastic; in the first book, there were times where i was confused and befuddled, but i was able to follow the plot of this book completely. there were moments where i was shocked; that ending was so unexpected. this book definitely dives more into the leviathans and the magic, and i liked the worldbuilding with the shroud. the politics of this book were engrossing, especially with yarrowdale not formally being in the empire.
the characters are enjoyable as always; din and ana's dynamic is such a fun one and you can really see how their relationship has grown from the first book. i loved seeing din as well; his struggles with staying in his position were realistic. kepheus mention we cheered! ik he'll be back in the next book. i also loved some of the new characters, especially malo. her quips and dialogue were enjoyable to read, and i loved her relationship with din, with her teasing him. malo was funny asf she had me laughing. thelanai was a very complex character as well; her arc is engrossing and a bit sad, but i think it's well-executed.
honestly i think i like a drop of corruption more than the first book! one of the best books i've read this year. if you're a fan of fantasy, mystery, and robert jackson bennett, this book is a must-read.
read for ap lit. victor redefining what it means to be the absent father
what i really don't get is that if he was so afraid of the creature procreating with the female creature WHY DIDN'T HE JUST NOT GIVE THE FEMALE CREATURE A REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM???? just dumb asl
unforch i did not like this as much as the first book. too many characters and the stakes of the story felt very low. idgaf about marcella or june.
the first book worked so well because it was so firmly about eli and victor, and they had such a rich and complicated dynamic. this book struggled because it turned away from that dynamic, introducing characters that were uninteresting and had little exposition.
the first book worked so well because it was so firmly about eli and victor, and they had such a rich and complicated dynamic. this book struggled because it turned away from that dynamic, introducing characters that were uninteresting and had little exposition.
an enjoyable and short read. enjoyed the separate characters and every character's short story and how every character was united through the laundromat. i liked the first chapter the most
an enjoyable hunger games-inspired dystopian novel with a sprinkling of romance.
so fun fact this is actually my first ava reid novel in all my years of reading. i've seen her acclaim for years now, but i've never been able to properly dig into one of her books. however, i love the hunger games, so i was eager to request and read this.
this follows inesa, a young girl, in a dystopian united states ruled by a megacorporation named caerus. she and her family are struggling to get by, and her mom subsequently puts her up for a gauntlet (a livestreamed hunt) in order to avoid paying off her debt. inesa and her brother luka try to escape and survive while being hunted by an trained assassin (an angel) named melinoe. however, melinoe and inesa slowly turn from enemies to allies to something more while staving off caerus.
the worldbuilding is great! you get enought information to be placed in this dangerous and toxic world. from lower esopus, with its flooded streets and dingy houses, to melinoe's penthouse and the glittery city, to the mystical drowned county and the dominion of old england. the world comes to life. the entire first like 20% of the book was worldbuilding and individual character work which did make it a bit hard to get through but the book went fast asl after that.
i enjoyed the character work in this book. obviously with dual povs you run the risk of making the two characters sound/feel the same, but inesa and melinoe were definitely very distinct. i also think azrael and luka are good characters; especially azrael. he occupies this space of being melinoe's father figure and her master and her puppeteer all at once, and that sets up a toxic dynamic with melinoe. when melinoe and inesa are chasing and hunting each other, that is where the book shines. i love the action and the tenseness as inesa races to escape and melinoe races to capture. loved loved loved the parallels of inesa and melinoe. their relationships with death are so different; inesa treats life reverently. even working as a taxidermist, she is used to death but still is appalled by the idea of killing. meanwhile, melinoe is a born and bred killer, but she begins to change as she allies with inesa. i loved how melinoe, who was built deliberately to not be human, begins to develop and grow feelings beyond what she was made for.
the romance was instalove, and i think it could've been built up stronger. i wish there was more tension built up between them two. also tbh having caerus livestream them making out is a nasty violation my god??? like idk. i was rooting for them though but i really think this book would've benefitted from having a sequel and exploring their relationship even further. the ending of chapter thirty though GOD it hit me in the chest.
there isn't a hea, but i think the ending makes sense for the story. i think the ending isn't necessarily tragic; it reads more wishful and hopeful. if ava reid has ever wished to write a sequel (and i see her books so i know she will write that sequel) i need her to get on that zoom and start,
i enjoyed this! maybe i need to tune into more ava reid. perfect for those who miss the 2010s-dystopian ya novels and fans of the hunger games,
thanks to netgalley and harper collins for the arc!
so fun fact this is actually my first ava reid novel in all my years of reading. i've seen her acclaim for years now, but i've never been able to properly dig into one of her books. however, i love the hunger games, so i was eager to request and read this.
this follows inesa, a young girl, in a dystopian united states ruled by a megacorporation named caerus. she and her family are struggling to get by, and her mom subsequently puts her up for a gauntlet (a livestreamed hunt) in order to avoid paying off her debt. inesa and her brother luka try to escape and survive while being hunted by an trained assassin (an angel) named melinoe. however, melinoe and inesa slowly turn from enemies to allies to something more while staving off caerus.
the worldbuilding is great! you get enought information to be placed in this dangerous and toxic world. from lower esopus, with its flooded streets and dingy houses, to melinoe's penthouse and the glittery city, to the mystical drowned county and the dominion of old england. the world comes to life. the entire first like 20% of the book was worldbuilding and individual character work which did make it a bit hard to get through but the book went fast asl after that.
i enjoyed the character work in this book. obviously with dual povs you run the risk of making the two characters sound/feel the same, but inesa and melinoe were definitely very distinct. i also think azrael and luka are good characters; especially azrael. he occupies this space of being melinoe's father figure and her master and her puppeteer all at once, and that sets up a toxic dynamic with melinoe. when melinoe and inesa are chasing and hunting each other, that is where the book shines. i love the action and the tenseness as inesa races to escape and melinoe races to capture. loved loved loved the parallels of inesa and melinoe. their relationships with death are so different; inesa treats life reverently. even working as a taxidermist, she is used to death but still is appalled by the idea of killing. meanwhile, melinoe is a born and bred killer, but she begins to change as she allies with inesa. i loved how melinoe, who was built deliberately to not be human, begins to develop and grow feelings beyond what she was made for.
the romance was instalove, and i think it could've been built up stronger. i wish there was more tension built up between them two. also tbh having caerus livestream them making out is a nasty violation my god??? like idk. i was rooting for them though but i really think this book would've benefitted from having a sequel and exploring their relationship even further. the ending of chapter thirty though GOD it hit me in the chest.
there isn't a hea, but i think the ending makes sense for the story. i think the ending isn't necessarily tragic; it reads more wishful and hopeful. if ava reid has ever wished to write a sequel (and i see her books so i know she will write that sequel) i need her to get on that zoom and start,
i enjoyed this! maybe i need to tune into more ava reid. perfect for those who miss the 2010s-dystopian ya novels and fans of the hunger games,
thanks to netgalley and harper collins for the arc!
i'm not a big romance reader, so i'm suprised at myself for picking this up. ultimately this was a fine romance novel that wasn't extraordinary in any aspects. apparently this is a retelling of sweet home alabama? i have never watched that movie i am 17.
meena is a lawyer who's gearing up for a state house run with her boyfriend. the only problem is that she's still married and her ex, nikhil, won't sign the papers, so she goes down to texas to get him to sign, but disaster strikes. the setting is pretty pared down; meena and nikhil are confined to his house for the majority of the novel. this is a character-centric book for sure.
i could definitely tell there were some communication issues going on in both timelines, and it was frustrating the hell outta me i can't lie. meena was a bit frustrating to me at times; i feel like she was pushy and avoidant at the same time if you get my drift. i was annoyed by the amount of times she started going on internally about how she tried in their relationship and he never did like we know girl. i liked nikhil as a love interest; he was charming and i was rooting for him. i do wish we got some pov's of nikhil, because i would've loved to see his perspective. also sleeping with your man and then leaving him like 2 days later...we need to bring self-shame and self-realization back lowkey
i don't think this is an epic romance or anything, it's just a decent love story between two people who found each other, grew apart, then came back together and were able to fully work out what caused them to grow apart. i'm not the biggest fan of romance though so i would definitely recommend this to romance readers and people who enjoy reading love stories because this was perfectly adequate.
thanks to netgalley and random house for the arc!
meena is a lawyer who's gearing up for a state house run with her boyfriend. the only problem is that she's still married and her ex, nikhil, won't sign the papers, so she goes down to texas to get him to sign, but disaster strikes. the setting is pretty pared down; meena and nikhil are confined to his house for the majority of the novel. this is a character-centric book for sure.
i could definitely tell there were some communication issues going on in both timelines, and it was frustrating the hell outta me i can't lie. meena was a bit frustrating to me at times; i feel like she was pushy and avoidant at the same time if you get my drift. i was annoyed by the amount of times she started going on internally about how she tried in their relationship and he never did like we know girl. i liked nikhil as a love interest; he was charming and i was rooting for him. i do wish we got some pov's of nikhil, because i would've loved to see his perspective. also sleeping with your man and then leaving him like 2 days later...we need to bring self-shame and self-realization back lowkey
i don't think this is an epic romance or anything, it's just a decent love story between two people who found each other, grew apart, then came back together and were able to fully work out what caused them to grow apart. i'm not the biggest fan of romance though so i would definitely recommend this to romance readers and people who enjoy reading love stories because this was perfectly adequate.
thanks to netgalley and random house for the arc!
fast-paced and gritty. definitely reads like a comic book and i would love to see it illustrated or animated. my first v.e schwab book in all my years of reading and i quite enjoyed it.
eli and victor are very interesting main characters and foils of each other with their powers. eli is annoying af tho WRDGAF that you think you're god. victor syd mitch dol that's the real tea
eli and victor are very interesting main characters and foils of each other with their powers. eli is annoying af tho WRDGAF that you think you're god. victor syd mitch dol that's the real tea