Where It All Lands is a cute YA contemporary romance that explores the impact of a single decision. Told in a dual timeline based on two paths following the flip of a coin, I enjoyed this love triangle novel. It read very fast and I LOVED the characters...well...mostly Shane.

I love the alternate universe kind of trope, so this was right up my alley. I enjoyed the exploration and how, while the choice did cause some important differences, not everything was impacted by such a small thing. There's a bit of a mix of fate and autotomy at work and it felt genuine.

The writing was good and comfortable and the structure was well done. I sped right through this and found it to be a good cozy blanket read. The narrative isn't overly complex and stays focused on the main plot points while still adding enough periphery to be a well-rounded story. There were a few times where the actions and choices of the characters seemed a little dramatic, but...then again...teenagers, so who am I to judge? I recall being a "bit" dramatic as well.

I would definitely read this again, recommend it to others, and read more from this author. I was a bit surprised to find out that this was a debut. The caliber was beyond what I would expect and I hazard to guess that other great works could be coming from this author in the future. I will certainly be keeping my antenna up.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

4.5 stars.

Wait...am I rooting for the villain?

A clever and fun retelling/inversion of Sleeping Beauty. There was a fantastic mixture of the old with the new and some incredibly creative twists. There were a few things that I did not see coming and I nearly had to applaud when I came to them. I was just so enthralled. I'm not sure I've read many books where I've cheered for bad things happening. This book may have warped me a little, but I had oh so much fun reading it.

The writing was smooth and character centered, creating a cast that was very full-bodied and believable. I loved Alyce and found her to be the perfect antihero/villain. Princess Aurora is smart and strong and skilled, a perfect alternative to the classic helpless fairytale princess. The blending of good and evil in Alyce and the blend of gentle and determined in Aurora were incredibly well done and really made for captivating characters. And the plot? Loved it. Evil graces, devilish subplots, several layers of betrayal, an animal companion, and a semi-secret romance. Lots of good fun to be had.

I have fallen in love with this world and it's budding darkness. I cannot WAIT for the sequel.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. *

4.5 stars.

A dark & twisted modern fairytale. I had been anticipating this one for quite some time and I'm glad I finally got my hands on it. Lots of creep factor and dark from cover to cover. Magical and fantastical. I sped through this one and couldn't put it down.

The plot is nicely dark and very unique. I liked the premise and I think it was carried out fairly well. The pacing feels just about perfect and the story was really easy to follow. There were a couple of moments where logic wasn't quite to par, but overall the flow was really natural. I will admit that some pieces were pretty predictable and the horror does not really include any kind of jump scares, so the intrigue did suffer a little if you're looking for a heavy horror. However, for a YA intended read, this sits pretty darned well and I enjoyed how it was constructed.

The characters were really well done. Iris was a great protagonist and had a very clear personality. Kate was also fairly well constructed, though I found her actions sometimes a bit unnatural. Vivi and Grey were well done in the sense that they were unique and held tightly to that uniqueness. All of the characters were pretty consistent through the book.

The world building was super well done and I loved it. In fact, I could totally do with even more of it. A little bit of fae mixed with a little bit of Greek & Celtic mythology, plus some things totally its own. A lot of fun and very intriguing.

Krystal Sutherland has my attention. This was a great read and a lot of fun. It's one I will want to add to my own collection.

4.5 stars.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2021. The premise is cool and creepy and totally unique. The writing is really well done, with a lot of scientific information that was totally over my head, but sounded legit. I can't vouch for the legitimacy of it, but I enjoyed it.

This scientific background wasn't overwhelming, but rather served to create a really rich atmosphere. I certainly connected with a feeling of a sterile research lab along with the other locations described during the writing. It was all very gothic and tinted dark, just what I like.

The primary characters were really well done. I felt like I knew the protagonist (Evelyn) pretty darned well and her decisions made sense given what I new about her. She was very different from me and not necessarily a person I would like in real life, but she was very strong and steady in her convictions. Though the story is only told from Evelyn's point-of-view, there was a lot of discussion about Martine and her actions, potential emotions, & thoughts. It was a good choice of perspective and gave a good amount of information while still keeping a good aire of tension and mystery.

The plot was somewhat predictable, but I wasn't mad at it. The writing was done so well that I still enjoyed watching everything unfurl. And I certainly hadn't guessed the entire plot nor all the twists and turns. I really enjoyed this read and devoured it in just a couple of days. The audiobook was also excellently narrated. Highly recommend.

3.5 stars.

This is a very slow burn mystery with multiple POVs. I enjoyed the premise and the storyline, but I did have some trouble keeping the characters separate and understanding whose part of the story I was reading at any given time. The writing is good, but does lean a bit more toward the literary fiction side.

The characters are well-written in the sense that they do have personalities, but it seemed that all the male characters could blend into one another. They were too much alike, which I think contributed to my comprehension issues. The females were a bit more distinct, though they all seemed to verge a little on crazy. It wasn't bad, but it was a little weird. I didn't particularly like any of the characters either, but I think this was useful as it added to the suspense by making nearly everyone a suspect.

I did not guess the ending and I was a bit surprised, but more in a head-swimming kind of way. It wasn't a gasping, hold your breath moment, but more of a running through the events in my head to see if there was a way I could have figured it out. And yes...maybe. But there are a lot of excellent red herrings.

A good debut (under this name -- she apparently uses a pseudonym for other works) with good writing. Intriguing. I'll be watching for this author's next release.

4.5 stars.

Cool concept of following "chosen ones" after they have fulfilled their destinies. This was a good read with just the right amount of darkness to it. I continue to enjoy Roth's writing style, though this installment feels more grown up than the writing in her Divergent series.

This is an adult series, but does still have a bit of a YA feel to it. I think it's actually a nice bridge between the two divisions and classified it in my reading spreadsheet as New Adult for this reason.

Sloane was a great protagonist choice. The background of her trauma and the exploration of her life since her active days as a Chosen One is really well done. I appreciated the look into mental illness in a way that was blunt and raw, present and addressed, while not taking over the entire story. It certainly influenced the plot, but it wasn't overdone.

The pacing was pretty slow in the beginning and was a bit of a struggle for me. This was likely due to the amount of world building that needed to be completed to fully set up the story. The characters were introduced pretty thoroughly and backstories were put into place. I can definitely understand how it can be a slog for some readers, but I think patience with this pays off. Once the footings were in place, the pace started to creep up and I really found myself invested for the last half of the book. I think that now that things are pretty well set up, the sequels to this should be full of great plot movement.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I love a good cult book. They are definitely a trope that will make me want to read a book right away. As far as cult books go, this was a good one. Courtney Summers writes in a way that created a fantastically creepy atmosphere and I found her characters quite interesting. It is lyrical and packed with tidbits of history and emotion, focusing well on the strength of the sisterly bond.

The dual timeline is well crafted and creates a lot of twists and turns that amp up the pressure and make the book incredibly tense in some parts. It gave a more well-rounded approach to the story. Seeing pieces of the story from Bea's point of view was often a punch to the gut, but really added a lot of depth and emotional grip to the story.

Lo was an okay protagonist. For the most part I enjoyed her character and thought she was well done. However, there were moments where she seemed either excessively naive or housed in the "convenient" zone. Some things that happened to her were a bit of a stretch and some of her reactions didn't really make sense for me. Her emotional connection to her sister was well-crafted though, and I was able to connect with her in some ways.

Lev is a particularly crafty character. He is well-built as a cult leader and his tendency toward a dual personality makes him the perfect villain. He is sneaky and slowly manipulative, able to overwhelm the senses of fear and confuse those around him until he coerces them toward his ways. He is vile and yet at the same time totally intriguing.

As touched on earlier, there was some "convenience" in the plot that made things a bit less believable and occasionally there were chunks of the story that were told rather than being shown. This unfortunately included the ending, so I was left a bit disappointed. I needed to have a bit more depth and there were some important questions that were left unanswered. The Project wasn't a perfect read, but it was a fun ride with excellent writing, so I will be picking up more Courtney Summers in the future.


* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *