A fantastic continuation to her The Gilded Ones series, Forna comes out strong in this second novel with an action packed plot. The creation of her world continues to impress, with a lot of complicated political and social culture.

Forna has a gift for world-building. There is a lot going on in this world and the complexity just continues to grow, with surprises in store from start to finish. The writing and construction are clever and clearly have a lot of planning behind them. This is an intricately built story.

There were moments where the inclusivity felt a little heavy-handed. Though it plays an important role in the plot development for this novel, it came a little out of left field as it wasn't used much in the first novel. This made the tendency to create so many LGBT+ characters feel a bit forced, as if part of a ploy to gain wider readership, rather than a natural progression of the plot. Had the inclusivity been a bit more well rounded in the first read it may not have felt quite so spur of the moment. In conjunction with this, the character work isn't as in depth as it was in the first installment. So, while the reader does get a great picture of Deka and her progression/change throughout the plot, the secondary characters are not as well investigated and included. I appreciated the thought behind the characters, but felt that the execution was not quite as impressive as in the debut.

The writing remains gorgeous and each move of the plot was smooth and well thought out. The pacing was a bit slow through the middle of the novel simply due to some repetitive scene work to build some tension and background, but then revived to an explosive and tense pace for the last third of the read.

Overall, a great second installment in this trilogy and an excellent demonstration of Namina Forna's immense writing talent. I am really looking forward to reading the conclusion of this series.

4.5 stars.

Maggie O'Farrell's writing is just gorgeous. I get so wrapped up in her beautiful descriptions and historical atmosphere. Her tales move languidly, but not in a way that bores...it's more of a gentle flowing, leading you through the plot.

I didn't want to put this book down. O'Farrell's writing kept echoing in my ears, holding me captive. It was an emotional read for me. Lucrezia's fate was looming and my heart just ached for the young girl. There were several moments of anger, disgust, and frustration at both the situation and the other characters. There is some trepidation written into the writing...you know from the beginning more or less what the ending will be...and yet it's not an edge-of-your-seat kind of experience. It's a niggling feeling in your gut. A mild anxiety. And something about it just feels right and delicious, despite the atrocity.

There are some writers who are just suited for historical fiction. Maggie O'Farrell is one of them. She walks the line between history and fiction very well, changing just enough to keep the story intriguing, while still maintaining the essence of historical fact. Definitely an author on my permanent "to be read" list.

I am very confused about my feelings for this book. My insides have been completely ravaged. There is a slow, almost monotonous pace to the narrative and yet it had me feeling things. All the things. They weren't necessarily intense feelings, but enough to stir me up and affect me. It's something visceral and inexplicable.

The realism in this novel is on point. It feels like real people, real relationships, a real progression of skill and life events. Maybe that was part of why I'm so confused. There wasn't anything fantastical about it...it all felt completely tangible. Can you be lost in something because it feels too believable?

It's absolutely a good read. I'd say I didn't really like or feel attached to any of the characters, but I'm finding that's kind of a lie as I write this. I did care about them. When did that happen? I'm not big on gaming, and yet pieces of that also drew me in so well. Who even am I?

It's a slow burn kind of read with a literary flavor. It won't be for everyone. I honestly didn't think it was going to be for me. But there are also some fantastic moments of brilliance that had me in deep contemplation. It's a completely different kind of read and I've definitely been affected by it in a meaningful way.

4.5 stars.

Two things sold me on needing to read this book: the hype and the cover. The title is a shocker the first time you hear it and the accompanying cover photo just sells this as a curiosity. Beyond that, I just kept hearing about this book everywhere I turned. And with good reason.

I was not a fan of Jennette McCurdy going into this book. In fact, I barely knew who she was. I was familiar with iCarly and the character she played, but only in a cursory manner. I'm beyond that age set. And typically, I wouldn't pick up a memoir of someone I've never watched/heard/etc. But the things I was hearing just had my curiosity piqued.

The relationship between Jennette and her mother is unbelievable. I mean that in a shocking way, not a "she obviously isn't telling the truth" way. Jennette's writing is visceral and real. She doesn't shy away from being blunt and she is candid about how she was naive to the goings on and assumed them to be "normal" and just her mother looking out for her best interests. The journey she went on to reclaim her own life and begin the work through her decades of trauma is nothing short of shocking.

The book is told in short vignettes that highlight moments in McCurdy's history from the time she is a child up until present day. The construction is well done and gives enough information without being overly drawn out. The pacing is sharp and the way things are told just sucked me right in. The audio narration is done incredibly well and I highly recommend listening to McCurdy tell her own story. It's quite the firecracker and I can absolutely see why there has been so much talk. This book deserves to be read.

A middle grade fantasy read heavily influenced by the Harry Potter series. In fact, this will read as female led Harry Potter fan fiction for some readers. The plot is fun and fast moving, but things aren't as well-developed as I would have liked. There is a lot left unexplained and quite a bit of "coincidence" happenings in the plot. The basis for the novel is interesting and it will likely be a good read for the younger middle grade set if they have not prior been introduced to the Harry Potter world, but adult readers will likely find it lacking. Not a bad read by any means, just not enough creative exploration and thoroughness for me to be hooked.

4.5 stars.

Horror written with the flavor of Daisy Jones and the Six, this book was a roller coaster of terror and fun. Told via a mix of multimedia, the tale follows the crew of a reality ghosthunter show, something that is not typically my fare but definitely worked. I was gripped and entertained throughout the read and did not want to put this down. I appreciated the addition of the skeptic to the main crux of the plot and how well the characters were balanced in an array of "believe" levels. The plot moved rather quickly and included a couple of good jump scares and some fantastic atmosphere.

So why isn't this a 5-star read, you ask? The ending. It's hard to get a good and solid ending in a horror novel of this type, so it's pretty understandable that this will be hit or miss with readers. For me, it just felt a little too abandoned. The ending had some fantastic qualities to it and I absolutely enjoyed where the plot headed, but it felt like it ended too suddenly and really needed another chapter or two to fully wrap itself up well.

Regardless, this baby was entertaining, intriguing, and perfectly spooky. I very much enjoyed it. HIGHLY recommend the audio for the full atmospheric effect. It is amazingly done with a full cast and some fantastic effects.

I love Emily St. John Mandel's writing and how well-woven her stories are. There is the perfect mix of dark in her realistic dystopians. I also enjoy how her books blend into one another. I'm going to have to go back and do some rereading just to find all the little Easter eggs.

This story is something altogether unique and holds a great power to it in just initiating thought. It really did make me look introspectively, which doesn't happen to me a lot when reading fiction. So major kudos for that.

While I absolutely enjoyed this read, I will say that it was maybe still just a bit overhyped and so, even though I really enjoyed it, I found myself saddened that it wasn't a 5-star read. I honestly can't quite even put my finger on why. I just didn't hit hard enough? That may partially be due to the fact that I read Sea of Tranquiity prior to this one and that one just totally blew me away. Regardless, this is still 100% worth reathing. The writing in this book is just fantastic and I appreciate every word. The character work is also really well-done. Few of the characters are really written about thoroughly, but still each and every character feels intensely real. I don't know how she does that when some of them only exist for a small handful of pages. It's a realistic society with interlocking cogs that just makes sense. Even the crazy feels right.

There is a lot in this narrative that just made me think. About humanity, about how we value life and other people, and about how much we honestly take for granted from day to day. Beautiful, lyrical, and warranting of a reread.

3.5 stars.

A highly atmospheric read with several woven together bits. The construction style did lend itself to causing some confusion, which will be intriguing for some readers and frustrating for others. I found it interesting, though it did slow down my reading experience.

The narrative is quite dark and a solid blend of mystery, thriller, and horror with a touch of paranormal and dystopian. It also contains three separate isolated circle type storylines that work together. It's an interesting mix that made for an attention-grabbing read. Though I didn't find it necessarily scary in a jump scare kind of way, there is a good amount of gore, so be prepared going in as a reader. The writing is quite visceral does a great job of being fairly cinematic in its descriptions.

An interesting read with a lot of tense situations. The myriad of characters can become a bit confusing now and then, but it is overall fast-paced and gripping.

4.5 stars.

I had read one of the books much later in this series and quite enjoyed it, so I decided it was time to take on the series from the beginning. I'm not typically a big detective style novel reader, so this was a bit out of my wheelhouse. And yet...I still quite enjoyed it.

Krueger's writing is straightforward and doesn't pull any punches. His storylines are easy to follow with characters feel almost universally realistic without the need for hyperbole or stereotyping. There are a few along the way who don't make this exception to the rule, but they are few and far between.

The atmosphere in the book is fantastic, with a great capturing of the Minnesota landscape and the cultures. Krueger's research into and understanding of the local Native American cultures is also well-handled in the storyline. Though not an OwnVoices read, he is from Minnesota and it is my understanding that he has consulted with tribal members as to his content and portrayals in these novels.

A fast-moving plot with some interesting twists and turns, this kept my attention. I will definitely be continuing on with the series.