endless_tbr_list's Reviews (537)

In the second installment of the Shadow of the Leviathan series, Din and Ana travel to a remote edge of the Empire’s lands in search of a Treasury Officer who managed to disappear from a locked room. Yet when the disappearance turns into a murder, the pair soon find themselves chasing down an extraordinarily brilliant and cunning and foe whose target seems to be much bigger than all were first led to believe. 

I’ve always love mystery novels because they give me a chance to read AND work through a puzzle, and Robert Jackson Bennett writes some great puzzles. I remember stumbling upon THE TAINTED CUP last year and becoming immediately sucked in by the incredible, strange world, and my love for Din, Ana, and this entire series only grew with A DROP OF CORRUPTION. Alongside Bennett’s writing style, I think what I like so much about these books is the relationship between the two main characters, as well as how fleshed out all the rest of the characters are. Everyone we meet seems to have a purpose, with each of their individual threads coming together to create a beautiful and complex world. 

Murder mystery and political conspiracy, plus leviathan monsters and body augmentations that essentially grant superpowers, this series has it all and more. In addition to each book’s unique plot line, there’s an undercurrent of “something big is coming” that weaves it’s way through the novels and has me counting down the days until the next piece of the story is in my hands!

Thank you to Random House, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Didn’t like the writing style.

This was such a fun premise with a lot of heartwarming undertones, but it fell a bit flat in the end. If you've seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off you have a pretty good idea of the story line this book follows, and if you haven't seen it you're still in for a delightful adventure. It's Grace's senior year and Student President, good grades, and a college acceptance mean she's been doing little more than working hard for the last four years and she needs - no, deserves - a break. Through some good old-fashioned best friend guilt, and a totally aboveboard "kidnapping," Grace and her two best friends embark on a one last big escape before college takes them all in different directions. 

The friendship and sibling dynamics in this book were absolutely the highlight for me! Grace and her brother James are everything you'd expect from a brother-sister duo who have grown apart over the years but still clearly know one another better than anyone. Then there's Isa and Elliot, Grace's two best friends who haven't really spoken in years after a disastrous breakup. The tangle of emotions these three are working through perfectly encapsulates - to me at least - what it's like being on that cusp of adulthood, wading through heartbreak, and needing your friends to be there for you. 

I do feel like there was a lot going on at times, with a few moments feeling rushed, but ultimately this was an entertaining tale of friendship, family, and making memories with those you love. 

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Romance, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.