essjay's Reviews (635)

Normally I'm a huge fan of Ted Naifeh's artwork, but the faces in this one were a little off. The Curse Creature was legit scary, though. I would say this felt more MG than YA except for some of the subject matter. 

I feel unable to give this an accurate rating until I've finished The Innocent Sleep, but 4 will do for now. That's one of the problems with parallel narratives, isn't it? It's impossible to judge one on its own without the other. 

If you've read this far in the series (I can't imagine starting at the 17th book, but there will be some spoilers for what has come before after this point), you should remember that the last book left us on our first ever Toby cliffhanger, with Titania having swept October off to the Summerlands, but without her true memories of the life she's lived and the family she's built for herself along the way. 

I had kind of a difficult time reading the thoughts of this October who is not OUR October at first, but was impressed at McGuire's ability to write her as someone who was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the Toby we've followed for 16 books. I loved the little peeks we'd get at Toby Prime poking through, thoughts that NuToby would never have. I laughed that this October

hates pants, never drinks coffee, and TAKES BATHS.

But it did feel like the set-up took a very long time (we don't even see my best girl

the Luidaeg

until 51%, which oughta be a fuckin crime) in getting there, and then the resolution just kind of...happened. 

Obviously, this is a must read if you're a fan of the series, and it IS a strong entry. I can't wait to find out what happens next, I just wish the front half was a little less bloated, and some of that padding were moved to the end. 

I guess I was kind of a latecomer to The Scapegracers, given I only read the first book a little over a week ago. Before I was even halfway through, I'd already checked The Scratch Daughters out from the library, and before I finished THAT, I'd requested The Feast Makers ARC and squealed when I saw that I'd been approved. 

I just...I love these witches so fucking much and will never not wish that this series (or something like it) had been around when I was in HS. 

Anyway, The Feast Makers. I spent a lot of the book yelling at Sideways for not. fucking. talking. to. anyone.

"Hey guys, I may have mugged a witchfinder and he's probably going to be p pissed." "Hey, hundreds of witches I've never met before? Maybe hanging out in town when there are also hundreds of witchfinders in town for a witchfinder kid we accidentally killed is a bad idea, you could all be in danger." "Even if I didn't lose Jing's mimic, we may have left her obviously hexed car crashed on the side of the road next to said hex with all of our identifying shit in it." (I really expected that last one to come bite them in their collective asses) "Jing, I know it's really obvious to everyone in the whole world and you've been dropping every possible hint, but I like you."

The pacing in general was a little wonky, but that was not surprising given the pacing of the previous two books and I'm choosing to see it as a feature, not a bug. 

Holy shit, when the meaning of the title hits? Goddamn. 

I can't wait to re-read all three when this one is officially published. Will be buying them all for my youngest, and am going to be talking to our local Teen Librarian about ordering a set for the library. Genuinely sad this is the last of this series, but can't wait to see what August Clarke writes next.  

Holy mother of fuck, I love the Scapegracers. 

DNFing after 5 chapters. I just really hate everything about this. It reads like MG fiction, and I hate all of the characters. Feels very "we have The Last Dragonslayer at home."

What the fuck. 

I will probably come back to this bc it wasn't bad at all, I just wasn't in the mood for it rn. 

I've read this more times than I can count, but this was my first time reading it aloud (to my 13y/o). I was worried they'd hate it and I'd have to make some uncomfortable decisions, but luckily they absolutely loved it. 

Wonderfully atmospheric. More Appalachian Gothic  with granny magic, please. 

A fully realized world with well fleshed out characters. My biggest gripe is the (lack of) transition between PoVs. 

This book has my new favourite epigraph and first line combo. 

and 

This one reminded me a lot of Simon Logan's Katja from the Punk Band (which I only know one other person who's read), but without all the things that annoyed me. BBB was on fuckin rails and felt like it never really let up after that banger of a first line. TransCyberNoir as an emerging subgenre (bc holy shit, that playground is just BEGGING to be filled) is really exciting as a reader and I hope to see this book getting some buzz.