Such a beautiful love story.

I'm struggling writing this review, because I want to be as fair as possible. I will start with what I liked about this book: I loved Scout (the dog) and I loved how the novel explored pets and the role they play in our lives. However, I have to say this book was a bust for me. Partly, I think it is my fault. I came into this book expecting something a little different than what I got. I was really expecting something of the romantic comedy vibe, and that wasn't what this was. It wasn't bad, just different. Unfortunately, this really hindered my reading experience though and I found myself tuning out and not able to connect to the characters. Plus, the book starts very slow. All in all, not my cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eartheater follows an Argentinian girl after her mother's death leaves her the ability to see visions through eating dirt. This newfound ability brings her life difficulty and pain. However, its resounding impact is on the families whose loved ones have disappeared. The story reads almost like anecdotes at times, jumping in time, shifting POVs. Through only glimpses of the past, I became invested in the community and the ones hurt by the violence.

I picked this novel up because I am trying to read more translated texts. Though not originally written in english, Eartheater hit like a punch to the gut. I had a visceral reaction to this book, and I think most of it has to do with its subject matter. It speaks of violence and community - particularly women. It was short but still a complex read.

Burying the Hatchet by A.C. Thomas is a short and sweet holiday novella following Clayton and Jake after Clayton’s mother falls ill and can no longer take care of the family’s tree farm. Clayton is happy to be back in his small town but not so happy to have to work with his high school bully, Jake.

This was really cute. I think the author did a good job of balancing tone in this novella. It’s dealing with heavy subjects like past bullying and internalized homophobia. However, I think the novella still manages to keep the atmosphere light. Reading about Jake and Clayton realizing their love and having the strength to go for it was really sweet. I will say, part of the reason I took a star off was because I felt like the past could have been addressed a little better. I don’t want to go into spoilers in this review, but something about the way Jake talked about bullying Clayton in the past really rubbed me the wrong way. However, I also feel like my gripe with this could be because I am asking for much more character development than may be possible in a novella. Regardless, I was able to see past that and still root for Clayton and Jake to have their HEA in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and NineStar Press for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing in this was really beautiful to me. Set in 1920s, the journey across country in Mexico was incredibly vivid. Her writing brings life to the era and the story and it is, by far, my favorite thing in this novel.

The pacing in this feels kind of slow, which is not necessarily bad. However, it took me a really long time for me to be invested in the story besides reading for the lush prose. The premise was interesting but I never felt the stakes. I think it's because we never really feel like their lives are in dangers besides the eventual final journey Casiopea has to take. Everything seems to resolve very quickly and easily. Quickly and easily isn't always bad, however, I think the story could use more tension. I can also appreciate that this story was also doing very heavy lifting discussing themes of sexism, women's agency, patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Perhaps including more plot or tension within the journey would have impeded this discussion - I'm not sure. I just know that at times I felt like I was slugging through.

Oh. That’s what kind of book this is.

I loved this! Definitely going to read the rest of the series. The world(s) are so vivid. Also, I love Nahri and Alizayd, both are very complex characters.

I will say, at the beginning I felt the changes in pacing between chapters was really off but it definitely got better as the book went on.

Whimsical, yet serious. A magical landscape with dark political machinations brewing.

In this next installment of the Graceling Realm we follow some familiar faces Giddon, Hava, and Bitterblue, as well as new ones from the far off lands of Winterkeep. After Bitterblue's envoy disappears in Winterkeep's waters, the original crew go out to investigate. What they find is a fascinating world with malevolent politics at play.

Cashore's world-building continues to be a joy. I really enjoyed the new fantastical elements of this book and now want a pet telepathic fox for myself. I also enjoyed getting to spend more time with Queen Bitterblue as well as Giddon and Hava as they navigate this new dynamic. I won't tell you what happens because I like to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible but my heart really went out to them and I swear I cried during a number of their scenes.

I also enjoyed learning about the dynamic of Lovisa and her family, as well as the politics of Winterkeep. Like Bitterblue, Winterkeep is also very much a political fantasy, so if that was something you didn't like in the previous books, I don't recommend this installment for you. It wasn't all politics, though. It also addressed similar themes of familial abuse. Cashore in the past has been controversial with the way she includes sex in her novels, however, I think Winterkeep is interesting in the way it approaches it, especially while examining toxic coping mechanisms.

As far as criticisms go, this novel was quite slowly paced. There were times where I felt bored or things felt inconsequential to the plot so I didn't pay as much attention as I should have and had to re-read sections. I also felt like Lovisa should have been better developed in the first half of the book than she was. Most of the work for her character arc is done within the last third of the book, which feels really unsatisfying to me. I do think it was done successfully, but I would have rather gotten attached to her character earlier and understand some of where she was coming from earlier. It took me a while to connect to her character, simply because I didn't have enough context for why she acts the way she does.

All in all, a very solid addition.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An eery gothic experience, Szabo weaves an unsettling story of generational evils, grotesque people and actions, and the ones we let in our lives. It's horror, but Lite. There are many reasons to read this, but the atmosphere and setting was the icing on the cake - the Zarrin's secluded house, the surrounding woods, and the family who sent her away. What Big Teeth follows Eleanor returning to her estranged family after a mysterious incident forces her to leave her fancy boarding school. When one of her family members dies, she calls on her mysterious Grandmère to get the family in line. Except, Grandmère may have plans of her own, sinister plans...

I really enjoyed this, even when I was more than a little creeped out. This book felt the good kind of creepy bingeable. Though it is quite slow paced, it makes you want to stay up all night, lights off, with nothing but a flash light illuminating the pages. Szabo’s masterfully creates an atmosphere and town wreaked with the consequences and legacies of the past - those choices follow the Zarrin family until they must reckon with who they are, and what they’ve let into their house. I loved getting to know Eleanor and the Zarrin family.

I think, my only criticism is that I felt that as a reader we were left in the dark a little too long. I think we could have benefited knowing some of the reveals a little earlier.

To recap: Reasons to Read

-a fan of YA gothic literature
-a fun, atmospheric and unsettling, creepy read
-LGBT+ representation
-Slow but steady pacing with great rewards

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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So, I got an ARC of this