Oh boy. This book, almost from the start, was one giant "Yikes." I know this is a Dorian Gray retelling and that's neat and all but the thing about Dorian is that, at least at the beginning, you like the dude. It is hard to watch him descend into darkness because at the start he is a good person, sweet and innocent. Not so much with this one. 

The relationships in this story are so fucking toxic. Not to be the old person on main but at every single point in this book I thought to myself "It sure is convenient that every parent figure in this story is either absent or terrible because one solid adult in this story and it falls apart." This would have worked so much better as a New Adult (I know I know I hate that phrase I'm sorry) book because at least then there is the excuse of these characters being adults. As it is, the story reads as too far fetched to be enjoyable. Not to mention I literally couldn't stand a single character. How did everything in this book take only 10 days? I just..... Yeah this book did nothing for me. The only thing keeping it about one star is that I will give that the author's prose are very good. 

No one who knows me IRL will be surprised to learn that this book made me cry. I think it is a very realistic yet hopeful look at what it is to be a fat girl in this country. I appreciated the conversations about bullying from family members as well as the conversation about how sometimes bullies can also be bullied. I liked the friendships, I liked the growth, I liked the poetry, I liked everything about it. It was hard to read because it spoke a little too loudly for me but overall I really liked it. I'd have loved to have had this as a child who was fat and who was often made fun of. If I could give this book and a hug to every young person who has ever felt less than because of their size I would.

These are very hopeful, very fun short stories. As always in collections, there are some obvious five star stories and some less so. But it was so much fun to read stories about Muslim joy and love. Every story was so hopeful and bright, even the ones that had themes that were a little sad. Overall this book really works and I think is a great use of time and money. Glad that it exists in the world.

So this book was very good but also it was pretty f*ucking triggering for me in some parts because I wasn't expecting some of the more graphicly violent parts. I can go into more detail, message me if you want me to, but to do so would be kind of a spoiler. I still really like the book, I think it is one of the most interesting retellings I've ever seen of Peter Pan. Everything from the antagonist to the plot is just super solid. There are one or two plot threads that I don't feel like we got a solid explanation of that are kind of nagging at me. One detail in particular doesn't seem to work with the rest of the story but that doesn't really take away from my enjoyment of it. I know a lot of people were upset that this wasn't a queer story but honestly the story is fantastic anyway and forcing authors to write queer stories is pretty messed up. I look forward to everything from this author going forward because I can only imagine loving it.

Dear eleven year old Grace,

You are going to read a book series called Redwall. You are going to love it. You'll meet the author and it will be the best moment of your young life and make you fall in love with not only reading but with bookstores and booksellers who recommended this book to you. Then you are going to be an adult. You'll reread this book and you'll remember all those feelings. It's still great. It's as much fun as you remember only better. It isn't perfect but it makes you feel that love of books again, of sitting in the kids section of your local bookstore, tucked in among the books, your mom telling the booksellers how you never used to read like this. 

Redwall is fast passed, thrilling story with enough breaks between the action for good character development. It's a book about mice but it's also a book about how sometimes the only way to keep your morals is to fight, that you must sometimes fight because to not fight would be to let evil it. It's about how community, particularly a community committed to working together, will always win. You needed this book at eleven and you need it now at over thirty. You're so lucky it exists. And you never get tired of it.

XOXO,
Now Grace

I wish I had liked this book better because I've loved this author in the past. The relationship just didn't do it for me. I liked the plot and the worldbuilding was fun but I just don't think these characters are good for each other. It's toxic to the point where I really never understood what drew them to each other. The way they act in the end is great and I'm glad they found a place to be themselves and happy but oooooof did I not get this relationship at all.

This one got a little dark and I kind of love that for it. Not only is this a great enemies to lovers trope but it also has some really cool world building and conversations about inequality in many forms. I like the path it picked and I liked how the characters changed and grew. I liked that the romance was clearly strong and two sided by the end of the book. There are some parts that are pretty tropey but I honestly don't care I had a GREAT time reading this book.

Mmmm nah. Nope. Not fun, not well written, characters and world building as flat as the paper it is print on. This could have been great and maybe if someone from the actual culture the world comes from had written it would have been incredible. But it is just.... Bland. If this book were a spice it would be flour, is what I'm saying.

CUTE! This was a very adorable story that was a good mix of plot and character growth. I thought it could have been about fifty pages shorter and there were certainly moments that dragged a bit which is why it doesn't get a whole five stars. But I really did enjoy it over all, had a great time reading it, and thought it was just about as sweet as a story about cosplay and cons can get in the year of our lord 2021 where the idea of a con makes me break into hives normally. Just a fun read that makes you feel good after!

I might do a longer review of this later but I really, really enjoyed this story. I'm surprised it took me so long to read it. I think it is probably because I grew up on Narnia and love the darker takes on the open door to a new place stories. I enjoy this DEEPLY and I'm for sure going to read the rest of the series.