heartbrekker's Reviews (797)

"Just as the night had begun with the cry of a baby, it ended with one. Only this time, no one was around to hear it."

I want to start of this review by making something abundantly clear— I read Belladonna in between some of my most anticipated books of 2022, many of which are now favorites of the year. Honestly, I think my motivation and interest in this book was largely affected by those lingering feelings of awe because one can't help but compare the books read back to back. Therefore, if I'd read this at a different time, maybe my feelings would've been different, but overall, I just felt very neutral about this book.

Bridgerton meets Knives Out— what could be better comp titles than this?! As soon as I heard these comparisons, I knew immediately that I had to get my hands on this book. I knew next to nothing about the plot besides poison and death following in Signa's footsteps, but I was excited and that's all that matters when I decide to pick up a book. The first big detriment to this story is going in with the Bridgerton/ Knives Out mindset. Obviously, this story is completely unique and different from both of those stories, but in a way, it made my expectations for the brevity and romance within this story to be... more.

Let's actually switch gears to the romance. Notably, the fact that it did not feel as fleshed out as it could've been. The mortal enemies to lovers trope is the main attraction of this book, but the sudden shift from "I loathe you" to "wait I'm attracted to him even though I thought I hated him" is sorta like whiplash. Suddenly, make outs are everywhere and shadows are skimming the insides of thighs, and I'm honking the horn for the book to slow down for one minute. Now shadows skimming thighs is actually all rainbows and butterflies to me, but it was too sudden for my taste. You have to ease me in, or I'll check out. Changes in desires/ personalities/ etc. have to be believable for me to actually get behind them, and I didn't feel that here. But!— once that awkward transition was done, the romance does have some great chemistry, especially with the skimming shadows that I keep bringing up. It made me think of all the Darkling lovers out there but take away the pure evil element to the male love interest.

“That’s the thing about society, cousin—there are vultures who will wait for the moment you stumble. And when you do, they’ll sooner pick the skin from your bones to serve themselves rather than help you back to your feet. It’s too easy to become prey.”

In terms of the Knives Out plot, I was very neutral. I really enjoyed the conversations and scenes with ghosts, and I wish that aspect to the plot could've been elaborated. If you're a huge fan of murder mysteries, you'll be able to pick up on the killer relatively quickly, but there are some great, small plot twists that snuck up on me. I only wish that more depth was put onto the mystery because the plot did drag slow multiple times, which led me to take long periods away from reading this book in favor of others. Signa is certainly an interesting lead for a murder mystery, but there is a switch in her personality towards the end... I don't really want to get into the nitty gritty details because it is spoilery, but once she confronts the killer, a decision is made that... I just don't know if Signa would make that decision, and if she is the type to do so, then I think more foreshadowing and hints needed to be placed in the text earlier to make that scene more natural for her character.

I was intrigued about this book, but the sad reality is that my favorite part began and ended with the prologue. The writing can be downright gorgeous at times, but I needed the plot, characterization, and romance to hold more weight/ detail. I think if you're a big fan of books with vibes like A Court of Thorns and Roses, Masters of Death, and For the Wolf, you'll enjoy this book, but I simply needed more to be a bigger fan. I'm not sure yet if I'll pick up the sequel.

Thank you NOVL for an ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever."

If there's one thing that's my guilty pleasure, it's book titles based off of Shakespeare play—bonus points if its the iconic Macbeth soliloquy like this beautiful book.

Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow is one of those rare literary fiction pieces that derails your ability to think and feel beyond the current story. I read this book in a little over two days, and I'm still reeling from characters' actions, consequences of unforeseen circumstances, and the pain that comes with life. How did this nostalgic gamer story told from multiple POVs come to expel all of my deepest insecurities, feelings, and questions? Y'all, I've got zero freaking clue.

"You are a gaming person, which is to say you are the kind of person who believes that 'game over' is a construction. The game is only over if you stop playing. There is always one more life. Even the most brutal death isn't final. You could have taken poison, fallen into a vat of acid, been decapitated, been shot a hundred times, and still, if you clicked restart, you could begin it all over again. Next time, you would get it right. Next time, you might even win.

Spanning thirty years, Tomorrow & follows the relationship between two unlikely childhood friends, and how this fated relationship ends up spurring one of the most successful video game (fictional) companies in the 90s/ early 2000s. Sadie and Sam are the heart of this story, but characters like Marx, Ant, and even Dov also carry significant weight and emotional depth to the story. I think the importance of all of the characters is one of the strengths within this book. Without the realism of those characters, I don't know if Sadie and Sam could stand as the leads because many of their flaws and mistakes are propelled deeper due to the complexity of this entire plot and each relationship. You're going to dislike Sam at certain points and then Sadie at others; you'll want to smack their heads sometimes at the same time. Be open to the dichotomy of these characters, and you'll be rewarded with deeper feelings and understandings. I simply think it's a beautiful element to this book. Basically, Gabrielle is a mastermind at building deep-rooted complications amongst the characters, and I couldn't help but enjoy every POV from each character because it felt necessary to the story.

"Time was mathematically explicable; it was the heart—the part of the brain represented by the heart—that was the mystery."

At its heart, Tomorrow & is a story about trauma and love, but more importantly the love and hope it takes to overcome that trauma. This book is unforgiving with its pain at times, and I really want to stress this point because I did not realize how graphic and triggering this book would be. That doesn't make it bad by ANY means, but I was caught off guard.

When Sam goes into detail about witnessing the woman in New York commit suicide as a child or when Sadie details her abusive relationship with Dov, it's really hard to read because it feels extremely real. Maybe it's because I read mostly speculative fiction, so I'm desensitized to most fantastical trauma, but I was left thinking about these moments infinitely longer than the actual scene itself, than any fantasy I'd read recently. Don't even get me started on Marx's death and the workplace shooting. Tears overrode my vision, and I furiously tried to blink them back into my eyes because it was too much for me.

 Tomorrow & really leans itself into recent topics within our political and social environments, so it's hard not to see our own time period reflected within this story. All of these events were intense, but they were not done gratuitously. Just be prepared to cry.

"The thing I find profoundly hopeful when I'm feeling despair is to imagine people playing, to believe that no matter how bad the world gets, there will always be players."

Lastly, as a recent graduate of college I do feel as if this book was meant to find me at this point in my life. Sadie goes through a lot of problems with understanding her wants for her career, especially when failure comes to her doorstep and refuses to leave for some time. It felt very personal to my own journey, and I wanted to give her the biggest hug because I don't think books or media talk enough about the trials and tribulations that come with employment—even when you're in the industry or you desire. It just makes me happy to see a deeper exploration on a topic that's only recently become a greater talking point.

"Why wouldn't you tell someone you loved them? Once you loved someone, you repeated it until they were tired of hearing it. You said it until it ceased to have meaning."

8/26/22: BRB I’m gonna go hug myself and cry. Something people have not mentioned when reviewing this book is just how emotionally draining it is. Obviously, I adored it, but I feel this weight in my heart.

"Heroes are just villains with worse survival instincts and moral superiority complexes."

Umm.. Did I expect that kind of ending at all?! NO.

I did a major marathon of the Shadow Game trilogy right before finishing this duology, and while I knew Amanda's capabilities when it comes to the fate of her characters... I guess I never fully thought what those implications may be for All of Our Demise.

"...maybe people need stories to survive, but they can also use them to hurt each other. Or themselves... If you've found a way for your family's stories to feed you without feeding on you... that seems worth holding on to."

Basically, this finale shocked me. I expected a few of the plot points, but there were quite a lot that I didn't see coming, which is always a win in my book. I think my biggest critique of this book is that the plot moves much slower than the first. The speed of All of Us Villains reminded me of my dystopian days and gave me incredible nostalgia, but to have this sudden switch in the sequel to a different pacing threw me off. It took me much longer to finish this eARC than the first, and I was always aware of that in the back of my mind.

Furthermore, a lot of character changes happen in the sequel, and I think it works to their benefit.

"Cured or not, there was no end to the monster story if, all along, the monster had been him."

Alistair is honestly being put through the ringer, and I loved the exploration of his feelings for his brother, Gavin, Isobel, and even those outside of the arena. He's always been the character that I was drawn to the most because of his specific history, so it was wonderful to see him dive deep into his own psyche and perspectives on the tournament and even his family. He's honestly the most loyal of the bunch, but nobody ever sees that because they either curse him or don't even give him the time of day to learn his actual personality beyond what is said in the media.

Then, we have underdog Gavin who shined the most in this sequel. He was my least favorite in the first because he was constantly complaining and whining about his impending death, unfairness of life, and his hatred for Alistair, but there was a significant shift in his ambitions and outlook on life and the other contestants almost immediately from the beginning of this sequel. He really grew up in this finale, and I loved him with my entire heart. It goes to show that your initial perceptions of characters can indeed change.

Moving along, Isobel also had a drastic change in characterization compared to the others. She's dealing with the effects of Alistair's curse and her curse-work on Alistair. She dives deeply into her constant victimization of herself when she's pretty much just as much of a villain as the others in the tournament. It was decent self-reflection and made her a better character to read from, particularly whenever Reid was around. He made her better because they go so well together.

Finally, we have Briony. I was neutral of her all throughout the first book, but I think her storyline was perfect for this finale. It's one of those pay your dues sort of thing in my head, especially because she cheated her way into the tournament in the first place. Ironically, of all the characters I still think about her the most and that says a lot about the consequences she is forced to face.

"Truth can be buried, but it is never destroyed."

Overall, I think this is a very solid finale and sequel. I was a bit disappointed in the pacing issue, but otherwise, Amanda and Christine bring the curses to the table and lay them bare for us to see. This duology will be perfect for any new modern fantasy fans that want a kick of The Hunger Games meets witches/wizards.

Thank you to NetGalley/ Tor Teen for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.