howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

How darn ADORABLE is this book? I can't. Gaston is about a bunch of puppies — that's probably all most of you need to know, but I'll go on. We have a family of little prim poodles, but one puppy looks... different. And they meet a family of rambunctious little bulldogs, in which, again, one puppy looks different. It's a story about found families and how sometimes, the family we belong to most has nothing to do with who birthed us, but also, it's just a really stinking cute book about puppies.

#1 The Raven Boys ★★★★★
#2 The Dream Thieves ★★★★★
#3 Blue Lily, Lily Blue ★★★★★
#4 The Raven King ★★★★★
#4.5 Opal ★★★★★

“She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own.”

All Blue's life, she's been surrounded by psychics: her mother, her aunt, her mother's live-in best friends. Blue can't predict anything, though - she's just an energy amplifier for everyone (and everything) around here. Her future has been set in stone for years. She will fall in love, and she will kiss her first love, and he will die.

It's hard enough, when Blue sees her first vision: the boy she will kiss and kill, a boy named Gansey. The weirdness is only beginning, though, because Blue's paths will soon cross with Gansey's in his search for a dead king and magic, and she will be wrapped up into a whirlwind adventure even her psychic family couldn't have prepared her for.

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ALL OF THE STARS FOREVER AND EVER AMEN

Seriously you guys, how did I not pick this book up sooner?! I am literally lamenting the fact that I have waited this long to begin this series - though, I'm also a little pleased, because I don't have to wait on book releases heh heh.

I'm just going to jump right into a breakdown of what I thought of this beautiful book. (By the way, I'm starting a new review format with this one - let me know what you lovelies think!)

BLUE ➳➳
I honestly just love Blue to pieces. I feel so sorry for her about the fact that she's the only one in her family who isn't a psychic, but I love her little "amplifier" ordeal and her sass and witticisms are fantastic. If I met someone like Blue IRL, we'd totally be besties.

THE BOYS ➳➳
The boys are all so precious and perfect in their own ways. I love Gansey's self-awareness and awkwardness, as well as his ridiculous obsession that he manages to draw everyone else into. I love Noah's adorable smudgy self. I love Ronan's fierce protectiveness and his bitter attitude that is so obviously hiding this teddy bear interior. I love Adam's shyness and feelings of inadequacy. They're all just precious little cuties and I want to protect all of them. ❤

THE PSYCHICS ➳➳
How fun are the psychics?! Blue's mom is fun on her own, but I LIVED for Persephone's quiet oddity and Calla's snappy attitude and antics. It's so fun to watch their little predictions unfold, too. And then there's Neeve, who I have very mixed feelings on...

PLOT ➳➳
A bunch of teenagers on some quest to find a dead king in some magical woods, surrounded by the energy leftover from a bunch of dead people? Plus there are psychics and scrying and such? Count me in. I really thought the plot for this was fantastic (though admittedly a little bit confusing at the start for me, because I overthink things and spent the first few chapters wondering why it's so important to Gansey).

WRITING ➳➳
This was my first ever Maggie Stiefvater book, and I didn't know what to expect of her writing. A lot of my bookish friends had actually warned me that her prose was very lyrical and flowery, and to try to power through it, I guess? I could see where her writing could be unlikable by some standards, but I really enjoyed it! I found it to be just the right level of descriptive and vague, and I can't wait to read more of her work.

FINAL VERDICT ➳➳
5 stars, all day! I absolutely loved this book and have already purchased the second book in the series. I'm only sad that I have such a big pile of ARCs that The Dream Thieves will have to wait a couple of weeks, but I might end up caving and diving into it sooner, because I am just so in love with these characters already and I can't wait to find out where their adventure takes them next!

June 2017 group read with Forgotten YA Gems

Hm... not my favorite of Cullen's, not my least favorite. It definitely plays really heavily into the 80s teen slasher camp style, and some of the death scenes were pretty imaginative and fun. Graphic novels are usually quick reads anyways, but this has to be one of the fastest I've read through! It might've stood a chance at 3.5 or even 4 stars if the epilogue hadn't been so out of left field and irrelevant, but what can you do?

Content warnings for murder, gore, etc.

#1 A Darker Shade of Magic ★★★★★
#2 A Gathering of Shadows ★★★★★
#3 A Conjuring of Light ★★★★★

I’ve been putting off writing this review for a month, which is about the same length of time I put off finishing the book itself, because I simply have not been prepared to say goodbye to this trilogy. Reading these three books has been one of the most emotional, anxiety-inducing, and genuinely magical experiences of my entire life. I have so much to say, with no idea how to express any of it.

“Love and loss,” he said, “are like a ship and the sea. They rise together. The more we love, the more we have to lose. But the only way to avoid loss is to avoid love. And what a sad world that would be.”

I can safely say that I have never loved every character in a series the way I do with this one. I mourned every loss, laughed and cried tears of joy over each close call, every triumph, every kiss and reunion. The thing about this trilogy is that there are certain evils which must be faced and conquered, but what really stays with you is the build-up of these characters and their relationships with one another. I can’t even choose a favorite, because I love them all so much, in such different ways.

“Scars are not shameful, not unless you let them be. If you do not wear them, they will wear you.”

In typical Schwab fashion, though, the action scenes are downright glorious. I love that, no matter how many moving pieces are in a battle, I never struggle to keep up with exactly what is happening, because her writing is so immersive that it transports you right into the center of the fight. You never know quite what twist or slight of hand to expect next.

“What are we drinking to?”
“The living,” said Rhy.
“The dead,” said Alucard and Lila at the same time.
“We’re being thorough,” added Rhy.

Of course, it’s not all war and heartache; there are always these gorgeous moments woven in of bonding, of bickering and playful banter. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in so many moments of sheer and utter anxiety, but that’s this series in a nutshell—especially the second and third installments. I actually joked recently that I’m so happy there is going to be a spin-off series, but at the same time, I need ample room to recover before putting my heart through the misery of another book with these characters scaring me half to death and breaking my heart every other chapter.

“Death comes for us all. I would simply have mine mean something.”

I don’t know what else to say at this point. I wanted this review to be eloquent and thorough, but when I think back on this story, I am immediately pulled into such reminiscence for the feelings it drew out of me that I have a hard time viewing it subjectively and squaring it off into little, easy to describe compartments.

“Anoshe was a word for strangers in the street, and lovers between meetings, for parents and children, friends and family. It softened the blow of leaving. Eased the strain of parting. A careful nod to the certainty of today, the mystery of tomorrow. When a friend left, with little chance of seeing home, they said anoshe. When a loved one was dying, they said anoshe. When corpses were burned, bodies given back to the earth and souls to the stream, those left grieving said anoshe.

Anoshe brought solace. And hope. And the strength to let go.”

A month after completing it, I feel comfortable in now saying that this is the single greatest series I have ever read in my life, and Victoria Schwab has solidified a permanent place in my heart. I will buy anything and everything she writes in the future, and I will doubtlessly reread this trilogy over and over again. The writing is so flawless, and frankly, you could just tattoo this whole damn trilogy onto my body if there was enough room, and I’d be just fine with that, thank you.

You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!

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Buddy read with Terry and Julie! ♥♥♥

His smile ruins me.

I should have reviewed this when I read it almost a year ago, but now it’s been too long and I don’t remember everything I want to say.

I read American Born Chinese a while back and felt like I was the only person in the world who absolutely disliked it, so I didn't have any plans of picking up more of Yang's work (aside from the Avatar comics he's worked on, which I think I enjoy more because they aren't his original content). That said, when Boxers was assigned reading for my Children's Lit class this semester, I picked it up, hoping maybe I would have better luck. Sadly, nope, I think Yang's stories just aren't for me. I don't find his storytelling style entertaining, I don't care much for the artwork, and something about the over-arching tone of depicting the Boxers as "secret villains" from the start... I don't know. Yang is an own-voices author for the Chinese representation, but he's also a Christian, and that inherently gives his version of the story some bias that I don't feel qualified to comment on as a pagan white person. I'll just leave it at saying certain elements didn't sit well with me. I really wish I could find some own-voice reviews from non-Christian Chinese readers, so if anyone has any to offer, please feel free to drop links in the comments!

Reread update — October 22, 2019:
Yep, still just 3 stars. I could even probably justify lowering it to 2.5. It's an addicting read the second time around, too, but I think I liked Pike even less this time (he's so aggressive and controlling and slut-shaming, WTF). I also feel like a hugely unpopular opinion-holder when I say that, after rereading this, I don't think Penelope Douglas is very good at writing steamy scenes at all. Sorry. *shrug*

“Time passes by you like a bullet,” he says, “and fear gives you the excuses you’re craving to not do the things you know you should.”

This was my very first Penelope Douglas book ever, which felt like an important milestone in and of itself, as many of my friends adore her writing so much! I’m fairly new to the adult contemporary scene (though not new to this type of book, as I used to read them online a lot—but it’s been a long time!), so I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what to expect, but I knew going into it that I loved the idea of the plot, as I’ve always been a sucker for age gap romances. (I blame a lifetime of books about teen girls hooking up with several-hundred-year-old paranormal entities.)

With the age gap does come some issues that I’ll list right off the bat to get them out of the way: there is a lot that could be said for power imbalances here, not just because of the age gap, but because Jordan lives in Pike’s home rent-free, which is obviously going to leave some potential for a less than healthy relationship. While the story never plays into that problem, in my opinion, there’s also the issue that Pike’s age seems to sometimes make him think he gets a free pass for being overly dominating towards Jordan’s life choices, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

The other content warnings I’ll mention here are mentions of previous abuse from a significant other, quite a bit of (mostly unchallenged) slut-shaming, and emotional/physical cheating in multiple pairings.

I’ll tackle the good things first: this is a bit of a slow burn (which I’m always a fan of), and the romance honestly feels really genuine and sweet. You find yourself rooting for Jordan and Pike from day one, and it just gets better as they grow accustomed to one another’s company and conversation and learn to be friends and companions before acknowledging their budding feelings for one another. There’s also killer chemistry literally from the night they meet, and watching that unfold is fantastic. The sex itself is well-written for the most part, and not over the top—I’m no prude at all and don’t mind sex in my books, but I personally enjoy character development and drama to go along with it, and this book definitely covers all of the bases!

For negatives, however, I’ve got quite a few of those, too. The biggest problem I had with this book is Pike’s attitude. While reading the book, he irked me a bit but didn’t upset me too much, but by the time I had given myself a few days to think on it, I realized I was actually incredibly annoyed by how he treated Jordan through most of the story. He’s very overly dominating, and while that would be fine if it was in a BSDM “kink” sort of aspect (as I am never here to kink-shame anyone, ever!), it doesn’t come across that way at all. Instead, it feels like an overly possessive, temperamental “father figure” telling her what she can and can’t wear, who she can and can’t hang out with, and where she can or can’t go. I’ll say that for the most part, Pike is super sweet and caring and mature, but his temper comes and goes so fast that it gave me whiplash sometimes.

The only other negatives that I have are pretty minor: I thought Jordan was really immature from time to time (though those moments were rare—I mostly really liked her character), and some of the sexual stuff was unrealistic and downright painful to read about (that loofah scene? Ouch!). Maybe I’m too much of a pragmatist here, but it definitely takes me out of the story during moments like that.

There’s also some treatment of sex workers that made me feel super uncomfortable. Jordan’s sister is a stripper, and while I think her character is written in a way that’s meant to be sex-positive, the way everyone else treats her is so over the top with slut-shaming and grossness that I felt like I was being sent very mixed signals, especially since most of the slut-shaming is never challenged (especially when it comes from Pike). It doesn’t help that Jordan herself, despite swearing she respects and loves her sister immensely, comes off as extremely judge-y from time to time.

My final complaint is probably one of those “it’s not you, it’s me” things: I was expecting a legitimate love triangle, but honestly, it’s so one-sided that it’s impossible to root for Cole, like… ever. He’s painted so obviously as a villain that it makes his presence feel like a prop, and then the ending with his redemption arc was just kind of gross and unnecessary. (Actually, that entire epilogue was unnecessary, but I’ll let that one go.)

All in all, I did enjoy reading this book—it was definitely addictive and I didn’t want to put it down until I finished it, so I think it deserves 3 stars for that aspect alone. That said, if it hadn’t been so addictive, I think this would be getting a much lower rating based on the issues I described above. All of this in mind, I will definitely be giving Penelope’s writing another try in the near future, as most of the people I buddy read this book with told me that many of her other titles are much better than this one!

So, here's a children's librarian secret: sometimes, when we're supposed to be shelf-reading during our down time, we see a book on the shelf and go, "Oh, this looked so cute when I ordered it, but I forgot to actually read it!" and since picture books are so tiny, we just go ahead and read it right there and have our little moment of warm fuzzies and move on. Or sometimes, such as with me and Islandborn earlier today, we end up scurrying off to the bathroom to hide until we can contain ourselves because wow, who knew a children's book was going to trigger the waterworks today?

Anyways, seriously, this book is so beautiful and literally had me crying in the stacks today. My heart absolutely breaks for anyone experiencing diasporia, anyone missing their home or wishing they remembered more of it, and anyone whose home has ever been taken from them by a monster like the Monster from the Island. I absolutely cannot recommend Islandborn highly enough.

“You can't just go round murdering people. There are rules, Nimona.”

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5 STARS

You guys, before I even get started, let me just say that I am becoming total and complete Noelle Stevenson trash. She writes the most fantastic stories with the most precious characters ever, and there's so much focus on diversity, and dark/ironic humor, and just... I cannot say enough good things about Nimona.

First, let's highlight the fact that our title character is this incredibly badass shapeshifter with pink hair and a punk hairstyle and a thick body type and she alternates between casually murdering people and being this cute, little childlike thing that falls asleep on the couch snuggling her boss' cape as a blanket. I mean, are you visualizing this yet? It's adorable.

Second, let's focus on the fact that we have a story with two leads, one male and one female, and yet the story doesn't revolve around the two of them falling in love. I was stunned just by that. Instead, Blackheart's protective nature towards Nimona feels almost a little bit fatherly (or uncle-ly, at least), and while there is a romance, it isn't stereotypical at all and is super casual, and inclusive, and fantastic, and may or may not have made me literally clap my hands when it finally proofed itself out at the end.

This graphic novel made me laugh my ass off, made me smile constantly, and even choked me up once or twice. The artwork is beautiful and colorful and bright and totally drew me in from the cover page. I just could rave about Nimona all damn day, and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys graphic novels, inclusiveness, and being happy with life in general.

Go get it. Go go go!