itsolliebygollie's Reviews (133)

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

Foz Meadows

4.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

For the first 100 pages, the language of this book tested the dead part of my Gifted and Talented Childhood brain. I wondered over and over again if the MC, Vel, was just showing off he was smart by sounding like a thesaurus or if the author didn't know how to write for a general audience. But as the book went on, I realized that it was for the character. The author changes POVs and the language changes with it. It's fascinating to read the very clear differences in the language used.

This book also contains heavy topics like assault and suicide attempts. I feared I would be upset by this, maybe even have to DNF the book, but Fox Meadows knows when to put in detail and when to make a character react in a way that "blurring" the scene makes sense, ie going numb and dissociating. I'm very excited to read the next book.

Content Warnings

The Marble Queen

Anna Kopp

4.0

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

Love at Second Sight

F.T. Lukens

4.5

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

F. T. Lukens knows how to write dumb, gay teenagers, and I love it. This book shows their skill immensely while also navigating the supernatural world, traumatic home life, and what it means to miss the forest through the trees.

Content Warnings