This is a delightful graphic novel full of diverse queer representation! The characters are a highlight of this one for me, as well as the beautifully rendered artwork. An excellent witchy/spooky season read! 

Elizabeth Acevedo is wonderful, and I especially enjoy her audiobook narration. I enjoyed the strength of the characters in this story, and the fact that some of the decisions definitely felt teenage. This is a beautiful and hopeful story, told so well by Acevedo. 

This novel is an absolute masterclass in prose. It achieves the perfect balance of concise and evocative and there is not a word out of place. The exploration of internalized homophobia is extremely poignant. I would recommend this to anyone, particularly those looking to expand their knowledge of the queer canon. It is a beautiful and haunting book.

This is some of the top mental health representation I have come across, especially in a romance. I love the way this book showed Dev and Charlie respecting each others' mental illnesses and challenges, while also pushing each other to take responsibility when needed. The reality TV setting really worked in terms of building stakes and pushing the timeline in a natural way. I think the critique already explored in other reviews that Dev's Indian-ness is treated without a lot of depth is a valid critique, though not one I am totally qualified to explore. Overall, there is a lot of good in this book, and I look forward to reading Alison Cochrun's next book! 

This is a seriously adorable little graphic novel. It is sweet and simple, with just enough spookiness to get you in the mood. I highly recommend! 

I really enjoyed this book! I think the second half was stronger than the first. The romance here, though quick, feels natural and unforced. I really bought their connection and their miscommunications felt realistic and not red flag-y (especially since the reality TV environment lends some plausibility to miscommunication in general). The one hangup I had with this book was the idea that someone 20 years old had enough viable exes to populate a full set of 6 on a dating show- I think the premise would have worked better if the author had aged the cast up 3-6 years, which also would have raised the stakes. With that being said, once you suspend your disbelief, this is a lot of fun. Act 3 packed a lot more punch emotionally than I anticipated, and brought this up to a 4 from a 3.5 for me.

I so enjoyed this one! This is a perfect spooky season read. The characters have so much heart and I was absolutely in love with them very early on in the story. Aiden Thomas faces up to some very real challenges these characters face - from transphobia to homelessness. His takes feel honest without being hopeless. The magical elements of the story feel logical and are enjoyable to read. I look forward to reading more from this author! 

This book deserves all of the hype it is getting. I haven't picked up anything similar to this genre-wise in many many years (though now I hope to!), but I have always enjoyed language and thinking about the impossibility of translation, so the idea of this magic system intrigued me.

I am so glad I read this. I think Kuang has masterfully woven in her critiques of colonialism, academia, and academia's service to Empire. The messaging is not subtle, but these are some of the major wrongs of our society, so in terms of scale that did not bother me. I was very impressed by the pacing of this book, which managed to sweep through time when it needed to, but lingered sufficiently to build depth and attachment to the characters. The exploration of intersectionality was nuanced, and I felt Kuang was very honest and rigorous in her exploration of the different experiences these four characters would go through facing the same events. Kuang's ability to distill the essence of complex global challenges into a view concise and moving paragraphs is astonishing at times. I am not typically an annotator but found myself on more than one occasion reaching for a pen. 

The messaging is important, of course, but this is a 500+ page tome, and the message wouldn't get to nearly as many people if the story weren't compelling. The plot is well structured, tense, and exciting throughout (arguable the first half is a bit slow at times, but to me you can always feel the build). 

And then for me, there is the translation based magic system. I loved this, I loved the etymologies (that take is not for everyone I know, but it delighted me). Kuang is clearly a remarkable mind and the level of research here is awe-inspiring.

I don't feel I am able to do justice to my thoughts on this book, but in three words, it is a masterpiece.  

This book was a wonderful and immersive read. The sense of setting is extremely vivid and atmospheric, and it is clear the author writes from a lot of deep knowledge and respect for the region. I found the voices of the women to be distinct and nuanced. The gender dynamics of the book were very moving, particularly the difficulties of queer love in the times this book was set (1881 and 1931, primarily). The folkloric style of the magic involved felt right to the setting and the story. I loved this book, and look forward to its release date so I have others to discuss it with!

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was everything I wanted it to be, and I knew it would be from the first sentence (I'll know it's working when he starts to scream--that's the first line!). I am also a sucker for a book with short chapters, and this one has that going for it. I think the twists are likely predictable for those who read more thrillers than I do, but they nevertheless pay off. If you want lady rage, this is your book. It's a lot of fun, and great for spooky season!