leahrosereads's Reviews (1.04k)

It's a visual take of American Gods - which I loved (book and TV show). So, I went into this expecting an easy 5 starrer.

I wasn't disappointed.

This story works incredibly well in a visual medium, and I highly recommend checking this out or the TV show if you like the book. Well worth it.

Likes:
The writing was exceptional. I can see why so many people love Jay Kristoff's works. He can weave a fantastic tale. And while I wish there was some more world building here, I got a feel of the world through the storytelling that had me interested in learning more.

The characters (through most of the book) were entertaining to read about and definitely had some very emotional backstories, but they were lacking a little in being well rounded.

The robots. I like robots.

Tank Girl vibes. Jet Girl vibes. It was great.

Dislikes:
Lack of world building. It wasn't info dumpy enough for my taste. This is probably a positive to most people.

The MC near the end. WTF was that ending even though? It felt like the character changed drastically and while it made sense if you squinted...shouldn't have to squint.

Overall:
I was entertained, but I don't think it was enough to continue with the series. I'm definitely interested in trying out other works by Mr. Kristoff though, because I really enjoyed his writing.

Before I give my thoughts, let's talk diversity. Alex, the main character and her family and a lot of the people in this story are POCs with Latin American descent. There's also bi representation (or I read it as bi-rep. Please correct me if it's lesbian representation).

Also, not diversity or representation, but I feel it's important to note that the adults in this YA book are around and care. Sure shenanigans happen, but it's not due to an absentee family. Family bonds are very important to not only this book, but it's sequel. And, I feel that's important to note.

Onto my thoughts. Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It was a five starrer until I read Bruja Born and realized that I really, really loved that one, so I dropped this to 4 stars.

Alex is a bruja who'd rather go to school, go to college, and get away. She's seen some shit that makes her reject the magic in her life to some pretty extreme consequences. I thought she was a very realistic character full of faults and dreams and desires and obligations. It was refreshing to read something so very real in a story that was so fantastical.

The world within this book is exceptional. There's of course our New York (muggles, Grey London, ya know, the place for the mundane), and then there's this other world(s) where lost souls stay, birdlike creatures starve, and a terrible darkness sucks the life out of it in the hopes to escape into another world.

And Alex has to work to try and fix it and more. It's a heartbreaking tale at times and filled with fear and courage and everything that makes a person human.

I cannot wait for the rest of the series, and I definitely plan on looking into this author's backlist for more to read until the 3rd book arrives.

Before I give my thoughts, let's talk diversity. Most of the people in this story are POCs with Latin American descent, and you see a lot of latin american culture weaved with some fantastical elements and excellent storytelling.

This is the second book in the Brooklyn Brujas series, but instead of following Alex from the first book, we are in the head of her older sister Lula. Lula's also a bruja with healing abilities who went through something very traumatic in the first book and isn't handling it well. Not that I blame her.

Once again, I have to hand it to Ms. Córdova - she created very real characters here. Their personalities are well thought out and pieced together creating cohesively flawed complete individuals.

After all that happened to Lula in the first book, she's hoping to get back to a new normal and has even more heartbreak happen. It's enough to drive any young person to do what she did here, and I can't say that I don't see her logic. I was young once and would do almost anything to keep the love of my life back then.

It's understandable.

Again, I thought this had a wonderful story to it, that I don't want to go too into because I don't want to give anything away. But brujas aren't the only magical creature in this one!

If you haven't read this series yet, you should definitely get on the bandwagon. It's worth it!!

So, I still haven't finished all of the Sandman series, and it's still one of my goals. But, the absolute volumes are a tad cumbersome to read, and honestly, a bit overwhelming in the amount of words and sometimes, I just want something smaller.

So I pulled this off my shelf, and I'm so happy I did.

I think this goes in chronological order based on the series, because I recognized a few of the first stories, which appear in the first 2.5 absolute volumes that I've currently read. The others were new and exciting and fantastic. I'm guessing they'll appear again in the second half of the series.

Death is definitely my second favorite Endless, and that's just because I dig her emo brother just a bit more. However, it was great to get away from all of that and just read some really wonderful stories. And, by reading this, I'm more excited to continue the series than I have been.

Still hoping to have all of the OGs knocked out by the end of the year, so I can move onto the Overture and the new stories coming out in the universe too.

This was a very enjoyable, entertaining book, and it gave me some serious nostalgia Fern Gully vibes. However, I felt like there were certain aspects missing that could've helped bring this book next level. The biggest being that I wish there was more world-building. That part of the book felt rushed.

That said, Willa was a fantastically developed character. So brave and loyal and everything I like to see in a character. I also appreciated how dark this middle grade story was. There's death and pain and serious hardships that the characters have to overcome. When adding in the moral and environmental aspects, it made for a telling story. One that I'm happy exists for kids to read.

I'll definitely be interested in seeing where this story goes next, and I look forward to trying out some more of Mr. Beatty's backlist.

I've heard that this is a great book to read if you want to get into classics. If that's the case, I'm not sure the classics are for me. It took me two tries to get through, but I've finally finished a story that almost everyone says they've read and loved.

And while I definitely loved the whimsy of the story, I realized for the first time how diabolical and ego-maniacal Peter really is, and it crushed my soul a little. I didn't notice it in the movies growing up, but maybe, I just didn't know what those traits looked like until now.

Oh well, I'll always have my childhood wonder for my favorite character in memories, even if the book demolished that idea in adulthood.

I listened to this on audiobook, and Neil Gaiman did a fantastic job narrating and bringing these stories to life. I didn't grow up knowing these stories, but I'm definitely going to look into the source material now.

This was incredible, and I can only imagine what other ways these stories could be or have been interpreted.

I finally finished this short story collection! When I started it back in 2015, the short story "Orange" had me putting the book down and never going back to it.

3 years later, I tried again (starting from the beginning and skipping "Orange" when I got to it), and I'm so freaking glad I was able to complete it. Most of these stories are fantastic, and I can see why Neil Gaiman has been labeled as a master short story teller. He can weave such wonderful stories in so few pages, it's genuinely incredible.

I don't think I can pick a favorite, because I loved so many, but I do have a least favorite, and it's the reason I had to drop this by a star.

I mean, I DNF'd this book for three years because of it.

What can I say?


No, really, what can I say that wouldn't spoil any aspect of this series?


It feels like it's all coming together, that answers are within reach, and that something huge is about to go down. I feel it in my bones, and I both crave the next issue, while being in denial that there's less than 10 issues to go until the conclusion.




(Oh, the first 10ish pages...I loathed...)