Really short but impactful fantasy story about the how cost of political upheaval will be paid by innocent civilians. And how "not caring" about politics usually just means you are privileged enough to not care about how politics negatively impacts the marginalized- until you become part of the oppressed.

Usually, I'm not really drawn to books where the premise is that we are following a celbrity, but I really loved the Darius the Great duology by Adib Khorram so I picked this one up because I trusted that at the very least I wouldn't hate it. I enjoyed the snapshot it provided into the characters lives, and the commentary it provided on how much pressure can be put on young celebrities to act a certain way, both by fans and the people around them. I wish a few things could have been expanded upon, but overall it was a quick and engaging read.

I picked this up on a whim, and I ended up enjoying this a lot- nostalgia probably played a huge factor in my enjoyment, but I'm not mad about it.

The illustrations were beautiful, and I will read anything by Elizabeth Acevedo.

 Review withheld until St Martin's Press and Wednesday Books address boycott demands. For more details check out this tiktok video here: https://www.tiktok.com/@floralamal/video/7292937111286697258

I'm honestly still not 100% sure what was going on in this book, but I also wasn't really invested enough to spend much time trying to figure it out.

While I didn't love this as much as the first book, I still really enjoyed it and am excited for the next book. I think it just comes down how I would have preferred for the plot to be structured; In this sequel it feels like we are reading about multiple main story arcs that were all equally compelling, but did make the plot feel a bit scattered at moments. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if there had been more of a focus on a main plot with everything else branching off into subplots. Also, for a book titled, "Amari and the Great Game" there was a surprisingly little amount of the aforementioned games.

Reread 2024: This was just as solid of a debut as I remembered it to be; my only (very minor) quibbles is that I wished Andor and Keturah- and Laure’s bond with them- had gotten more page time, and that we had spent more time with the ending. Super excited to read the sequel.

I have been anticipating this novel since the author first announced that it had been acquired by publishing, and it definitely did not disappoint. In the beginning, I was nervous that my super high expectations would jinx it, but the combination of the atmospheric setting and compelling main character had me immersed in the story almost right away. Once I got invested, I was rooting for the main character all the way- even (especially) in her more morally gray moments. The moment she was able to find a group of people who truly cared about her and walk away from all the things and people that didn't was bittersweet but satisfying. I can't wait to read what Jamison Shea writes next.

The plotline surrounding the giants was just fine; I mainly enjoyed it for the chance to see the main characters interact with a prehistoric island, and to learn more about the Baroque Works members.

I found the messages explored throughout this book to be very poignant- about grief, loneliness, and choosing to actively participate in life rather than being a passive observer. However, at times the plots events felt a little bit disjointed and the climax felt slightly underwhelming.