Poor Jude :( She was really trying her best but she got a little too ambitious and her juggling act fell apart. I can't believe that she married Cardan and I can't believe that just HOURS after getting married, Cardan exiled Jude. Cardan is such a little asshole but he’s growing on me. 

My biggest complaint with this book is that some of the plotlines were all build-up with no payoff (especially the Madoc, Taryn, and Locke plotlines).

I love love love Jude, she's such a fun protagonist! Carden was there too, I guess.

The best part of this novel was the protagonist, Mila. Overall, while I like historical novels, I think that war novels just aren't for me. I'm not a fan of the drawn out battle narration and the repetitive plotlines. I would have liked the novel better if it was more focused on the friendship between Mila and Eleanor (which was the main reason that I read the book, but only really happened in a couple of the later chapters).

How High We Go In The Dark is a collection of short stories set in the same post-pandemic universe that perfectly weaves together themes of grief, love, community, and perseverance. It would be a perfect five-star read, except that the stories seemed to loose cohesion in the second half of the book. The first half, however - perfection!  "30,000 Years Beneath a Eulogy", "City of Laughter", "Through the Garden of Memory", "Pig Son", and "Songs of Your Decay" were all wonderful to read and connected to each other in interesting and meaningful ways.

I’m not convinced that this qualifies as an Eros and Psyche adaptation. Also, I can’t quite remember why I decided to read “Electric Idol” when I never really liked “Neon Gods” in the first place. It’s so bad I can’t help but keep reading. The plot is more of a vehicle for smut than an actual plot. The romantic arc is so rushed that the only trope it really fits into is live at first sight/insta-love which. Combine this with the lack of any actual external plot, tension, or stakes, there really isn’t anything to be interested in besides the handful of smut scenes. 

No plot just vibes (affectionate). I love how character-centered this book is! Even the characters you hate, you can't help but love! Speaking of the characters: 

I know that this series isn't really meant to be a romance, and yet my life has been irreparably changed by Nico/Gideon and Tristan/Libby. The fact that Tristan/Callum will probably never come to fruition (on account of the whole murder scheme) makes me so sad.

I know I'll probably end up being in the minority, but I liked The Atlas Paradox more than The Atlas Six. I like how the characters spread out a little more, which gave them time to grow and change and go on side quests and learn new things about the world.

The characters were the best part. There's a very diverse cast with unique characterizations. The book was incredibly character-focused with minimal plot. The Libby/Nico dynamic was fun. I liked Tristan's characterization, that he is incredibly calculating and yet the most susceptible to his own emotions. The Ezra twist was very satisfying.

Mary is such a "good for her" character. Swindling men out of their money is a noble profession.

Overall, the book was blah. My main praise is that I like the romance between Nora and Charlie; however, no amount of cute romance will cause me to overlook the fact that I HATED Nora's sister Libby.

Libby was SO awful and annoying that it almost made me DNF the book at chapter 26. The relationship between Nora and Libby is just HORRIBLE. Poor Nora is a neurotic mess due to trauma (stemming from the loss of her mother) and the only cure to her anxiety is to pseudo-mother Libby. Nora sacrifices her dream career for a higher paying job because Libby and her husband require the supplemental income that Nora provides in order to support their two (and a half) children. Libby and her husband never once consider that it might be irresponsible to continue having children, because according to Book Lovers, Libby can do no wrong.

Libby has the AUDACITY to be annoyed by the financial and emotional support. Actions speak louder than words though -- even though Libby says that she doesn't want to be mothered, she berets Nora anytime Nora doesn't immediately drop everything to mother Libby. It's absolutely ridiculous. Libby is a fully grown woman with a husband and children and yet she cannot survive without the undivided attention of her sister. 

Libby is just the WORST kind of younger sibling do-no-wrong dreamer -- what kind of IDIOT decides that she's moving her whole family to a town before she's even visited because she read about it in a FICTION novel. 

The writing is fine -- good, even -- but I literally cannot stand the characters in this book.

I appreciated that the same breadth and depth of analysis given to “important” topics like the smallpox vaccine was also given to more “frivolous” topics like the worlds largest ball of paint or the Penguins of Madagascar movie. I’m not a huge nonfiction reader, but I still found this book very insightful. 

I listened to this book as an audiobook, which had its pros and cons. The con was that it took me a week to finish, being ten hours long. The pro was that it forced me to take my time and really appreciate the book.