morganthebee's reviews
452 reviews

I know two things to be true about any book that Emily Austin writes: first, I’m going to read it; and second, it’s going to make me cry. The writing style is a bit different than her previous works, but We Could Be Rats affirmed these truths. The book is, for the most part, a series of writings. You won’t find a lot of character interactions outside a few retellings, but you will find a lot of exploration of mental health and internal struggles, and it is a gut punch. Fair warning: We Could Be Rats deals heavily with suicide and suicidal ideation, as well as strained familial relationships and addiction. 

The story is broken into three parts. The first (and the bulk of the book) is a series of attempts at Sigrid’s suicide note. Sigrid is a small-town lesbian working at a dollar store who never graduated from high school. The letters vary in length and tone, and detail her relationships with her parents, sister Margit, her childhood best friend Greta, and ramblings on just about everything in between. They’re irreverent and funny, but also melancholy, and show a version of Sigrid that tries to appease while also providing exposition about her life and decisions. 

Part two is Margit’s writing, recounting experiences and exploring family and relationships, and learning to open up to others. This section felt much heavier than the first (I was crying on the first page and did so repeatedly throughout if that’s any indication), but it was so moving. 

In part three we get a look into Sigrid’s journal, which is more reflection on family, feelings, and reconnection from her perspective. There are some jaw-dropping revelations in this section, and although there’s a lot of sadness it also left me feeling hopeful. 

I received a free ARC from NetGalley, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily. 

When I started reading The Headmistress I realized I had already done so and just never logged it (I've had a few of those here and there), but that didn't matter. It was so good the first time around, and I was listening to the audiobook this time, I decided to finish it again. I mean, it's Abby Craden: she's pretty much the perfect pick for Magdalene, but she also did a fabulous job with Sam and Lily, and it was easy to differentiate the characters.

I love Milena McKay's writing. She spreads lots of detail throughout, there's a little mystery and danger that move the story along in really interesting ways, and we get some lovely spice. Magdalene Nox is such a fabulous character, and her ice queen exterior is hiding depth and a golden heart. Sam Threadneedle, whose whole life has been spent at the Three Dragons Academy, is smart, snarky, and loyal to a fault. There are some really great, well-developed side characters as well, including a fellow teacher named Joanne who basically raised Sam, a spunky student named Lily, and even a very huffy cat named Willoughby. An overall fabulous book that I would highly recommend.

I found Fall Into You enjoyable, but I didn't love it. Although the premise was good it was so short it didn't have a chance to really develop much, and it would have benefitted from a bit more editing. I did really love Imari as a character, she was interesting and sweet, but I didn't feel like I we got much in the way of characters otherwise except for knowing how great she thought her best friend was and hot she found Cassidy. It's a quick read, though, and worth checking out.

In a dystopic world teeming with vampires battling the witches struggling to protect humanity, Joan returns to her small town after 8 years away following her estranged father’s death—the town where she left her former love, Leigh, to go out into the world and pursue her dream of becoming a war witch. The poverty-ridden town has been protected from the vampires by a magical barrier that her father erected, as well as a small coven of secretive witches, but the veil is failing and no one knows why. 

 

Joan is lethal and damn good at her job. Don’t let that fool you, though: she’s got a soft side, and she’s definitely not over Leigh. She teams up with a motley crew of citizens protecting the town, led by Dayton (with his dog Willy by his side), a man who clearly respects her and her father, but it was Leigh whose story captured my heart. After Joan left, she made some decisions that changed the course of her life in ways that neither could ever have imagined. Together Joan and Leigh, along with Dayton, slowly untangle the secrets and mysteries surrounding what’s happening to save the town, and themselves. 

 

The writing is flawless, and the tone is perfect. Black blends a dark and mysterious story with fabulous transitions between slow, sensual moments and heart pounding action. Mysteries abound and the tension was delicious. While Black ends the story with a satisfying ending that could be the end of the story, it’s definitely left open for a potential sequel, and I’m here for it. 

It's pretty rare to see a romance between an already established couple as the main characters, but Cami and Sutton have been married for 5 years. The two of them are struggling a bit in their relationship: Sutton's stressed and overwhelmed at work, and Cami is knocked off her game by the announcement that her parents' 30-year marriage, which she's always seen as the perfect relationship, is ending. 

They each decide separately to make an attempt to reconnect with the other, but because they haven't really talked to each other there are some miscommunications and assumptions that threaten to derail the process. The two of them are each really interesting and likeable characters, and together they're a dream if they can just just through this slump. Noche Buena is a bit deeper than you'll get in a lot of holiday romances, but it's very well done and I highly recommend checking it out.