morganthebee's reviews
452 reviews

Make no mistake: If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is HEAVY. I devoured it while it ripped my heart out and had me crying, to the point where as much as I wanted to keep going I had to pause my reading because I was struggling to see the pages through my tears, but it also put me back together and made me feel SEEN. It’s tumultuous and soothing and shattering and oh, so heartbreaking, but also healing and hopeful and full of love. 

The story follows Avery Byrne, going back and forth between her present day experiences with the end of the world nigh and glimpses of her life prior. Avery is such a complicated character, the perfect Catholic and star athlete who hides so much of who she really is from everyone, including those closest to her. The woman she loves, her childhood best friend Cass, joins her as they navigate the final days with a diverse and lovely cast of characters including Avery’s college roommate Aisha, a college professor, Avery’s parents, her beloved brother and sister-in-law, and her adorable nephew.

It deals with heavy themes at the end of the world, but it’s not really about the apocalypse. It’s about figuring out who you are and your place in the world, the impact you make on those around you, no matter how many days you have left. It’s about finding that part of yourself that’s worth fighting for, even if the world is ending, even if there might not be a tomorrow. Hands down the best YA book I’ve read this year.

Comics, Cons & Clerics is a super cute story with essentially two romance arcs. The first half focuses on Rina, an extremely anxious but brilliant programer and secret comic artist, and Cisco, a nerdy but super supportive and caring guy. The second half follows Rina's bestie Audra and Cisco's BFF Mandy as they navigate their own crushes and well meaning friends.

There were a few places where the wrong name was used, and some grammatical errors here and there, but the story itself was fun and well balanced. It's not deep, but it's sweet and funny, and I definitely got sucked in and found myself cheering for everyone.

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

Under a New and Brilliant Sky was an interesting sci-fi novel that takes place over several settings throughout the galaxy, focusing on (and from the perspective of) Elys, a programmer who works on large-scale systems that help run societies. Escaped from a Republic prison on Mars, she's rescued by a squad from an independent nation of Alyansa, on the planet Mayari, who need help finding an error in their system.

The story itself is well thought out and developed, and it held my interest all the way through. There's an interesting juxtaposition here between the fascist Republic and the Alyansans, whose society records virtually everything and makes those recordings available publicly, neither of which sound idyllic to me. Elys quickly develops a connection and attraction to Taia, one of her rescuers, and although the story as a whole is more about solving the problem within the City, the romance undercurrent is great and the two of them have wonderful chemistry throughout.

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

Lasting Impressions is a story about a woman who falls for her boss’s daughter—a boss who is also interested in her. It’s well written, I liked both Carmen and Sarah, and Sarah’s daughter was a delight who stole the show. There’s also some extended family, like Sarah’s boss/Carmen’s dad Richard, Carmen’s grandmother, and their respective best friends, all of whom are very supportive once some things are cleared up.

Sarah finds it hard to trust people because of past family rejection, and Carmen’s got some trauma of her own. I did get frustrated with several instances in the story where both women had quite extreme responses to things that were easily dealt with once they actually communicated with each other, especially when they essentially came down to the same issue at their core.

[The only other issue I had was a formatting concern that was updated with publication, so I've updated my review to remove it.]

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

Starlight and Space Between is a fabulous follow up to Where Starlight Burns. Taking place 5 years after the events of the first book, it’s a bit less cozy, a bit deeper, and a bit more realistic (well, as realistic as a futuristic sci-fi book set in space can be), which just made me love Cori and Aster all the more. There’s definitely no second book syndrome happening here. There was a lot happening but all of it helped to move the story along or progress the relationships, everything flowed well, and the characters were rounded out. 

 

In this installment, Cori will head out on a mission to a nearby uninhabitable ice planet as one of the team’s doctors, and the couple has to deal with separation for the first time. After some unexpected events their strength and determination will be tested, and we learn a lot more about Cori’s past experiences as a refugee from the former Terran military. I just adore Cori, and having this deeper insight into her character is so interesting. Aster, too, is tested in her own ways, but the love they have for each other is so strong and you can’t help but cheer for them the whole way through. 

 

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

I listened to the audiobook of The Spiral of Life, and it was quite enjoyable. The story is the first in a YA series, Eilean in the Otherworld, about a Scottish teenager who is pulled into a world of folklore, along the same lines as Percy Jackson but queer and Celtic which is totally my jam.

I really liked Eilean as a character, I found myself empathizing with her experiences and self-doubt. She cares a lot about her family, particularly her Mamó (grandmother), and has regret about an event that’s greatly affected her present view of herself. I also really liked Freya and her blossoming friendship with Eilean, and all of the supporting characters. Rebecca Daltry did a great job giving them all distinct voices, her narration was smooth, and this American loved her accents.

There were some sound effects that were added throughout, and some effects added to the voices here and there. I don’t know if this was done because it was a YA book and the intent was to make it more interesting for a teenage listener, but I found a bit distracting. It was still a nice production, though, and I’ll definitely check out future installments of the series.

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

If you had told me I was going to read a sci-fi book about a doctor and a sex worker falling in love, and it was going to turn out to be one of the coziest books I’ve ever read, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’d have been so, so wrong.

Where Starlight Burns is the story of Cori Nova, a nonjudgmental doctor who cares about everyone she meets and treats all of her patients with respect. She finds herself developing feelings for Aster Moss, a sex worker who repeatedly comes to her clinic for treatment of injuries sustained in the course of her work, who had become accustomed to being dismissed and treated poorly by Cori’s predecessor.

Cori is a complete delight. She’s got a complex past that includes a rough upbringing on a desolate, war-torn Earth. Despite that (or perhaps because of it) she finds joy in everything she sees and experiences, even the run-down space station where they live. Aster is adventurous but isolated, and she finds a connection with Cori that’s been missing in her life. The side characters are interesting, and for the most part good people (I’d love to see side stories or a return of both Joely and Patrek), which makes for a fun time.

Although there are some happenings that could have changed the feel or tone if they had been followed, they were just events that drove the story in the direction it needed to go without bringing things down. Where Starlight Burns isn’t a story full of adventure and intrigue, or a drama filled angsty tale; it’s a fluffy, feel good sapphic romance between two women who just want to love and be loved.

I’ve really enjoyed all of the Witches of Thistle Grove series, some more than others but all are very solid reads, and Rise and Divine is no different. I loved Dasha and that Lana Harper really touched on some deeper and darker topics through her, and on how it is to love someone through dark things with Ivy’s character. I liked that we got to revisit previous characters, and although knowing that it was the final installment made me want to see a bit more of them I think it would have been too much for the story and wouldn’t have done Dasha and Ivy’s story justice.

Harper’s descriptions of the other side of the veil were beautiful and melancholy and euphoric all at the same time. The premise is solid, we got good closure to the story, and a really nice wrap up of Thistle Grove at the end. For me, Rise and Divine was the perfect ending to a really lovely series.