morganthebee's reviews
452 reviews

Queens of Geek was a super cute (and super awkward), extremely diverse, girls-supporting-girls story with wonderful characters. I liked the mix of relationships, and the whole story takes place over the weekend at a comic convention, which my geek heart loved. 

I think Jen Wilde was trying to do a lot in a very short period of time, but it worked. There are really two stories intertwined here, as it's told from the perspective of Charlie, a YouTuber and indie film actress who has a massive crush on Alyssa, another YouTuber; and Taylor, one of her best friends, who is in love with Jamie, their third best friend and one of the other main characters in the story. I really enjoyed both stories and how they wove together, with Charlie flitting in and out of Taylor's side, and Taylor and Jamie popping into Charlie's, but leaving each their own distinct tale.

I do think the conversations felt a bit stilted and didn't flow naturally at times, but the way the author handled anxiety and a lot of other issues was really well done. The plot was fun, and I really cared about Charlie, Taylor, and all the other characters that made appearances (well, except for Reese. I didn't really care about him, but that's because he was generally a jerk).

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it, kudos to Cat Gould and Sarah Mollo-Christensen. I especially loved Cat's portrayal of Taylor. Overall this is a great YA novel filled with cultural references and just a ton of fun.

I quite enjoyed The Name-Bearer. The cover is gorgeous, and I thought the story was interesting. I liked the mix of realism and fantasy and the weight that Natalia Hernandez gives names, not just with the name-bearer and the sovereign but throughout the story. I loved all the characters and the diversity, and the exploration of the Name-Bearer and her discovery of who she is as a person, although I would have liked more insight into some of the more primary side characters. 

I think there was a lot of telling instead of showing, I wanted things to be a bit more, and I think it made the book come across as younger than Hernandez may have intended. I also found it a little jumbled sometimes. Most of the story is told from the perspective of the Name-Bearer, but when it switches to someone else it was confusing. One last thing about the story itself: it is part of a trilogy so it is a cliffhanger, but even then it ended extremely abruptly, and I found myself surprised by it when it got to that point. I mean it just...stopped. 

I listened to the audiobook and there were some pronunciations that were way off that I found a bit jarring, but even still I loved Ana Osorio's voice and I'll continue with the audio. Overall I thought The Name-Bearer was a fairly strong showing for a debut novel, and I do intend to continue the series.

I enjoyed Mountain Witch, although I was a little surprised that it didn't pick up where book 1 of the Knight Protector series left off. I liked the premise of this one and the story flowed well, unfolding at a nice pace, albeit a slower one than the first. I also enjoyed the characters, although I wanted to see more interaction between Brynja and the elven witch.

Lynne Ennis again did a great job with the voices, and she's quite lovely to listen to, but I do have the same hesitation I did in the first book where I felt like some of the characters sounded older than they should have. Still a nice performance, though, just like in Squire Derel.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date is the third and final book in the Bright Falls trilogy, but I think it was my second favorite. Sorry, Iris, although the theatre nerd with commitment issues in me was a bit torn, Delilah the tattooed photographer edged you out—but not by much.

Of course we get to see characters from the previous books: primarily couples Delilah and Claire, Astrid and Jordan, and Jordan's twin brother Simon. We're also introduced to some new ones, namely Stevie, or Stefania. Iris's parents (who were a bit weird), and Stevie's friends (and ex) are also added to the mix, and they round out a really well developed cast of characters.

Iris is her usual self, outgoing but insecure about her own worthiness when it comes to love, and Stevie is a sweet but anxious actor who had big dreams that she all but gave up on. After a disastrous botched hookup, the two meet again and end up fake dating to help Stevie save face and get more comfortable in her skin, which is a rousing success and the two have great chemistry until some miscommunication and insecurities interfere. Everything is handled very deftly, the two are so real, and I loved how the conflicts were ultimately resolved. Iris is everything I've come to expect from Ashley Herring Blake's books, and she really brings it home and wraps everything up in a lovely package.

Okay, this short story (just 52 pages, or a little over an hour for the audiobook) is the funniest thing I’ve read (or heard) in a very long time. I mean, you need to read it. Or listen, you know, whatever your preference is. I recommend the audio, Katrina Michaels was the perfect narrator.

I found myself thoroughly engrossed in The Poisons We Drink, from the characters to the setting to the magic system that was quite unique. The story is set in modern-day DC, in a world where average humans have discovered that witches are real and live among them. It's rich in magic and heavy on political intrigue, with a sprinkle of mystery and a dash of romance.

All of the characters were interesting and believable to me, even when they weren't likable (and even some of the likeable characters did some unlikable things). The relationships were really well developed and I felt like I knew or at least understood the motivations of everyone, even the side characters, and those family dynamics? I don't think they could have been handled any better.

If dark urban fantasy is your jam, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out. 

Chemistry Lessons was an enjoyable light read, full of chemistry puns, and I really loved the dynamics between Ky and Regan. I also love that they're just normal people, a teacher and a lunch lady, which makes them feel more relatable (for me, at least). It was a bit predictable, but sometimes I wonder what friends-to-lovers romances aren't in some fashion, and Jae's books are no exception. She's got a reputation for happy, low angst romance, but sometimes it's nice to go into a book knowing exactly what you're going to get, and her writing quality and editing are always good.

 The writing in Next in Line for Love is fine, the story is okay, but I just didn't find the attraction believable and everything moved way too quickly for me to suspend my disbelief. Ali reads a hell of a lot more like a manipulative 20-something partier than the 35-year-old she's supposed to be for most of the book, and I found the connection between her and 53-year-old Jill pretty unbelievable.

It probably doesn't help that I'm not the biggest fan of age gap and I didn't realize going into it that this one was so large, and that may be coloring my view, but I just didn't feel any kind of real connection between the two. It also seemed totally unbelievable to me that Jill would have been willing to risk her long career for a fling with the company owner's daughter that she was mentoring. The steamy scenes were good at least.