Chupeco’s The Never Tilting World duology is one of my top five favorite fantasies of all time, so even though I didn’t know much about it, I was very excited for Wicked as You Wish. From the very first page, it hooked me, and I had such a fun time reading. It’s definitely a new favorite!

This book is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s an urban fantasy set in an alternate version of our world, where America is a monarchy and various storybook worlds like Wonderland and Neverland are actual countries. This world’s history is an amalgamation of different fairytales blended with real world history, with King Arthur as prominent a historical figure as George Washington. Other stories and characters mentioned include Cinderella, Robin Hood, Briar Rose, the Snow Queen, Alice in Wonderland, and more. Loki is a prominent side character. Although it seems like a lot for one book, Chupeco made it all work. In fact, I found the creativity of it all quite fascinating.

I loved the characters. Tala, Alex, Zoe, Ken, West and Loki are all brilliant and complex, with such fun dynamics between them. They’re now one of my favorite found families. I know I say that about nearly every found family I come across, but I can’t help it. It’s one of my favorite tropes, and I really do love this ragtag group of heroes. I think Tala, Loki and Zoe are my favorites of the bunch.

One thing I noticed that I really appreciated was the lack of romance. Aside from a crush Tala has early on that quickly goes south, the only love here is familial and platonic. Zoe’s dating someone but they’re never actually on-page. As much as I was hoping for Tala and Zoe to end up together—despite there being no evidence of attraction on either end—I like that Chupeco chose to put the story’s focus elsewhere.

Although the story was slower at times, I never minded because the characters kept me entertained. I found myself always wanting to get back to the book whenever I had to put it down.

The ending went much smoother than expected, given that there’s a sequel, but I’m not complaining. My heart can only take so many cliffhangers. I will say that I found one thing predictable, saw it coming a mile away, but Tala’s reaction to said thing was interesting. I’m very curious to see if she changes her mind in the sequel.

And then there’s the epilogue….. excuse me, what? Like I said, not a cliffhanger, but also not something I ever, ever expected.

The firebird is loyal to the Snow Queen?? Was, this whole time?? I’m very concerned about what this means for Tala and Alex and the rest of the crew. Much concern, very feelings.

Looking very forward to book two!!! Stop sleeping on Rin Chupeco’s books, y’all!!!

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Though the premise of and considerable hype surrounding this book had captured my attention, the book itself couldn’t hold it. I want to read, but I don’t want to read this. So, as disappointing as it is to say, I’ve decided this just isn’t my cup of tea.

[second read, April 2022]
This ✨hurt✨ but also, seeing the way Nick and Charlie were always there for each other was so precious. 🥺🫶🏻

Ranking all of the (currently released) volumes:

The only reason I have is that volume three is my favorite because of the Paris trip. Everything else is just vibes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[first read, September 2021]
This one got a bit more emotional than I was expecting, but I really like the way Oseman portrayed Charlie’s mental health. The heavier bits were more than balanced with plenty of fluff. Either volume three or this one is my favorite of the series! (ETA 2022: volume three is my favorite, but I love them all.)

a) I love Tori and Oliver!! She’s such a supportive older sister and he’s possibly the cutest younger brother ever!!
b) I loved the entire beach scene!! The Paris squad together gives me SO MUCH serotonin omg. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much reading anything.
c) When Nick fell out of the shower… PURE GOLD. And then they said I love you and my heart nearly exploded. 🥺🥺
d) Not one, not two, but THREE adorable couples?! Alice Oseman is really out here about to make my heart explode for real!!! 🥺🥺
e) I’ve decided to adopt these disaster gay children. All eight of them. Even though they’re all 15-17 and I’m only 20. I LOVE THEM!!!! ❤️

I’m so unbelievably excited for the rest of the comic!! And I definitely need to own physical copies of all the volumes!!

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[second read, April 2022]
PARIS SQUAD SUPREMACY >>>>

This is my favorite volume, hands down!! I swear, I didn’t stop smiling the entire time I was reading this. ❤️❤️❤️

Also, the hickey scene ohmygod. XD

[first read, September 2021]
I’m obsessed with the Paris squad. Completely obsessed. I adore these disaster gay kids. 🥺❤️

a) When the Paris school trip chaperones told everyone that boys and girls had to sleep in separate rooms because “couples shouldn’t sleep together” and the same gender couples just smirked. Loved that. XD
b) Nick hugged Charlie and Charlie asked what he was doing and Nick said he was recharging. They’re so cute, I’m gonna end up with freaking cavities!!!
c) I was right about the chaperones. ;))

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[second read, April 2022]
I have nothing to add except that Nick and Charlie are the biggest cinnamon rolls and I adore them!!!! <3

[first read, September 2021]
a) Nick and Charlie’s kiss in the rain was adorable!
b) I adore Tara and Darcy! Darcy’s such a chaotic gay and I love that.
c) “…why are straight people like this” is SUCH A MOOD.

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[second read, April 2022]
[5 stars]
After watching the show five times in less than a week, I decided to return to the comic, and I’m so glad I did. I spent two hours rereading all four volumes, and it was such a fun time!! I especially loved seeing all the parallels between this and the show!!

[first read, September 2021]
[4.5 stars]
I’ve seen so much love and hype for this series, but figured I’d never read it because I’m just not a comic/graphic novel sort of person. Until today, when for the third time this week, someone told me I had to read it and I caved. I pulled up Webtoon on my iPad at 9:45 this morning and spent nearly five hours marathoning all six chapters. The first two were a very cute, fun introduction to the characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed them!

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Add this book to my list of personality traits and prepare for me to never shut up about it, because OH MY GOD, it was BRILLIANT.

I didn’t know much about this book when I started reading it, because I read the synopsis when it was first announced and never looked at it again. All I knew was that the cover was gorgeous and the title intrigued me. I thought it would be a fun stand-alone story and that would be that. Joke’s on me.

As soon as I started the first chapter, I was hooked. Bayron’s writing is captivating, and the more I read, the more interested I was. I loved Briseis and her relationship with her fun, loving moms. Bri's botanical magic fascinated me, even more so when the complexities of it were revealed. The manor she inherited was not what it seemed, nor was the small town it was located in. We’ve got plant magic and poisonous plants and lots of secrets and even more Greek mythology, which, for someone who grew up with the Percy Jackson books and never grew out of my Greek mythology phase, was so much fun. All of this together made for a story that I never wanted to stop reading, despite not being in a huge reading mood.

Add in Bri’s new friends—the sweet, clumsy boy that grew up in town, and the beautiful, mysterious girl that might be interested in more than friendship—and it was like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole.

Although most of the book is rather slow, I was never bored. The stakes slowly but surely got higher as more secrets were unearthed, and then so much happened in the last fifty pages, my mind was blown at least five times. I was maybe twenty pages from the end when I did a bit of research and learned that there’s going to be a sequel, which is good, because holy donut holes, Batman, I NEED MORE. Things went from 0 to 200 about as quick as I can blink, and those last couple of lines were such a tease. This Wicked Fate can’t come fast enough.

All in all, Kalynn Bayron has completely stunned me and I can’t wait to read more from her, both related to this book and not. In the meantime, I plan to shove this book at everyone who will listen, because it deserves much more love and hype. Don’t sleep on This Poison Heart, y’all!!!

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I’ve really been enjoying dark academia books these last few weeks, and definitely wanted to read this book after seeing so much hype surrounding its release.

Overall, I liked it. The characters were complex and well-written, and honestly, I felt bad for most of them. Sinclair Prep’s cutthroat nature kind of terrified me, as a white person that attended a public school and never truly tried to be top of my class. That and the anonymous person leaking secrets gave me Ace of Spades vibes, and it worked well.

Zhao did a decent job crafting the mystery, and an excellent job balancing the dual timelines. The main reason for my rating is that I found so much of this book’s plot predictable. Although I never imagined the culprit’s identity, didn’t even come close and was quite surprised by the reveal, I guessed almost everything else. I’m not sure if this is on the book for being predictable or on me because I’ve read a fair amount of thrillers, but nonetheless, I figured most things out early, and that took away from a lot of the story’s suspense and intrigue.

Despite that, I do still recommend the book, and I can see myself picking up more of Zhao’s YA in the future.

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Such a brilliant book!!! I loved Olivia and Toni as soon as I met them, and found certain parts of Olivia deeply relatable. (Name not included, haha.) I loved the vibe of Farmland, and the whirlwind romance, and the emphasis on how music is such a major part of so many people. How it can bring even total strangers together. The only reason I didn’t give this a full five stars was because of Imani. I went back and forth on whether or not I liked her, and there was one scene involving her and Olivia that kinda rubbed me the wrong way. But, that aside, I loved this book, and will certainly be reading more from Leah Johnson in the future. ❤️

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I’ve seen so many people praising this book, and as per usual, that hype piqued my curiosity enough that I added it to my TBR. When I found it at the library, I couldn’t resist grabbing it. Overall, I really liked the story, but not everything worked for me.

While I liked Daunis and a lot of the side characters, I never truly felt attached to any of the side characters except one, and that one got murdered. I also felt, at times, that the book was a bit too long. There were certainly intense moments, but to be honest, this was the slowest thriller I think I’ve ever read. It could’ve—and probably should’ve—been shorter, at least by a little bit.

Despite that flaw, I do think that Boulley did a brilliant job crafting the mystery. I was able to figure out a couple of things early on in the story, but everything else caught me completely by surprise, especially in the second half. Kudos to her for that.

One thing I quite liked was the romance. I did not at all expect for a thriller to have a fake dating situation, or for the characters involved to so totally steal my heart. Although I wish this subplot’s ending had been different, I realize that it was the best route and applaud Boulley for choosing what’s healthier long-term instead of what’s satisfying in the moment. One part of the ending gave me hope for the potential future of the relationship, so I’m focusing on that.

On that note, I think, in general, that Boulley did a good job writing the relationships in this book, and not just the romantic one. I liked Daunis’ family, and the consistent emphasis on family and community. It was also interesting to read about an indigenous protagonist so involved in her tribe and their practices, as that, if I remember correctly, is a first for me. I haven’t read nearly enough books by or about indigenous people, but I’m hoping to change that in the future.

I think I’ve said all I have to say here. All in all, I’d say the good parts of this book outweigh the bad, and I would definitely recommend it to those who can handle the content. I look forward to seeing what Boulley writes next.

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