I’ve finally finished this series, and I have more emotions than I know what to do with. This is undoubtedly my favorite book in the series, even though (because?) it broke my heart the most. Sabaa Tahir is not afraid to rip my heart out, stomp on it, and then glue it back together. I respect that but also hate it. (Nothing against Sabaa. She’s great. But also, how dare she??)

I read Reaper back in 2018, and looked up a recap of that book before starting this one. It’s a sign of Tahir’s skill that as soon as I started reading, I fell back into the world as if it hadn’t been three years since I did so last. I was sucked into the story immediately, and terrified for all of the characters.

Unexpected things I loved: Helene, Helene and Harper’s relationship, Laia and Helene’s friendship. The theme here is that, despite sometimes wishing her chapters didn’t interrupt me reading about Laia and Elias, the girl really grew on me. I have so much respect for her, even if, at times, I was internally shrieking because she was being so dense regarding her love life. Also, her and Laia bonding over how much men suck was the quality content I didn’t know I needed in my life. Such a small thing, but a great one.

I knew I loved Laia and Elias, but in between Reaper and Sky, I forgot just how much. They caused me SO MUCH PAIN as I was reading this freaking book, I don’t know how to express it all. The romantic tension between these two and Elias’ tendency to nope out of literally every conversation because he couldn’t handle his own feelings… oh my god. I mean, that specific part of Elias did make me giggle occasionally, but for the most part, I was just internally screeching. When she brought him a mango. When he helped her with her hair. SO MUCH SCREECHING. So help my hopeless romantic heart.

Characters aside, the plot was also brilliant. No one ever caught a break. I never knew what was about to happen. Nothing ever felt repetitive, and there were certainly no easy victories. I think Tahir took the story with the jinn in a very clever direction, one I personally didn’t expect. The war certainly didn’t go the way I expected. I was getting closer and closer to the end, and more and more stressed because of how few pages were left and how much was still wrong. I love books that scare me that way. I’m only being a little bit sarcastic. :)

As for the ending…

I can’t believe both Harper and Darin are dead! That’s so cruel. That’s evil. My poor girls. Helene lost her boyfriend, Laia lost her brother… I’m honestly not sure who broke my heart more. Thank every deity out there that, miraculously, Laia’s mom was alive and took over the role of Soul Catcher so that Laia at least had Elias. If she lost her brother AND they weren’t endgame, it was extremely likely that I would’ve thrown the book across the room.

So much heartbreak. So much pain. But a surprise came in and sort of saved the day, a little bit, so not everything was awful. The last couple of chapters actually had quite a few happy moments, including for Laia and Elias, and if not for the fact that it was after 2 in the morning and I share a small apartment with my family and didn’t want to wake anyone up, who knows how loudly I would’ve squealed. Internally, I was squealing very loudly. The last couple of pages fixed my broken heart with their Elaia content. I’m choosing to focus on that more than… other things.

I’m happy for Helene too, and I think something might eventually happen with her and Musa?? But I was 90% focused on my ship, and wow, did Sabaa deliver. My heart was about to explode when Elias gave Laia the engraved armlet, especially since he got all flustered at the end. It was ADORABLE.

This review is a mess because I finished the book at nearly 3 in the morning and now it’s 4 a.m. and I’m also a mess. But it’s definitely honest, and even though I seriously did ramble, it got my point across. I loved this book so much, despite the emotional turmoil I experienced while reading. Like I said, it’s my favorite in the series, followed by Torch, then Reaper, then Ember. I think. It’s been a hot minute since I read the first three, but anyway. The whole series is spectacular, and I can’t wait to read more from Sabaa Tahir. 🖤

Representation

[second read, July-August 2022]
I think??? I love this even more than RWARB??? Don’t get me wrong, I adore them both, but like… I basically am August—queer, early 20s, doesn’t know how to people, has no clue what she’s doing with her life, has a massive crush on Jane. And yes, I’m aware that that probably describes a lot of people, but I even look like August. Multiple people have said so. I can see it. So.

And Jane?? Ohmygod. I have the biggest crush on her. She’s single-handedly responsible for making me realize my type™️ is girls with dark hair, tattoos, and an attitude. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more gay than I did while reading this.

While both this book and RWARB are favorites, both comfort books, the fact that this one is sapphic gives it the slightest edge over Casey’s debut. They both have lovely found families and hilarious banter and serotonin practically radiating from the pages, but OLS also has Jane Su. I rest my case.

(I’m pretty sure this is the gayest review I’ve ever written, but it’s all true. And, jokes aside, I really do love this book with all my heart.)

[first read, August 2021]
As excited as I was for this book, I didn't actually think Casey McQuiston could top Red, White and Royal Blue. Their debut is one of my favorite books of all time, one that I consistently reread both in part and in entirety for comfort and amusement. I have more Firstprince fan art on my phone than I do of any other couple. (2022 Liv: This is no longer true because I’ve since discovered Romajuliette and Cressworth lol.)

But here I am, proven wrong. One Last Stop was just as brilliant, and has a place as close to my heart as RWARB. Don’t ask me which crew I love more, or which couple I ship more, or which book I prefer. I don’t know the answer to any of those questions.

August and Jane have my heart. I love them and Myla and Niko and Wes and Isaiah and the Billy’s crew. I love how delightfully queer this book is. Every character is an icon. The banter is brilliant. The friendships are brilliant. The found family is brilliant. Are you sensing a theme here? ‘Cause there is one: everything is just freaking brilliant. And I do mean everything.

The only thing that could’ve made this book better—and this is wishful thinking, not actual criticism—is some sort of RWARB cameo. As far as I know, McQuiston never actually confirmed whether or not this is set in the same universe as their first book, but I’m imagining that it is. That Ellen Claremont is president and August and Jane’s story is happening alongside Alex and Henry’s. Anyway, my point here is that I would’ve loved to see a little reference to my boys, since they have a brownstone together in NYC by the end of 2020. I can absolutely imagine the OLS crew seeing Firstprince at Billy’s or somewhere around town. Or maybe the whole RWARB crew was at one of the drag shows. Nora or Pez would totally convince everyone else to go, and they’d get drunk and have a blast. I don’t know. Something that involved my 12 fave queer disasters having fun together. Anything, really.

So, yeah. I loved this book. I may or may not have a major crush on Jane. I’ll almost definitely reread soon, maybe even before 2021 is over. ❤️ (2022 Liv: ‘may or may not’? Lmao, girl, who are you kidding??)

Representation

I loved both Maddie and Theo in The Wedding Date, so I was super excited to see they had their own book. This only took me so long to read because of the time I spent in the hospital and the days afterward where I couldn’t read on my phone. It was a fun story with fun characters and banter. I especially liked the tiny Nikole and Carlos cameos, a.k.a. the couple from The Proposal. They’re iconic. As for this book, there were a few small things I didn’t like, the most noticeable being the occasionally cheesy dialogue, but it was still a lighthearted, mostly enjoyable read. I loved Alexa’s intervention after Maddie and Theo’s big fight. I hope to see more of these characters in Guillory’s other books, which I’ll probably read sometime soon.

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I liked the characters well enough, but just had no interest whatsoever in continuing the book.

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This was an incredibly difficult book to read, not because of Jackson’s writing, which was excellent, but because of the subject matter. Korey’s treatment of Enchanted frequently made me feel sick to my stomach, and I felt so bad for her, for her family, for Amber and all the other girls Korey manipulated and abused. However, I did like it. I liked Enchanted’s passion for both music and swimming, as I rarely see protagonists that pursue both creative and active hobbies. Jackson managed the dual timelines very well, and merged them well. She wrote an emotional story with an unpredictable mystery, and I definitely want to read more from her in the future.

Representation

This was a very fun, quick read, with great character dynamics and a lot of pop culture and fandom references, a few of which made me especially happy to see. I admire Poston for creating an entire franchise and fandom specifically for her books, and appreciate that she used her story as a way to comment on the toxic side many fandoms have. 

That aside, while I did like this book, I wasn’t truly attached to the characters. I continued reading because I was curious, rather than truly invested.

Also, I wish we’d gotten a bit more from the ending, especially regarding the two budding romances. I shipped both of them for the majority of the story, and was a bit disappointed by the lack of details after feelings were finally confirmed to be mutual.

Representation

I picked this up at the library on a whim because the title intrigued me, and when I read the synopsis, I knew this would be an important story. I was right. Although the first half of the book was rather slow, Pink’s writing had me speeding through it nonetheless. Angel and Isaiah grew on me both as individuals and, eventually, as a couple. The family and community dynamics warmed my heart, only for the last third of the book to weigh it down more than I thought possible. The Greenwood massacres are a part of American history not taught in school that I only recently learned about, and this story was eye-opening in more ways than one. I’m not sure what else I can say, as a white person, but I’m glad I read this and definitely think other white people need to as well.

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I’ve heard so many good things about Jemisin’s work and was eager to finally read one of her books. Unfortunately, though the premise was intriguing, I just couldn’t get into this book. Of the three perspectives, one was in second person, which I’ve learned this year that I just can’t stand. The other two were in third person and thus easier for me to read, but I still found them rather slow and boring.

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I’ve read nearly all of the Twisted Tales books, and this one is one of the best, up there with Reflection and Part of Your World. So This is Love is a brilliant reimagining of the classic Cinderella story, only with much better-developed characters and an unexpected amount of political intrigue. I quite enjoyed the whole story, but especially Cinderella and Charles’ sweet romance (even if it reeks of insta-love), Charles’ aunt Genevieve, and the focus on the fairy godmother. Overall, this was a fun read that I sped through, and would definitely recommend to anyone interested in fairytale retellings.

I’m speechless, honestly. This exceeded all of my expectations. It was freaking BRILLIANT and I’m completely obsessed. One of the best retellings I’ve ever read, without a doubt. Top three, easily. Alyce and Aurora’s dynamic, the world-building, the intrigue and intensity of the plot… I’m in awe of it all. I was so happy  when the romance blossomed, only to end up in a near-constant state of panic for the last fifty pages. The fact that this is only Walter’s debut is astonishing. I’m looking very forward to the sequel and whatever she writes next.

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