I’ve loved Greek mythology for most of my life, and I was excited to dive into this diverse new take on such a classic myth. Lilliam Rivera didn’t disappoint. From the very beginning, I was drawn in by her writing style and the story she was telling. Eury and Pheus are brilliantly written protagonists, and I also liked nearly all of the side characters. Even though everything happened rather quickly, I liked the romance; the chemistry between Eury and Pheus was still present and believable.

My one issue with the story was its length. It’s very short, and while that made for a nice, quick read, I felt it also resulted in some events in the second half seeming rushed. I think even an additional thirty pages would’ve been beneficial.

That being said, I did really enjoy this book, and I definitely recommend it. Even if you know nothing about Greek mythology, if you like diverse, well-written characters and sweet, whirlwind romances, I think you’ll like this book. After reading it, I know that I want to read more from Rivera, hopefully soon.

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I liked Raphael, the protagonist, as well as La Sala’s writing style. I just wasn’t invested in the story or any of the characters, and decided to put it down in favor of books I’m more interested in reading.

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I’ve loved all of Winters’ books so far, and The Summer of Everything was no exception. In fact, I think it’s my favorite of his to date. From the very first chapter, I loved the characters and the bookstore they worked in. As I read more, I became more invested in their campaign to save the store, as well as in Wesley and Nico’s friendship. They were so cute, and I shipped them so much even before either of them told the other about their crush. The end of the book had me positively squealing.

Beyond the fluff and banter, I found Wes’ struggle of what to do now that he was out of high school and expected to be an adult extremely relatable. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in or even if I wanted to go to college. I’m still not sure. Winters captured the feeling of uncertainty so well, and that alone made Wes one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever read.

One of my favorite parts of the story—although, honestly, I love every part of it—was the scenes in the bookstore, Once Upon a Page. It made me so happy to see Wes bonding with Lucas over comics and giving them a safe space, and to see Ella helping a girl find new books to read. It was also cool that Winters mentioned authors and books that are actually popular now, like Leigh Bardugo and A Darker Shade of Magic. While some teens might like Shakespeare and Jane Austen, it was refreshing to see references to modern YA instead of dense 200+ year old literature.

I wasn’t expecting the ending to be so emotional, but it really was. There were more ups than downs, but the downs still hit hard. Luckily, despite that, the epilogue wrapped everything up perfectly and left me very happy.

I don’t see many people talking about Julian Winters’ books, and that’s a real shame. He’s one of my favorite YA contemporary authors, and definitely not one to miss. I’m very excited for his next release.

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I read this on a whim because I was in the mood for a fun romance novel, and Daria absolutely delivered. While there were plenty of relevant topics discussed—including racism in Hollywood, the toxicity of gossip columns, and the struggle of being bilingual but not fluent in your second language—You Had Me at Hola was so much fun to read and I flew through it.

I loved Jasmine and Ashton from the very first chapter, and immediately sensed the chemistry between them. Seeing that grow as their relationship developed was delightful, and honestly, their entire dynamic was brilliant.

I also really liked the relationship Jasmine had with Michelle and Ava. Though they’re cousins, not sisters, their dynamic reminded me of Chloe, Dani, and Eve from Talia Hibbert’s The Brown Sisters trilogy, which are some of my all-time favorite romance books. There’s plenty of banter and teasing between the three women, but also a strong friendship and unrelenting support. I love to see it.

Something that made this book stand out to me was the focus on Jasmine and Ashton’s roles in the new TV show that brought them together. She was cast as the protagonist and he as the love interest in Carmen in Charge, and a good portion of the story took place on set or involved learning lines and rehearsing. Daria even included the episodes they filmed, written like chapters, sprinkled in between regular chapters. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this aspect of the story, and became nearly as invested in the show’s romance as I was in the actors’ romance. If it was a real show, I’d totally watch.

What I look for in every romance novel I read is a good balance between the story and the steamy scenes. In this case, the latter didn’t overpower the former, and I appreciate that very much. I like seeing relationships built on more than just ridiculously frequent sexual activity.

I was totally surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. I’ll absolutely purchase my own copy, and I look forward to reading Michelle’s story when A Lot Like Adiós releases in September. Daria has a new fan in me.

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Starting an adult fantasy novel whilst in the middle of a reading slump might not have been my best idea. Despite that, I was immediately immersed in this book, as if there hadn’t been a several month gap between me reading The Poppy War and me reading The Dragon Republic. Kuang masterfully writes complex, morally grey characters, and weaves multiple subplots into a story that’s fascinating despite it’s occasionally slower pacing, also integrating discussions of heavier topics relevant both in Rin’s world and our own. So many mind-blowing things happened in this book, and I look forward to picking up The Burning God as soon as I’m in the mood for fantasy again.

I love Rin and Kitay’s friendship. I loved seeing Venka and Rin become allies and then friends. Rin and Nezha’s dynamic was also very interesting to me. I know this series is a military fantasy inspired by real Chinese fantasy and it isn’t at all focused on romance, but can I just say that there’s SOMETHING going on between those two? Is that just me? While I like the way his character was written, I don’t love Nezha the way I do Rin and Kitay. I’m in a love-hate relationship with him at the moment. I’m excited yet concerned to see what unfolds in the final novel, given that every single review of it I’ve seen just talks about how heart-wrenching it is. I’ll get there eventually.

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Shatter the Sky was one of my favorite reads of 2020 and is still one of my favorite books, so I was looking very forward to Storm the Earth. Although a reading slump did hit when I started this book, said slump had more to do with life in general than the book itself, which I loved.

The story did drag ever so slightly in the middle, and there was something in the first book that was missing in this one I can’t quite pinpoint. Despite that, and the fact that reading this took me about two weeks, I enjoyed this sequel. Wells’ second novel is as fierce and fun as its predecessor, and not only does it showcase Maren’s phenomenal character development, it also has more dragons.

One other thing I liked that I haven’t seen in many other YA novels was the exploration of whether or not Maren and Kaia were still romantically compatible. Nine times out of ten, the protagonist falls in love with someone and the two stay together through it all, so it was refreshing to see a protagonist unsure of whether her first love or new crush was better for the person she had become. Does that make sense? I’m trying to explain myself without spoiling anything.

All in all, I found this sequel to be very enjoyable, and a satisfying conclusion to the duology. These books are undoubtedly hidden gems in YA fantasy. I plan to recommend them to as many people as possible, and I eagerly await Wells’ next book.

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Spin the Dawn was one of my favorite reads of 2020, so I’ve been quite eager to read the sequel for some time now, especially after the first book’s ending. Unravel the Dusk was as brilliant as I’d hoped it would be, every bit as magical and thrilling as its predecessor, though much more nerve-wracking. It was also a very quick read; I sped through it in just a few hours, and finished it at about three in the morning.

Maia and Edan are definitely among my all-time favorite characters. Both are so well-written and three-dimensional. I love Maia’s determination and Edan’s poetic sweetness. The two of them are also an adorable couple that I had no problem rooting for from the very beginning.

How could you not swoon over a relationship where one character talks to the other like that?! Relationship goals. Infinite heart eyes.

To be honest, Lim did a phenomenal job with every aspect of this sequel. Each side character is developed as well as the protagonists, and she built upon the already-rich world she set up in the first book. The mythology is fascinating. Everything—settings, outfits, food—is described beautifully, leaving little to the imagination and making it delightfully easy to imagine things as you read.

The Blood of Stars duology is wonderful and whimsical, and tragically underrated. These books are some of my absolute favorites, and Lim is one of my new favorite authors. I’ll be recommending these at every opportunity, and eagerly awaiting her next book.

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Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of Gideon the Ninth, I was curious to see where the story would go and what Harrow’s narration would be like. I found Harrow the Ninth to be boring and rather confusing, and ultimately decided not to finish at the 34% mark. Even the shortest chapters felt like they dragged on for ages. I also thought that the usage of second person narration was jarring; I’m not used to reading it, and in this instance, since I was already struggling to get immersed in the book, it certainly didn’t help. I’m kind of sad to ditch this book, but I just don’t have the time or energy for books I’m not liking.

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Though Seven Devils was my introduction to Lam’s work, I was excited to read it after reading and falling in love with May’s The Falconer trilogy. I’m not even a Star Wars fan, but I’ll read nearly anything if it’s sapphic. I haven’t read enough gay space books, and I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be.

I will say that I quite liked all of the characters. A few took longer to grow on me than others, but ultimately I was interested in each person’s story. May and Lam did an excellent job developing each character. They also did the found family trope—one of my favorites—justice. The dynamics between the characters in this squad were top notch. I especially liked the way everyone treated Ariadne as a younger sister, and the sweet romance that blossomed between two of the women in the gang.

My favorites in the squad were Eris and Ariadne. Both had extremely rough childhoods but in different ways, for different reasons, and I felt so bad for them. I admired their perseverance, as well as their dedication to both missions and their friends. I really want to give Ariadne a hug.

I also liked the world-building. Or should I say galaxy-building, since this is set in space? Anyway, May and Lam created such an intricate galaxy for their story to take place in. I enjoyed learning about the planets and species and cultures, even if the last two were scarce due to the greedy, vicious Empire. There was no info-dumping or confusion; everything was explained well, and fit together like puzzle pieces. This can be difficult with just one world, one planet, so achieving it in a book set on multiple planets is, in my opinion, quite the feat. Kudos to the authors for that.

This book’s downfall, for me, was the plot. Although the pacing was consistent and the first half of the story intrigued me, that intrigue was absent for most of the second half. I was able to predict all of the major events and reveals, with two, maybe three exceptions. None of it felt very original.

I thought this would be a five star read,
but I was wrong. The plot’s predictability was quite disappointing. If this had been a contemporary or a romance, it wouldn’t matter so much,
given that some books within those genres are a bit formulaic. But a science fiction? That’s a genre I always want to keep me on my toes, as is fantasy, and that sadly wasn’t the case here.

I’m not sure whether or not I’ll pick up the sequel when it’s released. While I’m curious about what might happen, I don’t know if I’m curious enough to read another 400+ page book, no matter how much I like the characters.

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I’ve heard so many good things about Gideon the Ninth around the internet and was excited to finally see what the hype was all about.

Right away, I was drawn in by the unique world-building and protagonist herself. Gideon is snarky and hilarious, truly a well-developed, stand-out character. As the story progressed, Harrow grew on me as well. I loved the dynamic between the two girls—from enemies to reluctant allies to unexpected friends. The banter? Pure. Gold.

I was a bit disappointed that no romance blossomed between the two, as I thought that was going to happen. I’d seen people call the story enemies to lovers, but lovers, they were not. Ultimately this didn’t make or break the book for me, but if you’re also expecting a sapphic love story, you might want to adjust those expectations a bit.

I was also disappointed by the lack of deeper world-building. The concept of necromancers in space is unique and quite intriguing, but Muir doesn’t build much upon that. I know the story is set in a solar system of nine Houses on nine planets, ruled by some sort of immortal emperor, with each House specializing in a different type of necromancy. Beyond that, I couldn’t tell you anything, really. Gideon and Harrow come from the Ninth House—though Gideon was only raised there, whereas Harrow is the born heir—and the story takes place in the First House.

Additionally, I had many questions while I read, unrelated to the plot itself, that weren’t answered. How did Gideon, at eighteen, not know what a shower was? Sure, the scene where she discovered it by getting blasted with water was comical, but it doesn’t make sense. Do people in the Ninth House not shower? How do they get clean? It’s a small detail, yes, but it caught my attention and I can’t help but focus on what it might mean.

Many of my questions were related to the side characters, the members of the other Houses, Second through Eighth. I couldn’t tell you what kind of necromancy each specialized in; the only one I know is that the Ninth’s specialty was bones. It took half the book for me to figure out who was who and be able to recall them all in a timely manner. Hardly any of them had distinguishable traits, and most only appeared to either aid or oppose the protagonists.

Moving past that, the story is divided into five acts. I was intrigued from the start, but not truly invested until things started going wrong around the start of act three. I believe the middle chunk of the book is the best because of the character and relationship development, as well as the constant suspense. Once I got past the second half of act four, though, things seemed to drag on unnecessarily. There was more and more fighting, and I became less and less interested. The last hundred pages probably could’ve been shortened by about thirty.

And can I just say, I’m really, really not happy with the ending? ‘Cause I’m not. I don’t know why Muir made the decisions they did. Even with the slower pacing, I’d decided on a four star rating, but act five, short though it was, was enough to make me lower my rating by another half star. It also significantly lessened my interest in the sequel.

I know I’ve been quite critical throughout this review, but I did enjoy some aspects of Gideon the Ninth. Both protagonists were complex and entertaining, and Gideon was especially entertaining. Her narration truly made the book more memorable. I just seriously wish that Muir had spent more time developing the rest of the characters and world they created. If the ending was changed, I’d be okay with that too. I’m still planning to read the sequel, but my expectations are much, much lower than they were for this book.

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