I read this in about six hours because I cut it too close to the library due date. I hadn’t heard much of anything about The Wise and The Wicked prior to picking it up, but it was a very quick and intriguing magical realism story based on Russian folklore.

I’d read one other novel from Podos, Like Water, but didn’t remember anything about it or her writing style. As it turns out, I quite like their writing style. They did an excellent job balancing the plot, the family histories, and current relationships.

While I did enjoy Ruby’s friendship with her cousin Cece, my favorite part of the book was the romance between her and Dov. He’s so sweet and funny and good and I love him. He’s also trans, and—take this with a grain of salt, as I’m a demigirl—it seemed to be well-done. There’s no deadnaming or outing, and Ruby is curious but respectful. Anyway, Ruby and Dov stole my heart and, in my opinion, the show.

I had two issues. First, even though I liked seeing Ruby’s character growth, I found myself more interested in the side characters than I was in her. Second, and more importantly, the ending was abrupt and open. So much was going on, plans were made, and then... that’s it? Podos said she’d be down to write a sequel, but nothing is certain due to the nature of publishing. I think it would’ve been better to treat it as a stand-alone with sequel potential, rather than a first book that might not get a second.

Despite those things, I enjoyed the directions the story went in, and as I’ve made clear, I’m a big fan of the romances—the second being Cece and another girl. Go gays! Ahem. I’d recommend this book for sure, and I plan to read the sequel if we get one. I hope we get one.

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I loved I Wish You All The Best when I read it last year, and was super excited when Deaver announced this novella. I absolutely loved seeing more of Ben and Nathan; I’d forgotten how adorable they are. There’s a good doggo and lots of festive vibes, so this was, quite honestly, a perfect little story. It made me smile, it made me laugh. 10/10 would recommend to everyone that’s read IWYATB.

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I grew up watching Disney’s animated Mulan and I loved it, though in recent years I’ve learned how inaccurate it is to the original story. So to find out about The Magnolia Sword, a retelling of that original story written by a Chinese author, was exciting. Though I’ll always appreciate the humor and music in the movie, I think that as a whole, I actually like this book more.

Thomas wrote a great story with complex characters, interesting themes, and a tender slow-burn romance, set in a time period completely new to me. I’ve never read a book that took place in fifth century China, and Thomas did an excellent job incorporating history with plot without bogging down the story.

My one issue was with the pacing. The first half of the story was quite slow, and I found myself not wanting to read even though I enjoyed the book when I did pick it up. This would’ve been cause for me to lower my rating by a whole or half star, but the second half picked up enough to save the book. I was hooked by the last third in particular, as everything came together in ways I didn’t expect.

All in all, I’d say The Magnolia Sword was a pleasant surprise, in that it was surprisingly good. I’d recommend it to anyone interested, but especially those that like Mulan or history in general.

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It took me a considerable amount of time to get truly interested and invested in Woven in Moonlight, especially since it’s such a short book. At times, the slower pacing was off-putting, and while the world-building was impressive, I would’ve liked more details regarding the magic system. However, I did ultimately enjoy this novel.

The story was based on Bolivian politics and history, full of Bolivian culture, and that did appeal to me. I’m not qualified to say more about this specific aspect in a critical sense, as I’m not Bolivian, but I did like it.

I also, despite some initial doubt, ended up quite liking the characters, from important ones like Ximena and Rumi to those on the sidelines like Suyana, Tamaya, and Juan Carlos. Though it took me some time to warm up to them, I can’t deny that they’re all very well-written and complex. The stars of
the show, contrarily, were Ximena’s woven critters. They were cute and feisty and I loved them. I would like a wool sloth to hug and a wool llama to spit wool balls at people that annoy me, please.

Moving on, I never expected to like the romance. I appreciated the slow burn and tension, being the hopeless romantic that I am, but the reviewer in me questioned its necessity. That is, until some secrets were revealed and the chemistry between the two characters rose off the freaking charts. Cute stolen kisses and banter are my favorite things to read, among other things, and in the final chapters, I’m happy to say that both were abundant.

The ending was slightly predictable in some ways, but still surprised me in plenty of others. I’m satisfied with how Ibañez wrapped up the story, and I definitely think they’ve got potential for future books. I trust in that enough to read Woven in Moonlight’s companion when it releases, even though it follows someone that ended up being one of my least favorite characters. In the meantime, I’ll be staring at the beautiful book covers and daydreaming of wool sloths. As you do.

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Joy’s debut is fierce, magical, and absolutely fantastic. From the very beginning, I was intrigued by the world, by its history and magic system, and as the story progressed I was caught in the whirlwind plot. I quickly became attached to the protagonist, as well as multiple side characters, and to say I was invested in their journey would be an understatement.

In some debuts, it seems obvious, for any number of reasons, that it’s the author’s debut. In others, every element is well-written, the entire book so well-crafted, that it’s hard to believe this is just their debut. For me, A River of Royal Blood was the latter.

And that ending?! Holy nuggets. I’m speechless, and in desperate need of the sequel ASAP—both so I can find out what happens next, and so I can get more Eva and Aketo content. I love Aketo with everything in me and he must be protected.

Please read this book. It deserves much more love and hype. It’s brilliant.

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Rarely do I read 100 pages of a book and predict it will be a 5 star read. This was one of those times. I was enthralled by The Never Tilting World from the first chapter, and as I continued reading, I could hardly bring myself to put down the book to do anything else. While this isn’t my first time reading one of Chupeco’s books, it is the first time they’ve completely hooked me with their lovely writing, intricate magic system and world-building, and complex, lovable characters. I can honestly say that I adored this book in every way, and I can’t think of a single element I disliked.

Some authors struggle, in my experience, with successfully writing multiple, distinct points of view. Chupeco, though, skillfully balanced the perspectives, personalities, and emotions of each of their four protagonists. I was fully invested in each character and enjoyed reading from every perspective. Major props to them for that.

Right now I don’t think there’s much else I can say, as I’m just in awe of the story I read. Despite being almost 500 pages, I sped through it in a little over a day. The last time I pulled that off was with a highly anticipated sequel back in August, and before that, I’m
not sure.

The Never Tilting World is a phenomenal fantasy novel, full of everything that makes a story memorable, that also demonstrates the power of sisterhood and comments on some relevant topics along the way. I can’t stop thinking about it, or recommend it enough. Absolutely a hidden gem. I’m looking so very forward to the sequel!

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I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Not So Pure and Simple. Ultimately, I didn’t love or hate this novel. I liked Giles’ writing style and some of the themes incorporated into the story. While the characters definitely felt like teenagers and I admired the growth many of them experienced, I wasn’t attached to any of them. I appreciated the way the story ended, as it felt authentic. I don’t think there’s much else for me to say; although this wasn’t a book for me, it was a decent read and one I think will be important for and enjoyed by many actual teens.

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I’d never heard of Butterfly Yellow until I found it on my library’s YA new arrivals display. I picked it up impulsively because it sounded like an interesting read, and I’m glad I did. Although I neither warmed to the characters nor became invested in the story until the second half, Lai’s novel is a raw, emotional story, unlike any I’ve read before. I was convinced this would be a 3-star read for most of the book, but the last third had enough of an impact on me to make me change my mind. The final chapters were sweet and I honestly don’t think any other ending would’ve been as good. This is a quick read, and one that definitely deserves more attention. I recommend it to all who can handle its content.

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I only read this book because I was curious after the second book’s cliffhanger. It wasn’t worth my time. As a whole, this trilogy wasn’t my cup of tea. Too much political conversation, too much relationship drama—romantic and familial—and the science fiction elements came in too late for me to get invested. By that point, my favorite character was dead, everyone else sucked to some extent, and I just wanted to be done with the series. Now I am, and I’m looking forward to ignoring it forever. Hopefully the next adult sci-fi I read will be better.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying The Storm Crow last month, I was excited to dive into The Crow Rider. Josephson didn’t disappoint with this sequel; in fact, she took everything I loved about the first book and, somehow, made it into an even better book.

I can’t put into words how much I love Thia, Kiva, Caylus, Res, and Ericen. They’ve completely stolen my heart. Any reservations I had before are gone. Each character, even the side characters, are well-developed and interesting. Add in the friendships, romances, tension, and banter, and you’ve got the gold mine that is this book’s squad. That might not make sense, but I’m going with it. I just...love these sarcastic fools so much. And yes, the crow is also a sarcastic fool. They’re all brilliant.

The story is even more intense than that of its predecessor. It’s absolutely wild. Despite the chapters of planning and emotional development, there’s still plenty of action and numerous twists that had me panicking. The whole thing is paced well, without any parts that seemed lacking or rushed, though it was also written in a way that had me constantly curious to see what would happen next. In some circumstances, I was desperate to find out whether or not my faves were okay.

Emotions aside, the world-building and politics are also great. Readers get to explore more of the countries outside of Thia’s and Ericen’s, respectively. Josephson paints a vivid picture of each country and intricately describes their atmospheres and the contrasts between them. She also excels at tension—not just romantic, but political. There’s lots of scheming, plenty of betrayals and alliances incorporated in unexpected ways.

I won’t lie—I was extremely worried as I drew closer to the book’s end. This isn’t only a sequel, but also a conclusion; it goes without saying that there was *so much* on the line. I’ve read fantasies where the final battles take too long and the end is rushed, leaving some loose threads. I’ve also read fantasies where the final battles seem too easy, leaving me dissatisfied despite the happy ending. Luckily, neither of those scenarios played out here. I spent most of my time reading the last few chapters tense in my beanbag, heart pounding. But the worst passed, and there was a proper resolution afterward. As I read the epilogue, I was absolutely thrilled, and more than once I found myself smiling or even giggling. It was truly a perfect ending.

I’ve rambled enough about the book at this point. I love this duology so much, and I’d definitely say it’s a hidden gem in YA fantasy. I can’t recommend it enough. Josephson is an author to watch.

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