I read this for the first time in September 2015, when I was just getting into reviewing and the online bookish community. Then, I gave it 5 stars. I gave a lot of things 5 stars, if we're being honest.

This is my first reread, and now I'm bumping my rating down to 4.5 stars. I still love it, but I noticed smaller details that I wasn't on board with.

» Snippets of unrealistic dialogue. This mostly came from Josie, but occasionally from Reid too.

» Reid refused to let Josie walk away from training when she was frustrated/upset. I get that there was a serious time crunch, but sometimes he was a bit over the top.

» Josie's mom was way too detached. I know she had secret burdens and all that, but Josie really could've benefitted from motherly help/advice.

Now that that's out of the way, here are some reasons you should read this book / things I liked about it.

» Josie was a totally introverted nerd, which I could 100% relate to.

» It's a quick read. I got through this is in a day and it's the perfect follow-up for a soul-crushing read. (*cough* ACOWAR *cough*)

» It's a fun story. The powers in this book involve creating things with your mind, and even if it would be daunting in reality, it's cool in fiction.

» Nerdy references. I didn't get most of them because they were related to fandoms I'm not a part of, but I recognized where they were from. Shh, that makes sense. But anyway, if you like Marvel and/or Star Wars, you and Josie will get along very well.

Even though rereading has brought a few issues to my attention, I still enjoyed it. I can't wait for the sequel to come out in July!! 😄

3.5 stars

I didn't enjoy this like I did the first one.

It was fairly slow-paced until the last ~10 chapters. In my opinion, it also wasn't nearly as compelling. The last two nights I had plenty of time to read, but wasn't invested enough in the story to do so.

I wasn't very satisfied with the ending either. Some things went too far, others felt unrealistic, and one person seemed to go completely against their character arc. And then I turned a page, expecting another chapter, and the book was over. Like, that's it? I was just sort of left hanging, expectant?

There were things I liked, though.

» Kashmir. He's without a doubt my favorite character in this duology. Everything about him is just great. I especially love his sass. I honestly squealed when I saw that he had POV chapters in this book.

» The French mythology. The majority of this book took place on a mythical French island called Ker-Ys. It was written as a utopia with dark secrets, and I loved it. Heidi executed it and the other myths sprinkled throughout really well.

» This is a small detail, but something I loved nonetheless. Kashmir spoke French sporadically throughout the book, and none of it was italicized. It was just there like any other dialogue, and more books should follow suit.

» I didn't really like Nix's father Slate, but I admired his attempt to recover from his drug addiction. It wasn't mentioned much beyond the first few chapters, but while it was there it was admirable.

» The time travel in this book intrigues me. I really like the map concept, and that a ship is used as the travel vessel. Prior to reading the first book I hadn't read anything with either idea, so it was an interesting twist. And since the little details were explained in book one, it wasn't as overbearing/confusing this time around.

This wasn't the sequel I hoped for, and I found the ending to be kind of abrupt, but I still enjoyed the read.

4.5 stars

I read this a few years ago but didn't remember anything, so I reread to decide if I wanted to continue. And I do. Rereading was definitely worth it.

Before I get into my thoughts, I want to address something problematic I found while reading - cultural appropriation. In the beginning and throughout close to the full first half of the book, Alyssa wears dreadlocks hair extensions. I've only recently learned many smaller details of appropriation, but I was able to identify this. Dreadlocks are a part of black culture. They're gone completely in the second half and only an accessory, but I still thought it was something I should mention. That doesn't make it right.

So now I want to say that my main issue was with both of the love interests. Jeb came off as controlling and overprotective immediately after he was introduced. He didn't relax or back off at all, even in almost 400 pages. I got really tired of him really quickly, even though his actions in the last 100 pages redeemed him somewhat. I liked Morpheus at first, because he was like Rhysand and Noah Shaw combined and put in Wonderland. But then it was revealed how manipulative he was, and his involvement in … things, and I just couldn't get behind that.

But contradictory to what I just said, in the end I found myself liking both of them. While it was hesitant, it was undeniably there. Hopefully the second book doesn't completely butcher this love triangle.

I found the story interesting early on, and I loved it once Alyssa entered Wonderland. The darker twists on the story I grew up with were really unique and intriguing. I read the entire second half today alone, because it was just that good. However, I did find a couple of issues with the ending. One - it was kind of predictable. Some of the smaller details were unexpected, but for the most part there wasn't much that surprised me. Except that one return in the final pages. I wasn't expecting that, even though I knew it would happen in some form since there are 2 (or is it 3?) more books in the series. Pretend that makes sense.

Now that that's out of the way, I just want to say that I really liked this book. It's definitely one of the more unique retellings I've read. I like the idea of a descendant having to go back and fix their ancestor's mistakes. Especially if there's a curse involved. Also, I appreciated that this book talked about sanity and its boundaries without being condescending or harmful, at least as far as I could tell. It made me question. Who's to say what's real and what's not?

A.G.'s Wonderland was darker, more twisted, and definitely more grotesque. Bits and pieces bothered me, but I just skimmed over them and continued reading. For the most part, I loved it. The balance of whimsy and horror reminded me of the Tim Burton movie remake, only on page rather than screen. One of my favorite things about this was the revelation that Alice's childhood innocence led her to telling Lewis Carroll partial truths, and therefore disguising the worst parts of Wonderland.

Alyssa was a great lead. She messed up and had moments of using her emotions instead of her head, but that's normal for a teenager. I appreciated it. I know a lot of people my age that do that. I do that. She wasn't perfectly rational. I also liked that her artistic passion had a twist to it, that being her use of dead insects in her mosaics. It was creepy, but also kind of fascinating. But to be honest, my favorite thing about her was that she was driven by her family. Sure, they weren't present for most of the story because they were in the human realm while she was in Wonderland. Nevertheless, her driving force throughout all of her quests was saving her mom and returning to her parents. Not either one of the guys that wanted her. Not pride or bragging rights or some other personal motive. Her parents. Can we have more of that in YA, please? It's great.

Lastly, I just want to talk about the ending. I won't say much because I don't want to spoil it, but it was great. It showed development in all three leads, that things paid off, and perfectly set up at least one conflict for the sequel.

I did have a couple of problems with this book, but overall I enjoyed it. I'm glad I chose to reread, and hopefully I'll get my hands on the next book soon.

Also, these covers are GORGEOUS. 😍

3.5 stars

I read this so quickly, I forgot to mark it as "reading." But it served its purpose. I wanted this to be a quick read, and it was. Although my desire to read more in the peculiar world did help.

I'm not sure what to rate this, to be honest. It was easy and fun to read, but some stories seemed rushed or pointless and others just too grotesque for me. I'm well aware that Ransom typically includes the grotesque in his stories, having read the entirety of the MP trilogy, but in my opinion it was taken too far in a handful of places.

So, because I can't think of anything else to say in general, here's a brief rundown of my thoughts on each story.

» The Splendid Cannibals - 3 stars. I wasn't a fan of this one. It was kind of appalling to me, as I've never liked anything related to cannibalism. And while it was a bit amusing, I found all but one character to be extremely vain.

» The Fork-Tongued Princess, 3 stars. This one was kind of predictable. Of course everyone would turn on the princess because she had secrets that didn't match her beauty. Stereotypical.

» The First Ymbryne, 4 stars. I've always found the concept and abilities of ymbrynes fascinating, so I enjoyed this one. My favorite part was the eventual dominance of the matriarchy. Yes, yes, yes.

» The Woman Who Befriended Ghosts, 3.5 stars. I didn't see the point of this story, but Hildy and João did grow on me.

» Cocobolo, 3 stars. This one was just weird. What sort of peculiarity is that?? Points for a positive father-son relationship, though, even if it's not what I expected it to be.

» The Pigeons of Saint Paul's, 5 stars. Probably my favorite of the 10. I thought it was really amusing and I liked the happy ending.

» The Girl Who Could Tame Nightmares, 4.5 stars. I thought this one was interesting, and I liked Lavinia. However, I didn't like that she had to go against her father's wishes because "girls couldn't be doctors," and Baxter creeped me out a little.

» The Locust, 3 stars. Bugs creep me out. This story was about bugs. This story was not for me. Enough said.

» The Boy Who Could Hold Back the Sea, 4 stars. An extra star specifically for the ending. Otherwise, not super interested. Interesting peculiarity, not the best story. Sorry not sorry.

» The Tale of Cuthbert, 5 stars. I really liked this one because I remembered the tale being mentioned in the trilogy. It was short and sweet, at least once Millard modified the ending. A very close second favorite.

Overall, I did like this. I especially liked that Millard wrote and annotated it. It made me like the book more, even if some stories didn't really have an effect on me.

Also, I'm very excited for the next set of books in this world. The sooner they come, the better. 😄

Dnf, page 164

I didn't hate this book. It sounded interesting, but ended up just being boring. I didn't care about Thorn and his POV chapters seemed to drag. I liked Rune but after a certain reveal she was a really simple character. Maybe I would've liked this more if I'd seen/read the original Phantom of the Opera story. Maybe I would've liked this more if there wasn't the impending need to finish it before its library due date. I'm not sure. But I'll end the review here, as there isn't much more to say on a book I didn't finish.

If you want to read this, go for it. Don't let me stop you. 😊

Edit: I also want to mention that a few times throughout the book, at least in the portion I read, the gypsy slur is used to describe part of Rune's family. Not good.

WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT??! THAT WAS SO CRUEL. WHY CASSIE??!

She said four major characters would die. She meant it. They all made me feel something, but one absolutely destroyed. Omg. 😭 (It didn't make me cry but SO. MANY. FEELS.)

Okay, so I'm not going to be able to write a review. I need to process what just happened. A review might come later, if I can ever manage coherent thoughts.

Honestly this book was everything I hoped for and more. The characters, the story, the romance, the drama... it was amazing. I loved Emma, Julian, all of the Blackthorn siblings, Cristina, Kit, and the returning characters. The twists the story took were ones I never would've guessed. I ship so many people and it's probably going to hurt me in the final book but whatever. This book was brilliant and perfect and also absolutely heart-wrenching. I cannot believe what I just read.

BUT THAT ONE DEATH. 💔

Other things I wanted to mention:
» The humor was still there. It didn't help when everything hit the fan, but it made me laugh.
» Romantic. Tension. Omg. Cassie writes it SO WELL.
» MALEC AND KIDS. MALEC AND KIDS. MALEC AND KIDS. I'm fangirling, can you tell? 🌚
» A new romance I never expected. I love it. It's so cute and awkward, and from two characters I never thought of as cute or awkward. I need more in book three.
» A character came out as trans. I have so much more respect for [character], because what [they] went through couldn't have been easy.
» A sad lack of Izzy, Simon, Jem, and Tessa. They were all mentioned, sure, but... no appearances.
» However... CLARY AND JACE. They played a part in the beginning and then left on a note that honestly has me terrified. It was brought up, and then left alone for the rest of the book. I feel like something is going to happen in the last book and IT BETTER NOT.
» I love Kit?? I didn't expect to??
» The Seelie Queen revealed a thing. A big thing. I'm not sure how to feel about this thing.

I'll stop here. I'm just rambling, honestly. My point is that this book was fabulous and soul-crushing and I need the next one now. I mean, it's going to destroy me, if this is any indication, but I don't want to wait two years. THAT IS NOT OKAY.

The end.

Julia Ember did it again. This book, though short, was absolutely amazing. I loved the world, the magic, the characters, everything. The idea of inhabitors was unlike anything I'd read before, and I loved Katala with all my heart. I was hooked from the first page all the way through to the end. Tashi, Pharo, and Xian were complex, distinct characters, and I liked them all. I don't ship Tashi without anyone though, at least not at the moment. And that ending!! Omg!! I need the sequel now!! 😍

Note: Tashi, the main character, is genderfluid. The rep seemed good, but as I don't identify as genderfluid I can't be sure. The other characters used their preferred pronouns, even when they didn't like them. I was glad to see that. Otherwise, I'll try to link reviews by genderfluid people as I find them.

Note: Toward the end of the book, there's a scene where they're kissed without consent. It doesn't go beyond that and it's corrected, but I thought I'd bring that up.

Thank you to Julia and her publisher for sending me an e-ARC!! This doesn't affect my opinion. This releases on August 22, and I highly recommend you check it out when the time comes. ✨

I'M IN THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!! 🎉
(Sorry, this is the first time this has happened and Julia is one of my favorite authors so I'm really excited, haha.)

Trigger warning: rape, trans misogyny.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a retelling of The Little Mermaid where Ursula is trying to outsmart Loki to return to the human she loves. The idea is very original and it was just a great book. I love the ties to Norse mythology, and I particularly liked that Julia made Loki trans and genderfluid. Ersel and Ragna were both well-developed characters with a lot of growth and personality. I shipped them almost immediately and for the most part I thought they were a cute, passionate couple. I also liked the ongoing message that love and goodness aren't necessarily equated to beauty.

However, it wasn't a perfect book. I was able to guess one of the twists, though it did end up taking a turn I didn't expect later on, and the final 20 pages ultimately felt a bit anticlimactic. I think another couple of chapters and a longer epilogue would've fixed this.

There are also problematic aspects to this book that were brought to my attention via another review. You can read it here: http://daxmurray.com/blog/review-the-seafarers-kiss/?aal=dp-KBhtG2RzEuOWOsDVyPpEa1oP_chreiaqXKAZpDLCXKMx6. This post is also where I got the trigger warnings from.

To put it plainly, there's harmful trans and genderfluid rep, rape, and a violent scene between a couple that isn't righted and is followed by sex. There are more details in the above post, but it contains spoilers for the story. I wanted to include this so people could be aware and not have the story (outside the problematic parts) spoiled.

All in all, this was a quick read and enjoyable story, but it has problems that need to be addressed.