Roshani did it again. I loved this book so much. It was magical, witty, beautiful, and just amazing. I might like this even more than TSTQ.

Gauri and Vikram are two of my new favorite characters. She's fierce and he's clever. On their own, they're great, but together they're the best. There was so much snarky banter and passion, and I just can't get over them. They work well together, they're funny, and they make an epic couple.

I liked Aasha too. She was so sweet and innocent, and her curiosity was the best thing ever. Just saying.

It felt like this story meandered some, but it was still gripping and really good. I got caught up in the whimsy and the intrigue, and I wanted to know more. The world, the tournament, the magic; everything was written so spectacularly and I couldn't put it down. Not to mention, the writing itself was just gorgeous. Roshani's books are so gloriously quotable. 😍

While I loved the whole book, I think my favorite parts were the very beginning and the very end. It was so fun to see Gauri and Vikram warm up to each other and then eventually get what they wanted all along. My favorite stories are the ones that make the journey challenging but still wrap everything up nicely with a glittering bow in the end, and that's what this was. Making the protagonists two unlikely allies that slowly fall in love helps as well. 😉

Oh, and I loved the food in this book. I admit, I didn't actually know what some things were, but I did some research and it made me so hungry. I didn't know fictional food could be so appealing.

Last thing: the Maya and Amar cameo made me so, so happy! And I'm pretty sure Kamala had the briefest moment of page time. If I'm right, that also makes me very happy. She was my favorite in TSTQ.

So all in all, this was a fabulous read and everyone that hasn't read it yet needs to. ❤️

4.5 stars

(Minor spoilers?)

This was a beautiful, poignant, and honestly heartbreaking story. It was definitely driven by the characters and emotions rather than the plot, so if you're not a fan of that then this might not be the book for you. But in my opinion, it was wonderfully done and extremely emotional. I almost cried while reading, and that says a lot because only one other book has gotten to me like that. I loved Marin and Mabel, I loved Mabel's parents, I even loved Gramps. I never expected that twist, and it made me feel even worse for Marin.

The only complaints I have are one, this is said to be an f/f romance, and two, the ending left me wanting more.

Regarding the first, I know for sure that Mabel is bi, and Marin is either bi or lesbian. The only time they're together romantically is in the flashback chapters. I wasn't expecting anything to develop while Marin was grieving, but in the end it seems like Mabel is happy with her boyfriend and Marin happy to have her friend back. There was no hint that they eventually end up together. Or at least, if there was, I missed it.

As for the second, I did like the ending. It was sweet, and everyone got what they wanted. Well, sort of. I think Marin got what she wanted? Anyway, what I mean is that the very end seems to be a flashback. I liked that, but I would've liked to see anything, even a small snippet, about how Marin and Mabel were adjusting. How Marin was coping. If they did end up together. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I liked it, but I wish there was more.

So all in all, I did enjoy this book. It was better than I can say, to be honest. I can't think of words worthy of this book. It was my first of Nina's books, and it didn't disappoint. I can't wait to read more of her work. 😊

This novella was in the back of my ebook, but Goodreads doesn't have an ebook edition of the new TBS cover with these novellas included. Therefore, I can mark them as read separately. 😉

I don't have much to say about this, as it's very short and, if I'm being honest, kind of unimpressive. However, I did still enjoy it and I thought it was a fun peek at the Seven Seals before TBS. Not a necessary read, but a quick and still good one if you like the series.

I have mixed feelings on this book. It was a quick, enjoyable read, but some things just didn't fit.

» Marinda was a really plain and overly sensitive lead, and an assassin that didn't do any killing. I don't mind sensitive characters, and assassin character arcs can be interesting. Marinda's just wasn't. And of course, she's Special, but doesn't know about it. Sorry, but I'm not here for that anymore, not unless it's executed well.

» The Indian representation was problematic. I can't say much on it because I personally am not Indian and don't know about the cultures, but this review explains it. http://www.xpressoreads.com/2016/12/poison-kiss-by-breeana-shields.html

» None of the relationships were good. Gopal, Deven, Iyla... I didn't like any of them. Gopal was manipulative and a liar. Deven was either completely observant or totally clueless, and the insta-love and constant shift of emotions didn't work for me. Iyla was all too prepared to put all the blame on Marinda, and only did what best served her interests. What kind of friend is that?

» Mani was the best part of this book, in my opinion. He was so sweet and smart beyond his 7 years, and honestly I think he deserved better than Marinda. She did so much to help him, and yet always had to save him from her own mistakes. He went through so much because of her and I just wanted to give him a hug, fruit, and keep him safe. Not even kidding.

» The story was unpredictable, but I think that was because Breeana tried to put in too many elements. There were a lot of surprise twists and betrayals crammed into the last 150 pages after the first half was mostly unremarkable. They made sense when explained, but to be quite honest I think it was just too busy.

It's a short book, so I'll stop there. It was good, mainly because of Mani and the interesting basis, but the characters and execution could've been improved. I also think it would've been better if only a few of the twists were chosen and then made more prominent.

I may or may not continue the series. If I do continue, the second book won't be a big priority.

I'm going to be completely honest here. This book was underwhelming and not at all the sequel I hoped for. The first was much better.

Now, that's not to say it was bad. I liked the direction the story went, it did keep me guessing, and I did *mostly* like the characters. But unfortunately, that's where the list ends.

In my opinion, this book was really slow and, to be quite honest, boring, especially in comparison to the first. I know many people think the opposite, but I just couldn't click with this book. Halfway through nothing had gripped me, and if I hadn't loved the first book so much last summer I wouldn't have finished it. I was hopeful, though, and yet nothing changed. I found many of the chapters boring and never got hooked while reading. The last ten to fifteen chapters were interesting, but at that point I was reading to finish it. It would've taken a miracle to make me change my mind on the story, and that miracle didn't come.

And while I liked the various character quests and subplots, most of the POVs bored me. I liked Safi and Iseult, and Vivia was alright, but I didn't care about Merik or Aeduan. I know it was necessary for them to be apart to further the story, but one of my favorite parts of Truthwitch was the connections between the characters. Safi and Iseult were still Threadsisters, but not once did they see each other. Not once did Safi and Merik cross paths. The banter, the friendships, the possible romance, all of it was gone, and to me the absence was very noticeable.

The final showdown was good, I won't deny that, but it came too late to really make a difference in my eyes. And after the battle, the ending seemed too simple. Everyone continued doing their own thing. No cliffhanger, or anything that made me really want more. It was clear the story's not over, but it wasn't anything special either.

I know that probably came off as harsh, but I don't intend it to be. I was just really let down by this sequel. It had its good points, but they were far outweighed by the not-so-good. And though it pains me to say it, I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the books in the Witchlands series.

I can't believe I waited so long to read this. It was on my tbr for two YEARS before I finally picked it up, and I really should've done so sooner. I loved this so much!

After reading and loving two of her books, Kasie is quickly becoming one of my top five favorite contemporary authors. (In case any of you are curious, the others are Stephanie Perkins, Jenny Han, Becky Albertalli, and David Arnold.)

I can't get over how great this was. The plot was simple and the story was a bit cheesy at times, but honestly I don't care. It was a super cute, fun fluff story, and exactly what I needed.

Gia, Hayden, and Bec are my favorites. They all changed a lot throughout the story, and they were realistic. I especially liked Gia's character arc, Hayden's sweet thoughtfulness, and Bec's fun, snarky attitude. Also, Hayden sometimes reminded me of Augustus from TFIOS, one of my first favorites, so that was great too.

I liked the ending too. While I was sad there wasn't a resolution between Gia and her friends, I accept that this end was the most realistic one. I was really happy with Gia and Hayden's relationship, and Gia and Bec's friendship. The end wrapped everything up while still leaving room for a possible sequel novella, even thought that's most likely just wishful thinking.

All in all, I'm just really happy I read this, because it was much better than I ever expected it to be. If you need fluff, pick this up! ❤️

Oh, and if you need further convincing, I read this in 5 hours. Even on summer break, I don't know if that's happened before.

4.5 stars. TW: anxiety.

This was a good book, but admittedly my least favorite of the three Kasie West books I've read so far. Although that's not saying a whole lot, because the other two were 5 star reads, so take that however you'd like.

The main problem I had with this book was that the plot was a bit lacking. By this I mean that the story described in the synopsis took up maybe half the book, while the other half was the aftermath. In a way I'm glad it was done like this, because having a roughly 350 page book take place over 3 days would've been boring. However, the plot seemed a lot less structured and more meandering after the library lockdown was over. That being said, there wasn't a lot that gripped me either. I kept reading for entertainment, not because anything had me attached.

I think Autumn is my favorite of Kasie's protagonists so far. I saw a lot of myself and my older sister in her - I love photography and my sister has anxiety. Even though I know that anxiety is different for different people and can't speak personally on the rep since I don't have it, I did think it was good. I also liked her logical mind and how, throughout the story, she started to think of her own mental health before her friends' emotions, without dismissing the latter.

Side note, I love Autumn's friends, although Dallin can go away. I understand he was grieving, in a sense, but he took it too far. That is all. 😊

The romance here is one of my favorites. In one scene, a boy asks Autumn if it's okay to kiss her and then when she backs out, he's 100% okay with it. As he should be. I won't say if that was with Dax or Jeff. If you want to know, read the book. It's worth it, I promise. The end relationship is really cute. 😉

One of my favorite things about Kasie's novels is that each protagonist has a loving family that's supportive and present. In PSILY and TFIB, I loved the respective families. This book was no different. Autumn's mom and dad worried for her while still letting her have her freedom, and in general they were just good parents. Her older brother Owen was good too.

Also, Dax lives in various foster homes throughout the story due to an absent father and an addict mother. I've only read one other book with foster parents, so this was a nice change.

My only other problem is that neither Autumn nor Dax took advantage of all the books while locked in the library. To me, that's a wasted opportunity. Just saying. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

All in all, I really enjoyed this. I found the plot lacking slightly after Autumn and Dax escaped the library, but otherwise it was a great fluffy read that also dealt with an important topic. I highly recommend this one.

This was good but nothing amazing. I liked the world and the magic system, and Ruby did end up growing on me. However, I didn't like Arcus, and honestly I found the plot to be predictable. The twist in the end had no effect on me, even though I didn't see it coming. I liked this but I won't be reading the other books.

Also, I lost track of how many times the various blues of Arcus's eyes were described. I get it, okay?

(I'm tired, so this has been one of Liv's Lazy Reviews™.)

4.5 stars

My second book for booktubeathon! I used this for one challenge: read a hyped book. Technically I could also use it for the finish a book in a day challenge, but I completed that yesterday. 😅

I finally read one of Adam's books! I finally did it!

It definitely lived up to the hype, although I did have a couple of problems. One, the narration style confused me. I liked the switch between past and present chapters, but what I didn't get was Griffin's... tone? I'm not sure what to call it. But throughout the whole book he was talking to Theo, and that threw me off a bit. Two, I was waiting the entire time for the heartbreak Adam is so well-known for... and it never came. Maybe that's just because books rarely have a deep emotional impact on me.

Otherwise I really enjoyed this! The characters (Theo was my favorite, for the most part), the story, the way Griffin's OCD and everyone's grief was handled; all of it was great. One of the things I liked about this book most was the normalization of m/m sex. I can honestly say I've never read a book with gay sex, and even if sex scenes aren't my cup of tea I appreciate that they were included.

So all in all, a good book and very much worth the hype! It wasn't as heartbreaking as I expected/hoped it would be, but it left a lasting impression on me. I'll definitely be reading Adam's other books! 😁

(This has been one of Liv's Lazy Reviews™.)

My third book of booktubeathon! Technically this was for the challenge finish a book in a day, but I've done that twice already so it's just another book read. 😅

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I read Simon last year, and even more so when it came out and everyone was raving! It took a few months but now I've read it and I absolutely loved it.

Honestly, I can't express my love for this book. It was a perfect mix of cute, amusing, and awkward, and it was relatable too. I loved Molly, Cassie, Reid, Mina, and all of the other characters. Seeing Simon, Abby, and Nick again made me so happy. I thought it was great that Molly and Cassie had two moms, and I loved that throughout the story they had fights in their family but always came back together. ❤️

I read this book in four to five hours. Granted, that was definitely influenced by booktubeathon, but I think I would've flown through it no matter when I read it. Every page was just so fun and I could relate so much to almost all of it.

"And now I should probably say something, but that would involve words, and WHAT EVEN ARE WORDS,"

I don't think there's ever been a more accurate quote. Just saying. 😂

So all in all, in case you couldn't tell, I loved this book! Becky is definitely one of my favorite contemporary authors, and I'll be eagerly awaiting her next release. And buying copies of this book and Simon, because they both need to grace my shelf. Read them if you haven't! A+ fluff.