CW: child abuse/murder, torture, genocide, rape

I honestly have no words. The pacing was a bit uneven, but the plot intensified and the characters stole my heart. If the first book was good, this one was freaking amazing. June 12th cannot come fast enough; the third book will be a great, albeit painful, belated birthday present. 😍

3.5 stars

I was so excited to read this, but in the end it was only an average read.

I want to preface this by saying that my ratings of these stories aren’t related to the LGBTQIAP+ rep or other rep included, rather by the story and characters. I think this is an incredibly important anthology, as I haven’t heard of any others that are entirely LGBTQIAP+ stories. Most of them were just not up my alley, unfortunately.

I noticed two notable things while reading. One, some stories weren’t exactly historical fiction. There was a story that took place in 1994, and another on New Year’s Eve 1999. Both of those were less than 25 years ago, and they didn’t feel very historical. Additionally, almost all of the stories took place in either America or Europe, and I would’ve appreciated a wider range of cultures and settings in this anthology.

And two, some stories seemed to end in bad or inopportune places; just as one would get good, it would be over, or the romance would just be beginning. I think the pacing could’ve been better.

Here are my ratings for each story:
~ Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore - 4.5 stars
~ The Sweet Trade by Natalie C. Parker - 3.5 stars
~ And They Don’t Kiss at the End by Nilah Magruder - 3.5 stars
~ Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee - 5 stars
~ The Dresser and the Chambermaid by Robin Talley - 3.5 stars
~ New Year by Malinda Lo - 3 stars
~ Molly’s Lips by Dahlia Adler - 3 stars
~ The Coven by Kate Scelsa - 3 stars
~ Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake - 5 stars
~ Willows by Scott Tracey - 2 stars
~ The Girl with the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe - 4 stars
~ The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez - 2 stars
~ Walking After Midnight by Kody Keplinger - 3.5 stars
~ The End of the World as We Know It by Sara Farizan - 2.5 stars
~ Three Witches by Tessa Gratton - 3 stars
~ The Inferno and the Butterfly by Shaun David Hutchinson - 4.5 stars
~ Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Mejia - 4.5 stars

My favorites were Burnt Umber, Every Shade of Red, and possibly The Inferno and the Butterfly; my least favorites were Willows and The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy.

Even though most of these stories weren’t my cup of tea, I’d still recommend this anthology to anyone interested. YA could use more LGBTQIAP+ historical fiction, and this is a good start.

CW: death, violence, torture, self-harm, attempted suicide, suicide imagery, intrusive thoughts

I had to really think about what to rate this book – more so than usual.

I read TRS (book 2) in 2016 and was rather “meh” about it; for about a year I had no interest in reading this. Then I saw some good reviews and, impressionable as I can sometimes be, decided to give it a try. After all, it could be great! (This is my motto these days when it comes to my tbr. I like to think I have self-control, but I really don’t.)

So I finally read this book, and surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Reading was a bit of a slow process, but I knew almost immediately I’d like it more than its predecessor. It was good, really good, good again, and then came the end... not so good, in my opinion.

I don’t usually like it when significant characters die and come back through some miracle. Violetta was no exception. I liked her character, but I think it would’ve been more meaningful if she stayed dead. I also didn’t like that Adelina died; although she was kind of horrible and I did like that she became a constellation, Magiano deserved better. Just saying.

Magiano is absolutely my favorite character. He was enigmatic but sweet and genuine and I honestly just love him. No one can compete with his brilliance. If he wasn’t in this series, it wouldn’t be as good. There’s just no way. (In case you didn’t catch on, I wanted Adelina to live for Magiano’s sake.)

Other things that should’ve happened:
- Enzo alive, free of his Underworld curse, and with Raffaele.
- Maeve and Lucent’s relationship rekindled. This was implied, but I would’ve liked more details.
- Adelina alive, mourning Violetta but healing alongside Magiano as they rule together. (Or at the very least, give me more details on Violetta’s rule.)

And what did Magiano do, other than go after Adelina’s constellation? When he wasn’t with her overnight? Now that he doesn’t have his mimicry? I want answers!

So, I think that’s everything. I don’t remember the first two books very well, but I think this is my favorite in the trilogy. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, but other elements throughout the story did soften that blow.

This is a perfect example of a book that doesn’t have much substance but is still fun to read. The writing was nothing special, the characters were rather plain, and the plot wasn’t extremely engaging, but this was a fun story nonetheless. I’m glad I picked this up and eventually I plan to continue the trilogy.

This wasn’t as good as the first book. It wasn’t really fun, and while the last 30-40 pages were intriguing, I’d mostly stopped caring by then. Hale really needs to check his attitude. I’ll read the last book, but only because it’s already checked out from the library and, admittedly, I’m curious.

CW: death of a relative

The rating for this is tricky. It was only an average book, but I wasn’t sure if it deserved 2.5 or 3 or 3.5 stars. I couldn’t figure out if it was worse or the same as the second book. In the end, I went for a middle rating.

Hale had a lot going on in this book and I’m not sure I like it. I called him a moldy grapefruit in a status update and he kind of redeemed himself, but not entirely.

The pacing was slow, as I’ve grown accustomed to in these books, and once again it lacked the fun feeling the first book had.

I’m not sure if I liked that the crew finally found a con they couldn’t pull off or not. I’m also not sure how I feel about the ending. Everything was kind of confusing, and even though most things were wrapped up, I’m just not sure I’m satisfied.

Also, despite the antagonist supposedly being so clever and always one step ahead, they never thought about ulterior motives when the crew dropped out?? I’m being vague on purpose to avoid spoilers; regardless, it just doesn’t make sense to me.

I liked this book in a few ways and didn’t in some others. It wasn’t the conclusion I’d hoped for, but it wasn’t a bad book either.

2.5 stars

CW: suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm, depression, nihilism, reference to attempted rape, death of parents, death/murder, graphic scenes (There’s an extensive list of CWs in the front of the book, but it seemed insincere. Be really careful going into this.)

I read the Mara Dyer trilogy in 2016 (almost 2 years ago wow) and I adored it. When I heard that my fav Noah Shaw was getting his own series, I was over the moon. But alas, this book kiiiiiiiiind of really sucked, sorry not sorry.

I don’t know what happened here. I’m usually okay with slower-paced books, but this had no plot. It was 345 pages of filler with rather confusing action in the last 20ish pages. I considered dnfing, but I kept hoping something would happen and save the book for me.

Nope.

A better title would be The Tragedy of Noah Shaw; all of his charm and character development were thrown out the window, and then down a mountain for good measure. In the Mara Dyer trilogy, he was sassy, snarky, a bit pessimistic, and open with his declarations of love for Mara. In this book, his pessimism completely took over and he essentially stopped caring about everything. His snark was abrasive, and almost entirely related to suicide and the pointlessness of life. This boy isn’t my fav. I miss the old Noah.

Every other character was overshadowed by Noah’s 180. Even his relationship with Mara, the passionate slow-burn that we suffered for in the original trilogy, was ruined. He got frustrated with her for not telling him everything, yet did the same thing right back. Every time they were together they were either in each other’s pants or at each other’s throats. This isn’t my ship. I miss the way they were before.

In the first 25 pages there’s an almost-sex scene, in which Mara takes off her underwear and Noah promptly passes out from a vision. Next thing you know, they’re running to see if what he saw actually happened, and it’s never mentioned if Mara got her underwear back or left them on the floor of the ruins. It’s the little things that you notice, you know?

The first time Jamie is mentioned is when he calls Mara, and when she asks who it is, Noah tells her that it’s their “favorite bisexual Jewish black friend.” What exactly was the point of that?? I could be misinterpreting, but it seemed like Michelle was very obviously trying to remind readers that HEY DON’T FORGET JAMIE IS A MARGINALIZED CHARACTER. If you’ve read this, it’s very, very likely you read Mara Dyer, so this was unnecessary. Mentioning a character’s marginalizations on page is good, but a character should be more than just their marginalizations. (Please let me know if I misspoke here.)

The only reason I gave this book an extra half star is Jamie, to be honest. He’s such an underrated character and he was put on the back burner with every other character that wasn’t Noah. He’s comical, a good friend, and he deserves better; if I trusted Michelle to do him justice, I’d say I want a book about him. But I don’t, so I won’t. #JusticeForJamie

I think that’s everything. I don’t mean to come across as harsh, but this book absolutely wasn’t my cup of tea. There’s a chance you’ll like it, so definitely pick it up if you’re interested. But if you loved the original trilogy and Mara and Noah like I did, save your time and money.

2.5 stars

Dnf, page 157

This book has an unique premise and a very aesthetic cover, but for me, the execution fell flat. I wasn’t entertained by the story or enthralled by the characters. Usually I’d read through to the end in hopes of improvement, but I’ve got a stack of library books due on Tuesday so I’m moving on. If you’re interested, definitely give this a try. It’s eerie and kind of whimsical, featuring a ghostlike friend and witty banter. Just not for me, unfortunately.

3.5 stars

CW: sexual harassment, victim blaming, mention of attempted rape, sexism

I didn’t expect much from this book after seeing fairly mixed reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised. This was an empowering, relevant story, and I found myself liking many of the protagonists. I could also relate to some of them.

I liked the humor and one-liners found early in the book, and the inclusion of the illustrated Moxie zines.

I’ve seen other reviewers say that the feminism could be a bit more intersectional, and I agree with that. There were some marginalized side characters, but I do think there’s room for improvement. (For more detailed discussions, I’d recommend finding marginalized reviewers.)

Another thing I liked was that the love interest did mess up sometimes, but he was honest in his mistakes, called out, and wanted to be better.

So, yeah. I liked this book and the subject matter is really important now and always, but it’s not necessarily a new favorite.

CW: OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, self-harm, car accident, death of a parent, disappearance of a parent

I think I’m in the minority here. John Green has always been a hit or miss author, and ever since TFIOS, his books have been a miss for me. I was on the fence about reading this one, but the mixed reviews had me curious and here we are.

I’ll start off by saying that this has in-depth, ownvoices OCD rep. I personally don’t have OCD in any form, but many OV reviewers have said the rep was good. As this isn’t my lane, I’ll leave it at that.

I liked Aza. Daisy was a horrible friend and was redeemed way too easily. Davis didn’t really have a personality. I liked that Aza’s mom was present, but I think she was too overbearing and put unfair pressure on Aza at times.

I don’t mind slower pacing, particularly in contemporaries; in this case, mental health took center stage. However, the synopsis implied mystery and there was basically no mystery after chapter ten. It was rather misleading, and I was bored for easily two-thirds of the story.

What else?

• Pretentious writing/overly purple prose.
• Nothing really happened between Davis giving the money and the car accident.
• Daisy should leave. No one needs a friend that says they’re an annoying, self-centered burden, even if they were good friends prior to the fight.
• What even was the point of the romance?? I’m not sure.
• I did like the astronomy parts. I think astronomy is interesting.
• The ending was rather flat, although I suppose it did tie up most loose ends.

If John Green publishes something else, I think I’ll steer clear. This proves that his writing and storytelling isn’t for me.