WHY WASN’T THIS A FULL BOOK????

Medusa and Calypso were both brilliant, complex women, forced into unsavory situations to survive. I loved them and I loved their dynamic, and if there’d been more time to delve deeper, I honestly think this could’ve been tied with Neon Gods for my favorite book in the series. As it is, though the romance was quite sweet and I was rooting for it all the way, the story felt way too rushed and not entirely believable. The whole thing took place over the course of three days, which, in my opinion, is not nearly enough time to do anything except introduce the characters. This novella was good, don’t get me wrong, but if it was a full book, it could’ve been fantastic.

And one more thing. Maybe this is just me being pedantic, but I noticed something while reading that didn’t feel right. The two women were talking, and Medusa was questioning how someone as beautiful as Calypso could like her. Calypso had plenty of reassuring things to say, but one thing she thought bothered me—“She’s not beautiful or suave or any of the other things my past lovers have been.” Shouldn’t she be thinking that Medusa might not be traditionally beautiful/beautiful by society’s standards, but is to her? I don’t know. Just a thought. ://

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[second read, October 2023]
The question I asked going in: exactly how Trionysus-coded is this book?
The answer: EXTREMELY. ❤️🤍🩷

No one else will know what I’m talking about, but that’s okay, because I do and I’m having a grand old time.

That aside, this is definitely one of my favorite Dark Olympus books. The snark, the smut and the story are all top-tier, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s a win.

[first read, August 2022]
I went into this hopeful because I adore Neon Gods, but also tentative because I wasn’t as big a fan of Electric Idol. Katee Robert didn’t disappoint—this was SO GOOD!!! I immediately loved Helen and Patroclus, and (eventually) Achilles grew on me too. I liked seeing the two men as an established couple, and how their dynamic shifted to include Helen, even if their refusal to communicate at first did lowkey drive me up the wall. The three of them had obvious chemistry, and a believable relationship arc that felt well-paced despite the relatively short timespan over which the story took place.

Aside from the initial miscommunication, I don’t think I have any other complaints. This book had an abundance of banter, some action, a couple of surprise plot twists, and much more political turmoil than I was expecting. Everything was well-balanced—the action in particular felt much more consistent in this book, compared to its predecessors—and in general, this was just a delight from cover to cover. I was smiling and cackling and even squealed a couple of times, which, in my humble opinion, means Katee Robert did her job exactly right. We’ve had a few mishaps, but nonetheless, she’s become one of my favorite romance authors. ❤️

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I read The Gilded Ones last year and absolutely loved it, which marked The Merciless Ones as one of my most anticipated 2022 releases. While I did enjoy it, for the most part, I can’t say that I loved it to the same extent I did its predecessor. Because as much as I adored Deka and the other alaki and all of their uruni, as intriguing and fast-paced as the very beginning and very end of the novel were, regrettably, I found the middle portion of the book kind of boring and hard to push through. I’m not actually sure if that’s because of the book itself or my on-again-off-again reading slump, but either way, it hindered my reading experience.

That being said, I still think Namina Forna is an incredible writer—she’s created a brilliant protagonist and supporting cast, an absolutely adorable romance, and a fascinatingly intricate world. Her plot twists are mind-blowing; I swear, I spent the last 25% of this book in shock, and at one point I nearly threw my phone across the room. (I read an ebook.)

Also, I just want to take a second to shriek—DEKA AND KEITA ARE ADORABLEEEE. 🥹🥹💗💗

Okay, got that out of my system. 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Anyway. Despite not being completely sold on this sequel, I’m excited (slash scared) to see how she’ll end this trilogy, and certain that the finale will be spectacular. If you haven’t read this series yet, do it ASAP!!! (But check the content warnings first, bc damn, these books get brutal.)

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[ETA, September 2022: Rating raised from 4.25 to 4.5 and then 5 stars. I’m indecisive, basically, but I’ve realized that I absolutely love Tink and Hook, so here we are.]

My favorite in the series so far! I loved Tink, I loved her friendships with the other Underworld women, and I even grew to quite like Hook. I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress. There were even some especially amusing scenes that made me cackle/snort out loud, so props to Katee for that. She’s quickly rising up on my list of favorite romance authors. <3

If I had one complaint, it would be that this story seemed way too similar to that of the first book, Desperate Measures. The girl’s inner battle of simultaneously hating and being horny for the guy. The guy falling in love with the girl even though he thinks he’s awful, doesn’t deserve her, etc. And the whole shtick with Tink, Hook and Pan felt incredibly reminiscent of the one in DM with Jasmine, Jafar and Ali, right down to the way the final showdown unfolded. So, not the biggest fan of that. I’m really not into authors recycling plots. ://
[Update: yes, technically, this is true, but I don’t care anymore. This has become one of those books where I just love it, even if it has flaws.]

Ending this with my favorite quote:

[cackling in the distance]

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For the Wolf was one of my favorite reads of last year, even making it onto my list of all-time favorites, and I was so, so excited for this sequel. It was at the very top of my list of 2022 anticipated releases. Yet, sad as I am to say it, I don’t know how to feel about For the Throne. On one hand, giving it any less than five stars feels innately wrong; but, on the other, I hesitate to give a book I feel so conflicted about a perfect rating.

First, I’m going to clear one thing up: I adore Red and Eammon. I adore my Wolves. I knew that going into this book, and that didn’t change. I don’t think that could change. They are my sweet, perfect babies, and they must be protected at all costs. They carried this book and I can’t be convinced otherwise. ❤️❤️❤️

My issue lies with Neve and Solmir. I really didn’t care about Neve in the first book; by the end of it, I actually found her kind of annoying. But, despite that, I was confident that this sequel would change my mind, that she would grow on me, and that I would love Solmir too. Hannah Whitten had been teasing an enemies to lovers romance, and that’s my favorite trope, so I was SO SURE everything would be fine.

Everything was not fine. I hate to say it, but it’s true. Neve didn’t grow on me. I don’t have anything against her, per se; I just… didn’t really care about her. Or Solmir. Or their relationship. Which, by the way, wasn’t that good of an enemies to lovers arc. Their banter in the first third of the book was entertaining, and the stakes were certainly high throughout, but I never got invested. When I think enemies to lovers, I think of Juliette and Roma, Nina and Matthias, Ismae and Duval, just to name a few. They’re all ships with seriously intense love stories, ships I’m seriously invested in. They’ve become my standard comparisons for the trope, set my standards rather high. Neve and Solmir weren’t like that, didn’t meet those standards.

So, clearly, if I didn’t vibe with either the character that narrated most of the book or the emphasized new ship, that’s a problem. And then the other significant problem—in my opinion—was the ending. I don’t want to say it was disappointing, because that feels too harsh, but I didn’t like it. I wasn’t satisfied with how Hannah chose to wrap everything up. Obviously, that’s not my call, it’s hers, and she thought it was the best option. I just… disagree. 😬😬

If I look past those things, Hannah’s writing was gorgeous, her world-building incredible, her plot twists pure genius, just like in the first book. She gave plenty of adorable Wolf and Lady Wolf content, and I’ll definitely be going back to reread those scenes in the future. But I can’t look past the fact that I kept reading, waiting for something to happen that would make me fall in love with Neve and Solmir, yet nothing did. That my first thought upon finishing the book wasn’t omg that was brilliant or I’m so happy, but I don’t know how to feel about that. And that sucks. It really does. Because up until the last fifty pages, Neve and Solmir aside, I was thinking that the book was brilliant. I was terrified to see how it would end, as you should be when reading a series finale, but still hopeful all would be well.

And honestly, I’m sad. I’m sad that instead of writing a glowing five star review talking about what a fantastic, emotional conclusion this was, how much I adore all of the characters, and how the Wilderwood duology is now one of my all-time favorites, I’m trying to figure out how to articulate my complicated feelings about this finale that wasn’t everything I’d hoped it would be. It’s been almost a full twenty-four hours since I finished reading, and I’m still kinda bummed. Sure, four and a half stars isn’t a bad rating; it’s still quite good. For the Wolf is still one of my favorite books, Red and Eammon one of my favorite ships, Hannah Whitten one of my favorite authors. I’ll still recommend For the Wolf to everyone that will listen, and I’ll be reading The Foxglove King ASAP when it releases next spring. But not loving a book you were SO SURE you were going to love is a uniquely disappointing feeling, one I’m not entirely sure how to process. Maybe I’m being overdramatic AF, but regardless, that’s about how I’m feeling now.

So yeah. It’s taken me way too long to cobble this review together, and I’m ready to focus on something else. Wolf and Lady Wolf supremacy. They’ll always be the Wolves in my heart. The end.

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I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this, but I ended up really liking it. Although I found the writing a bit cringey at times, the characters made up for it. Bree and Nathan were great, and so were nearly all of the side characters. I really liked Nathan’s teammates, and I absolutely loved Dylan. What an icon. The extra quarter star is purely for him. 10/10 want him to be my friend.

I don’t have much else to say about this book, but I will say that it was a lot of fun to see how close Bree and Nathan were, and watch that close friendship turn into a romance. Also, he is the biggest cinnamon roll and a complete simp for her, and I’m HERE FOR IT. That is simply the best kind of love interest and I can’t be convinced otherwise.

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This wasn’t a bad book, there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but good grief, I was bored out of my skull. Also, the fact that I read and fell in love with the Stalking Jack the Ripper series earlier this year and thus went into this book expecting something similar was my downfall. I kept comparing Hazel to Audrey Rose, Jack to Thomas, [whatever the hell Hazel and Jack’s ship name is] to Cressworth, and every time, I was disappointed. SJTR is superior in every way. In comparison, Anatomy offers characters that aren’t as fleshed out, a romance with considerably less build-up and hardly any chemistry, a story that drags, and a mystery introduced far too late that took far too little effort for me to solve. The ending didn’t clear things up, only muddle them further, and although I’ll read nearly any book at this point, including sequels to books I wasn’t the biggest fan of, I have no interest in the upcoming sequel to this one. All this book did was intensify my desire to reread SJTR, sorry not sorry.

If I had more energy, I could write about how disappointing it was to see Hazel scoff at the other girls her age for being feminine when Audrey Rose embraced both her femininity and her love for forensics. To see Hazel and Jack go from accomplices that didn’t care about one another to wanting to kiss each other nearly fast enough to give me whiplash when Audrey Rose and Thomas had one of the best slow-burns I’ve ever read, with lots of yearning and lingering glances and stolen kisses.

But I don’t have the energy for that, so I won’t. And maybe that’s better, because I really don’t think I’m supposed to be comparing the two books so strongly anyway. I just can’t help it. Sorry, Dana Schwartz, but Kerri Maniscalco did it first and did it better. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

((I briefly debated giving this a lower rating, but I couldn’t bring myself to be mean. If SJTR hadn’t already taken over my life, I probably would’ve liked this more. Maybe. We’ll never know. So, three stars it is.))

[ETA, April 2025: Rating lowered from 5 to 4.5 stars. This book was fun, but years later, it just isn’t as memorable as In Deeper Waters. I still think of Tal and Athlen from time to time, whereas I couldn’t even remember these boys’ names. They’re not on the same level.]

After reading and loving In Deeper Waters last year, So This is Ever After skyrocketed to the top of my list of most anticipated 2022 reads, and I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint. F.T. Lukens is definitely one of my favorite authors; their books are fun, hilarious and delightfully queer.

While I wouldn’t say that I loved this *quite* as much as I love IDW—Tal and Athlen have a special place in my heart—I did still love it. It’s a unique take on the traditional “chosen one” story, where instead of following the heroes on their quest, we see them in the aftermath of it. You know that part of “Long Live” by Taylor Swift?

It’s basically the vibe of the whole book. Arek and his friends—a ragtag group of lovable dumbasses—have defeated the big bad guy, and now they’ve accidentally become the kingdom’s new rulers. Though it took me a few chapters to warm up to them, I ended up loving all of them, especially Arek, Matt and Bethany.

I will say, though: if you’re going to read this, know that it’s not the kind of book you take seriously. It’s kind of like reading a romcom in between super intense fantasy books, as a palate cleanser, except it’s a fantasy book too. There’s not really any world-building; it’s mainly just jokes and vibes. It kind of read like a D&D campaign, with different characters classified as rogues, bards, knights, mages, etc.—though I have basically no knowledge of D&D, so… take that with a grain of salt. Honestly, with the way it poked fun at various fantasy tropes and whatnot, it almost felt satirical? But again, take that with a grain of salt. It’s after midnight and I can’t be trusted with big words. My point is, it’s a lighthearted read, and you should treat it as such.

So, ramblings aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It made me laugh multiple times, and the characters’ shenanigans were quite entertaining. I’d definitely recommend it, and I’m looking VERY forward to seeing what F.T. Lukens does next!!! <3

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Len’s idea to write the traditional hero vs monster story from a monster’s perspective, thus framing the hero as the villain, was a clever one, as was her idea to give the monsters the ability to time travel by stealing time from humans. The combination of those two ideas could’ve resulted in a phenomenal, intriguing story, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Most of the world-building was explained too briefly or not at all, leaving me almost constantly confused. There were a few instances where the opposite was true as well, where we learn a lot of information at once, and if we can’t remember it all, too bad, because it’s not getting explained again.

At times, reading this felt like arguing with a child, like when you ask them “Why?”, and all they say is “Because,” and refuse to actually elaborate. It was a bit frustrating, honestly. A fantasy story, regardless of sub-genre, cannot only be ~vibes~. There needs to be structure, there needs to be logic, and this book didn’t have enough of either one. We know there’s a king no one has seen and a royal court suspended in time, but not how the king came to power or what power system exists for the monsters beyond said king. We know there are twelve monster families each with a unique ability, but not if they’re noble, if there are any monsters outside of those families, or if they’re special in some other way. Sure, one could argue that we’ll learn these things in the next book, but to that I say, why should we have to wait for a sequel to (potentially) get basic world-building? Furthermore, how am I supposed to become invested in the story when my confusion over these missing details makes it difficult to focus on anything else? And don’t even get me started on the dual timelines mess.

Moving on, the protagonist Joan discovers early on that she’s a human-monster hybrid, and thus an anomaly, not truly belonging in either world but forced into the monster world after a rather traumatic night. We’re told repeatedly that she’s different, she’s special, she’s not like other monsters, but we don’t know why. And honestly, she didn’t feel special. She was likable enough, I suppose, but didn’t really have any defining characteristics; Len didn’t give me any reason to root for her. I felt more attachment to Joan’s companions than I did to her.

Speaking of, I quite liked the side characters. We’ve got Ruth, Joan’s cousin with a comeback for every situation and occasional kleptomaniac tendencies; Aaron, a member of a rival monster family that seems to hide vulnerability beneath cynicism; and Tom, a suspicious guy with a bigger role than I anticipated that, without spoiling anything, ended up being the complete opposite of what I expected. I found all three of them more compelling than Joan, and especially—to my surprise—loved Aaron.

From the beginning, I was reading between the lines of every interaction Joan and Aaron had, convinced that every snide comment, lingering touch or uncertain feeling meant something more. They reminded me heavily of Roma and Juliette from These Violent Delights, of Ismae and Duval from Grave Mercy—two of my absolute favorite enemies to lovers ships—forced to work together under less-than-ideal circumstances, only to find that, when they can finally split up… they might not want to. I go feral over this dynamic every time, and they’re no exception.

At least, they would be no exception, if Len hadn’t RUINED EVERYTHING with that ending. I’m so annoyed, even a few hours after finishing. She tried to force a ship that had no chemistry, presumably for the sake of plot. I hope she doesn’t actually want these characters together, partially because it wouldn’t make sense after the way the book ended, but mostly because I HATE IT.

Feelings aside, the end of the book… didn’t make much sense? Joan supposedly figured out what was so special about her, and used her power in a way that I think was supposed to be shocking, but really, it only managed to confuse me further. How can she have a power greater than any monster when she’s only half-monster? Add it to the list of things about this book that don’t make sense, I guess.

All in all, despite my heavy criticism of it, I wouldn’t say I hated Only a Monster. I think it’s a textbook case of good premise, poor execution. The side characters pulled their weight and then some, which is a significant part of why I’m not giving the book a lower rating. As for whether or not I’d recommend it, I’m hesitant to say outright that I wouldn’t—I usually reserve that for books I truly hated—but I will say that there are other books I’d recommend first. If you want a YA historical fantasy with time travel, try The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. If you want a YA historical fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance, try Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and/or These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. And if you want a YA urban fantasy with Asian representation, try Wicked Fox by Kat Cho and/or Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco.

Currently unsure if I’ll read the sequel when it releases. Reading books out of sheer curiosity against my better judgment is my toxic trait, so we’ll see. If Aaron’s in it, I might push through whatever else is there just to see him again.

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A brilliant fantasy debut! Lin’s writing was lovely and captivating, her world-building intricate yet easily understood. There were multiple plot twists that took me by surprise, proving every one of my many theories wrong, so props to her for that as well.

The only reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is because I found myself not very attached to or interested in Ning, the protagonist. My favorite characters—Kang, Lian and Zhen—were all part of the supporting cast; they had sizable roles in the story, yes, but nonetheless were side characters.

Despite that, I’ll definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out. I have high hopes, especially after that brutal cliffhanger. 😮‍💨

I would recommend this book to you if you like magical competitions and unique magic systems, and/or the books Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim and Lobizona by Romina Garber. (Which, by the way, are both amazing!! So check those out along with this one. ;))

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