4.5 stars

CW: torture, violence, drug addiction

I’m distraught. Really, genuinely distraught. I liked the first book and I expected to like this one as well, but I never expected anything like what I got. It’s an absolutely unpredictable ride and it’s rendered me speechless. If you know me, you know I ramble; this should be some indication of how good this book is.

However, it’s a good thing I waited a bit after finishing before writing this; I did realize that this novel has a few imperfections. I didn’t fully understand the subplot about Nemesis’ personhood and how that affected her Diabolic abilities. I think that should’ve been expanded upon more. And, while I enjoyed the story’s twists and would definitely say it played hot potato with my heart, I’m wondering if S.J. tried to incorporate too much into too few pages. Some things that happened were almost inexplicable, and others seemed to come from nowhere. The first half took a bit of time to build up, and then all of this happened; maybe pacing is the issue here, or perhaps a few plot points needed to be reevaluated.

Nemesis has become a vicious, full-on antihero and I support her. There’s lots of vengeance and manipulation, a couple of unexpected allies, and one thing that especially hurt my heart. My ship didn’t just sink, it was sucked into a black hole and torn apart. That was fun.

Bring on the final book, and some ice cream. I think I’m going to need it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Epic Crush of Genie Lo when I read it a couple of years ago, but forgot about the sequel until Goodreads sent me an email on release day. I bought The Iron Will of Genie Lo for my Kindle within an hour or two of receiving said email and, despite taking nearly two weeks to read it, found it to be an enjoyable continuation and finale.

Genie is a realistic, relatable protagonist, and I liked her friendship dynamics — both human and heavenly. Her best friend Yunie was one of my favorite characters, and I appreciated that Yee didn’t sideline her to further other parts of the story. I also appreciated the flawed relationship she had with her parents, as that’s something I can completely understand and it was well-managed.

What I wasn’t such a huge fan of was her relationship with her boyfriend Quentin. Although they were cute at times and frequently bantering, something I always approve of, I didn’t really like the change in their dynamic from book one to two. It felt like there was too much unnecessary angst, and even if, arguably, that increases the realism, I didn’t like it.

However, in all other aspects, Yee succeeded in writing a fun, intriguing sequel that perfectly blended contemporary elements with Chinese mythology. The plot caught and held my attention, most of the characters were brilliantly three-dimensional, and the ending tied everything up happily without seeming cliché or unrealistic. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more detail in the final chapter, but overall, I was satisfied.

I’d recommend this duology to fans of Rick Riordan and anyone looking for a generous dose of humor in their urban fantasy.

3.5 stars

Last week, Wednesday Books surprised me with a copy of this book I’d never heard of. I decided to give it a try, and I’m glad I did. Though lacking in some structural and technical aspects, Jane Anonymous was a captivating novel and an intriguing addition to the YA mystery genre.

I want to start by giving Stolarz major props for writing such a gripping story. The prologue was only two pages, but I was instantly hooked. From there on out, I flew through the chapters, ever curious to discover what would come next. The more I read, the less desirable any other task or pastime became.

The story was incredibly fast-paced, with the kidnapping taking place within the initial thirty pages of the novel. Jane woke up imprisoned before page forty. I believe that taking this route allowed Stolarz to really emphasize the physical and mental trauma of such a horrific experience.

Another interesting stylistic choice Stolarz made was to split the novel into two timelines: the duration of the kidnapping, referred to as “then”, and the aftermath, referred to as “now”. Both were equally interesting, with one focusing on the confusion and fear Jane felt and the other detailing her residual paranoia. In this regard, the story was well-written.

Unfortunately, not every element is worthy of such praise. Jane didn’t feel like a fully-developed protagonist, and the side characters felt two-dimensional. Questions were raised regarding Jane’s father that were never answered.

Fast pacing, intrigue, and my own insatiable curiosity aside, the plot itself had a few issues as well. There was one enormous missed opportunity, and I don’t think enough effort or emphasis was put into the explanation for the kidnapping. Additionally, the ending seemed anticlimactic. It wasn’t difficult to piece things together as I read, and in the end, I was just a couple of details away from predicting the twist entirely.

Lastly, I want to bring up something that, despite occurring only once and not truly being significant, bothered me: Stolarz’s use of outdated text speak. From “I rly need 2cu” to “Ru there?” and “Cu then”, the whole exchange rubbed me the wrong way. Jane and her best friend Shelley are teens, yes, but I think most people stopped texting like that in 2014. (Snippets taken from the ARC. These may be different or absent entirely in the final copy.)

I think I’ve covered everything. Jane Anonymous was a gripping mystery told in a unique dual timeline, but unfortunately, there were issues in major and minor elements alike. I’d recommend this novel to those looking for a quick, intriguing read that also grapples with heavier topics.

CW: stalking, kidnapping, imprisonment, trauma, panic attacks, blood, self-harm, vomiting, hallucinations

Copy sent to me by the publisher. This doesn’t affect my opinion or the content of my review. Out now.

I picked up Running with Lions on a whim, and even though it took me a while to get through, it was an enjoyable read.

Winters wrote a very impressive debut novel. He knocked so many elements out of the park, from character development and relationship dynamics to setting descriptions and relatable themes. We’ve got a protagonist that lives and breathes soccer, but has no clue where his life will go after high school graduation. I’m not an athlete, but wow, what a mood.

While on the subject of soccer, let me say that I’m in no way a sporty person. I don’t play or watch anything, and I’ve got no clue what teams belong to what sport or even how most sports work. Usually, I wouldn’t pick up a novel centered around something I’ve got no interest in, but I knew it was queer and that was enough for me. So thank you, Julian, for writing a book where soccer plays a significant role in the plot and in the characters’ lives, but is still understandable and enjoyable for clueless nerds such as myself.

Something else I believe Winters excelled at was writing high school boys. I’ve been out of school almost a year but can still recall the boisterous, sometimes crass attitudes many of them—athletes and otherwise—shared. While I didn’t love the behavior and dialogue in some scenes of the novel, I applaud the author for staying true to what is frequently reality.

Despite that, seeing the bond the soccer players had with each other and with their coaches was wonderful. The coaches made sure the players knew that everyone was welcome on the team, and the guys—no matter how much crap they gave one another—stood up for each other. They were a family in their own right, and I loved that.

You know what else I loved? The romance. Sebastian and Emir’s relationship could be summarized as one of the best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers I’ve ever read. They were awkward but adorable, realistically flawed but fun and funny to read about. They brought a smile to my face more than once, and I would happily, eagerly read any number of chapters about them, post Running with Lions.

If there was one aspect I wasn’t such a fan of, it was Grey, one of the side characters and the daughter of one of the coaches. Her name is actually Grace, but she prefers Grey because—if I remember correctly—it doesn’t sound as feminine. Don’t get me wrong, I did like her and I’ve got nothing against sporty girls, but it felt like she was outright rejecting her femininity rather than just having other preferences. I’m not sure if that made sense or was phrased properly, but my point is that Grey’s portrayal rubbed me the wrong way. Especially since the only other girls were minor characters—Sebastian’s mom and sister, a couple of preppy girls from another school, and Sebastian’s ex-girlfriend.

Overall, Running with Lions was a book slightly outside of my comfort zone, but fun and entertaining nonetheless. I’ll definitely be reading more of Winters’ work in the future.

Representation:
• The protagonist, Sebastian, is bisexual.
• His two best friends, Mason and Willie, are experimenting and gay, respectively.
• The love interest, Emir, is British-Pakistani, Muslim, and gay.
• Another member of the soccer team, Hunter, is black and gay.
• Various marginalized side characters.

CW: discussions of body shaming, bullying, Islamophobia, and a scene featuring homophobic taunting/language (taken from the publisher’s website)

Thomas’ first novel, The Hate U Give, was and still is a sensation. As her sophomore novel, On the Come Up had a lot to live up to. Though they’re different in many ways and thus not necessarily comparable, both dissect racism in a brutally honest way. Both have strong black girls and families at their core, and both are absolutely amazing.

I’m honestly struggling to express how much I enjoyed this book. Even though I can’t in any way relate to the themes or the characters, I became so invested in every element. I was hooked from the very first page to the very last. Anytime I picked this up, I swear, I’d blink and an hour would’ve passed; I’d read another eighty pages. Not only that, but after certain events, I would stop reading to update Goodreads or get water or something, in order to compose myself. The only other contemporary I can recall doing that with is Red, White and Royal Blue, one of my all-time favorite books. I believe this is a great indication of Thomas’ incredible skill as a writer.

I loved Bri’s headstrong attitude, her passion for rap, and her dedication to her family. I loved her friends, Sonny and Malik, how the three of them bantered and fought but came together no matter what. I loved her family, the way it was evident that her mom and older brother Trey were hard on her but still loved her fiercely. I loved the cute, snarky budding romance in the last third of the book, how so much was built between two characters without taking up much page time. And surprisingly, despite having no knowledge of or interest in the genre, I loved the rap. Bri’s ability to freestyle was really impressive, and I liked that her lyrics were meaningful and snarky simultaneously.

If I had one criticism, it would be the way Thomas ended the story. While it was satisfying to see Bri do her own thing and, overall, everything was resolved, I would’ve liked more. The epilogue left me especially curious. Where did things go from there? I know, I know, all stories have to end somewhere, and Thomas ultimately did right by her characters. I just wanted more.

I think that covers everything. I really enjoyed On the Come Up, and I’m grateful — it seems to have gotten me out of my slump, at least for now, and renewed my desire to read all the books. But anyway, highly recommend this to all who can handle the content.

Representation:
• Bri, her friends, family, and most of the characters in this book are black.
• One of her friends, Sonny, is gay as well. He starts to talk to an anonymous guy online, whose identity is revealed toward the end. They do, to my knowledge, get together.

CW: racism, physical assault, gang violence, gun violence, death of a parent, grief, discussion of drugs and addiction in two characters, poverty

Words are failing me, though I’m not sure if that’s because the book was just so good or it’s after midnight as I write this. Regardless, Not Your Villain was a fun, exciting sequel that I’m pretty sure has a little something for everyone.

Lee began the novel by retelling the ending of book one, Not Your Sidekick, from Bells’ perspective. I appreciated the refresher, and Lee’s execution felt natural; the opening chapters fit with the rest of the story, flowing smoothly into the action and intrigue of the new narrative.

I think Bells is my favorite character out of the Sidekick Squad. He’s witty, resilient, genuine, and interesting—a well-balanced and well-written protagonist. But honestly, everyone else is great too. His friends Jess and Emma, Jess’ girlfriend Abby, and Jess’ younger brother Brendan had distinct personalities and unique relationship dynamics.

Even the parents in the novel—you heard me, this is a YA sci-fi where all the teens have present parents; a true twist—are good. They’re responsible and firm but supportive and caring. If more protagonists had adults like these in their lives, who knows what YA SFF would look like? Maybe fewer disastrous occurrences? But anyway. Props to Lee for that.

I love when books can convey so many feelings—particularly romantic ones—in so few words. Bells’ crush on his friend, his internal conflict when said friend reveals their new relationship, and everything that follows: brilliant. In the midst of the scheming and action, something much more minor shone through and tugged at my heartstrings. I repeat: brilliant.

My only complaints would be a) the sheer number of characters and b) the ending. At times, I couldn’t remember whose brother Brendan was or keep parents or meta-humans straight. Admittedly, this could just be a personal struggle, but in my opinion, there were sometimes too many characters to keep up with.

As for the ending, I didn’t have any issues with the story itself. I was pleased Lee didn’t go the cliffhanger route and curious where the third book would go. My issue was that the final chapter seemed a bit disjointed. I can’t explain further without spoilers and, in my experience, the Goodreads app doesn’t do well with the spoiler tag...so that’s that on that.

It’s late and I’m tired, so I’ll leave this here. Not Your Villain was a quick, thoroughly enjoyable read, and a satisfying sequel. I look forward to diving into the next installment ASAP!

Representation:
• Bells, the protagonist, is a black trans guy. It’s mentioned a few times that he takes T-shots.
• Of the three major side characters: Jess is Chinese-Vietnamese and bisexual; Abby is sapphic, though her exact identity isn’t mentioned; Emma is Latinx, on the aromantic and asexual spectrums, and has two moms. Jess and Abby are dating.
• Many minor characters are queer and/or of color. There are (at least) two that use they/them pronouns, and one scene where group introductions include pronouns.

CW: [I don’t think there are any.]

3.5 stars

Over the last week, as I’ve caught up with the series, I’ve grown to love Sidekick Squad. After thoroughly enjoying Not Your Villain, I was excited for more queer superhero shenanigans. However, as much as I liked some aspects of this third installment, Not Your Backup just...wasn’t as good.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a quick, fun read that, for the most part, lived up to its predecessors. But at times, the plot felt repetitive and the pacing slow. I can’t explain the former without spoilers; as for the latter, for every exciting chapter, every rush of adrenaline, there were two more that focused solely on planning, journeying, and/or Emma’s internal conflict. (Don’t test my math. I’m probably wrong. I was just trying to get a point across.)

I don’t have the energy for an in-depth breakdown of the elements I enjoyed, but here’s a little list:
• Emma’s character arc as she figured out and came to terms with being on the aromantic and asexual spectrums.
• The casual inclusion of queerplatonic relationships. This deserves its own point solely because I’ve never seen the term or any rep in a book prior.
• Emma and Bells’ relationship. They’re adorable! He’s so supportive and they just fit so well together. I can’t even explain why I love him or them; I just do. 10/10 one of my new favorite couples.
• For a sci-fi novel, the social and political commentary was surprisingly relevant. The series went from superhero fun in the first two books to rebelling against a complexly corrupt government in this third one. Lee handled this masterfully.
• It was definitely a more minor element, but I liked slowly learning more about the world these characters live in—especially what it was like before meta-humans and the new government came to be.

Even though Not Your Backup wasn’t as much of a hit for me as the previous two were, I still enjoyed reading it. I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the final book this summer. I’d hoped it would be about Abby, and it is! Bring it on!

Representation:
• Emma, the protagonist, is Latinx and on the aromantic and asexual spectrums.
• Bells, a major side character and Emma’s boyfriend, is a black trans guy.
• Jess, another major side character, is Chinese-Vietnamese and in a sapphic relationship with Abby.
• Many other/minor side characters are queer and/or people of color.

CW: internal shame through aromantic and asexual questioning (though this is examined), some sci-fi violence (taken from the publisher’s website)

I’ve heard many good things about Lovelace’s poetry, and finally, finally I decided to give it a try. I haven’t read much modern poetry and was skeptical of this after not really caring about Rupi Kaur’s milk and honey, but I was pleasantly surprised.

It’s truly a talent to convey so much emotion in so few words, and that’s what Lovelace does in the princess saves herself in this one. The book is divided into four parts—princess, damsel, queen, you—with the first three about their life and the last more generalized, directed toward readers and society. What all four have in common is how emotional they are, how raw and real each one felt as they discussed various life struggles and societal issues.

i am
a lioness
who is no longer
afraid to let the world
hear her
roar.

  - an ode to me.

However, there were two things I wasn’t such a big fan of. One, the dashed notes at the end of each poem were hit or miss for me. Regardless of my thoughts on individual poems, sometimes those notes...ruined the vibe, so to speak? And two, while there were a handful of pieces that really spoke to me, some others felt too short or too plain, like an oddly-formatted sentence. Take what I say with a grain of salt, as I personally know very little about poetry. I’m just expressing opinions.

So anyway, the princess saves herself in this one was a good, super quick read and a nice introduction to Lovelace’s work. I’m not currently sure if I’ll read more from them, but I do know, at least, their poetry can be used to catch up on my Goodreads challenge.

CW: abuse, self-harm, eating disorders, suicide, depression, grief

Warning: this review contains spoilers for Ruin and Rising and Crooked Kingdom.

It’s been a few years since I read anything by Leigh Bardugo, and I wasn’t sure if I’d like her newest book the way I used to love her others. King of Scars proved to be an entertaining start to an intriguing new series, and definitely shows Bardugo’s growth as a writer.

Complex characters, an intricate world, and very high stakes are bound to hook readers the way they hooked me. More depth is given to side characters from the original Grisha trilogy, and we see the next step in the journey of a beloved Six of Crows protagonist. Familiar faces return alongside new ones, mostly lovable but occasionally loathsome.

Although I did enjoy Nikolai and Zoya’s storyline and the emotional revelations regarding the latter’s past, my favorite chapters were Nina’s. For roughly the first third of the novel, she’s grieving Matthias—for the record, I’m still salty about his death to this day. Anyway, my point is that Bardugo wrote her grief in such a raw, poignant way and it broke my heart. Seeing Nina handle and overcome that was amazing, and so was the rest of her story. I love Nina Zenik with my whole heart.

I’ll be honest—I didn’t pick up on the supposed budding romance between Nikolai and Zoya. Other reviewers were talking about flirting between the two of them, and I’m over here completely confused. To be honest, while I could probably be convinced to ship them, I hope their relationship stays platonic. They work really well as a king and a general, and I like it when two characters with opposing attitudes are friends.

I did, however, pick up on Nina’s crush on one of the new characters. That could be brilliantly developed in the sequel, if said character returns those feelings. I’m just...not sure if I want it to be? As much of a hopeless romantic as I am, part of me wonders if Bardugo started dropping hints too soon after Nina buried Matthias. I mean, to each their own, everyone handles grief differently, but hardly any time passed between her grieving him and crushing on them. Does that even make sense? Not sure, but I’m going with it.

My primary issue with this book was entirely unrelated to the romance; in the second half, I found some aspects difficult to follow. At times, it felt like Bardugo was trying to do too much, and to me, it didn’t fully mesh with the world-building she’d already done.

The other element I really didn’t like was the ending. I didn’t see any of the three big twists coming, but only one seemed to work in the grand scheme of things. As for the other two, they just didn’t make sense to me, and there’s likely going to be some repetitive drama in the sequel.

So, yeah. I liked King of Scars for some reasons and disliked it for others, but overall, it was enjoyable. It was nice to be back in the Grishaverse. I’m interested to see what goes down in the sequel, especially for my girl Nina.

Representation:
• Nina is fat and bisexual.
• There’s a married sapphic side couple in Nikolai’s inner circle.
• One of Nina’s companions, Adrik, has one arm.
• I can’t remember specifics, my apologies, but I believe there are other diverse side characters scattered throughout.

CW: drug addiction, drug use, torture, captivity, death of a loved one, grief, mention of murder and gore

3.5 stars

Watch me read everything Amanda Lovelace has written to temporarily catch up on my Goodreads challenge.