I was really really excited for this but the execution just did not live up to the synopsis for me. I never considered dnfing and I never had a bad time but for the most part the characters were fairly interchangeable and the plot was a little repetitive.

Joan he’s covers continue to dominate the game Holy Shit

Oh, my god, do I feel seen by this book. I was sent a copy of this by the delightful Alexa earlier in the summer and I am now absolutely ashamed that it took me this long to finally read it. Alice Oseman told a story that perfectly encapsulates a specific subgenre of teenagers, a subgenre I belong to, and I'd just like to thank her for it.

Acevedo is a master. There's nothing else to say about it. Yeah, I gave The Poet X a four star rating but that was genuinely entirely because verse novels aren't really my thing and also a little bit because I was hurrying through it because it was due back at the library. But that's neither here nor there.

Emoni was so, so relatable. Feeling pulled in a million directions and not even knowing how to feel because there's stress coming at you from all of them? Man, does that encapsulate how I've been feeling the past few months.

For me, I think I usually know I love a book when it makes me cry -- sometimes because it's sad, but sometimes, like this one, because it's hopeful. Because I'm so enthralled that when something good happens, I get overwhelmed.

Felt kind of like a rollercoaster that keeps going faster and faster and there's nothing to do but go with it until the end.

What's there left to say?

It was an ending of a trilogy that I loved, and while there were parts of the end of the book that I wish had gone differently, I felt that sense of satisfaction that a reader always feels after ending a series that was near and dear to their heart.

yep yep yep yep

Wow, can you believe that I haven't read any Leigh Bardugo until now? Can you even believe. Because oh boy, I'm in love. I would absolutely die for Mal. The Darkling? (insert that gif of the girl from chopped kissing her fingers like a chef here) Excellent. Good times.

I don't really have anything new to say about this or even really a coherent thought (if you couldn't tell) so instead, I'm just gonna go read Siege and Storm and carry on in my feels.

Siege and Storm feels like the middle book in a trilogy, but The Shadow and Bone trilogy is a pretty good trilogy, so still 4 stars. The intrigue is getting good, and I enjoyed the turnover of new characters for old characters.

Some specifics:

On Mal. I really, really loved Mal in the first book. I thought he was a good foil for the Darkling, but maybe that was all because he actually didn't feature particularly heavily in Shadow and Bone. Either way, Siege and Storm Mal was something of a let down.

Spoiler

Being in a relationship with Alina just made him incredibly jealous and possessive, and he came across as being unable to deal with her power. This is my least favorite fantasy boyfriend, the fragile masculinity boyfriend who isn't satisfied with just being the boyfriend, but instead wants the same kind of power as the main character. See Riley Finn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I just...I'm over him. At this point, I can't really see Alina ending up with anyone, and you know what, I'm okay with that.

On Alina. I really, really enjoyed Alina's growth during this book. She really grows into her power, and her connection to the Darkling combined with that power begins to change her into a darker person. I think that character arc is really interesting, and I can't wait to see how it's concluded.

This is one of those books that I want to leave a review on just so I can gush about it, but once I get here, I'm not sure what to say. It's so, so, so good. So good, you guys. I guess I'm predictable, because I love books about queer girls that make me cry. This was one of those and it was excellent. Because it was also about found family and music and love and family and friendship. I can't believe it only has 400 ratings y'all the world is really sleeping on this book. Huge thanks to Fadwa for recommending this to me over on Twitter earlier tonight.