Oof. I really wanted to like this - but it felt like Matthew and Diana were in a race for who could get more insufferable. There’s so many strong elements here but we just ended up with weepy vampire misogyny bullshit. So many, many “big feelings” these poor creatures struggle with. Sigh. This might be the first book I ever read where I thought to myself “actually a TV show of this might be better.” Great settings, good aesthetics, super attractive people … but a soapy nightmare. I’d probably watch it.

Mild Ish Spoilers:

For the book constantly talking about how brave and strong she is she certainly sleeps endlessly. Also I don’t know that it was necessary for me to know about every meal this character ate the entire novel.

For a witch who apparently had strong feelings about never accessing her magic - not being able to find a nearby stepstool and being moderately inconvenienced seems like a pretty small trigger.

The whole refusing to consummate thing is supposed to seem romantic maybe? But really it’s just another way he’s controlling her and I ultimately suspect that the first time they do it she’ll immediately get pregnant, right?

I really love The Wayward Children series (which may sound like it’s for children - it is maybe YAish - but to be to be clear many of the stories in the series have some particularly adult themes). I really liked this little world although I don’t know that this was the most poignant of the books in the series. I do believe the general moral was “destiny is a scam and don’t be an asshole” which is definitely a moral I can get behind.

This is a ridiculous fantasy but that’s what I showed up for - it is what it is. Lydia was super likable though. Great protagonist.

I liked alright this but I didn’t love this, like a lot of folks. It’s charming, a little sad, A LOT sentimental. To be clear though, a life altering perspective change doesn’t “solve” clinical depression - depression isn’t just having a crappy attitude. In fact, I found the end of this a little bit problematic. Whether or not she was taking meds shouldn’t be a sign of whether or not she had found true happiness in a certain life. It kinda seemed like it really wanted to go into the cheesy “it’s a wonderful life” style fix, while in reality clinical depression doesn’t work that way and making people think it can is harmful.

Read this one on my son’s recommendation. Gorgeous illustrations and a great story. Young queer black werewolf love, evil vampires, and a 8th grade photography student who still shoots on film. It was a thoughtful little journey and sweet. Max is in 4th grade, but is a pretty advanced reader. Definitely kid appropriate for ages 9 or 10 plus (the “love story” is very junior high crushes).

Read this book aloud to both kids - re-read for Max (9) and Elly’s (7) first time.

Max: I really like this series because I like characters. In this book my favorite is Clay.

Elly: I liked it because I like dragons. They’re like a mixed up pack or herd. Tsunami was my favorite because she’s like me. She’s always very picky. I’m also like Glory because I like lots of colors.

This book is much more science-fiction than fantasy though there’s definitely a good dose of surrealism. It varied chapter to chapter how I felt about it. When the author focused on character driven narrative, in particularly on our main character, I found this charming and engaging. And then we’d go through chapters packed with history and lore and it felt long and dry.

Spoiler ish:


Two god AIs battling in a final fantasy style multiplayer game is pretty fucking fun.

Sooooo, I bought this book because I’m a Girl Scout troop leader and we go camping with our kids all the time. They’re always looking for campfire stories and in the moment I draw a blank, so I figured I can read these or bring the book along. Only problem was most of these stories were incredibly dark (but in a real life depressing way) or racist. Or both!