Read aloud to kids. Their reviews:

Eleanor (age 8): I’m so excited about the end and about the romance! I think Moon picked the best one because I think the other one (no spoilers) wouldn’t be a nice dad someday.

Max (age 11): I like Quibli. He’s a great character. I liked the decision Kinkajou made at the end.

I love these characters and can’t get enough. I found the first book to be a little slow, but hung in because of the character development and it totally paid out in this one. The premise is of course a little silly and the “found family” bit is a bit heavy handed, but for what they are, they are well done.

It felt like the author watched The Big Bang Theory and wondered, “what if Sheldon was a girl and also from Nebraska like the hot girl character?” There was some problematic stuff in here too with consent and body image. I really wanted this to be more fun and less… cringe.

Perfect YA Nostalgia Mystery

Definitely feels like a young adult novel, but that's actually part of it's charm. Yes there's lots of teen angst, But the angst guides their decision making and leads the plot forward. The mystery is well crafted, although one of the big reveals I thought was pretty obvious pretty immediately. Overall though I couldn't stop listening. I do love audiobooks for novels that are written in a lot of different perspectives because the actors bring so much life to the individual characters and also help keep it clear what character you're with.

Slow burn, excellent third quarter…

This book is really fun if for no other reason than the imagery. Definitely felt like it was ramping up to something very scary and then the big reveal was helpful in understanding the plot, but also decreased the creepy fear factor significantly.

This series hits the combination of action, fairytale, adventure, history, and tension just right. The second in the trilogy, this was was plot heavy than the Bear and the Nightingale - we were endlessly in action! I’m not sure I fully understand the ramifications of the ending on our Winter King, but look forward to the third installment!

I was really enchanted by the front half, and it’s what earned the 4 stars. The last half I found less compelling despite it being the more action heavy and magical bit. The pictures add a really creepy and fun vibe, but the story felt a little lost.

Picked this up from the “teen zone” at the library after thinking, “wait? I haven’t read these?” I had not. I consumed it like air - I read the whole thing in a few days. Scratches all the dystopian YA itches. Not shocking they were hugely popular!