For most of this book, I didn't understand why it already had such a low rating on Goodreads already. The writing was funny, I generally liked most of the characters, and I found myself cheering along most of them on their various journeys. Sure, there's a lot of angst and pining from certain POVs, and a character I greatly disliked hung around a bit too long, but there was enough for me to enjoy that I didn't really find myself minding it too much.

But then I got to the epilogue.

I'm sorry, but what the fuck was that? I don't mind these little slice of life epilogues to see where the characters ended up, especially after an open ending, but this one was just frustrating beyond belief. I understand that I have lived through a pandemic and that it was traumatic in ways I may not have fully unpacked yet, but I do NOT want it in my fiction. I do not want to feel safely lulled into a fictional world only to be slapped in the face, constantly, with miscellaneous pandemic references. This entire epilogue reads as a 'what would your characters do if they were in the pandemic' AU fanfic, and I'm honestly still angry and reeling from it all if I think about it. It's not even a slight reference, but almost like a long list of how it uprooted everyone's plans suddenly and how characters lost people to it, how nothing is the same and how they're now 'cherishing their freedoms' after the ending of a third lockdown. I'm sorry, but no, you don't just suddenly add that in after the book's basically already finished. You can't just throw in character death right at the end for pity points, just for the heck of it, for absolutely no reason! I literally cannot think of a single good reason for the existence of this epilogue, and literally just writing about it in depth makes me want to take another star off just for it.

The rest of the book was also not perfect but it was at least enjoyable, for the most part. The book attempts to tackle a lot, and not all of it is as well done as it could've been, mainly because there's just not enough space for it all. This is especially true for everything at the end, where all the character's individual sudden tragedies almost seem to fight for attention, with a clear winner. And even that winning tragedy doesn't get near enough space to be fully tied up, in a sense. But still, none of this really bothered me all that much, because while this book never would've made a 5 star for me, it was still a strong contender for a 4 star read.

I generally enjoyed my time here, but as always, the endings/epilogues always play a larger role in the final reviews of readers, including myself, just because it's the last thing we read. And if all the joy the book brought is completely overshadowed by the mess of an ending or the frustration an epilogue brought, then that's what we readers will remember. We won't remember the cute moments, the way our hearts broke. And unfortunately that's exactly what happened here, as when I think of this book, my brain will undoubtedly always remember the epilogue. So if you do decide to pick up this book still, I'd recommend just skipping it, just so you're not stuck in the same boat I'm now in with this book.

First off, I want to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

There aren't many times when I'll forgo giving a book a star rating, but since my unfortunate dislike of this book is entirely my own fault, this is one of those times.

I'll often request books without fully reading the synopsis (or without reading it at all), just because something else drew me in enough, such as prior experience with the author's work, a gorgeous cover, or hype from my friends. This was one of those cases, where I'd just adored A Brush with Love so much, and was so excited that this book was focused on an MC with ADHD, that I didn't even need to read the synopsis to know I was sold on it.

I really should have read that synopsis.

There aren't many tropes that will entirely put me off a book, but the pregnancy trope, especially within a romance like this, is one of them. It's just not a trope or plot point I'm ever really interested in reading in my romance books, and sometimes I even hate those sudden baby epilogues that round off stories sometimes. It's just not something I like, especially right now in this current political climate, where I'm extra sensitive to it. My dislike for this trope obviously translated into dislike for certain aspects of this book which I can't really judge fairly. Did I find this aspect cringy because I just don't care for this trope, or is it actually cringy? Is this thing unrealistic in these stories, or is it just extra unrealistic here? All in all, this had led to my blank rating, because it just isn't fair of me to rate this book low when it's on me for reading a book with something I'm wholeheartedly uninterested in reading. (I am still very sad that the ADHD rep book coincided with the pregnancy book, though, and that's fair for me to still feel!)

What did really work for me was the ADHD rep, personally. There's a lot of focus on it, and how it affects Lizzie in all aspects of her life. The book really takes the time to explore how it affects her in her relationships, family life, career, and perception of herself, but does so in a positive light while still showing the reality of living with ADHD. It's neither overly pessimistic or romanticized, and we see Lizzie both flourish and suffer because of her brain. It also goes specifically into detail about how it's shaped Lizzie, and doesn't just paint her as hyperactive and distracted, but discusses specifics that can come with ADHD, like rejection sensitive dysphoria. It's honestly just really good rep, and I was expecting that, because Mazey's other book did a fantastic job with anxiety, especially in an academic setting.

I did still really love the writing and characters here though, which shows to me that I do still really enjoy Mazey Eddings as an author, and has me excited about the next book she'll write (though I will be reading that synopsis first!)

Look, I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but how can you not expect the absolute greatest when the cover looks like that?? It just appears so full of potential, and I think it's one of my favorite covers from 2022 overall.

In the end, this book also largely held up it's end of the bargain. I was invested in the story and its characters, and wanted Ning to achieve her goals and save her sister. I was intrigued by all the mystery surrounding the identity of certain individuals, and there was a lot at play regarding who to trust and who to avoid. My favorite thing definitely had to be the writing itself, generally, as the lush and evocative descriptions perfectly fit how absolutely stunning the cover was, and I could always picture events and backgrounds so clearly, every detail painted in crisp lines. This was most obvious whenever food was mentioned, especially in some of the later scenes, and I've honestly never wanted dumplings so badly before (and I absolutely adore dumplings!) It was honestly impressive how these foods just seemed to jump off the page, and it was real difficult to read this while I was hungry.

However, this book, like many others, just wasn't perfect. Its main issue was how shallow some of the description/world building was in certain regards, especially the magic system. We honestly didn't get much explicit description of how it worked, just examples of it in use, and a lot of techniques that Ning uses or knows don't ever feel fully explained or worked through. It all feels very loose and sometimes hand-wavey, and it results in us, as readers, not truly being able to gauge Ning's skill in comparison to other competitors except for the fact that she's still in the competition or passing certain, difficult-seeming tasks. I don't always need a magic system weighed down by a heavy system of rules and restrictions, but a bit more explanation here would've really helped overall with my understanding of what was actually going on. The pretty writing did a good job at sort of hiding how loose a lot of the magic really is, but I do just want to know more specifics!

This same comment kind of holds true for a lot else. Many other things would've benefitted from just a bit more time or explanation, like Ning's relationship with other characters, especially Kang. I liked most of the main characters, but I never felt strongly connected to any of them (except for a few near the end, perhaps), since our time is so limited and divided over so many characters. Additionally, it's definitely easier to be convinced of a friendship in fewer pages than a romance, and this is why the romance in this book didn't fully work for me. There wasn't enough space given to it beyond their initial meeting, and the spark I felt from their run through the city did eventually fade since it wasn't maintained. I'm curious to see where this, and other relationships Ning has with those around her, will go in the second book, and I do really hope we get a bit more, of just about everything in there as well.

Overall, this book was a strong debut and Lin's descriptive writing really blew me away at points, I just hope for a bit more depth in the sequel and in future books. I am really looking forward to A Venom Dark and Sweet, though, and I can't wait to see where that book takes Ning!

This book should've been absolutely everything I loved combined in one book, and in some ways it definitely was, but it just didn't hit for me. For a 500-page book, there honestly just wasn't enough time to fit in everything.

This book's greatest strength, it's intense world-building that goes so deep you can sink into it, is also its greatest weakness, purely because it comes at the cost of everything else. You can have the most intriguing world, but if there are no characters to meet it on that same level, your whole story just loses its purpose. You can have the tastiest cake base, but if your frosting is bland, you still won't want to eat the cake. And that's not to say the characters were bland or cookie cutter necessarily, maybe it would've been better if they had been! Instead, these interesting, flawed characters were just not given the space they needed for me to care about them. There is always so much going on that we never get the calm moments where we bond with our characters, where we begin to feel for their relationships and care about them meeting their goals. Instead, we are just constantly given either action or world building, but no character development. Add to that the extensive side character catalog that gets very difficult to keep track (because again, none of them are given enough time to become memorable), and you have a massive pool of characters but not a single connection to any of them. And this only is worsened when all the romances start building up, because you barely feel invested in any of them (except for the straight relationship, because that actually occurs between two main character, so you have a bit more build up there at least). Really, this book could have just been so good if the priorities were balanced a little better.

But even with all this, I still saw so much potential in this book, and this series, and it does make me excited about the future of this series. I love the twists that were revealed as the story progressed, even if some were a smidge predictable, and I honestly always love when gods play a role in stories like this. There's just so much going on here, in a good way this time, and I can't wait to see where all these threads go next. Hopefully the characters get a bit more room to breath in the next book, as most of the set-up is done now, and we can start to form actual connections with them.

Overall, there were a lot of good pieces here, but the combination of them all just didn't make a perfect piece for me, unfortunately. Despite it all, I do have plans to finish this series, and I am tentatively excited to see where it all goes next!

First off, I'd like to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and the book may still change before release.

This is my second retelling now of The Fall of the House of Usher, but I think this one will definitely leave a stronger impression on me than the first. Even though it's under 200 pages, it hits hard and leaves you thinking, while also being thoroughly haunted by everything you just read. (Personally, I think it'd be even better if it were read all in one sitting, because then you're thoroughly enmeshed into the book by the time the creepy stuff starts happening).

My first experience with horrific fungus was with Mexican Gothic, a book I absolutely adored even as it terrified me. This book hits similar notes, and there's even a nod to Mexican Gothic in the author's note, but deviates strongly enough that it still feels wholly different. While we still have a main character invested in the wellbeing of the residents of the House of Usher and wants to solve what's happening to them, Alex Easton feels entirely different (and I really liked the discussion of gender that kan's character brought about, especially considering the culture Alex came from and that culture's perception of gender). The horror itself also stems from different sources, and parts of this book were more haunting to me. It's always really hard to pull off a true jumpscare in writing, but What Moves the Dead got me good a few times!

Overall, this was a great first introduction to this author, and I honestly really enjoyed this short story, (even if it was so creepy that I had to stop reading late at night!) I'll definitely be trying more from this author, and I can't wait for others to read this upon release!

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

This series overall has been one that has entirely stolen my heart, even though I wasn’t necessarily expecting it from the beginning. My friend and I have read so (so) many superhero books together, but I honestly really love what this one brought to the genre, alongside being so incredibly queer and diverse.

My favorite thing about this series remains the characters, and I loved how parts of this finale brought us back to the beginning, with a group of friends just trying to do what’s right and keep each other safe. There’s just so much love between them all, and it’s just so nice to read such a strong and secure friend group (that still has issues that they need to work through of course, but does so in a healthy way!) I also just adore both the romances in this series, and I love where this finale brought them all. There was just so much growth amongst everyone and in their relationships with each other, and I loved seeing how it was all tied together at the end.

I also really liked what the plot was here, even though it made me feel like I was losing my mind at first. It really got me good for a while there, and I honestly couldn’t wait to see where it all went. Even as reveals started coming, this remained true, and I was enthralled by this story all throughout! This finale also continued the series’ good balance of softer, character moments alongside the action-packed scenes, which can often be draining, especially in superhero media. It gives the readers a break while still keeping the stakes and tension high enough. It’s just wonderfully done overall!

Heat Wave was the perfect finale for such a wonderful series, and I can see myself rereading this series in the future. I really hope more people start picking up this trilogy now that it’s finished, and I can’t wait to see what Klune writes next!

The main reason I picked up this book was because I ended up really enjoying Saft’s previous novel. Even though it wasn’t perfect, it was extremely atmospheric, and I felt myself almost swallowed whole by it while I was listening to it.

To an extent, the same happened here. Saft is honestly fantastic at setting the scene and making the reader feel as if they were actually there. I felt the pressing isolation of Margaret, trapped in her too large house that was falling to pieces around her. I felt the press of crowds at the various events surrounding the fox hunt, and how they felt differently depending on if we were reading from Wes’s point of view or Margaret’s. Even during the fox hunt, enough time was spent on description, that you could feel the branches of the forest scratching your face as Wes and Margaret raced after the fox.

This book is honestly heavily character focused, and this may not work for everyone. I found myself feeling for Margaret quickly, even though it took her a long time to become less barbed to Wes and others around her that didn’t deserve her ire. Wes took a bit longer to grow on me, solely because I was sometimes put off by his flirting (mainly with others who weren’t Margaret). Overall, while I did end up liking their relationship, I do wish a bit less time had been spent on Wes x this other side character, because it was time he could’ve spent talking with and growing a bond with Margaret. It was just tough to read, because it never felt like a love triangle (it never really felt like this other girl was a final option), but it did actively take time away from the things I did enjoy about the book nevertheless. I understand its role, especially to lead to certain things happening, but I still wasn’t a fan.

This book is also heavy-handed when it comes to religion, and I could’ve used a bit less of it. It didn’t really actively bug me, but I’m just not a religious person and don’t really enjoy it in fiction (unless it deals with many deities). Luckily, it was mainly focused on the clash between them and how it resulted in the marginalization of Wes and Margaret in specific ways. I did enjoy seeing this facet of religion and how it was used there, with the two finding some comfort in each other through their shared pain.

Overall, I ended up enjoying this about as much as Saft’s other book, which was both great and a little disappointing. I had hoped the book overall would’ve had me love it entirely, but some things just didn’t entirely work for me. In the end, though, I did enjoy my time with the book, and will be keeping an eye out for future releases by Saft!