Listened to this in one sitting while flying and I loved this!

Overall this was seriously such a cute book. It hits some pretty heavy/dark topics at time, from mental illness to chronic illness, being outed to racism, yet the way the story tackles them does so in a way that feels both real and not minimizing yet is still easy for the reader to understand/the story is still overall kept light. It's still overall a book about joy and love and happiness for a girl who has had a hard time accepting and loving herself, and I loved it!

The audiobook was honestly really great, I absolutely loved the narrator and how she overall brought the story to life! She did an amazing job of showing emotion and making me care even more about the characters, and it just added another layer to the book overall. (I also didn't find any of the voices for any of the characters annoying, and that's always a huge win!)

I really loved the f/f rep in this book as well, and the relationship in this book was also so cute! I loooved Liz and I loved Mac, how they both seemed to bring out the best in each other. I also just really enjoyed how supportive the friendships were in this book, even though it highlighted sometimes toxic friendships as well. There were themes of loyalty and also of making amends and it combined nicely with the plot of the story. In terms of plot, while it wasn't quite exactly what I was expecting (Mac and Liz were never truly competitors IMO, since Mac was never really trying to win and

Spoiler

dropped out quite early in the race

, but I still ended up loving the story itself anyways. There was just space for both funny and deep moments, and I also just loved how well thought out the competition was in general.

All in all I really enjoyed this, and highly recommend! It's a light, fluffy read with some great rep, perfect for the summer!

Ahh this was overall pretty cute even if there were some things that bugged me. To start, I do think the author did a good job of writing a relationship with age difference without making it manipulative/creepy/problematic, and that was honestly my biggest worry going into this! There's a fairly large age difference as well as a power dynamic at play but, like I said, the author does a good job of explaining that/making the relationship still readable. Both characters outright acknowledge both aspects of their relationship, and that made it okay for me.

Unfortunately, in order to so we had to have two POVs, and that kind of killed the slow burn for me.

Spoiler

The duo don't actually truly get together until like, 90% in and then it ends with a miracle happy ending where the consequences go away rather than them being solved.

Normally, I love slow burns, but I just don't think it was well executed here, and I think having POVs of both characters did not help. Most slow burns logically burn slow, but here, it was hard at times to follow the logic of why these two were not kissing. It felt like the author was just throwing in more and more new things to keep them apart and it kinda got frustrating after a while for me

Spoiler

specifically when Evelyn was mistaken as a girlfriend and it caused tension for a few chapters

. This frustration was only heightened by how early each character realized they had feelings for the other but just... didn't do anything about it (largely due to power dynamic and age but still). It just made the relationship feel stagnant for a while. They were both as close as they could get without actually admitting they wanted the other, but then they just... kept not admitting it.

I did really like the f/f rep though (love my bi Emma!), and I also really loved that Jo wasn't the 'experienced' one of the two, and seeing her get just as nervous around Emma was adorable. So overall, this wasn't a bad book at all! It just wasn't a perfect romance for me.

I didn't reread the synopsis of this before going into it and it ended up being better for it! It honestly started off super creepy because it was written in the second-person (in such a way that you actually fit into the POV of the character in my opinion, there were no applied pronouns or anything to force you out of identifying with the POV), and there was so much mystery surrounding all of it that it was a tense (but fun!) read. The twist also wasn't super obvious because the clues were open enough that there could be a lot of possible things going on (especially since we only had a vague idea of what happened to the world/why everyone was gone but the POV and the secondary character). In the end I did like the twist, though it would've hit harder had I just read this book in one sitting (I don't know why I didn't! It's so short). This was definitely a good introduction to these short stories, and I'm exciting to read more!

I really love Percy Jackson and I really enjoy graphic novels, so I'd thought this would be an easy, nostalgic 5-star read for me! It's also been a crazy long time since I've read the original series as well, so I thought the distance would mean I wouldn't be comparing the two too much. In the end... I think the graphic novel lost a lot of the charm I loved from Riordan's books (namely the humor, tbh), and I don't know if I'll be reading the rest of these...

I get that graphic novels can often feel a lot more rushed than the books they're based on, and this is definitely true here. However, I did expect that going in since the series was adapted 1 to 1, instead of multiple volumes per book (like with the Maximum Ride manga), so I didn't necessarily feel this hindered my experience too much. Yea, explanations were a lot faster and there was almost no build up between anything (kinda just a bunch of action scenes tied together), but I didn't necessarily need all the exposition to enjoy the book because I had read the series already, I knew the characters already. (I do think that first time readers should start with the books though, this graphic novel is way more plot than character background/development, and I feel like you miss out on a lot).

My biggest issue was the lack of humor though. Part of this comes from the style of the comic itself, it's a serious style of art and that definitely affects the tone of what you read. But beyond that, there just wasn't any of the jokes that Riordan is known for. I missed the wacky chapter headings (one of my favorite things as a kid), the character's barely joked around with each other, and overall the entire adventure just felt way too serious. It's honestly as if it was supposed to be aged up to YA or something and in order to make it feel 'older', they cut all the jokes. It made the characters feel more like shadows of themselves, and I didn't end up liking the dynamic they had together at all in the end.

I probably won't be continuing the graphic novels, but I definitely want to reread the actual books even more now!

I liked this book for the same reason I loved books like [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet|22733729|The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)|Becky Chambers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405532474l/22733729._SY75_.jpg|42270825] and [b:To Be Taught, If Fortunate|43190272|To Be Taught, If Fortunate|Becky Chambers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552530326l/43190272._SY75_.jpg|67034571]. It's this special type of slow, soft sci-fi that uses things like calamities, space travel, and other classic sci-fi elements to explore emotion, human connection, and other internal things. Because of this, I get why this story is overall rated a bit lower than others in the collection, because this is definitely not a genre/style that's for everyone!

This story is about an Earth that's been preparing for a large asteroid to hit Earth for years, bringing with it the destruction of all life. Samantha is one of the last people to stay behind in order to finish cataloging life left behind and choosing what samples to bring along. It's a plot that seems like it might be intense (the life on Earth about to be wiped out after all), but overall it's a book more focused on Samantha, themes of loss, and the feeling of leaving the only home you've ever known behind for good, knowing it'll be in the process of getting destroyed as you turn your back on it. I enjoyed it because of these elements, but it's definitely not for everyone!

Reading this story did push me to order Roth's other collection of sci-fi stories though, and I'm excited for it to arrive!

Honestly Riley Sager is such a hit or miss kind of author for me now but I still get so excited when a new book of his comes out! Unfortunately, while this one was overall a fun read, it was a let down in the end.

Sager is really good in getting you deeply invested in the characters and what's going on, and I always find it so easy to theorize about his books. I read this book over 7 days with my friend, stopping every so often to discuss what was happening and what we thought the truth was, and in my opinion this made the book even better than if I had read it in one sitting. We had so many crackpot theories and it almost became a game, how much evidence could you find for your wild ass theory. Myabe this also contributed to the disappointment of the actual ending.

This book is unique in that it seems like Sager is going the paranormal route, but you're questioning the validity of it the entire time because he's never written anything paranormal before. You read that the main character is hearing strange noises, is seeing shadows where they shouldn't be, that the lights keep turning on by themselves, but the entire time you're also uncertain if any of this is actually true because this doesn't match Sager's other books at all! It was an interesting back and forth for me, trying to constantly explain away the unexplained because I was so sure that Sager wouldn't write an actual ghost, but the entire time I also had a voice in the back of my head saying "but what if he did this time?" It added a whole extra layer to the thriller that his other books didn't have.

Unfortunately, while I loved reading the book, the ending was just disappointing. I won't go into too much detail because spoilers, but there was just so much build up, so much potential for evil murderers and secret plots, and I just didn't feel like the actual truth made use of that potential.

Spoiler

It was too much of an accident, rather than an intentional act, and it took away a lot from the overall experience for me.

So, in the end, this book wasn't fully it for me, but I did have a fun time reading as always, so I'll still be picking up the next book!

I honestly had fairly high expectations going into this book, and it ended up generally surpassing them anyways!

I wasn't entirely expecting a hardcore political fantasy from this, more just a competition amongst outcasts, so I was surprised by how in depth this story went into the politics of the world and characters' opinions of how it should be run. In the end, this book was mainly about the politics (and the characters and how they're situated in them within their empire/ruling families). It dealt with corruption, ignorance, oppression, and war, and used the characters as a way for the readers to experience everything that was wrong with the empire. In the end, the characters and politics bounced really well off of each other, and it made all the characters and their POVs feel integral to the story itself.

I also just generally liked all the characters, if not because they were a likable character then because they were well-written and fleshed out. For example,

Spoiler

I can't necessarily say I liked Hyperia by the end, but I could see how she came to be the person she is and why she made the decisions that she did. She was an understandable character, even if I couldn't personally agree with her

. There were also just some really strong characters arcs in this story, and all the the characters really had their own individual journeys as the story progressed, and which I'm super excited to follow even further in the next book. My favorites had to be Emilia and Vespir, with Emilia being an easy favorite from her first chapter. My love for Vespir grew more softly, as she grew out of her meek/shy shell into the strong character she ended up being

Spoiler

(I loved seeing her take that race for herself! and her speech at the bar!

. I also liked that this book did not have a focus on romance at all. It meant the focus was more fully on the characters themselves and the politics/world, and I loved that!

The only thing that was originally a bit of a letdown was that I thought that all the characters would be full outcasts of society, not just the lowliest child of the royal families. Like, I expected to have a bunch of people who kinda knew what they were doing fighting it out for the crown, not a bunch of mildly incompetent kids who never trained for this. In the end, I did like what the book ended up being way more in the end, but I did have to alter my expectations first.

In the end, I genuinely liked this book a lot and I'm quite excited to see where the rest of the series goes!

This book would've been 5 stars if it had not been for the ending and the misrepresented idea I had going into this book (this was kinda sold as a paranormal romance and the only way I can see that being true is if this had been a series (meaning there was more potential romance to come) or had there been more space given to it here).

This story is very much a hardcore vampire book, it's got lore, politics, cult, history, etc. It's got so much more depth than some other vampires I've read, and it's in general really well done here. There're explanations for every aspect of vampire existence and co-existence with humans. By the end, we know how they appeared, the politics and hierarchies that govern them, how they generally interact with humans (with some exceptions), the motivations of different factions of vampires, etc. etc. etc. This world had so much depth and I genuinely enjoyed how well built this world was. I can see more stories taking place in this world easily. I also generally liked the plot itself, the mystery behind it, and I don't have any issues there at all!

I also really liked the characters for the entirety of the book. August/Auggie was a great MC, if a bit too horny at times, and I loved the love interests, August's friends, and the other side characters that they meet along the story. I also loved how queer this story was, and we got some really great m/m AND f/f rep in this book. This lead to a story that was overall fun to read, and I loved the jokes August made, his view of the world, and how he accepted/used/etc. his fate as chosen one.

There's literally no reason for this book to be 4 stars except for how frustrated the ending to the romance storylines left me. Honestly, if I were rating this book based on that alone, I'd give it a 2 or a 3. There was so much constant build-up, slow burn, etc., and it just never really went anywhere? The entire book was also so horny, so it was even weirder then that the romance ended with

Spoiler

one LI just being like 'oh the other LI left without a goodbye? yea that's just how he is. he'll be back at some point' followed by him also just... leaving. All that ended up happening was a few first kisses between each other and a scene where both guys drank August's blood at the same time (which, yes, was insanely horny but also was far from a resolution to the romance). They just make a blood oath, save the world while almost dying, and then that's it for them? The romance just somehow is gone after the blood drinking scene and it was so jarring and frustrating.

It's all I can seem to remember when I think back on the book now, my frustration and disappointment.

All in all, I did enjoy this, even if that enjoyment was severely impacted by the ending of the romance. I loved (loved!!) everything else, which honestly makes it even more frustrating to be fair. I'll still be giving other books of Roehrig's a chance, but I'm still always going to think of what this could've been.

Ahhh I loved this so much. I was supposed to read this over the course of 7 days with my reading buddy, but instead we read it in 3 because neither of us can stop (we seriously read 7% the first day, 25% the second, and then just finished the book on day 3 because we were enjoying it so much). And to be honest, when I started this book I was definitely drained of superheroes (read a lot of that genre book in a row the past few months), but instead of draining me further, this book just made me want to read more all over again.

First off, the narrator's voice and the writing style in this book were fantastic. It definitely won't be for everyone because it's fairly 'relatable' and is emulating the voice of a teenager, but unlike some books that are just constant references to pop culture and Harry Potter, this book creates an authentic teenage voice without leaning on (soon to be) dated cultural references. Sure, there's some slang that will definitely sound dated in a few years, but even this is spread thinly enough throughout the story that even if it becomes cringy in a year, it won't really hurt the reading experience too much. I just seriously loved the MC and his voice so much.

I loved the MCs voice for other reasons than relatability and authenticity as well. Nick has ADHD and it was so well done in this book (in my opinion, of course), and it's not treated as some pity issue that comes up every now and again. It's a full-fledged part of Nick, and it impacts how he thinks, how he interacts with others, and how the plot moves as a whole. I also saw so much of myself in Nick that it hurt to read sometimes. From how my trains of thought works (seemingly random to everyone else to the extent that new conversation topics or comments seem to come out of nowhere), to how easily Nick was distracted, he felt so real (and so like me). It was a whole new experience, feeling so seen in a book.

I also absolutely loved the side characters in this one. The love interest was seriously adorable (and the romance! the pining!!! I'd rate the book 5 stars on this alone), and I loved how supportive he constantly was of Nick (never judgemental, only critical when it was deserved, and always there for him). The other half of the friend group, an f/f couple, was also utterly fantastic and made for such a well-rounded cast that the book was a genuine joy to read just for their banter. I found myself constantly laughing at their quips at each other, and I had a lot of fun seeing how their friend group adapted so well to change. I can't wait to see them again in the rest of the series.

The plot was also good enough that it didn't become a reason to dislike the book. It was definitely predictable at points and it took a while for the book to really have a 'purpose,' but the characters were strong enough that the book didn't feel slow or that it dragged on. Additionally, I still was invested enough in the plot to still pay attention to the plot heavy chapters, and I can't wait to see where the series goes next. A lot of twists were revealed in this book, and I can already see a few set up for later books. I also really enjoyed the 'final credits' esque scene, and I loved that Klune tried to take that feature of superhero films into novels.

Overall, I loved this, and I can't wait to continue the series!

This is my second time reading this book and I read it just as fast a second time around! There's just something about Rin and this story that I find so compelling that I can't put it down, and I'm super exxcited to start The Dragon Republic in a few days!

Despite that, there's very few people I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book to because of how many trigger warnings this book has. Honestly, anything triggers relating to gore/violent/etc. are in this book, especially as the war goes on and we get further and further into the book. For me, this isn't a bad aspect of the book at all, because it shows the brutalities of war honestly, and it gives the book enough depth to explore the reasons behind war, how it impacts soldiers on the front line, and what people do to protect their country, the people they love, and themselves. But it does mean this book is far from for everyone, and if gore, violence, sexual assault, etc. in books is not something for you, then I'd give this book a hard pass.

Beyond that though, this is a book I'd recommend for literally every other reason. The world building is impeccable, and Kuang does a fantastic job of building a world that feels real. There's rich history (mainly of war) that motivates the actions of all the political entities within the novel. Readers are given a good enough understanding of the political powers at play to understand why the nations act the way they do, why they chose to fight or not in certain situations, and what motivates their actions against each other. Nikara especially has such depth to its culture and politics that you can think strategically alongside the main characters, and you can understand the opinions of characters from different parts of Nikara. On top of all this, you also have a whole layer of lore, magic, myth, and gods that only serves to strengthen the story further. Readers learn of past and present of the role of gods and magic in Nikara, of how Shamans are a dying breed and why that is. It's all just so well done.

I also really loved the characters and found them all extremely compelling. Rin, the main character, was especially so, and I couldn't stop myself from rooting for her, even when she made some choice decisions. She's written in a way that shows her faults honestly, but her determination and struggle to live her life her way just makes you cheer for her all the same. I also really loved her two closest friends from Sinegard, Nezha and Kitay, and cannot wait to see what role they play in later books. Lastly, I also really liked Jiang and Altan and the opposing paths they introduce to Rin, and reasoning behind each of them. Neither of them is right or wrong and they do not directly oppose each other, and it leads to an overall interesting dynamic in the story.

The plot was also amazing, though admittedly less exciting the second time around since I knew all the twists. This is definitely a book that's best on its first read, as the excitement and shock of each new twist just makes you want to read the book faster and faster. My reread was much more evenly paced, though it was still enjoyable to see all the twists build up and find hints I'd missed before.

Overall, I'm super excited to finally read this series again, and can't wait to see what happens in the next book!