Disclaimer: I received this book from my mother. Thank you mom! All opinions are my own.

Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Author: J.K. Rowling

Book Series: Harry Potter

Rating: 3.5/5

Publication Date: September 16, 2006

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, gore, death)

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Pages: 652

Amazon Link

Synopsis: The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet . . .

As in all wars, life goes on. The Weasley twins expand their business. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate - and lose a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, through Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complete story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort - and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

Review: Overall, I really liked this book! I loved the continued development of the trio and I loved seeing the relationships form. I loved the world building and the writing was pretty well done. The plot also kept me intrigued throughout the book.

However, I didn’t like this one as much as others. I loved to see the start of the horcruxes, but I think that this book could have been written better. I think that a duel POV with Harry and Draco would have been better and would have saved the word vomit at the end of the book explaining everything that happened. The ending of the book was also chaotic and the beginning was super slow.

Verdict: It was decent.

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Star Mother

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg

Book Series: Star Mother Book 1

Rating: 2/5

Recommended For...: science fiction, romance, fantasy, time travel

Publication Date: November 1, 2021

Genre: Sci-Fi Romance

Recommended Age: 17+ (sexual content, grief, pregnancy, slight miscarriage mention, slight pregnancy death mention, attempted sexual assault, violence, gore)

Explanation of CWs: The book had some sexual content and contains a pregnancy storyline, with some small mentions of miscarriage and death by pregnancy. There is some violence and gore and an attempted sexual assault.

Publisher: 47North

Pages: 268

Synopsis: A woman’s heart proves as infinite as the night sky in a breathtaking fantasy by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

When a star dies, a new one must be born.

The Sun God chooses the village of Endwever to provide a mortal womb. The birthing of a star is always fatal for the mother, and Ceris Wenden, who considers herself an outsider, sacrifices herself to secure her family’s honor and take control of her legacy. But after her star child is born, Ceris does what no other star mother has: she survives. When Ceris returns to Endwever, however, it’s not nine months later—it’s seven hundred years later. Inexplicably displaced in time, Ceris is determined to seek out her descendants.

Being a woman traveling alone brings its own challenges, until Ceris encounters a mysterious—and desperate—godling. Ristriel is incorporeal, a fugitive, a trickster, and the only being who can guide Ceris safely to her destination. Now, as Ceris traverses realms both mortal and beyond, her journey truly begins.

Together, pursued across the Earth and trespassing the heavens, Ceris and Ristriel are on a path to illuminate the mysteries that bind them and discover the secrets of the celestial world.

Review: This is an ok book, but unfortunately I don’t have a lot of good to say about it. The book has an interesting story and the magic system is equally as interesting. I liked the god/goddess/solar system aspect and I felt like the author did well on the world building.

However, the book was not for me. The book is very fast paced and it feels like I was running to keep up with it. The love triangle is weird and unexpected. The characters weren’t developed, especially our main character, and her motives were just “I want to bone the Sun for attention” and “this other dude hot tho” and “woo is me”. She was super annoying and I quickly wanted to punch her in the face. The plot dragged in the middle and the book was just so difficult to get and stay into.

Verdict: It was not for me, but maybe for you!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Knight’s Ransom

Author: Jeff Wheeler

Book Series: The First Argentines Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: high fantasy, magic

Publication Date: January 26, 2021

Genre: High Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, gore, romance, slight language, slight sexual content, death)

Explanation of CWs: There is violence, death, and gore in this book. The language is very G rated in this book. There is also some romance and some very slight sexual content.

Publisher: 47North

Pages: 433

Synopsis: Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. A brutal war of succession has plunged the court of Kingfountain into a power struggle between a charitable king who took the crown unlawfully and his ambitious rival, Devon Argentine. The balance of power between the two men hinges on the fate of a young boy ensnared in this courtly intrigue. A boy befittingly nicknamed Ransom.

When the Argentine family finally rules, Ransom must make his own way in the world. Opportunities open and shut before him as he journeys along the path to knighthood, blind to a shadowy conspiracy of jealousy and revenge. Securing his place will not be easy, nor will winning the affection of Lady Claire de Murrow, a fiery young heiress from an unpredictably mad kingdom.

Ransom interrupts an abduction plot targeting the Queen of Ceredigion and earns a position in service to her son, the firstborn of the new Argentine dynasty. But conflict and treachery threaten the family, and Ransom must also come to understand and hone his burgeoning powers—abilities that involve more than his mastery with a blade and that make him as much a target as his lord.

Review: For the most part this book was ok. The book did well with the plot. The characters were well developed and the world building was ok. I also really liked how multilayered the characters were and how honest the author was about the characters good and bad traits. I also like the political intrigue of the read.

However, I really couldn’t connect to the book and it felt like it dragged for me. I felt like some of the things went into too much detail and I just couldn’t keep myself entertained with this read.

Verdict: It’s not for me, but maybe for you!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: This Vicious Grace

Author: Emily Thiede

Book Series: The Last Finestra Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Male and female partner fontes, one lesbian character, but for the most part the book isn’t very forthcoming with labels on the characters. The book also focuses on platonic friendships via the fonte plotline.

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, romance

Publication Date: June 28, 2022

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance

Recommended Age: 17+ (death, gore, violence, religion, grief, parental abandonment, alcohol consumption, language, sexual content, romance)

Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of violence, gore, and death in the book and a lot of discussion about grief and parental abandonment through either their own choice or through death. There is a lot of religion in this book as it’s the backbone of the book, but the religion is fairly made up. However there is prayer and reverence to holy things and people in the book. There is some alcohol consumption shown in the book by teenage characters. There is some cursing in the book, but it’s slight. There is some sexual content, including consensual groping and one sex scene. There is also romance in the book and the romance is enemies to lovers.

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 448

Synopsis: Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, not kill every suitor she touches.

Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her.

Desperate to survive, Alessa hires Dante, a cynical outcast marked as a killer, to become her personal bodyguard. But as rebellion explodes outside the gates, Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal. He holds the key to her survival and her heart, but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?

Emily Thiede's exciting fantasy debut, This Vicious Grace, will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more!

Review: I am blown away with how much I loved this book. The Italian inspired doomsday book is wonderfully well written and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The book is well plotted and I absolutely loved how a lot of the book focused on plantonic relationships and, while there was a romance in the end, the book also held true to being unique in not making the relationship the focal point by the end but the partnership that was created by many friends and showing a platonic relationship. The book also showed the possibility of male and female partner fontes and at least one lesbian character. The book did well to be unique and it had really well done character development and world building.

The only things that I really didn’t like are that I think the book would have been better as a standalone, but I am excited to read the sequel, and I didn’t like how the book didn’t have clearly defined labels for the characters.

Verdict: I really enjoyed this one and I highly recommend it!

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Knockout

Author: Sajni Patel

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Indian MC and characters, Filipina character, Hawaiian side character, Diabetes character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, muay thai, badass female characters

Publication Date: January 27, 2021

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, gore, romance, sexual content, bullying, lesphobic comments, dieting, weight)

Explanation of CWs: The book focuses on a Muay Thai competitor, so there is violence and very slight gore in discussion with her fighting. There’s also some discussion on dieting and her weight in relation to her competing. The book also focuses on the main character’s romance, so there’s insta-love romance in the book and very slight sexual content. The book shows bullying, which is dealt with, and has a couple of lesphobic comments, which are also dealt with very quickly.

Publisher: Flux

Pages: 358

Synopsis: If seventeen-year-old Kareena Thakkar is going to alienate herself from the entire Indian community, she might as well do it gloriously. She’s landed the chance of a lifetime, an invitation to the US Muay Thai Open, which could lead to a spot on the first-ever Olympic team. If only her sport wasn’t seen as something too rough for girls, something she’s afraid to share with anyone outside of her family. Despite pleasing her parents, exceling at school, and making plans to get her family out of debt, Kareena’s never felt quite Indian enough, and her training is only making it worse.

Which is inconvenient, since she’s starting to fall for Amit Patel, who just might be the world’s most perfect Indian. Admitting her feelings for Amit will cost Kareena more than just her pride–she’ll have to face his parents’ disapproval, battle her own insecurities, and remain focused for the big fight. Kareena’s bid for the Olympics could very well make history–if she has the courage to go for it.

Review: I loved this book so so much! The book shows a very strong female character who’s a Muay Thai competitor and I loved that the book went into the MC’s culture and how she comes back into it after being separated from it due to her sport, but not trading away any part of her sport or personality in the process of coming back. The book is a phenomenal contemporary read and I can’t believe that I’ve not heard more about it. The character development is great. The world building is great. The pacing is well done. The plot is sound. And it’s honestly one of the best contemporaries I’ve read ever. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

The only issue I had with the book is that it got a bit too long winded in the middle, but it quickly cleared up towards the end.

Verdict: Highly recommend! I loved it!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Swan Song for My Era

Author: Elsie Swain

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: Malaysian/Asian characters, SE Asian queer vitiligo MC, SE Asian queer MC, Sapphic f/f romance

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, ownvoice, romance, SE Asian

Publication Date: April 19, 2021

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (Body shaming, Bullying, Divorce, Childhood trauma, Homophobia, Grief, Romance, Slight gore, Slight Language)

Explanation of CWs: There is body shaming, homophobia, and bullying in this book. The book touches on divorce and childhood trauma. There is slight gore and some cursing. There is romance in this book and it’s Sapphic friends to lovers. The book shows grief as well.

Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing

Pages: 415

Synopsis: What happens when Hope Vale, an aspiring Vitiligo make-up artist who wants to eradicate the market of whitening products meets Spes Zrey, an arrogant Hugo-Boss awardee struggling to shape her Designer dream, as they envision reshaping Asia into the next Fashion empire together?

'Set in Malaysia, this Contemporary Fiction is all about the gruelling ambition against all hurdles of reality to break the confinements of Gender and the stereotypes of preferred white beauty in Asia.

Review: For the most part this was an okay book. The book did well to talk about Asian beauty standards and it takes them down. The book is ownvoice and is honestly written. The book has well developed characters and beautifully detailed world building. I also loved the romance and the platonic interactions in this book.

However, this book takes forever to get into. The book is so slow paced and the beginning feels like a crawl instead of a walk. The book finally picked up at 40% but there were a lot of times I wanted to DNF it. The book is also very flowery in its writing and that took a bit for me to work out.

Verdict: It’s great, just hard to get into.

Rating: 1/5

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, antiemetic remarks, historical inaccuracies, rape, child death, inaccurate cultural information)

Genre: YA Historical Fiction (borders on the edge of straight fiction though because of the amount of historical inaccuracies)

Pages: 358

Author: Randall Platt

Amazon

I received a free copy of this book from Dayle at The Literary Llama for a guest reviewing position! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

It’s 1939 in Poland and Arab (don’t call her Abra Goldstein) knows that being Jewish doesn’t pay. Neither does being a girl. No, Arab will tell you that claiming any people at all can get a person killed—and she’s not about to let this war take her down.

So as the Nazi occupation goose steps its way into Warsaw, Arab plans to survive the way she always has: take to the streets, king her gang, and above all refuse to get involved. Disguising herself as a boy, Arab looks out for herself, stealing what she needs and selling to whoever’s buying.

But it’s a complicated war, and to stay alive, Arab will need to use all the skills the streets have taught her—and avoid every enemy she’s made along the way. Nazis, Jewish ghetto police, Polish resistance fighters, and enemies from competing gangs are all searching for her, and any one of them could sign her death sentence.

And then there’s Ruthie, Arab’s baby sister—how will shesurvive the occupation? Trying to be a hero is a surefire way to die, and Arab knows it. But there’s at least one person who believes she has what it takes. And at least one person who needs her to take a stand.

Hard-hitting and unforgettable, The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die is a story about surviving, and finding hope when the world is at its darkest. – Amazon.com

I’m going to make this a brief review because there are many, many people who have expressed the same views that I’m about to and they can explain them so much better than I can. This book sounded amazing and I have wanted to read it since it came out. I knew that there was some controversy about it, but I hadn’t had a chance to read about it. When Dayle gifted me the book I wanted to go into the book blind to the controversy so it wouldn’t taint my view of the book before I gave it a chance. I read this book in one day and I will say that the writing is really good. Whatever else comes after this paragraph I will say that this author can write really well and that I might pick up another book of hers in the future.

However, there were a lot of issues with this book. The book had a lot of anti-Semitic elements in it from how the main, who was Jewish, idolized Hitler and the Nazis, to how Arab likened herself to Jesus, to how the character said and monologue a lot of Jewish stereotypes and really insulted her own culture. Her own name, Arab, is even really troubling to readers. The book has a problem with historical accuracy. The back of the book tells us that “with any work of historical fiction, the author takes great care in research”, which was sadly not true. The book missed several key events from that time period and failed to mention events that Arab would have surely during the course of the book. Some items include: The invasion of Poland by the Soviet Union within 2 weeks of Germany’s invasion of Poland and Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass where 91 Jewish people were murdered during the attack, hundreds died afterwards, and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps) in Austria which Arab would have witnessed and would have had something to say about. The book also has a lot of cultural inaccuracies. The Nazis didn’t get into power by fluke. They didn’t just get to kill Jewish people just because. They came into power because they blamed the Jews for their economic issues and their downfalls from World War 1 and many people already had existing beliefs about Jewish people. This along with expert use of propaganda helped cast the Jewish in an awful light which made it so much easier for the Nazis to rise to power and to kill these people. The Polish did not have a very warm reception of the Jewish people before the invasion and Arab should have known that. The portrayal of the opposite is false in this book. The book also portrays at least two Nazis in a good light while it presents the majority of the Jewish in a bad light. And while this book has really good writing and would have otherwise been a 5/5 star book I can’t ignore the inaccuracies and the anti-Semitic language in this book. It’s hurtful to the Jewish people and it spits on the graves of those who were lost during World War 2.

Verdict: I’m not going to tell you not to read this book and I’m not going to tell you to never buy another book by this author again… but I will say that this book is not something that should be celebrated. It’s hurtful to the Jewish people and it’s a disgrace to historical fiction. Read if you want, but please go into it with these things in mind.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: I’m So (Not) Over You

Author: Kosoko Jackson

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 4/5

Diversity: m/m romance, Black Gay Love Interest, Black Gay Anxiety MC, Bi side character, Black and other POC side characters

Recommended For...: romance, LGBT+, Black MCs, Black authored, contemporary

Publication Date: February 22, 2022

Genre: Romance

Age Relevance: 18+ (language, racism, slavery mentioned, romance, homophobia, classism, HP reference, anxiety, underage alcohol consumption mentioned, slight violence, slight gore, sexual content)

Explanation of Above: There is cursing in the book. The book does well to show some of the racism that all of the Black characters still face, even the rich ones. There are also mentions of slavery and there’s some micro-aggressions shown too. There is also classism and homophobia shown in the book. The MC has anxiety and has some anxiety attacks. There is slight violence and gore in the book. There is a mention of a past incident of underage alcohol consumption. There is 1 very small HP reference in regards to houses. There is also romance and sexual content.

Publisher: Berkley Books

Pages: 368

Synopsis: It's been months since aspiring journalist Kian Andrews has heard from his ex-boyfriend, Hudson Rivers, but an urgent text has them meeting at a café. Maybe Hudson wants to profusely apologize for the breakup. Or confess his undying love. . . But no, Hudson has a favor to ask--he wants Kian to pretend to be his boyfriend while his parents are in town, and Kian reluctantly agrees.

The dinner doesn't go exactly as planned, and suddenly Kian is Hudson's plus one to Georgia's wedding of the season. Hudson comes from a wealthy family where reputation is everything, and he really can't afford another mistake. If Kian goes, he'll help Hudson preserve appearances and get the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in media. This could be the big career break Kian needs.

But their fake relationship is starting to feel like it might be more than a means to an end, and it's time for both men to fact-check their feelings.

Review: I absolutely adored this book! It was such a good read and I loved the romance in the book. I also loved how real the book was and how much I related to it. The book discussed student loans and class privilege in the book, which I really enjoyed because I don’t see that talked a lot about in other adult reads. The book did well with character development and world building. The book also did well with the smut and, even when the characters weren’t together, the author did well to do mentions and stuff to keep those reading strictly for the romance interested in the plot. The book also did a lot of pop culture references that Millennials will recognize.

However, the book is very fast paced in the beginning and it made it hard to get into the book and figure out what was going on. The book also had a small HP reference, but because of my review policy I had to knock it down a star. It is still upsetting to some in the queer community to see anything related to HP or JK Rowling mentioned in books, which makes it very hard on those in the community to see HP referenced in queer books.

Verdict: I absolutely loved this one! Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Magical Girl’s Guide to Life

Author: Jacque Aye

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Nigerian American narrator

Recommended For...: self-help, self-care, anime, nonfiction, self-growth

Publication Date: December 21, 2021

Genre: Self-Help

Age Relevance: 13+ (social anxiety, COVID, the murder of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor, suicidal ideation, weight loss, dieting)

Explanation of Above: Social anxiety is discussed a bit throughout the book and so are methods that one could use to perform self-care afterwards. There is a mention of COVID and the murders of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor. There’s also a mention of suicidal ideation. There’s a little section mentioning weight loss and dieting, but nothing that promotes it.

Publisher: Ulysses Press

Pages: 192

Synopsis: Inspired by the wand-wielding, crime-fighting magical girls in your favorite animes and mangas, The Magical Girl’s Guide to Life teaches you how your self-care journey starts by uncovering the magical girl within.

With fun exercises, journal prompts, and personality tests, you’ll quickly learn everything you need to know about your magical girl self, including your magical girl name, what type of power you possess, and what cute companion will perfectly complement your magical girl journey. Once your magical girl identity is locked in, you’ll learn how to take on the world and continue your self-growth by:
Discovering your magical girl gang Punching fear in the face/defining your monster Developing your magical girl beauty routine Finding love after fighting crime And more!

With gorgeous illustrations and entertaining animated characters, The Magical Girl’s Guide to Life reveals how self-love, sisterhood, and magic go together. Perfect for fans of anime and manga like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and more!

Review: Overall, I really loved this book. I thought that the premise was well done and I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved how the book was relatable to me, but also could be to anyone who is way younger than me as well. The book is also targeted to girls, but I feel like anyone would find comfort in this read. The book mainly focuses on uplifting the people who read the book and details a lot of self-care options in it, which I really enjoyed since the pandemic has left me with a lot of anxiety. I also really enjoyed how the author used Magical Girls in media to help convey her messages. And the artwork was just adorable as hell.

The only issue I had with the book is that it’s really short and I felt like there could be more said. I’d love to see this book expanded and have more artwork and/or more in it in general. It was just so good! Also, I find it a crime Totally Spies wasn’t mentioned that much (after Cardcaptor and Sailor Moon, this was a fave of mine!) but I did love seeing the compact they used in the cartoon.

Verdict: Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc, arc, and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Wolves Are Waiting

Author: Natasha Friend

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 1/5

Diversity: Chinese character, Haitian character

Recommended For...: I don’t recommend this book AT ALL

Publication Date: March 22, 2022

Genre: YA Contemporary

Age Relevance: 16+ (date rape, attempted sexual assault, rape, sexism, HP mentions, romance, slut shaming, language, drugs)

Explanation of Above: The book revolves around an incident where our MC is given a date rape drug and is almost sexually assaulted. The events are described and rape and other incidents of date rape drugs being used is also mentioned throughout the book. The book also talks a lot about sexism and slut shaming. There is some romance between two characters and there is slight cursing in the book. There are also drugs mentioned occasionally. Unfortunately, there are also 6 HP mentions in the book in a positive manner, one of them being a page and a half long and others being at least a paragraph. The ending also makes an allusion to a scene from HP.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 370

Synopsis: Before the night of the Frat Fair, 15-year-old Nora Melchionda's life could have been a Gen-Z John Hughes movie. She had a kind-of boyfriend, a spot on the field hockey team, good grades, and a circle of close friends. Of course there were bumps in the road: she and her lifelong BFF Cam were growing apart and her mother was trying to clone her into wearing sensible khakis instead of showy short skirts. But none of that mattered, because Nora always had her dad, Rhett Melchionda, on her side. Rhett was not only Nora’s hero, but as the Athletic Director of Faber College, he was idolized by everyone she knew.

Now, Nora would give anything to go back to that life. The life before whatever happened on the golf course.

She doesn’t want to talk about it—not that she could, because she doesn’t remember anything—and insists that whatever happened was nothing. Cam, though, tries to convince Nora to look for evidence and report the incident to the police. And then there’s Adam Xu, who found Nora on the golf course and saw her at her most vulnerable. She ignores it all, hoping it will all go away. But when your silence might hurt other people, hiding is no longer an option.

The Wolves Are Waiting begins in the aftermath of an attempted assault, but reaches farther than a story about one single night or one single incident. What Nora and her friends will uncover is a story that spans generations. But it doesn’t have to anymore.

Review: This will not be a happy review. While I thought that the base story was good and there were some good parts about it that young girls should read, especially revolving around how slut shaming and sexism are not okay and how some frats can be unsafe spaces, I was extremely disappointed in the book for numerous reasons. The biggest reason is the inclusion of HP in the book. I don’t have any idea why the author, in this day and age, thought the inclusion of HP was a good idea. The mentions are not just one and done, there’s at least one that’s a page and a half of text and the ending includes an allusion to what’s going on to a scene from the HP books. Writing a book that’s pro-female is great except when you exclude trans women from your book and the inclusion of the amount of HP references makes me think that the author wanted to exclude trans women. There’s also not any trans women, queer women, or hardly any women of color in the book with the exception of one Haitian character, and again you can’t talk about feminism and you can’t be pro-female unless you include ALL females. The HP issues alone caused me to knock the book down to a 1 star due to my review policy, but there are further issues in the book that are equally as troubling. There’s a character that is pro-female but doesn’t call out the sexist and misogynistic jokes and comments her own boyfriend makes until much later. The boyfriend had been making these comments for a very long time in the text, before they got together, and I’m confused as to why she would even want to get with someone like that. The book also has a moment between the MC who had been date raped and a character who was found to be a big part of the ongoing issues in the book. After one event where the character brings tiki torches and makes a sort of apology, the MC and others accept that character back into the fold. It’s extremely troubling that some of the male characters in the book are almost infantilized in the text, that they do the bare minimum and get accepted back to where they previously were. Even when the male characters are asked to be held responsible, the book doesn’t offer any real conclusion on if they were or not and the issue becomes null when the book and author pick and choose who it will punish and who it won’t when all actors made equally as horrifying choices. This fact troubled me greatly while reading this book. The book was also very fast paced and had a few continuity errors, where stuff was brought up multiple times. I also thought the characters weren’t developed, especially the MC past her trauma which is a whole other issue I had with the book, and the world building was way too simple.

Verdict: I don’t recommend this book at all. There are better ones that talk about the issues this book tries to talk about in a better and more inclusive manner.