The Laughing Listener
Format: Paperback ARC
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
MY VERY FIRST PHYSICAL ARC YOU GUYS!!! *Sobs uncontrollably*

Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars


*Starts singing* This is the greatest show!

To say I loved [b:Caraval|27883214|Caraval (Caraval, #1)|Stephanie Garber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465563623s/27883214.jpg|45697227] would be an understatement. Normally I try fight against overly hyped books and I thought for sure I would find it lackluster, but it turned out to be such a fun read!! The writing and setting were beautiful and I was so genuinely flabbergasted by the twisty plot that I couldn't help falling in love. Consequently I went into this sequel with high expectations that it didn't quite meet, but I still absolutely loved this beautiful book.

THE GOOD

It's funny because I had a completely different reading experience with this book than I did the last one. Instead of being a mere passenger that's swept away like I was during Caraval, I went into this with both eyes open and a heavy dose of skepticism. I noticed every character, every movement, every sentence and even flipped back to earlier parts of the book while I read to try and piece this crazy puzzle together.


Basically me reading every page of this book.

But that actually made this way more fun, like I was playing the game with Tella, and Garber does a great job dishing out little clues throughout the story. There were still some plot twists that I saw coming from miles away, but there were also a lot that I didn't, so it was still a fun journey.

I also really really loved the premise! In the last novel, Caravel didn't really have a theme—Scarlett just played the game as it had always been. But this is a special version of Caraval created specifically for the Empress's birthday and deals with the different fates. The fates are sort of like the divination, tarot card versions of the Greek gods??? Like if Greek mythology and Wicca got together and had a baby it would the fates. Am I even making sense anymore?? However you want to describe them, I absolutely LOOOOVED the different fates their dark magic! it was like a physical manifestation of tarot cards, which I thought was super clever.

Plus, Garber's writing is still gosh darn BEAUTIFUL. Her words completely transported and captivated me from the very beginning.

"...most people give up at the part of the story where things are the worst, where the situation feels hopeless. But that's when hope is needed most."

And that ending!!! UGGGHHHHH!! My heart just about melted out of my body. I NEED THE NEXT ONE.

THE UGLY

The comment I've heard the most since finishing Caraval is that people found Scarlett annoying and in the throws of my post-reading high, I was genuinely surprised by this. Did I love her character? No, but I didn't really hate her either. Tella was the one that really got under my skin during the last novel because apparently it's okay to trick your family into making huge, life-altering decisions without consulting them at all. I'm not bitter.

But surprisingly, Legendary managed to improve my opinion of Tella and lower my opinion of Scarlett. I will never doubt you Scarlett haters again because MY GOD was she annoying in this.



Thankfully she doesn't have much page time and just flits in and out of the background, but DANG. Tella also has a few questionable moments, but not nearly as cringe-worthy as Crimson. It was't really enough to distract me from the story, but it did make my eye twitch a couple times.

FINAL WORD

I loved this!!! It was beautiful, magical fun just like the first one. If you enjoyed Caraval, you'll like this one too. I can't wait for whatever comes next!!!!!

The Laughing Listener
Format: EBook
I was graciously given an early copy of this in exchange for an honest review
Story Rating: 5 Stars

*Sighs* This book was just... UGH, it was so good! Before I started reading this, I thought I was just getting a fun story about zombies. And even though that is what I got, it ended up being so much more! This book has LAYERS.





First of all, let's give it up for amazing book rep! Mila is Mexican, she's not a skinny minny, and she's a Wiccan. It was AWESOME. As a white person, I can't effectively speak on the racial representation of this book (something I, personally, thought was great). But I AM on the curvier side of the scale and I LOVED LOVED LOVED that Mila was plus size. Ugh, it was SO FREAKING NICE to read about a character I could relate to in that way. She's just so cool and I love her?? I want to be Mila when I grow up and I'm almost 30. She just had the best spunk, a big heart, and the greatest sarcastic sense of humor.

This book also has a lot of emotional depth that I wasn't expecting and it was so relatable. Mila loses her best friend, which is hard enough. AND she's certain it was a murder. AND it's happening to other kids at her school. Sadness, despair, anger, fear, friendship, love, hope—it was all there. It gave this book a level of realness that I could really connect with, despite being about zombies. It was creeptacular AND emotional, which was just the best combination ever.

And just a side note, this book IS HILARIOUS. I haven't laughed at a book like this (LITERALLY out loud) in a long time. Very strong Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed vibes that I LOVED.

FINAL WORD

This book was amazing! Not only is it a great zombie mystery, but it's just a great story with amazing characters. READ IT.

The Laughing Listener
March 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Nicole Poole
Length: 12 hours & 15 minutes

Story Rating: 3 Stars
Performance Rating: 4 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

Dammit, these books are so friggin cute I could puke. And by god, I'm loving every second of it.



Thanks to Audible's romance package, all of my tbr plans have officially gone off the rails and I'm completely hooked on this universe. My real end game is seeing Denver and Maizy get together, but that's book six so I'll be blowing through these puppies like Kleenex.

Honestly, I enjoyed this book because of Reno. I. LOVED. HIM. And I loved him with April. Watching them together made the whole thing worth it. My personality closely matches April's, so I found her a lot more relatable than I did Lexi. But April makes some god awful decisions that made me mentally shake her, so she kind of broke even for me. My brain has put her character in the "meh" category. Reno is the real MVP of this book. I also found Trevor's hovering bff act annoying, but since April is running around like a stubborn fart in a wind storm, I could understand. Hopefully we get to know his character better in the coming books and I'm looking forward to it.

And I'm LOVING how Dark structured this universe! We get new stories and in depth looks at our favorite characters without losing any of the ones we've already read. It was so much fun seeing Austin and Lexi's relationship playing out in the background and I'm excited to see that idea expanded in the coming books.

Oh, and Nicole Poole's narration is still killing it!

FINAL WORD
I think this series may be my new favorite guilty pleasure. I don't really have a favorite romance series, so this is quickly becoming the one to beat. If you read [b:Seven Years|18659745|Seven Years (Seven, #1)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381430884s/18659745.jpg|24996744] and liked it, I thought this one was just as good. Two thumbs up!

#1 ↦ [b:Seven Years|18659745|Seven Years (Seven, #1)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381430884s/18659745.jpg|24996744] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#2 ↦ [b:Six Months|21548791|Six Months (Seven, #2)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395738349s/21548791.jpg|26490322] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#3 ↦ [b:Five Weeks|22837546|Five Weeks (Seven, #3)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406960686s/22837546.jpg|26490324] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#4 ↦ [b:Four Days|23869022|Four Days (Seven, #4)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421490830s/23869022.jpg|26490335] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#5 ↦ [b:Three Hours|25296655|Three Hours (Seven, #5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432398272s/25296655.jpg|26490339] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#6 ↦ [b:Two Minutes|26118073|Two Minutes (Seven, #6)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440554447s/26118073.jpg|26490337] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#7 ↦ [b:One Second|29774861|One Second (Seven, #7)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459786867s/29774861.jpg|26490336] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧
#7.5 ↦ [b:Winter Moon|33143851|Winter Moon (Seven, #7.5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480359548s/33143851.jpg|51298123] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧

The Laughing Listener
March 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Nicole Poole
Length: 11 hours & 3 minutes

Story Rating: 2.5 Stars
Performance Rating: 4 Stars
Overall Rating: 3 Stars

My third foray into the Seven Series was a tad underwhelming and a little on the "meh" side. It all boils down to personal preference though. This book is still just as FREAKING adorable as the others, but Jericho isn't my favorite pack member and I found myself a little detached from his story. And since I wasn't as invested in his character, it all felt a little too much this time around. I mean, can ANY of these girls step out in public without getting harassed/raped/almost killed??? When Izzy gets kidnapped and almost sold on the black market, it was hard for me not to roll my eyes. I mean, really?

But on the flip side, I really LOVED Izzy. Next to Ivy she's my favorite of all the girls so far. She's just so freaking cool and the entire time I listened to this audiobook I pictured her as Sadie from Across the Universe. Which is like, one of the biggest compliments I can give honestly. *Starts scream-singing "Helter Skelter"*



Plus, even when I'm salty about the main shifter in the story, I'm so invested in this universe now that I don't even mind. So many other characters I love flit in and out of scenes that it's still entertaining to listen to.

FINAL WORD

Meh, this one's okay. I don't love Jericho, so this installment fell a little flat for me. But I'm loving this series and all the best characters make an appearance, which definitely helped. I can't WAIT to read Ivy's story next.

#1 ↦ [b:Seven Years|18659745|Seven Years (Seven, #1)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381430884s/18659745.jpg|24996744] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#2 ↦ [b:Six Months|21548791|Six Months (Seven, #2)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395738349s/21548791.jpg|26490322] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#3 ↦ [b:Five Weeks|22837546|Five Weeks (Seven, #3)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406960686s/22837546.jpg|26490324] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#4 ↦ [b:Four Days|23869022|Four Days (Seven, #4)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421490830s/23869022.jpg|26490335] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#5 ↦ [b:Three Hours|25296655|Three Hours (Seven, #5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432398272s/25296655.jpg|26490339] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#6 ↦ [b:Two Minutes|26118073|Two Minutes (Seven, #6)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440554447s/26118073.jpg|26490337] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#7 ↦ [b:One Second|29774861|One Second (Seven, #7)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459786867s/29774861.jpg|26490336] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧
#7.5 ↦ [b:Winter Moon|33143851|Winter Moon (Seven, #7.5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480359548s/33143851.jpg|51298123] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧

The Laughing Listener
March 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Nicole Poole
Length: 11 hours

Story Rating: 3.5 Stars
Performance Rating: 4 Stars
Overall Rating: 4 Stars

IVY. IS. THE. SHIT. Oh my god, I LOVE HER!! She's so quiet and aloof, but still strong, smart, and resilient. I'm so so happy she got her own story and I think this book is my favorite in the bunch (so far) just because of her! It was refreshing to read a romance novel that featured a character like hers. Too often (with this series included) women always need to be saved by some hot guy. I'm not exactly complaining, but Ivy is different. She thought everything through, followed her heart, and stood by her family. She didn't run away and wasn't afraid to ask for help. There's strength in that. If I could high five a fictional character, I TOTALLY WOULD.



And surprisingly, I didn't hate Lorenzo by the end of this. Don't get me wrong, I still don't have warm fuzzies for the guy. After spending the entire series thinking he's a bastard, it's going to take more than this book to completely change my mind. But I really like seeing him and Ivy together and their relationship was cute to watch.

FINAL WORD
LOVE IT! Best book of the series so far, in my humble opinion.

#1 ↦ [b:Seven Years|18659745|Seven Years (Seven, #1)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381430884s/18659745.jpg|24996744] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#2 ↦ [b:Six Months|21548791|Six Months (Seven, #2)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395738349s/21548791.jpg|26490322] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#3 ↦ [b:Five Weeks|22837546|Five Weeks (Seven, #3)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406960686s/22837546.jpg|26490324] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#4 ↦ [b:Four Days|23869022|Four Days (Seven, #4)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421490830s/23869022.jpg|26490335] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#5 ↦ [b:Three Hours|25296655|Three Hours (Seven, #5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432398272s/25296655.jpg|26490339] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#6 ↦ [b:Two Minutes|26118073|Two Minutes (Seven, #6)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440554447s/26118073.jpg|26490337] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#7 ↦ [b:One Second|29774861|One Second (Seven, #7)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459786867s/29774861.jpg|26490336] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧
#7.5 ↦ [b:Winter Moon|33143851|Winter Moon (Seven, #7.5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480359548s/33143851.jpg|51298123] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧

The Laughing Listener
March 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Nicole Poole
Length: 11 hours & 33 minutes

Story Rating: 3 Stars
Performance Rating: 4 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

After feeling completely indifferent to Wheeler for four books, I expected this installment to fall flat for me like Jericho's story did. Especially because I never really warmed up to Naya at all. This was a lot better than I thought it would be though, so color me surprised.



Wheeler was awesome! Most of the time he just sits in the background and makes sarcastic remarks, which I can appreciate as a fellow sarcastic person, but this story really made me like him. The same goes for Naya and I really liked getting to know their characters better. Watching their relationship progress was definitely... entertaining. And can you believe Ben?? What a dickhead!

FINAL WORD
Another adorably cute romance to add to the Seven Series pile! It's completely dramatic and over the top, but in the best kind of way.

#1 ↦ [b:Seven Years|18659745|Seven Years (Seven, #1)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381430884s/18659745.jpg|24996744] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#2 ↦ [b:Six Months|21548791|Six Months (Seven, #2)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395738349s/21548791.jpg|26490322] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#3 ↦ [b:Five Weeks|22837546|Five Weeks (Seven, #3)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406960686s/22837546.jpg|26490324] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#4 ↦ [b:Four Days|23869022|Four Days (Seven, #4)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421490830s/23869022.jpg|26490335] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#5 ↦ [b:Three Hours|25296655|Three Hours (Seven, #5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432398272s/25296655.jpg|26490339] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#6 ↦ [b:Two Minutes|26118073|Two Minutes (Seven, #6)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440554447s/26118073.jpg|26490337] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#7 ↦ [b:One Second|29774861|One Second (Seven, #7)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459786867s/29774861.jpg|26490336] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧
#7.5 ↦ [b:Winter Moon|33143851|Winter Moon (Seven, #7.5)|Dannika Dark|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480359548s/33143851.jpg|51298123] ↦ ✦✦✧✧✧

The Laughing Listener
July 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Billie Fulford-Brown
Length: 9 hours & 36 minutes

Story Rating: 3 Stars
Performance Rating: 4 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

If I'm being honest, I probably would have skipped this book completely had it not been in the November 2017 Owlcrate box. Luckily for me, it WAS in the Owlcrate box and I ended up listening to the audiobook. Although it didn't blow my mind, the world building was great and I had a lot of fun with it!

It took me a little bit of time to connect with the characters, so initially the universe is what captured my attention. It was so interesting!! There was such an interesting mix of old world ideas meeting new advanced technology. And the use of alchemy was really cool! Listening to Gerdie and Wil talk about alchemy and creating new inventions was really fascinating. Plus, DeStefano took some time in the beginning to showcase the great relationship Wil had with her brothers Gerdie and Owen and I really loved it. It was so nice reading a YA book that didn’t just immediately devolve into a romance.



Once the story got going, I really grew to love Wil too. She had a quiet kind of strength that I always appreciate in my female characters. And her power was so crazy cool to watch! I really felt for her after everything happens and she has to come to grips with her abilities.

That being said, this book was sloooooooow. A lot of it was was just world building and establishing the plot, which I can completely understand being the first book and all, but I felt only half invested the whole time. Plus, I really wasn’t feeling the romance between Wil and Loom at all. He was kind of an ass for half the book and then they’re suddenly all googly-eyed at each other. It felt a little too insta-lovey without enough substance for my taste.



FINAL WORD

Despite being a little slow, this was a fun book! I can DEFINITELY tell there’s going to be loads of drama in the next book, so I’m totally here for it. I gotta see how this story ends.

The Laughing Listener
Reread August 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Renee Raudman
Length: 7 hours & 4 minutes

Story Rating: 4.5 Stars
Performance Rating: 5 Stars
Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Wow. I am… overwhelmed by how much I liked this the second time around. First of all, I must have the worst memory ever and I’m slightly concerned about my mental health??? I remembered not liking this book the first time because Roiben and Kaye are hardly in it, but for some reason I thought it was about Corny?? And now I’m realizing I must have taken my memories of the third book and put them on this one.

ANYWAY. The point is that this book is awesome. I don’t know what 2006 me was thinking because 2018 me absolutely LOVED this book. Me @ me:



I admit that the beginning is completely INSANE. Listening to the first few chapters was like listening to a narration of a Lifetime movie and I DON’T KNOW HOW I FORGOT ABOUT IT!?! Pretty sure I made this face through the first twenty minutes…



Everything that comes after is creepy, gritty craziness that is so Holly Black, I loved it. Just as a trigger warning to everyone, this book deals heavily with drug addiction, but I really applaud Black for it. I really felt for Val while she was struggling with everything and her addiction to Never made the ending that much more rewarding. Plus, it felt REAL. Despite the faerie drug and fantastical circumstances, drug addiction is an actual problem teens face and it’s awesome seeing that struggle represented.

And I loved the characters!!! Okay well, Dave and Lolli were actually the worst. But Val was amazing! I loved that the first response to her hardship was getting pissed and chopping off all her hair. And even when she was in the throws of addiction, Val was spunky and brave. And the romance between her and Revus was so cute. It was subtle and took a backseat to Val’s character arc in a way I really appreciated

FINAL WORD
I must have been CRAZY the first time read this because Valiant was completely awesome. There was a little romance, a lot of drama, and tons of faeries, so obviously this book wins.

#1 ↦ [b:Tithe|46777|Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1)|Holly Black|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342120818s/46777.jpg|1460966] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#2 ↦ Valiant ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#3 ↦ [b:Ironside|283494|Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales, #3)|Holly Black|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354844906s/283494.jpg|275023] ↦ ???