The Laughing Listener
February 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Erin Mallon & Joe Arden
Length: 11 hours & 36 minutes

Story Rating: 3 Stars
Performance Rating: 3 Stars
Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Man, I am whipping through these babies because I am thirsty for the knowledge of what the hell is going on in this insane family. SO MUCH DRAMA.



And I’m kinda glad I ended up ripping this off like a band-aid because after the brain-melting explosion that was Moonlight Sins, this was a bit of a snooze-fest. This second installment read more like a traditional romance to me, which means I saw all the “twists” coming from miles away. Plus, the characters were fun—I liked Nikki and I liked Gabe and I thought they were cute together, but I didn’t love them as much as I loved Lucien and Julia. So overall this book gets a meh from me.

On the other hand, it was kind of nice getting a mental break before book three. If this had been as explosive as the first one, I may have passed out.

I also really missed the old narrators!! Something about this guy Joe Arden didn’t really do it for me and I was bummed the southern accents were gone.

FINAL WORD

Everything about this was cute and I had fun reading it, but it wasn’t mind-blowing.

#1 ↦ [b:Moonlight Sins|35068738|Moonlight Sins (de Vincent, #1)|Jennifer L. Armentrout|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499900680s/35068738.jpg|52535847] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ Moonlight Seduction ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#3 ↦ [b:Moonlight Scandals|38608352|Moonlight Scandals (de Vincent, #3)|Jennifer L. Armentrout|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526598795s/38608352.jpg|60217857] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧

The Laughing Listener
February 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Jill Redfield & Joe Arden
Length: 13 hours & 17minutes

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

I just… I don’t… What the HELL did I just read???? Remember when I said that Moonlight Sins is every episode of Maury Povich shoved into 400 pages? Ummm YEAH. It happened again. I can’t even think right now.



First of all, I was initially dreading this book because it’s about Dev who seemed like the biggest asshole ever. And call me crazy, but I did NOT feel like reading an entire book about a “dickhead” as Rosie calls him. But somehow this ended up being the best one??? Dev’s character arc is great and I loved seeing his icy exterior melt like the Winter Warlock.



Also, Rosie is THE FREAKING BEST??? Won’t lie, kinda have a girl crush on her and she’s really what made this book great. Watching those two crazy kids get together was fun and I lived for the little arguments they would get into. Freaking beaded curtains. *Shakes head*

And THE ENDING. THE ENDING GUYS. WTF???? It felt like I got repeatedly punched in the face with these plot twists and big reveals. I wanted an explosive ending and DANG did Armentrout deliver. More ghosts, murder, masquerade balls, affairs, and sooooo much more.

FINAL WORD

This series is soap opera level insane and I LOVED IT. What a ride. If you live for ridiculous drama, you’ll love this series too.

#1 ↦ [b:Moonlight Sins|35068738|Moonlight Sins (de Vincent, #1)|Jennifer L. Armentrout|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499900680s/35068738.jpg|52535847] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ [b:Moonlight Seduction|36301030|Moonlight Seduction (de Vincent, #2)|Jennifer L. Armentrout|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1513003533s/36301030.jpg|57969387] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#3 ↦ Moonlight Scandals ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧

The Laughing Listener
Buddy Read w/ Malanie February 2019
Format: Audiobook & Hardback
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 14 hours & 42 minutes

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

Wow! Wow wow wow. I don’t know how to write this review because… wow. FEELINGS. This was a buddy read I did with my shiny wonderful friend Malanie and THANK GOD because it would have been a STRUGGLE to get through this book alone. But even though there were aspects of this book I didn’t like, I somehow ended up loving this??? Idk, I’m honestly super confused.



THE GOOD

The thing I was most impressed with was the world building because HOLY CRAP was it well thought out. There was a lot of stuff that confused me (more on that later), but even when I didn’t understand everything I could tell how much time Dennard put into this universe. The descriptions of the places, the people, the government, the religion… It was all there in great detail and I really loved it. Even when I was confused or frustrated, this world was so spectacular that it made me keep reading because I really wanted to understand it.

Also, the characters and relationships in this book gave me life. Iseult is my new girl crush because she was such a strong, badass mofo. And her friendship with Safi was so awesome to watch. Any time a book gives me those powerful female friendships I fall in love. Threadsisters and threadbrothers seem really similar to parabatai, so like SIGN ME UP. Mal and I also thought there was some serious threadbrother potential between Aeduan and Leopold and I NEED THAT IN MY LIFE. GIVE ME ALL THE FUZZY FRIENDSHIPS.



THE UGLY

I was just SO FREAKING CONFUSED THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS READING THIS!! It was so frustrating! From the very beginning, Dennard throws a ton of information at you without a whole lot of explanations and I did NOT know what was going on. I started listening to the audiobook, but then had to switch to my hardback copy so I could process the information better. One of the central conflicts is that 20 years ago, there was a huge war between the nations that ended when they came together to sign the Twenty-Year Truce to create peace. But obviously that’s coming to an end and everyone is freaking out and gearing up for another war. But no one EVER SAYS WHAT THEY’RE FIGHTING ABOUT???? Why was there a huge world war? Why are you all throwing yourselves into it again?? WHAT IS HAPPENING????? And there were a ton of smaller details that weren’t explained either. Like threadsisters and threadbrothers—how does that bond work? Do people choose their threadsibling, or is it something that forms on it’s own? And the Carawen Monks. What the HELL were the Carawen Monks?? They seemed like religious assassins???? Grrrrrr!!



And I need to take a moment to dump on Merik and Safi. Because that guy seriously needs to take a CHILL PILL and Safi needs to start actually THINKING things through. Safi just runs around doing whatever the hell she wants and then when shit hits the fan she’s all “Oops!”



Meanwhile, Merik needs to TONE IT DOWN. At one point Mal called him dramatic it’s really the best word to describe him. He might be the most dramatic queen I’ve ever read about, which was hilarious in the beginning, but got super old by the end. Dude needs to just STOP.


Live footage of Merik’s dramatic entrances and exits.

FINAL WORD

Despite all of my confusion and frustration, I ended up loving this??? The characters and world are so good, that I just HAVE to know what happens next.

#1 ↦ Truthwitch ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#2 ↦ [b:Windwitch|29939390|Windwitch (The Witchlands, #2)|Susan Dennard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462296317s/29939390.jpg|41438285] ↦ ?????
#2.5 ↦ [b:Sightwitch|35481848|Sightwitch (The Witchlands, #0.5)|Susan Dennard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503985079s/35481848.jpg|56877251] ↦ ?????
#3 ↦ [b:Bloodwitch|39863277|Bloodwitch (The Witchlands, #3)|Susan Dennard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1537551594s/39863277.jpg|41438287] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
February 2019
Format: eBook

Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

God, will there ever be a Green Creek book that won’t put me through a slow, torturous death?? Someone should really tell the authorities that T.J. Klune is ACTUALLY trying to murder us all. This is all apart of his grand master plan for world domination. But while Wolfsong killed me by ripping my heart out and putting it through a shredder, the reading experience for this book was surprisingly different. This time Klune tried to kill me by giving me constant heart attacks.



I avoided reading this book for the longest time because I was expecting another Wolfsong where the angst and sadness were off the freaking charts. For some reason (*sarcasm alert*), I didn’t feel like drowning in a pool of my own tears, so I stayed away. But this was waaaaaaay different than what I thought it would be. There were definitely sad moments, especially looking back into Gordo’s past and seeing how him and Mark were split apart. Ugh. Just punch me in the gut why don’t you? However, it also felt like there was more comedic relief (I’m looking at you Rico) and action, so I never really had time to feel sad. I was too busy being slapped in the face with all the plot twists, because DAMN THERE WERE SO MANY PLOT TWISTS!!! I was not fucking prepared to be making this face the entire time I was reading:



I see you over there Klune, I see you. Melting all of our hearts with adorable Ox and Joe and then GOING IN FOR THE KILL WITH ALL THESE CURVEBALLS. You won’t fool me again.

And once again the writing was awesome. I saved sooooo many quotes in this, the ones I shared are only half. I also really appreciated that #TeamHuman got more page time and it was really awesome seeing the humans and wolves as one pack! Also, Bambi is my new hero. If she’s not apart of #TeamHuman in the next books I will riot. That scene of her in the bar was EVERYTHING. The only reason I gave this 4.5 stars instead of five was because I just didn’t have the emotional connection with this book like I did the last one. This was an awesome read, but there’s just something about Wolfsong...

FINAL WORD

If you’re like me and avoiding this book because of the emotional turmoil, I’m here to tell you it’s okay. You’re gonna make it. There’s too much action and craziness for tears and I FREAKING LOVED IT.


#1 ↦ [b:Wolfsong|29233804|Wolfsong (Green Creek, #1)|T.J. Klune|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463862865s/29233804.jpg|49474397] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#2 ↦ Ravensong ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#3 ↦ [b:Heartsong|39926005|Heartsong (Green Creek, #3)|T.J. Klune|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|61798790] ↦ ?????
#4 ↦ [b:Brothersong|43191767|Brothersong (Green Creek, #4)|T.J. Klune|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|67016719] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
March 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang
Length: 9 hours & 21 minutes

Story Rating: 3 Stars
Performance Rating: 3 Stars
Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Ummmmmm… Okay. Did I read a different book than everyone else?? I’ve been putting off this review for a little while because I just DO NOT understand the hype around this thing. I am thoroughly befuddled.


My face at the end of this audiobook.

Everyone was terrible?? Like seriously, EVERYONE. The only character I liked consistently was Mal and I didn’t even like him that much. I hated Alina the entire time up until the very end when she finally got her shit together and fought back kinda. Also, why does everyone love the darkling so much????? I mean, I’ll try to hold judgement because I have two more books to get through. But seriously though, I’m so confused??? Call me crazy and old fashioned, but I like my love interests without all the emotional abuse and evil villainy, THANKS.



Plus, the plot wasn’t even that interesting to me. This gave me some major [b:Red Queen|22328546|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449778912s/22328546.jpg|25037051] vibes and I had more fun reading that book than I did this one. Normal girl finds out she’s “special”— gets thrust into the magic world — needs to learn her new power — everything depends on her — shit hits the fan — blah blah blah blah blah. This was SO PREDICTABLE. I swear, if I didn’t want to meet this Nikolai person so badly I wouldn’t even keep reading the series. The Grishaverse also feels like a necessary prerequisite for [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] (even though I’ve been told they’re separate) so BY GOD I’M FINISHING THESE BOOKS. But I’m going to keep being salty about it.

Here’s hoping there’s a major turn around for book two. *Crosses fingers*

I will say that the world building in this was super cool. I loved all the Russian inspiration Bardugo used and Alina’s time in the fancy palace was fun to listen to. And all those monsters in The Unsea were awesome! For some reason I pictured them like the hollows from Bleach and I loved it!!



FINAL WORD

I mean… I can’t tell you if Nikolai and Six of Crows is worth suffering through this yet. But right now I’m gonna say you can give this book a hard pass. #SorryNotSorry

#1 ↦ Shadow and Bone ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧
#2 ↦ [b:Siege and Storm|14061955|Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362166252s/14061955.jpg|19699752] ↦ ?????
#3 ↦ [b:Ruin and Rising|14061957|Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392398530s/14061957.jpg|19699754] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Length: 10 hours & 45 minutes

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

*Sighs* Is there anything more comforting than a Sarah Dessen novel? I don’t know what it is about her writing that I find so soothing, but for me, reading one of her books is like snuggling in bed with a cup of tea.



Part of this is probably because I grew up with her novels, starting way back in middle school. But I love that I can count on her to write stories that are heartfelt, and Once and for All is no different.

THE GOOD
This was such a cute story and I really loved having the wedding planner business as a backdrop. Hearing the banter between Natalie and William after each wedding was amazing and I secretly loved their cynicism. Plus, hearing all the crazy demands from their clients provided endless entertainment that was great for balancing out the heavier emotions. The same goes for Jilly and she had to be my favorite character out of them all. I liked how bright and happy she was with a great sense of humor. What she does in the end is very uncool, but she’s so awesome that it was hard to be mad at her.

Louna was a great character and I loved watching her progression throughout the story. She seemed a tad dull sometimes, especially in scenes with Jilly who’s just so full of life, but I can also understand why. She’s been through a lot and just trying to get through everyday. It was nice seeing her transformation in the end.

And I don’t want to give too much away, but Sarah Dessen tackles school shootings in this novel, which I thought was a bold move. That’s not something I’ve seen in a lot of in YA books and I was little bit worried when it first pops up in the story because it’s such a delicate and emotional issue. I could tell it was handled with great care though, and I thought Dessen did an excellent job. It gave me an added perspective about it that I really appreciated.

THE UGLY
To be completely honest, I was not a huge Ambrose fan. From the very beginning his cocky attitude and womanizer tendencies grated on me and by the end I still wasn’t completely sold. He falls in love with Louna and claims he’d be satisfied with only her, but where’s the proof? Why should I trust him when he’s done nothing but date around and two-time other girls?? By the end of the book I still wasn’t completely satisfied. It felt like he didn’t grow at all, then we blinked between the last two chapters, and Ambrose was suddenly a completely different stand-up, reliable guy.



Plus, as much as I applaud Dessen for tackling such a heavy issue like school shootings, the love story behind it was C R A Z Y. Louna and Ethan meet for ONE NIGHT and suddenly they're in love and committing to a long distance relationship. I mean, really?? It would have been so easy for to shift the story so Ethan had lived in the same town as her, fallen in love with Louna, AND THEN moved away. It would have been more believable, but instead I ended up shaking my head and rolling my eyes any time Louna remembered their one night together.

And I’m going to level with you all. When I went on here to browse around some of the reviews, it felt like a very mixed bag. Most people either loved or hated this book. Part of me scoffed and raged at ratings that were anything less than three stars. Another larger part of me, however, can completely understand why. Sarah Dessen’s books are always a contemporary, heartfelt journey that end on a high note. This is what I like about her writing. I like that I can count on her novels to be well-written gumdrops of love. It’s like watching romantic comedy movies. However, I can definitely see how this would get old for people fast. There’s a kind of predictability in these books that aren’t for everyone.

FINAL WORD
This was a very cute book that I enjoyed. Even though it’s not my favorite Sarah Dessen novel, she didn’t let me down and gave me a great story with all the feels.

The Laughing Listener
April 2019
*I miraculously won an advanced copy of this book in an online contest and promise to share my honest thoughts and opinions.*
Format: Paperback ARC
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

**SPOILERS FOR THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS AND DARK ARTIFICES AHEAD. SERIOUSLY. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU. I’M JUST SAYING.**

Well kids, it’s finally happened. After a decade of wanting Alec and Magnus in the spotlight, our prayers have FINALLY BEEN ANSWERED.



Malec has been my OTP from the moment I read City of Bones a decade ago (sorry Jace and Clary, I love you but…) and now they’re FINALLY getting their moment. This was the first LGBTQ+ relationship I ever read about as a teen and I can’t tell you how amazing it was to see it highlighted so spectacularly in this novel.



I’m not gonna lie, it took me a hot minute to get into this book. First of all, I’m weird about prequels. This is completely a me thing and I have no idea why I’m like this, but I have a hard time getting into a story that I already know the ending to. Which is a weird comment coming from someone who spoils books for herself on a regular basis, but it’s true. It’s like I already know the end result, so there’s no urgency to read and I definitely suffered from that a little in the beginning. Plus, it was SUPER weird to shift my mindset back in the shadowhunter timeline to the middle of The Mortal Instruments. Both Magnus and Alec were so unsure and hesitant with each other and it was just so odd! I’m so used to the current Malec being confident and strong in their relationship. I mean, they have two kids and just got married for god sakes. For the first several chapters, I had to remind myself of the events in [b:City of Glass|3777732|City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369452339s/3777732.jpg|3443248] and remember they had literally JUST gotten together when this took place. Thank god I did a reread of the series not long ago.

HOWEVER. Once it gets going it was was easy to work out the kinks and get into the story. It was kind of like reading a little treasure hunt, picking out the things or people that eventually play a bigger part in this universe down the road. I absolutely LOVED all of the cameos and I think Raphael was my favorite. He is literally me at any and all social gatherings. Seriously, that boy is a #MOOD. And we get to see how Aline and Helen meet!!! Aline became one of my favorite lady shadowhunters during [b:Queen of Air and Darkness|13541056|Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices, #3)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510447136s/13541056.jpg|19104298] and it was great seeing their relationship up close and personal.

And Malec guys. Oh my god. MALEC. I can’t tell you how completely and utterly delightful it was to read about them. Soooooooooo many adorable moments.



The arcs their characters AND relationship go through is awesome and I loved watching the transformation as they learned to trust one another. It’s also really interesting because this book adds a layer of complexity to their relationship that wasn’t there in the last three books of The Mortal Instruments. It all happened so quick during those novels and as devastated as I was over their break up in [b:City of Lost Souls|8755776|City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460477703s/8755776.jpg|13629058], they had only been dating a few months. It didn’t seem like THAT big a deal in the grand scheme of things. But after reading this, it’s obvious that they were a lot closer and more in love than I realized. And now I’m even more shocked and appalled at Alec’s actions going to Camille behind Magnus’s back!! Alec seemed so confident and sure of their relationship by the end of this book that it’s difficult to match it with who he becomes later on. I’m super curious to see how the next two books play out in this series.

Any book that makes me want to reread [b:City of Fallen Angels|6752378|City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369452302s/6752378.jpg|6948844] is a miracle because it’s my least favorite and kind of a trainwreck. I’m just saying.

FINAL WORD

This book is FREAKING ADORABLE AND YOU’LL LOVE IT!! Malec is the best and I didn’t think it was possible to love them any more, but HERE WE ARE. WOW.

#1 ↦ The Red Scrolls of Magic ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ [b:The Lost Book of the White|34605974|The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses, #2)|Cassandra Clare|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|50775338] ↦ ?????
#3 ↦ [b:The Black Volume of the Dead|30295305|The Black Volume of the Dead (The Eldest Curses, #3)|Cassandra Clare|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|50775348] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
March 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Laura Knight Keating
Length: 8 hours & 22 minutes

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

Wow, NOT a good book for Peter K. My dude had a rough go of it this time around and I spent a good chunk of the book being mad at him. But somehow this still ended up being my favorite installment in the whole trilogy?!? So much drama!



Okay first of all, I’m so surprised what a major role Lara Jean’s “sex tape” has in this series! I’m a major fan of the movie, which makes it seem like a small blip on the radar screen, but the books handle it completely different. As much as it sucked watching Lara Jean suffer the consequences of the video, I loved how Jenny Han portrayed it. Let’s be honest, teenagers suck most of the time (I thought this even when I was one) and bullying is a real problem. I’m glad Han put a spotlight on this and gave us a positive role model we can really relate to.

And the love triangle. Oh wow. I haven’t been this torn over two guys in a WHILE. Peter K was a moron in this installment, which made him hard to root for. From the very beginning I sort of had a pretty good idea why PK was hanging around Jen so much, but he was such an idiot about it. Meanwhile the COMPLETELY ADORABLE AND AMAZING John McClaren is over here doing his thing and I LOVED HIM. As much as I love PK and understand where he’s coming from, I think I’m #TeamMcClaren. I’M SORRY.



Don’t get me wrong, I love how things turned out in the end. The ending of this book was super sweet and I loved it. But there’s just something about John that speaks to my Hufflepuff soul...

Oh, and can we talk about how freaking amazing Stormy is?? She’s MY GIRL and I want to be her when I grow up. I can’t wait to see her character portrayed in the new movie.

FINAL WORD

I loved this more than the first one! There was so much teen drama and I’m here for it.

#1 ↦ [b:To All the Boys I've Loved Before|15749186|To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)|Jenny Han|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1372086100s/15749186.jpg|21442106] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ P.S. I Still Love You ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#3 ↦ [b:Always and Forever, Lara Jean|35247769|Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #3)|Jenny Han|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495992139s/35247769.jpg|50626344] ↦ ✦✦✦✧✧