The Laughing Listener
January 2020
Format: Audiobook & Hardback
Narrator: Various
Length: 13 hours & 3 minutes

Story Rating: 4.5 Stars
Performance Rating: 4 Stars (some better than others)
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

At the time of writing this review, [b:Chain of Gold|17699853|Chain of Gold (The Last Hours, #1)|Cassandra Clare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571379245l/17699853._SY75_.jpg|19212510] is coming out in a little over a month. A MONTH. Needless to say, I very much cannot keep my chill and have gone into preparation mode reading all the Shadowhunter books I can before March.



And somehow I’ve lived my life thus far without diving into any of the short story books from the shadowhunter universe. Hey, don’t give me that look! [b:Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy|28954137|Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy|Cassandra Clare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454864103l/28954137._SY75_.jpg|46924845] is all about Simon, one of the most annoying characters in The Mortal Instruments, so I haven’t been too keen to read it. And for some odd reason, I’ve never been pulled to Magnus’ short stories and it’s hard to pinpoint why. I’m very secure with my adoration for Magnus and he feels like a very developed characters to me, so I’ve just never felt the need to read more about his history???

Obviously, that’s some bullshit the old me pre-Bane Chronicles would say because this book was DELIGHTFUL. And HILARIOUS. It’s no surprise that Magnus is the absolute best and I just love him so much?? But seeing him develop the amazing friendships we’ve already come to love gave me FEELINGS. My view of Camille is forever changed. I’ve also never realized how entangled Magnus and Raphael’s history really was and I have such a better appreciation for them now. And Ragnor!! Oh my god, I will never NOT call him my sweet pea pod now.

I also thought Cassandra Clare did a great job of capturing the feeling of decades passing by. That was something I was vaguely concerned about going in—that capturing the full scope of Magnus’ long life would be impossible, but I really loved it! All the descriptions of each time period were so cool and it gave me a sharper clarity of why Magnus is the way he is. Which is FABULOUS, obviously.

This was also my first glimpse at the characters from The Last Hours and I just—



HOW CAN I LOVE THEM SO MUCH WITH SO LITTLE TO GO ON?!? I would do anything for Jamie’s happiness. ANYTHING. And I’m DYING to know what the deal is with him and Grace?????? Can I get some ANSWERS PLEASE??????? Also, is there anything better than adult dad Will?? I think not. *Swoons*

FINAL WORD

Loretta sat on this book for too long thinking that it wasn’t that important to the Shadowhunter universe. Don’t be Loretta. A CAUTIONARY TALE.

The Laughing Listener
February 2020
Format: Ebook ARC

*I was graciously given a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review*

Story Rating: 3 Stars

When I first read the blurb for this book I was all over it. A foundling with a special gift? And unnatural bond?? A cruel mighty lord??? Heck yes. This had dark political intrigue all over it and I wanted in. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite prepared for exactly how dark this story was, but I still found the twists and turns of the story super intriguing.



From the very beginning in the prologue, the universe and magic system of this world captured my attention. The people being paired up with their blood compatibility and testing children for magic—I wanted to know more and that feeling carried me through the book. I wanted to unlock all the secrets and find out what Judah’s power was. The way this universe is constructed is great and I liked all the political intrigue.

Plus, the characters are fun too. Judah is such a strong female protagonist and watching her strange bond with Gavin was so cool! I admit that Gavin wasn’t exactly my favorite, but he pales in comparison to his evil creeptastic father King Elban who gave me an extreme case of the heebie jeebies. And because I have a weakness for puffy cinnamon roll characters, Theron and his nerdiness was my favorite of the bunch.

How dark this book turned out to be is what shocked me the most, so don’t go in expecting your normal young adult fantasy. My emo soul isn’t one to be squeamish, so it wasn’t hard for me to get past, but I know others might have trouble with it. I was also very confused through the first several chapters. There are a lot of players in this story from the very beginning and my brain kept confusing everyone and tried to make connections that weren’t there. Once I let myself relax into it, I was fine, but it took me a hot minute to acclimate myself.



FINAL WORD

This book definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. By the end, I was able to get lost in the story and the characters, but it definitely took me a little while to enjoy it.

The Laughing Listener
February 2020
Format: Ebook
Story Rating: 3 Confused Stars



Okay… Okay. I don’t even know where to start with this. And I genuinely don’t understand my feelings about it, but am attempting to write a review anyway. The cover of this book randomly popped up on my Pinterest feed one day and I was so intrigued, I looked it up. When it comes to pretty covers, I’m powerless, and there’s no denying that this one is kinda awesome. The goodreads page is chock-full of five star reviews (which I seriously don’t understand now????) and the ebook was only $1, so I went for it.

When I started reading this I immediately thought “Man, this is pretty fucked up.”

Then I read a few more pages and thought again “Seriously, this is fucked up.”

And I did that repeatedly until I finished reading the entire damn thing. Now I’m helpless against it’s pull because I’m absolutely 100% going to read the next one and I NEED to find out how this ends. But would I call this book “good” and recommend it to loved ones?? Hell to the no. It’s a dystopian romance and if those two things sound like they don’t go together, it’s because they don’t.

I’m trying to pinpoint what it was about this that pulled me in because despite all my smack talk, I read this thing lightening fast in one sitting and couldn’t put it down. And I think it was the premise. In this universe, everyone starts having nightmares about the four horsemen of the apocalypse on the same day with the date April 23 ominously shown in the background of every dream. The pressure of the oncoming armageddon eventually unravels society and everyone loses their fucking minds.

Now is the time for **trigger warnings** because when I say everyone loses their fucking minds, I mean it. They LOSE THEIR FUCKING MINDS. Gangs run the streets and the local stores, there’s a rave/orgy in one of the local libraries, rape is an accepted risk of stepping out in public, guns are shot off willy nilly, and our protagonist gets the crap kicked out of her for trying to take a pill in a fast food restaurant. It was like watching a train wreck or the Kardashians and I couldn’t look away.



But despite all of… THAT… I was super intrigued by the dreams and the four horsemen. I kept reading to find out what would happen on April 23 and then was pleasantly surprised at the twist that happens at the end. The kind of cliffy ending has ensnared me, so hats off to the author for writing this bear trap of a novel and guaranteeing my money for the sequels.



One thing is for certain, I DEFINITELY didn’t keep reading for the weird and awkward romance between these two very dysfunctional people. This book literally takes place over the span of three days and they act like they’ll be together for eternity. I get that therapists probably aren’t very common during the apocalypse, so maybe avoid throwing yourself into a toxic codependent relationship until the end of the world thing passes?? Just a thought.

FINAL WORD

I cannot in good faith recommend this book to anyone. Proceed with EXTREME caution because if you’re like me, you won’t be able to stop once you start. Then again, I kind of need someone to read this and commiserate with. PLEASE SAVE ME.

The Laughing Listener
February 2020
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Maria Liatus
Length: 9 hours & 31 minutes

Story Rating: 4.5 Stars
Performance Rating: 3 Stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

I’m not gonna lie to you, I started reading this solely because I was promised a disaster Hufflepuff, something *very* on brand for me.


Find the tweet here

Literally any excuse to read about puffs and I’m there. I went into this with no expectations, not even bothering to read the blurb and pretty unfamiliar with the inspiration text [b:The Count of Monte Cristo|7126|The Count of Monte Cristo|Alexandre Dumas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309203605l/7126._SY75_.jpg|391568]. Still, I felt pretty confident that I knew exactly what direction this book was going from the beginning, but I’m pleased to say that the story took a few turns that caught me completely off guard and I loved it!

There’s a twist towards the beginning-ish and a couple towards the end and I didn’t see any of them coming, which was awesome. But the characters are really what make this book and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. Amaya is a rage queen who wants to tear the whole world down and I was vibing with it.


This gif vs. Amaya = Same Energy

And Cayo. UGH. My little disaster puff with the fabulous fashion flair and giant heart. I LOVE HIM OKAY?? NO ONE HURT MY FELLOW PUFFBALL.



I had so much fun following this story and I’m so curious to see how the next book plays out! Seriously have no idea what direction this plot is going in and I absolutely LOVE IT.

FINAL WORD

TWO THUMBS WAY UP FAM. If you’re looking for a fun adventure with awesome characters, this is definitely the book.


#1 ↦ [b:Scavenge the Stars|42248816|Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars, #1)|Tara Sim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551991682l/42248816._SY75_.jpg|65856486] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ [b:Untitled|42249037|Untitled (Scavenge the Stars, #2)|Tara Sim|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|65856780] ↦ ????

The Laughing Listener
November 2019
Format: Hardback & Audiobook
Narrator: Will Patton *Weeps with joy at his return*
Length: 13 hours & 45 minutes

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

“This is going to be a story about the Lynch brothers. There were three of them, and if you didn’t like one, try another, because the Lynch brother others found too sour or too sweet might be just to your taste.”

After impatiently anticipating this book for almost two years, I finally finished it last week and have taken the days since to try and organize my thoughts into actual coherent sentences. Reader, I was unsuccessful. I don’t even know where to start. I remember reading a tweet from Maggie a while back that talked about how different this series is from The Raven Cycle and man, she wasn’t lying. This book was a complete departure from its predecessors, but I still ended up loving it with my whole heart.

Trying to describe this story to others has been next to impossible. For a while I used the term “slow burn” to describe the plot, but that got confusing because everyone thought I was talking about a romance. Then I tried using the word “suspense,” but that didn’t really fit either. Now I just stammer a lot and say phrases like “low key intense.” This book was way more mature than The Raven Cycle and hovered in a limbo space between young-adult and regular fiction, which I really loved. Ronan is older, his problems are older, I’m older… So it was really great seeing that reflected in the text. But as a reader, I was VERY aware that this was a book about dreamers. I mean, literally ANYTHING is possible in this universe and that created a low level of tension and anxiety that hummed deep beneath the surface of the plot. I had to read this in short bursts over a longer period of time just to give myself mental breaks.

By the time I reached the end, I was actually really sad it was over. I just wanted to wrap myself in a little Call Down the Hawk cocoon and never come out again.



“‘Everyone thinks their world is the only one. A flea believes a dog is the world. A dog believes the kennel is the world. The huntsman thinks his country is the world. The king believes the globe is the world. The farther out you get, the wider you get, the higher you get, the more you see you have misunderstood the bounds of what is possible. Of what is right and wrong. Of what you can truly do. Perspective, Ronan Lynch.’”

Ronan Lynch has got to be one of my favorite fictional characters—hell, maybe my absolute favorite—and I ADORED being inside his brain like this and seeing him at the center of his own story. I can’t entirely put my finger on what it is about him that I love so much, but I feel like him and I see the world in very similar ways. And if you had told me at the end of [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573508485l/17675462._SY75_.jpg|18970934] that one day I would want to lay my life on the line for Declan Lynch’s happiness, I would have LAUGHED and referred you to my therapist. Yet HERE WE ARE. As the oldest, Declan has been taking care of his two younger brothers the best he can—HE’S TRYING HIS BEST AND DESERVES THE WORLD OKAY?!? Seeing his interactions with Matthew did something mushy and gross to my heart.



And OF COURSE Maggie Stiefvater was masterful in her atmospheric prose and the way she framed this story. I spent the first half of this book in a state of carefully constructed confusion that unraveled so well as the plot progressed. All of the separate puzzle pieces only come together by the very very last page and GOD DAMMIT I need the next book. It’s obvious that the story arc over the entire trilogy is going to be epic and I’m so excited to see where this crazy ride goes.

“‘You want me to trust you? Save her. Really save her. It’s going to mean telling her what you are. It will cost you emotionally.’
‘Did it cost you to save me?’
There was a long silence. The mist shimmered darkly in the trees. The rain sighed.
Bryde said finally, ‘You are the most expensive thing I have ever saved.’”

By the way, if anyone out there is concerned about reading The Raven Cycle before reading this, you don’t have to. Seriously, you don’t. I feel like a lot of authors falsely promise that these days. But I was actually shocked at how independent this book operates away from its predecessors. I think you’ll have a deeper appreciation for the story and characters if you read The Raven Cycle first, but they definitely aren’t required.

FINAL WORD

This book is indescribably good. If you loved The Raven Cycle, or even if you haven't read them and want a new brand of fantasy, this book is on another level. It’s slower paced, but somehow doubly intense and I loved every friggin’ second. BOOK TWO PLEASE.

#1 ↦ Call Down the Hawk ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#2 ↦ [b:Untitled|31373233|Untitled (Dreamer #2)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|52062093] ↦ ????
#3 ↦ [b:Untitled|31373240|Untitled (Dreamer #3)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|52062110] ↦ ????

______________________________ .

THERE'S A COVER.
THERE'S A TITLE.
THERE'S A RELEASE DATE.
AM I BREATHING???