The world building was a tad too messy and vague for me to become fully invested in the book. I thought the choice to not include Hestia or Hades in any  way was really odd, especially since it was never stated why they didn't rebel against Zeus with the others, nor what they were doing instead of being in the Agon. I just wanted to know where all the heavy hitters were and their lacking presence just ate away at the back of my mind the entire book.

The conclusion was a bit muddled since

where exactly did the gods that didn't sacrifice themselves end up? The shores of Styxx? Just in limbo? What happens to them? I think the point was to be mysterious and cryptic, but honestly, I just wanted a resolution, especially with a standalone.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book made any lasting mark on me. Its characters were a bit basic for this kind of story, which is fine, but doesn't really help it stand out. On the whole, a little disappointing since I enjoyed Bracken's Passenger duology.

A meaningful story that explores a woefully underrepresented moment in history, what with the presentation of Indigenous residential schools, treatment of WWI vets, and culture/credos of those that rode the rails. The pacing went off a little bit at the end, leading to a rushed conclusion to a story that seemed relatively well plotted until the second half. I've read somewhere that there are a few inaccuracies when it comes to Bruchac's depiction of Creek culture, such as mispronunciations of the language as well as how Creek stomp dances are performed, so this keeps me from giving the book a full endorsement. Still, I found Cal's story really interesting and engaging as he tries to navigate between the two sides of himself.

I just couldn't settle into this world. Nothing was happening for long periods of time and, even when something exciting did happen that made me want to keep reading, it fizzled out immediately. Nothing about the characters gripped me, and the romance came on too quick. Not worth investing my time in a 500+ page book that doesn't interest me.

Definitely not the most engaging book in the DC Icons lineup. Sarah J Maas' writing style is very hot and cold with me, as I wasn't a big fan of A Throne of Glass and only have a passing interest in her Court series. The girl gang aspect was really fun and it was neat to see a team up between Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn, but it was probably the only enjoyment I got out of the book.

Luke had the potential to be an interesting adversary to Selina if he wasn't so inept and dull. The majority of the book is her constantly one upping him at every turn, making him look like the most incompetent member of the Bat family. I applaud Maas for trying to bring some notoriety to a lesser known character, but making him lose at every turn just to show how amazing Selina is really does him a disservice. 

As for the twist, eh. Could take it or leave it. 

If you're looking for an epic, highly detailed fantasy with a rich setting and a cast of deep, complex characters, well, you're not exactly going to find it here, but there is a charm in this book's simplicity. It was nice to not have to keep in mind twenty different character names or constantly refer to a map when seeing where locations were in relation to each other. It's the kind of book where you can just turn your brain off and just be entertained by a dark fairy tale.

The writing is not especially noteworthy with the author constantly reusing certain phrases and crafting plot twists you could spot for a mile away, but the overall vibes and dynamics between the characters sort of put all that in the background for me. I liked Cerys' and Fox's awkward relationship that grows over time. They have a great back and forth banter that makes their interactions really engaging, even if she constantly threatens to turn him into a hat. The bone eaters are effectively spooky and really nail being an intimidating, looming threat.

Naturally, I was a bit frustrated at a few plot elements that went unresolved, such as the source of Cerys' power and the exact aftermath of the climax. Other than that, this was a perfectly okay read. Nothing phenomenal, but it did hold my interest. There are two epilogues that hint at possible continuations following other characters in the book and, if Poston ends up following through on either of them, I would probably check them out out of curiosity. 

There are stories that expertly intertwine their stories with a sense of humor that accent the story, giving it it's own vibe and charm. And then there's ones like Kill the Farm Boy where the humor IS the story, which is a problem when you find the majority of the jokes painfully unfunny. I'm not a big fan of body humor and some of the jokes drag on for far too long, case in point, the chapter long dick joke with the forced breeding implications.

Yeah, kind of hard to go on after that. This story is bound to appeal to someone's sense of humor, it's just not going to be mine.