It's a shame I didn't pick up this series as a kid, seeing as my tomboy self would have loved Alanna. She's a little brash, quick to anger, but has a strong sense of honor and fairness. She has so many moments of doubt but perseveres through her own determination and the bonds she has made with her friends. On that note, the amount of loyalty the other boys have towards her was just amazing. Good vibes all around.

This book proved to be WAY more readable than its predecessor. Don't get me wrong, I liked Gospel of Loki just fine, it's just I had heard all the myths the book highlighted so it just read like a greatest hits album at certain points. Seeing Loki interact with the modern day in a form not his own, as well as the less stoic tone of the narration, makes it easier to engage with. The second half veers into a somewhat abstract, complex direction, but that didn't really hurt my enjoyment of the story.

Loving the rise of trans/non-binary characters in science fiction.

I've never been a fan of those stores with endless aisles and multiple distractions that are meant to keep you within the store for as long as possible. They feel like uncomfortable, liminal spaces and that vibe is definitely on display here along with a healthy dose of anticapitalism. So, really, it's the whole package.

Really looking forward to the sequel!

Though the majority of the book feels like your standard fetch quest, it really shines in the last 1/3 with an engaging climax and an ending that probably isn't what a reader wants, but what they need. It really made reading the book worthwhile and I'm glad to see more of these kinds of endings.

Also kudos for the great 1920s Mexican setting along with the use of Mayan mythology, which I see so rarely when it comes to mythic stories. 

Wow, just wow, this is one hell of a debut.

Going into it, I had already some familiarity with the legends of King Arthur, though I wouldn't say I'm a diehard fan. Given the book's length, I was worried about losing interest, but Tracy Deonn has done an astounding job of reimagining these mythic figures through a modern lens that is amazingly fresh and lends to some engaging insight on how we view lineages, inheritances, and how our connections to the past affect our futures.

Bree's trauma and grief towards her mother's death, something that follows her throughout the story, is startingly genuine, which makes sense as Deonn mentions she pulled a lot of inspiration from her own life. You can feel the myriad of emotions Bree is trying to process, as they are put so elegantly on the page. The rawness is what really got me, the anger at a seemingly tangible, yet unseeable force that took away her mother.  Her journey shows how complex and overwhelming these feelings can be, and I'm glad it's such an important and layered aspect of her development.

I was also pleasantly surprised at all the normalized queer representation in the book. We have characters that are gay, lesbian, bisexual and nonbinary, and they are simply allowed to exist without their identities being their sole character trait. I would say Greer, the nonbinary character, is the only one whose identity is especially dwelled upon, but it is meant to give Bree a fellow comrade in the experience of "getting into spaces that weren't originally made for them." I know this is weird to say, but I'm also glad there's a moment where Greer unintentionally makes a microagression towards Bree and rightfully gets called out, showing that even if you're also a marginalized person, you're still capable of doing harm to other marginalized peoples.

While the pace is somewhat slow at points, it all culminates in one of the most gripping, tense, and shocking climaxes I've read in a long time. There were literally points where I had to stop and just think about what happened. Sure, it could probably read as too much going on too fast, but really I was just getting more and more amped as it went along. 

Even though I really enjoyed the story, its characters, and themes, I think I have to give it a 4.5 because some of the world-building was a little too complex for me. I don't have the mind to understand family trees or lineages or how the transfer of power works within the Order. Other than that, this is a solid read and one that I urge fantasy lovers to pick up immediately.

This first installment of the Murderbot series may be simple at times, but boy was it fun to read. I really loved the fact our main character has the capability of being an unstoppable killing machine, but chooses instead to watch endless amounts of television and generally avoid any human contact. Relatable.

Listen, if there's one trope that gets my attention more than any other, it's a magical circus. Circuses just fit so well within the fantasy genre that the vibes both give off just mesh so well. Combine that with the Phantom of the Opera-esque story and, voila, a book I gladly run to pick up.

While the pacing of this book can be a bit slow at times, and the "will they, won't they" romance gets dragged out for a little too long, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all engaging, Aaros being my favorite since I also love a good thief with a heart of gold and a lovable scamp attitude, and I was rooting for Kallia every step of the way. I really appreciated the Angeles kept Aaros and Kallia as platonic friends rather than going down the love triangle route. Love to see people of the opposite gender actually able to be good friends and respect each other without the expectation of an eventual romance getting in the way. Waters all my crops.

I would have liked to get a better sense of how magic works in this world. It's explanations felt a little paper thin, but maybe there will be a deeper dive into it in the next book.