This was such a wholesome middle grade graphic novel! We have a mom who moved her young daughter across the world for a new job and a shop that sells happy memories.

I love what this graphic novel represents and it's short, so it's hard to talk about it without spoilers. This story talks about both pre-teen emotions and adult ones, which I found refreshing. I loved how the author included her mother's feelings with the move and experiences in this.

My favorite part is what the book represents. We're talking about how complex feelings are and that 'negative' emotions don't have to be negative all the time. The message is very reminiscent of inside-out. The illustrations are simple, but pretty.

Reading this as a thirty year old woman still gave me the warm and fuzzies.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up, but I didn’t think it would be this funny. I went in blind since I thought the title said it all.

After horror and spooky books, I needed something festive and fun. This definitely fit the bill.

This is the second book I’ve read by Fredrik Backman, and I think I’m obsessed with him. A Man Called Ove is an ode to the curmudgeons in the world, the grumpy old men who think they know everything.

After losing his wife, Ove decides he no longer wants to be here. This is a book about several suicide attempts, all of which are rudely interrupted. Ultimately, this is a story about loss and the power of building relationships with other people. The blurb by People on the cover is accurate: I laughed, I cried, and I do feel like I have a deeper understanding of the curmudgeons in my life.

Ove is one of those characters that will stick with me for a long time and I’m grateful for the opportunity to read it. A huge thank you to Hanning Koch for translating this masterpiece and making it accessible for all of us English speakers.

I think I’m going to make my husband sit down and watch this movie with me tonight. I hope Tom Hanks does him justice.

So. I loved the first one. I rated it five stars and I was enamored by Xaden. However, I reread it in honor of this book's release and... did I have the flu? Was I that depressed? Or maybe I just wanted to love it... I don't know. Even my original review was vague. I'm embarrassed that I loved Fourth Wing that much the first time I read it and I'm grateful to Iron Flame's release because I reread it.

I got 75% of the way through Iron Flame before I put it down. If you didn't like the first book, or are on the fence about reaching for the second, you're not going to like this. Romantasy is a genre I adore, which is why the first one took over my life (I hadn't read a romantasy in a really long time before reading it and it reminded me that I do love this genre). I'm one of those people that grapples for the angst. I want the push and pull, especially in an enemies to lovers.

The first book had some of that tug of war action, but this one... is really fucking flat. I don't like high fantasy and politics, which is all this book is. The romance elements of this are nonexistent, except where the 'conflict' comes in.

Spoiler

Cat is Xaden's ex, so of course we're going to have tussles and jealousy and all of this crap. It's just so overused as a conflict when you have two main characters that are together and thriving. It sucks.

Also, Xaden is driving me crazy in this book. He calls Violent by her pet name, Violence, all the time. Multiple times per chapter. The sex scenes are cringy. The audiobook is terrible. I listen to audiobooks at 2x speed and the way that this narrator speeds up and slows down is frustrating for me. I'm constantly having to change the speed, which takes me out of the story. Not to mention that she narrates Violet as if she were a teenager. This was a problem for the first book, too, but since she was in school it didn't seem like a big deal.

Now we're onto the rebellion, so she needs to read more maturely... she doesn't. I'm so frustrated with this book because I desperately wanted to love it.

I need to find new romantasy books.

-- EDIT --

I reread this in anticipation for Iron Flame and... I think I was sick. I rated this book five stars and wrote the following review, but the reread was an entirely different experience.

One: I found the narration awful. She's incapable of picking a speed to read at and she made Violet sound like a child. Plus, this book reads like a YA novel in adult clothing.

Two: the chemistry between Xaden and Violet was not as great as I remember. I remember LOVING Riorson and he became a book boyfriend. Rereading it made me realize that there are so many great morally gray love interests in this genre. He's not written well.

Three: the best parts about this book were the dragons and the side characters (fucking love Rhi and her thing with Tara, as well as the rest of their group).

Spoiler

Liam's death authentically gutted me both times.

Four: the writing was just... bad. The worldbuilding with the war college doesn't make any sense, either. Like, if you're at war... why are you killing off so many cadets? I get it in some situations, but allowing a quarter of your students die off when they're needed for battle is a little... stupid? I don't know.

I didn't get it the second time around. I do feel grateful for the sequel because it forced me to reread this and see it with a different set of eyes.

-- ORIGINAL REVEIW --

Guys. I need the second book right now. I don't think I can wait until November. I haven't felt this way about a fantasy novel in a really long time and I feel a reading slump coming on because of it.

In this adult fantasy, we're following a first year as she navigates the brutal world of this elite war college as a dragon rider.

The romantic tension was amazing; Xaden is right up there with Rhys, in my opinion.
It's bloody, brutal, and will have you gasping for breath.
This book is nearly 500 pages and 22 hours long on audio, but it's addicting as fuck.
There is some spice, but it's not overwhelming and well written.
Here's my advice: don't get attached to anyone. Yarrows spills blood on each page.

This is where I gush about our main character, Violet: I love that she was raised to be a scribe, but proves to be a kickass dragon rider, despite her connective tissue disorder. There's some excellent representation, alongside modifications.

I also want to love on the magic system! I've never read anything like it and it's so interesting to read about. The magic is channeled through the connection a rider has with their dragon and develops in the shape of a signet, which matches who the rider is at their core. Because of that, everyone's magic is different. Super exciting to read about.

If you like a romantic fantasy with dragons and school settings... this is a must read.

This sweet fantasy is a hug in a book. It's advertised as high fantasy with low stakes and that's absolutely accurate. The plot and the problems the characters face have nothing to do with the fantasy world and are very human problems.

There's no quest for an enchanted mug and that was refreshing. Plus, there's coffee. We're following this ex-violent badass orc who decides she wants to leave her bloody past behind her and open a coffee shop in a new land. We watch as she builds from the ground up and makes friends along the way. The best part is that these townspeople have no idea what coffee is.

She gets to introduce them to the best drink on the planet and the response is magical because they do what I do with each cup I drink. They treasure it and their world is turned upside down. This book is an ode to coffee and I'm here for every minute of it.

I highly recommend the audiobook. It's narrated by the author and you can tell that he put a lot of heart and soul into his characters. It's also available on Scribd in the US, if you're interested.

I rarely give holiday romances a five star rating, but A Winter in New York had it all. Unlike a lot of holiday romances, the story went deeper than just a romance set during the Christmas season.

I loved how the holidays were a backdrop to the plot and character development instead of at the forefront. We're following a grief stricken main character as she struggles with discovering who she is after escaping an abusive relationship. We're also following the love story of our main character's mother and figuring out how the two romances intersect.

I felt like the romantic conflict was realistic and believable from both sides. Overall, it was a great winter romance that I'll be keeping on my shelf.

Maybe I've read too many sapphic romances, but this one fell super flat. The tropes were standard and the third act break up was predictable. The ending and reconciliation was predictable. If this is your first sapphic romance, you may enjoy it... but if you've read a whole bunch, I'd skip this one.