I'm not even sure I have the words to describe how great this was. Chloe Benjamin has woven a tale that's ethereally beautiful, and devastatingly sad, without being fluffy or saddening. She tells the tale of the Gold children's lives as they unfold after learning their dates of death as children. It is a story of love and loss and choices and chance occurrences, and family; the things that separate us and the things that bring us together. Benjamin has managed to tell a story that's surreal and yet entirely realistic all at once. I'd call this one a 2018 must-read.

I received a copy of this book through the Penguin First-to-read program. I didn't have to review it but I did because I liked it.

I'm not even sure how to describe this or how I felt about it. It's a fantasy novel set in a world where sins are eaten by the aki, an underclass of people living in Kos. The sins eaten by the aki manifest themselves as tattoos on their skin, making it very obvious who are aki, and how many sins they've eaten. Tochi Onyebuchi takes this concept and weaves a world and a story that is beautiful and complex and devastating all at once. Onyebuchi imagines the power dynamics and struggles that might come from a society that operates this way, as well as the potential for revolution and the catalysts for change. The result is simply amazing, and there better be a second book!

This was so lovely. The imagery throughout was both very real, and very ethereal. A great example of a fairy tale retelling done right.

First of all, can we have a Saga Bauer series? Or at least a follow-up? I'd take a prequel, even.

Okay, on to the review.

This was twisted and creepy from page 1, right down to the very last page. I don't know how the husband & wife team comprising Lars Kepler comes up with it but damn. This book is the poster child for page-turner. Here are some highlights:
1. Fast-paced plot, which still took time to flesh out characters, by making the chapters pretty short.
2. Who would have thought that a Scandinavian crime thriller could be so diverse? The authors use names and short descriptions of characters to make sure that you know that everyone in this book isn't blond-haired and blue-eyed.
3. Two amazing main characters, and a very, very creepy villain. Lots of side characters with little details and anecdotes to bring them to life.
4. All the twists and turns and WTF moments you could ever want. The hits just keep coming, so don't even try to catch your breath.

I received a copy of this book through the Penguin First to Read program. I was not obligated to review but I did because HOLY CATS IT'S GOOD.

I read this to get perspective from people who don't want kids, since I don't have that many people in my life who have explicitly stated that they don't want kids. I really enjoyed the variety of perspectives in the collection. One thing that was kind of off-putting was that there seemed to be a thread of bitterness/anger running through all of the writers' essays, but this could have been something I noticed because they are writing about views that are quite opposite to mine on the issue of parenthood. Also, several writers did mention having to keep explaining their choice to friends and family and random strangers, which would make anyone sound bitter after a while.