shereadytoread's Reviews (806)

This was a book with a super interesting premise and very dark horror for YA. My biggest complaint was the POVs in the story. It is told from the 1st person POV of each of the 4 characters. However, their voices were not distinct enough to fully separate one from the other. In addition they spend the large majority of the book together so you are switching POVs within the same scene just to get some internal thinking. I would have loved this book with a 3rd person omniscient narrator or just sticking with the POV of our “villain” character throughout for the secret background. The other characters have very little to add as most of the secrets are held by one character so their POVs didn’t reveal much for me. 

The body horror, gore and imagery was really good. It is a slight emotional/romantic subplot but it isn’t the main focus of the story and didn’t take away from the dark parts of the book. 

DISCLOSURE: I received a gifted ARC and eARC from the publisher. No review was required and all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book, but I did feel like it lacked direction a bit. To be fair, the author himself recognizes uncertainty in writing the book and in the direction that his “social experiment” took. While I think the author’s cause is very noble and he was seeking to do (and in many ways did) a wonderful thing, the other struggles a bit to reckon with the potential and actual harm that some of his guests faced. He does own up to making poor decisions and is very reflective in the ways that he has at times perpetuated the same concepts that he is now fighting against. I wanted to see a bit more care given to the effects on the guests themselves and further work in preventing that same potential harm in the future. 

Overall, I think this book has a lot of wonderful things to say and points to make about how we engage in community with those with whom we fundamentally disagree. As we live in an increasingly polarized world, it becomes impossible to fully avoid or cut off anyone that disagrees with us, even if they are actively harming us or other members of our community, they are still a part of that community. It asks a lot of questions about how we balance justice, safety and the need to move forward. 

This author never claims to be a professional organizer, therapist or advocate, which is at times a strength and at times a weakness for the book. It approaches the concepts but doesn’t have the real language to fully explore them or offer many tangible paths forward on the larger questions; but it does offer some small approachable steps when dealing with strangers.

I received a free printed copy from the publisher. No review was required and all thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed the twist in this one!

The art style in this is beautiful and it is such a unique concept. Great story.

This was an adorable magical fantasy. The magic system of enchanting was really nice and the different businesses working into their lives was great. Some genuinely creepy moments but not quite MG horror. 

I love the recipes throughout the story as well! 

This book follows the author's difficulty with grieving after she discoveries secrets about her husband after his death, from infidelity to substance use to undisclosed debts. The author details the cognitive dissonance of her feelings for her husband and her newfound knowledge. Overall it was very well-written, easy to follow and really engaging. My only difficulty with this book was the last few chapters seemed a bit disjointed from the rest of the narrative, as we move further from his passing, the story doesn't connect as well as it did for the majority of the book.

Disclosure: I received a free print copy of this book from the publisher. No review was required and all opinions are my own.

This book was an interesting foray into adult dark academia for me. The magic system was very unique and interesting. The book had a lot more direct action than I expected. It is pretty violent as far as my experience with dark academia. It is not a book with a lot of (read: any) likeable characters. The point that no one is good is drilled home over and over. The book did well as far as plot twists without having specific misdirects. 

Lennon our main character seems to lack drive or will which makes her a bit difficult to root for in most of the book. The romantic subplot was well done and well-woven into the story, but I wasn't a fan of the relationship itself. The mystery of the school and its existence developed well and built over the book. It is very character driven to start, and then we end up in the mystery plot.

Disclosure: I received a free eARC and print copy of the book. No review was required and all opinions are my own. 

This is a DARK collection of stories. They are very visceral, violent and striking. I would have enjoyed the collection more but too many of the stories were open-ended for my preference. They touch on a variety of themes like immigration, assimilation, religion, abuse and more. 

Definitely check the trigger warnings on this one!

This was a great in-depth look at Blaxploitation cinema. It orients us to the film industry for black creatives prior to blaxploitation films, how they came to be, the full history of the blaxploitation era, and then the fall of it. It was well researched, easy to follow and I think you could enjoy it even if you've never seen or heard of a blaxploitation film before. I purchased the hardcover myself and then received a free audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley. It is read by the author and he does a great job. 

I definitely recommend this one if you have any interest in the subject and want to learn more. 

I liked this graphic novel. It's sweet and the art was bright and cute. I have never read the original "Emma" but I have seen other contemporary takes on the story and I think this falls in line. Our main character is able to recognize the error of their ways but also how they avoid their own feelings by overinvesting in others. I would recommend this one. 

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher.