A fun and good book.

Spoiler

As I was talking about it to a friend, I realized that I enjoyed the main characters more when they were separate. Becoming star-crossed lovers just made them less interesting to me as that's ALL they became.

Honestly, the best character and my favorite romance in this was Poppet and Bailey!
Definitely a well written (and well spoken audio) book full of magic and dreams and fun for all your senses!

2.75 stars because I am not a reader of romance or cozy mysteries. At least, this felt pretty tame so I'm gonna call it "cozy".
This came from a reading list for X-Files fans and while this was slightly like the episode "Quagmire" and there is a female MC and a man who hired her who's a nearby island's police chief, this ain't no Mulder and Scully in the FBI.
The writing is a bit simple, it's easy to follow, and good for those who want a mystery with a hint of possible cryptid: this is your Cryptid LaQroix mystery. Enjoy!

2.5 stars.
A vampire detective?! Sign me up!
Except, he's more like a lone wolf that does side jobs for different vampire groups that are divided among Manhattan and feels more like he does side jobs for different gangs and mafias so he can stay lone and free and alive (...well, undead).
Definitely has the feel of a detective noir, and the bit of the audiobook I listened to made it sound even more so. But it's violent. It's full of gangs and getting people to talk and blood and gorey descriptions. All fine by me. Not my fave but it's fine. Now sexual abuse and rape and especially of minors...I was very uncomfortable with that and thus my low rating. The mystery of who was making the zombies and what was escaping Joe's detection kept me reading until the end, so it's got that going for it, but I think I'll stop here with book one. Sorry Joe Pitt, you're not my type of vampire detective.

4.5
I really enjoyed this book! I was scared because there was a character index at the beginning, and (unbeknownst to me) a map on the first pages as well. These are two things that scare me away from a book. Also, this is part of a series. Angie does not enjoy series as much as she used to.
And yet! I loved this book! The strength lies in its characters which are all fantastic and have faults and changes and growth (maybe?). No one really feels like a villain because we hear the story through the four MCs POV in this, but if I were just any regular Joe Xmo? I wouldn't be so happy with these characters' use of power and motives!
Great world building and fantasy, I'm always going to be happy to read anything set in Pre-Columbian Maya and especially their mythology!
Definitely gonna read the next book on audio as well. It helped me that the four MCs are done by four different voice actors and the pronunciation of certain names was very helpful!

A very very cute graphic novel with some great representations for disabilities and I'm gonna say gender-fluidity.
Wonderful, colorful art with some fantastic expressions, I think anyone of all ages would have fun with this graphic novel full of family and adventure!

I feel like I need to re-read these. I was like "am I supposed to know what [REDACTED] is???" and panicked that something had happened in Network Effect that I was supposed to remember. Thankfully, no. You will get an explanation. But still, I want to re-read these in one fell swoop because, like most books I have to wait a year or two for the next book in the series, I forget an awful lot and it takes me a while to remember who's who. I mean, I remember the important characters, like Murderbot and ART. How can anyone forget them?! And this series is always so fun I don't think I'd mind a re-read! Now to only find the time...

A horror book that is subtle and horrific in it's slow build and instances that are unsettling. Plus, twins. Twin girls that are about 6. They don't do anything creepy like kill, but they're disturbing enough. For someone without kids who doesn't want them, kids who act strangely and make life difficult are always a good, stressful, horror factor.

I kept on being reminded of the Paranormal Activity series when you learned about the coven. Not quite what is happening here but definitely a similar feel!

I think this has been my favorite book so far in the Wayfarer series! I am in love with each and every character in this book! No one writes books that make me happy quite like Becky Chambers does! <3

Also, the author is the master at filling her books with characters that are so alien and yet so relatable and issues we face right here on our little planet right now: PTSD and war veterans, a woman's body is her own and what she does with it (or doesn't do with it) is her own choice, you can still be friends but have opposing viewpoints, not everyone's culture is the same as yours and it benefits everyone when you learn about another's cultures and beliefs, someone who is physically disabled may not move around the same as you but they are not helpless and perfectly capable of achieving great things, and age is relative!

3.75 stars. An amusing book that reads like a James Bond-esque parody that includes villains, secret volcano lairs, cats and dolphins. It's a fun, short book with enough action and intrigue to keep the pages turning and stay entertained.

I did feel Charlie went from clueless and bumbling to quick-thinking and smart a little too quick

Spoiler

but I guess that can be explained by it wasn't really him making his plans work but the few people that knew all about Jake's secret secret plan to end the Convocation

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BEST BOOK OF 2023

Do you like murder mysteries? Did you attend high school as a female in the late 90's-early 2000's? Are you ready to unlock your feminist rage?

Even if you answered "no" to all of those questions READ THIS BOOK!