While this didn't hit me with the same emotional intensity as it did when I was in middle school, I still love this book. As an adult, I can see how heavy handed the symbolism is. I liked that Death, as the narrator, wasn't omniscient but rather told Liesel's story in her words, interspersed with his own observations. Now, the prose isn't the most complex but it made sense within the context. I think it's an interesting story that shows that even in the face of fascism, ordinary people still try to do good when and where they can.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I want to start by saying, I don't think this is adult fiction. It definitely feels more like YA content and with the age of Oriana, our main character.

Now, on to everything I adored. I ate this book up. Oriana was such a compelling main character. I loved the way the religion was explained, m and the distinction between the Day and Night aspects of the saints. I think the world building was impeccable. Dame Lena's characterization was so interesting because it was truly uncertain whether she did what she did for her gain or for Oriana's. I liked that Oriano served as her foil throughout every stage of her life, as a child, as a scholar, as a smith. I truly found that Lucerìa came to life, as well as the Market of the Dead and the Emistuchivio's forge. I think the themes woven throughout the narrative were well executed and communicated.

I do wish that we had seen more of Oriana's last conversation with Growler, or at least, more exploration of the topic of that conversation. I did like the twist at the end but at the same time, I wish there was more. I wanted to see even more of the under-earth, even more of the Secret Market of the Dead, as they only took up a small part of the story. I really loved the world the de Feo created and I will be keeping an eye out for what he does next.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I was so excited to read this after finding out the premise. Sharing your body with an eldritch god? Incredible. The execution? Not so incredible.

Now, I really enjoyed Huff’s writing style and I think the body horror aspects were done really well.

However, I think Huff was trying to accomplish too much at once. The plot was dragged down by a number of subplots and by the expansive cast of characters. The internal dialogue between TDF and Jennifer made it difficult to keep track of who was talking. Overall, I feel like this would’ve been better as a novella than a novel.

Perhaps I was misled by the synopsis, or had expectations after The Academy for Liars, but I didn’t realize this was going to YA until I was about 20 pages in. There was so much lacking in depth, Immanuel wasn’t a compelling character, Ezra was a predictable and flat love interest, and the witches of the Darkwood felt like caricatures, and they were who I was most excited for. Overall, I just wanted more from the writing, even after changing my expectations to YA.

I didn’t realize this was the second book was part of a a trilogy when I read it, but it doesn’t seem to rely too much on the first, because I was able to follow the plot. This was a book of three linked stories following Ray Carney years after he got out of jail for moving stolen goods, and after he was on the straight and narrow. Whitehead’s voice is so unique and I loved his writing style. Harlem is brought to life in Whitehead’s writing and it’s such an entertaining noir fiction. It feels old in a nostalgic way, like a heist movie from the 70s. I will definitely go back to read Harlem Shuffle before rereading this.

Johnson did a fantastic job of making an encompassing look into the politics surrounding Black hair in accessible language. I loved learning about the evolution of Black hair from the beginning of the US to now. I think all of the interviews, especially those from across the Black diaspora, helped move the work away from a solely US focused analysis. Johnson also covered so many topics from misogynist, the geopolitics and economics of Black hair, and hair as a form of protest. This may be my new favorite non fiction.

I was super excited for the release just to hate the book. The writing was more juvenile than I was expecting for an adult fantasy. I hated the insta love between Kai and Jadon. The plot was lacking and the pacing was so slow I kept losing interest. Then, when we did get a semblance of a plot, it would cut to Kai telling us what happened in between plot points. The premise is interesting but it wasn’t executed well at all. A lot of the book just felt corny and underwhelming.

This felt so similar to City of Bones at the beginning that I needed to check if I was reading the right book. Quell was the typical “not like other girls” fmc. Jordan was a one dimensional “shadow daddy” type love interest who I frankly didn’t care about. The pacing was erratic which almost made me DNF about 200 pages in. The writing felt more like the book was meant for middle grade not YA. The comp titles weren’t comparable at all. Everything about this felt stereotypical and dull.

Any book that can make me cry deserves five stars. The ending was a bit rough in comparison to the rest of the story, but even the loose ends and strange outcome to the mystery subplot didn't detract from the story for me. I liked that the teenage characters did teenager shit, especially considering they lived in a small town. Hammonds did a great job of covering themes like generational trauma cycles, racism, abuses, queerness, and acceptance. I'm glad I took the chance to read this and I will be recommending in the future.

Edit: On second thought, I’m lowering my rating because even though I did cry during the beach scene, the ending does piss me off a bit. I wish Jade got more resolution as well.

Henderson built a fantastic atmosphere in An Academy for Liars, and the premise was absolutely enthralling and persuasive (see what i did there), but the actual story missed the mark. The pacing was off throughout the story and once I made it through the slow parts, the action filled scenes felt too fast and didn't have any impact. The ending was fantastic and the reveal took me by surprise, which is a bit unusual for me. Lennon's character swapped between compelling and insufferable, and while I love a forbidden romance trope, the romance subplot fell flat and I found myself actively rooting against them. The prose was very strong, however, which definitely saved this for me.