Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this so much more than I actually did. The themes of oppression, identity, and survival were pervasive and well developed. Even though it was a bit of a slow first half, I did like that so much time was spent on world building. The second half was fast paced and made me feel like I couldn't pause or take a break. However, the romance fell really flat to me. There were so few relationship building moments that the change from hate to love or even hate to trust felt stilted between our main characters. I think the world politics were shown very clearly, and the magic system was pretty developed but the connection to the characters could’ve been built up more fully.

This hooked me from the moment I began reading. The prologue was a masterful set up. Part one was fantastic, it was gross and descriptive and I loved it. Part two fell flat though. I love multiple POV's but all of the characters didn't get the development time they deserved.I loved the comparisons to horror staples like The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but ultimately, the ending didn’t feel as strong as the opening did, and I found myself wanting for something by the end of the novel.

This was truly a sweet story. It makes its way into your heart and sits there. Ove reminds me of my grandpa– always complaining, kind of mean, but always justifies being kind as a sort of self-interest. This is my first Backman novel and his writing style is witty and charming and devastating. Ove talking about his wife made me tear up every time. This is on my reread list and I will definitely not be making this my last Backman novel. 

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

After reading Don't Let the Forest In, I was super excited for what Drews came up with in their sophomore book, and they didn't disappoint. This was a ride for sure. I love gothic, botanical horror/mystery. Drews has a way with flowery prose that just builds the creepy atmosphere, permeating every part of the story. I wish that there was more explored in Laurie and Evander's relationship though. I feel like it went from dislike/mistrust to codependency in 0.5 seconds and while I understand based on the ending, I just wish more had been built between them. Overall, it was a great YA gothic horror, with stunning illustrations and a unique plot.

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

This was another case of interesting premise, shitty execution. Nothing happens for the first 25% except introductions. Then the plot becomes a mix of Saw and fucked up Charlie and the Chocolate factory. The rooms felt very samesy and lacked distinction, which was strange because the author loved using simile in the beginning to describe the characters. I wish the magical realism of a living, hungry, house had been expanded on and used more. I didn't like any of the characters, which was half the point, but the person we're meant to root for has no defining character growth or arc and the unreliable narrator bit was half baked. I was expecting more based on the synopsis.

Caitlin Starling is definitely an author that gets better the more she writes. I was hoping that I would enjoy this as much as I had loved The Starving Saints but I found that the pacing was off and I didn't feel engaged in the story until the second half. Honestly, I wish that the tension had been built throughout the story, rather than focusing the first third on corporate life because in the end, both the climax and resolution felt disappointing and unsatisfying.

This is everything I love in a horror novel. Horror is usually a device to explore complex themes, and that is absolutely the truth here. Bad Cree is the exploration of grief and loss, family and forgiveness. The plot is very unique, the atmosphere created kept me on edge the whole time. Mackenzie was such a compelling main character and I can empathize with her a lot. I was hoping for a little bit more from the climax, but overall, this was a really good horror story.

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

This was fun but nothing incredible. Few things I loved: Clia, the dmc is autistic, and Ronan, the mmc, has chronic pain! The story was queer normative! I think the premise of Legally Blonde but at a war college was really fun and overall, mostly well done. However, I don't think the overarching military plot was well executed. It was predictable, the antagonists didn't have clear motives and I think it could've been more involved, rather that waiting until halfway through to bring it to the forefront of the story. The  romance also fell flat a little bit. I would've bought into it more if it had been developed more throughout the story, rather than just a few scenes of them training, and mentions of them studying together. I also don't think the author knew if they wanted to write a romcom or YA fantasy because the tone drastically changes between the first and second halves of the story. The writing style also read more like YA than adult, even though the book was classified as adult. Overall though, it was a solid debut and I had fun while reading.

I honestly really preferred this to Tender is the Flesh. Bazterrica is a master at portraying post climate collapse world and societies. This was so eery and the tone was set from the very beginning. I loved how the story is presented as a series of journal entries and the way that the narrator gave more context, not only of the world "now" but how it was when she was a child, and even things that her mother and grandfather had experienced. I loved the little and big acts of rebellion, including how the narrator fell in love, as well as the ambiguous ending.