"Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker" is the saddest poem I've ever read in my goddamn life. And I cry at a lot of poems.

The unbearably bad quartet finally comes to an end. Stacey is once again the dumbest person alive: failing all her classes, tormenting people she claims to care about, sleeping entire days away after taking way too many tranquilizers, being a total dick and a sadsack at the same time (which is almost impressive). I hate that there was only one scene with Drea and Chad and it was them being mean to each other, and Stacey just goes "oh but it's okay because they're meant to be" no, Stacey, they are terrible for each other, and if you weren't so self-involved you would notice that. The "twist" about Jacob was right out of a soap opera.

What a disappointment after the fun and silliness of the first book. You barely get to see Coal, Hex, or Iris, and they're instead replaced by the piece-of-shit love interest and his family. From his first introduction, Loch is abrasive, rude, and condescending. Kris himself is self-loathing and insecure, and the combination makes me cringe. (Also, I fucking hate when the love interest is constantly trying to feed the main character.) This was painful to listen to and I don't believe in their romance. Non spoiler, but I also really hate that at the end Kris is ready to ditch an important event just to get laid. That is not the energy we are having in 2025. Also,

I don't care what his intentions were at the beginning, Loch slept with Kris while he was stealing magic from Christmas, and that's unforgivable.

These really are so bad. None of these people act like friends or romantic partners, they're just all dicks to each other on every single page. This one had a decent-ish twist but it doesn't make up for the awful writing.

Actually cannot believe how bad this is. The entire first book Stacey is pining over Chad and this entire book she ignores him and he gets back together with Drea? And then she falls for a guy she is scared of for 97% of the book [that's not even a spoiler it's stupidly on the blurb]? And she is still awful to Drea and Amber, and Drea is awful to her, and they keep saying they're best friends? Painful.

Made it 5 hours in to the audio but I'm too bored to continue.

I don't think I've read another YA where all the female characters were so mean to each other; I genuinely could not believe Stolarz was trying to convince me that these girls were friends. They also acted like 19-year-olds, not 16-year-olds with regards to sex and dating. And don't even get me started on the bedwetting sheets drama -- why wouldn't she just go to the nurse (who she does go to in the story for other reasons) and get adult diapers? Or run into town and get them? Such stupid tension with all the laundry.

I read the deluxe spellbook edition which included a self-congratulatory interview with the author and a handful of poems/spells from readers. I love poetry, but I would have liked more spells and no poetry; the poems didn't fit the vibe and all were forgettable.

Beautiful writing and realistic characters and a fascinating overlay of magic onto real history. 

So impressed by this follow up. It's really hard for a sequel to pack the emotional punch of the original, especially in a story like this, but Schrefer nails it.

I will never stop weeping over Ambrose and Kodiak finding each other in every iteration. UGH. MY HEART.