Oh, Murderbot. Brilliant-yet-ignorant, sarcastic, awkward Murderbot. I adored Murderbot (who wouldn't?) but found myself distanced from the rest of the characters & overall mystery plot in this adventurous sci fi novella.

It was a fun story that doesn't ask a lot of the reader. The puzzle pieces all clicked together quite easily without much effort from our team of surveyors. And then Murderbot is inactive for the final resolution, so there's no fun action-y big battle or detailed conclusion there.

I would read more about Murderbot, so long as the character development continues. :) 

CW: violence, gun violence, death, murder, injury, blood, slavery

This Wicked Fate was everything I wanted in a sequel. Kalynn Bayron continues to gift us with the best elements from This Poison Heart: a brilliantly creative spin on Greek mythology, a unique magic system, delightful flora descriptions and language, and some sapphic love (especially great to see between older characters!).

The pacing was much stronger here; we're gently reminded of where things left off in the first book and then the clock starts ticking.

There are touching descriptions of grief and loss, and Bri has such a wonderful support system of family and loved ones that allowed her to navigate her pain.

I don't think I've ever read a Greek mythology-inspired story quite like this. I don't want to spoil it by revealing who we run into ... but be ready for some fun surprises and to rethink old myths in a new light.

One big ick (as I mentioned in my review of This Poison Heart): the massive immortal/mortal age gap. This just makes me uncomfy. If Marie + Bri were really two teenagers, their relationship would be beyond charming and healthy and lovely. But Marie is 300+ years old and that imbalance of wisdom and power really rubs me the wrong way. She is depicted with the maturity level of a 17 year old, so it is relatively easy to forget ...

I love a well-rounded duology and this was such a fun + adventurous read that I'd recommend to teens and adults alike.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and Storygram tours for sending a copy my way. :) 

CW: death/murder, death of a parent, grief, blood, gore, vomit, violence, kidnapping, mentions of child abuse & emotional abuse

I love stories that creatively integrate Greek mythology, and this was exactly that - what a cool premise & unique take on the history of Medea! 

What I liked:

What I didn't love:

Overall, I would recommend! 

CW: death of parent, death/murder, blood, violence, grief, medical content, child abuse

I simply don't have the words to do this novel justice. It's beautiful chaos; you have to let go & immerse yourself in the story and you'll find yourself following the threads almost without logic. This is a story of connection and longing and want. It's intimacy and love across space and time and sides of a forever war. It's easily the best love story I've ever read.

It hurt me and inspired me and I can't stop thinking about it.

“I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. Listen to me. I am your echo. I would rather break the world than lose you.”

“I have built a you within me, or you have. I wonder what of me there is in you.”

CW: death, violence, blood, body horror, torture, suicide, animal death, war, grief

Ooo, I loved this so much. Cemetery Boys is filled with charm and heart and humor. It's spooky and sweet. 

The world is so fresh and engaging and it is clear that the author has a deep love for their Latinx culture. We follow Yadriel, a trans teenage boy who desperately wants to be accepted by his traditional Latinx family as a brujo. His family has generationally passed down powers of communicating with the dead and healing the living – and these roles are strictly separated by gender.

Yadriel means to summon the ghost of his cousin .. but unexpectedly brings someone else back as a spirit. What follows is a coming of age journey with a sweet found family and a big splash of romance.

I thought the pacing was great and the writing was compelling.

I also enjoyed the inclusion of a vegan side character who is grappling with her beliefs/personal ethics alongside tradition. Super interesting!

CW: violence, blood, death, death of a parent, transphobia, deadnaming, grief, murder, racism, homophobia, car accident, animal cruelty

Okay. Let's start with the elements I enjoyed.

Smudge. 🐱 The tree scene, the cute kitty 'round the apartment moments, the conversations between Chloe and Smudge - all super cute. But don't steal someone else's pet. Lol.

Chloe's relationship with her sisters & family - sweet and caring and made me at least a little interested in their stories.

I felt that Red's past abusive relationship was integrated and handled with thoughtfulness. This added some much-needed depth to the story for me.

That's ... maybe ... it?

I know this is an own voices story re: chronic illness, and I don't want to diminish the author's personal experience with fibromyalgia or the inclusion of a main character with chronic pain. We need more stories with that rep.

However ... as an own voices reviewer, I really, really struggled here. With a lot of elements.

Chloe was fully described by her illness. It was her whole personality.

The plot was: sexy mindreading perfect man takes care of every single need for Chloe? Chloe pretty much explains nothing about her fibromyalgia to Red. But Red just FEELS her VIBES or whatever and knows about her symptoms instantly. He acts as a glorified caretaker instead of an equal and partner. 

At least he believes her.

She's also incredibly privileged. She works from home and creates her own schedule. She's given what seems to be an endless amount of medical remedies. The majority of folks do not have this access to this kind of treatment and also have to work every day (through intense pain) or risk not being able to support themselves.

Speaking of ... she medicates with opioids and even quips about having to elevate dosages because of her high level of tolerance. This is a pretty controversial issue (at least here in the US; I know this book is British) considering the huge risk for addiction AND as far as I know, it's not generally considered an effective treatment for fibromyalgia.

Chronic illness is complicated and sneaky and ebbs and flows with no warning at all. But Chloe is able to put on her pain patch and travel the world? 

Other things I didn't love:

I didn't buy the rapid fire development of their relationship or the chemistry. Red felt like a creep and Chloe was just so icy.

The banter was a little too cheesy for me. And the "steamy" language that was used was just ... too much of a cringefest for my personal taste. ALSO there's a moment where Chloe basically says her chronic illness makes sex better which is ... what?!?!?

CW: explicit sexual content, chronic illness, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, domestic abuse, physical abuse, car accident, near-death experience

As with most anthologies, it was a mixed experience. Some of the writing was so creative, and inclusive, and brilliant. There was one story with a poetic, immersive style that totally captivated me. Others were far weaker on plot/characters and tropey-ness. Overall, I loved the idea and ambition but wished for slightly better curation & editing of some of the stories. Also - some needed a bit more length.

A crow god, with a dark goal of vengeance. A mermaid siren captain who can speak to the seas. A Sun Priest navigating political deceit and betrayal. A rider of giant beasts. This is a GRIPPING epic fantasy inspired by the civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas.

We get 4 fascinating POVs (though one has far less content than the rest), each with vastly different backgrounds and motives and journeys, and most in opposition to each other. I was (painfully) rooting for them all! There isn't a clear "good vs. evil" storyline here, which I loved. Instead we dive deep into each character's morality and worldview - each POV has an incredibly distinct voice.

The pacing and worldbuilding were both excellent. There was some incredible detailed background work here – I really developed an understanding and appreciation for this epic fantasy world.

My biggest pain point was the ending. I don't mind a cliffhanger, but the arcs felt a little "off", with some POVs jolted away from the completion of their story. 

CW: death, blood, violence, child abuse, death of a parent, suicide, body horror, animal death, physical abuse, torture, homophobia

Sigh. This was a tough one for me - because in theory the premise was charming. The writing at times was sweet. We've got an interesting set up with the potential to open up deep discussions about mental health. But the actual content was .. just not that. And in fact was seriously problematic.

Some things I struggled with here:

There was potential here .. for something cozy and uplifting. It just didn't happen. 

CW: suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, death, child death, infertility, cheating, mental illness, racism, panic attacks, grief

This was a devastating, haunting, emotional whirlwind of a book. We follow 8th grader Claudia as she tries to unravel what has happened to her best friend, Monday (nobody else even acknowledges Monday's absence).

 Tiffany D. Jackson covers some hard hitting topics around community responsibility and child abuse and the many unexplained disappearances of Black children.

Monday's Not Coming is a young adult book and the main characters are teenagers, but I found it to be a very poignant read as an adult. I almost think I found it more emotionally devastating now than I perhaps would have as a 13 year old – but the writing style is definitely targeted towards younger audiences. And the mystery elements, too. Reading as an adult ... there was no mystery at all. I knew exactly what had happened to Monday from the first chapters. But it didn't make this read any less painful.

The final twist was the main reason this wasn't a 5 star read for me. It felt weak, unnecessary, and not well thought out compared to the rest of the book ... like for some reason we needed one final moment of shock.

But this will be a book that sticks with me for a long time ...

CW: child death, child abuse, bullying, grief, homophobia, physical & emotional abuse, confinement, miscarriage, mental illness, slut shaming, psychosis