This was such an intense whirlwind of a thriller. The storytelling moves FAST, with plot twists and new upsets every handful of pages. Yeah, it’s a bit unbelievable - but that’s not why I read thrillers! :) It’s fun. It made my heart race. The main character actually made some smart decisions (this feels like a rare thing in these types of books). It’s a short book, but it gave me a few hours of anxious delight.

This is a magical, heart-wrenching, and profound piece of speculative fiction for young adults. Set in a utopian world where “good” has won and “monsters” have been firmly banished, a teenager named Jam discovers a new threat alongside painting-come-to-life Pet, and must make some tough decisions in order to protect those she loves. This short novel has deeply inclusive representation (the MC is trans and Black and often signs, a character uses a wheelchair, a character has polyamorous parents, most if not all characters are POC, etc). The writing is poetic, imaginative, and deeply impactful. This is a book that is tricky to describe - you have to immerse yourself in the experience to understand (and I highly recommend you do!).

CW: child abuse, violence, blood & gore, body horror, pedophilia, sexual violence, rape, incest, torture, panic attacks, vomit, grief, murder, ableism, transphobia, dysphoria

This is a fun read, albeit a little more far-fetched than other thrillers. The plot is relatively slow-paced, and the tension and dread are eerily woven throughout every page. Oof, I was FRUSTRATED at times with the characters’ decisions. Overall, I did enjoy this book and devoured it pretty eagerly (though filled with anxiety most of the time). 

I’m not sure what to make of this book! There were parts that were charming and captivating (I enjoyed most of the supporting characters and was intrigued by some of the scientific and historical elements). There were parts that were slooooow (too many dull conversations over meals). There were parts that were cringey (the possessive love interest). The ending and setup for the next book did leave me intrigued!

Ugh. This was a wild ride - and not in a good way. The setup of this book was intriguing, but about halfway through it becomes an entirely different story, with painful reliance on mental illness stereotypes and tons of gaping plot holes. I actually enjoyed the style of writing and the first maybe 20% of the book, so I was especially disappointed when I trudged through to the absurd ending.

I was really looking forward to this read - and several moments throughout did shine as emotional & engaging. However, this book was in dire need of a thoughtful editor. Not much happened until the ending, and the buildup was painfully slow. There was a lot of seemingly random exposition - we got way too much draggy, plain description and background on characters that were practically irrelevant. Time would have been much better spent deepening the personalities of a handful of truly interesting supporting characters. The MC was also a little too perfect. Yes, she got in trouble for being a too-involved reporter (a bit of an overdone trope if you ask me), but every single one of her instincts was spot on? Come on now. She was also adored by just about everyone she met (with the exception of clear antagonists), had a love interest that was not quite deserved, etc etc. 

The premise of this book was so intriguing - various worlds layered on top of each other. But for me, the writing and plot did not live up to the idea. The writing was slow and dry, and I didn’t feel like I got to know any of the characters. A lot of the plot points were just … told to us, without any heart. I couldn’t describe Kell’s personality if I tried. Lots of explaining instead of showing through dialogue or behavior. And not much actually happened! It felt like a long, slow, boring setup towards something that perhaps had more potential (the last 50 pages or so) but not nearly enough to make me eager to pick up the next book in the series.

This is a disturbing, chilling dystopian tale that feels terribly close to reality. While the School For Good Mothers as crafted by Chan doesn’t physically exist in our current world, it is 100% present subconsciously in the lives of all mothers. This book is emotional & harsh & upsetting. The author touches on a decently wide variety of issues and themes (within parenthood and beyond), but some of it was very surface level. I would have liked to dive deeper into these women’s lives .. deeper into societal expectations that were already woven into the story. The ending/resolution didn’t quite sit well with me, either.

Legendborn is a beautiful book. This is a gripping debut (!) that tackles issues like racism & micro aggressions, grief & the loss of a parent, intergenerational trauma, and so much more .. all within a world of Arthurian legends. The themes are accessible for young readers but not too overbearing for adults. The plot and pacing were a bit slow at the start, but Bree is such an engaging main character that I still read this book at an alarmingly fast rate. And the last 100 pages were a whirlwind of plot and left me eager for the next installment. The only downfalls: some meh instalove (I beg you, YA authors - escape this!), not nearly enough time spent on best friend Alice, and world-building that relied a little too heavily on Capitalization. I can’t wait for book 2!