Lute was just OK for me.The concept was interesting, but the book did not hold my attention. Probably because I was not interested in this war that was repeatedly referenced (I’m not a war history person). It was suspenseful and atmospheric. Clues were left all over the place for the reader, but I just felt the author should have just stated the reason for the deaths already.  You see it coming a mile away. The ending was really quick once the book got to the action.  It just seemed to drag on to get to that point. 

Pink: Raise Your Glass is a great nostalgia tour into the life and times of Pink.  A lot of great info into her drive to be successful, her successes and failing, personal life, and music. A large amount of large colorful pictures, so I definitely suggest getting the physical book.  I had in digital format as a #netgalleyarc and it was a lot of scrolling.  Downloading would also take a lot of data use and time.  Overall a great book if you are a fan of Pink, aka Alecia.  

Empress of Salt and Fortune was a good SHORT read.  Imaginative for sure, but not my thing.  I did like the story though. I like how it forced you to figure out the details of the story by not giving specifics.  Interpretation is key.

Camp Zero is a slow burn, atmospheric mystery about people navigating survival in the wake of a world shaped by climate change.  They are shown flaws and all.  I like the 3 different perspectives, the will to survive, and also how each person changes.  I think Meyer is in lala land, with someone else’s money.  I wish there was better explanation about the purpose/end game, monitoring/spy, and/or sabotage by any of the soldiers of the weather station.  Also the ending was odd. I won’t give it away, but it didn’t seem realistic.  Some details in the book were missing to make it seamless, but overall, everything was bundled up nicely.  Book was very original, has violence, quick bloody action, betrayal, lies, morality issues, and gives something serious to think about our future if we don’t respect the environment more.  It also shows me that poorer people tend to have to make more sacrifices than rich people do.  The Flick info device was interesting and unique.  I think our reliance on cell phones is similar to what was revealed about this device.  There was one really disgusting scene between Willow and Grant that I didn’t understand why it wasn’t considered something bad.  Absolutely unrealistic for sure.  Ugh.  Overall, a decent read.  Settle in for the gradual unfolding if you decide to read.

Tender is the Flesh was a sad exploration into the meat processing industry where humans are the product.  It was a big info dump initially, but I rather enjoyed that.  Very cringy for sure, so glad the book was short.  Perfect length for this type of shocker material. You can tell the author has done their research of meat processing plants and also the extent of what people do with animals including clothing and hunting.  Very eye opening. When I thought this book was leading in a particular directions, I was shocked at the end.  Wild ride. 

The 100K Kingdoms was good.  I liked it better than NKJ The Fifth Season, which I hear that generally is the case.  It was written similarly with a 2nd person POV and told from the future.  It feels almost mythological with the Gods.  I enjoyed the character of Nahadoth the most and wanted him to do something terrible since he is the Nightlord. Yeine is a strong character, although, she has doubts about herself (founded). Storyline was unique, characters were fleshed out enough and there was a mysterious air throughout the entire book.  The suppression and enslavement of the gods and selfishness amongst men is very heavy.  At times I did have to back track because I got confused.  NKJ likes to state something and then give you a bit to simmer on it before explaining it further.  I have a love hate relationship with that.  Book has a lot of shocker badass lines, my favorite type of lines. Very entertaining and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Parable of the Sower (graphic novel) was a great book.  I will say I am glad I read as a graphic novel as I don’t think I would have liked as much as a traditional book. I think it would have been slow and stagnant for me.  I liked the dystopian story, but it spoke of the Earthseed religion a lot and it was confusing at times.  The pedofillish relationship threw me off, but OB seems to like the older man/younger woman dynamic. The book itself was illustrated very well, and thoroughly.  Colors are bold and mostly orangish/dark so you need to read in a bright room so as not to strain the eye.  This is a heavy dense book, despite the look of it.  

I had no idea what a kaiju was prior to Kaiju Preservation Society, so I learned that term.  I like it depicted the reality of the struggle for work during the pandemic.  And the boss firing him was a trip.  This book was so hilarious, in a juvenile and nerdy way, but I was here for much of it, except for the movie references that I didn’t get.  Book was great and it reminds me there are greedy self serving people in the world that don’t respect each other, much less animals.  Unique book, worth a read. And before accepting a job, always get the details

The Obsession was a great foray into the mind of a teen with mental illness.  “She touched my hand, she wants me” haha.  And not only that, but self centered fickle impulsive teen behavior and thoughts.  I enjoyed the story and felt the mom’s boyfriend got his just deserts.  Delilah is smart and thinks on her feet.  I think there were a few plot holes, but it still got wrapped up quickly.  The ending was lightning speed and the book ended at 91% (read e version) to plug another novel set at the same boarding school.  I do think for a modern day novel, these kids were not glued to cell phones (barely mentioned) so unrealistic in that fashion.  But it was a suspenseful quick read. I enjoyed it.

Hot Comb is a nostalgic trip.  It took me back to my childhood, not only with hair care, but with penny candy, money in the bra, my first relaxer at the salon, being made fun of due to my hair texture, and the music. The first story almost had me on the floor. Lots of trauma surrounding hair care for sure.  Black hair is a process and not for the faint of heart. I loved this book tackled so many different situations.  Some cultures hair is a flippant thing that their life doesn’t stop for.  In the black community, it is not the same. Many of us put aside a day for hair care, and I do mean a whole day.  This book expresses black hair culture very accurately with no stereotypes. And the ads for products..spot on.  Black hair care has come a long way.  I am not ashamed of my texture, and am sad that people used to make me feel that way.