A House with Good Bones has all the qualities that makes an amazing T. Kingfisher book!

Sam goes to visit her mom for a couple months at the house they grew up. However, she arrives and her mother is acting strange, and things around the house are different. The house used to be Sam's grandmother, who was the epitome of southern hospitality and values. The bright colors are gone, the fun paintings, and Sam's mom doesn't even swear anymore. Sam also finds weird things going on with the house, vultures are always circling, and the rosebushes don't have any bugs. 

The plot was fast-paced and each day, things get creepier and weirder for Sam. She suffers from sleep paralysis, horrible dreams, and invasions of ladybugs. I felt the atmosphere and writing was AMAZING and really helped portray the sinister situation. Also, there's a lot of themes regarding Southern hospitality that I'm completely unfamiliar with so someone familiar or from that area would likely appreciate that more. 

Character wise, of course I absolutely loved them. Sam and her relationship with her mother was amazing and tender and I loved how supportive her mother was. Also there is a "maybe" love interest that has a lot of fun banter with Sam. And one of the best characters of all is the neighbor who rehabs vultures and has a pet vulture in her home, she was so fun and comedic and really helped complete the cast.

The one area that didn't make it a 5 star is because it was too short for me! We finally reach the climax and it's scary and everything, but it gets wrapped up so, so quickly. The anticipation and small horrifying moments throughout the book were the best part. In the end though, I did really enjoy the ending. 

What an amazing end to the (original) trilogy! Pierce truly runs you through all of the emotions as both sides of this war battle out the fate of the world.

I don't want to write a synopsis for this one, because I feel like it would spoil way to much and the less you know going in, the better it will be!

Again, the world-building expanded so so much more. We finally got to the outer planets, the home of the Obsidians, and more battle at Lune. I think one of the best parts about this series is just how the world-building expands so much more as we explore all of these new places and different societies. The plot is definitely still breakneck, and of course many unpredictable twists and turns the story takes.

Character wise, Darrow is beat down at the beginning of this book. He has lost his identity as a leader and defers to his allies. It takes time for him to find himself and realize what his morals and decisions are. But at the same time, he has just gotten more ruthless as the series has gone on. Other characters continue to surprise me. Allies have switched to enemies and enemies have switched to allies. I will say, Victra, Mustang, and Ragnar are my top favorites outside of Darrow. And definitely be prepared for heartbreak! This book does an amazing job of showing that in war there are casualties and there is no clean win for both sides. I truly was broken by some of the deaths that took place. 

Also that ending!! What another shock to throw on the reader. Honestly, I can definitely see why the series was expanded because not everything was truly wrapped up and I am so excited to continue on. 

Threads That Bind is a YA urban fantasy that takes great inspiration from multiple mythologies to create a murder mystery with romance sprinkled in. 

Io is a Carver, which is the third born in triplets descend from the Fates called Moira-born. Everyone in her world has threads that connect them, they have their life thread, their threads to things that they love, etc. Usually the bond between the triplets is strong, but Io has become estranged with her older sister and hasn't seen her in years. Her ability as a Carver means she can see threads, but she can also cut them. Io uses this ability as a private investigator in the city of Alante. During her job, she witnesses a horrible murder, but the suspect already had a cut life thread. Io also witnesses this with Edei, the right hand of the Mob that watches over the slums. A destiny thread connects Io and Edei, which Io keeps secret from him. Together, they must investigate the suspect and they find themselves wrapped up in a bigger conspiracy than they bargained for. 

I very much found the mythology intriguing and the world-building was very dystopian. I see this book pitched a lot as a Greek mythology inspired book, which it is, but there is also people born of other gods in Nordic and Egyptian mythology. Keep in mind that in this world there are descendants from multiple different gods and therefore have special powers that set them apart from human beings and cause them to be persecuted. The power structure really shows how dystopian and run down the city is, with many mobs and gangs controlling the poorer sectors. The magic system was very well explained and actually relatively basic, but I liked that because it was easy to catch on. 

Character wise, I really enjoyed how the author explored the relationships between the the sisters and their relationships with each other. Io's characterization, flaws, and motivations arise out of the conflict and the way she was raised so I was having a good time with that. Romance wise, I felt it was ehh. Like it was a very small subplot of the story and I don't feel like enough time was spent on it to truly feel the payoff. 

I didn't expect the ending of the book, maybe other's would have found it more predictable? It definitely didn't go the direction I thought it would, and I think I preferred the first two thirds to the last third of the book. However, the ending is quite a cliffhanger (I actually thought it was a standalone) so that threw me and really piqued my interest again. It looks like we are going to explore other cities in this dystopian world in the next book which sounds quite interesting and I would definitely like to see the world building expanded. 

OH MY GOD. This book is absolutely amazing! What a shift from the first book in the series. 

Golden Son jumps 2 years into the future to where we ended from Red Rising. Darrow is now a lancer of the House Augustus, under his enemy Nero's command. He hasn't been able to get in contact with the Sons of Ares, and he's also failing in his performance in the academy. A blood feud with the Bellonas and Darrow leads to consequences, war, and revolution. 

Because it was such a shift from the first book, it took me a second to get situated in this setting. Golden Son expands from the Institute to multiple planets and we get an actual view of the hierarchal system and the Golds in power. This book really shift everything from a small scale to a large scale epic novel. The prose and writing itself even seems a shift up. As a whole, I find this book discusses so much about society, government, friendship, loyalty, power and so much more.

I love that we get introduced to so many more characters and some of them are quickly becoming my favorites. The character work in this novel is amazing because we see Darrow grow even more in this book as he makes mistakes and learns from it. We see a lot more of Darrow's internal conflict now that he is apart of the Gold society and power. Victra is also one of my favorite characters to come out of this novel. Darrow's strength is definitely his friends so having such well-developed friendships makes this book come to life in a unique way. 

The pace is definitely very fast, but it helps because there is so much that happens that we have to get through. As with the first book, there are many twists and hidden plots and betrayals. The cliffhanger at the end is HORRIBLE and truly shifts the series in a new direction again. Make sure to have the sequel on hand! 

Heart of Flames is a worthy sequel of Crown of Feathers and I would say it's even better than the first. We get more action, relationship building, and progression of a plot! 

To catch you all up: Veronyka has exposed her identity as a girl and is currently apprenticing with the other phoenix riders in the wake of the battle that decimated them. Tristan has become a Master Rider and leader of his patrol, but is still struggling with his relationship with his father, who is still hiding things from him. We finally know Avalkyra's identity as Val, and we follow her as she tries to gain her own phoenix and reunite with Veronyka on her side. In the empire, Sev has enlisted himself as a spy in the empire's army and hopes to help the phoenix riders in the coming conflicts. 

We are following a couple more POVs this time, with Avalkyra and Elliot added in. I don't know if Elliot is really adding much to the story yet by hearing his POV, but I'm sure he'll have more of an impact in the third book. Luckily Sev was a lot more interesting this time around and I did enjoy his POV. Largely though, I was loving the deepening in Veronyka and Tristan's relationship, as well as Veronkya dealing with Val's reveal and what that means for her. 

Plot wise, we are moving much quicker than before and it truly feels like there is a purpose to the character's actions rather than just "training." We have Phoenix battles, scheming on many sides, insider plots, and the building of a second war between the phoenix riders and the empire. The end of this book leaves a cliffhanger and so much happens in the last 50 pages which I loved. It really raised the stakes and provided the catalyst for an epic war in the third. I am excited to get to it! 

I can't believe it took me this long to read this book! And yes, I absolutely loved it. 

Darrow is a Red in a world where people are based in different color-based castes. He is at the bottom of the society as a miner in a colony of Mars. He believes himself and other miners are the first on Mars and making it livable for the other colors. His world is turned upside down to to tragedy and he learns that that Mars has been colonized for centuries by other colors. Darrow is furious and wants vengeance undergoing a procedure to become a Gold, the highest caste, and compete at the Institute to infiltrate the top society. 

I loved how immersive this world is, which is technically our world and universe centuries in the future. The religion, language especially, help you ascertain the differences between class and how society functions. In this book, we still only see a small part of that so I am extremely excited to learn more. 

Within the first 50 pages this book broke me! I was crying and from that point on I was so, so invested. Technically it's not a huge spoiler since it happens at the beginning and fuels Darrow through his journey, but I just think going in mostly blind is the best.

I love seeing Darrow as a character change. He is extremely narrow in his views in the beginning, mostly due to the by-product of his upbringing and his caste. But as time goes on, he challenges his views and also meets other Golds and challenges their notions. Darrow grows as a character, maybe not even in the best way as he becomes more morally grey. One of the things he struggles most with is his mission but also trying to supplant his place as a Gold. 

The majority of this book takes place within a tournament setting, and it really is similar to the Hunger Games. There are alliances, politicking, backstabbing, and battle. In fact, I personally really like political intrigue and this book has it in spades. This book also discusses the theme of power and how hierarchy exists and is made. It's more than the current plot that is ongoing, and I love how unpredictable it is. You truly think Darrow has everything figured out, and then something else comes up and "shifts the paradigm" as he says it. 

Just wow, I love this freaking book and I'm so excited to continue the series. 

Ali Hazelwood books are just such a fun time, and this book was no exception! I found that it was the best one yet and with the best plot yet. 

Elsie is an adjunct professor with a love for physics, but can't find a tenured position. In order to afford rent, she signs up for an app where she provides fake dates, morphing herself into the perfect girlfriend for her services. When a high-paying amazing job opening is offered to her, she has to convince the faculty between her and someone else. However, she discovers one of the most renown experimentalists Jack Smith that is on the board is also the brother to one of her fake dates. Elsie will do everything she can to get the job, while Jack tries to find out why she lied about her background and what's doing at his school.

I really enjoyed the plot on this! When I hear reviews of Ali Hazelwood's books, they're always saying that they are the same characters and plots in different fonts. I think this one really deviated and I really enjoyed the characters and romance the most. The plot wasn't as predictable and I found myself really invested, and not just for the romance. Not only is there a different plot of her trying to get this job, it has the background of an entire physicist vs. experimentalist debate. (Note: I just watched Oppenheimer before reading this so it was EXTREMELY funny to me that I understood parts that I really wouldn't have before lol). 

The romance was VERY gradual and I really liked that! It wasn't love at first sight and I think Jack was just the sweetest and most misunderstood guy. The miscommunication in this one is nowhere near Hazelwood's other books. Elsie just wants to protect Jack's brother and not reveal he paid her for fake dates. Elsie's internal monologue took me a second to get used to. It can be a bit cringey, especially her obsession with cheese, but once I started to get into it, it didn't bother me much. 

If you are thinking of picking up one of this author's books, I would definitely recommend this as her best!

Cruel Illusions mixes vampires and magic in a YA standalone with a little bit of romance sprinkled in!

Ava's mother was killed by a vampire and in the last 10 years she has done all she can to find more about them to get her revenge. She and her little brother have been in foster care since, with Ava turning 18 years old soon. Her parents were magicians, and this has led Ava to love magic tricks and shows. One night when in the city, she finds a hidden magic show. It seems too realistic, and when Ava speaks to the performers she learns that they actually do have magic, and she has the ability to as well. They choose her as an apprentice, but she must show she is worthy of the magic by competing in a tournament.

This is an urban fantasy, so it takes place in our world with fantastical elements added in. The magic system is a little strange, because it combines magicians with vampires. It should be a hard magic system, but it's not very clearly defined, which leads to confusion when Ava has some new powers out of nowhere. 

There is a love triangle, but I think it is done super well! I will say the romance is likely the best part of this book. Ava is never truly torn between the two characters which makes the triangle not too bad. I really enjoyed her romance with the actual love interest and his character. 

Towards the end of the book, we go at breakneck speed and SO many plots are added in the last 50 pages. I really thought it was going to be a duopoly, but they wrapped up everything and it ended as a standalone. I do think the ending could have done with more time and developnment because the ending felt so rushed.