This book made me think of stained glass or a kaleidoscope: a beautiful collection of shiny pieces that, upon a closer look, don't quite meld into a cohesive whole. That's especially true for the setting in particular. The worldbuilding is just... so disjointed. There's that historical magical realism vibe that's especially strong at the beginning, and then there's all the big divine lore hanging over everything, and then there is the vividly painted picture of war and how it affects people. Sometimes, all of those strokes paint a coherent picture; plenty of other times, they clash.

Speaking of those war parts: I actually felt cautious about tackling the book because of this topic, but that ended up my favorite aspect of the story. I didn't expect it to be so visceral and to hit home so hard: not just all the frontlines plots, but the smaller scenes about the people left behind at home, the impact those who have the privilege of staying neutral have on the lives of those who are already touched by the fighting, and more. Unfortunately, very often when I got engrossed into the relatable, human side of things, the magical/divine stuff trickled in and ended up distracting rather than evocative. 

In fact, it's not just about the war aspect of the story. Rebecca Ross has a real knack for getting across those very ordinary moments of surviving in hard situations, like Iris's starting point with her alcoholic mother, and of finding joy even when the world is dark. She does has a knack for creating magical atmosphere, too, but somehow, those two knacks are very separate. There are magical scenes here filled with beautiful, otherworldly vibes. There are interpersonal and/or introspective scenes that invoke some genuine feelings. But the scenes where both things were attempted at once felt awkward to me.

The romance was something I was very much looking forward to, as I'm a sucker for enemies/rivals to lovers, and initially, both Iris and Roman seemed like compelling characters. But the more I read, the more interested I was in everything that surrounded their story. I think that might be because they were both rather reactive and passive about plenty of things, and also, there was a certain cheesiness to their interactions, especially when they were exchanging letters. I generally enjoyed Ross's prose a lot, but those letters, most of the time, were actually the least powerful, prose-wise. They often reminded me of a slightly more thoughtful version of those LJ posts I used to write as a teen, trying to make everything purposefully "deep" and lyrical. Having them then obsess over each other's writing and tell me how amazing it was and what sort of reactions it's supposed to inspire... well, it kind of took me out of the story and made it feel somewhat more juvenile that it could have been.

Despite the book ending on a cliffhanger, I'm not 100% sure yet if I'm planning to pick up the second one. While I enjoyed a lot of the aspects and the overall vibe a lot, the way it all came together just wasn't my cup of tea.

Wow, what is this? Am I seriously all caught up with a book series, just waiting for the next book to come out? No idea what this sorcery is, but I'll take it! :D

Anyway, I have lots of mixed emotions about this fantasy romance. On one hand, I loved both Marek and Sei, and the relationship between them ends up so fluffy and nice... on the surface. On the other hand, the story is goddamn dark. In this book, we finally get to explore the Grails, the not-quite-magic who can serve as sources of magical energy to other magic users and often suffer for it. Especially in Draskora where this part of the series takes place.

Sei is a Graal. He grew up in the neighboring country in Fellrin, where the Grails are supposedly treated with a lot more respect and care. The shape this increased care takes? Well, there's that school called Porcelain Guild where Sei grew up, spending his entire time in preparation to be claimed by a mage. By the time he's sent to get married to a Draskoran prince, he's very healthy, very nice-looking, quite educated, has never tried alcohol, ridden a horse, added extra sugar to his tea, and he believes that he needs to ask permission for literally everything, such as opening a window in a carriage on a hot day. He is also very sociable and quick to make friends everywhere he goes—in a way that immediately brings the fawn trauma response to mind. For the first half of the book, his chapters do a stellar job of conveying the quiet, unacknowledged horror of his situation, and then when he eventually snaps and demands to be seen and acknowledged as his own person, it's very satisfying.

Marek, for his part, is initially horrified by Sei's backstory, something that's definitely amplified by his experience of living in Draskora and witnessing the common treatment of Grails there. He also assumes that Sei is just as against their Crown-sanctioned betrothal as he is, if not more, because surely a person must be against getting bound to someone who's expected to use them as a human battery with potentially deadly consequences. That creates a lot of misunderstandings between them that, while painful to witness, are completely understandable. Marek ends up messing up a lot by doing the very thing he wants to avoid—dictating Sei's life and expecting obedience without explanation—because he assumes they're on the same page and doesn't understand the effect Sei's past has on him. He's also grappling with his own role at court now that his adopted brother has deserted and the assorted struggles that come with it. Unlike Vana, who spent a bit part of the previous book quietly giving up and letting Draskora swallow him down, Marek is very much doing his best to maintain some integrity, and whenever he notices himself playing by the corrupt court rules, he at the very least acknowledges it and calls himself out. Frankly, he's quite possibly my favorite protagonist in the Perilous Courts series right now!

But, well, the second half of the book... Without going too far into spoiler theory, let's just say, a lot of this complex emotional build-up from the first half isn't followed through. We learn that being/using a Grail is okay actually, as long as you follow the safety rules and actually care for each other. Which, great! Makes sense! If Grails are a natural part of this world's magic system, it makes sense that there's a way for them and ordinary mages to have productive magical interactions that don't hurt anyone. Except the way it's framed, it's like the Porcelain Guild is actually right for operating that way. Like, yeah, Sei didn't choose to be treated as a valuable object all his life to date, but Marek also didn't choose to bond with a dragon and get adopted by a king, so it's all fine, right? And all of Sei's trauma is never openly acknowledged as such and in fact largely disappears as soon as he and Marek start confessing feelings and having sex. That was a huge letdown for me, because like... here was this complicated, tangled situation full of hurt, and I was fully prepared for the comfort part of the book to be just as in-depth and sorrow, but instead, true love swiftly cured everything, and what wasn't cured got normalized. UGH. Book, why??? We could have had it all! *cue that Adele song playing softly in the background*

With all my feelings about the romance part out of the way, I want to say that I was really satisfied with the external plot here. The previous book was sort of all meandering set-up; even though its protagonist Vana was a lot more embroiled in the palace life than Marek, it felt like he was merely observing and going through the motions, whereas Marek, despite his semi-outsider position, is a lot more invested in what's going. All those messy plot threads from the previous book get pulled together neatly enough here, ending on a semi-cliffhanger with a promise of an exciting resolution in the next installment, which I now absolutely can't wait for. I want to know what's going to happen with the impending war, and with all the so far unsolved mysteries, and also, what game is Kazia playing? What's his deal? Because that one stunt he pulled at the formal dinner, and his reaction to Marek mentioning it, like... I just want to get into his head and maybe hug him and help him murder everyone who's ever hurt him. Next book. Next book.

I also appreciated that here Tavia Lark once again leans heavily into including all the telepathic magical beasts into the plot. Loska is the very best dragon and among the most entertaining characters in the entire series. I loved his dry wit and his entire personality. It was also nice to have so much Osrick the fellcat here. Of course, I enjoyed the inclusion of a couple of characters from the first part of the series, and I continue to love how inclusive the setting is, with so many queer and in particular trans characters popping up and never a single big deal being made. 

Now... Why isn't it February, 29 yet? I want that Kazia book!

This is basically a loose queer NA retelling of *13 Going on 30*, and as such, it's rather predictable in terms of all the big plot points, but it's the in-between journeys that matter. The main character is a mess of problems who is very focused on his career as a comedian. Hyperfocused, maybe. He's in love with his best friend and it's very clearly mutual, but instead of pursuing the romance, he puts it aside as something he'll get to once his career is in the right place. He has problems in his relationships with his family, but again, the only way he sees of tackling them is by succeeding as a comedian and making them acknowledge his success, and then of course everything will be fine. 

This extreme case of one-track mind leads him to make some pretty terrible decision, to the point that for the first 20% of the book or so, I had multiple urges to DNF just because I couldn't sympathize with him at all. At the same time, there were other aspects of the story that did hold my interest from the get-go: the mysterious cultish wellness organization producing mysterious magical goods; some of the other characters like Drew, the love interest and an absolute sweetheart; and that impending obvious time travel plot twist that I just knew would force him to confront the consequences of his actions. In that last regard, I definitely wasn't disappointed—Nolan's growing realizations of every way he's messed up were masterfully done, and the moment the story set out on that course, all thought of DNFing left my brain.

Like I've said above, the story's fairly predictable, but there are some fun twists that keep it interesting. Nolan slowly becomes more relatable as he starts acknowledging his flaws, and even before that, once he ends up all lost and confused in his shiny, lonely future, he starts being actually compelling to follow. The mystery wellness corporation mainly serves as a supplier of assorted deus ex machina devices to keep the plot moving, but it also has some mysteries of its own around it that add a nice touch. There were also some fun easter eggs scattered around the narrative, like little nods toward the other books from this series of standalones. So overall, after the frustration of the beginning this turned into an enjoyable experience!

Full disclosure, I didn't expect to like this book all that much and just braced myself to power throw it on my way to the one installment in this series I really want to get to (Moth, because I fell in love with the titular character back in The Rycke). I just didn't want to miss out on the overarching plot! I totally didn't expect Gloam to become such a strong contender for my favorite book in the series, but somehow, it snuck up on me. The further I read, the more invested I became.

I love how the series gets plottier and plottier as it moves along. This book is so different from Soul Eater with all of its slice-of-life-ish walking through the Wastes. Stakes! Tension! Seriously messed-up villains! The journey kept getting more and more exciting, and the resolution was pretty satisfying while still living lots of cool threads to follow later in the series. I also loved getting so much lore, both about life in the Wastes and all the tidbits about the monster realm.

The romance took its time to grow on me; on one hand, I enjoyed seeing the bond between Adam and Gloam grow and appreciated how the power imbalance that went both ways between them was handled. And all the communication through notes added an interesting touch. On the other hand, the spark for me just didn't seem to be there (the spark between me and their story, not between the characters themselves). But then in the second half of the book I found myself really shipping them. That tender scene next to the villain's corpse being eaten by the monstrous pet is going to live in my head rent free for a while, I'm telling you, and not just because of the stark contrast.

I am also absolutely enamored by Adam/Rig. I liked him in the previous book, too, but as a narrator he really opens up, and I love love love his personality. He's the best kind of good guy: the sort who will do the right thing even if he knows it's beyond the scope of his abilities, because it needs to be done, damn it, and no else cares to do it, so might as well be him. The world would honestly be a much better place if more of us adopted that outlook. That's my hill and all.

So, yeah, I've had plenty of fun with this one and I'm excited for what comes next!

I was honestly on the fence about continuing this series at all. I tend to very much enjoy K.J. Charles's historical for the way she pokes at the ugly parts of that "beautiful high society," but in this series, those ugly parts are so specifically showcased through the protagonists I'm supposed to root for that I just can't vibe with it. But I liked the political plot in the first book, and also I really, really loved Silas there—he was the one character who made my day whenever appeared on the page. So I picked up A Seditious Affair after all, for the sole reason that he's one of the MCs here.

I'm glad I chose to do so, because if the political plot in the first book was enjoyable, then here it was simply spectacular. So many chapters had me on the edge of my seat, and I was also super engrossed in the way the romance and the politics intertwined. The two storylines were constructed so well, constantly enriching each other and pushing the individual character arcs forward. 

Silas didn't disappoint me at all, and Dom kind of grew on me compared to the previous book as I got to know him better. Their dynamic was really intriguing. I'm not a big fan of how kink was handled here, to be honest, but it definitely worked for these characters, and I enjoyed seeing their emotional connection grow in the spaces between established mutual attraction, the reveal of their identities, and their super conflicting convictions and beliefs. 

As for the rest of the cast, I guess most of them irritated me a lot less this time around, not least because the most irritating aspects of their personalities and ways of life were explicitly discussed here. The only one who never stopped bugging me not even for a second, despite the personal growth he underwent over the course of the story, is Richard, so I'm probably not going to finish the series—the third installment is his book, and I'm not wishing much personal happiness on him, so I can't imagine getting invested in a romance with him at the center. Still, I'd like to note that while I dislike a lot of the characters here, I do still like how they're written/crafted. They're definitely fleshed out and recognizable and their actions and reactions consistently make sense in the context of their fictional lives. I just don't vibe with them, I guess.

I enjoyed this paranormal mystery/romance a lot for the vibes and not so much for how the book's constructed. It felt almost like the author had subtly changed opinion on what they were writing as they worked, but forgot to tweak the beginning of the story to match the resolution.

The thing I loved the most is all the vampire lore. There are some VtM vibes here, and also some Buffy vibes on the monster hunter side of things, and plenty of original ideas stewing in the pot. Given that VtM and Buffy were my two gateway drugs that hooked me on vampire media for life, I got super into the setting here. Every time there was a new tidbit of information revealed about the vampire society and Cassian's past, I expected it to become a big part of the mystery plot and pay off at the end. Unfortunately, plenty of those threads were instead left hanging and the real mystery... well, let's just say I feel lukewarm about it.

When it comes to the romance aspect, the beginning of the book absolutely hooked me. Belar and Cassian had an outstanding dynamic that promised lots of enemies-to-lovers slow burn. All of their interactions were so emotionally charged, and there was that strong underlying feel of "a habit of flirting with death manifesting as an attraction to a vampire" that I weirdly dig in vampire romance. Unfortunately, around the middle a switch got flipped and the slow burn changed to a romantic development that I'd call rushed. I actually don't think it would feel that rushed to me if it wasn't for how differently the "romance pace" was set up at the beginning, but alas.

At times, there was also a disjointed feel to the narrative: each scene was strong enough taken in isolation, but the way they flowed into each other was sometimes a bit awkward. In particular, I was taken aback by how the second POV was first introduced in the middle of chapter 3, when I was already coming to expect a single POV novel. Why not start the chapter with it? At the same time, there were some twists and reveals that, while sudden, felt perfectly placed—such as certain things about Belar's heritage.

All in all, fun has definitely been had on my part, but all those assorted discrepancies definitely stood in the way.

Poor rich boy gets shipped off to spend Christmas with his grandparents in a tiny small town while his parents and their publicist contain the aftermath of his latest exercise in acting out. A Hallmark movie in book form ensues.

After the last book I read by Timothy Janovsky (Never Been Kissed), I kind of expected this one to also have a YA vibe but ended up happy to be proven wrong. Unlike Wren in the previous book, Matthew actually acts his age. Granted, he's fairly immature, but he's immature in a way that works with his backstory and situation. He's also absolutely hilarious in an unhinged way, especially at his low points, which makes it a lot easier to tolerate his unlikable qualities. And despite the fact he never really becomes super likable, he's still relatable throughout, particularly in terms of how his anxiety is portrayed. His arc is predictable, yet well-executed, and generally he's one of the most entertaining MCs I've encountered lately.

The romance is fairly sweet and hits all the expected tropes, though I found Hector a bit bland compared to Matthew. I've seen this billed as enemies-to-lovers, but I personally wouldn't go that far; I feel there was too little animosity even at the beginning to fulfill the trope. More like they just clashed because Matthew was frustrated with his situation and Hector retaliated, but it never felt personal. It took little time for them to start working together and seeing eye to eye, and then things got fluffy quickly.

While the book heavily leans into the "comedy" part of romcom, there are some really touching moments, in particular when it comes to Matthew's family. Not just his own relationship with his parents, but also within the parts that delve into his mother's backstory. There's that one conversation Matthew had with his grandma about his mom that really stuck with me. The writing overall flows smoothly and is easy to read, although there were a few instances of classic "as you know, Bob" that had me rolling my eyes slightly. There's something about that method of exposition that always makes me hyperaware that I'm reading a fictional story and none of this is actually happening and why am I supposed to be having emotions about any of this, anyway? :D

Another small gripe: the author definitely made attempts to discuss certain serious topics, such as class difference, but did it in a way that didn't mesh well for me with the overall "entertaining romcom" vibe/feel of the book. I would call them a big heavy-handed, and I feel like all those points would perhaps be driven home better if they weren't specifically lingered upon.

Aside from the minor flaws, this was definitely a fun read and a great way for me to start the year. Recommended to anyone who wants some holiday romance feels and a bunch of laughs.

This book is pretty much a meditation on all the ways humanity has experienced winter through the centuries / across the globe. It goes back and forth between depictions of culture, traditions, and ways of living; lyrical passages beautifully evoking the sensory experience of winter in various settings; and scientific data related to various aspects of the coldest season. 

I've got to say I found the transitions between these three distinct types of writing rather jarring at times. Here I am, all settled into one of those lyrical parts, imagining myself walking through a winter forest, and then suddenly there's an assault of numbers and physics- or meteorology-related facts. Or I'm focused on digesting the information about the Native American way of winter living, and then suddenly, there's a page of generic winterly lyricism. That happened more than ones throughout the book and took me out of the reading every time. It didn't help that the science-y parts in particular were rather dense and disjointed at the same time. The other two types of writing are a lot stronger. 

Aside from that, though, the book was an enjoyable experience. I learned a lot of cool interesting factoids about a variety of cultures, refreshed others in my mind, and got lots of delicious winter vibes. I just wish the structure was somewhat more solid!

A lovely, aptly named short story about a queer found family coming together to support one of theirs through a sudden break-up. There's something about Xan West's style that always resonates with me so deeply. On the surface, it's rather simplistic, with a lot of repetitiveness and telling instead of showing, but it takes but a couple of pages to get completely engrossed in all the kindness and humanity hidden in each word. Despite the sadness of the situation at the heart of the story, it's so entirely hopeful and warm and full of friendship and love. Pretty much the definition of slice of life and found family. I want more of the same! Maybe I should re-read Their Troublesome Crush soon—I did have to dig out my copy anyway to double-check I was remembering correctly who everyone was. 

I do wish there was a bit more... ambiguity? Complexity? To the break-up itself, rather than straightforwardly painting it as a situation where the MC is better off alone anyway, just as long as she can sort out the practical/financial matters. But at the same time, the story depicts the immediate aftermath of the break-up and it kind of makes sense for the character to focus on those aspects to pull through. Though I guess if I didn't remember Judith from the full-length novel, I might have felt differently on whether it makes sense or not, so there is that.

However, given that I did remember Judith well enough, it was easy to overlook this and just bask in the vibe of supportiveness and chosen family love. Also, I just want to note that the story contains the most relatable depiction of dealing with a stress-induced migraine ever, as well as the most relatable depiction of that viscerally scary and healing experience of being seen and cared for. Big kudos for those.

I'm sad that Xan West is no longer with us to deliver more stories about these wonderful fictional people in that wonderful unique style. But I'm grateful that I can read and re-read the books they had written.

First, let's focus on what I loved about the book: the romance! It was absolutely lovely. Somewhat cliche, yeah, but in the BEST way. You know all those holiday Hallmark movies? The kind where the MC faces trouble in their big city life, escapes to that tiny quaint town in the middle of nowhere they remember from childhood, immediately experiences a meet-cute, gets surrounded by a bunch of nice local people and a couple of unpleasant ones for light drama, learns to appreciate the simple life, gets a shiny important opportunity back in the big city, debates the pros and cons of leaving, then ultimately chooses happiness? Well, this is that movie in book form, with a bit of murder to spice it up (more on that later). All the story and emotional beats get hit perfectly, at just the right times, and the result is so sweet and heartwarming. Just an awesome read for the holiday season!

I did feel like the characterization was a bit shallow even for a book-shaped Hallmark movie at times. I was also disappointed by how little Declan thought about writing: he was sad about having writing block, then he kinda randomly decided to switch genres, then whenever his job came up, it was seldom about the actual writing and more about the business side of things. He could have just as well been a lawyer, a chef, or a designer, idk. Admittedly, this is more of a pet peeve than an objective big flaw, I suppose: I always expect books about authors to be specifically relatable on that writerly level, and when I don't get that, I end up feeling let down.

Now to the part I didn't love outside of personal pet peeves: the mystery. The idea of it was cool, but the execution... eh. I just absolutely didn't enjoy how it was constructed, both the investigation and the crime itself. So much of this subplot depended on happenstance on one part and some really random and illogical decision on the other. So if you're going into this book looking for a combo of romance and fun murder investigation, like I was, better focus solely on the romance in advance, that's all I can say. Because, once again, the romance was really nice, and I also appreciated the overall "quaint small town in winter" vibe so much! There were just so many small details that really made Maplewood come to life. Such a cozy little place, a perfect backdrop for this kind of story.