I'm finding that I reeeeally enjoy witchy Appalachian (not a requirement; gothic small town works too) tales 💜

Comps: 
-In the Hour of Crows
-The Unmaking of June Farrow

Strange Folk is the perfect example of Magical Realism done right. The setting is real, raw. The people and relationships are relatable and likable. The magic is earthy and woven into our world effortlessly and believably. 
Alli Dyer created a world with dysfunctional people/family that I cared about and a mystery(s) I needed solved. The magic aspect was a bonus, and it felt very natural. 
Definitely a book and Author that I'll be revisting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

What wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey fun!
For reals, this could've been the plot to a few Doctor Who episodes.
To say this book has layers is an understatement. The mc, Kembral, is very relatable and likable; the side characters are fun , even the hateable ones. The humor is spot on. I love that Caruso took something as mundane as a Groundshog Day-esque work party (while being postpartum) and injected it with an abundance of sarcasm and chaos, spiraling around the fate of the world. The world building is kind of on a need-to-know basis, which was fine by me, and I think it worked well considering the circumstances.
I listened to the audiobook because MOIRA QUIRK. Obviously, it was fantastic, and now I need a physical copy for my trophy shelf.

Reread via audiobook... I think I appreciate the story more upon a reread, but I'm sticking to 4 stars.

Conceptually, We Shall Be Monsters is everything  I could want from a Frankenstein retelling, especially when it's a Mythology based creature feature mash-up. I think I just clashed with the pacing? Though Sim's writing is smooth and easily accessible, I found my mind wandering often. The first HALF of this book was slow going. The story picks up, and yet the ending fell flat for me. And that may be more because I didn't pay attention to this being a series and had different expectations. 
Overall, it was a slow but solid start to a series. 
P.S. Kutaa is my fav.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Nancy Paulsen Books for the eARC!