in this novella, we follow elisabeth, nathaniel, and silas as they figure out how to unravel the magical trap keeping them from lea2024 reads: 131/250
in this novella, we follow elisabeth, nathaniel, and silas as they figure out how to unravel the magical trap keeping them from leaving thorn manor for the midwinter ball.
i’m so glad i jumped on the sorcery of thorns train late so that i could read this almost immediately after! i really liked seeing all these characters again. (especially silas, my fav<3) the plot was also interesting and fast-paced, which i loved. sad to see these characters go, but i’m very happy we got this novella!!...more
emma and caleb, once best friends, are now as close as strangers. emma has been getting in the way of every romantic prospect of caleb’s, but when caleb becomes interested in the new girl at school, juliet, he’s desperate to get to know her before emma asks her out. so, they have a little challenge: emma and caleb will get to know juliet, and whoever juliet kisses first gets to go out with her. as they make plans with juliet, though, she seems to be interested in hanging out with both of them at the same time, leading caleb and emma to wonder whether winning juliet’s heart is worth opening old wounds.
this might be a bit of an implied spoiler? but with a description like that, it was easy to see this story going one of two ways, either of which i would’ve been happy with. luckily, it did go one of my two predicted ways!
i loved all these characters so much. even though juliet doesn’t have a pov of her own, i enjoyed getting to know her<3 and caleb and emma had so much history that i loved learning about.
the writing was a bit silly at times, but honestly i think it added to the vibes of the book, so i didn’t mind that too much. i can’t wait to read more of amanda woody’s books!...more
with her reputation ruined, only a desperate man would wed catherine benson now. enter andrew davener, who’s recently been left his2024 reads: 125/250
with her reputation ruined, only a desperate man would wed catherine benson now. enter andrew davener, who’s recently been left his family’s estate, which is desperately in need of help, which catherine’s dowry could provide. despite the circumstances, catherine still wants to fall in love, but andrew isn’t so sure he can love anyone.
i’d like to start off by saying that this is an open door romance, so anyone wanting to read this should be aware of that! i think these moments were handled well. catherine has some reservations about intimacy because of how she was treated in the past, and this topic is explored with care, in my opinion.
i liked how the side characters also had their own subplots, though, of course, not as fleshed-out as our main plot. this made the story more interesting!
i recommend to anyone who enjoys regency romances and graphic novels....more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 250/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
note: this is the sequel to my roommate is a vampire. though this follows a different couple, i still recommend reading that one first!
amelia collins would consider herself successful. she has a good job and a good life. however, in her family’s eyes, she’s missing one thing: love. so, when the news of her cousin’s upcoming wedding is brought up, her family takes her sarcastic remark about having a boyfriend a bit too seriously…which leads to a fake-dating proposal with a strange man named reginald cleaves.
i really enjoyed my roommate is a vampire last year, and loved reggie as a side character, so i couldn’t wait to see him as the main character in this one! i loved getting to know him better and seeing how he interacted with the human world. also, something i loved about book one was how humorous it was, which i’m pleased to say also describes this book. the humor aspect kind of goes with what i was saying about reggie and the human world...more
punpun punyama has a tough home life, with his father winding up in prison and his mother winding up in the hospital shortly after 2024 reads: 107/250
punpun punyama has a tough home life, with his father winding up in prison and his mother winding up in the hospital shortly after the book starts. however, he has big dreams that involve going to space and settling down with a girl.
it’s extremely rare for me to receive recommendations from my brother, so when he told me about this manga, i had to put it on my tbr right away. well, he somehow knows my reading tastes very well, because i really enjoyed this one. it was bizarre, but meaningful, and had great art. i also like the decision to make punpun’s family consist of birds, and everyone else human.
overall, this was an enjoyable manga, and i plan on reading the other volumes soon....more
in this third installment of the mead mishaps series, we follow cherry, who’s lost the last five years of her life to being kidnapp2024 reads: 105/250
in this third installment of the mead mishaps series, we follow cherry, who’s lost the last five years of her life to being kidnapped by a dragon, and dante, another dragon who saves her…kind of. as dante works to earn the trust of his fated mate, cherry learns to fight for what she wants.
so, i was a bit skeptical of this at first, since it kind of seemed like cherry was switched from one captor to another. however, it became clear that dante cared for what cherry wanted and needed. i enjoyed their “road trip,” where they traveled around the world so that cherry could see different creatures. i also loved the inclusion of characters from previous books!
i highly recommend this to those who enjoyed the previous books in this series, and i can’t wait for more books in this universe!...more
in this graphic memoir, alison bechdel details her strange relationship with her late father. alison did not find out her father was2024 reads: 97/250
in this graphic memoir, alison bechdel details her strange relationship with her late father. alison did not find out her father was gay until she came out as lesbian, just for him to die shortly after. i loved both the art and the candor in this book. going in, i really didn’t know anything about alison bechdel besides the famous bechdel test, but i really enjoyed this dive into her childhood and some young adulthood. i highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys graphic novels/memoirs!...more
in this addition to the all for the game series, we follow jean moreau as he navigates life outside of the nest and getting to make 2024 reads: 93/250
in this addition to the all for the game series, we follow jean moreau as he navigates life outside of the nest and getting to make his own decisions for the first time, and jeremy knox as he works to get his team on top, which includes trying to get the former raven to open up.
i absolutely loved this book!! i had forgotten what it’s like to read an all for the game book for the first time and i’m really glad that nora decided to continue the series. also, while we do get some of the trilogy’s main characters in this book, the main characters here are a good mix of side characters from the trilogy and new characters. namely, jean moreau, one of the point of view characters, who didn’t even survive any draft of the original trilogy but the last one. i loved that he got the spotlight in this book. he has such a tragic backstory but it seems like things are finally (slowly, but surely) starting to look up for him.
this is a must-read for fans of the original trilogy, and i will be slowly losing my mind until i can read the next one!...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 149/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
in this queer, witchy reimagining of snow white’s evil queen, we follow the queen from the time she was a young witch named ayleth. she fears that, with her gifts having yet to reveal themselves, she will never become the witch her coven needs. so, she embarks on a perilous quest to the white palace, where she’s surprised to encounter jacquetta, a fellow witch who betrayed ayleth.
i have yet to read heather walter’s duology, but they’ve been on my tbr for a while, so i was interested in reading this book when i came across it. i will say, while this initially drew me in due to the comparison to snow white’s villain, i had completely forgotten that comparison before and while reading this. so, i would go in with the expectation that this is just a loose reimagining, and wasn’t meant to heavily resemble that story!
i’d recommend this to anyone who likes witchy stories, queer and morally grey main characters, and complex family dynamics!...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 110/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
the last thing summer wants to do is include hockey in her graduate admissions research. however, her advisor has made it clear that if she doesn’t, she’ll need to find another advisor, which could upend summer’s plans to become a sports psychologist. enter aiden, the school’s hockey captain, who’d rather do anything else than be the subject of a research paper, but such is his punishment for a party-shaped mistake. as they push through their differences to check off their respective responsibilities, summer and aiden start to realize that maybe there’s more to the other person than they initially thought.
i know it’s become somewhat of a cliché, but academic girl/athletic boy will get me every time. (however, as i mentioned before, there is a lot more to them than those descriptors.) i loved that this was a dual pov romance so we got to see into both summer’s and aiden’s minds. i also appreciated how they both had complicated family situations that were explored throughout the story.
i’d recommend this to NA romance fans and i can’t wait to read more books by bal khabra!...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 136/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
when offered a job all the way in ireland, lark thompson, a texan, is eager to take it, sure that this is the fresh start she needs to not be constantly reminded of her late husband. unbeknownst to her, she moves in next to a funeral home, the last place she would’ve wanted to live. still, something about her new neighbor, callum flannelly, intrigues her. she learns that callum has to marry by his 35th birthday in order to keep the family business, and she’s determined to help him find love.
first of all, i LOVED these characters! lark is feeling intense grief and guilt over her husband’s death two years ago, and because of this, doesn’t want to marry ever again. i appreciated seeing her grow around her grief and find love again. as for callum, i think i need more heroes who are considered grumpy but most definitely just have social anxiety...more
i received an advanced review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
ella’s autism 2024 reads: 80/250
4.5
i received an advanced review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
ella’s autism and fear of dead things makes it hard to connect with her family, who run a funeral home. shortly after she moves back home, she’s the target of a monster attack, leading to her father tasking his removal technician, eugene, with keeping her safe. ella wants to learn more about what her father’s involved in, but she’s also becoming more interested in eugene…
this was such an interesting book! i really liked the monster aspect, and i would really like to see this explored even more in book two. the author described this as a “cozy horror romance” which is honestly the perfect description of it.
i also loved ella so much. her autistic identity was explored so well. i love how she made it clear that she’s an adult and can make her own decisions, as autistic people can, unfortunately, be infantilized in real life and in media. i loved how she described her own thinking and how this played into her story.
overall, i highly recommend this book, and can’t wait for the sequel!...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 152/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
five years ago, ian’s west virginia hometown’s water supply became poisoned by a parasite, causing those who drink unfiltered water to become empty shells of themselves. when an emergency evacuation causes ian to die…and then come back…he’s separated from his best friend/crush eric, and sets out to find him and tell him his feelings before he goes.
unfortunately, this was lacking quite a bit of depth that would have made this a five-star read for me. i would’ve loved more information about the water supply and undead situation, though enough information was given to understand the gist of what was going on. i also didn’t quite connect with the writing style at some points.
now that the negative parts are out of the way, here’s what i enjoyed! i loved that this was set in my home state of west virginia, and i’ll admit this is something that originally drew me to the book. this was set in a different part of the state, but i still could imagine the setting quite well.
i also loved all the disability representation and discussions on disability that were present throughout the novel. our main character, ian, has epilepsy and chronic migraines. he’s joined by monica, who’s chronically ill and uses a cane, and angel, who i believe is autistic (though this label is not used). there’s discussions about how they were left behind as evacuation plans, unfortunately, aren’t typically inclusive. in general, i loved this trio and seeing their friendship grow throughout the novel.
i’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA horror....more
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