A bare-bones but solid comic adaptation of Thrawn (2017). Honestly, just read Zahn's books. They are so good!!A bare-bones but solid comic adaptation of Thrawn (2017). Honestly, just read Zahn's books. They are so good!!...more
**Thank you to BookSparks and EpicReads for an early finalized copy!**
The First to Die at the End recreates the magic of Adam Silvera’s highly acclaim**Thank you to BookSparks and EpicReads for an early finalized copy!**
The First to Die at the End recreates the magic of Adam Silvera’s highly acclaimed 2017 publication They Both Die at the End (TBDITE). Death-Cast comes calling, and it’s someone’s End Day. When you know it’s your last day to live, what would you do? In this prequel, Silvera takes us back to Death-Cast’s very first day in service and reminds us to enjoy every day to the fullest.
On Death-Cast Eve, two strangers, Valentino Prince and Orion Pagan, have a chance meeting in Times Square. At the stroke of midnight, one of them receives a call from Death-Cast, and the other doesn’t. As they live that last day to their hearts content is becomes clear: if Death-Cast is real, their day will end in heartbreak. Filled with life’s firsts and some of life’s lasts, this novel is both earth-shattering and utterly charming. Silvera highlights and romanticizes the power of 24 hours and the lasting impact we have on the people we meet.
This story makes use of multiple POV’s (primarily Valentino and Orion, but others when impactful as well). As expected, this 500+ page book mainly covers a 24-hour time period, bringing magical prose to every beautiful moment. While similar in concept to TBDITE, this still tells a fresh story. In TBDITE , Death-Cast is normal, even mundane. Of course you get a warning before you die, and there are expectations that come with being a “decker.” In this prequel it is Death-Cast’s first day which comes with new rules and policies being figured out on the fly. Does Death-Cast work? How should flights and hospitals function with people slated for death? The new turmoil made for a fascinating change up to what other-wise might be viewed as a “formula.”
This will be an emotional read for anyone how picks it up, I don’t think anyone has learned their lesson there, but the titles did warned you! The best part? Either book can be read as a standalone or in tandem. For those who read both, you will be rewarded. Silvera ties the two together in magical, yet subtle, ways.
For younger readers, it was not too long ago when gay marriage was illegal, and homophobia ran rampant in the USA. This book is set in 2010, so please be conscious and thoughtful about this setting when jumping into this stunning gay love story....more
I loved this one, such a fun concept! Essentially a Groundhog Day type time-loop set on UW’s campus in their first day of classes. Miles and Barrett wI loved this one, such a fun concept! Essentially a Groundhog Day type time-loop set on UW’s campus in their first day of classes. Miles and Barrett were both fun and loveable characters.
The audiobook itself gets 4/5 stars, the narrator had a couple weird pronunciations that took me out of the moment. Namely “museum” being pronounced “muse-EEM” instead of “muse-e-um” multiple times, and one instance of “read receipts” being pronounced “reed receipts” instead of “red receipts.” I’m honestly wondering how these parts weren’t caught and fixed before publication....more
**An early finalized copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
It’s 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives **An early finalized copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
It’s 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided: between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology (otherwise known as Mechomancy) not the traditional mystical arts.
Laura is a talented mystical arts mage from Pennsylvania who hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license, allowing her to use her talents publicly. But six months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.
As they’re sent off on their first mission together, they’ll discover dangerous work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and they’ll need to work together to have a chance at survival.
Rust in the Root is a fleshed out historical fantasy read, which is quite an accomplishment for a standalone. This is a solid alternate reality focused on a government agency investigating a dark mystery in Ohio. Laura will need to develop both her powers and her friendships if she wants to make it out alive and save the country she lives in.
What was special about this novel was the culmination of different story telling elements. Traditional prose is paired with the Skylark’s official mission report, as well as Laura’s photographs of the people and places she meets along the way (real photographs, sourced from an archive!). The plot, betrayals, and character development were all fantastic. I read this is less than 24 hours! Why didn’t this get 5 stars? For me, parts of the arc development and prose felt a bit too rushed, which I didn’t expect from an author with so many publications under her belt....more
**An ALC of this book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
All of Our Demise is the epic conclusion to All of Us Villains, a**An ALC of this book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
All of Our Demise is the epic conclusion to All of Us Villains, a fantasy duology and a 2021 favorite of mine. Long story short, it did NOT disappoint.
All of Our Demise picks up pretty much right where All of Us Villains ended: the familial champions of each house are caught in a tournament curse, destined to fight to the death. But what if the curse could be broken? The novel opens up with newly drawn and fragile alliances being formed between those who want to break the curse and those who want to win the tournament the old-fashioned way (i.e. by killing all of the champions).
With the tournament’s curse weakened from the events of book one, our champions find themselves faced with new benefits and new challenges. The tournament boundary has effectively dissolved, allowing the champions to re-enter town to gain information and new spells while non-champions can enter the arena and complicate matters to their hearts content. This evolves into news and PR quotes at the beginning of each chapter, conveying what the public is seeing and hearing as the tournament continues. It makes for a fascinating and compelling development to book one’s world-building foundation, to be sure!
My favorite aspect? The multiple POV’s! As I gushed about in my review of book one, there are multiple POV’s that are all well-developed! The audiobook narrators did a fantastic job individualizing the voices as well. I connected with each tournament champion, and loved seeing events from each of their eyes, especially Isobel and Alistair. They are each so unique and complex, and they each brought something to the table as the narrative developed. Without getting to spoiler-y, a character has been resurrected and a new champion unexpectedly joins the tournament, allowing for even crazier dynamics across the board. Plus, we get budding romances and we get to see how it develops from both sides!
As both a character- and plot-driven narrative, you’ll be rooting alongside all these morally grey narrators as this fast-paced and action-packed tournament of death comes to a close. Isobel, Briony, Finley, Alistair and Gavin will take you on a dark, atmospheric, adventure in this latest and final installment!...more
**An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Vesper Vale is the daughter of failed revolutionaries. In**An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Vesper Vale is the daughter of failed revolutionaries. In a world where a magical storm surrounds the city, cursing and killing everyone it touches, there are few defenses for the outer circles of the city. Knowledge is quite literally power when magic is controlled through an ikon alphabet, enforcing social and class structures. When Vesper's father is identified and kidnapped by the royal family to pay for his previous crimes, Vesper has no choice but to infiltrate this power structure to find him and help him escape. Unfortunately for Vesper, there are larger issues still at stake. How will she learn this complex magic system? What is causing this storm to menace her city? Can she place her hopes and dreams for a better future for her people upon the shoulders of the prince?
This book has a really special magical world-building which I really enjoyed. Seeing the contrast between the inner circles hoarding books and the outer circles paying exorbitant amounts for one symbol that may or may not work... It was powerful to see their socio-economic and academic structures held so rigidly and blatantly. The concept of the reign being passed down by a powerful ikon merged with the reigning leader's body was such a fascinating display of power's corruption as well. All around, I really enjoyed exploring the world set up by Mara.
My one gripe is with the novel's character building and evolution. Prince Dalca, and his compatriots Cas and Izamal, bond with Vesper in strange ways. Dalca and Cas's relationships with Vesper just did not feel organic to me, from either side. I couldn't quite grasp what they see in Vesper to want to trust and befriend her, and I couldn't see how Vesper went from using them to actually caring about these people who ruined her life and are endangering her father. I personally like a bit more character-driven aspects in the books I read, with more developed inter-character relationships which is why this book is knocked down 1 star for me. That being said, I definitely see why folks are loving this book — it has a fast, adventurous plot which is perfect for a magical fantasy read....more
This is first and foremost, a love story. Trust, loyalty, and intimate vulnerability existing even in the darkest of times.
As a dystopian read, I coulThis is first and foremost, a love story. Trust, loyalty, and intimate vulnerability existing even in the darkest of times.
As a dystopian read, I couldn’t rate this 5 stars and the MC’s essentially intend to create a power vacuum with no new structure to replace what they want to destroy. But the character-driven plot was such a beautiful read....more
This was cute. One red flag was a side character mentioning that they are a freshman in college dating a senior in college… but the two man charactersThis was cute. One red flag was a side character mentioning that they are a freshman in college dating a senior in college… but the two man characters were cute....more
**An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I was SO excited for Reader, I Murdered Him. This had so muc**An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I was SO excited for Reader, I Murdered Him. This had so much potential. My biggest ax to grind is the promotion surrounding this publication, if it were honest I don't think I would have felt to blind-sided. For starters, I thought the title would be a quick homage to Jane Eyre, but this book ends up treating itself like a sequel to Charlotte Brontë’s book. As the promotional material didn’t mention anything about its heavy ties to Jane Eyre, I felt misled and left in the lurch right from the get-go.
The book follows Adele, before Jane arrives, while Jane is her governess, and primarily after Rochester and Jane get married. Pre-existing characters forced into a new dynamic can have potential, but here the source material felt like a crutch the author couldn’t let go of, even when doing so would have made for a more substantial reading experience. Early reviews seem to concur, this would have been better off as an original: new concept with new characters that can be molded how the author sees fit.
While the sequel aspect was a blindside, I was excited for the historical fiction vigilante story I was promised. Unfortunately, that’s not really what I got. It was about 1/3 Jane Eyre retelling, 1/3 generic boarding school filler, 1/3 typical Victorian-novel-twists. In this last third is where we start to dabble with vigilante justice that unfortunately still left much to be desired. Overall, it was a weird structure choice to be sure, creating an experience that can be only described as unfocused.
Comparing the blurb (No Jane Eyre, heavily focused on Victorian comeuppance) to my reading experience (Heavily focused on Jane Eyre, very little female revenge) I am left feeling like I was lied to before I even picked this up. While there is sapphic romance from Adele’s POV, this too takes a backseat to the author trying to reference Jane as frequently as possible. The aspects that were most heavily promoted were not allowed to shine, and I’m honestly stunned that this got through the full editing and publication process to wind up on my TBR list as-is.
I wanted to love this book so much, and promotional lies aside, I am still struggling to find a positive quality that someone else might find enjoyment out of. ...more
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