Amazing character development and super fun plot twists. I absolutely ad“You need not mask yourself for me.”
This one is for the Daredevil girlies.
Amazing character development and super fun plot twists. I absolutely adore this world and the characters that inhabit it. I FLEW through this one, and as excited as I am to pick up the third book, I don't want it to be over just yet!...more
I feel like I've experienced a lifetime with these characters. God, what an exceptionally well done family saga. Feeling absolutely beFucking SOBBING.
I feel like I've experienced a lifetime with these characters. God, what an exceptionally well done family saga. Feeling absolutely bereft now that it's over....more
I admit that I can be a bit side-eye-y (that's definitely a word) about novels that used to be fanfiction. I absolutely lMan, Julie Soto just gets it.
I admit that I can be a bit side-eye-y (that's definitely a word) about novels that used to be fanfiction. I absolutely love fanfiction, but the nature of it doesn't always require the author to do the proper character development and world building that an original work demands, and ultimately it can end up feeling a bit empty when it's repackaged for traditional publication. Obviously, contemporary romances that started life as AU fanfic doesn't run into this problem quite as much, but I've picked up my fair share that have nonetheless let me down.
Not Another Love Song did not let me down.
Something that fanfic authors understand like nobody else is the absolutely delicacy that is a glacial slow-burn. Give me 10,000 words before the characters even brush hands, I BEG of you. The payoff is absolutely delicious when tension has been allowed to build up for a stupid long amount of time. And while a novel definitely does not have that kind of allowance to torture its reader, Julie Soto somehow managed to marry the feeling of a slow-burn fanfic with the length of a traditionally published romance. I'm honestly amazed at how invested I was in these characters and their chemistry.
Alex and Gwen were on fire in this book. Every stare was loaded with emotion, every duet was dripping with longing. It was incredible. I don't have a musical bone in my body, but I understood everything Soto was doing with these characters and their relationship to one another through their music. I'll never look at a cello the same way again lol.
Absolutely loved this couple, loved the story, loved everything about this book. I already can't wait to re-read it.
Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!...more
Riley and Nathan seemingly have nothing in common. Riley is a bright and energetic musical theater nerd, and Nathan spends his days quietly working atRiley and Nathan seemingly have nothing in common. Riley is a bright and energetic musical theater nerd, and Nathan spends his days quietly working at Riley's father's board game shop and playing D&D with his small circle of friends. But when circumstances throw them together into a fake dating scheme, they seem to be a little too good at acting like they have real feelings for each other despite their differences.
As a nearly 30 year old Fantasy reader, I don't read a lot of YA Contemporaries these days. But as a former high school theater nerd and a current adult nerd who enjoys tabletop games, the concept of Dungeons & Drama seemed tailor-made for my inner child. And I'm so glad I picked it up! It was the cutest darn thing I've read in quite some time.
This was such a wholesome, adorable, heartwarming novel about two dorks from different spheres of dorkdom, working together to pull off fake-dating hi-jinks and to save the spring musical. Honestly, I wish somebody had told me when I was a teenager that theater geeks and D&D players were an unstoppable match, it seems so obvious after reading this book.
I had such a great time with this story, I was smiling and giggling the whole way through. Highly recommend, and I can't wait to check out more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
There was no happy ending, here - but she could choose the unhappy ending which suited her. That had to be enough.
Goodness, I love Olivia Atwater'There was no happy ending, here - but she could choose the unhappy ending which suited her. That had to be enough.
Goodness, I love Olivia Atwater's brain.
The Witchwood Knot takes everything I loved about the Regency Faerie Tales series and makes it just a tad darker. We still get the wonderfully mischievous faeries and their cunning antics, but this book injects a wonderful gothic atmosphere into a world I was already in love with, and I had such a good time with the outcome. While this is technically the beginning of a new series, I strongly recommend reading Half a Soul and its sequels first, as there are quite a few references and spoilers mentioned in this one.
The Witchwood Knot follows Winifred Hall, a woman posing as a governess in Victorian England in order to investigate the mysterious Witchwood Manor. The master of the house insists nothing is amiss, but the local villagers and the servants of the house are well aware of Witchwood Manor's dark origins. Winnie must protect her charge, deal with the dangerous faeries that haunt the house at night, and try to unravel the Knot without dooming the whole town.
Atwater always does such a wonderful job of weaving in heavy themes with her whimsical tales. The characters of The Witchwood Knot are all dealing with their own demons, but to see them shed their fears and reclaim a part of themselves hit me so hard. Atwater explores sexual harassment, grooming, and abuse with a delicate hand, and while the mystery of the Witchwood Knot was the driving force of the novel, the journeys our characters go through leave a very strong impact.
"I am still not afraid of you - I am not even afraid of being desired. I am simply afraid of what desire becomes whenever I dare to decline it."
I loved Winifred as a heroine. She wasn't exactly morally grey, but she often describes herself as a knave and a liar and I found I quite enjoyed those characteristics as she confronted the faeries in this story. She's been through a lot in life, and she knows how to navigate a dangerous situation. Her cartomancy was also fun and unique, and I loved how her background intersects with some of our beloved characters from Half a Soul.
Mr Quincy reminds be a bit of Cardan from The Cruel Prince (he even has a tail!), so I think readers will probably either love him or hate him. I, myself, really enjoyed his character. He often walks the line of terrible and thoughtful, which you often see in faerie stories, and I honestly just eat that up. It's just such a fun thing to witness, and I thought he and Winifred had a fabulous dynamic.
"Be patient, governess. I will return when he has cried enough to suit me."
"You are so cruel, Mr Quincy," she told him. "I admire it intensely."
I absolutely adored this book and I can't wait for the next one!
Thank you to Olivia Atwater and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
T. Kingfisher is truly my "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more" author. Her specific genre of fantasy is my absolute favorite, T. Kingfisher is truly my "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more" author. Her specific genre of fantasy is my absolute favorite, and I always find her characters relatable and endearing. She is so masterful at creating a dark and moody vibe fairy tale vibe, then cutting straight through it with the sharpest wit I've ever seen. A Sorceress Comes to Call is her strongest example of that skill yet.
Absolutely loved this one! Brb going put Cordelia in my pocket and go raise a bunch of geese with Hester to ward off evil spirits....more
After what has felt like an endless string of disappointing sequels in 2023, I am pleased to report that Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is just aAfter what has felt like an endless string of disappointing sequels in 2023, I am pleased to report that Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is just as charming and fantastical as its predecessor.
Emily and Wendell are back to their scholarly and whimsical antics, this time adventuring to the Alps in an attempt to find a Nexus - a singular faerie door that can open to multiple locations, including Wendell's own faerie kingdom in Ireland. They're also joined by Emily's eager-to-please niece Ariadne and stiffly traditional Professor Rose, who both seem to challenge Emily in their own ways. Rounding out this adventure is the mystery of two missing scholars who disappeared decades ago, but whose apparitions still seem to haunt the mountainside village where our gang is staying.
Map of the Otherlands is absolutely brimming with charm. Between Emily and Wendell's silly banter, the wildly unfathomable Faerie Lands, and the Small Folk that both help and hinder our characters, each page of this book had me smiling and full of wonder. Heather Fawcett has such a talent for combining Emily's scholarly writing voice with the inherently whimsical and magical happenings going on around her in such an engaging way. This series has been an absolute joy to read so far.
I absolutely loved this sequel and I can't wait to see what else is to come for Emily and Wendell! ...more
The Deep Sky has all the gripping tension of a great mystery with the captivating world building of an imaginative sci-fi. This book kept me up well pThe Deep Sky has all the gripping tension of a great mystery with the captivating world building of an imaginative sci-fi. This book kept me up well past my bedtime on a work night, and I regret absolutely nothing.
Our main character Asuka is one of 80 crew members aboard the Phoenix, a spaceship bound for another planet. As the ship's only "alternate," a sort of jack of all trades, master of none role, Asuka often feels like a bit of an imposter. Furthermore, she was chosen as a delegate for Japan, a country she feels she has little claim to after living in America for most of her life.
The catalyst of this story is an explosion. Asuka, as the only living witness to the event, is tasked with figuring out what happened. Not only is there potentially a traitor on board, but their ship has been knocked off course, and they only have a small window of time to correct before the crew is doomed to forever float through space until life support fails.
This novel, while bleak at times, has such a hopeful streak running through it. I was cheering Asuka on SO hard as she was sleuthing through the ship in the present-day scenes and fighting for her spot on the crew during the flashbacks. Her feelings of inadequacy are painfully relatable, but she proves to be incredibly capable time and time again. She was a great protagonist, and I really enjoyed joining her for the ride through this story.
I also love how approachable the sci-fi elements of this book were. I'm still pretty new to the genre, and a lot of the time it feels like I have to strain my brain to comprehend the jargon. Give me convoluted magic systems any day and I'm fine, but when the sciencey stuff breaks out, I start sweating. The Deep Sky felt like such an elegant extension of technology that I'm already familiar with, though. For example, a large component of this book deals with an augmented reality system that is tailored uniquely to each crew member. This could have become confusing quickly, but Kitasei's handling of the prose was masterfully clear and cinematic. It was really interesting to get a glimpse into this world and experience how realistic this speculated future felt.
This is a super strong debut, and I can't wait to see what Yume Kitasei does next!...more
This seems to be an unpopular opinion of sorts, but man, I LOVE the one-off adventure installments of this series. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy This seems to be an unpopular opinion of sorts, but man, I LOVE the one-off adventure installments of this series. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the core group of kids at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, but I absolutely eat up the books that follow a single kid going through their door.
This book follows Antsy, a young girl who loses many important things in a short period of time. Eventually, she finds herself lost and entering a door to The World of Lost Things (aka the world of every thrift shopper's dreams). Here, both Antsy and the reader discover the mysteries of the ever-elusive Doors that appear in this series, and Antsy eventually realizes that things lost in this world cannot always be found.
I consider this to be the saddest book in the series, perhaps tied with Lundy's adventure in In an Absent Dream. Before the book even begins, Seanan McGuire warns the reader about the gaslighting and grooming that's explored in the book. So I thought I went in prepared, but there's an absolutely devastating scene that kicks off the novel that has NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT, and I was in tears 5 pages in.
Seanan McGuire, man. God damn.
McGuire sets the standard for what I consider to be an excellent novella. I've read plenty that I put down going, "that was good," and then swiftly move on. But almost every book in the Wayward Children series punches me in the gut and lingers with me, and Lost in the Moment and Found is no exception. I absolutely loved this one, and if you haven't picked this series up yet, you're only doing yourself a disservice....more
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