Tyler

I'll be honest, I had mixed feelings about this one. I felt like nothing about the novel really stood out to me, or truly EXCEEDED my expectations. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of good things about the book— the characters were funny and well thought-out, the mystery was compelling and exciting (who took Ai-Chin? Is she dead or alive?), the pacing/writing style was enjoyable, and the cast showed some really good diversity.

However, I felt like all of the aspects that made the book “good” to me, fell short in pretty crucial ways which prevented the book from being a truly GREAT read. For example, our main character, Daniel, suffers from Type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA. This debilitating disease prevents Daniel from living his life without assistance. While clearly Leitch did his research on SMA, the fact that Leitch himself is able-bodied (for me) made the writing feel a bit inauthentic. Now, of course we can argue for days on the “can authors write characters from backgrounds different than their own?” Question, but it's not even that I felt like he SHOULDN'T write from this perspective. Instead, it just felt like Leitch's approach to the character and his SMA needed to be about five layers deeper to be compelling.

The killer/kidnapping/Ai-chin storyline also felt... about five layers less deep than it needed to be for me to TRULY get behind it. Like, Ai-chin is supposed to be an international student visiting in the US from China. Ok great, but what about it? With only passing mentions of her race/background as an international student (“her English is bad, but she's working on it” kind of thing), it felt like her character was kind of one-dimensional, and was only international to be hip with the times.

That being said, I did enjoy the book, and recommend it as a beach/airport read for folks looking to pass the time. Nothing about the book was overtly offensive from my perspective, it just felt like it wasn't quite a DEEP read. But that also could very much be the whole point and I'm just some overly sensitive blogger ;)

On to the review!

Klara and the Sun was admittedly controversial in book club discussion this month. @cherreadssharereads and I loved it, while some others didn't like it quite all that much. During the discussion, I realized that many of the things that people disliked about the book, were also some of my favorite aspects about the book lol

I would say probably the main disagreement(s) the group came to were Klara's “youthful” perspective and many questions about the human world. Klara is an “AF” or Artificial Friend, and her first time ever seeing the world beyond the storefront was when she was purchased by Josie and her family. Understandably, Klara has many MANY questions about the world and its inner-workings. Ishiguro introduces the reader to this crazy post-apocalyptic(?) world through Klara's perspective. And, like Klara, the reader is likely to have many MANY questions about the world (many of which remain unanswered until the very end).

Personally, I found this type of world-building / introduction to the world to be very refreshing; I find that all too often sci-fi/fantasy books “tell” the reader as opposed to showing them the world itself. In this case, Klara's discovery of the world is also OUR discovery of the world, so the many questions feel organic. Other group members, however, understandably found the countless unknowns to be exhausting and uninspiring (why do I have to read about an “oblong” AGAIN when I don't even know what it is?!?). So really, I think it comes down to reader preference!

I think we all agreed that Ishiguro's writing is fantastic, but also that it was difficult to connect with any of the characters (which is likely the point).

I highly recommend! The Last Exiles was such a vivid read that, while technically a romance novel, captures so many different genres. The story follows Jin and Suja in their harrowing journey from the oppressive North Korea and into China. Jin comes from a family of peasants, while Suja is the daughter of the head reporter at the premier news agency in North Korea. While their backgrounds couldn't be more different, they meet and fall in love in Pyongyang at University. Separated against their will, they will do anything to find one another (and I mean ANYTHING!)

I just finished watching the K-drama, Crash Landing on You with my boyfriend, which, funnily enough, is a romance that takes place in North Korea (literally this is a MUCH watch show, each episode is long but you WILL laugh and cry). #Thelastexiles, however, contrasts from CLoY in that it shows the much darker (and I'm sure realistic) sides of North Korea. The novel is definitely very bleak with the few glimpses into happiness/bliss found in the relationship between Suja and Jin. The writing was easily digestible and kept me interested the entire time with some really intimate and beautiful moments as well. I was rooting SO HARD for a reunion between Jin and Suja— but I guess you'll have to read the book to find out if they have their happy ending!

I do wish the passage of time were a little clearer; I often had trouble telling how much time had passed between chapters. Perhaps this was purposeful of the author, but I definitely found it a bit confusing at times. I also wish that Suja had a bit more agency — Like, I totally understand that her world was completely turned upside-down and she went from a pampered schoolgirl to literally being on the run, but, I don't know, I just wish that she got the opportunity to really use the brain that she so clearly has!

Anyway, kudos to @ann.shin1 for an amazing debut novel— I can't wait to see what you write next! Such an interesting, well-researched, and entertaining first novel!

CW: Sexual assault, violence/domestic abuse

The Wife Upstairs follows Jane, the slightly boring dog walker who moves to Birmingham Alabama, where she works in the ritzy Thornfield Estate's. Jane's poor upbringing and traumatic childhood contrast greatly with the lives of Thornfield Estates' residents, yet she nonetheless catches the eye of mysterious, sexy, and kinda spooky Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is the most eligible bachelor. The two begin a whirlwind of romance which is hindered only by the haunting memory of Eddie's former wife Bea.

So to be honest, this one was a mixed bag for me. The writing was good, the characters were memorable, and the plot definitely kept me interested (who doesn't love a rags to riches suspense?!)... but, honestly this one fell a bit flat in many regards. For example, it's supposed to be a modern retelling of Jane Eyre, but honestly I didn't really see that many connections (although maybe this is because I don't remember Jane Eyre very well). Jane herself was pretty boring and frankly borderline annoying. I felt like most of the characters, in fact, were one-dimensional (yes, I just said they were memorable, but they were still relatively simple) — like, I could pretty much describe each character and their motivation in one sentence.

BUT all that to say, I read the book in a day and definitely found myself surprised by some of the twists (and not at all surprised by some others).

I have a soft spot for queer protagonists and #OwnVoices books, and this book was no exception! Heartbreaking as much as it is heartwarming, #Thirtynamesofnight follows Nadir, a trans boy in his search for the missing painting of a previously undiscovered bird by famed Syrian-American artist Laila Z. This elusive bird connects generations of Syrian-Americans crossing from New York City to Michigan and beyond.

Joukhadar's writing is absolutely beautiful, and his mastery of storytelling effortlessly weaves together the lives of two distinct and seemingly unrelated people separated by generations. While Nadir's mission to find the lost bird begins as a way to cope with his ornithologist mother's death, the story slowly unfolds into a mission towards acceptance and heritage.

The characters were all lovable, well-written and experienced a lot of growth throughout the novel. Even though she was somewhat of a secondary character, I absolutely loved Nadir's grandmother — she was strong and unyielding and kind in a way that reminds me of my grandparents, who also immigrated to the US. Perhaps my only critique was that I found the pace of the team's mission in uncovering Laila Z's mysterious past to be somewhat slow and contrived. Maybe though, that was on purpose? Maybe I'm just getting too caught up in the mission of discovering the bird, that I'm not appreciating the beauty/story along the way.

OK, I know I'm late to the party with this one but in my defense, it was sold out for a while (except for on Amazon but I'm trying to buy from there less) and I just recently (2 months ago ) got my hands on a copy. I finished this last week and can't wait to give my thoughts!

To be completely honest I liked this book a lot and I feel like none of my takes are going to be particularly hot, but if you're considering trying this book out, read on!

Things I liked: The writing (gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!), the different POVs, theme of identity and its intersection with race, class, and gender. Bennett is truly an incredible storyteller; every scene felt so intentional and the way in which these characters' stories intertwine is nothing short of masterful! I thought each story arc was unique and well-told, especially Stella, Desiree, and Jude (so I guess maybe all the main characters?). I feel like Bennett refreshed the often-used theme of “identity” in the Vanishing Half— She expertly reveals just how flimsy our definition of race is; so flimsy, in fact, that people who are white-passing can switch their race on a whim! I love how she brought gender and sexuality into the story as well, and the struggles that many people face with these identities. She highlights the idea of “passing” (in both gender and race) in a way that I felt was super enlightening!

Things I didn't like: the first bit of the story was admittedly slow (something I've heard from many people) and I feel like it took a bit for us to get into the meat of the story. The side characters also felt a BIT one dimensional to me. Like, Desiree and Stella clearly had very well thought out emotions and motivations, but some of the other side characters felt... meh

Overall: read this book!!!! Trust me that the beginning may seem slow, but it gets juicy!!!!!!

Crosshairs follows the story of Kay, a black drag queen, and his allies in their journey to fight back against an oppressive regime who has been capturing and rounding up “Others” (pretty much anyone who isn't white, cis, and straight-passing) into concentration camps.

I honestly could not have started reading this book in a more opportune time. In the midst of a global pandemic and race rebellion, many of the ideas presented in the book are incredibly relevant. While technically Crosshairs is a “dystopian novel”, the current situation in the U.S. made it way too believable. From the physical and systemic exclusion of Others, to the response by the government during an environmental disaster (which disproportionately affects black and brown people), Crosshairs was a chilling and topical read throughout. I will say that had it not been for the current political/social climate in the U.S., I might have struggled to really “believe” the plot – but, it's a dystopian novel! so it's not meant to be entirely “believable”.

The cast was relatively small, and each character was well-thought out and nuanced in their thoughts and actions. Hernandez excellently portrayed the diversity of the cast, using careful, intentional language that was accessible and educational. Hernandez explained topics of privilege, systemic racism, and queerness, in a way that was easy to read and perfectly fit within the context of a dystopian novel.

I cannot say enough good things about this book! Would highly recommend this to anyone who loves drag queens, dystopian novels, and taking down fascist regimes! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Black Sun is everything I love about new-age fantasy epics. It's diverse, it's speculative, it's smart, and it's a big fuck you to colonization! Based in the pre-columbian (aka pre-colonized) Americas, Black Sun highlights the vibrancy and beauty of cultures that are often overlooked. Everything from the world-building to the characters and magic was so VISUAL. I truly felt like I was right there alongside Xiala and Serapio. Roanhorse beautifully introduces the reader to a world/society that is INCREDIBLY complex in a way that is (For the most part) super accessible! I did feel at sometimes there were characters or groups mentioned where I was a bit confused, but I honestly think that was more an error on my part.

This book pretty much checked all of the boxes for my ideal fantasy epic— the cast was incredibly diverse and used inclusive language throughout. Sexuality and gender were fluid in a way that felt to me educational and important to the story. I know a lot of times people feel like inclusive language feels “preachy” but I did not feel that at all (nor do I ever really, though). The characters had clear motivations and grew a lot throughout the story.

The magic system (my favorite part) was definitely VERY interesting and complex; I'm excited to see where Roanhorse takes it. It did feel like some characters had seemingness limitless potential, whereas others barely had any ability at all, which is usually a red flag to me in world-building (re: HP). The magic itself also seemed to play a bit of an odd role in society. For example, MAGIC magic is forbidden (i.e. raising the dead, gods, etc.), but like, “fake” magic governs their entire society (astrology, reading the starts)? But, all of this to say, the magic felt really intentional to me, like Roanhorse was prepping us to really DIVE in in future books— so I can't wait!

I could literally go on and on about the world-building and writing, but I will let you all read and decide for yourselves! If you've read it, let me know your thoughts below!

Hoffman does it again!

Magic Lessons is the origin story to the famous Practical Magic (which was made into a movie starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, a favorite of mine!). It takes place in the late 17th Century and follows Maria Owens, the original Owens Witch who casts the deadly curse that plagues the Owens family for centuries to come. Magic Lessons definitely has a darker, more violent tone than do Practical Magic and Rules of Magic - perhaps indicative of the setting of the novel (Salem Witch Trials), or maybe Hoffman just wanted to try something new! Either way, I felt this darker tone to be very refreshing; Hoffman does not however stray from her themes of sisterhood/womanhood, magic, and family. It might sound like a weird combo (motherly love in the times of unprecedented and mind-boggling persecution of innocent women), but it really really works!

The book takes us around the world, from England to Curacao to Salem, with each location having a completely different tone and energy. The stark differences in description between each location highlights Maria's journey from abandoned orphan to powerful witch. Along the way, she falls in love (of course!) and masters her Craft.

One (small) thing I didn't love about this one was, well, Maria. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand why Maria needed to be the protagonist (original mother witch, duh), but I didn't find myself completely enthralled by her story or her motivations. She was obviously a brilliant and powerful character, but for some reason (probably me), every decision she made was “meh” to me. I'm having a lot of trouble explaining this right now, but it just didn't feel like she had a ton of personality - To me, Maria's personality and decisions just felt like a product of everyone else around her (perhaps until the end). Ok, I'm realizing now that maybe that's the whole point of Maria's story arc... nevertheless, I think Maria was exactly the narrator we needed to set the foundation for the iconic Owen's women to come!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC for Magic Lessons - it's a must read for Hoffman lovers!

I actually read this one a while ago (beginning of November), but wanted to wait until my book club discussion before making a review post, and I'm glad I did! As usual, there were some awesome insights from the group that really changed my perspective on some of the topics. Thank you to fellow bookstagrammers @bookmaddie @alex.gets.lit @brand.new.chapter for joining! As usual, if any of my followers would like to join our next discussion, DM me!

Because I found the conversation so insightful, my review is going to consist mostly of group comments as I found that they really had an impact on my perspective! But ultimately, READ THIS BOOK! There's a little something in their for everyone. A note though, that these group comments are generalized, and don't represent the individual opinions of everyone in the group.

Things the group liked: Schwab's writing (obviously) was incredible! She has such a beautiful way with words, and she expertly weaves multiple timelines and historic events into a cohesive book. We loved the fantastical elements; it felt like there was enough magic to appease the fantasy-lovers of the group, without going so into the fantasy tropes that it was inaccessible to non-fantasy readers. We also almost unanimously liked Luc (the antagonist) haha. Maybe it says something about our attraction to bad boys, but we spent a ton of time discussing Luc's moral ambiguity and his (somewhat) redeeming qualities.

Things the group didn't like: Addie's VERY slow (over 300 years!) acceptance of the curse and its implications. We discussed how this was likely purposeful on Schwab's part, to show how even though she is over 300 years old, Addie still maintained her humanity, which made her a more sympathetic character (compared to other “super old” protagonists like Edward Cullen). The group didn't LOVE the romantic interests, and felt they were kind of boring

Things we were undecided on: The seven stars symbol (like, what exactly did it mean?), the omniscient narrative (phrases like, “little did they know...”

DNF. Unfortunately this book was not for me. The idea was so gorgeous, and the writing so descriptive and poetic in a way... but it was DENSE. The convoluted storytelling (it almost felt like I was reading a book of metaphors and symbols?) slowed me down to the point where I couldn't go on.

I HATE not being able to finish books, so maybe one day i'll come back to this one.

I'm conflicted about this one. On the one hand, there were a lot of really redeeming qualities about the book and I feel like Nemerever took some big risks with his characters and their emotional vulnerability. That being said, the pacing of the book was a bit off for me and a lot of the decision-making that went on didn't quite click logically with me (although that might have been purposeful). Overall, Nemerever certainly made a VERY scary queer thriller that definitely fit in with my goal to read spooky books in October.

Things I liked: the concept (gay serial killers.... Sign me up!), symbolism/metaphor was really clever— Nemerever did a great job of showing us the importance that metaphors like chess, ethics, butterflies, etc. played to the plot, without being TOO heavy-handed with it— he even alluded to Crime and Punishment, which I thought was cool! Setting was interesting (working class, rural-ish Pittsburgh college campus vibe).

Things I didn't like: pacing (the first half of the book was admittedly quite slow), the tone of These Violent Delights was very pretentious. Like, I get that the main characters are supposed to be “gifted” students and all, but their tone (and the author's narration) felt super patronizing and dry at times. Also, like I mentioned above, I didn't really find that the logic/motivation of the characters really made sense to me. I get that Paul and Julian were both struggling with mental health, but that also doesn't justify some of their more violent decision-making? Perhaps I'm not the best person to speak on these issues, but I found that I couldn't quite grasp the WHY of any of the choices made by the characters.

CW: extreme violence, anxiety/depression, toxic relationships

Lastly, a big thank you to @harperbooks for the gifted copy :D

A must-read! Pretty much everyone in my book club agreed that this novel is both a compelling, beautiful story in addition to an informative read that gives insight to the vibrant, nuanced, and yet also heartbreaking trans community/experience. This novel interrogates what it means to be a woman, mother, and trans (amongst myriad other identities). With all of these incredible themes, ideas, etc. it's no wonder words like “conflicting,” “tense,” and even “messy” were used to describe this book in our discussion. And I want to emphasize those words were used in the BEST way possible— because Peters masterfully walks the line of tense, “uncomfortable” topics in a way that is accessible, informative, and even funny, while highlighting the depth and variation in experiences felt by many trans people. Apologies for run on sentences lol - there are just so many things to say!

Each character was well thought out, imperfect, yet sympathetic all at the same time! Their motivations were clear and consistent throughout the story. Every character went through some sort of transformation, or, at least changed/learned something. The book club really enjoyed Rees' dark sense of humor and again, found Peters' ability to weave comedy into all-too-often “sad” theme to be masterful! (that is, transness and queerness in fiction often being portrayed as really sad as opposed to hopeful).

I think it is very important for all potential readers of Detransition, Baby to recognize that this book is NOT some panacea or one-stop-shop for all things trans. I found myself needing to check myself on this throughout the reading process– I found that my critiques (mainly, lack of more BIPOC characters) were often the result of me putting too much pressure on Peters to be this mastermind woke repository of knowledge instead of what she is — an incredibly talented author telling an #ownvoices story based on her own knowledge and experiences.

Depending on my mood, I read nonfiction to varying degrees. Sometimes, I'll read like 3 or 4 nonfiction books in a month, and other times I won't touch one for almost a year. I was in the latter category and hadn't read a nonfiction in like, 4 months, but decided that I should try out #nonfictionnovember. While I had lofty goals to read a lot of nonfiction, I only read one. This one.

The premise of You're Not Listening is pretty simple— we, as humans, are a LOT worse at listening than we are at talking. Especially as we become increasingly politically, economically, socially, and physically divided, it is ever obvious just how BAD we are at listening (pretty much 2020 could be a use-case for this entire book). We interrupt each other, our minds wander, and we often project our own problems on other people; our inability to listen prevents us from creating truly meaningful and robust relationships.

So noted, we're horrible listeners, but how exactly can we become BETTER listeners? Well, that's kind of what the book is about. Murphy does an excellent job of dividing this topic into digestible chunks, balancing anecdotes, interviews, and (arguably) most importantly, methods to improve your listening.

To be candid, unless you REALLY lack basic self-awareness, I doubt that anything you read in this book is going to really be something you've NEVER heard before. Like sure, don't cut someone off in the middle of a conversation, don't raise your voice, don't ask biased questions— but isn't that kind of obvious? (Rhetorical question, because yes, it should be kind of obvious). But what I think this book does incredibly well is it consistently highlights numerous (and I mean, pretty much like 70% of the book) examples in which better listening = better outcomes. People are happier, closer, and more trusting than ever after improving their listening! So that, for me, is why I loved this one— it inspired me to WANT to really work on my listening, so that I can really improve my relationships.



BOY did Kuang deliver on this one. It's like she took all of the best bits of the Poppy War and The Dragon Republic (two of my faves btw) and got rid of 90% of their weaknesses to create this incredible, POWERHOUSE of a finale!!!! That being said, The Burning God is definitely not without flaws (as all books are). Still I recommend to all fantasy lovers!

Ok to start, literally Rin is icon queen of badass magic and god-like power and all around fierce opponent. One of my favorite parts about this series is how Kuang writes Rin as an anti-hero, or as a flawed character in general. Like, Rin is genuinely scary at times, but still you kind of want to root for her? Without giving to o much away I feel like Burning God did an incredible job of toying that line between rooting for Rin and genuinely second-guessing whether she is the leadership that her people need. So— incredible anti-hero who is bordering on villain status (in a good way).

The plot was so clear and intentional in this the Burning God, which was something I definitely felt was missing in Dragon Republic. Whereas DR really felt like a filler book (no shade), it was obvious that the Burning God had a really clear, defined plot. The motivation of each character was apparent, and all of it checked out logically (to me). Another improvement on Dragon Republic was that Kuang got rid of a lot of the fluff. The Burning God is just straight up action, character development, and story building. She got rid of a lot of the randomness that seemed to pop up in Dragon Republic and kept the focus on a really clear path forward.

The fight scenes, as usual, were SPECTACULAR. Every fireball, every weapon, every war tactic, was so easy to imagine that I was completely immersed in the story. The god powers are magnified like, by 100% in this book and just, wow.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and @harpervoyager for the e-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the series below!

Solid 3.5/5 for me.

The magic: love it! so cute and generally well-thought out magic system. I think Eliopolus highlights the limitations of magic really well - it's difficult to use, and some people are just better at it! Which, as simple as it sounds, doesn't seem to be very common in YA magic.

The Love: Also, LOVED it. my little gay heart was ROOTING for some characters to fall in love. The romance in the Fascinators took me on a ROLLERCOASTER of anger (boys can be so dumb!!!), heartbreak, and giddiness (like, the butterflies feeling when you have a crush). The Fascinators did an amazing job of portraying young love!

The Plot: This is where Eliopulos started to lose me. My main question throughout this entire book was, why? why are kids involved in this epic fight of evil vs. good? Why do they all love waffle house so much? Why doesn't Sam dream?

The Characters: They were fine. didn't blow me away, but each character was unique, and their motivations/feelings were pretty clear. I was never surprised by any of their actions (in a good way). Sam can be kind of annoying, but what teenager isn't?

Overall, definitely recommend the read for anyone who loves magic/gay teen romance

Another month, another book club post. As usual, the discussion was super enlightening and made me realize things about the book that I hadn't even considered when reading.

As a summary, this book is a collection of short stories written by iconic Zora Neale Hurston (author of Their Eyes Were Watching God). The book technically centers the Harlem Renaissance, although not all of the stories take place during this time period.

I found that a number of these stories were really well written and stuck with me in memory (lots of iconic girl-boss wives who get revenge on unfaithful husbands). Some stories, however, were definitely not my cup of tea and just didn't really capture my attention.

The biggest reason I would recommend this book to aspiring writers and critical readers, which is something I only realized after our Book Club discussion, is that this book really highlights Hurston's GROWTH in writing ability. It was incredible to see how some of the classic Hurston writing techniques (transition between more “rural” / localized language to more “technically advanced” writing) developed over time. I used quotes because I'm not sure how else to describe that our use of “proper” English is inherently classist and doesn't reflect the nuance or beauty found in the English language. Additionally, seeing how the same character names came up in different stories really revealed a lot about Hurston's process — a must read for people learning to develop these writing skills!

Ok I LOVE N.K. Jemisin. Her Broken Earth series is literally one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy series! Jemisin does SUCH an incredible job weaving real, political and social issues, into a fantastical world with magic and monsters. She expertly uses her mastery of language and world-building to create really strong character-driven stories that send out a message very applicable to real life.

That being said, Jemisin brings her quirky and unique writing-style into her new series, the City We Became. Each character is expertly nuanced and very, very politically inspired (if queerness and POC protagonists isn't your thing, maybe skip this one — and skip my page while you're at it ).

I did feel like Jemisin worked so hard to create really amazing and nuanced characters that the plot was kind of....meh. To be honest, in all 400+ pages of this, it didn't feel like a whole lot HAPPENED, you know? Like yes, obviously stuff was happening but it didn't feel like there was that much of a plot, just a lot of character and tension-building— which isn't a bad thing at all! It might just mean that she's building up the plot for the next book in the series! Still highly highly recommend this read.

Vuong's writing is literally one of the most beautiful prose I have ever had the opportunity to read. This, paired with the stream of consciousness and poetry throughout the book does a GORGEOUS (pun intended) job of creating a sense of rawness in Little Dog's narration. The emotions in this novel; love, betrayal, anger, loss, and more feel SO real. I felt myself tearing up more than I care to admit throughout the book. The ONLY big negative was that I felt like the writing style was a bit confusing. There were definitely points where I had to re read sections just to understand what was happening. To be honest, though, I think often the author did this on purpose. I could literally write another 5 pages about this book, but I won't bore you too much. A must-read!

Where do I begin with this one? Honestly, I love EVERYTHING about this story!!!! From Karla's tone, to her experiences traveling around the country meeting with undocumented individuals— all of it was awesome! It was funny, shocking, sad and very, very personal. The story unfolded in such a unique and heartfelt way; in the beginning, the narration feels more closed off and a bit detached(?), but as the story progresses, you see more and more of Villavicencio's (iconic) personality. Reading this book was like meeting someone for the first time, and slowly unpacking their life and experiences. Honestly, I feel like this story is as much a personal exploration of identity as it is a story to be read by others.

Karla's voice shines through in this story SO strongly, and that voice is ANGRY (and funny!). She strays from the traditional depiction of “undocumented immigrants”— as laborers, sufferers, and criminals. There is labor and there is suffering, yes, but that's not the point of the story; instead, she humanizes the people she speaks with as individuals, with their own unique stories. She highlights mental health, and the profound impact that living undocumented can have on your emotional (and physical) well-being. I'm running out of characters in this post so DM me if you want to hear more thoughts, but this is absolutely a MUST read ownvoices story

This book. WOW. When I first began reading this one I was like “okay okay. it's cute and all, but I still don't get the hype”.... but then I got to approx. page 40 and was HOOKED. Each character in this story is SO unique and nuanced. The dialogue was freaky real. Like yes, it's kind of cheesy but McQuiston did an amazing job actually of capturing how people speak nowadays. The plot itself falls somewhere between YA/Fanfic/everything I never knew I wanted to read in a gay love story. It's cute, romantic, and steamy too! The cast is diverse in race and experience, showing that cultural boundaries can really effect what it means to come out! I definitely recommend anyone, queer or ally to read this one!

A solid 4/5, in my opinion

Ok, I'm going to kind of break this review down into two mini-reviews because one the one hand, I absolutely COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. I finished it in one day and loved every second of it. The suspense was REAL and I was so frustrated (and scared) at times! There were a lot of twists and turns (some pretty obvious and some that completely got me out of nowhere) that kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the different characters... I definitely wouldn't say they were the most BELIEVABLE, but then again, most thrillers have to have some odd events/characters or else they wouldn't be all that thrilling. BUT on the other hand, something I definitely didn't like about this one was how it took the “untrustworthy female protagonist spies something she shouldn't and nobody believes her” trope to the EXTREME. Like other books that fall in this genre (Gone Girl, Girl on a Train), the protagonist, Anna, has alcohol and drug abuse problems, leading to (what the police believe) to be an untrustworthy witness. But like, Anna was COMPLETELY SANE in every scene before the murder; in fact, she regularly plays chess and has a doctorate??? Like yes, she is dealing with her own trauma and PTSD from past events (no spoiler), but still, it's absolutely ridiculous for the police not even to CONSIDER her testimony. Anyway, I could go on for days about my qualms with the portrayal of female protagonists in modern fiction but this review is getting a bit long. Overall though, definitely recommend this one!

where do I even BEGIN with this one— the character development, pacing, the MAGIC! It's all so beautiful I can't even handle it. This book has to be one of (if not THE) favorites of 2019. I truly devoured this book in maybe a day while home sick from work. Miller's writing improved SO much from Song of Achilles to this one (not that SoA was bad, I've re read it like a million times). Each character, especially Circe (obviously) was so well thought out and nuanced. Like honestly, there were times when I was SO annoyed with Circe. HOW does she not recognize how powerful her witchcraft makes her? Why is she so desperate for companionship when she's a literal Bad ass TITAN and scares Zeus?! But then I realized, in a feverish moment of clarity that Circe is SO RELATABLE in that way. I know SO many people who are seemingly so powerful/awesome to everyone else, but have really low self confidence. And that character development, from feeling like she is nothing, to turning men into PIGS (that they are), to finding love and power, is why you should read Circe. Anyway I am writing this on my commute back from work so apologies for ny grammar mistakes.

So this one is going to be kind of a 2-for-1 review and I'll try to keep it short! I absolutely ADORED Poppy War; the character development, the world-building (some of the best I've seen!), and the magic system all worked to create a GORGEOUS and unique world. The plot in the Dragon Republic expands on this world-building even more, introducing more complex political groups and some crazy twists! The books are full of action and it feels like every chapter there's another fight scene. The only negative that I saw, which became significantly more apparent in Dragon Republic, was the interpersonal character development. Sure, each character had such a nuanced and beautiful storyline, but I felt that the actual dynamics BETWEEN characters really suffered. The friendship between Rin and Kitty seemed forced, which made it difficult for me to empathize when they would fight (which happens often). It felt like Kuang relied heavily on her amazing action-writing skills and didn't do as much relationship-building as she could have done. Along the same vein, I felt that Rin's romantic interests were INCREDIBLY hard to believe. Rin seems to be infatuated with her leader, Atlan, for almost no reason? Then again, that honestly might have been purposeful on Kuang's part and the reader is SUPPOSED to question Rin's infatuation for Atlan.