Marlowe

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus books for providing me with an EARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I had such a good time with this book! Shesheshen was such an integrated g protagonist to follow, and the exploration of her humanity and Homily's family dynamics had me hooked the whole way through.

Homily in particular was such an interesting character. Her upbringing and family dynamic were incredibly toxic, but pulling yourself away from the cycle of abuse is hard, and this book handled her situation so respectfully. It wasn't a cure-all after she met Shesheshen, and it's something she still has to work on even beyond the last page on the novel.

I do feel like there could have been a little more development regarding the relationship between Homily and Shesheshen. I do think that, to some extent, the nature of the characters lent to the quickly-developed romance; one character who is a major people-pleaser vs someone who isn't quite human and likely hasn't experienced much, if any, human compassion in their lifetime, so this is something I'm being more lenient with. However, at times it did feel a little like they were saying a lot and barely anything to each other all at once.

The actual dynamic between Homily and Shesheshen was actually beautiful though; the unconditional acceptance the each of them gave each other, allowing them both to be entirely comfortable with one another and growing together was so refreshing, and the asexuality of the characters was just something they both experienced and loved about one another. It was such an unconventional and beautiful relationship.

One thing that absolutely didn't affect my rating but I wanted to point out; this was completely unreadable on a Kindle.

Netgalley does allow you to send books to your kindle, and this is my main method to reading digitally, but the numbers used in the formatting made it basically impossible unless you were willing to read a sentence per page. I'm sure this is a pre-publishing format and won't be in the final product, but it's something I wanted to point out.

Once again thank you for providing me with a free digital copy of this book!

I could not get invested and every time picking it up felt like a chore. It might have been my own headspace to blame, since I didn't have an issue with the writing/plot/characters and I might pick it up again another time, but for now I would rather spend my time with a different book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a good time with this manga! The story flowed nicely and the number 8 being a connection between the two main characters was unique. The development of their relationship was sweet, and the occasional chnage of POV from Eito to Hatta was a nice bit of insight into the other's mindset.

As usual, it has the usual small conflict of most BL protagonists, where they think ‘I'm not gay, but I like you', but it's actually not too prominent in this, and the two of them seem to overcome this quickly, which was super refreshing!

I think the weakness was in the side characters; I felt like the friends were barely there, only occasionally popping in for funny dialogue or contextualising some small things. Though with only 196 pages, I understand the author would want to focus on the relationship between their two main characters instead.

Overall, this was short and sweet, and I enjoyed my time with this manga!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bella Books for an eARC copy of this book!

I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I would! The references to real world events and changes to working life (COVID, remote working, etc) felt seamless, especially given the environments each protagonist works in.

Both the main characters felt very fleshed out, suitably flawed and loveable, and their chemistry was amazing! All the conflict within the novel felt very organic to their characters and situation, and their communication was so refreshing. The third-act conflict can be a real downer on some books, but in this, the conflict was both external to their relationship, and also contributed to each of the characters' growth.

A particular highlight was the relationship itself. They both started on the wrong foot, through no fault of their own, and the way they grew closer and bonded was beautiful. Angel also stole the show so many times, and facilitated their relationship growing throughout the book in such a lovely way! They both shared their interests with one another, and the two of them together was so sweet, and so healthy as well! 

I also loved the development the side characters all got. Devyn's friends having marital problems they worked through, Robbie's uncle's own growth and reconnection with someone from his past, and even Devyn's ex-husband to some extent (although I'm a big hater of cheaters in relationships, so even with the development I held a grudge. AND CHEATING ON DEVYN?! Unbelievable.

Overall, I had such a lovely time reading this book and highly recommend it to any romance lovers!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This novel was an experience; I feel like that's the best way to describe it. There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, despite the plot itself seeming quite straightforward. The writing itself was beautiful, with some very interesting imagery throughout the novel. The supernatural elements felt both very out of place, but also almost ingrained into the storytelling, and we don't get much of an answer as to why these things are happening.

The intense relationship between Helene and the main character was so interesting. Their connection was instant and, even from the beginning, it always felt somewhat off. They had wonderful moments together, but the toxicity slowly eases its way in until the readers themselves feel uncomfortable, and with the horror imagery throughout makes quite the unsettling story. It felt like Helene's character wasn't explored much, but I think it plays into her role as someone who the main character actually barely knows; she lives a very different life to her and feels distant, even in their more intimate moments.

I also love that the man never gets named. Even after he's dead, only the women get the dignity of being identified and explored throughout the book. I think we barely get to even see him outside of the character referencing the night of the party. He really felt like a dark presence rather than a man; the only humanity he's shown is after his death by his own mother . I think the haunting reflects this beautifully, how it invades every aspect of the main character's life, dogging her every step. I think the consumption of animals plays into this too, how she eats it in an almost animalistic way due to having to eat on the job or hidden in a cupboard, and also how this is forced onto her by another male character.

It would have been lovely for her and Oliver to remain friends; their connection was brief but very sweet, and I think the two of them would work well together as friends.

Overall, an enjoyable and haunting read!

Not really in the right headspace for it, so me and my buddy reader will pick it up another time. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with a free copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review!

Whilst this manga absolutely follows some typical tropes of yuri manga (main character who is majorly in denial despite obviously being attracted to the female love interest, pushy confident love interest, etc) I still had a great time reading this! We don't get a whole lot of character development for the main characters, but considering this is the very first volume, there is definitely potential. Some seeds have already been planted, particularly in the case of Honda, the love interest, and I'm interested in discovering her past and possible interest in Sakurai in the past. 

I do wish the manga didn't put the main character into a position of, at least at first, having Honda kiss her without her consent. Whilst we as the audience know that Sakurai is developing feelings and isn't feeling completely uncomfortable, despite her denial, this wasn't shown to us before the kiss, and Honda definitely wouldn't have known this. I'm of course giving this leniency as, since I mentioned before, this is very much a common trope of yuri manga, and other than the initial kiss, you could make the excuse that, based on some cues the love interest is giving, Honda could maybe tell that her feelings are becoming more reciprocated. That's probably my main gripe with the volume at the moment, and there's a chance there could be a backstory going over this, but that's still something we're yet to see.

The story itself was quite fast-paced, but the relationship between Honda and Sakurai still felt authentic whilst still leaving a lot of room for development in future volumes. It's still early days, and I'm very much looking forward to where this manga goes!

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing / Blue Shore Books for providing me with a free copy of this books in exchange for an honest review!

I have a lot of conflicting feelings over this book.

For the majority of this book, I had a pretty fun time! It's not a book you should take too seriously, and the book itself is quite self aware of how campy it is. I enjoyed the time spent on earth with Jay more than Hell; I think there were absolutely some funny world building elements, but I didn't connect with the world much since our only exposure to this world was through Rascal. None of the other characters in hell were really built up, like Zorolam, Paimon or the Devil, so there was quite a disconnect between how invested I felt in Rascal's story outside of earth.

I did really like the character of Jay, and the dialogue was more realistic than I expected. The author claimed to have drawn from his own experience, and it was very evident. The characters were still kind of shallow, but very much less so than can be said for hell, and there were some interesting characters like Jess, Enya, Augie and even Mouse to some extent, but it felt quite surface-level. i did actually like Jess' reveal towards the end. Jay was definitely pretty self-absorbed throughout the book, especially as she explains things, and Jess calling him out on that and taking him out was kind of satisfying.

My main gripe with this book was the ending. The story had been built up decently and I was interested in seeing how things would end up for jay, but the ending felt incredibly rushed, and Jay himself lost all agency in those last few chapters. There was definitely a disconnect between the final scene between Jay and Rascal and the epilogue, and it felt like wasted potential when the whole book had basically built up to Jay's corruption, changed its mind, changed its mind again, and then killed him off, almost killed him off again, made him despise Rascal, and then suddenly everything was fine between them? It really felt like the book was struggling to commit one way or another, and the final showdown felt disconnected from the rest of the book.

I would say overall I did enjoy myself despite this! As I said, it's a fun, campy ride, but it was just the ending that fell a little flat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I'll be honest and say I was not feeling this book for the first few chapters. I found myself not really enjoying the writing style at first, which is my own personal preference, and I didn't feel fully engaged in the story for a while.

This absolutely changed as the story went on. Sophie Kim has done an amazing job at weaving together Korean myth and fantasy to a more modern setting. She kept certain aspects, like how the magical creatures stay hidden from the mortal world, simple but effective, and it really allowed her to focus on the more prominent parts of her worldbuilding. The culture around the gods was entertaining, and the ease at which she explained each creatures features/roles in their magical society made it easy to become immersed.

I also really liked each of the main characters! To me, the romance itself felt a little rushed, but that could be because I definitely have a preference for something a little more slowburn, but by the end of the novel I felt so invested in them that it didn't matter to me in the long run. I do wish they'd had a bit more emotional vulnerability before they were thirsting over each other (lol) but, as I said, by the end of the book I was really rooting for them. I actually really enjoyed the bittersweet ending. It definitely would have felt like a cop-out if the two of them had been allowed to freely walk into the sunset together, and Seokga having to lower himself to begging really sold how committed they were to each other. It would be interesting to see how the relationship plays out in the future with reincarnation in the mix, especially if her gender is different and how Hani's different life experience influences her in her new life, or what form she'll take in a magical sense.

Hani herself was entertaining as a main character, morally dubious at times but easy to understand and root for, and it wa slovely to see Seokga soften and open up over the course of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I'll definitely be picking up the next in the series!

Thank you SO much to Netgalley, Peachtree and Pixel+Ink for an E-Arc of this title in exchange for an honest review! All opinions in this review are my own.

I was so happy to receive a copy of this book! This follows Miles who is a trans kid growing up in the deep south navigating a feud between his and the Davies' family, and things take a dark turn quite quickly.

I will say that this felt like the most political book Andrew Joseph White has written so far, and I am all here for it. He also really nails in the idea of there being no perfect victims, and even some of the villainous characters of this book end up being sympathetic, even if I would still enver condone their actions. The themes of corruption and the inherited trauma throughout the core characters of this book were heartbreaking and so realistic. It really drills in the idea that some of these people really feel like there's no way out, and Cooper's development over the course of the book is probably the best example of these themes. The fact that, after Miles accidentally kills Noah, his first solution is more violence really shows what's going through his head and how the culture of the town and the actions taken against him have impacted him. He definitely was not a perfect victim, and despite his flaws it was terrible hearing about his death was the nail in the coffin.

Miles as the main character felt so raw and real. His struggles and flaws were fleshed out wonderfully throughout the book, and his actions, whilst not always the most logical or morally ‘good', really makes you remember that this is just a kid in an awful situation.

The side characters were also great, and Miles' relationship with his parents was very realistic. I think the author mentions this was based on his own relationship with his parents during his transition and it really shows through. Saint was also so interesting, despite the fact he never actually talks in the novel.

Overall, I had a wonderful time with this book. I could probably go on and on in this review about the things I loved, I cannot recommend this enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely adored my time reading this manga! I myself identify as asexual, and Chika's feelings regarding feeling alienated from other people because of her disinterest in relationships and romance really hit home. Since there was no romance, it really gave the author the opportunity to create strong platonic bonds between Chika and her new friends, and they did such an incredible job of it! Chika's bonds with Ishii, Moto, Ito and Ume were developed beautifully, and their encouragement and support of Chika really carried this book.

I also really loved how everyone's identites were never ‘perfect'. Even Chika's relationship with her sexual, romantic and gender identity isnt exactly answered by the end of the book, but it's because it's something so personal to her and something she can explore and find an answer to at any time, and everyone around her will support her along the way. This book is only the beginning of Chika discovering herself, and it's handled beautifully. The manga also did a great job at educating the reader in an organic way that never felt forced into the story, and instead helped along Chika understand different identities as well.

I do think the queer-platonic(?) relationship with Ume felt a little rushed, but it could be due to the fact that the author spent all 256 pages fleshing out everyone that it felt very sudden to me, but I appreciate that it's something the two are still working towards and it's very early days for them.

Overall, i really enjoyed this manga, and strongly recommend it to anyone looking to learn about asexuality, or even other identities, whilst also watching the main character learn and grow with them along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I expected after the first initial chapters! The book felt quite shallow at the beginning, and some of the writing I found to be awkward at times, but after a while it definitely grew on me and became more charming than grating. The chemistry between the two characters didn't really show at first, and I wasn't a big fan of Leo at first, but their relationship grew to be so genuine and heartwarming, especially from the midpoint onwards. Having protagonists who actually communicated and grew together whilst supporting and uplifting one another was lovely, and it was great to see each of them take initiative towards their own goals rather than solely depend on one another.

I think the writing style wasn't completely for me, but the narrator did a great job at telling the story in a way I found enjoyable, and it definitely added to the charm of the book. At times, if I had been reading this as a paperback, I would have enjoyed significntly less without the actor's voice narrating the story.

Overall, I had a good time with this one! Contemporary isn't always my jam, but the premise was unique and the characters really sold this to me.

I enjoyed this significantly more than the first book! The characters were much more fleshed out and I actually felt more invested. Callum grew on me (like fungus, he's awful but I love him) as well as Parisa, and to some extent Libby. Reina still felt kind of flat compared to the rest of the cast (but I can see her potential more here), and Nico and his cohort still carried this book on their shoulders (particularly Gideon, I would die for that boy). Atlas was developed more, and Ezra continues to intrigue me (though I also despise him in equal measure). Generally a good improvement from the first book, and I felt a lot more invested in pretty much every character compared to the first book.

Libby's trip to the past was a great way to develop her more; seeing her interact with characters outside of the main cast and come more into her own was fun to read, and I like where her character arc is going. I'm interested in seeing how it impacts the present day.

It's still not my favourite series, but the potential is absolutely there, and I'm really hoping The Atlas Complex pulls through. The writing style was strong and the worldbuilding is intriguing; I do find myself pulled into the mystery and I'm interested in seeing where things go.

I am making this review after also reading the sequel so I'm trying to be conscious of me mixing together the two plots; please read spoilered text with caution. I have also read 10+ books since finishing this novel, so my memory is not 100% trustworthy.

The premise of this book has a lot of potential. I found a lot of the characters unlikeable at first. In particular, Reina felt very bland, Tristan was annoying and I wanted to punch Callum in the face on multiple occasions. It was a very slow read for me, but this may have been due to me being in a long reading slump prior to reading this book, though the twists were enough to keep me engaged particularly regarding Ezra, I did not see that coming, but I quite enjoyed it. Parisa was interesting; I didn't adore her, but I didn't have any strong negative feelings towards her like some characters, and she was intriguing enough to enjoy her POV. Libby... I wanted to like her more, but her character was quite frustrating at times.

Nico and his little cohort carried this book, I loved them to pieces, and the bond between them and Nico is so refreshing amongst the complicated relationships happening between all the main characters of the novel. I wish we could have spent more time with them, but considering there were 5 other main characters to develop, I understand that's quite unrealistic.

The writing style itself I think is quite strong, but drags a little in places (I am reviewing this by memory, but I've read 100+ books since this, so I could be wrong). I think her prose is quite strong, but her character writing could use some improvement.

Overall, a book with promise, but just felt a little flat. I usually enjoy reading books with more likeable characters than the ones in this book, so it just might have not been to my taste. I can enjoy unlikeable characters, but I would want a bit more depth from them to at least feel more invested in them, regardless as to whether I like them as a person, which I think this book was lacking. I think it would have benefitted from spending more quality time in each character's head, but this very much could be improved in the next book.