Kelly

I'm always hesitant to pick up a memoir about someone I never heard of before, but after hearing all the praise I figured it had to be worth the read. And it definitely was.

I praise Jeannette for dissecting and sharing her most intimate, vulnerable, and core truths. She isn't afraid to share details of her dysfunctional life, no matter how traumatic. Parts of her story get pretty heavy to get through in one sitting. I found myself often pausing the audiobook to let what was said sink in. I'm glad the book ends on an optimistic note about recovery and moving forward, Jeanette deserves it. 

Absolutley adore the whimisical and magical elements of this book! It's very Howl's Moving Castle/ Studio Ghibli in that regard. 

I warmed up to Ophelia and Thorn as the book progressed. I initially thought they were shallow and cliche. But after seeing the experiences and societal influences that shaped them I grew to appreciate them. 
The plot was intriguing, Ophelia is a fish out of water. You don't know who Ophelia can actually trust and this creates a natural tension between characters. I'll definitely continue the series!

Fourth Wing is an addictive fantasy-romance and comes with some steamy chapters. The plot and pacing flew by in at a thrilling pace. I was nervous for every challenge bracing myself for something bad to happen. I was giddy with excitement at the cheesy romantic dialogue. I was devasted when the inevitable happened. I am consumed by the fiery world of the Empyrean. 

Parts of the plot were predictable and cheesy but it was still immensely satisfying seeing it play out. Violet's thirst comments were funny at first but quickly became repetitive. Unpopular opinion, I thought the romantic tension was way better than the actual romance. 

I'm counting down the days until the sequel comes out in November.

Ken Liu is an incredible story teller, he has a way with words, wit, and feelings. He's able to build these creative worlds with developed characters and flourishes of emotion and hope in short stories.  (Which speaks strongly to his skills as an author, especially considering some popular books of 600+ pages that are mostly filler.) 
This collection covers various topics and spans different genres. There's a good mix of space, sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism, and speculative fiction. The Paper Menagerie was my favorite and struck me to the core. As a first generation kid growing up in a community where barely anyone looked like me I related to the kid so much. But now as an adult, I can see how the sons actions of self preservation impacted his mother and his future self. I had to put the book down and call my mom!
I also enjoyed Mono no Aware, Simulacrum, and Good Hunting.

It took me a while to get into, but after the 30% mark I was hooked. I'd consider this a paranormal urban fantasy and murder mystery in a dark academia setting. It has Bardugo's strong world building and multiple moving plots leading into one gigantic crescendo. But the multiple mysteries and nine houses got overwhelming. It kept things interesting because almost every prediction I made was wrong.  I loved how each of the storylines tied into at least one of the themes of power, greed, or fair vs right. The recurring imagery and analogies, like describing the city as alive or the Houses as children playing wizard, really helped plot out the bigger points of the story. 

The magic system didn't make too much sense to me, there isn't healing magic but there's undo magic? Ok sure, whatever. I also missed the witty banter between characters that was so prominent in Six of Crows. Alex definitely had her moments but I wanted more of that from the Darlington or Detective Turner. 

I recommend listening to the audio book, Bahini Turpin is a fantastic narrator. She's able to capture the feelings of Starr so well. 

THUG LIFE = the hate u give little infants fu**s everyone

Book itself is phenomenal, wish I read it earlier. Even though it was written in 2017 everything still applies, just change out some of the slang and this could have happened last week. It grapples with such heavy topics (police brutality against an unarmed black teenager, gangs, domestic abuse, getting out of the hood, etc.) in a way that young adults can relate to and understand. The adults in Starr's life are exceptional role models they teach compassion, responsibility toward family & community, and how to stand up for what's right. 

I highly recommend reading The Hate U Give, and will be reading her other books. 

I don't doubt that this book is a cult classic, edgy, and captured a generation's feeling of discontent with the status quo. But in 2024, this drug fueled adventure in Las Vegas just concerned me. 
I used to live in Las Vegas, so I found some of their shennanigans par for the course and darkly funny. I kept hoping to understand the deeper meaning of this book, unfortunately I never found it. 

I'm a bit conflicted, I went into this expecting one thing and got something else instead. I didn't know this was YA, so I was anticipating a complex romantic rivalry or morally grey situations brought on by the war between gods. That initial mismatch along with a foggy way of world building made the first half of the book hard to get through. 
Once the plot picked up I found myself invested and enjoying the book. Truths are slowly revealed that make you realize things aren't what they appear to be.. And with an ending like that too, I need to read the second book.

Really great book that showcases the complexities and bonds of family.  I loved that Olga and Prieto are late 30's/early 40's, it's rare to see older characters take center stage. They have their professional lives together but still struggle with their own issues and their distant mother's presence.

The world is beautiful and I'd love to see it come to life. I liked the messages of the book and the imagery and metaphors that went along with it. But it felt like the story skipped at some parts or transitions were too choppy. While the main characters were fully developed, the recurring side characters didn't have much dimension to them. This was a missed opportunity to add more depth.  

This book caught me by surprise, I wasn't expecting a deeply personal and complex journey about identity, belonging, and community. Daunis is half white and half Ojibwe, she doesn't quite fit in to either world. When she's called upon to help her community, she's thrust into a journey that'll change her understanding of how the world works. 

The author shows us how choices can cause unintended consequences in the future. I felt devastated and healed at the same time.  Highly recommend!

I'm a huge fan of non-European/Western fantasies because it opens a whole new world of belief systems, values, and understanding of the world. Black Sun did not disappoint!

It's a very immersive experience filled with lush descriptions and supernatural mystique. It's more character focused which allows us to learn about the world, conflicts, and sources of power through their eyes. Loved that the book doesn't focus on the distinction between good vs. evil or traditional notions of morality. I also appreciated the reversal of gender roles and the normalcy of queerness (Xe/Xir pronoun is used).  

There's uneven pacing at times but it felt intentional, like representational of the setting. I wasn't expecting romance so that threw me off a little bit. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am excited for this series!

Silly me for thinking this was the final book in the series, of course it'd be a triology!

I've noticed a pattern with Leigh Bardugo's books, the beginning is slow and hard to get into. But once the action starts I can't stop reading until the end. Hell Bent was no different, the time jumps at the start felt like we were meandering and rehashing parts of Alex's life outside of Yale. Once we stayed in present day it was a lot easier to get engrossed in the story. The puzzle within the puzzle plot line was clever, it added extra paranormal elements to the book.  I really loved how Mercy & Alex's friendship was portrayed in this book and can't wait to see how it plays out in the next book. 

I had a good time with this book, but was disappointed with the uneven pacing. It made the book feel way too long. I found myself often re-reading as settings or timelines abruptly changed. And Darlington's demon cock....why?

“What if it's enough to just be us.” 

Mosscap and Dex's adventures continue as they travel throughout Pangea and meet other towns & villages. Along the way they discover more about themselves, what makes them...them, and what it means to be connected.  This idea of an utopian society powered by mutually benefical connections runs deep in this book (trees are crown-shy, concept of pebs, etc.) and I'd love to be part of this world. 

I loved every moment of this book, the prose was really delightful and magical. The characters, nature, and the world of Pangea jumped off the page. Sibling Dex's struggles to find understanding and purpose was captured in such a relatable way. Sometimes you just have to do things on your own terms. The dynamic between Dex and Mosscap was funny yet insightful, I really enjoyed their conversations about what it means to be a human. 

The book is best enjoyed slowly like a cup of tea, give yourself some time to savor the moment.

Have you ever finished a book and been like “that's it?” That's how I felt after finishing this book, it was lackluster and didn't work for me. I was waiting for the exciting plot twist in this murder mystery and sadly that never happened. 
This novel is told from multiple POVs and we gradually find out the dark secrets that link the characters together. Hearing how these dark secrets affected each person's life was the most interesting part of the book. But by the time the secret reveals came to light everything felt repeatitive and too much of stretch from reality for me to enjoy.