An interesting and new take on the teen vampire genre, this follows Kidan as she searches for her missing twin sister. To find her, she must enroll atAn interesting and new take on the teen vampire genre, this follows Kidan as she searches for her missing twin sister. To find her, she must enroll at Uxley University where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. But she has to share her house with Susenyos, an evil vampire she wants to kill.
I liked this book, but I think it had some bad pacing issues. Unlike most readers (from their reviews here) I liked the first 40% and the last 20% with the percentage in the middle falling flat for me. I listed to the audiobook which was well done but sometimes I felt like I missed some things. It took me a while to figure out the romance part of the book was between Kidan and Susenyos because this is a true enemies to lovers, but they stay enemies! Some great tension in their relationship. I wish the worldbuilding had been a bit more in depth, but for a book this long I can see why more was not added. Overall, liked it but not my favorite book ever. ...more
In a way, this book kind of broke me. I wasn't necessarily excited to read this but was hoping it would at least be good. This felt like a 1.5 stars
In a way, this book kind of broke me. I wasn't necessarily excited to read this but was hoping it would at least be good. This felt like a book that wasn't fully fleshed out nor did it have a strong plot. None of the characters were likable and all of the twists were obvious. That and some weird inconsistencies plus some cringe moments were a recipe for disaster and I hated this book....more
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it 3.75 stars
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it may contain spoilers for book 1. Also I won't do any summary, just thoughts on the book.
Dark Heir started out very slow for me, to the point that I almost quit at about 35%. There were a lot of new things thrown at us and lots of names to keep track of, but it got a lot better by the end of the book. I was sad we didn't get more of Violet in this book as she's my favorite character, but it made sense as other plot points needed to be pushed forward.
I am very excited for book 3 but nervous as there's no release date. I really want to know what happens mostly because (view spoiler)[ I was so frustrated with how quickly all of Will's friends turned on him once they found out he was the dark king. (hide spoiler)].
So if you get frustrated reading this push through because the end was great....more
It's really hard to describe the plot of this book in a way that would make sense, so I won't even try. CS Pacat is an author I've read before and didIt's really hard to describe the plot of this book in a way that would make sense, so I won't even try. CS Pacat is an author I've read before and didn't super love, but a book friend asked me to trust them that this was good so I did, and I really liked this book a lot. I listened to the audiobook which was excellently done.
There were lots of fantasy bits that I didn't quite compute, but am told book 2 helps make a lot of sense of book one so I'll read it soon. I really liked the worldbuilding and characters in this book a lot and would love to see more of both in the series. You can also tell when reading this book that the author put their heart and soul into writing it....more
Novella between Hallowed and Boundless about Clara and Angela's summer in Italy together. I never read it the first time I read the series and that waNovella between Hallowed and Boundless about Clara and Angela's summer in Italy together. I never read it the first time I read the series and that was dumb of me because there's some important information in this. Plus it was great to see Angela's perspective on some things. Now it's time to reread Boundless!...more
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother[image]
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother and her brother fighting the war and missing in action. Her rival at her newspaper job is Roman Kitt, and the two are fighting for the same job. Iris writes letters to her brother which she places under a wardrobe where they magically disappear, and unknowingly to Iris, they go to Roman.
I read this book based on the recommendation of a book seller and I am so happy I picked it up. I didn't even realize this book was considered YA fiction, because even though the main characters are teens this read more like an adult novel/story to me. I loved listening along to what was happening with both characters, especially the world building. And the last 20% of this book broke me and I need the second book right now....more
I am in a really bad slump so maybe this book was just a victim of that? But this lacked the magic of The Cruel Prince books. I found myself mostly coI am in a really bad slump so maybe this book was just a victim of that? But this lacked the magic of The Cruel Prince books. I found myself mostly confused by what was happening and feeling scattered. It lacked that compulsiveness I came to love from Black's other books....more
A cute and quick read, it's the romance between a teen girl and a selkie living in the ocean by her town. The illustrations were really pretty and it A cute and quick read, it's the romance between a teen girl and a selkie living in the ocean by her town. The illustrations were really pretty and it was a fun story....more
I didn't like the writing style and didn't care about any of the characters. I'm kind of shocked because so many people recommeDNF about 100 pages in.
I didn't like the writing style and didn't care about any of the characters. I'm kind of shocked because so many people recommended this book to me, but I simply didn't mesh with it. ...more
Teenage witch Emsy’s world is thrown askew when her parents abruptly move her from the west coast to upstate New York. There they rejoin with 3 stars
Teenage witch Emsy’s world is thrown askew when her parents abruptly move her from the west coast to upstate New York. There they rejoin with their coven of witches, of which three members were recently killed and Emsy’s parents are there to protect the coven and figure out what happened.
This one started out strong and then fizzled out quickly. The storyline went all over the place and it felt very rushed; this book could have a series instead of a standalone (and I rarely say that). I really liked the characters and their dynamics, only for some plot points introduced to be shoved aside in the last fourth of the book. I loved the artwork in this though, I thought it was brilliant and would love to see more by this illustrator....more
It’s been a while since I dived into anything Grishaverse, but this was a great graphic novel. Based on a short story previously written in 4 stars!
It’s been a while since I dived into anything Grishaverse, but this was a great graphic novel. Based on a short story previously written in 2013, this is the origin story of the Darkling when he was a young man. Traveling with his mother and hiding from hunters, they end up in a small Grisha village that they hope is safe.
Beautiful illustrations and a captivating story, I devoured this book in two sittings. It gives a lot of insight into why the Darkling became who he was, not necessarily a “villain” origin story, but a story about survival and the things people need to do to stay alive. The colors and imagery were fantastic, frames conveyed big messages in a simple yet beautiful way....more
Kat Finn is a teen vampire living with her single mother, struggling to make ends meet. All vampires drink Hema, a blood substitute, to sur 3.5 stars
Kat Finn is a teen vampire living with her single mother, struggling to make ends meet. All vampires drink Hema, a blood substitute, to survive ever since humanity has become infected with a virus that kills vampires. When Kat is accepted into a private vampire high school on financial aid, her mother isn’t happy about it, but doesn’t stop her from going. There Kat runs into an ex-friend from her childhood, Taylor, and they find they are new roommates.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and enjoyed it, mostly. I do think it was a tad bit longer than it needed to be and near the end I kind of wanted the author to get to the point. I will say the worldbuilding was excellent, there’s something about a vampire boarding school for young vampire teens that is just so cool in concept, I want to see it on tv or in a movie. I really liked the character of Kat and her journey, Taylor wasn’t really my favorite but she grew on me after a while. Mostly I am glad we are able to get a fun lesbian vampire boarding school teen novel and I can’t wait to recommend it to readers who I think would enjoy it....more
I cannot say much about the plot in this one because it will give all the things away, but what I can say is Nick and his boyfriend and fr 3.75 stars
I cannot say much about the plot in this one because it will give all the things away, but what I can say is Nick and his boyfriend and friends have all teamed up together to keep the people of Nova City safe. They will face some familiar villains and some new faces along the way.
The first 30-40% of this book was really difficult to get through for me, it was a bit muddled in the writing style and it makes sense once you get to the reveal, but I was not enjoying it as much as I could have. Once you get to certain point the story flows again and it was a fun ride. I love Klune’s trademark humor that he brings to every book and I adore Nick as a main character. I’m sad to be leaving this fictional world but I know Klune has a huge backlist and more to come in the future....more
Graceling is one of my all time favorite books and when I saw there was a graphic novel version, I knew right away I had to read it.
If you haven’t reaGraceling is one of my all time favorite books and when I saw there was a graphic novel version, I knew right away I had to read it.
If you haven’t read the original novel, Graceling is about Katsa, a young woman graced with the ability to kill. Graced individuals always have two different eye colors, and you never know what your grace will be until it arrives. Katsa has been working as the kings assassin since she was a small child, but when she meets the mysterious Po, her life changes course.
I loved this adaptation, it kept all the right and necessary parts of the original book. One of my very favorite scenes was included and it was so beautiful to see that brought to life in artwork on the page. Hinds did an amazing job adapting this work, and I devoured this graphic novel in one sitting. I know creating this one book was quite the task and probably took years, but I’m really greedy and hoping that Hinds will adapt the entire series into graphic novel format....more
I’m having some trouble formulating my thoughts on this book, so here’s a somewhat incoherent review of the book.
The second half of this bo 3.5 stars
I’m having some trouble formulating my thoughts on this book, so here’s a somewhat incoherent review of the book.
The second half of this book was waaayyy better than the first half. I’m really glad I stuck with it because there were quite a few moments when I almost quit but decided to keep going. A modern reimagining of King Arthur, our heroine Bree discovers a magical secret society that hunts down evil demon creatures while searching for answers on why her mother died. I found the plot and world building a little bit confusing and convoluted at first but it got clearer and better as the book went on. I loved Bree as a main character, but I always love a strong female heroine. I’m not really sold on Nick as a romantic interest, he seemed a little bit….. bland. I preferred Sel to be completely honest, even though he wasn’t very obviously an interest.
A random aside that most people won’t care about, I listened to the audio version of this book and I do think that affected my opinion. This is the second book I’ve listened to by this narrator, and they’re not my favorite. Everything was made to sound stressful, even simply picking up a phone call. I do wonder if I would have enjoyed this book more had I read the actual book. I might do that for the second book....more
I think Margaret Rogersen and I just don’t click. I’ve read all three of her books, something about them always intrigues me and I get excited to readI think Margaret Rogersen and I just don’t click. I’ve read all three of her books, something about them always intrigues me and I get excited to read them. And they are written so well, believe me. She’s truly an amazing author. But for every single one of her books I get halfway through them and then I don’t care anymore. Maybe it’s too much time spent on worldbuilding and not enough on plot or characters. But she loses me.
I think I am an anomaly, lots of people love her books. But while Vespertine was great for the first half, I found the second half rushed/lacking. But bonus points to the cover art, it was incredible. ...more
The second book in The Extraordinaries series (you must read the first book before reading this one). Nick has a superhero boyfriend and spen 4 stars
The second book in The Extraordinaries series (you must read the first book before reading this one). Nick has a superhero boyfriend and spends most of his time with his friends at school. More extraordinaries are coming out into the public eye, and public perception of them is wary.
I really enjoyed this book because of the characters and Klune’s signature funny banter between them. But after finishing and reflecting on what actually happened in the book, the plot was a little bit weak. It’s tough with a second book because it can mostly be filler for the third and I can see where everything is set up for the next one. Also Klune attempted to change the narrative regarding police brutality and the current climate, and he did a good job. An improvement over the last book for sure.
I just want to say I’m glad this author is with a publisher who finally treats him right and that after years in the industry I’m glad Klune is seeing success with traditional publishing. Yay!...more
Sadly a DNF for me. I loved Black's Cruel Prince series, but this one wasn't for me. I can see how it was popular back when it was first released.Sadly a DNF for me. I loved Black's Cruel Prince series, but this one wasn't for me. I can see how it was popular back when it was first released....more