Amity
Hmm, this one was quite the rollercoaster for me. I sat down and read the first ~150 pages and told my husband he had to read it with me because I was digging it so much and he wasn't into the book we were currently reading for our two-person book club, so I then took a break while he caught up (and also, I had to finish playing Hades). I struggled to get back into it, partially due to Our Flag Means Death brain rot, but also because I just...lost whatever spark made me so into it in the first place? I don't know!
It has its problems (mostly being overwritten and nothing happening until suddenly everything is happening) but overall I...had fun with it? I don't know! I'm as confused as you! I'm interested enough to keep reading the next book, though. 3.5 secret societies rounded down because of the aforementioned issues.
I don't throw around the term “masterpiece” around lightly, but...
80 fafillion neighborhood dogs/5
Why did this book make me tear up at the end though?
And now I'm going to have the Hank Green song stuck in my head for weeks. 4 seadevils out of 5.
This isn't a book I would normally go for, as witches are not my go-to interest when I'm reading horror novels. They usually just seem like cool ladies who want to be left to their own devices rather than something spooky imo, but I had to read it after the tons of starred reviews it was getting and I'm glad I did. There are some legit creepy scenes in this, and the writing is absolutely lovely without ever going into purple prose territory. Take the title drop, for example:
We didn't wonder where the magic came from, or why it worked. We never asked ourselves, Is this ours to take? We were three damp ducklings, green as leaves, believing with all our crooked hearts that we were the ones writing this story. Even as a dead woman's book paved the road beneath our feet.
at least, until the big reveal
Inside our hesitation was all sorts of things. Curiosity and guilt and desire. Optimism, even. And beside them all the ugliest, most vivid parts of ourselves. The pieces magic had sharpened into blades we could use to skin the world. Think of it: sixteen and brimming with power, after being told all your life you were powerless.
Erica's (tragic) backstory did not disappoint - of course she was a cool, kickass kid who grew into an awesome, kickass lady! Loved learning more about the Order of St. George and its various components. 4.5 cow tattoos out of 5.
A very cute slice-of-life manga about the joys of having a feline friend in your life, filtered through the eyes of an obsessive gamer. Super charming and I want to cuddle that kitten:
3.5 gaming terms defined out of 5, rounded up because of Musubi's lil face. I am easy to sell to!
Another day, another instance of reading a picture book at the public services desk that will emotionally compromise me. 5 walnuts out of 5.
Mr. Tortoise just wants to eat cake and quite frankly, I support him
115 birthday cake candles out of 5
Once again, I admire Tamsyn Muir's ability to completely change the game with every book in this series. I felt this one was a lot more straightforward than the previous two, which is probably by design as you have this whole new character to learn to love in addition to familiar faces. I appreciated the more grounded look at the world away from Lyctors and Gods and necromancy and also loved Nona's friends and all of the good dog content.
I will say, this has been my least favorite of the series, but my least favorite Locked Tomb book is still lightyears away from being bad by any means. It just felt like it could have potentially been condensed into a shorter novel, though I understand that could have sacrificed some of the character work. And, although I completely get it from a storytelling POV, seeing Gideon so hopelessly broken - whether it is from missing a fragment of her soul, dealing with an eternal life without Harrow, or a combination of everything - it just destroyed me. I liked that we got glimpses of the Gideon we know and love, but it still felt so bleak.
Overall, I still thought this was an exceptional book and I can't wait to see how everything comes together in the grand finale. 4 of Noodle's little shoes out of 5 (he refused to put the last two on).
Freshly out of prison, Steven Smith reunites with a son he barely knows. Steven has difficulties reading and writing, so he decides to keep a diary in the form of audio files on his son's hand-me-down phone. The diary reveals Steven's troubled past as a criminal, a connection with a mysterious teacher, and an even more mysterious series of books. These books may hold the answers to the teacher's disappearance and lead to something far greater than Steven could have imagined. Told through Steven's recorded diary transcripts, The Twyford Code is skillfully written and is a solid follow-up to [b:The Appeal 58070069 The Appeal Janice Hallett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641411390l/58070069.SY75.jpg 85222105]. However, both books drag a bit in the middle, and if you're not invested, you might find your interest waning enough to give up on the story. I know I didn't feel quite as invested in solving the mystery along with the characters as I did in [b:The Appeal 58070069 The Appeal Janice Hallett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641411390l/58070069.SY75.jpg 85222105] because my brain is not great at codebreaking and the like, and I feel that was a detracting factor to me and could be for others as well. I hope people stick with it, though; what was a solid three stars turned into four stars once revelations were made, and it was quite the ride.
For the first time in her life, everyone wanted to find her. Everyone cared. They wouldn't look to her when she used to scream, but now that she was the cause of screaming, suddenly everyone gave a damn.
This was some of the best body horror fiction I've read, and I loved how queer it was and how it was sad and sweet and funny at times (any man who forces you to watch Fight Club and then complains that you “just don't get it” afterwards is not to be trusted) and again, it was just absolutely yucko. But also kind of beautiful? 3.5 toothy tentacles out of 5, rounded up.
Representation was great and I really liked the dual art styles, but ultimately the story felt unfinished/disjointed. Also, I wanted more Marcia.
Would recommend to teens who like Heartstopper but want something a bit spooky. 3 high school bullies named Biff out of 5.
My feeling toward the first book in this duology was very medium, and this one had some of the same issues (namely the verse sections; I love poetry and can appreciate the interesting perspectives but it just doesn't land for me in these) but the plot is so bananas and McGinnis doesn't pull any punches so I ended up digging it. Also, the scene with the maggots in the arm wound will haunt me for the rest of my natural life. 3.5 murder plots out of 5, rounded up.
me: thinks comics are incredible, constantly argues their importance as a medium, literally had a comic book themed wedding
also me: apparently only reads comics when behind on reading goals???
Anyway this was great and my resolution for 2023 is: read more comics. 4 machete-wielding maniacs out of 5.
This was....fine? It has a lot of good aspects. I liked the format and the concept, and obviously that is a great cover. The line “What have you done today to deserve your eyes?” is great! Very eerie and memorable. And of course, I always love when horror is inclusive and written by diverse voices, but...I don't know, it lacked something. Maybe it was the short length working against it, but even with the suspension of disbelief paired with the characterization of both women being lonely, the relationship escalated too fast. It also felt like one person writing to themselves rather than two people having a conversation.
I dunno, it wasn't bad and the writing was (gruesomely) beautiful at times, but overall...shrug. 3 apple peelers out of 5.
This had such a strong start and the premise is interesting but it just...ends? I don't mind a meandering narrative or even that the hook of the story becomes background to a character-based relationship drama but like...I shouldn't be checking to see if the copy of the book is missing pages. I dunno, maybe this is the fault of me, the reader! Either way, 2 content-moderated stars out of 5.
Ooh, this was great fun. A little draggy in the middle, and I do feel the conversations between Femi and Charlotte (whom I loved) were a teeny bit hand hold-y to the reader at times, but overall it was clever and consistently pretty funny as well! 4 misconstrued email conversations out of 5.
(also, the UK cover is way better than the US one, which is very blah)
Aww, this was so charming and funny. I'm an easy sell when it comes to anything with cats, to be fair, but I thought this captured the “reluctant cat parent” energy well. Yon also looks a bit like one of my cats, which made that bonus comic hurt a bit more than anticipated. Overall funny and sweet, with some naturally impressive horror imagery. 4 accursed cats out of 5.
Wasn't sure how I felt about this one at first, but once I settled in, I ended up enjoying it. Well, “enjoying” it, I guess, as it is terribly sad at parts. It gets a bit fanservice-y (though, as a Constant Reader, I was of course the Leo Pointing Meme the entire time) and I'm sure if I would ever actually finish reading The Dark Tower series I would have gotten more out of it, but at the end of the day, I like Gwendy as a character and that's enough for me. A mostly satisfying, bittersweet conclusion to a somewhat uneven trilogy. 3.5 deus ex scorpions out of 5, rounded up.
I liked this one better than the last few, though I'm not sure I quite understood what all was happening at the other school (I'll blame the cold medicine for that). Still, this hasn't reached quite the heights of the first four...and dang it, I just want more Kade!! 3.5 nameless matrons out of 5.
I don't know, I thought this was fine? I think I let it get overhyped in my head and was expecting something mind-blowing. What I got instead was a solid debut novel, but I wasn't particularly in love with the prose or characters, and I wasn't really surprised by most of the reveals, either, so. I liked it, didn't love it. 3 fireflies out of 5.
Although the actual mystery at the core of this book is relatively standard and there are occasionally misdirects that are so obviously red herrings that they might as well have actually been Red Herring himself from A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, this was an entertaining page-turner. The biggest selling points - its podcast-like structure and metafictional narrative - could be seen as gimmicky, but it worked for this particular reader. I also appreciated that not all questions were truly answered, especially concerning the relationship between "Joseph Knox" and Evelyn. Had my issues, but overall giving this one 3.5 misdirects out of 5, bumped up because I was reading it every spare chance I had.
