Alana

This is SO important. I've never understood asexuality, honestly. I'm not a jerk who discounts it simply because I don't experience it, but I've never understood it as well as I've understood being gay or straight or bi or pan. This book, though dense at times, is a really important and informative read. I appreciate it A LOT.

So many emotions, so many feelings, so many shivers! Loved this one.

300th REVIEW*

A worthy book for my 300th review here on Goodreads. A fantastical, Arthurian story with a sick cover (see what I did there) and great characters to match. I get some of the reviews critiquing the jumpiness of the story, and I will admit even I (who prides herself on being able to keep track of times and scenes in books) got a bit muffed every so often, but it didn't obscure my delight to have read Sebastin's fantasy. Lovely book, and if you want a book that's as badass as the cover, “Half Sick of Shadows” is a contender.

Oh, this is beautiful. Look at that cover! Read that title! Experience the emotion of the story! This book was really touching, exploring a friendship that generally would not have spurred, but because of unusual (and quite sad) circumstances has. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say this is an emotional yet inspiring read about sickness and life and friendship. It's beautiful. What more could I add?

I am sometimes wary of Goodreads Choice Award books because there have been a few that I just did not understand how they got on the list. This one though is pretty damn good! The romance between Henri and Nancy was well-done (if not at times a bit excessive, but nothing I didn't mind), and I enjoy historical fiction and found this particular setting, in the midst of a war, to be engaging and interesting. Definitely enjoyed, and happy I gave GCA a chance this time around.

I enjoyed this book, I really did. The prose was eloquent and wonderful, and the overall storyline was something to be sought after. But at the same time, I felt like there was MORE prose than story. More fluff than not. I love words and how they can be strung together to make beautiful sentences, but those sentences have to mean something. So...why 2 stars? Well, I thought it was an enjoyable book, but it lacked substance. If there had been a bit more substance, I would've given it a 3. If the substance had been overflowing while also including the prose, I would've given it a 4 or 5. Sadly, the prose was there - strong as ever - but the story easily lost me and I felt like I could've been way stronger. So it all leveled out to a 2. I think some could enjoy it, but I wanted something a little deeper.

DNF ~25%

Yet another one of these predictable books with the most bland MC who all the boys love...I just couldn't do it. I'd say maybe another time, but I know that's not the case.

DNF at 30%

This book is angsty Twilight (as if you thought Twilight couldn't get any more angsty...pfttttttt, you were wrong!) It even has a similar title font, for gods sake. Not much originality with this one. Basically, it's Twilight, but creepier (not in the eerie kind of way, in the freaking weird kind of way), and the MC is just as bland and annoying as Bella.

There is nothing I love more than a book that takes its time to set things up, especially in a world where history and politics are vital to the progression of the story. Kemmerer blew this one outta the water. The story, complicated and multi-faceted as it is, is written with care, and in addition to the world-building and intricacies Kemmerer spends time setting up, there's great characters, complete with romance, pirates, outlaws, and a crazy good plot.

The 4th in the series is probably my favorite of all of them! It's where HP starts adopting the darker tone it stays true to throughout the 7th book.

This is an interesting one. While in some ways the questions posed and content is striking and makes you think, there's a lot of taking the long road to get to the point, and tons of grossness that doesn't serve much of a point other than...well, grossness. That last part didnt bug me too much but the roundabout ramblings did a bit. But I also did enjoy this read, I found it strange but also interesting enough to be digested and thought about for days after.

These fantasy-mythology-infused romance books have got me 10000 times more excited to read than ever, and it's a testament to Halle's strength that she was able to write about grief after experiencing her own. While that's a 5 star from me for pure will and strength, the story itself is also 5 stars, and you can BET that I will be reading more Underworld Gods. Halle, you've made a reader outta me, and I'm a loyal one. Thank you for writing this beautiful book that made me feel alllll the feels.

Eliza may be the best character I've ever read, but maybe I just really liked how she was written. She's the real MVP, and that is all.

I love me some good feminist novels. Bonus points when the cover is retro af. I appreciate this book double since I've read Jane Eyre, and I rush to retellings quicker than any reader I know. The book is a little fast-paced for my tastes, but the humor infused horror and on-the-nose retelling style, coupled with gorgeous writing, remedies that.

Art. Emotion. Academia. Longing. My GOODNESS what a beautiful debut. Angress, you have successfully caught me in your story-telling world. Just beautiful.

This is the kind of read that swept me up and I finished in a few sittings. I took a while to get into it but man oh man, the MCs stole my heart and I was hooked after the first few chapters. The characters, the time period, the romance, I just love it. A fun read for the weekend that got me doing allll the smiling.

I’ve heard a lot about Reid, which makes sense: I’m the target audience, genre-wise. I think she writes well and her stories, at least from what I can tell here, contain all the darkness I love in fantasy. I was a tidbit uncomfortable with some of the content in this book, which doesn’t necessarily turn me off from the author, but turns me off from the broader story. When I think “dark,” I think more in line with dystopian or horror themes: not necessarily abuse, over-sexualization, and so on. Those things aren’t inherently wrong, and I’m not one to shy away from a story with those factors in it, but the way they played out here within the context of abuse didn’t quite sit with me. I’m as a result undecided on this one. Will I read more Reid? Heck yeah. I like to think of myself as a reader who returns once I’ve read an author I’m anywhere from lukewarm to avid fan of. I’m on the lukewarm side with Reid right now, but this is one book, and I’m curious to see how her others line up.

The immersiveness of this book is next level, and as someone who is half-arab myself, seeing this book written by an Arab author is just awesome. Great all around read from an author I know I'll be following - what a fantasy read.

I really did enjoy this book - there's magic, witches (kinda my thing), and great characters. The only problem is the pacing. Dont get me wrong, I like fast-paced, slow-paced, and right-in-the-middle paced books (another way of saying I don't have a preferences). The thing about fast-paced books though is that sometimes they leave out too much. I wanted to see MORE magic, more witchiness, more...everything. Maybe that is a testament as to my enjoyment. But the book felt too hinged on going fast instead of inclusion of the coolness, which made me wanting a little more. Still a great, witchy book though in this reader's opinion.

Gonna be an unpopular review here. This story was cute, but for one, I didn't buy the romance. First of all, it's Merida we're talking about. The “I'll be shootin' for my own hand” queen, who established to girls everywhere that they dont need romance to be loved. Well...Stiefvater turned that on its head. And worst of all, the romance felt forced. The story itself was interesting in some parts, but the novel could've been about a character who wasn't Merida and it would've fit better. A little sad to see the representation Merida created going to waste here. Gorgeous cover though.

The reviews here are mixed, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say I enjoyed it. The writing was good (a few drawn out explanations and descriptions, but nothing that stood out to me as a red flag) and the plot was spooky. The cover too is just all sorts of beautiful. The book wasn't perfect (hey - which book IS?) but some other negative things reviewers have pointed out I just didn't see (like the writing feeling like a summary. Personally, I didn't think this at all, I actually found the book to be quite well-written.) But hey, that's the beauty of books! They're art, and we all have our subjective opinions.

Everything considered I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The three narrative threads tied together well, and the twists (while a little predictable) were well-plotted and tied up nicely. I was hoping for a little more of the “suspense” factor that would keep me more bound to the book, but there was definitely enough plot progression to craft a story I enjoyed reading.

Unpopular review incoming: I didn't LOVE this book. I didn't hate it. I liked the magic, sister bonds, and characters, but it left me wanting so much more. More development, better relationships, and all of that would have led to a great plot. Potential + lack of strong execution is always a bummer. So while I didn't think this book was all bad, it wasn't my favorite by any means.

I love this cover, but the story felt like it lacked more than it gave. I liked the mc, but so many of her relationships that bursted with potential felt underdeveloped and flat. Despite some perks to the story (and the fact that its about women vampires...I mean...c'mon, what's not to love), the execution fell a little short. Not horrible by any means, but I was left wanting more.

A short and sweet YA paranormal fantasy. When I say “sweet” I don't mean fluffy, I mean you can finish it briefly - but there is eeriness at par with the paranormal advertising of the book! A great choice for wanting to read something quickly in a day that will keep you engaged.