DB

I haven't read an R.L. Stine book in YEARS so I was hyped when I saw I was approved for it. It's under 300pgs so reading goes really fast – which considering it's a middle grade book makes sense, obviously. So while I managed to read it quickly enough, it unfortunately wasn't a pleasant read. I disliked all of the characters and couldn't get myself to try to like any of them. It seemed like the main character's main personality trait was disliking her brother, and she didn't have any other real traits. Maybe liking theatre could be her other trait, I guess.

There was something big that happened which is linked to the biggest spoiler – so of course I won't say it. But I didn't like how they handled it and spoke about it. It revolves around a specific topic and (in my opinion) what they said didn't paint the topic in a good light. They didn't outright say that said topic was bad; just their way of handling it I wasn't a fan of. If you really want to know, just message me privately and I'll tell you.

The story wasn't wrapped up nearly . It seemed like it just stopped right after the plot twist and that was that. It also just... praised Arnie's bad behaviour (even after we knew the cause of it) in a way I didn't like.

I don't have anything else to say other that at least it was a quick read? I do eventually want to reread the Goosebumps series. I only ever read whichever ones my library would have; so I have no idea how many I've read and I don't remember all their titles precisely. Who knows when that'll happen and if I like them or if that experience will mirror this one.

I liked this book. It was a good debut and I'll want to read from this author again. I'm such a big fantasy reader that I sometimes forget just how nice a light fantasy/magical realism can be.

I did, however, really want this to be a 5 star book, and while I did really enjoy it, it just didn't grasp onto that 5 star rating that I wanted it to. There wasn't anything wrong with the book, I think I was just expecting a lot more from what I got from the synopsis and comps – perhaps more action. But that didn't deter me too much from liking it, which is good.

I liked the three main characters, but not one specifically stood out to me – but that was also good. I like it when I don't have an immediate favourite. I liked the bond they created with each other and the romance between Theo and Jaime. It was sweet and I liked how it was friends first, then the romance.

I was waiting for this arc to arrive on BookSirens because I loved Reforged and I'm glad that Haddon has another book! He deserves it. It felt like this had more politics and world-building than the first book – even though the first book literally follows a King. Both books are set in the same world but are standalones. If Haddon planned on writing another book in the same universe, I wouldn't mind one bit.

I think he really shines in his world-building. It's his strong suit and something I can tell he enjoys. Not saying that his character and plots aren't good – they definitely are. To me, creating and maintaining a world is what he's best at. It's really difficult not only to create such an immense fantasy world but to ensure that it doesn't fall through. Or break apart in a later chapter because you didn't build the right foundation for it.

The plot did have standard fantasy vibes to it, if I'm being honest. There's betrayal, there's plans, there's plots from both sides. Characters wonder if they can do it; what will it take etc. But I'm not complaining at all

The main character had a Tesla. That should've been my first hint to dnf it. A lot of other reasons came afterwards. But I carried on because I did want to know what happened.

Nora finds out she's pregnant early on in the book but she only mentions it when it's relevant? She knows she's in a horror book but half the time she acts like she's not. Scary things happen and I think she'll mention the baby or try to get an appointment because these things are important in the first trimester? So I kept thinking that even though I'm not usually a fan of pregnancies in books. At the very least be consistent with mentioning it? The ghost makes her fall on the floor and hurt her ankle (or other things). I'm like the only one thinking about the baby! It's like she's going on rollercoasters and I'm there waving a sign that says “Think of the baby!”

I didn't like any of the characters at all. Not even the pregnant character. The farm animals were probably the ones I liked the most. I wanted to figure out the mystery and the ghosts so I just forced myself to keep reading. I hoped it would get better – it did not.

There were too many short sentences and most of the time it didn't fit the rest of the writing. There were two sentences that would've worked perfectly fine as one. I suppose the writing was a (tiny) bit atmospheric but it was all brought down by the sentences and my dislike of the characters.

The husband is your typical horror movie husband. “No sweetie you're imagining it.” At least he didn't say it was the pregnancy when she said “xx weird things happened”. He also said “oh you're still tense from your assault” that happened a year ago. She's had therapy and has coping mechanisms but that's most certainly not the reassuring thing to SAY.

We had some old diary entries included from the family who lived there on the property in the 1950's and I thought that writing was also odd. Two girls, 16/17 I think, the one's diary's entries was okay and the other just felt too modern?

The action and the climax was very weak. I've watched a ton of haunted houses and ghosts movies and it just all felt so lackluster.

The only spider in the world I might be potentially okay with touching (because it can talk) is in here and that's Pauk. I think if I could ever trust a spider it would be him. Not that I need to trust one anyway. But still. And honestly, that's due to Sutton's writing! I think possibly another middle grade writer I would trust with (possibly) making me like spiders is Cornelia Funke.

I loved how lyrical the writing is. I really liked the in between chapter tales; they were really fun to read and they all fit in well with the main story. It added to the story-like feeling in a good way.

I liked Olga and Pavel a lot. I related to Olga a lot because she kept thinking she wasn't good enough. But she also wanted a lot of things and I can relate to that as well. Plus I think the readers can relate a lot to that. Pavel was sweet and I was very glad that they had a good friendship (my heart for more good male/female friendships – without turning romantic).

Sutton did a good job with the plot and writing! It felt exactly right and there was a lot that I liked. Well-paced and I think even someone who isn't into Middle Grade will like this book. I definitely want to check out her other middle grade book, A Wolf for a Spell. What's great is that I didn't even feel it was too young. Not that middle grade books can't be good – I'm just saying I always like it when I, (an adult) enjoys a Middle Grade book.

I think I was wanting too much from this and it didn't bring everything for me. A lot of the reviews were all praises but I didn't feel all the samet. The artwork was amazing, I really liked the faces and I could feel (well see) their emotions clearly. The colouring was done really well and I love vibrant designs in graphic novels.

It was a bit difficult to constantly go from 2112 and 1492. I think both of the times were written well, maybe it was just the way the scenes would move from between the different times? I didn't really understand the 2112 plot all too well? It felt like Jones was trying to push too much plot into the novel. But as I haven't read any of his other books; I don't know if that's something he usually does.

The characters were interesting and the story was really really good. The synopsis is what made me want to read it in the first place. It just wasn't all enough to make me like it a lot more. I won't be reading the next volumes but I will read more from Stephan Graham Jones.

I definitely would've liked more from the book. I liked it, I liked what the author was doing. I think the book would've benefited from being longer. I wanted more – the prior events, the early days, leading up the full-on attacks. What we got wasn't enough. Williford did well for the very short book, but I think his writing style and voice would've showed more if there were more (pages).

I liked Gabby and Nadia for the most part. I found Nadia to be annoying most of the time – she should be happy for Gabby for her career? Luckily we followed Gabby more which I liked. I didn't really care for the side characters – even though one of my favourite things in post-apocalyptic settings are people coming together and creating communities.

I thought the ending was a but odd as well but it did set up hints of that community building which I like. Who knows if cheese will ever be safe again to eat (for them)

I basically immediately loved it. It was like it was written for me, honestly. I've said this a lot all over my blog but I really like good sibling relationships and I liked this one in here. Even though it did feel at times like they weren't so close – because their interactions were told to us in flashbacks – but it was still done really well. I didn't feel like they weren't good sisters just because they didn't see each other.

I liked Sophia and Arthur's relationship – I liked seeing that progress and I thought they worked well together. I can see them staying together for a while. But also I felt like the story/plot, even Sophia (as a character – her development), would've stayed the same without the romantic subplot.

The plot worked well. I liked the flashbacks paired with the present. It reminded me of a favourite movie of mine (Oculus). Some books or writers aren't able to successfully shift between the past and the present. But de Becerra did it well. There wasn't too much of the past and they tied in well to the present scenes.

I loved the spookiness. Something I always like in books is the feeling of something's wrong/off and then seeing things happen in your environment. I love haunted houses in media because it gives that to me – weird things start to happen and then piles up until really bad things happen.

I liked the little bit of mixed media that we got – a forum relating to the film – of course I would've liked to see even more but that's because I love mixed media. I thought the angle of Sophia going back to the house to film a follow-up sort of project interesting. It reminded me of another movie called The Veil. I would've liked some more behind the scenes showing of the film – maybe “this is how we would do this” but I understand they wanted to keep Sophia in the dark.

I really enjoyed this a ton! I finished this in one sitting because I didn't want to stop reading! It was thrilling, excellent, really well done all over.

The artwork was stunning. I liked seeing ASL and the one character has a leg brace when she rides her broom – so cool. There were a lot of blues and cool tones in the panels which I liked. But there were also warm colours as well, which was great to see.

I definitely need to make a note of the illustrator because I would love to see this type of artwork soon again. I connected to the characters quickly, not just because of the story and dialogue, but because of how they were drawn. I could tell their personalities, if they were friendly, if they would even make you a cup of tea if you were down – just from what they looked like on the page (screen).

This was a hard book to read because it features a difficult subject matter. But Sass handled it well. I have another Sass book that I definitely want to get to quicker now that I've read one of his books (because now I know his writing).

I think Connor Major being the main character was a great choice because Sass brought some lightheartedness in his narration and humour that I thought worked well. They're also teenagers, and teens are funny. I think it's a good thing to keep humour/make some jokes even when you're not having the best time (South Africans make jokes about, literally everything, so I know that well).

The plot and pacing was quick and that fit the vibe of the book very well. Maybe it's the author's writing as well and I'll know it when I read another of his books. I thought I would mind that the plot and pacing were so quick but I didn't – which I'm also glad about.

I really liked the other teens we meet at the camp. Especially as they became close and then found family – it is one of my favourite tropes so I was glad to see it. Found family in any book, in any genre, is always something I'm happy to read about – but I think it works particularly best in an LGBTQ+ book. Plus they've all been through a terrible experience so being able to stand together and stay friends is great.

It's a quick read and it felt like that – which I do always like. Sometimes you have those short books that feel like they take forever. Unfortunately it also felt like Colgin was trying to squeeze too much plot into a small book. Which made it harder to read and made me take longer to finish the book. I could tell Colgin focused more on the characters than the plot. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing and at least the characters were good. I liked the action and the magic system was good. The short plot/very quick pacing worked for the book and Colgin's writing – even if I didn't like that the plot to pages ratio.

The focus of the book was Remy and Laurence and their relationship. As they're in close proximity to each other (Laurence protecting Remy because he (Remy) becomes a target) and sharing thoughts/details to one another – they become closer. That felt very natural and I liked how Colgin wrote it. They were an easy couple – they fit together well and it was a natural relationship. I didn't have a favourite – I liked Remy and Laurence about the same amount. Which I liked – a lot of the times I prefer the one character (in a relationship) over the other, but I do like it when I like everyone!

I started reading the e-arc and struggled through the first two chapters. Then I decided to pick it up in audio as well. Best decision I ever made as it helped a ton. Also changing the font on my Kindle to OpenDyslexic has made a world of a difference.

I wouldn't have gotten into the book without the audio and I would've probably marked it as 3-stars, which means I missed out on all that the book has to offer. I even thought of dnfing it, so I sort of recommend the audio above the e-book/physical. Or a hybrid read if you're able to.

This is a beautiful story and I think I was focusing too much on the Howl's Moving Castle comp to realise the inner workings of the book. I was waiting specifically for Howl and Sophie lookalikes, but didn't really get that (well I've only watched he movie but I hear the characters differ in the book). But I quickly realised that didn't even matter!

I liked Quinta and Twain about the same. I think they complemented each other well and Pacton wrote them both well. I liked reading about Quinta's insecurities and Twain's drive. It made them more real to me and like them more. They both had dreams and wanted to dream more.

I think the shop then found them at the right time, for them both. The shop is full of dreams and pulls in dreamers. I definitely do think it shows itself to people when they need it. I like the shop – I did think they would spend all their time in it but I like what we got.

I think this is definitely a book where you should read more about the other comparison/inspiration – The Radium Girls. Pacton took that inspiration, really ran with it and made it mystical and wonderful. It spoke to burning yourself out to work for others who won't care about you or how it harms you. As well as dismal working conditions – which happens in any era – in any type of workplace unfortunately.

I liked that she took the real-life events and added fantasy elements to it. It was well-done and was a good part of the overall plot. This is my first book by Pacton and her first fantasy book, but to me she managed to tie all the different parts of the plot together neatly – which isn't always easy.

Most sequels I read don't seem like they follow the ‘sequel slump' feeling (or whatever it's called) but I felt that this one did. I know this is a series so I hope the third/next book (no idea if it'll be a trilogy or more). I still enjoyed this but not as much as the first book. It didn't have the same energy as the previous one. I did like where we went with the characters. How they changed, how they looked at things, because of what they went through in the previous book.

I really enjoyed how Jacques approached the characters this time around. Last book they were getting to know each other and this book it's more like they've been together for a long time (longer than the brief time that they actually are). I liked how easy they fit together, but they still had their differences.

I liked parts of the plot but not really the entire plot overall. I liked seeing the Estate but I also expected there to be more creatures there and we only saw two new characters (and others though they were antagonists). Even though about ¾ of the book is set in the Estate, I didn't feel like we really knew the two characters we meet there.

The pacing for this book was slow, slower than the first book's. I don't mind slow-paced books, but I don't want to take a long time to read a book because it's a slow-paced book. It did pick up after the 50% mark and I was able to read a bunch in one sitting.

I don't think there was a page that I didn't utterly love. Every single page was amazing and I loved them all. I could have read about a thousand more pages, even! Jimmy and Elise were funny and I really liked seeing them get into a relationship with each other.

I liked that there were no stakes and that it was a relaxing read. When you're like me and read a a majority of medium/high stakes books, it's always nice to breathe and read an easier book (easier here meaning a low-stakes fantasy book).

This was such a cute graphic novel! I was so happy to see it's set in a small South African coastal town! They peppered in SA references – which was also fun to see! It's a really cute story, as well. Focuses on freedom and poaching, and the line between what's right and what gives one more money.

Pearl was a great main character. I felt connected to her almost immediately and enjoyed seeing everything through her eyes. I want to read more of her! I think I probably also loved her almost instantly.

The illustrations were done so well. I loved the design of the sea creature the most, I think. I could definitely see this as a movie and since it was created by Triggerfish Studios – an animation studio in Cape Town – I really hope they have it somewhere in the pipeline! Not only is it a great story about nature, creatures, and how we must protect it; it's also needed representation – in animation, in kids, in just about everything!

Stewart put her heart into this book, making it a great ending to a fierce trilogy. The characters grew, they evolved, I’m not mad about how their stories end – which can happen quite easily, let me tell you. If Stewart wants to write a novella set in the future about what happens far after the war. I like wars in fantasy, but I like the build-up and aftermath even more. Not sure why – maybe it’s the politics I like? Building/restoring communities? Also it’s making me want to go back and reread the trilogy! Which is great because I’m all for the re-readability of a book/series. I want to go back to the world and the characters. One thing that’s clear with this trilogy is that it’s so much of a unique story, worldbuilding, and characters. I think that’s why it’s good and how it builds it way up – even when the plot reaches its climax it doesn’t stop being good and unique. That’s what I want and like in books.

I didn’t realise that there was a time jump (two years) between the second book and this one. It did jar me a bit and took me a bit to get back into the story but luckily it didn’t stop me from enjoying it. Although Stewart did make the time jump work which is something that isn’t the case for everyone.

I did feel a bit more connected to the other main characters that I wasn’t (connected to) in this book. Even though we’re finishing the book and therefore won’t be spending time with them, I think I gained a better understanding for them and started to like them a bit. Although Lin and Jovis remain my firm favourites. I really liked going on their journeys and see them through the pain and fights they have to deal with. The ossalens were great, I’d definitely like to know more about them in any way. They had such personality and I think Stewart had a fun time writing them.

This was such a wild ride and I hung on for dear life and enjoyed every minute. I could definitely see that Springer is a fan of the horror genre. I could see a lot of influences from the different movies in the book – which I really liked to see.

The plot was good, obviously very fast paced as this is a slasher book – I think the slasher genre is always faster than other horror subgenres. You can have slower horror, especially if it's more cerebral. But generally I prefer a fast-paced horror film. Slashers work well then!

Not to brag or anything (she says while preparing to brag) but I predicted something correctly! Obviously, I can't tell you (unless you've read this too then we can talk about it) and also this isn't to say “oh the author isn't good if the reader can predict something correctly” – my predictions are like 50/50 and it's all good fun. But also that's something I love about the horror genre – there's always a lot of places for you to predict. Especially in slashers because there is always the mystery of who the killer is and why they're after the main characters. And I love that! I love solving the mysteries, learning any secrets about the characters and trying to figure it out (the mystery/killer).

Springer wrote the death scenes so well! Gruesome, even for a YA, and I loved it! How do I say I love death scenes... without saying I love reading people die?

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped to. It had a really cool concept but didn't manage to meet my expectations. I liked the graphics, which made for a quick read. The facial expressions were well-drawn, which made me like it more and it easier to read the book faster.

I liked the characters. I liked the approach that they went in with the book. You have your seemingly standard magic boarding school and then it turns out to have that trope be flipped. That part of the story I did enjoy. Something I always really like seeing is when the panels in graphic novels seem like they're moving. I've had instances where the characters looked wooden. Their expressions were still and the panels don't flow into each other nicely. Luckily this wasn't the case with The Black Mage. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan, at least I liked reading it.

Okay, so I realised why this book didn't work for me; even though it's really good. I read the synopsis but I kept thinking the two girls (Chloe and Natalia) would team up and solve all the mysteries. Maybe it's because I've been reading more mysteries? See, the synopsis says Chloe and Natalia form an uneasy alliance and then you pair it with a mystery.

So, I was annoyed for a bit because I viewed it differently. It affected how I read the rest of the novel; but also I rated it 3 stars because of the writing style and the characters. The writing didn't flow easily in my opinion. I would read and the way the paragraphs flowed from one to another – it wasn't natural. Most of the time it felt stilted – like Hall didn't work enough on ensuring paragraphs were linked to each other.

It's a dual-pov but I much preferred Chloe's chapters to Natalia. I couldn't get a feel for her (Natalia's) personality. She first came off as a mean girl and then she was distant. But then she really cared, then she didn't seem like she cared. It was too confusing for me. Chloe I understood and also cared about more.

I felt for them, for the characters involved, for the story and the fact that this type of subject unfortunately happens all over, all the time.

Extremely quick read! I would've liked more but I'm happy with what we got. Even though I really liked it I rated it that because of all the supporting characters. I didn't like them much at all. I liked them a little bit and then definitely not and then back to like, etc. I felt they (the cheer squad) wanted to look all supportive but... they weren't so much? And her parents, yeah, not a fan of the way they approached it. I felt it was “eh, we suppose you can do it. But only if...”

While I very much understood the anxiety and not wanting to make a fuss over yourself; I felt like she could've... spoken up a bit more regarding her parents and cheer squad?

All in all, this was an incredibly cute graphic novel, very expressive with the faces – which, even though I'm not an artist at all – for me that's important. And I got that here.

I must just now read a Kate Alice Marshall's adult book (her second one comes out next year I think?), which I will probably also love. Once I do that it'll probably make KAM one of the best writers if she can write excellent Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult books.

When I started this book I was thinking “hmm how scary can a middle grade book get?” And then I remembered like Coraline and Monster House. I loved that just because it's middle grade didn't mean the scariness would be watered down. It's scary enough for kids and any adults (me) reading this. KAM just does it effortlessly.

As always with every KAM I've read the characters were well-written. I loved getting to know the family. I liked how even though the parents weren't present for basically all of the book, they were still part of the story (as opposed to being absent parents – although that's more YA).

I liked the agents that came and stayed with them – Agent Baxter and his husband, Agent Pendleton. They were funny and I could tell they were friends with the family (and not just coworkers) and I liked that.

My heart felt for Charlie as she always felt like she had to be on top for everything. She helped to make her siblings feel like they could act like children without realising that she's also a child. I also liked that her parents made sure she knew they appreciated and loved her, their relationship with her was very sweet.

Charlie's relationships with her siblings were so sweet to see as well. I've mentioned multiple times in various posts that I really adore good sibling relationships. This is definitely a case for the good ones. They cared for each other and wanted to keep each other safe. And still bantered as siblings do!

The plot and the mystery was done so well (as always with her books). She makes the mystery so intriguing you certainly don't want to put the book down! I did predict most of the plot twists but I didn't mind it in the slightest because of how well it was done. I grew up with Enid Blyton so I'm always down for kid detectives and Charlie and her siblings were joys to follow.

When I started this I thought I would love it. Everything about this (the cover/synopsis) should've given me all the reason to love it and devour it in one or two sittings. Except it took me days to finally finish the book and I didn't have a good time throughout. Since I juggle multiple reads, if I'm not super interested in a book, I tend to take longer to read it. However, this is under 300 pages, so I should've read this in like 2 sittings.

I only cared for two (supporting) characters. If the book would've followed them instead of Lotte and Maryse, I would've (maybe) rated it higher. I found them both to be annoying and boring. Even when they were in danger or got hurt – I wasn't interested in it. The book is very dialogue-heavy – which I'm not bothered by in the slightest because I love dialogue – but since I didn't care for most of the characters – I was less interested in that.

I saw the plot twist coming a mile away and I was annoyed because of how it all led up to it and then everything afterwards. I think one of the biggest issues I had was the pacing and the plot twists. It was so incredible slow – and remember, it's under 300 pages. It should've flown by. But it didn't. A plot twist would happen and I'd look at the percentage and think “really? At this %?” like why are you putting a big plot twist at like 60% in the book?

I really wanted to like the book and I did really like the whole Dragon Tongue thing and I was interested in that. It was just everything else that wasn't working for me.

I enjoyed this tremendously! It definitely amped up my interest in the trilogy and I could see why other readers love it. It improved the characters we already met while introducing new ones. The action was better this time around, the politics (which was already good in the first one) were even more interesting this time. I’ve grown to like politics in fantasies, especially when they’re done well and that’s the case here.

I like wars and battles (in fantasy books) but I like the lead-up to the war more. Figuring out who your allies are, whom you can trust and what secrets can you tell them. Lin really grew as a character in here. She had to take on a lot of extra responsibility and grow into her power. Jovis just continues to be my utter favourite throughout the series. He’s funny, he’s good, he’s just… Jovis, I don’t know what to tell you. The others (Phalue etc) were a bit more interesting this time around but I still had to make myself pay attention when it were their chapters. I did like how they all had to take up more responsibility too, just like Lin does, but they’re all extremely different people. The focus is a bit more on Lin and Jovis – plots, characterisation, so I didn’t feel too bad about having difficulty reading it.

Stewart only improved on the world-building and magic system in here, She definitely shines in those aspects and I hope that stays by her others books (I plan to read the new one this year – hopefully). I’m always happy to follow an author if it means I get good worldbuilding and magic system. I don’t think I got that “Second Book Slump” feeling that a bunch of sequels tend to have – which I’m happy about. Seeing as I wasn’t entirely enjoying the first book, I’m glad I felt better this time around.

This is my third Kate Alice Marshall (KAM) book. First one was Rules for Vanishing (which I need to reread and review) and These Fleeting Shadows. I think Shadows is sort of the best one (so far) because I do love a haunted house + family story (it was also comped to The Haunting of Hill House – which is like one of my favourite tv shows ever). So The Narrow comes a close second to that.

I was so sucked into the book I could imagine that I was there myself – which is not technically something you actually want with a horror book. I felt connected to the characters – their personalities, their growth. I was especially pleased by how the friendship group stayed by Eden. They cared about her, they made sure she knew she was loved and appreciated – and I loved that because I really enjoy seeing positive female friendships in books.

Eden was a great main character. I think she's what you call a ‘quiet character'? Which is nice when you're like me and read a lot of fantasies where characters are usually a bit... louder. But even though Eden was quiet that didn't mean she was a pushover – which I liked to see as well.

Delphine is the other character named in the synopsis and she's also a quiet character -but also she lives alone in a small house on school grounds so of course that's a reason too. I liked her and then I didn't like her (unlike Eden whom I liked from the start. She did have a full personality (so it wasn't an issue of it not being fleshed-out), but I didn't connect to her like I did for Eden.

I loved everything to do with The Drowning Girl. All the lore we got and then the backstory as we learnt more of it. Even how KAM managed to tie it up to the present. How sometimes stories change and are twisted – either by human design or because as time goes on; details tend to fade away.

This was way longer than it should've been. It should have been either just over 300 pages at the most 350 pages. There was a clear plot and subplot, I could see that. But I think the way Bird went around it – had the characters go around it – took too long. Drawn-out plots are rarely done well because (as with most things) they rely on the writer's writing ability. As seen by my rating – this wasn't really the case here.

I liked Ethan and Simon as characters, but I won't really remember much about them past this review. Simon I liked much less than Ethan – I found it difficult to get through his (Simon's) povs. Their personalities were a bit average for me. It's a long book and mostly focuses on them two (with Bill as a big supporting character) so I was hoping their personaltiies to change and grow. They did – a bit – but not to the extent that I wanted them to (or expected them to). Which was a big disappointing. Their relationship/romance was cute most of the time but that was about it.

I'm a big vampire fan and I liked the vampire aspect in this book. I wanted more of it, though? I don't think this is much of a spoiler but Simon is basically the only vampire we see all throughout the book. I wanted to see other vampires – older ones to maybe act as a mentor for Simon. To step in and help when the hunters didn't want to anything. More of a community, you know?

I didn't like the layout of the povs. I thought it was a dual pov and was totally fine with that. And then we got Bill (Ethan's foster mom) and I didn't understand why we needed it. To top it all off... the povs switched IN THE MIDDLE of the chapter. Like, that's something I used to see the little bit I was on Wattpad.