DB

I thought I really enjoyed The Third Daughter and then this book sort of blew that out of the water. Absolutely stunning, amazing sequel and conclusion to a series. I like it when the last book feels like the last book; where plots are all neatly tied up and the endings all make sense. But still there's that sense where you could very well spend 3 more books in this universe. That was me with this series – fantastic ending but I wouldn't mind spending more time here.

That's definitely due to the characters. Tooley fully shines in her characters – dialogue, development, just how they live in the world. It was even better than the previous book. Especially with the two main female characters – Sabine and Elodie – how they interacted with everyone around them, whether friends or enemies. How they interacted with each other – so sweet and special, I loved every second. And even with themselves as they try to navigate their new roles and their purposes in life.

I really liked Sabine and Elodie in the first book and I liked them even more in this one. Reading the first book's review I said I liked Sabine's chapters more, and here I liked Elodie's chapters more – so that was interesting. Both of them had changed so much with all they've been through and they continue to go through so much more this time around. To me their personalities were better in the sequel – maybe because Tooley spent more time with them or they're put through rougher circumstances in here.

Either way, it just works so well and I was here for it all the way. I want to dive into Grace's other books because of how well she writes these characters. I can only hope that the characters in her other books are as well-written as in here. The side characters in here are so well-written too that they don't feel like they're actually side characters. They're fully fleshed out, you see their emotions clear on their faces and dialogue. You know their personalities even though they're only seen in a few scenes. That's what I love to see in a book.

The plot rolls over from the previous book but it also brings up new plot points and Grace balanced them all very well. I really like a good balance of typing up the old plot points from the previous book and dealing with new ones. To me that's the mark of a good author as it shows not only that they're able to juggle it all but they do it well enough so that you, the reader, understands it all.

Whyyyyyyy is everyone acting all “Oooh Loren has got the hots for you” HE'S AN ADULT

Also I was wrong, Darius only comes in Next book so I'm sad.

Also also... Why did Erin say a specific sentence that alluded to her being Black... When she's actually White? Just because you're the “twin” to a Black character doesn't MAKE you Black

This was a sweet and really good book and I'm not mad that it's friends to lovers! I have to either really like the author or the trope has to be done well (to like the trope/book) – luckily both applied here! What I like most about Pacton's books are her characters. She writes them so well you can tell she loves them and had fun writing their journey. That makes it easier for me to like the characters. They're also easy to love! Well, most of the time. With The Vermillion Emporium I took a while to start liking the characters. With this book I almost instantly loved Sybil and Esme. They had fun personalities and they worked well with each other. You could tell they were real friends and not just friends because they roomed together.

I loved how easy it was to believe they're friends and then when that changed to romance that too was very easy to believe. I definitely rooted for them to be together long before they actually were and that is... rare with friends to lovers because I don't like how the trope seems to set up the idea that you can't really have friends. That you're bound to have crushes on them and that'll ruin the friendship. Although, most of the books I've read that have that trope are m/f relationships so maybe that's the problem/solution (solution being don't read m/f friends to lovers haha).

The descriptions absolutely made me feel like I was in the book and there's nothing more that I like when that happens. It's something I hope that could happen in all books but unfortunately that isn't the case. Pacton, however, is always so amazing with that so it's easy to feel like I'm in the novel. I wanted to spend more time in this book – in either realm – so I was sad when the book ended! Pacton certainly doesn't slack when it comes to her plots. It's always well-written and I wasn't bored while reading (always a pleasure when I have that). Plus the descriptions really just added to the plot, elevated them to a point where (at least I felt like) you couldn't not be entranced by the book.

I've really begun to like Parker's narration! I definitely want to see what else she's done (I already have my eye on a reread of Alison Cochrun's newest release – peep that review soon I hope). I love how you can tell that she's passionate about the characters and the story. Even sped up it's clear to me, which I love and that's what I look for in audiobook narrators. I want to hear you're enjoying it and it's not just a job for you (looking at you dude who does Game of Thrones audiobooks).

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.

Incredibly slow and didn't like what they did with the one character i.t.o a neurological disorder. Plus what was that ending ugh

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.

Really 2.5 but yk half stars. .5 because he sewed pockets into her dresses

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.

Larkwood managed to keep me entertained throughout and I liked that. I haven't read such a mega epic fantasy book in a while and I think that added to my “do I like this or not?” line of thinking. But I'm glad that I grew to really like it. The pace doesn't really pick up at all, it remains a steady slow throughout. Which didn't bother me either – I'm happy about both things.

I'm no stranger to odd fantasy names (Kvothe hello) but the audio did help with everything. Also to remember that it's Csorwe rhymes with doorway. I liked Csorwe's character. She was interesting and had a lot of depth to her. I can't wait to see where we go with her in the sequel. I liked how she changed over the book (and the years). Csorwe, as a kid, just goes along with what she's told to do but it's not really what she actually wants. I liked that she began to stand up for herself later on; it added to her personality. Hopefully the next book will have her be louder and more stabbier.

I didn't realise it but I do like end of the world books and books where the protagonists have to stop the world ending. Here it's much slower than in other world-ending books. But once again, I really didn't mind it like I thought I probably would.

Honestly, I don't think I understood everything about the magic system or world-building. There was so much to take in and sift through but I liked what we got and hopefully I understand more as I read on. It wasn't info-dumping per se but if you're not a fan of a lot of world-building and it being a bit confusing, I wouldn't so much so recommend this to you (low fantasy, however, might do the trick).

Tal annoyed me so much at times and then I liked him

Come read it on my blog: https://dbsguidetothegalaxy.wordpress.com/2019/01/16/17th-jan-review-calling-calling-calling-me/

Calling Calling Calling Me
Natasha Washington
Year Published: 2018
Publisher: Natasha Washington (Self-published)
Genre: NA ~ Contemporary Romance ~ LGBT+
Stars: 4

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from A Novel Take PR in exchange for a free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.


There's something about big cities that fascinate me. Maybe it's because I live in a small town and the nearest ‘big city' is Cape Town (which a bit confusing – we call it the ‘Mother City' and it has ‘town' in its name) and we don't go down there a lot – I mean my dad does basically everyday as he works there, but we only go if we're meeting family, or birthdays; so, like I said, they fascinate me.

I definitely loved all mentions of San Francisco. I love it when cities are added and when they play a part in the book – sort of feel like a secondary character on their own. It adds some character to the book and makes you feel like you're there – which I think it is very pivotal for a book – it needs to be able to draw you into its pages and make you forget about the outside (unless you're reading and walking. Which in that case, don't read and walk, people. I've done it before – not fun).

Josh and Patrick are so cute! All the flirting between them and the cute little moments and then Patrick went and did research about Hanukkah for Josh?? Just made me love him more. I loved the way Washington wrote them (all the characters) – how they all welcomed Patrick in early on – which was great as it's good to have people around you who know the area. And as he's from a small town, it's good for him to have people from different backgrounds around him. People who can teach him about new subjects, maybe even help with a new outlook on life.

With most books with romances the couple gets together 80 or 90% of the book and the rest of the book is them during their first two weeks to maybe a month (of their relationship). But in Calling, Josh and Patrick get together halfway through the book and then of course the rest of the book is them exploring their relationship. Which I didn't have a problem with, of course – the more couple time I get, the happier I am!

I didn't like how their roommates dismiss the fact that Josh is pan – if you don't actually know what pan means, you literally have a pan roommate, go ask him! They could all just ask him but they just revert to stereotypes! The pan rep in the book is really good, it's just that the other characters are just... terrible for relying on stereotypes.

Quotes:

‘Benny was like, Josh, all sexuality is on a spectrum. That's what the rainbows mean. We're all part of this rainbow, and sometimes we're different colours depending on the day.'

‘”Then he said, I know you feel like you're the only one because you don't know anybody yet who feels the way you do. But you will find people like you. You'll find them and they'll find you, like I found my people here. You will.”


Do I recommend this book? With all the pizzas in San Francisco, I do!

I really like anthologies but this one definitely missed the mark by a lot. I didn't like any of the stories, I found myself flipping through a lot of them and decided to dnf it early and just barely skim some of the stories.

It was quite boring. All of the stories. They needed a lot of work. If I managed to finish the book I'd probably rate it a full 1 star out of 5. Maybe 2 if I were feeling generous.

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.

Yes it's bad but I do like smth easy to just put on

Broadcast
Liam Brown
Year published: 2017
Publisher: Legends Press
Genre: Science Fiction
Stars: 3 and a half

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from Legend Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The image used for the post header is my own. All links in the post link to the books' respective Goodreads page. Quotes given in this review might not add up to quotes given in the published version.

The idea of another reality, whether it be virtual, alternative, or augmented has always ensnared me. Maybe its because of augmented reality – well, not really the glasses that go with it because they're always bulky and fit uncomfortably over my glasses (I actually have to hold the AR glasses otherwise it'll make my normal glasses cut into my nose) – but what you can see with the glasses amaze me – roller coasters, haunted houses, shark cage diving, that's super cool.

I liked the concept of Broadcast – the whole thing of a person's thoughts being broadcasted – which would be a nightmare for me because my ADD just brings about 2000 thoughts and they're all over the place.

Even though I thought I wouldn't like David when starting out, I actually do like him. I mostly didn't like him because of his attitude, which I think is exacerbated by his celebrity status. But think about it. If they gave us someone unknown or relatively unknown, we would've liked them straight away; but instead we get David; a pompous elitist celebrity. But it works. Because even though I didn't like him at the beginning, I began to root for him when everything started going wrong for him.

The story pulls the reader in, sucks you in, and makes you focus on the main character and his main plot so much that you don't really notice the actual plot of the story – which is very sneaky and well-done.

Oh and something I had in my mind throughout the novel – is the moral of the story to always read the terms and conditions?

Quotes:
But the main reason, I believe, or at least the most important reason people still read, is because books are the only opportunity we ever get to experience true empathy with another human being. To see the world through their eyes. To walk in their shoes. Even celebrity crap like I churn out, when it's done well, offers a unique insight, a new perspective. The chance to get inside someone else's head.

Rtc but book - good. Should've gone with the ebook though

Might push it down to 2 stars...
I was bored during the entire book

dnf at 65%

I wanted to like this, that's why I pushed to 65%. I couldn't get into it and I didn't want to push myself to finish it for the sake of finishing. I realised I didn't know or care about any of the characters. The illustrations also played a factor in not really keeping my interest and I feel like that's a big part of in reading graphic novels! I don't know if I'll ever get to the Sleeping Beauties book but we'll see if I ever do and how I'll feel. Otherwise I just really didn't have much to feel about it? Which is why this review is so short. Even though I did try I couldn't connect to anything or anyone in here.

So cute!

Had such big high hopes for this one. The second half was a bit... Better than the first. Things just fell apart and idk

Content Warnings: Violence, racial discrimination, murder.

I keep mistaking this title with its sequel – Eclipse the Skies – so I often refer to this book as Ignite the Skies and the sequel as Eclipse the Stars. I don't remember whose blog post I read who spoke about this series and made me decide to pick it up – I really should've.

I really enjoyed this book (and its sequel). I was also moving between if I wanted this series to be like 9 books long and just revolve around the characters just like chilling in space, watching movies. Or if these two books were excellent just as two books. I'll probably keep that argument in my head for a long time.

REASON NUMBER ONE:

Ia Cōcha was just a fun character to read and I loved her so much. Like yes!! Stare down a general and tell him how to pronounce your name, girl!!! Be badass and excellent!! I just loved everything she did and rooted for her alllll the way, no matter what she was planning to do because she is excellent and if you say anything else, well, then, you're wrong, sorry.

Ia is the best and I'd gladly let me kill her (if she wanted to, of course). Like I wanted to punch those who wanted to punch her. And give her all the awards?? Like sure, she's a criminal. But she's a cool criminal (get that reference?).

REASON NUMBER TWO

KNIVES KNIVES KNIVES. I just loved him so much? Can we just??? appreciate him, please? Yes, he's a little soft and he just likes to fly and people want him to be more than what he wants and I just wanted to cry?? because just like let him fly?? and watch his movies!! Sorry, if you can't tell I really loved Knives.

He was just such a interesting character – definitely one of my favourites and will go in my favourite box and also into the ‘will adopt this character' section. Which by now is turning into such a large project I think I'll need to rent a town to hold all the characters.

REASON NUMBER THREE

BRINN TARVER YOU BEAUTY. She's just so strong???? And I clapped when she started to be proud of herself and started a friendship with Ia. She's such a strong character and I lived for all her moments because she's been through a lot and will still go through a lot. She continues to be strong and realise her confidence in herself and her race.

REASON NUMBER FOUR

The Academy that they're all in – was really interesting to read about. I'm always up for reading school set books (even though I'm not the biggest fan of school? Maybe I like reading about characters who are smarter than me?) I liked all the classes and just being in the whole Academy environment was exciting to read. Definitely a favourite book of mine – where books are set in a school environment!

REASON NUMBER FIVE

There's politics involved in the book, ranging from immigration, to slavery, to if the government is a good government (which is just an all-around theme, I guess). I think I've mentioned before that I'm not the biggest politics person, but I did really like what was said in the novel and how it was portrayed. It's also interesting how the novel focused on people and how some of them are seen as lesser than others because of their race – which is still a problem today, unfortunately.

OTHER (SUB) REASONS I LIKED THE BOOK

I liked the slang they used in the book. I know some people didn't like it but I've always enjoyed slang in sci-fi books.

I UHHH also REALLY LOVED how the Monitor (classic character) played heavy metal because that's seen as classical music in the universe and I thought that was hilarious. Heavy Metal and Rock were two of the first genres i listened to (thanks, big sis).

I think a lot of times I'll read so much modern world fantasy or low fantasy that I'll forget how fun a full fantasy with a heavy emphasis on the world-building and the magic system is. I know this happened with The Unspoken Name and definitely was the case with this book. I'll admit (quite easily) that magic systems can and do confuse me and that was present here. I didn't understand much of it so I hope that'll be different when I return to it. Or I just enjoy the book and not understand everything! I'm good with that too.

I thought the characters were interesting but the emphasis in this book clearly was on the world-building and the plots. Not that the characters didn't develop, but I could tell it will be gradual development. I think with series; characters can be introduced and developed over the series but most of the world-building and magic systems should be introduced and explained in the first book. And that's what Bolender did here!

I liked Clae. He had a fun, dry sense of humour and he kept a lot of his personality closed off, though you were still able to get a feel for his personality. I liked Okane too. He has an incredibly difficult backstory and trauma that they haven't explored enough. I also think he has more power than he realises and I'd like to see that improve.

I liked Laura as a narrator, though I probably would've preferred Clae as that spot but that's because I liked him more. I hope in the next book she's able to fully come into her personality and then I'll like her some more. I hope that Laura and Okane don't get into a relationship over the series. I just really don't see them as a romantic couple. Friends, absolutely. Confidants. Even Laura essentially being a pseudo-mentor to him. We'll see what the author does.

I gave up on this graphic novel pretty quickly after I started. I'd say about 10 pages if not less? I don't have a clear answer as to why I chose to not finish the graphic novel because to me, everything about it just didn't work out for me.

I didn't like the art. I don't know if one would call it quirky or anything but I didn't care for it. I felt the writing was juvenile and the dialogue to be subpar. I disliked both main characters – in fact Kim was a big reason for my dnf.

I've actually read this book twice – first before it came out, and then as a reread when the second book was coming out – both because I really wanted to but also because I didn't remember much. And I loved it both times because Mandanna is such a talented writer and will make you want to read her books again and again. I still need to read Colour Outside The Lines – but I will rectify that in the upcoming months.

I loved all the characters so much but the one that I loved the most was Titania. I LOVE TITANIA. She's the best character. She's too precious for this world and has to be kept safe. Titania cares so much for Esmae and I love that for her. Even though, yes, Esmae does have a lot of people rooting for her and they show it – Titania is that character you can turn to if you want some comfort.

Esmae is definitely my second favourite character. I loved reading about her strong personality. How passionate she is and how she doesn't let people step over her – that competition at the beginning of the book? Easily one of my favourite scenes. I am always ready to read about female characters who take the plunge and are strong!

The plot ahhhhhhh. Listen! I've watched my fair share of sci-fi movies and read a couple of sci-fi books – so I know what's to be considered ‘good' and ‘bad' sci-fi. And this is good sci-fi plot. REALLY GOOD. But it wasn't that intense that I couldn't follow the plot, and it didn't have big amounts of sciency terms that leave me all super-confused. Which made me happy – even though I would've been happy even if it did have complicated sciency terms and all. But this had drama! This had intrigue! This had what you're looking for!

Also alll the family dynamics and the drama!! I liked having this in the book – a lot of the times with family in YA, there's a lot of ‘broken families' or they all die or get captured – but recently I think there's been more ‘full families' and found families too (which I LOVE). And I think the way the family was written was so good because you could feel they were family and you could see how they all fit into the story.

The worlds of Kali and Wchystar were so fascinating to read about and it's really impressive how well they were written? Like can you just imagine thinking up all of that? And then writing it all out?? I loved reading about about the two cities and how in depth it all went and showed it all – I also need to see this, like as visuals, or in a graphic novel (CAN YOU IMAGINE).

There's quite a few morally grey characters – characters whose motives you can't quite work out, characters who seem to be on both sides. Which, of course, I loved, because I love morally grey characters. Sometimes it's good to have villains who do a little bit of good (as a treat) and it's refreshing when a hero slips just a little. It gets a bit boring when the heroes are good and the villains are bad. This book did that brilliantly!

A side note – I really really loved the gods and the mythology. It's always been something I enjoyed reading about – it's a fun side category of fantasy that I definitely can't get enough of!

oh i would've LOVED this as a kid

Every one who DIDN'T like this is FREE to come fight me in a parking lot. I bite, just telling you