Larissa S.

This book was...fine. I didn't hate anything about it, but I didn't love anything, either. It was an easy read, but the worldbuilding felt nonsensical at times, and Odessa has nothing to do for most of the book.

Almost nothing in this book worked for me. Cassia is bland, the relationship doesn't exist, the plot and world are full of holes. By the end I was just skimming to see how it played out, and even that wasn't interesting.

Finally! A romantasy I actually liked!

The worldbuilding really carries this book. It just feels so lived in, with lots of lore and traditions. The romance was more lust than love, but Bjorn had enough personality that I still enjoyed their interactions.

The more I think about it, the less anything in this book makes sense.

I did like the girls and the nuance given to their relationships, trying to work together while not trusting each other. Also the writing was pretty good.

Unfortunately, I didn't like anything else.

(I would've preferred if Bram had been the love interest and she'd been genuinely trying to win the competition, to make the ton regret turning their backs on her family. It wouldn't fix all the plot holes, but it would've been a lot more interesting.)

There's a type of fantasy romance book where the story is so focused on the love interest that it almost feels like the characters are in a bubble. And I'm realizing I don't like these kinds of stories.

It's kind of hard to describe what I mean. Like, Leo is at school in the beginning, but the only time we really see him in class is when he's interacting with Grimm. It just makes the world feel very small.

On top of that, this is a slow burn in the sense that they don't even realize they like each other in this book. They'll obviously get together in a future book, since the story is SO focused on the two of them annoying each other. But don't go into this expecting the pay-off of them getting together.

This should have been published as middle grade, with the characters listed as 14. You wouldn't have to change a single other thing about it (maybe take out the brief reference to r*pe). The plot is very simple and I saw the twists coming from a mile away. Which isn't to say that it was bad, it just felt like it was for a younger audience.

I've seen other reviews describe this as really good fanfiction, and I think that's a pretty accurate description. The magic system & magic school are just here for vibes--this story is entirely about the romance. Arthur and Mika are cute and snarky and clueless, and have endless banter, like all good fanfiction couples.

My big complaint is that Mika has a girlfriend through most of the story, and the sort-of-cheating is pretty much ignored. If that's going to bother you, don't read this book.

The first half of this had me kicking my feet and giggling (5 stars!), while the second half...did not (2 stars). So I guess that comes out 3.5 stars?

This is heavy on the romance, but the fantasy side is definitely there, which I appreciate. The world is absurd and I still can't figure out if an autoduck is a car or a boat, but somehow it worked. And the characters and romance are great (for the first half). They both have their own problems and they're interesting characters. But halfway through it feels like the story needs them to fight, so they do.

Overall, all the little questions get answers in a decently satisfying way, so maybe I'll round it up to 4 stars. But I didn't end up loving like I thought I would.

This was such a strange, absurd little book. And I loved it.

I wouldn't say this is a perfect book, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Every time I put it down, I found myself picking it right back up again, needing to know what was going to happen. This book has great tension, and I could never predict what would happen next, or how Rune was going to get herself out of the various corners she finds herself in.

I do wish it had ended differently, but I'll definitely be picking up the next book when it comes out.

I read this for a summer challenge. I've never read it and I've never much wanted to, but my husband had it on his shelf and it's a short book, so I thought I'd finally read it.

Most of the book I didn't much care what was happening. I didn't care if he caught the fish or not, it didn't seem to matter. I talked to my husband about it and it was interesting to hear his view, but I still wasn't attached. And then the sharks came and I was invested! I was suddenly so heartbroken for this poor old man. And when the villagers saw the fish carcass strapped to the skiff and were measuring it I actually started crying. I was in the car reading while my husband was driving and he had to hold my hand because I was just sobbing.

This has happened to me before with classics. Much of the story drags on, but it comes together into something powerful and I'm glad I pushed through to the end.

It should have been a duology.

I'm going to give my review of the whole series, because I feel like you should know what you're getting into. The first book is fantastic (if you ignore the infodumping). The second book is still good, but the plot holes start to show. The third book shouldn't exist. It adds nothing and doesn't fit with the other two books. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The magic system is what kept me reading. Not that it's especially great, but it's built around questions and I wanted answers!

The characters on the other hand... They're fine. Elspeth was rash, and all around I felt like the characters made a lot of dumb decisions because the story needed them to. The romance was decent, but the resistance between them felt forced. I wanted the Nightmare to be more active, not just a voice, and I felt like the speed at which Elspeth's degeneration happened was way too quick.

But I did love the ending. I didn't think it was going to go there, but it did, and I liked it.

So like I said, mixed feelings.

I don't usually read inter-generational books, but I've been trying to read outside my comfort zone and this book completely sucked me in. I struggled a bit with all the Hawaiian words, but after the first few chapters I got used to it. I love all the characters, especially Hawai'i, which is very much a character all its own. I'm going to be recommending this book to anyone who will listen.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think, ultimately, this is a very good book that just wasn't for me.

I'm a character reader, and even though the characters felt well-rounded, they had very little agency. That's not to say that they're not active. They're always doing things and the story moves at a pretty good clip. The problem is that everything is always happening to them. The whole story is: an obstacle gets in their way, and they have to figure out how to make it through. I will say that the obstacles matter to the overall plot, you couldn't just skip past one and keep reading. But they only occasionally lead to any character growth. Also, even though they have different motivations, all the characters on the quest more-or-less get along. There are some surprise twists, but since they're done as twists, they don't add tension during the middle of the book.

All of that said, I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and magic in this book. The jinn and the lore around them are super interesting. The way that the humans and jinn have different lore about the same events is a nice touch. I won't say more because spoilers, but the there are a lot of reveals about the jinn and their magic, as well as about the sultan and his wives, and that did not disappoint.

Overall, I liked the story, but every time I put it down I struggled to pick it up again.

READER NOTE: This book does not have magic. These are witches in the real-life pagan sense.

I seriously considered DNF'ing this in the middle.

I think this book didn't work for me because it's told in two timelines, and there's such a tonal difference between those timelines that it doesn't feel like they belong in the same story. The Chloe story interested me more, because you can really feel the attraction and why Eleanor made the decisions she did and how things spiraled like they did. It's all very dark and angsty. The timeline with Pix felt so bland in comparison. Pix had very little personality and the two of them had no chemistry. Despite Eleanor talking about being sad/anxious/etc. her scenes felt very la-dee-da with Pix and the coven, not like the same girl dealing with the trauma that happened with Chloe. It didn't feel like Eleanor actually dealt with the trauma of her relationship with Chloe. I mean, at least have her give up weed and start going to therapy.

I have a jumble of thoughts about this book, mostly because I kept getting interrupted and taking long breaks, so I have to remember how I felt about it all.

Firstly, the world and magic in this book are SO COOL. The author did a great job with her worldbuilding. Specifically, the magic system seems very simple at the beginning, and we get to learn alongside Aurora as she discovers that maybe magic is more complicated than she thought.

Second, Aurora is great. The first quarter of the book makes Aurora seem very passive, but she's aware that she doesn't know everything, and as she learns things, she's open to them and willing to be wrong. Once you hit the quarter mark Aurora becomes very active, literally running away, and learns so much about the world and storms and other people.

My main gripe with this book is the romance. This felt so clearly like a YA fantasy written by an adult romance author (which is what it is). We start with Aurora meeting Cassius, and they're immediately hot for each other. And then she meets Locke, and they're also immediately hot for each other. (I'm glad that at least she runs away and doesn't interact with Cassius for most of the book, because I hate love triangles.) I liked Locke, so the romance was bearable. But it genuinely felt like the author didn't know how to have them interact without it being lusty. Every single interaction involved them ogling each other, even when they're injured or tired or fighting for their life, they are still caressing fingers and stroking cheeks. It was especially weird because in every other way the author did a great job making it feel YA, particularly in Aurora as this awkward, isolated girl. And then you have these lusty thoughts and it's like, Why are they about to rip their clothes off in my YA novel?

My other, smaller gripe is that the pacing/plot isn't super tight. The book just sort of ends. Not in a cliffhanger kind of way, per se. Which is good because I really hate cliffhangers. It feels a bit like when an episode of a mini-series ends. Not a single thing is wrapped up, but not in a bad way. Like, we've learned a bunch about the world and the magic and Aurora has found her strength and stuff, and now it's time for the next episode.

So, mixed feelings. But the magic was unique enough that I'll probably go look for the next book. Especially with the reveal toward the end.

The worldbuilding is what really carries this book. The different types of vampires and the histories behind them are all so interesting. I did enjoy the characters, though about halfway through I realized that they didn't actually have much in the way of character arcs, so unsurprisingly the ending felt a bit lackluster.

Also, for some reason I had the impression that this was a road trip kind of story, where they're travelling across Mexico and trying to get somewhere. So the fact that they never left Mexico City kind of threw me off. But I would still say I enjoyed this.

Let me start by saying that I've never read Jane Eyre. I do know the basic concept of the story, including the famous twist, but beyond that I wasn't starting this book with any comparison to the source material. Now, to my review:

I loved this book.

Where do I even start? The writing is beautiful and lush, the pace is slow but in a good, simmering kind of way, the romance is great, and the witchiness! Let's start with the romance. Yes, technically this was taken from a beloved novel, so it should be good, but I would still give the author credit here. The little moments between Jane and Mr. Rochester are so well done. I love me a sweet, slow-burn romance.

My next favorite thing is the magic. It's mostly village-witch type magic, with a lot of herb collecting and tincture brewing, but there are also creatures here and there, like dryads and ghosts, that those with the gift can see. The magic is subtle, but it's still present in the story, and Jane is constantly doing little magicks.

This whole book has a slow, leisurely pace, but the writing holds you and keeps you turning the pages. It's not very dark or gothic, which I appreciated. There's a curse/shadow/darkness hanging over the property and the story, but nothing too gruesome happens.

A review in which I am a grump:

This book was very disappointing. It falls in the vein of stories that feel like they're going for cozy and just end up with a weak plot. There were so many holes and the villain was never given any kind of motivation. I did enjoy the twist of the villain's backstory, but it still didn't actually give them a motivation or explain their actions at all.

The worldbuilding was weak sauce. It's just random things put together. We're told early on that people *think* using magic has negative effects, but no one knows for sure--magic just has a bad reputation. And then it's never explored or explained, even though they use magic throughout the story. There's one non-human character, but no others, and no sense of how they fit into society.

Also, the pacing is super weird.

The characters are kind of fun, I'll say that. I did enjoy Prince Hapless, but mostly because his silliness was a breath of fresh air when most love interests are dark and brooding these days. Aurelie was...fine. She doesn't have much of a character arc and most of the plot is happenstance instead of her making decisions. Overall the characters were funny, but lacking depth, and it wasn't enough to make up for everything else.

I think if I had read this book as a teenager, it would have been one of those books that stayed with me. It's a simple moment in the life of a girl on the cusp of womanhood, and that simplicity is its strength.

This is a book I've kept on my shelf since I read it as a teenager (along with Keeping the Moon and This Lullaby), and I wasn't sure if it would hold up now that I'm older. But this book hit me just as hard as it did the first time.

This book is about a girl who feels lost and invisible in the aftermath of her sister running away, and it chronicles a romantic relationship that slowly turns abusive.

There are two things that make this book great. First is how it pulls you into Caitlin's emotions. You're right there with her as she struggles with feeling lost, the excitement of Rogerson and doing something new. And you're right there with her the first time he hits her, and she decides not to tell anyone. Because being with him makes everything better, more bearable, and she can't bear to lose that.

The second thing is all the side characters. Stories like this are often written way too deep in the character's head, so that all we see are their thoughts, and other characters are filtered through those thoughts and never right on the page. This book isn't like that. The other characters are vibrant, with their own lives and struggles. And it makes it all the more striking as she withdraws from them, and they either don't notice or can't seem to catch hold of her.

My only critique of this book is that there are some descriptions and language that are no longer PC. It was written in 2000 and you can really feel it sometimes. I had a similar feeling re-reading The Bean Trees, which has some character descriptions that made me cringe, but is another book I absolutely love.

A random thought: I want to say that every teenage girl should read this book, but I wonder if the lack of technology makes it entirely irrelevant. One of the major sequences of the book hinges on the fact that Caitlin is trying to call Rogerson, but he's not at home (this is before cell phones). I feel like this story would be written so differently if it was put out today, with cell phones and social media.

I enjoyed this one. I really liked Kore/Persephone and the journey she goes on. The misogyny of society was a bit heavy-handed sometimes, and the romance was dragged out through miscommunication. But the writing was good and it was a quick read.

Spice level: mild (the intimate scenes are non-graphic)

It was fine. The worldbuilding is superb but there's no character arc and the stakes feel lacking.