Mari

The story of Will Stanton and The Old Ones is an enthralling, snowy Christmas quest full of cryptids and dark magic. Definitely a fun read! My only criticism are the week female human characters, which read more like nuisances than anything else.

Zinnia is back and getting into all sorts of funny yet sinister trouble with Snow White's The Evil Queen at her heels. I didn't expect this installment to be so poignant and beautiful, while offering a few new perspectives on dark fairytale characters and their true natures. I can't wait to read more.

Harry Potter and Hunger Games had a baby with dragons and dragon riders--I was all in right from the first page. Yes, book nerds cna be dragon-riding warriors too! This was a quick, fun read with rapid-fire drama and action. Luckily the love triangle between over-controlling Dain and mysterious shadow-weilding Xaden did overtake the main story or Violet character growth. The spice, what little exists, was more graphic than I thought! The whiplash in tone shift make me cackle. Still, I can't wait to read the sequel as I learn more about the world as the stakes get even higher.

As much as I love the main Outlander books, I can't get behind this novella. Minerva/Minnie is likeable enough and her parents' backstory is fascinating, but beyond that I just couldn't really get behind the plot. There wasn't enough tension or sense of immediacy that makes the first Outlander book especially addictive.

The terrifying part wasn't a blood-thirsty killer, it was the cold, bloodlessness about everything else. This book is a terrific character portrait, but not of whom I originally thought.

Beautiful and heartwrenching.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars

Hearing the original actors play their rolls in this audiobook made it an epic audio experience.

Spike gives this story a little taste of Noir as he brings us back into the Buffyverse to meet Indira (newest slayerette) and many old friends.

Tara was not my best-liked character of the TV series but Amber Benson and Christopher Golden give her the royal treatment in this book, and now I actually like her more.

Whay a treat to have Julieta Landau/Drusilla back in the fray being devilish and amazing like always. Emma Caulfield/Anya made me laugh so many times--she's a pure delight as Anyanka.

They all also managed to tip their hat and wink through the series call-backs without taking me out of the story.

This is a great read for Buffy fans.

The Lost Bookshop is my favorite book of 2023.

Martha searched for truth and healing in the present while Opaline searched for strength and direction in the past. Both women found more questions than answers in old bookstores and back alleys across Europe, while overshadowed by specters from their pasts.

The author wove Irish, English and French history together into a sparkling story with characters that I'd expect to meet living and breathing, here and now. A little magical realism was sprinkled across the second half, but I was so riveted by the mysterious breadcrumbs as the adventure picked up pace that I wasn't taken out of the story.

Martha and Opaline almost lost hold of their dreams and sanity as they weathered their own storms. Each found their footing in unexpected ways. The literary easter eggs also added to the richness of the characters and story.

What an exciting and fun read! I was actually sad when I finished this book.

Books with similar vibes: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Maidens was a fun read--mystery and intrigue intertwined with ivy-covered historic places and rich literary references. This author loves reading and it shows.

The juicy red herrings were plentiful, but half of the final reveal was heavy-handed and off putting. There's no guessing the full reveal because the motives didn't even happen within the current storyline.

This book could have been so much better had the reveal not come from the other side of the world.

Mesa doesn't lift her foot off the gas as Rose/Luna struggles with identity, mobsters and earth magic while she tries to make it big in 1920s New York City.

The scene and character descriptions were as visceral and beautiful as Rose's culture and supernatural abilities. I also didn't expect the hard look at intersectionality threaded throughout the story, giving characters additional weight and meaning.

This book kept me entertained and guessing from page one. Love it!

Thrills, chills, twists and turns expertly delivered on all counts. This book is dark as pitch but oh so very good.

A true emotional roller coaster about friendship and what people think is friendship until they take a hard look inside themselves.

A spontaneous friendship: Caitlin, the dazzling heiress who eccentrically runs around The Island barefoot and Vix, the poor girl from the opposite side of the tracks who is trying to forge her own path.

Blume writes children so very well. Caity and Vix's summer adventures on The Island felt so real, especially when they did terribly stupid things. Kids have to be free to make mistakes so they can learn from them.

Puberty took the form of The Power, and it made me smile every time. Womxn do have a power all their own. Caity and Vix's summers on The Island were so sweet and adorable, a coming-of-age tale.

Vix's courage and tenacity to say no to Caity's wanderlust is admirable, especially while she's constantly being eclipsed by Caity. Vix gives Caity so much of herself, but Caity just doesn't value their friendship the same way.

I almost out this book down half a dozen times due to the choppy POV shifts from peripheral characters cluttering the main character arcs and pacing, but I'm glad I stuck with it because I definitely didn't see the end coming.

This is one very satisfying read--from the chaotic intersecting lives of complete strangers, to seeing the puzzle pieces snap into place.

I honestly could see the real world upended by knowing when their time is at an end. The opportunities, the helpers, the selfish, the unstable--everyone felt like living, breathing people.

The only fight I have after turning the last page was Amie's decision. Knowing how it would affect everyone around her, she still took what I felt to be the selfish route, but those people are out there too so still very believable.

A lot of questions can be asked about motivation, anonymity, fulmillment and what it means to lead a life well-lived.

Great read.

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing the sisters come into the own and getting closure on a lot of things. The surprise alliances were exciting and the battles are nothing short of cinematic. Like the previous books, the character-building takes priority in Wings and Ruin while still being a fun and easy read. The spice is tastefully sprinkled in, never gratuitous and always when it makes sense. I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fantasy/sword-and-sorcery.

This book does a lot of heavy-lifting, world-building in the first third with massive exposition about things learned organically later in the book.

There are also a lot of named characters that disappear including Mr. Easter Egg himself, Hoid. Then, the the perspective shift from Kelsier to Vin eased me into the rest of the story.

I also really appreciated how well-fleshed out Vin was by the end. Men writing women in sci-fi can be a tough but Sanderson pulls it off. Vin's arc takes off as she matures and starts to confront her abandonment issues as the story goes on. I'm so very glad the Vin-Eland <spoiler>meet-cute </spoiler> didn't take away Vin's agency or take over the entire story too. Dress descriptions were a little overdone but forgivable as Vin settled into her role.

The court espionage was a fun yet sometimes slow runaway train as Kelsier's plan against the Lord Ruler spiraled. Kliss and Shan were especially a delight. I didn't see the ending coming and was able to just enjoy the reveals.

I'm not generally a high fanatsy or hardcore sci-fi reader, but this book was an easy and fun entry point into those genres. If anyone is on the fence, this is your sign to give Mistborn a try.

CW: Marital R, Phys A, Verbal A.

Sandy is just a modern, married girl looking for love in this world of perfect little Stepford wifeys.

Spicy, Desperate Housewives-esque Sandy wants more than to be a fixture in her husband's and children's lives. Yet, she does it in ever wrong way imaginable.

This off-center book could be a strange indie dramedy as Sandy grapples with her libido and need for adventure and love. The voices of so many people's expectations constantly play in her head with every decision Sandy makes.

Sandy made me laugh and made my heart hurt for all the people stuck in terrible relationships. Good read although the ending was abrupt and not my cup of tea.

Solid read, although there's a whole 20% in the middle that could've been cut. The first third and last third were fast-paced and fun, and totally made up for the slow-down in the middle. Stakes are high going into the third book!

This book is a stunningly great read—a terrific melding of Old World paganism at odds with New World Puritanism. Some scenes include graphic violence but everything in service to the story.

Abitha found herself in this Puritanical village through her father's terribly choice of making her a mail-order bride to pay off debts. Her kindness is at odds with her own survival as she rediscovers her family's pagan roots in Mother Earth and nature.

Puritans hate all those ideas with a fiery passion—they don't know the meaning live and let live. They're set on everyone and everything fitting into their own little Christian box and killing anyone who doesn't.

Abitha tries to play by their rules but is sabotaged time and again, always falling short of expectation and attacked for it. I was rooting for her from beginning to end.

Honestly, what a poignant allegory about human cruelty when they choose to fear what they don't understand and the consequences just on the other side.

A well-crafted second gen Millennial Korean immigrant story told with love and dark humor.

This book is a solid ghost murder mystery with a Sapphic twist with a rich, historical backdrop. I'd actually love to see this book adapted into a movie or limited series.

This Halt and Catch Fire odyssey through the 90s and 2000s gaming industry is equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Sadie and Sam met by chance and the trajectory of their lives changed forever. Their platonic friendship bordered on something more but both struggle to bring what that is into focus for the entire book.

As a gamer, the references to real games and creators a lá Ready Player One were easy to follow but Zevin is careful to prioritize and thread context with character development in her storytelling. I loved that the games Sadie and Sam created ran parallel to their relationship and mental and emotional states.

The way Zevin writes neurodivergent Sam was truly beautiful. I understood his triggers and blockers without being told. I understood how his childhood and friendship with Sadie influenced him and his art. Yet, Sam was deep and multifaceted.

Real talk though: Sadie infuriated me to no end in the second half. Her arc seems to putter to a stop and I don't feel she learns or grows from her mistakes, but I couldn't decide if it was out of egoism or self-preservation. She doesn't even apologize to Sam for the way she treated him after <spoiler> what happened to Marx. </spoiler> Sadie was a gaming Scarlet O'Hara, enduring to the point of selfishness in spite of how she used and hurt the people closest to her. <spoiler>Then, she had the gall to blame Sam for her disastrous relationship with Dov. Then she kept her ongoing thing with Dov, even after everything? And her perspective on trying not to look at Naomi because she reminded her of Marx? Naomi thing felt like a prop anyway.</spoiler> Pure cringe. I guess in that respect this book mirrors life--some people get lost in tragedy and let it frame the rest of their lives.

Overall, loved Sadie and Sam's complex relationship and even the ending, as spare as it was. I feel Sadie and Sam were both on their own healing journeys, even though I didn't feel like I saw their conclusion. Brave to end a book like that--beautifully minimalist but full of so much love as two fractured people try to move forward in the best way they can.

I didn't read the summary for this book or any reviews--I just read it on hype alone--but this book's entire foundation is abuse and suicide trigger warnings, so please proceed with caution.

Both Lily and Ryle are traumatized people with terrible decision-making skills which, fine, who isn't? But this book tries to make the abuser sympathetic and (arguably) a victim himself, which definitely made me feel a certain type of way.

People can experience a garbage life and still choose not to hurt other people. No matter how much an abuser paints themselves as a victim, they *choose* abuse every single time no matter how many times they gaslight and apologize. And yet the author tries to rewrite that naked truth why? So Lily can decide to keep her abuser's baby, and invite him back into her life so they can divorce and still co-parent together?

All of Ryle's "redeeming" qualities are constantly repeated ad nauseum to maybe illustrate Lily's unprocessed childhood trauma masquerading as love? Or the author trying to convince us that telling an abuser they're a father will magically be their come-to-Jesus moment.

Lily is blind to and then habitually ignores red flags, and Ryle can't stop waving them around from that first moment. That's when I knew this book would mean a lot of heavy sighing and face-palming.

Then enter Elisa, enabler extradinaire, who likely knows everything about her brother but says nothing until it's almost too late. I find that hard to believe. I almost stopped reading at the cafe scene about the older brother.

The book is written well enough, although the repetition of phrases like "and just like that", Ryle's scrubs, etc. were grating.

Lily and Atlas kept me reading. They were the most well-rounded and believable characters, but the rest of the book was a big yikes. The flashbacks added to the story instead of detracted.

But, I can't shake how apologetic the author is about this abuser. The ending seemed paper-thin and left me on edge.

This was a fun, fast-paced read--part Thomas Crown Affair part rom-com--with some beautiful descriptions and methodologies behind drawings, paintings and installations. This book was also part travel memoir with all the French details, history, and descriptions that had me on a nostalgia high.

The bittersweet thread woven throughout the book when Joan remembered about or learned something new about her father, who passed on 9/11, was unexpectedly poignant.

But the entire thing falls a part with the Beckman explanation. Joan motivations for inaction and forgiveness were paper thin at best. One outburst followed by a party doesn't cut it for everything Joan went through!

Joan's arc was great up to that point, and she doesn't lose herself in a man, but even the nice epilogue couldn't push me to a full five stars solely because of Beckman.

Solid overview and of Edwardian servant life with so many interesting details and anecdotes covering skills, conduct, personal and professional relationships, etc. People involved with Downton Abbey were also cited. The reference books mentioned are handy resources for further reading. This book's a short read, so anyone looking for a more in-depth treatment should look elsewhere.

Learning important life lessons like identifying my inner Falter Owl (driven by an astute sense of self-preservation and mentally drained by other owls) and Stunned Guillemot (glassy-eyed acknowledgement of our current hellscape while binging Netflix) deserves at least four stars.