Gabe Cole Novoa
I'm kind of wavering between a 3.5 and a 4, because the ending was really good. Prose is amazing, raw, and powerful. Main reason I'm not rating higher is because I found the pacing slower than I would have liked, but overall the story is important and the echoes will stick with me. I won this book in a giveaway and I'm glad I read it–it's an important read, especially in this social climate.
WELL that didn't go the way I expected–in a good way. Review to come!
FULL REVIEW:
4.5/5 stars
The way Last Seen Leaving is set up, it reminded me a bit of [b:Far from You|16151118|Far from You|Tess Sharpe|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389529253s/16151118.jpg|21987409] by Tess Sharpe—another YA with major queer rep in which the protagonist is trying to solve the murder of her best friend. In Last Seen Leaving, however, what happened to January isn't immediately apparent. When the book starts, Flynn learns his girlfriend has disappeared—but did she run away? Did someone take her? Is she still alive? There are immediately a lot of questions, and worse, Flynn can't tell the whole story of the last time he saw her to the police and what they argued about without admitting his huge secret: he's gay.
As the story goes on, the questions build. January's unhappy (but luxurious) home life, the lies she told people about Flynn—and the lies she told Flynn about others—the connections to who she knew and when they last saw her, and through it all Flynn isn't sure who he can trust.
This book had me ripping through the pages to answer all those questions and more—I actually read the second half of the book in a day because I couldn't put it down. I also loved how much this book played with my expectations—even when I was specifically looking for red herrings I still didn't guess what or who was behind January's disappearance. My only super-minor gripe was there were words and phrases throughout that occasionally threw me out of the narrative because it didn't really sound teenager-y to me—but it certainly wasn't distracting enough to take away from the incredible plot and characters that had me exclaiming out loud as I read.
All in all, I definitely recommend this one, especially if you like YA Thrillers and/or enjoyed Far From You. This book and its twists and characters are going to stay with me for a long time.
Diversity note: The protagonist, Flynn, is gay. There's also a minor Japanese character, and the love interest is a gay, Muslim, POC boy.
draws heart eyes all over the book
(Full review to come.)
FULL REVIEW:
Ho-lee shit. This book. Where do I even start with how incredibly, mind-blowing-ly amazing Gemina was?
Much of [b:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661] was about trying to survive so that the passengers could make it to the space station/wormhole guardian Heimdall. Gemina picks up where Illuminae left off—except from the perspective of some of the people at Heimdall. Our main protagonists are Hanna and Nik; Hanna is the rich daughter of Heimdall's commander and Nik is part of a gang known as the House of Knives. Two very different people with very different social circles, though that doesn't stop Nik from flirting mercilessly with Hanna, and neither does the fact she has a boyfriend.
Of course, those everyday details become pretty irrelevant when everything goes to hell.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Gemina when I picked it up—mostly because I pre-ordered it after reading Illuminae and didn't read anything about what it was about (since, you know, I knew I was reading it no matter what). What I did expect was what I'd gotten from Illuminae: loads of action and twists, a very high body count, and edge-of-your-seat type pacing. Also probably something about Heimdall.
Gemina is all of that and more.
There are very few books that make me exclaim out loud, and Gemina can take the crown on “book I swore out loud the most while reading.” It's hard for me to say too much without spoiling, so what I'll say is this: I ripped through the pages like nothing else (except Illuminae), the sequel absolutely lived up to the incredible first book, and I need the final book of the trilogy yesterday. Basically, I intend to continue to tell people to read it or else.
Diversity note: Of the main cast of characters there isn't a ton—both Hanna and Nik (our protagonists) are white, cishet, able-bodied, etc. One of the major non-protagonist characters, however is disabled (uses a wheelchair and needs an oxygen mask 24/7), which was good to see. If there's anything I have to request out of book three it's that we see more diversity rep with the protagonists, please!
So Crooked Kingdom! Where do I even start? I've been psyched about this book since I read and loved [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] last year and I'm happy to report the duology is going on my hall of fame perma-favorites list because wow, did this sequel deliver.
So here's what I was expecting from Crooked Kingdom after reading Six of Crows:
-Respectful portrayal of disability (Kaz's bad leg and PTSD)
-Really clever con/thief-like plots
-A look at addiction
-All the twists
-Action
-Tons of wit and snark
-More detailed and layered world building
-A realistic and satisfying end to an awesome duology
With Crooked Kingdom, I got all of that and more.
There are so many things I loved about this book. You learn a whole lot more about each of the main characters (Kaz, Inej, Matthias, Nina, Jesper, and Wylan), you get an even better sense of not just Ketterdam but how the Grisha world fits together, and there are soooooo many twists throughout the book. And of course the humor and wit I loved in Six of Crows was back in Crooked Kingdom, plus the relationships from the first book were really fleshed out in the sequel. My only nitpick was sometimes it felt like we had a little too much background for some of the characters? But I honestly didn't mind because I loved the book so much I didn't want it to end, so really it was an added bonus.
Plus! One thing I really admired was over clever the plot was in Six of Crows and I didn't think it was possible to one-up that but wow, Crooked Kingdom's plot was like three clever plots in one and it was so incredibly gratifying to read. I loved watching Kaz and his crew go from plan to plan and build on both their successes and failures to create one truly epic conclusion to the duology.
It's also good to note Bardugo delved more into racial dynamics, which was really great to see. Multiple characters dealt with racial microaggressions throughout the novel and it was clear those elements were more well thought out in this sequel. Then of course, there was one scene that really made me pause and nod. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say Kaz is offered a “miracle cure” for his disability and not only did he not take it, he was appropriately pissed about it. I was really glad to see this handled so aptly and it made me respect and love the series even more.
The Six of Crows duology is a masterpiece. From its diverse cast to perfect dialogue to incredibly clever plots, I'll be passionately recommending this duology for-freaking-ever. If you're even remotely interested in fantasy, make sure you pick this one up for sure.
Diversity note: Kaz, one of the main protagonists, has chronic pain and a limp from an old injury and uses a cane to help him get around. He also deals with sometimes-debilitating PTSD. Another POV character, Jesper, is black and bisexual and Wylan also likes boys. A minor character is queer, too.
4.5/5 starsThis was soooo fun! Definitely need the sequel and so glad I picked it up. Review to come!FULL REVIEW:One of my favorite movies is Catch Me If You Can. Maybe because I just really love smart people, but the story of a con artist—especially a young one—was fascinating to me then and is now. So saying that, it's kind of a tragedy that it took me so long to get to [a:Mary Elizabeth Summer 6925957 Mary Elizabeth Summer https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1381546024p2/6925957.jpg]'s Trust Me, I'm Lying, which is, in fact, about the daughter of a con artist who has picked up the tools of the trade herself. Trust Me, I'm Lying checked off all the things I could have wanted in a book about a con artist: smart protagonist who cleverly works through problems, high stakes, and immediate and pervasive conflict. Julep was a really fun protagonist to read about—she's witty, sharp, independent and determined. I loved seeing her work her way through the clues to find her dad while hiding her parentless status at school and trying to make ends meet. I was, however, a little disappointed that she was completely oblivious of Sam's crush on her (not really spoiler—it's obvious early on) because how did she not notice? But that wasn't a major issue and didn't lessen my enjoyment of the book.And then the twists! There were quite a few that I honestly didn't see coming, and I loved how the book kept me guessing the whole time. What happened to Julep's dad? Who is coming after them? Who can she trust? Combined with Julep working her way through dangerous situations and the implied ticking clock of her missing father, I was engaged from beginning to end.Overall I'm giving 4.5/5 stars, I've added the sequel, [b:Trust Me, I'm Trouble 23453083 Trust Me, I'm Trouble (Trust Me, #2) Mary Elizabeth Summer https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1421174082s/23453083.jpg 43014895] to my TBR, and I recommend it for a fun, clever read.Diversity note: There wasn't much, although Sam (Julep's best friend) is Black. I hear there's major bisexual rep in book two, however, so I'll definitely be checking that out. :)
Loved this! Review to come. :)
FULL REVIEW:
So right from the start I thought the premise of writing about the regular people in a Chosen One story was pretty brilliant—and it turned out even better than I'd hoped. Ness doesn't just play with the Chosen One trope—he pokes fun at sooo many YA stereotypes, from the Chosen Ones having “cool” names, to the ridiculousness of some of the romantic plots, to Chosen One deaths and brave sacrifices, etc. etc. There were a lot of moments that made me actually laugh out loud, and it gave the whole book a really playful tone that I very much appreciated.
Then, of course, there's the anxiety rep. The protagonist, Mike, has OCD, and while my anxiety never pushed me into endless loops like his (though I am familiar with loops, and especially familiar with feeling the need to wash my hands “one more time”), there was a lot that felt really familiar and real while I was reading. Doubly so because like Mike, I once worked in a restaurant at the height of my anxiety breakdown and would wash my hands so many times there I'd leave with dry, cracked hands. This is just one example. I took pictures of other lines that really resonated with me, but point is, at least to me, the anxiety rep felt pretty solid. So solid that after the first night of reading I had to put the book down and take a deep breath because it was almost triggering. Of course YMMV, but for me, at least, the representation rang true.
So all that said, I really appreciated seeing some real, respectful anxiety/OCD rep on the page. The cast of characters is also super diverse, which was an especially great bonus.
All in all, I really enjoyed this one and would totally recommend it to those looking for a fun read with some neuroatypical rep. I will caution, though, that if you're likely to be triggered by vivid anxiety rep, you may want to skip this one or go in with eyes open at least. But now I'm going to have to read more Patrick Ness books because this was excellent.
Diversity note: The protagonist, Mike, has OCD. Other prominent characters include his sister, who has an eating disorder (but is in recovery), his friend and love interest who is Black, and his best friend who is gay.
Ahhh this was awesome. Review to come!REVIEW: Right from the start I'm going to say this book is gross in the best way possible. It's gory, and disgusting, and easily has the least pleasant apocalyptic scenario I've read yet—from the decay to the paranormal-ish all around unpleasantness, this is a seriously nasty end of the world book.And I loved every page.This is not a coming out book. Lea knows right from the start that she likes to date girls, and she's already (just) started dating Aracely when the book begins. And it was really great to read a book with queer girls who not only already know they like each other from the start, but are fighting something completely unrelated to their sexuality. Aracely isn't out at the beginning of the book, but Bleeding Earth isn't about Aracely coming out or people's reactions to two girls dating—it's about the world ending in the most disgusting and inexplicable way possible and two girls trying to survive and hold on to each other while the whole world falls apart and rots away.This is a creepy as hell survival book that messes with your head and makes you question what you think you know. It's gory (as you would expect in a book about the world literally drowning in blood), violent, chock-full of tension and kept me turning the pages and itching to get back to the book when I wasn't reading.I definitely recommend this one for those who can handle a little (or a lot) of grossness with their scary. It's so good even though I borrowed it from the library, I pre-ordered myself a (gorgeous!) [b:Bleeding Earth 30725542 Bleeding Earth Kaitlin Ward https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1466599943s/30725542.jpg 41420126] paperback copy even though I won't get it until February.All in all I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more from Kaitlin Ward!
So first of all, I think it helped going in knowing that this book would be weird. That was something I saw repeated over and over from reviewers—that they enjoyed it, but it was strange. I agree this is a strange one; the writing and events and the way it all blends together was very dreamlike. There's some really gorgeous, lyrical imagery, obvious Odyssey parallels (that the characters are aware of and comment on), and even the characters themselves have a dreamy, ephemeral-type quality to them.
And you know? I liked it. The lyrical, imagery-heavy writing reminded me a bit of Elliot Finley Wake's style (except, you know, YA), and it was great to see a diverse cast in a post-apocalyptic YA, from the protagonist Pen, who is bi, to the love interest Hex, who is trans, to their two other companions who also turn out to be queer guys, it was really fun to read.
My only critique is the ending felt a little too...neat, I suppose. Things came together easy after the main confrontation, which is okay, but it felt a teensie bit anti-climatic to me. That said, I still really enjoyed it overall, from the adventure-y plot, to the Odyssey-like mythology, and the lyrical writing, I definitely recommend Love in the Time of Global Warming for a quick, adventurous read with a cast you won't easily forget.
Diversity note: As mentioned in the review, Pen, the protagonist is bisexual, the love interest, Hex, is a trans boy, one of the two companions is a gay Black boy, and the other is a boy who likes boys (though I'm not sure if he's gay, bi, pan, etc.).