I had a lot of thoughts about this. I thought it was beautifully written. The skill of the author as a wordsmith and storyteller were really great. The word choice, pacing, and characterisation led to high engagement and I ended up reading this book pretty quickly. I didn’t much like Rosie as a person, but […]
I enjoyed this book. I found its 90s setting charming – it was never very ‘in your face’ – and in fact, I found it pleasant to read a contemporary (or is it historical now?) book where no one had a cell phone or social media. The music references weren’t ultra-hip, in fact, I think […]
I have a definite weakness, and it’s when gods appear in something akin to a human form and live among their subjects. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in them, because they’re real whether you have faith or not. It appeals to my atheist heart. So when this book was announced as Gladiator meets Avatar: […]
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Sara Raasch has a very competent writing style, and this book hit everything I love about fantasy. A unique magic system: this one based on botanicals: that’s right, the plants are magic! A brave, strong, selfless heroine A handsome rogue of indeterminate sexuality who is not overtly romantically attracted to […]
I was looking forward to this book so much, because I love stories about magical girls who save the day, and I also love foxes, so I was super keen to read about a magical girl who had a fox companion and a creepy, cursed forest. Unfortunately I got really sick and was unable to […]
I haven’t quite made it halfway through this book but I just really, really don’t care to continue. I planned on reading this during a week I took off from work, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It took me TWO MONTHS to decide to DNF this book, that’s how much I wanted […]
When you first received this book for review, you were a little uncertain. Would it be as awesome as Damsel? Could a strange, unearthly, almost-retelling of Little Red Riding Hood ever live up to your admittedly high expectations? You almost psyched yourself out and didn’t request it, after all. But once you opened it and […]
Deathless Divide was the perfect sequel to Dread Nation. PERFECT. Whereas Dread Nation (which everyone lost their minds for, myself included, because Civil War era zombies and a black female warrior lead? Oh. My. God. Yes.) sold itself on ‘combat school for Negro girls’, it really wove in a plot that expanded beyond the school […]
I’m cultivating a new love for YA thrillers, and The Stranger Game is so far a quiet gem for me. It began with the return of Nico’s missing sister, Sarah. Except that Sarah seemed… not quite right. Instead of being a total psycho bitch, cruel to both her parents and her younger sister, this Sarah […]
I’ve been thinking about this book for a LONG time (as in years) because I love the concept, and I built it up so much in my head and I think I assumed it was going to be SO GOOD… So I was a little surprised to find it was a pretty typical YA paranormal […]
