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236 reviews
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
5.0
Wow, did this one ever live up to the hype for me! When I first heard of this book I added it to my TBR list, then I heard about how long it is and I was so intimidated by a high fantasy novel of that size that I thought I would never read it. THEN all I saw were 5 star reviews for it and decided I needed it in my life. I’m so glad I took the leap and picked this one up because it was better than I ever could have imagined. Dragons, queer representation, and amazing world building? Count me in!
First of all, the characters... just wow. This book is told from multiple perspectives and they’re all so well done. I found each perspective to be incredibly compelling and I loved how they all started coming together like a puzzle throughout the story. There’s also a crazy amount of characters in this book and, from the main to side characters, they all had personality and felt real. The main few, Ead, Tané, and Niclays, are portrayed as believable characters with flaws as well as loveable traits. I just couldn’t get enough of them and their stories. The amount of strong female characters in this blew me away and it was so refreshing to read a fantasy book with a world ruled predominantly by women. I also found my favourite couple to ship of all time in this book but I won’t name names as I think it’s a spoiler, but just *chef’s kiss*.
Now I have to talk about the incredible world building this book has because I haven’t read anything quite like it in a while. From the magic system, to the various religions, to even the food descriptions of every kingdom; I was just so impressed with how the world came together. Every detail of the universe was so well thought out down to the history of each region, and that just immersed me completely in the story being told. The way dragons were handled in this book was also so incredible and now I just want to be a dragon rider.
As you can tell, I fell in love with this book. It was definitely the best fantasy novel I’ve read to date and I kind of wish there was a sequel to continue the story. I’m just not ready to say goodbye to this world and it’s characters. I really can’t recommend this one enough. Please don’t let the page count or complexity of the world intimidate you out of reading it like it almost did for me. This is truly a phenomenal book and I can’t recommend it enough.
Favourite characters: Ead and Tané
Favourite quote: “To be kin to a dragon, you must not only have a soul of water. You must have the blood of the sea, and the sea is not always pure. It is not any one thing. There is darkness in it, and danger, and cruelty. It can raze great cities with its rage. Its depths are unknowable; they do not see the touch of the sun. To be a Miduchi is not to be pure, Tané. It is to be the living sea. That is why I chose you. You have a dragon’s heart.”
First of all, the characters... just wow. This book is told from multiple perspectives and they’re all so well done. I found each perspective to be incredibly compelling and I loved how they all started coming together like a puzzle throughout the story. There’s also a crazy amount of characters in this book and, from the main to side characters, they all had personality and felt real. The main few, Ead, Tané, and Niclays, are portrayed as believable characters with flaws as well as loveable traits. I just couldn’t get enough of them and their stories. The amount of strong female characters in this blew me away and it was so refreshing to read a fantasy book with a world ruled predominantly by women. I also found my favourite couple to ship of all time in this book but I won’t name names as I think it’s a spoiler, but just *chef’s kiss*.
Now I have to talk about the incredible world building this book has because I haven’t read anything quite like it in a while. From the magic system, to the various religions, to even the food descriptions of every kingdom; I was just so impressed with how the world came together. Every detail of the universe was so well thought out down to the history of each region, and that just immersed me completely in the story being told. The way dragons were handled in this book was also so incredible and now I just want to be a dragon rider.
As you can tell, I fell in love with this book. It was definitely the best fantasy novel I’ve read to date and I kind of wish there was a sequel to continue the story. I’m just not ready to say goodbye to this world and it’s characters. I really can’t recommend this one enough. Please don’t let the page count or complexity of the world intimidate you out of reading it like it almost did for me. This is truly a phenomenal book and I can’t recommend it enough.
Favourite characters: Ead and Tané
Favourite quote: “To be kin to a dragon, you must not only have a soul of water. You must have the blood of the sea, and the sea is not always pure. It is not any one thing. There is darkness in it, and danger, and cruelty. It can raze great cities with its rage. Its depths are unknowable; they do not see the touch of the sun. To be a Miduchi is not to be pure, Tané. It is to be the living sea. That is why I chose you. You have a dragon’s heart.”
Poptastic by Victoria Holmes
3.0
*Thank you to the author for asking me to honestly review this book*
This story follows the main character Julia when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her friends’ wedding. She then makes a series of bad decisions that could derail not only her friend group, but her life in general. I liked the book for the most part, some it fell a little flat for me in the second half.
This was an enjoyable read and I’m impressed that this is the authors first novel. This was an simple but interesting read and I read most of the book in one sitting. I also found the book pretty funny, I even laughed out loud at some points.
I did, however, have a few issues with the story. I found the main character to be intolerable most of the time; she was selfish, rude, and just made some extremely dumb decisions in this book. I think that would have been fine if she had some character development, but by the end of the book it didn’t find the changes she went through to be enough to make up for her past decisions. I also found the chemistry between characters to be lacking, and in the end I found I didn’t really connect to anyone in this book.
Overall, this was a fun book with queer representation and some funny lines. It might not have hit the mark in every regard, but I still think it’s a good first novel for this author. I recommend this to anyone looking for a simple story about friendship, love, and finding a place in the world.
This story follows the main character Julia when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her friends’ wedding. She then makes a series of bad decisions that could derail not only her friend group, but her life in general. I liked the book for the most part, some it fell a little flat for me in the second half.
This was an enjoyable read and I’m impressed that this is the authors first novel. This was an simple but interesting read and I read most of the book in one sitting. I also found the book pretty funny, I even laughed out loud at some points.
I did, however, have a few issues with the story. I found the main character to be intolerable most of the time; she was selfish, rude, and just made some extremely dumb decisions in this book. I think that would have been fine if she had some character development, but by the end of the book it didn’t find the changes she went through to be enough to make up for her past decisions. I also found the chemistry between characters to be lacking, and in the end I found I didn’t really connect to anyone in this book.
Overall, this was a fun book with queer representation and some funny lines. It might not have hit the mark in every regard, but I still think it’s a good first novel for this author. I recommend this to anyone looking for a simple story about friendship, love, and finding a place in the world.
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
4.0
This was such a cute own-voices debut ! From the NASA setting, to the cute romance at the centre of the plot, this book was so enjoyable to read. Space and a cute queer romance? I’m so here for it! Also, this cover art has to be one of my favourites of all time. WOW!
First of all, this book had a setting I had yet to read about in a book and that made the story even more interesting. This takes place when our aspiring journalist main character’s dad is selected to be a part of a NASA mission to Mars. His whole family is uprooted to move to Texas amongst the chaotic life of being the family of an astronaut. I loved reading how much public image affected the lives of everyone involved in the space mission and how stressful that can be. This whole setting just added a lot to the story and I got so immersed in the drama of it all.
On top of this, the characters were great in this book. This was as much a story about first love as it was about NASA life, and I thought both of those aspects worked so well together. Cal and Leon are just cutie patooteys and I wanted the best for them throughout this book. Even if their romance was a little insta lovey for my taste, I still found their relationship compelling to read about and I didn’t find it completely unbelievable. I also loved how characters felt real, especially when dealing with mental illness and family life.
Overall, I really loved this book. This story had the perfect blend of romance & NASA and it warmed my heart completely. I recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable YA read, especially if you love space.
First of all, this book had a setting I had yet to read about in a book and that made the story even more interesting. This takes place when our aspiring journalist main character’s dad is selected to be a part of a NASA mission to Mars. His whole family is uprooted to move to Texas amongst the chaotic life of being the family of an astronaut. I loved reading how much public image affected the lives of everyone involved in the space mission and how stressful that can be. This whole setting just added a lot to the story and I got so immersed in the drama of it all.
On top of this, the characters were great in this book. This was as much a story about first love as it was about NASA life, and I thought both of those aspects worked so well together. Cal and Leon are just cutie patooteys and I wanted the best for them throughout this book. Even if their romance was a little insta lovey for my taste, I still found their relationship compelling to read about and I didn’t find it completely unbelievable. I also loved how characters felt real, especially when dealing with mental illness and family life.
Overall, I really loved this book. This story had the perfect blend of romance & NASA and it warmed my heart completely. I recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable YA read, especially if you love space.
The Legendary Shiver by J.H. MacAl
1.0
*Thanks to the author for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This book follows the story of a rising star named Ruby from the perspective of her childhood friend Will. I really wanted to like this book as there was a diverse cast of characters and a pretty unique plot, but I just have to be honest and say I did not enjoy it.
First of all, I could not look past the MANY grammatical, spelling, and phrasing errors throughout this book. I was highlighting mistakes on almost every page. This book really needed to be edited, especially since this wasn’t just a first draft but a book that’s currently for sale. Even spellcheck would have helped.
Apart from that, I just didn’t find the story or characters compelling. A big part of this was the pacing. The first half of the book had such fast pacing that I found I just didn’t have time to connect to any of the characters. There was a ton of telling and not showing the plot in that first half. Also, the romance part of the story just frustrated me as it was a ton of drama without any actual pay off. That epilogue also brought my star rating down to a one because it just felt so unnecessary and instead of it being an emotional end to the book, it ended up rendering the whole story kind of pointless in my opinion. I was SO frustrated reading that epilogue, man oh man.
Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I found myself just wanting to DNF it so many times and move on to something else. I’m not meaning for this to be a overly harsh review, but I just couldn’t bring myself to give this a higher rating. Perhaps after some editing, a revision of the pacing, and omitting the epilogue this could be an enjoyable read but I can not recommend this book at this time.
This book follows the story of a rising star named Ruby from the perspective of her childhood friend Will. I really wanted to like this book as there was a diverse cast of characters and a pretty unique plot, but I just have to be honest and say I did not enjoy it.
First of all, I could not look past the MANY grammatical, spelling, and phrasing errors throughout this book. I was highlighting mistakes on almost every page. This book really needed to be edited, especially since this wasn’t just a first draft but a book that’s currently for sale. Even spellcheck would have helped.
Apart from that, I just didn’t find the story or characters compelling. A big part of this was the pacing. The first half of the book had such fast pacing that I found I just didn’t have time to connect to any of the characters. There was a ton of telling and not showing the plot in that first half. Also, the romance part of the story just frustrated me as it was a ton of drama without any actual pay off. That epilogue also brought my star rating down to a one because it just felt so unnecessary and instead of it being an emotional end to the book, it ended up rendering the whole story kind of pointless in my opinion. I was SO frustrated reading that epilogue, man oh man.
Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I found myself just wanting to DNF it so many times and move on to something else. I’m not meaning for this to be a overly harsh review, but I just couldn’t bring myself to give this a higher rating. Perhaps after some editing, a revision of the pacing, and omitting the epilogue this could be an enjoyable read but I can not recommend this book at this time.
Carry on by Rainbow Rowell
4.0
This definitely lived up to the hype for me! It was such a cute and exciting read; I felt like I couldn’t put it down. I read Fangirl earlier this year and was so excited to see more of the world of Simon & Baz, and now I can’t wait to read Wayward Son. This book really shows what fan fiction can become. I left out one star because I wasn’t really a fan of the multiple perspectives. All I wanted to read was Simon & Baz’s perspectives, and whenever it was someone else I found myself anxiously waiting for it to switch back to our dynamic duo. Overall, I loved this book and I recommend it to any fans of Fangirl or lovers of fantasy.
I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up by コダマナオコ, Kodama Naoko
3.0
The title says it all, really. This was a cute manga about two girls falling in love after getting married to stop one of their parents from wanting their daughter to settle down. Think fake dating trope, but taking it one step further. This story definitely had it’s adorable moments, but it fell a little flat for me. I was expecting more romance and less fetishy boob-filled panels. However, I did enjoy this manga and some themes aside from the romance were done well like the traditional expectations for women in Japan and sexism in the workplace. Overall, this was a cute quick read and I recommend it to people looking for a simple yuri standalone.
Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe by Stacy King, Virginia Nitouhei, Uka Nagao, Linus Liu, pikomaro, Edgar Allan Poe, Chagen, Man Yiu
4.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Udon Entertainment for giving me a digital copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review*
This was a fun read! Sometimes I find the writings of Edgar Allen Poe to be hard to understand, but this really brought the stories to life for me. The artwork for this manga is also so well done. My favourite story in this collection is definitely The Raven. I can’t wait to read more Manga Classics!
This was a fun read! Sometimes I find the writings of Edgar Allen Poe to be hard to understand, but this really brought the stories to life for me. The artwork for this manga is also so well done. My favourite story in this collection is definitely The Raven. I can’t wait to read more Manga Classics!
Bury the Lede by Gabe Dunn
3.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Boom! Studios for giving me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review*
This graphic novel follows a journalism intern named Madison who is the only person the suspect in a murder/kidnapping will talk to about the crime. It’s a murder mystery with a bit of a lgbtq+ romance subplot.
I have to start out by saying the artwork for this one is beautiful! From the cover to the panels, I just loved the art style and colours used. I also thought the character designs were well done.
Though this graphic novel had a cool premise and started off strong, in the end it kind of fell flat for me. I really disliked the main character Madison; I found her to be selfish, impulsive, and ultimately just not a very good person. I don’t want to spoil anything, but she makes some seriously questionable decisions. Also, I found some details of the story didn’t feel very natural and were very obviously only there as a plot device, especially surrounding the romance subplot. The ending of the story didn’t really do much for me and felt a little weak.
Overall I liked the bisexual representation this book contained as well as the artwork and general premise, but in the end the story just didn’t work for me.
This graphic novel follows a journalism intern named Madison who is the only person the suspect in a murder/kidnapping will talk to about the crime. It’s a murder mystery with a bit of a lgbtq+ romance subplot.
I have to start out by saying the artwork for this one is beautiful! From the cover to the panels, I just loved the art style and colours used. I also thought the character designs were well done.
Though this graphic novel had a cool premise and started off strong, in the end it kind of fell flat for me. I really disliked the main character Madison; I found her to be selfish, impulsive, and ultimately just not a very good person. I don’t want to spoil anything, but she makes some seriously questionable decisions. Also, I found some details of the story didn’t feel very natural and were very obviously only there as a plot device, especially surrounding the romance subplot. The ending of the story didn’t really do much for me and felt a little weak.
Overall I liked the bisexual representation this book contained as well as the artwork and general premise, but in the end the story just didn’t work for me.
My Hero Academia, Vol. 1 by Kōhei Horikoshi
5.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and VIZ Media for giving me a digital copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review*
I loved this manga so much, wow! First of all, Midoriya is such a good bean and I just want the best for him. I found his story genuinely interesting and his character design to be adorable. I also thought all of the other characters introduced so far were done well. I felt so many emotions while reading this! As soon as I got to the end I wanted to go buy Vol. 2 to continue the story. I 100% recommend this one.
I loved this manga so much, wow! First of all, Midoriya is such a good bean and I just want the best for him. I found his story genuinely interesting and his character design to be adorable. I also thought all of the other characters introduced so far were done well. I felt so many emotions while reading this! As soon as I got to the end I wanted to go buy Vol. 2 to continue the story. I 100% recommend this one.
The Kingdom of the Gods by Youn In-wan
3.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and VIZ Media for giving me an ARC of this manga in exchange for an honest review*
This manga is comprised of two stories unrelated to one another (as far as I can tell). The first is about a young prince hiring a bandit to bring him safely to a city of doctors while the dead around them rise at night. The second is of a cannibal and a sadistic murderer battling it out on an island that is a dumping ground for criminals.
The first story was enjoyable enough. I was intrigued with the story and I thought the zombie concept was done in a somewhat unique way. I also cared about the characters of the story. Unfortunately though for me, it wasn’t a home run. I found some mistakes in the writing, the artwork felt unfinished (I had troubles figuring out what was happening in some panels), and the prince goes from being called 60 RYU to 70 RYU for seemingly no reason. I also found the ending unsatisfying. The second story was an odd one. It was basically just a gore fest without a substantial plot. Most of this one was fight scenes, and with the darkly shaded artwork I found it hard to decipher what was happening at those parts. The ending of this story was also too dark for my liking.
Overall, this manga was okay. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. I think I would have preferred a longer version of the first story instead of including the second story.
This manga is comprised of two stories unrelated to one another (as far as I can tell). The first is about a young prince hiring a bandit to bring him safely to a city of doctors while the dead around them rise at night. The second is of a cannibal and a sadistic murderer battling it out on an island that is a dumping ground for criminals.
The first story was enjoyable enough. I was intrigued with the story and I thought the zombie concept was done in a somewhat unique way. I also cared about the characters of the story. Unfortunately though for me, it wasn’t a home run. I found some mistakes in the writing, the artwork felt unfinished (I had troubles figuring out what was happening in some panels), and the prince goes from being called 60 RYU to 70 RYU for seemingly no reason. I also found the ending unsatisfying. The second story was an odd one. It was basically just a gore fest without a substantial plot. Most of this one was fight scenes, and with the darkly shaded artwork I found it hard to decipher what was happening at those parts. The ending of this story was also too dark for my liking.
Overall, this manga was okay. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. I think I would have preferred a longer version of the first story instead of including the second story.