The Keeper of Night had started out as a generic fantasy — only set in Japan — but as Ren made her way through the mission given to her by Izanami, the depths of her, Neven, and Hiro all came to fruition smoothly. Ren was both a storyteller and her own character, which let me follow her conflicts and emotions like we were one in the same. The explicit detail that Lee Baker wrote in about Japan and Yomi was engrossing; there were moments of beauty and fantastic scenery alongside rich darkness and images that could terrorize your dreams. Additionally, the gore and death was easy to handle, in my opinion, but in retrospect it was written as equally in detail as the scenery, which could be off-putting for a more sensitive reader.

The plot “twist” could’ve started to reveal itself sooner than when

Hiro, Ren, and Izanami had begun to fight,

but the buildup itself was incredible. Neven’s fears were confirmed, and Ren had to suffer the consequences for all eternity. Ren wasn’t just a main character who got the best in the end — she was human, ironic as it sounds. She had to choose between extremely hard decisions, try to deny what was true, and just make mistakes. This sums up Ren extremely well, and I’d certainly recommend it to another reader to not only extend their knowledge of darker fantasy, but also the struggles that surround being from two cultures that equally won’t accept you.

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Supernova by Marissa Meyer

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Supernova was an excellent conclusion to the Renegades trilogy. It had twists and turns that allowed the characters to change and grow to their “final form,” so to speak. One of the aspects of Supernova, in particular, was how the pacing matched its previous installments, but seemed slower and more philosophical.

Renegades was the iconic superhero book with action and a twinge of romance. Archenemies dove into the complexities of Nova’s newfound emotions and her changing perception of what was good and what was evil. Supernova is a question of morality, leaders in society, and what happens when power passes between hands. I noticed that there were multiple instances where someone was having a monologue of sorts that questioned power. I didn’t mind the monologues — they made me review my own perceptions of good and evil — but they made the pace slow down while adding value to it.

This is just a matter of preference -of-genre, but I wish that there had been more personal or intimate moments between Adrian and Nova. Alongside the battle scenes, a resolution of their romantic subplot — continuous or stopped — could’ve given readers a better sense of finalization and cleared space for the depth of the fight scenes.

All in all, Supernova gets a 5/5 star rating because of how it sums up not only its own story, but the Renegades trilogy as a whole. I liked how it toed the line between good and evil, the powerful and the powerless; and how it kept the different plots in line.

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Beyond the End of the World by Meagan Spooner, Amie Kaufman

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

The story is wonderful, don’t get me wrong, but fantasy and the common tropes within it aren’t really my thing. I’d definitely recommend it to a true fantasy lover — this just wasn’t my personal cup of tea. 3/5 stars.

Act Cool by Tobly McSmith

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dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Act Cool was a book that taught me a lot about the different parts of being a transgender actor; from trans/homophobic family members you still love to petty directors who want their fifteen minutes of fame regardless of who they hire. I feel that I came out of this reading with a lot more consideration and knowledge about how I can try and help the trans people around me, at least the best I can. I would recommend this for someone who wants to see what they can do to help others while still getting a good story over the course of the book.

The reason why Act Cool is only 3 stars is because the basic plotpoints weren’t as impactful as they could’ve been. Personally, I feel that this story was more plot-driven when it should’ve been character driven. Important scenes, like being with the Conversion cast and director and August confronting his parents, had a relatively large impact, but that was because it more directly related to the main character. At the Rocky Horror party, August leaving his friends and calling out Tess didn’t feel like August was caught between two worlds — professional vs. personal — but just petty and that the newfound fame from Conversion was getting to his head. I would’ve liked to see more sensory detail, especially when describing the boys’ dressing room, the auditorium where they performed Grease, and August’s hometown house. All of those locations were/are central to August’s character and the plot of Act Cool, and should’ve been put forth with more importance to match the intensity of the characters, emotions, or situation.

Overall, I give Act Cool 3/5 stars. It taught me a great deal about what transgender people may go through, which I will be forever grateful for. I only wish that there was more detail to fully immerse readers into the story.

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Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

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adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Arch Enemies was well written and did a solid job of continuing Adrian and Nova’s story. Though it got complicated at times with the different subplots and scenes with specific characters, I liked it nonetheless.

One of my favorite parts was when Nova allowed herself to be intimate with Adrian and toe the line between what she wanted versus what she had to do for her family. It not only develops her character and destabilizes her moral ground, but it allows the reader to think about the consequences of her actions (whatever they may be) later. When she and Adrian finally kissed after a book and 2/3 of romantic build-up, I was thrilled! When she put him to sleep, however, I almost lost my mind. How could she reveal herself like that, so obvious and when Adrian was probably the most alert? She had some others on her tail, too, with Danna tracking her down after-hours. She was bound to reveal herself, whether she liked it or not.
But she wasn’t found out, even though Adrian revealed his Sentinel-self.
I understood why Nova made the decision she did, but it infuriated me as to why she risked so much. It was because she had to, and it brought together the turmoil of her life and her emotions together.

Brilliant.

Adrian got a lot of good general development. We find out what he risks by being with Nova, but also what he hides beneath the surface of his famous, boy-next-door exterior. I felt like I could connect with him, especially when he got so personal by recreating Nova’s last vivid dream from her childhood. The two are total yin and yang personalities, which is a definite plus to expand on. Emotionally, Nova is what best represents me. Personality-wise, Adrian warms my heart and what I want to be.

All in all, Arch Enemies is a book that I’d recommend to the masses, even if it seems uncharacteristic at times and a little confusing.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

From the start, I fell in love with Of Women and Salt. I loved the different timelines and how each character had a theme that eventually carried through to Ana's chapter at the end. I felt engulfed by the prose and descriptions that Garcia provided. Needless to say, Of Women and Salt is a book I'd recommend to the masses.

When I picked up this book and read the blurb on the back, I thought it'd be a deep slice-of-life story collection, doting on Latinx experiences in and outside of the US. Initially, my expectations were just to be informed of what I didn't know or understand about Latinx people, families, etc. I got so much more than that. What I got from Of Women and Salt was a deep, cutthroat dive into how Cuban and Salvadoran women tried to get to the best they could every day.

A worker

losing her husband

in mid/late 1800s Cuba, and starting the family line of women who'd work until their bones were brittle to achieve what they needed to survive.
A housewife during the 1950s Cuban revolution, going through any means necessary

(including murder)

to get her children out of the war-ridden home.
A distressed mother and her drug-addicted/drug-recovering daughter, trying to salvage their relationship that was torn in the early 2000s.

All of these stories, these excerpts of lives, struck me in a way that truly made me feel. I was happy when Marìa was able to get out of the factory and start anew; discomfort was written across my face when Jeanette recounted her teenage sex-driven years and the highs and lows of her drug addictions, as well as her toxic relationship. I felt these different ways because of how Garcia varied her prose for each woman. Jeanette was heartfelt but inconsistent, like a constant train of desparate thought was running in her mind. Carmen seemed to be polished on the outisde, but little details crept out of her as you learned more about her. Ana was flat -- she had to steel herself up just to survive. I commend the prose to an incomprehensible extent.

The descriptions of the setting(s) were similar. As the characters moved about, you felt not only the prescence of the land, but also how it felt to each character. I could imagine the dingy, musty smell of the small Cuban town when Maydelis' car broke down -- I imagined bright, false-dream neon lights shining on a young Jeanette after ditching her hook-up. This book was so incredibly vivid; ultimately, it added to the overall appeal in an incredible way.

My only critique is the bluntness of Jeanette's ending -- which I think was intentional. The reader is alluded to it in her final chapter, but it's open ended at the actual last chapter.

We know what led to Jeanette's death, but why? What caused the relapse?

. I like that it leads me off to question what could've/might've been, like there's no firm ending as to why things happen -- just like in real life.

Overall, Of Women and Salt gets a 4.75/5 stars for its incredible characters, vivid descriptions, and attention to detail for the readers to consider even after reading.

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Verity by Colleen Hoover

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Verity, in my opinion, is not the introduction to Colleen Hoover that you'd want. In her acknowledgements, she states that it's a break from her usual romances, so I'd recommend picking up Verity after you've read more of her other books.

All that being said, I have mixed feelings about this book. It was tense, as a thriller should be, but some other aspects of it were... questionable. Towards the thick of the book I was uncomfortable with the current scene -- while it was vivid and would usually appeal to me, it just didn't sit right. If you read Verity, you'll know why. I also think that there was an odd mix of character-driven and plot-driven points that didn't always connect towards the end, especially between the manuscript excerpts and Lowen's story. Having the different viewpoints was a brilliant idea, especially for the thriller aspect, but I wish that the plot twist was right at the end of the book, and that the tension and fear that Lowen has was more relaxed and had been released later. Additionally, Lowen's manager's story was never resolved, unless you count what she'd said at the beginning. I wish he hadn't been included -- I forgot him entirely until Jeremy and Lowen had a discussion about past relationships, and even then his mention was brief.

Overall, I'm not sure about my opinion on this book because of how off-kilter it was, and I'd have to think for a while on my reasons why Verity has made me think so much about how to think about it. At the moment, I give Verity 3 stars flat -- good, as Hoover has an incredible style of prose that blends visuals and beauty with realistic situations, but not great due to all the very subtle clues that Hoover left as the book went on.

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cora_hreads's reviews 35 reviews

cora_hreads's reviews
35 reviews