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howlinglibraries's reviews
1676 reviews
Memento by Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman
fast-paced
5.0
Oh my gosh, this was incredible. I've been putting this novella off for ages because I wasn't ready to have nothing new left in the series, but I finally read it today and I totally should've picked it up sooner! I love AIDAN (even though it low key terrifies me lol) and I've always wondered what turned it into the system we see in the trilogy, so reading this and getting that insight was fantastic. The final page gave me goosebumps! Plus, it's been years since I read the main series and revisiting that world was even better than I thought it would be. ♥
✨ Representation: brief mention of a side character's Muslim faith
✨ Representation: brief mention of a side character's Muslim faith
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and War
Minor: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Death
A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
DNF @ pg 300
A Feather So Black was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and I'm so sad to say that it was quite the disappointment. This book had so many ingredients I love: dark fantasy vibes, political intrigue, fae folklore, romance, a brooding Shadow Daddy... and yet, none of those things were capable of overcoming the fact that this book is far too long, packed with filler material and repetitive internal monologue, and the chemistry between any of these characters is non-existent.
I made it through 300 pages of this book and it was an absolute chore to get that far. Once I accepted the fact that nothing happening in the final 200 pages was going to make up for how bored I was, I decided to throw in the towel. This story would have worked much better as a shorter novel (maybe 300-350 pages), and minus the singular slightly explicit scene I read by the point I left off, it should have been marketed as a YA fantasy novel. The characters read very young and aside from that one brief scene, the "spice" I keep seeing mentioned in this book's marketing and reviews was mostly absent.
I would definitely try a future release from this author, but I don't have any interest in picking this book back up or continuing the series at this time.
Buddy read with Misty!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Standard DNF rating/review disclaimer: I only mark DNFed titles as "read" and/or give them star ratings if I read enough of the book to feel justified in doing so.
A Feather So Black was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and I'm so sad to say that it was quite the disappointment. This book had so many ingredients I love: dark fantasy vibes, political intrigue, fae folklore, romance, a brooding Shadow Daddy... and yet, none of those things were capable of overcoming the fact that this book is far too long, packed with filler material and repetitive internal monologue, and the chemistry between any of these characters is non-existent.
I made it through 300 pages of this book and it was an absolute chore to get that far. Once I accepted the fact that nothing happening in the final 200 pages was going to make up for how bored I was, I decided to throw in the towel. This story would have worked much better as a shorter novel (maybe 300-350 pages), and minus the singular slightly explicit scene I read by the point I left off, it should have been marketed as a YA fantasy novel. The characters read very young and aside from that one brief scene, the "spice" I keep seeing mentioned in this book's marketing and reviews was mostly absent.
I would definitely try a future release from this author, but I don't have any interest in picking this book back up or continuing the series at this time.
Buddy read with Misty!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Standard DNF rating/review disclaimer: I only mark DNFed titles as "read" and/or give them star ratings if I read enough of the book to feel justified in doing so.
Melon Head Mayhem by Alex Ebenstein
4.0
This was fun! I love 80s throwback stuff in horror, and this really delivered with the whole "cursed video tape" vibe coupled with these weird, nasty little Melon Head creatures. I was a bit surprised with how fast the Melon Heads showed up in the story, because I feel like creature features don't usually get into the thick of it that fast, but it worked well with how it all played out.
I do wish there had been more backstory — I didn't love how little explanation was given for any of what was happening. This wasn't a new favorite, but it was a fun, messy, action-packed little novella that I had fun with. I'll definitely be checking out more books by this author in the future.
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
I do wish there had been more backstory — I didn't love how little explanation was given for any of what was happening. This wasn't a new favorite, but it was a fun, messy, action-packed little novella that I had fun with. I'll definitely be checking out more books by this author in the future.
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Beauty and the Feast, Vol. 1 by Satomi U
3.5
This is kind of a tough one to rate. I went into this story knowing nothing about the series other than the fact that it had a cute cover and was a slice-of-life manga, which is my favorite type of manga. I enjoyed it quite a bit and originally was going to rate it 4 stars, but I kept wondering if there was going to be a romance between the two main characters later on, because I got that feeling a bit. I kept hoping that wasn't going to be the case, given that she's 28 and he's a high school freshman (not sure what that translates to exactly in Japan, but here in the US that's 14-15 years old). As a 31-year-old woman, the idea of dating a high schooler literally makes me queasy! 😅
But when I finished the manga and came on to Goodreads to mark it as 'read', I saw that it's marketed as a rom-com series, and then I looked at the covers for some of the later books in the series, and... yeah, idk. It was cute but I'm not sure if I'll continue the series or not. I don't mind age gaps when both parties are adults, even if one of them is young (like 18-20), but a high school freshman is a totally different ballgame! (heh see what I did there) So I think I might just let this one stand on its own and pretend they're always going to be just friends or a cute big-sister-little-brother dynamic. 😌 Let me enjoy my delulu okay?!
But when I finished the manga and came on to Goodreads to mark it as 'read', I saw that it's marketed as a rom-com series, and then I looked at the covers for some of the later books in the series, and... yeah, idk. It was cute but I'm not sure if I'll continue the series or not. I don't mind age gaps when both parties are adults, even if one of them is young (like 18-20), but a high school freshman is a totally different ballgame! (heh see what I did there) So I think I might just let this one stand on its own and pretend they're always going to be just friends or a cute big-sister-little-brother dynamic. 😌 Let me enjoy my delulu okay?!
Mr. Villain's Day Off, Vol. 1 by Yuu Morikawa
4.0
Okay, that was cute! A little repetitive at times, but that's kind of the norm with these sorts of stories. I loved his obsession with pandas (and who could blame him?), but my favorite part was probably the chapter with the villain taking the two children around the mall and feeding them. I'll definitely be continuing this series!
Once Upon a Workday: Encouraging Tales of Resilience by Jonathan Kunz, Elizabeth Pich
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I hate to be so blunt and negative, but this was awful. "Encouraging tales of resilience" - where? I skimmed the rest of the book after deciding to DNF it, just to see if those tales showed up later, and they don't. The book is written like a Dr. Seuss motivational book for adults who hate their jobs, which is somehow both obnoxious and incredibly boring. The very first story talks about how, if you hate your job but can't afford to take an 8-week vacation, maybe you could go part-time — because y'know, in this economy, we can all totally take a pay cut! /s
Sorry. I hated this. 😅
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Sorry. I hated this. 😅
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Bewitched by Laura Thalassa
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0