leahlo's reviews
180 reviews

Stealing by Margaret Verble

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous medium-paced

4.75

Welp, here comes another epic book hangover. This was every bit as much fun as Fourth Wing, which was a delightful surprise. The writing is so clever and I love the complexity of the magic at play in this world. Two chonky books down and it's clear there's still more to learn. Yarros kept the tension between Xaden and Violet going, introduced some plucky new characters, delivered more of the squad camaraderie I just can't get enough of... *sigh* I might just have to start the series over while we all await book 3. 

The September House by Carissa Orlando

dark funny tense medium-paced

4.5

Things I LOVED about this book:
❤ The structure - I've already read a fair number of haunted house horrors this year and they can be so formulaic. Couple moves into a beautiful dream home, creepy stuff starts happening, they begin research into the home's history, creepiness intensifies. The September House really went out on a limb by plopping us into the middle of an established haunting. I thought this was so unique and refreshing!
❤ The protagonist - More senior citizen MCs please! Margaret was so charming, albeit totally unreliable.
❤ The imagery - Orlando effortlessly sets a horrifying scene. Her descriptions of Elias, Fredricka, Master Vale and all of Margaret's other gory visitors made me cringe, in a good way.
❤ The metaphor - Margaret is a survivor. Her reluctance to leave the September House is a direct result of a lifetime of knowing she can live through and with anything, as long as she "follows the rules". I thought this was a moving examination of how many ways people can be victimized by DA. The long term effects, the other people who are hurt.

Overall, this was a twisted, darkly funny, impressively layered debut. 

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Doughty is witty, honest, and a very skilled writer whose passion for what she does is so inspiring. This is an entertaining and informative memoir that definitely made me think about death, both as a concept and an industry, in a totally new way. 

Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I had a good feeling about this book, and I was right. The story of Lewis and Wren, who have found true love, only to be rocked by a rare diagnosis: Carcharodon carcharias mutation, which will eventually transform Lewis into a Great White Shark.

Friends, this book WRECKED me at the 40% mark and didn’t stop. Magical realism that doesn’t make you work to suspend your disbelief (despite the bonkers premise, just trust me) that’s poetically written and deeply affecting. I will never forget this book. 

The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe

adventurous tense fast-paced

4.5

He's a royal nerd and the son of her sworn enemy. She's a solider turned rebel with a cause, and he had no small part in ruining her latest plans. A trick of fate has thrown them together on a dying planet and they need each other to escape it, but what they discover on Sixth Cradle gives them a common enemy more powerful than either of them ever imagined.

Look, I've been on a romantasy bender lately and was craving a change of pace and scenery and MORE plot. And this enemies-to-lovers space opera delivered, with many unexpected turns along the way. I'll be moving directly on to the sequel, The Fractured Dark. 

The Village Healer's Book of Cures by Jennifer Sherman Roberts

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Some of the storytelling was clunky and awkward but overall I enjoyed it. A compelling and well paced historical mystery involving witchcraft and alchemy. 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

 Interesting premise for a YA series, not perfectly executed, but I was entertained and am intrigued enough to check out The Hawthorne Legacy. 

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

challenging slow-paced

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

4.5

 I struggled with this at first because of my own expectations going into it. I was probably halfway through before I was like, "Ohhhh, this is *that* kind of book." Meaning: High Fantasy. This is full of court intrigue, political machinations you don't even fully understand by the end, world building, and some pretty knotty characters. If you're looking for a rip-roaring adventure fantasy, this is not it. But I can totally see why GRRM praised this so highly. By the end, I was definitely picking up on the GoT vibes. It's complex, sprawling, with MCs you can't quite put a finger on.

Here's a nitpick: There are a lot of characters, which is fine, but the author switches up referring to them by their first and then their last name, sometimes mixing in a title. The Prince's posse in particular was difficult to keep track of.