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looseleafellie's reviews
247 reviews
Book of Night by Holly Black
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Holly Black’s adult fantasy debut follows Charlie Hall, an ex con artist trying to stay out of trouble. But when she witnesses a murder committed by a shadow, she’s thrown back into a world of magic and mayhem. If she can’t find the mysterious Book of Night in time, everyone she loves will be in danger …
This book started off a bit slow for me. Charlie’s backstory was fun to read, but the scenes in the present dragged at first. However, the second half of the book picked up, and the ending was a full-on rollercoaster!
The magic system was cool, even though I didn’t quite understand it. The idea of people being able to do magic using their shadows was really interesting. The story is also set in the area where I go to college, so it was cool seeing familiar places!
Overall, while this story didn’t grip me as much as I hoped, the twists at the end were awesome enough that I’m excited for the sequel! I’m hoping that with the setup done, a second book will be more fast-paced.
Thanks to Tor Books for the advance review copy!
CWs: blood/gore, body horror, self-harm for magic purposes, depression, panic attacks, captivity, child abuse, gun violence, drug use, loss of autonomy, and mentions of incest and cancer.
This book started off a bit slow for me. Charlie’s backstory was fun to read, but the scenes in the present dragged at first. However, the second half of the book picked up, and the ending was a full-on rollercoaster!
The magic system was cool, even though I didn’t quite understand it. The idea of people being able to do magic using their shadows was really interesting. The story is also set in the area where I go to college, so it was cool seeing familiar places!
Overall, while this story didn’t grip me as much as I hoped, the twists at the end were awesome enough that I’m excited for the sequel! I’m hoping that with the setup done, a second book will be more fast-paced.
Thanks to Tor Books for the advance review copy!
CWs: blood/gore, body horror, self-harm for magic purposes, depression, panic attacks, captivity, child abuse, gun violence, drug use, loss of autonomy, and mentions of incest and cancer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cancer and Incest
Remember Me Gone by Stacy Stokes
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This YA thriller with a speculative twist follows Lucy, whose dad can take away unwanted memories. People come from far and wide to Tumble Tree, Texas to have their burdens removed. But when Lucy notices gaps in her own memory, she must work with a boy she only vaguely remembers to find out what’s really going on in Tumble Tree …
This book is everything I want in a thriller: atmospheric, twisted, emotional, and impossible to put down! There were times when I could sort of guess what was coming next, but the biggest twists caught me completely off guard and left me shocked to my core.
Lucy’s emotional journey hit me right in the gut. I also liked Marco, but I have a particularly soft spot for Manuela, because I do adore a mean girl redemption arc!
I especially enjoyed the threads of moral grayness woven throughout the story. Is it ethical to take people’s memories even if they ask for it? Can bad memories still make us better people?
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an emotional read with a speculative twist, especially if you like small town settings.
Thanks to Penguin Teen for sending me a finished copy!
CWs: parent death, manipulation/gaslighting, amnesia, violence (inc. police violence), captivity, drugging, fatal car accident mention.
This book is everything I want in a thriller: atmospheric, twisted, emotional, and impossible to put down! There were times when I could sort of guess what was coming next, but the biggest twists caught me completely off guard and left me shocked to my core.
Lucy’s emotional journey hit me right in the gut. I also liked Marco, but I have a particularly soft spot for Manuela, because I do adore a mean girl redemption arc!
I especially enjoyed the threads of moral grayness woven throughout the story. Is it ethical to take people’s memories even if they ask for it? Can bad memories still make us better people?
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an emotional read with a speculative twist, especially if you like small town settings.
Thanks to Penguin Teen for sending me a finished copy!
CWs: parent death, manipulation/gaslighting, amnesia, violence (inc. police violence), captivity, drugging, fatal car accident mention.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gaslighting
Moderate: Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This YA contemporary with a magical twist follows agender teen Syd, who works at a queer-owned bakery. When Syd goes through a bad breakup and accidentally makes some brownies that causes everyone who eats them to break up, it’s up to Syd and the bakery’s cute delivery person Harley to save the day!
I am a SUCKER for a slow burn friends to lovers romance, and Syd and Harley are now one of my favorite book couples! I loved seeing their playful banter turn into a beautiful relationship — but with a good amount of angst along the way, cause the angst is what makes it fun.
The magic system is soft, and I didn’t completely understand the rules by the end, but I didn’t mind it the way I would with a high fantasy story. The dash of fantasy was incorporated into Syd’s coming-of-age story in a way that really resonated with me.
The book is also set in Austin, and as someone who lives in the Austin area, it was so fun to see Syd and Harley visit so many familiar places!
If you’re looking for a story with a cute romance, thoughtful coming-of-age themes, a magical twist, and tons of LGBTQ+ representation centered around community, I cannot recommend this book enough!
CWs: dysphoria, misgendering, toxic relationship, fatphobia mention.
I am a SUCKER for a slow burn friends to lovers romance, and Syd and Harley are now one of my favorite book couples! I loved seeing their playful banter turn into a beautiful relationship — but with a good amount of angst along the way, cause the angst is what makes it fun.
The magic system is soft, and I didn’t completely understand the rules by the end, but I didn’t mind it the way I would with a high fantasy story. The dash of fantasy was incorporated into Syd’s coming-of-age story in a way that really resonated with me.
The book is also set in Austin, and as someone who lives in the Austin area, it was so fun to see Syd and Harley visit so many familiar places!
If you’re looking for a story with a cute romance, thoughtful coming-of-age themes, a magical twist, and tons of LGBTQ+ representation centered around community, I cannot recommend this book enough!
CWs: dysphoria, misgendering, toxic relationship, fatphobia mention.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
League of Liars by Astrid Scholte
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
After his mother gets killed by dangerous magic, eighteen-year-old Cayder Broduck is determined to become a prosecutor and hold people accountable for magic-related crimes. But when he meets three other teens being tried for magical crimes they didn’t commit, he must help them stage a prison break to ensure justice gets done!
This is the third of Astrid Scholte’s books that I’ve read, and I continue to adore her genre-bending, unique premises. This book is part fantasy, part thriller, and I thoroughly enjoyed the blending of the magic system with political intrigue, courtroom drama, and daring escape plans.
The main character, Cayder, is the complete opposite of Kaz Brekker in that he’s a rich goody two-shoes whose love of the legal system is kind of annoying at the start. Luckily, his experiences in the rest of the book, and his interactions with some of the more morally gray cast members, soon fixes that 😁
My favorite character was Jey, a charming murder suspect who seems weirdly insistent that he killed his father despite evidence to the contrary, but I loved how all the characters’ stories intertwined even though they seem unrelated at first. I also loved the betrayals and twists toward the end!
The big thing that took me out of the story was the large amounts of exposition, especially toward the beginning. I prefer books that dribble backstory throughout the narrative, and I would have preferred some more subtlety from the characters.
The ending was a cliffhanger, but I found it satisfying even though there’s no sequel coming at the moment. I felt like I can speculate on where the characters go from here.
Thanks to Penguin Teen for the ebook ARC!
CWs: Incarceration, unjust conviction, grief, parental neglect, violence, blood, brief body horror, parent and sibling death.
This is the third of Astrid Scholte’s books that I’ve read, and I continue to adore her genre-bending, unique premises. This book is part fantasy, part thriller, and I thoroughly enjoyed the blending of the magic system with political intrigue, courtroom drama, and daring escape plans.
The main character, Cayder, is the complete opposite of Kaz Brekker in that he’s a rich goody two-shoes whose love of the legal system is kind of annoying at the start. Luckily, his experiences in the rest of the book, and his interactions with some of the more morally gray cast members, soon fixes that 😁
My favorite character was Jey, a charming murder suspect who seems weirdly insistent that he killed his father despite evidence to the contrary, but I loved how all the characters’ stories intertwined even though they seem unrelated at first. I also loved the betrayals and twists toward the end!
The big thing that took me out of the story was the large amounts of exposition, especially toward the beginning. I prefer books that dribble backstory throughout the narrative, and I would have preferred some more subtlety from the characters.
The ending was a cliffhanger, but I found it satisfying even though there’s no sequel coming at the moment. I felt like I can speculate on where the characters go from here.
Thanks to Penguin Teen for the ebook ARC!
CWs: Incarceration, unjust conviction, grief, parental neglect, violence, blood, brief body horror, parent and sibling death.
Darling by K. Ancrum
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
When a mysterious boy named Peter Pan appears at teenager Wendy Darling’s window and invites her for a night out in Chicago, Wendy jumps at the chance to explore her new hometown and escape her parents’ annoying rules. But as their outing turns from fun to sinister, Wendy must uncover Peter’s secrets to survive the night!
You’d be forgiven for thinking that K. Ancrum’s chapter-by-chapter modern Peter Pan retelling is some flavor of fantasy, but it’s actually a YA contemporary thriller with zero magic. However, that doesn’t make it any less darkly enchanting. The city’s atmosphere and the foreboding sense of dread sucked me right in and kept me gripped till the last page!
This book also contains one of the BEST twists I’ve ever read! It’s the kind of bombshell that both shocks you and makes you go, “how did I not see this coming?”
The cast of characters was a wonderful bright spot in such a dark story. My favorites were the punk-rock take on Tinkerbelle and the insufferably flirtatious asexual Russian football player Fyodor, but Wendy herself really grew on me as she gained agency throughout the book.
Overall, if you’re looking for something short, sharp, and deviously clever, I would highly recommend Darling!
CWs: Kidnapping, murder, absent parents, child neglect, loss of limb, poverty, police violence, and mentions of anorexia, homelessness, and inappropriate adult/minor relationships.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that K. Ancrum’s chapter-by-chapter modern Peter Pan retelling is some flavor of fantasy, but it’s actually a YA contemporary thriller with zero magic. However, that doesn’t make it any less darkly enchanting. The city’s atmosphere and the foreboding sense of dread sucked me right in and kept me gripped till the last page!
This book also contains one of the BEST twists I’ve ever read! It’s the kind of bombshell that both shocks you and makes you go, “how did I not see this coming?”
The cast of characters was a wonderful bright spot in such a dark story. My favorites were the punk-rock take on Tinkerbelle and the insufferably flirtatious asexual Russian football player Fyodor, but Wendy herself really grew on me as she gained agency throughout the book.
Overall, if you’re looking for something short, sharp, and deviously clever, I would highly recommend Darling!
CWs: Kidnapping, murder, absent parents, child neglect, loss of limb, poverty, police violence, and mentions of anorexia, homelessness, and inappropriate adult/minor relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Murder
Minor: Eating disorder
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
This adult romance modern Hades and Persephone retelling has Persephone fleeing to Olympus’s Lower City to escape a marriage to Zeus. There, she makes a bargain with Hades: he’ll keep her safe for the winter, and then she’ll escape Olympus for good. But the growing feelings between them make Persephone second-guess her plans …
I assumed this would be a fantasy romance, but it’s more of a dystopia. There isn’t much magic, but the system of government in the city of Olympus is set up to mimic the gods of Mount Olympus, which was super interesting to me.
I thought Persephone and Hades had great physical chemistry — it helps that Hades is a consent king! Unfortunately, the romance felt too insta-love-y for me. After a few days together, Hades was like, “this woman has changed my life!” and I just didn’t buy that. I also felt the general pacing was a bit wonky.
Overall, I would recommend this book if you’re looking for spice with the flavor of an interesting world and the hurt/comfort trope, but not so much if you’re looking for a tight plot or slow-burn angst.
Spice level: Graphic
CWs: Emotional abuse, sexual harassment, gun violence, blood, eating disorder, mention of parent death.
I assumed this would be a fantasy romance, but it’s more of a dystopia. There isn’t much magic, but the system of government in the city of Olympus is set up to mimic the gods of Mount Olympus, which was super interesting to me.
I thought Persephone and Hades had great physical chemistry — it helps that Hades is a consent king! Unfortunately, the romance felt too insta-love-y for me. After a few days together, Hades was like, “this woman has changed my life!” and I just didn’t buy that. I also felt the general pacing was a bit wonky.
Overall, I would recommend this book if you’re looking for spice with the flavor of an interesting world and the hurt/comfort trope, but not so much if you’re looking for a tight plot or slow-burn angst.
Spice level: Graphic
CWs: Emotional abuse, sexual harassment, gun violence, blood, eating disorder, mention of parent death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
These Deadly Games by Diana Urban
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This YA thriller follows esports aficionado Crystal Donovan, who must complete challenges set by a mysterious app to save her sister from a kidnapper. But when the app starts directing her to hurt — and even kill — her friends, Crystal must outwit the culprit and bring them to justice!
This book grabbed hold of me and would not let go! I was on the edge of my seat wondering what the killer would make Crystal do next, and how it would end in disastrous consequences. I felt like few places toward the middle weren’t as focused on the actual game as I would have liked, but overall I was hooked.
I did sort of guess the culprit by about the 50% mark, but there was another big twist regarding the killer’s identity that I didn’t see coming, so I was still shocked by the reveal! The plot also leans into making the main character — and the reader — question reality given that the killer covers their tracks so well, which I TOTALLY loved!
Overall, if you’re looking for a cracking YA thriller that plays tricks on your mind, keep an eye out for this one when it releases on February 1st!
Thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC!
CWs: Kidnapping, murder of a friend, child death, grief, domestic abuse, cyberbullying, doxxing, stalking, panic attacks, gaslighting, suicide, and mentions of eating disorders and racism.
This book grabbed hold of me and would not let go! I was on the edge of my seat wondering what the killer would make Crystal do next, and how it would end in disastrous consequences. I felt like few places toward the middle weren’t as focused on the actual game as I would have liked, but overall I was hooked.
I did sort of guess the culprit by about the 50% mark, but there was another big twist regarding the killer’s identity that I didn’t see coming, so I was still shocked by the reveal! The plot also leans into making the main character — and the reader — question reality given that the killer covers their tracks so well, which I TOTALLY loved!
Overall, if you’re looking for a cracking YA thriller that plays tricks on your mind, keep an eye out for this one when it releases on February 1st!
Thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC!
CWs: Kidnapping, murder of a friend, child death, grief, domestic abuse, cyberbullying, doxxing, stalking, panic attacks, gaslighting, suicide, and mentions of eating disorders and racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicide
Minor: Eating disorder and Racism
I tagged this for suicide because a character purposely blows up a house with themselves inside, though it is revealed later that they escaped alive
The domestic abuse (of the main character's dad abusing her mom) is recounted from the main character's perspective, and her mom's bruises are mentioned, but it isn't graphic to my recollection.
For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
For the Wolf follows Red, a princess who is destined to go into the Wilderwood to be claimed by the Wolf in order to save her kingdom’s captured gods. But upon arriving, she realizes that a lot of what she’s been told is a lie, and now she must use her dangerous magic to help save the Wilderwood and her loved ones …
This book starts off slow, but it builds up into a fantastically atmospheric and gripping read! I’m OBSESSED with Red and Eammon’s relationship, and Red’s sister Neve really grew on me despite all her gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing 😄 I also loved Fife and my aroace queen Lyra!
You’d have thought this was a Little Red Riding Hood retelling from the, uh, everything about it, but actually it’s much more like Beauty and the Beast, complete with a library! BatB retellings can sometimes verge into questionable territory with the captivity aspect, but I actually loved the way For the Wolf handles consent and makes it clear that Red is staying in the Wilderwood because she wants to (hilariously, the titular Wolf keeps trying to send her back home and she’s having none of it 😂).
If you’re looking for an atmospheric read with a slow build, romance, and magic, this one’s for you!
This book starts off slow, but it builds up into a fantastically atmospheric and gripping read! I’m OBSESSED with Red and Eammon’s relationship, and Red’s sister Neve really grew on me despite all her gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing 😄 I also loved Fife and my aroace queen Lyra!
You’d have thought this was a Little Red Riding Hood retelling from the, uh, everything about it, but actually it’s much more like Beauty and the Beast, complete with a library! BatB retellings can sometimes verge into questionable territory with the captivity aspect, but I actually loved the way For the Wolf handles consent and makes it clear that Red is staying in the Wilderwood because she wants to (hilariously, the titular Wolf keeps trying to send her back home and she’s having none of it 😂).
If you’re looking for an atmospheric read with a slow build, romance, and magic, this one’s for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
The self-harm component is for the purposes of magic use.