meetlyss's reviews
818 reviews

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is easily my favorite Schwab book/series. I had the absolute joy of receiving an annotated copy from my book bestie and it totally elevated my reading experience. Reading her little notes and seeing what passages she found important, happy, sad, etc. was like reading the book beside her and discussing it together. I loved every second of it. But I also just loved the book itself—it was so dark but hopeful at the same time. I adore the found family trope and felt so much love for Vic, Sydney, and Mitch. I had complex feelings towards Eli—I hope we get more of his backstory in the next book. I absolutely do not forgive Schwab for a certain traumatizing scene in this book, though… TRAUMATIZING.

The Ash-Born Boy by V.E. Schwab

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was just wildly depressing. I originally wasn't planning on reading this short story prequel after reading The Near Witch, but it was appended to the end of the audiobook I borrowed, so I thought, why not. And I'm actually quite glad I did read it because it helped me get a better sense of Cole (AKA Will - not at all what I thought his real name was going to be). It was a nice supplemental story to the Near Witch world. Just very, very sad.

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This novel is such a vibe - highly recommend it for spooky season reading. As always, I loved the mood of the story the most. Even though it wasn't necessarily scary, the story left me tense and unnerved - and if a book can do that, then I'm already hooked.

I felt the end dragged a little, like the same thing kept happening to prolong the story instead of actually finish it, but it didn't bother me much.

I definitely got Small Favors vibes while reading, probably due to the similarities between the two stories: small town, awful townsfolk, mysterious happenings.

I love the way Schwab describes the world, both real and imagined, and how she often writes about strong, powerful female characters.

All in all, I really enjoyed the novel. The Near Witch is worth a read.

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Gallant when I first picked it up, but I ended up really enjoying it. I liked trying to piece together the mystery of Gallant and Olivia’s parents. The part in the middle where we get to see the pages of the mother’s journal was probably my favorite—I love that Schwab waited to include those pages after we as the reader finally understand what’s going on. The whole book is very sad, but it does end on a slightly hopeful (though morose) note. I like the way it ended. Strong Coraline vibes with this one. Definitely recommend.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such a sad, lonely novel. I didn’t think I’d like it much but ended up intensely relating to the main characters and falling in love with their story. It’s very much a character-driven novel with not a lot of plot, something I personally can enjoy but I know others don’t, so be prepared for that.

The miscommunication trope is one of my least favorite tropes in literature, cinema, and games, but somehow Normal People didn’t bug me. Yes, it was frustrating, but it didn’t annoy me to the point of disliking the novel. It felt realistic and was simply painful.

I wasn’t sure how the novel was going to end, and it surprised me how open-ended it was. I’m usually a fan of open-endings, but I felt like this one could have been different. I get why it ended the way it did—

because their story doesn’t really have an ending, it’s just more of the same, over and over, falling into and out of each other’s arms

—but I could have maybe done with a more solid ending this time around.

Endings aside, this was a beautifully tragic novel about two people who love each other but aren’t quite sure how to fit together. I enjoyed listening to it very much and look forward to reading more of Rooney’s work.

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It's funny how your perspective changes as you grow older. Had I read this in high school or college (like when I read my first CoHo novel November 9), I probably would have fallen in love with Ryle. The whole 'Lily & Ryle' or 'Lily & Atlas' thing would have been an intense love triangle and I would have felt so conflicted. 

Reading this now in my mid-twenties was a whole different story. Though I was a little attracted to Ryle at first, I still felt uncomfy with how he acted towards Lily. I felt like with every interaction Ryle had with Lily, I was blinded by red flags. I'm sure lots of people fell in love with Ryle, but I never could. I wouldn't say this is necessarily a love triangle romance kind of story, but Lily definitely grapples with her present feelings towards both men while also delving into her past with Atlas. I won't spoil how it ends, but I will say I was team Atlas from start to finish. 

I thought this was a beautiful and incredibly powerful novel. It was getting a lot of hype on TikTok, so I was interested in seeing if the hype was real. In my opinion, it was. I fell in love with Lily. I loved her story, even the hard parts. Those hard parts were tough to read but so important. Going along with that, please research the trigger warnings before reading this novel - there are lots of them. And if you do decide to read this novel (which I highly recommend if you can), I also suggest reading the Author's Note at the end of the book.

So far, this is easily my favorite CoHo book. I know people are very much 'love her' or 'hate her,' but I just simply enjoy her stories. I'm excited to read more of her work and am really happy for all the attention TikTok has brought her - she deserves it. This audiobook helped me through a rough week at work. I was so invested in the story I even listened to it at home in the bath, doing chores, lying in bed, etc. - and I only do that when I absolutely can't get enough of the story. This is a great novel you don't want to miss out on.

Bridge of Souls by V.E. Schwab

adventurous fast-paced

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

5.0

Once again, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! I'm not much of a middle grade reader, but Schwab really knows how to write a good fantasy. She also knows how to end a series, because she ended this one beautifully. I love how the story concluded and am sad to say goodbye to Cassidy, Jacob, and Lara. This was a brilliant series and one I highly recommend to paranormal fantasy lovers (even if you aren't a typical middle grade reader). All three books are fast-paced and enjoyable, and each of them make for quick reads.

Tunnel of Bones by V.E. Schwab

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I honestly thought I might be bored by this sequel, but I was pleasantly surprised! I liked it just as much as the first book, if not more. I love that Cassidy knew more about her role in the Veil; I love that we learned more about Jacob and his past; and I love that even though Lara was not present in Paris, she still played a large role in the story.

I find this series so endearing and light. Cass is a walking disaster—I find it ironic that Jacob saved her from the river and ever since then, he has to save her like, at least once a day because she can’t stop getting herself into sticky situations. I adore their dynamic and am interested to see how the story ends.

This series makes me want to read middle grade more—or at least more of Schwab’s middle grade. Each book is just long enough to be flushed out yet short and fast-paced enough to really carry my interest from start to finish. Loving this series so far!

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book drew me in with it's magical, dark academia premise --- and it absolutely delivers on that front. The vibes were immaculate and the mood was just right. There are six main characters, which calls for six POV chapters, so it was a bit difficult in the beginning for me to differentiate each character from the next --- but as I came to understand their unique powers, it became easier. Out of all the characters, I disliked Callum the most, and liked Nico and Libby the best; however, each of the them are easily unlikable for various reasons. Regardless, I loved them all (aside from Callum) with my whole heart and was terrified to reach the end of the story. Six are chosen, but only five are initiated. The promise of killing off a character had me shaking.

Though I loved the mood, characters, setting, and plot, I did have some minor issues. One being the info dumps. I always struggle when reading fantasy novels like this one when the pacing is interrupted by huge info dumps. I'm a character lover --- I love character interaction, character development, and lots of dialogue. So when that's broken up with long descriptions about what the characters are researching, or long lectures from Dalton/Atlas, I felt my interest wane significantly. It just felt a little <i>too</i> much at times. It also threw off the pacing, which was very up and down, though I didn't necessarily hate it --- it was just jarring at times. I also wasn't 100% certain of the motives of a few characters, either because I was too excited to keep reading and didn't pay enough attention or because they were hazy and confusing. And though I did like that the author chose to leave out/skip over certain details and information to play up the suspense and intrigue, at times it ended up confusing me. Though that might be because all the characters are unreliable, as they should be --- I just felt a little lost at times.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the sequel. It didn't end the way I was expecting it to --- there were so many twists! --- so I'm super excited to see where the story takes us and if my feelings towards certain characters will change or not. October cannot get here soon enough --- but at least this will make for a fantastic fall read.

Buddy read with my friend Kadey!

Mooncop by Tom Gauld

reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

I literally read this in 10 minutes. It’s such a cute, quaint little story about a cop that lives on the moon. It’s incredibly short and there’s not a lot to it, but I think that’s why I love it. I especially love the art style. If you have a few minutes to spare, I highly recommend it!