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miyaosamu's reviews
312 reviews
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 14 by Kafka Asagiri
4.75
NO WORDS... just what the hell, that was absolutely insane AND NOW MY AGENCY BELOVEDS IN THIS SITUATION-
Flamefall by Rosaria Munda
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Stop doing what it takes. Start asking yourself what’s needed.”
an invigoratingly brilliant follow-up to fireborne, with how rosaria munda expands on the world and brings in higher stakes to these beloved characters. they are truly put through the wringer even more, from grief to being at odds with one another on morals, ideals and doing what needs to be done in their positions. a new perspective from the side of new pythos was unexpected but much needed, i quickly grew attached to griff, his strength and resilience dealing with the dragonborn along with delo being the only dragonborn not classist and cruel, and can see how kind he is and genuine care in his heart. on the callipolis side there was many new dynamics, especially with annie's new position conflicting with her morals, her intriguing dynamic with power and lee's wavering loyalties, the political rifts amongst and war dangers for our guardians that i definitely want to get into another time. putting off furysong til later this month hopefully since i don't want this story to end so soon as furysong had just come out. but with this sequel, munda strikes again with causing pain upon my fragile heart and those last few pages had me reeling in shock.
full rtc when after reread.
“It feels brilliant and blinding and free, the clarity that comes with this realization. We’ll set our sights on the stars together. But they’re different stars, and we’ll stand back to back.”
an invigoratingly brilliant follow-up to fireborne, with how rosaria munda expands on the world and brings in higher stakes to these beloved characters. they are truly put through the wringer even more, from grief to being at odds with one another on morals, ideals and doing what needs to be done in their positions. a new perspective from the side of new pythos was unexpected but much needed, i quickly grew attached to griff, his strength and resilience dealing with the dragonborn along with delo being the only dragonborn not classist and cruel, and can see how kind he is and genuine care in his heart. on the callipolis side there was many new dynamics, especially with annie's new position conflicting with her morals, her intriguing dynamic with power and lee's wavering loyalties, the political rifts amongst and war dangers for our guardians that i definitely want to get into another time. putting off furysong til later this month hopefully since i don't want this story to end so soon as furysong had just come out. but with this sequel, munda strikes again with causing pain upon my fragile heart and those last few pages had me reeling in shock.
full rtc when after reread.
“It feels brilliant and blinding and free, the clarity that comes with this realization. We’ll set our sights on the stars together. But they’re different stars, and we’ll stand back to back.”
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 12 by Kafka Asagiri
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
those last few pages... had me on the edge of my seat!
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 10 by Kafka Asagiri
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chapters 39 & 40 left an emotional impact, my heart hurt so much for atsushi and kunikida. just thought it was really well done with atsushi processing his emotions on his past and that particular person in his life.
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Bring what fury you have and I will answer it with ours.”
i genuinely have no words, this was ya fantasy excellence at its finest that left me breathless and riveted while reading. fireborne took me by complete surprise in the best way possible, when i went into this story with the only knowledge that it had an academy for dragonriders. like being the first in a trilogy it was such a distinctive standout already. maybe it’s just me but i thought it was skillfully thought out on its distinct themes of morals being in question, loyalties, atonement, anf more. also while not being too heavy on world building being easy to absorb, lore, history of the old regimes, impressive political intrigue, character bonds, bureacracy of the new regime, social class levels and of course the aspects of dragon riding in how it’s the nation’s core. the politics stuck out to me a lot, it’s been a while since i’ve read fantasy with the morally clashing complexity this book had with its conflicted characters’ political thoughts. our mains lee sur power and antigone sur aela being both so layered in both their own backstories being orphans yet what led to them being orphaned entagles their bond and loyalty to one another. antigone, or annie, definitely had the full character development seeing her truly grow, while lee’s arc factored in his past and interesting seeing his views on the regime. seeing both characters’ perspectives on the new regime and figuring out how things aren’t so black and white in terms of good versus bad. coming to terms that morals and personal beliefs sometimes cannot take place to have order and how the inevitable war plays into testing out the reality of how this new regime will hold already seeing the ruptures with propaganda trying to rid of former dragonlord regime beliefs. classism was a huge aspect in the story with the testing to become a dragonrider is open to any class of economic status. yet obviously there is still blood prejudices and visible privilege with the gold class and their children.
really enjoyed how varying input in dialogue makes readers’ contemplate alongside the character’s views, constantly trying to understand the current ruling leader, atreus, who overthrew the dragonlords, if his vision of a nation is something to vow to defend or if they want more change. lee and annie, alongside their friends and classmates, were hardened within months by the realities of war in the high positions they’re in on orders against their morals that makes it a hard to stomach read at times. i’m very excited and scared to continue this incredible world of the aurelians to see where the story will take me next.
“And as she turned, it was revealed by her tread that she was fireborne.”
i genuinely have no words, this was ya fantasy excellence at its finest that left me breathless and riveted while reading. fireborne took me by complete surprise in the best way possible, when i went into this story with the only knowledge that it had an academy for dragonriders. like being the first in a trilogy it was such a distinctive standout already. maybe it’s just me but i thought it was skillfully thought out on its distinct themes of morals being in question, loyalties, atonement, anf more. also while not being too heavy on world building being easy to absorb, lore, history of the old regimes, impressive political intrigue, character bonds, bureacracy of the new regime, social class levels and of course the aspects of dragon riding in how it’s the nation’s core. the politics stuck out to me a lot, it’s been a while since i’ve read fantasy with the morally clashing complexity this book had with its conflicted characters’ political thoughts. our mains lee sur power and antigone sur aela being both so layered in both their own backstories being orphans yet what led to them being orphaned entagles their bond and loyalty to one another. antigone, or annie, definitely had the full character development seeing her truly grow, while lee’s arc factored in his past and interesting seeing his views on the regime. seeing both characters’ perspectives on the new regime and figuring out how things aren’t so black and white in terms of good versus bad. coming to terms that morals and personal beliefs sometimes cannot take place to have order and how the inevitable war plays into testing out the reality of how this new regime will hold already seeing the ruptures with propaganda trying to rid of former dragonlord regime beliefs. classism was a huge aspect in the story with the testing to become a dragonrider is open to any class of economic status. yet obviously there is still blood prejudices and visible privilege with the gold class and their children.
really enjoyed how varying input in dialogue makes readers’ contemplate alongside the character’s views, constantly trying to understand the current ruling leader, atreus, who overthrew the dragonlords, if his vision of a nation is something to vow to defend or if they want more change. lee and annie, alongside their friends and classmates, were hardened within months by the realities of war in the high positions they’re in on orders against their morals that makes it a hard to stomach read at times. i’m very excited and scared to continue this incredible world of the aurelians to see where the story will take me next.
“And as she turned, it was revealed by her tread that she was fireborne.”
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
with its premise of knives out with a queer twist, lavender house lived up to my expectations being an engaging read overall. the story has readers hooked into the lamontaine family's secretive lives and relationships especially behind closed doors of their house. i loved the depth and complexity we got for each family member and even our main private investigator, andy figuring out not just the murder in this family. but himself too and views on how the outside world sees queers, and how the lamontaines make it all work in their own utopia. rosen's ability to write such a thorough mystery with twists and turns, having you truly believing some of the characters' pity stories and making readers question their own theories on who is the guilty party. i highly recommend this to anyone looking for captivating murder mystery in a historical setting and family secrets that will keep you on edge until the very last chapter.
with its premise of knives out with a queer twist, lavender house lived up to my expectations being an engaging read overall. the story has readers hooked into the lamontaine family's secretive lives and relationships especially behind closed doors of their house. i loved the depth and complexity we got for each family member and even our main private investigator, andy figuring out not just the murder in this family. but himself too and views on how the outside world sees queers, and how the lamontaines make it all work in their own utopia. rosen's ability to write such a thorough mystery with twists and turns, having you truly believing some of the characters' pity stories and making readers question their own theories on who is the guilty party. i highly recommend this to anyone looking for captivating murder mystery in a historical setting and family secrets that will keep you on edge until the very last chapter.
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
4.5
this was such an incredibly done ya contemporary with our main, quinn going about rediscovering herself coming out of her comfort zone after she gets blackmailed with her private journal along with finding true friends and even romance in the midst of it all. i emphasized and related with quinn so much in terms struggling with coming out of her shell and figuring herself out. i admired her so much, even though it was under the difficult situations of being blackmailed, her bravery in finally doing the things she listed out to do and how it contributed to her phenomenal character development. the story has so much coming of age feels to it, being senior year and quinn going about new adventures through the story with her newfound friendships with olivia, auden, and carter.
quinn's friendship with olivia was so endearing, how she finally found someone that she can be real with and coming to terms in embracing her black identity rather than her former toxic white friends. speaking of carter, even if their romance was a bit instant at first, the chemistry and tension jumped off the pages, had me smiling ear to ear! the way quinn's conversations opening up to him you can tell just much more genuine with feedback from carter in comparison to conversations with her old crush. but the romance was also well done with when secrets and things unraveled between them and i really just loved how authentic it felt with their development basically being given a fresh restart emotionally. goffney also weaved in aspects of family life, in how quinn's parents' relationship affected her, along with quinn's relationship with her grandma shaping her.
i highly recommend this book, a fresh unexpected debut being an honest coming of age story with layered characters, easy to absorb high school drama, family dynamics, teenage adventures, and a perfectly imperfect romance!
quinn's friendship with olivia was so endearing, how she finally found someone that she can be real with and coming to terms in embracing her black identity rather than her former toxic white friends. speaking of carter, even if their romance was a bit instant at first, the chemistry and tension jumped off the pages, had me smiling ear to ear! the way quinn's conversations opening up to him you can tell just much more genuine with feedback from carter in comparison to conversations with her old crush. but the romance was also well done with when secrets and things unraveled between them and i really just loved how authentic it felt with their development basically being given a fresh restart emotionally. goffney also weaved in aspects of family life, in how quinn's parents' relationship affected her, along with quinn's relationship with her grandma shaping her.
i highly recommend this book, a fresh unexpected debut being an honest coming of age story with layered characters, easy to absorb high school drama, family dynamics, teenage adventures, and a perfectly imperfect romance!
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 3 by Kafka Asagiri
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 4 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
oh this one was SO MUCH better than the previous volumes. previous volumes felt like much exposition and a bit uncomfortable situations compared to this one finally having a stable plot, higher stakes and action.