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noellesmagicallibrary's reviews
411 reviews
Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kölsch
5.0
Newly deceased Bastion Attia was star quarterback and the leader of North Coven. Now that his body has been found brutally murdered in the woods, the remaining witches (Dove, Nesbit, Drea, and Brandy) vow to find the killer and figure out how his death is connected to a Jane Doe who died the same way, in the same place, a few years ago. Nesbit and his friends believe there could be a supernatural force behind Bastion’s death. Nothing will stop them from discovering the truth.
Now, Conjurers has the best mix of characters— I loved everyone in the coven. Nesbit is a brilliant narrator, Brandy and Drea have a lovely relationship, Dove is a star, and Bastion is a selfless genius. The story is set in 1999, so get ready for all of the Y2K feels, Nokia phones, and references to The Craft.
One of the things I loved the most about this book is the black and white circus. That imagery is what really sold the story for me but I don’t want to say too much more about it for fear of giving away some plot points.
If you like books about teen witches and small towns with a cursed history, then you should read Now, Conjurers.
I was gifted a copy for review, all thoughts are entirely my own. Thank you Union Square & Co. and TBR and Beyond Tours for the opportunity
Now, Conjurers has the best mix of characters— I loved everyone in the coven. Nesbit is a brilliant narrator, Brandy and Drea have a lovely relationship, Dove is a star, and Bastion is a selfless genius. The story is set in 1999, so get ready for all of the Y2K feels, Nokia phones, and references to The Craft.
One of the things I loved the most about this book is the black and white circus. That imagery is what really sold the story for me but I don’t want to say too much more about it for fear of giving away some plot points.
If you like books about teen witches and small towns with a cursed history, then you should read Now, Conjurers.
I was gifted a copy for review, all thoughts are entirely my own. Thank you Union Square & Co. and TBR and Beyond Tours for the opportunity
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell
3.0
I wasn’t familiar with Amanda Montell before but this cover is fantastic— simple case of judging a book by its cover.
Some chapters were very interesting and I did learn a lot about various biases/effects. Overall I felt a little let down by the book, which is odd, because like I said, I wasn’t familiar with Montell so I didn’t have any specific expectations. I am interested in listening to a few episodes of her podcast though.
Some chapters were very interesting and I did learn a lot about various biases/effects. Overall I felt a little let down by the book, which is odd, because like I said, I wasn’t familiar with Montell so I didn’t have any specific expectations. I am interested in listening to a few episodes of her podcast though.
Dark Spaces: Dungeon by Scott Snyder
5.0
This story is so messed up in the best way. It reminds me of an even more twisted episode of Criminal Minds. Without a doubt, I will be reading the next book in this series.
For the past 20 years, the serial killer known as The Keep has been stealing people and torturing them in underground tunnels. Only one person, Bohdi, is known to have survived and he has become an FBI agent hellbent on taking down The Keep.
**I was reading an e-ARC
My only slightly negative critique is about the artwork (and this may be due to the fact that I was reading on my ipad with that watermark on the center of every page) but I found some panels to be a little hard to read and the coloring a bit dark. The palette works for the tone of the story but like I said, sometimes it was hard for me to see the images really well.
For the past 20 years, the serial killer known as The Keep has been stealing people and torturing them in underground tunnels. Only one person, Bohdi, is known to have survived and he has become an FBI agent hellbent on taking down The Keep.
**I was reading an e-ARC
My only slightly negative critique is about the artwork (and this may be due to the fact that I was reading on my ipad with that watermark on the center of every page) but I found some panels to be a little hard to read and the coloring a bit dark. The palette works for the tone of the story but like I said, sometimes it was hard for me to see the images really well.
Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp by Rosie Knight
5.0
Sign me up for Monster Island Summer Camp! I want to play with Minilla, Mothra and the rest. This graphic is a wonderful introduction to Kaiju and a commentary on the importance of respecting our planet.
I’ve always been a fan of Godzilla (mostly because my husband loves him) but now I love these monsters even more.
I’ve always been a fan of Godzilla (mostly because my husband loves him) but now I love these monsters even more.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Hana's father has been preparing her for the day when she will take over the family business. They own a pawn shop that trades in mistakes and regrets and it's finally time for Hana to be in charge.
That first morning, she wakes up to find the shop destroyed and her father missing. To top it all off, her first customer come waltzing right in. Hana needs to find her father, help this new person, and keep out of reach of the Shiikuin (the magical, mechanical entities in charge of the realm).
Water Moon is a story I want to read again for first time— it’s damn near perfect. The world is whimsical and unique, the plot is engaging and the characters are like able.
I love this world of magical origami and transportation puddles. There was never a dull moment, and luckily, the story did not go in the direction I initially thought it would.Early on I had suspected Hana and Keishin shared the same mother. That after she was exiled to "the real world" she created a new family, had Keishin and then left them too.
In hindsight, the ending actually isn't all that surprising but I didn't predict it and it was completely satisfying.
I loved this book so much that I preordered a special edition from Satisfiction book box.
I was given an advanced copy for review, all thoughts are entirely my own. Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity.
That first morning, she wakes up to find the shop destroyed and her father missing. To top it all off, her first customer come waltzing right in. Hana needs to find her father, help this new person, and keep out of reach of the Shiikuin (the magical, mechanical entities in charge of the realm).
Water Moon is a story I want to read again for first time— it’s damn near perfect. The world is whimsical and unique, the plot is engaging and the characters are like able.
I love this world of magical origami and transportation puddles. There was never a dull moment, and luckily, the story did not go in the direction I initially thought it would.
In hindsight, the ending actually isn't all that surprising but I didn't predict it and it was completely satisfying.
I loved this book so much that I preordered a special edition from Satisfiction book box.
I was given an advanced copy for review, all thoughts are entirely my own. Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Midnight Monster Madness by Vincent V Cava, James Sabata
4.0
I enjoyed both of these stories even though I don’t particularly care about cars/racing or sports/hockey.
Outrun the Reaper: love the concept but didn’t really like the main character. Also wanted a little bit more of Kristine— she probably could have been a cool character.
Power Play: what an ending! I didn’t expect that. I really liked the whole human/bug thing.
Outrun the Reaper: love the concept but didn’t really like the main character. Also wanted a little bit more of Kristine— she probably could have been a cool character.
Power Play: what an ending! I didn’t expect that. I really liked the whole human/bug thing.
Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
5.0
Beetle is a young goblin-witch who just wants to learn how to fly her broom and hang out at the mall with her bff Blob Ghost. But things start to get complicated when her ex-bff Kat returns to town.
Kat’s mentor, and aunt, is an evil old thing who wants to demolish the mall to have access to the land. Beetle needs to put her magic to the test to free Blob Ghost from the mall before it comes crashing down.
I borrowed Beetle and the Hollowbones from my library on a whim over this past summer and it is now one of my favorite graphic novels.
There’s magic, found family, sapphic love, a ghost bff and lighthearted adventure. The story is so funny and sweet and the artwork fits perfectly.
Kat’s mentor, and aunt, is an evil old thing who wants to demolish the mall to have access to the land. Beetle needs to put her magic to the test to free Blob Ghost from the mall before it comes crashing down.
I borrowed Beetle and the Hollowbones from my library on a whim over this past summer and it is now one of my favorite graphic novels.
There’s magic, found family, sapphic love, a ghost bff and lighthearted adventure. The story is so funny and sweet and the artwork fits perfectly.
Goblin: A Novel in Six Novellas by Josh Malerman
2.75
The fact that it took me 3 months to complete 6 novellas should tell you how I felt about this book. (The answer is “not great”).
This was an impulse buy last year because I’ve enjoyed other Malerman stories and the idea of multiple novellas telling a unifying story sounded really cool — and that idea still is cool. However, I had a hard time immersing myself in Goblin.
The writing style didn’t work for me. I found myself skimming pages in the last two stories and I never do that I almost couldn’t remember certain figures or events in Goblin’s history so I felt mildly confused half of the time.
Solely as novellas, I enjoyed the first 3 stories quite a bit. But overall this book was a miss.
This was an impulse buy last year because I’ve enjoyed other Malerman stories and the idea of multiple novellas telling a unifying story sounded really cool — and that idea still is cool. However, I had a hard time immersing myself in Goblin.
The writing style didn’t work for me. I found myself skimming pages in the last two stories and I never do that I almost couldn’t remember certain figures or events in Goblin’s history so I felt mildly confused half of the time.
Solely as novellas, I enjoyed the first 3 stories quite a bit. But overall this book was a miss.