ramunepocky's reviews
506 reviews

Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney

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4.0

This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill

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5.0

The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

“Deep down, the part of me I couldn’t kill – that little girl. She was in pain all the time, and I’d never let her wounds heal. To survive, I’d had to be strong. I’d had to build a tower within myself.”

This review is not spoiler free

This was another one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and I was NOT at all anticipated. I started reading this book after barely sleeping due to the heat and a night of work so my brain was already melting, and yet I still managed to devour 45% of the book before I KO’d because I was just so excited to finally start it and loving every second, despite how insanely stressful it was. This book picks up where Silver in the Bone left off with Nash at Tamsin’s door after her world has just been combined with Avalon and they’re at a loss at what to do. It gets immediately stressful after Nash runs off again after a vague interaction and a group of sorcerors kidnap them, intent on torturing them to get information about what Lord Death is looking for, all of them completely unaware that what he is searching for is, in fact, Tamsin as her soul is the reborn soul of his “lost love” who had only wanted to escape him.

“You’ve never wanted to believe this, but you do have a beautiful heart.”

I really, really love Tamsin and, whilst I’m not the biggest fan of first person books, particularly within the fantasy genre, I do enjoy being inside of her head. She did, however, frustrate me with the way that she kept treating Emrys for the first half of the book, I know, of course, that she felt so betrayed by him, especially after she’d finally opened herself up to someone to have them abandon her, but I know for a fact she would have done the exact same thing for Cabell had she been in the same situation (which I’m pretty sure I also put in my Silver in the Bone review), and she just needed time to realise that. She did start to understand more though when she realised the full extent to what Emrys’ father put him through, which turned out to be more than even I’d expected given that he’d killed him before the events of either story had even begun. I did feel for Tamsin too as she warred with her own emotions and the way that she still felt hurt, but her own body betrayed her in wanting to be close to Emrys, and I’m glad she finally got over herself and realised he was in the right, because those two are extremely sweet together and I love their dynamic so much. I also kept getting frustrated with her in the way that she refused to believe that Cabell was doing everything of his own volition and she was still intent on saving him even though he didn’t actually need or want saving. Of course, it is extremely sad in the end when Cabell finally does come back to them and helps them in their final fight against Lord Death before taking the place that Tamsin had been intent on taking, and becoming the new King of Anwnn. But overall, I really do love Tamsin, she’s a strong and badass character, she makes me laugh with her comments and the way she thinks of things, she’s so good hearted and kind and caring, even though she tried to close that part of herself off, I loved the bonds she’d made with her friends and how much she loved them, and how much they loved her. She truly deserved to be surrounded by people who made her happy, who help the scared little girl inside of her heal and feel safe, so she’s not constantly waiting to be abandoned. After taking care of herself and her brother her whole life, she deserves to feel safe and be taken care of. She’s always done what it takes to survive, and she did, she survived, now she deserves to have her peace.

Neve remains to be my favourite character, I love her so much and I really feel for her because she’s always just wanted to know who she is, who her parents are and the magic that she has – she’s always wanted to learn and be tied to something, and that’s why she’s so insistent on trusting the Sorceress’ and becoming one of them because she feels like that’s the best tie she has. Obviously, it doesn’t work out well for her in this book as the Sorceress’ are selfish and Madrigal uses all of the information that Neve uses against her, but at least Neve finds out part of who she is, and learns that the familiar watching her came from her mother, and I do think it’s super sweet that both her and Cait are now on an adventure looking for Neve’s mother. Neve being a descendant of the Lady of the Lake took me by pleasant surprise as I’d convinced myself that it was Tamsin that had some connection to the Lady of the Lake, so I was really interested by that storyline and seeing how it manifested when Neve touched Excabilbur and the effect it had on her. I loved that she wielded the sword during the final confrontation too. Again, I absolutely adore Neve for her good and kind heart, she always sees the best in people and whilst that doesn’t always fall in her favour, especially where people like Madrigal are concerned, it allows her to create the most genuine friendships and I love her connection with her friends so much. Most of all, I loved seeing her relationship with Cait develop in this book. I’ve shipped the two of them since their second interaction in Silver in the Bone so seeing them both obviously have feelings for each other, and Neve confessing to Caitriona towards the end, had me absolutely jumping for joy. I love everything about the two of them, and I love that even when they argue and scrap, they still make up and genuinely care about each other more than anything else.

“I love you and I don’t want to be apart from you. Not just because you are noble and beautiful and so many other wonderful things, but because you make me brave, and you make me want to be stronger, so I can fight alongside with you.”

Caitriona swiftly follows her beloved in my favourite character ranking and my heart broke for her so much in this book. It was heart-wrenching to see her give up on being a Priestess, to struggle with the loss of everyone she held dear in Avalon, to see her so hell-bent on revenge against Lord Death. She tries to shoulder all the burden herself and it hurt me watching her break under all that pressure she put on herself – when she takes Excalibur and leaves, intent on getting her revenge, after so many bad things had already happened and Olwen had been captured and Neve was unconscious, it actually broke me. And her trying to face off against him BY HERSELF like dayum bro. She’s such a strong and formidable warrior and I never doubted her for a second when Neve thought she might turn on Cabell, I knew she’d never do that – even if he hadn’t let her and Olwen go – she’d said they were in it together and she wouldn’t have ever done anything to hurt anyone. I loved seeing her use her magic again too and reconnect with her Priestess roots. She is everything to me. I just love her so, so, SO MUCH!!!

“You have to stay alive to keep hating me, Lark.”

Lastly, Emrys, my boy, broke everything in me this book. Learning that his father had killed him, that Madrigal had remade his heart and used him, learning all the hardships he’d been through and the way he feels about himself, the way he hates himself, the way he will still follow Tamsin anywhere, even if she hates him, even if she never forgives him, because he wanted her to hate him because he thought it would be easier, but he loves her and cannot bear anything happening to her. And when he died again. OH MY GOD. That had me absolutely sobbing my heart out. It was so heartbreaking. Espexcailly after he’d finally gotten his freedom from his father, to see him so lightened from that burden knowing his father could never hurt him again to immediately have Madrigal kill him. It was soul destroying. And then to not even know if the coin had worked until the epilogue?!?!?! THAT WAS SO PAINFUL. I was waiting every page to see him again, needing him to come back, needing him to be saved. But it was worth the wait to see him alive and happy, to have his own heart, to have a body free from the scars his father left him – for him to finally be free and not tied down or burdened by his father or Madrigal. He deserves all the happiness in the world.

“Forgiveness isn’t meant to be easy. It’s got to be earned.”

Speaking of deaths that destroyed me, I didn’t expect Nash’s death to make me cry so much. After Silver in the Bone, I was intent on not liking him when he appeared, as, like Tamsin, I thought he’d abandoned them, but, like Tamsin, as the story moved on, I grew fond of him and saw the father figure that he was to Tamsin so him dying, to save Cabell, to keep both his kids save regardless of the choices of one, it BROKE ME.

I have sm more I could save, but DAYUUUUM. Just know that I loved this book with my whole heart and I love the characters with everything I have to give, and this is my favourite Aurthuriana story/retelling.

Content Warnings

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

“But we could be together in the next world. I’d wait for you.” “We could be together now.”

This review is not spoiler free

It is no secret that this was absolutely my most anticipated release of the year and I’ve been excitedly and impatiently dying to read it every single day since I finished The Sunbearer Trials (and proceeded to read it a bunch more times because I loved it so much) and let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint. It picks up pretty immediately after The Sunbearer Trials ends, and I love that it is told it dual POV so that we get to see both Teo and his, Niya’s and Aurelio’s journey to find the Sol Stone and save their friends, and from Xio’s POV so we can see them grappling with their guilt over betraying the only two friends they’ve ever had, and thinking they’re right for what they did, and how the other competitors are coping in their captivity. It also gave us a nice insight into what the Obsidians are like, even with someone they consider “their own.” It was interesting to see Xio go from proud of the way that they’d catered each prison to the captors specific weaknesses to seeing them feel guilt and regret over it. I also enjoyed seeing Vengaza teach Xio how to use their magic and the way that it manifested and how they could use it.

I really love Teo so much, he makes me laugh even in life threatening situations with his dumb comments and his inability to not be sarcastic. Once a trouble maker, always a trouble maker. He’s so brave and so full of heart, he cares so much about his friends and his mum and the people around him. I did find him frustrating at times though, mostly where Aurelio was concerned, when he didn’t understand why Aurelio was being so “hot and cold” and why he was being withdrawn, like dayum bro, his twin sister, who he is literally never separated from, has been captured and he’s worried about her. USE YOUR BRAIN TEO. I know you’re too busy thirsting after Aurelio but like be for real for two seconds please. There were some really sweet bonding moments between those two and Niya in this book, and so many moments that made me want to sob. I also love that even though Teo was betrayed and angry, he still worried about Xio and didn’t want them to suffer for their actions, and he was the first to want to trust them again when Xio came to help them. I also really love that Huemac packed him his comfort stuffed animal and that he slept with it every night they camped. Bless his little heart.

My favourite character, surprise, surprise, I’m sure, is 100000% Aurelio. He is actually my favourite character Aiden has written, which speaks volumes because I love Julian Diaz with everything I have to give, but I immediately was attached to Aurelio the second we met him in The Sunbearer Trials and the more I read about him, the more I loved him. That boy, bless him, is just so autistic coded. His social skills and the way he can’t tell when/if people are joking, the way he clearly has no regulation over his expressions/emotions and tone, the way he gets clearly overstimulated, the way he stims tapping his gold bands, cooking obviously being his special interest. Speaking of, I LOVE the way that he has cooking videos saved onto his phone and that he offered to show them to Teo when he was having trouble sleeping when they’d made camp. My heart broke so many times for Aurelio in this book, esp whenever they were fighting a celestial and he’d leave himself open to attack because he was so accustomed to having Auristela covering his weak points that he expected her to be there even though he logically knew she was not. And the way he was clearly struggling with her not being there – it hurt me so much. Twins always destroy me. I absolutely sobbed when the two of them reunited. I also think the development of his and Teo’s relationship was really sweet and seeing them so happy in the epilogue made my heart so SO happy!! And the way that Aurelio no longer had to be the revered hero Son of Lumbre, he could just be Aurelio and go to culinary school and be happy and himself. HE DESERVED THAT SO MUCH. Especially after all the garbage his mother put him through, and it was so sad to see him still struggle with that during this book. ALSO, the way that he’d pocketed that obsidian dagger with the intention to sacrifice himself absolutely destroyed me. He was always trying to look out for and protect everyone else, and no one, besides Auristela, had ever thought to look out for him until Teo does. It hurt me so much, and I’m so thankful that Teo talked him out of it and made him promise, and that he never got the chance to attempt to sacrifice himself because I would NOT have stood for it. I also really loved the way his friendship with Niya developed during this book, as she’d decided that since he and Teo clearly liked each other, he was now her second best friend.

There are so many other characters in this book I love so so so so much! NIYA, OCELO, XIO, AURISTELA, ATZI, DEZI, MARINO, FANTASMA, XOCHI, QUETZAL, SUERTE !!! JUST ALL OF THEM !!! There’s such a vast and loveable cast and I just wanted every single one of them to thrive and be happy. That is the case for most of them and they almost all get their happy ending, but Suerte sacrificing himself, and his closing words to Xio, absolutely broke me into a million pieces, and then the Dios/Diosas deciding to retreat and leave the world to the mortals and their kids too just had me sobbing, the way Teo desperately tried to negotiate so he’d still be able to see his mum, bless him.

I really loved the world building in this book !!! It was amazing to see glimpses of the other cities and the way that the Celestials had destroyed them. I loved that seeing Suerte’s city and the way that all the mortals banded together to handle destruction and disasters all the time meant that the celestials didn’t even bother them. And I love that venturing through there gave Teo some perspective and something to think about, the same as when they came across that village of mortals living in the trees that had no Dios and had no heroes, and that they’d never tried to kill the critters they face and had just found other ways of dealing with them. I also loved seeing the way that the Obsidians operated and to learn more about what had happened to the Obsidians mortal cities that had been destroyed during the war.

All in all, this was just a beautiful incredible book and I cannot believe I now live in a world where I’ve read it. I wake up every day like WOW can’t believe I’ve actually read Celestial Monsters!! I am still very eagerly anticipating my physical copies coming and the audiobook coming out so I can reread it many times more and absolutely tab it.

Content Warnings

Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“But that’s part of the healing process, too. Learning about responsibility and accountability. Having the courage to own up to mistakes and apologise and make change.”

This review is not spoiler free

I read my first Kacen Callender book this year (that book being Felix, Ever After, that I have now read a total of 5 times) and this was my third book I’ve read by them, and I adore every book I’ve read by them. Their writing style flows so beautifully and scratches my brain just right, making their words addictive and I literally fly through every book by them. They have an expert way of creating characters – each of them well-rounded, flawed and subsequently human. This book was no different. I started it one morning with the idea of reading a few chapters before bed, and then stayed up hours past my bedtime at suddenly 70% of the way through the book, forcing myself to sleep only so I could get up with enough time to finish it before work. Which I did. And dayum, I loved every second of it. The topics in this book are difficult to read about, but extremely important, as the main focus is the way that trauma/traumatic experiences can affect relationships and your behaviour. It was hard reading about the way that Logan’s experiences affected him, especially without him realising how deeply it did hurt him, and how he deemed himself unsavable and unworthy of love because of it. I also think this was a really interesting commentary on celebrity culture and Hollywood and how toxic and destructive the industry and the environment is, both from within and outside of it.

“You learned how to survive in a world that was harmful to you. Now, it’s time to thank your younger self for helping you survive this long. Now, it’s time to find another way to exist.”

Logan really broke my heart throughout this. It was so sad to see him just lean into everyone’s worst assumptions of him and let everyone use him for their own gain because he believed himself to be unlovable and because he was so mentally destroyed by what had happened to him that he didn’t care if people thought he was a bad person. It was so hard to read about the way that people treated him, about how his father had let him be assaulted and raped as a child and growing up, how he continued connecting with people in that way as an adult, and how he was constantly used and abused for publicity or for his body. I appreciate the fact that falling for and dating Mattie didn’t suddenly “fix” Logan and make him suddenly better and have zero trauma because I hate that trope and it’s not how the real world works. The real world works much more like it did in this novel, it’s messy and sometimes, as a result of your trauma, you can lash out and hurt the people you care about the most. I liked the fact that their relationship did not work out and ultimately, the two of them split up and went down different paths. And though being with Mattie didn’t suddenly “fix” Logan, I like that it helped him realise that he is worthy of love and that he deserves to help himself and get better, and he deserves to be able to consent and feel safe in his own body. I’m glad he took the jump he needed to cut himself off from his father and get the help he needed away from substances, away from the press and with therapists who could help him process his trauma. It was really nice to see Logan after the time skip, to see him working a mundane job, having hobbies, feeling safe in his own body and having been able to work on healing and reflect on the mistakes he’d made in the past. I appreciate that he apologised to Mattie when he saw him again, and didn’t try to justify his actions because of his trauma. He owned up to his mistakes and moved on from them.

“There is no guarantee that one person will make us happy for the rest of our lives. Instead, there’s something else more powerful, even deeper: the realisation of love that we have for ourselves – and the joy in sharing this love with someone else, and experiencing the love they have for themselves, too. Instead of depending on each other for happiness, we find our happiness individually, and then share that happiness with each other.”

I really loved the conclusion to this book, and how, after having time to heal and grow, they reunited and still felt the same way for each other, subsequently giving it another go. They were both truly right person, wrong time, and in reuniting, it became right person, right time, as Mattie’s last memoir suggests that they both spent many more years together after the story ended. It was really nice to have a hopeful ending, and have them both find their happiness in themselves first, and each other second.

Content Warnings

The Prospects by KT Hoffman

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“He understands wanting to look queer. It had made his life harder, but it also made everything in him quiet in a way he never thought he’d achieve.”

This review is not spoiler free

I am going to preface this by informing you that I know absolutely nothing about Baseball – I have never played it before, I have never watched it before, it is not a game I have any particular interest in and therefore have zero knowledge of. Consequently, this means that I had not a single clue what was happening during the games, or what any of the sports jargon meant, but that is my experience with every single sports book and it doesn’t impact my enjoyment at all. For someone who is not at all a sports enjoyer, I love sports books so much, probably for the found family element within teams, but alas. Regardless, I absolutely adored this book, it was so sweet and sad in places, and so beautiful!

I loved the main character, Gene, so much, and it broke my heart the way that he wouldn’t allow himself to want anything, and how he’d only let people see the good in him, and not the bad too. I loved watching him throughout the book and letting that hope turn into want and allowing himself to want big things for himself instead of just being comfortable with what he had, and aspiring for more. I loved his dynamic with the team, and I loved that he always wore his trans flag cleats, and that even though he’d faced prejudice for it and it had been harder for him, he loved being out and proud and loudly a trans man in sport. I loved the way that he and Baker had an understanding of each other, and both looked out for each other, even the times when they were angry and expressing themselves wrong, they’d still been saying what they’d said with the other person in mind. I adored Gene’s dynamic with Vince; their friendship was my absolute favourite thing. And I truly truly adore Gene’s dynamic with Luis – the steady trickle from reluctant teammates again to friends to more, and how his growing feelings for Luis made it even harder for him to come to terms with the fact that in this sport, people come and go and leave. It was sad watching him struggle with that, knowing that Vince would be retiring soon and assuming Luis would be moving up soon, but I’m glad that he managed to come to terms with it and find it more bearable than he had, and that he still got to keep the people that meant the most close.

My favourite character was Luis, I loved him so much, he was very misunderstood and people, including Gene, often thought the worst of him because he was closed off, and didn’t often share parts of himself, and wasn’t comfortable in team social situations. I resonated a lot with how vicous his anxiety could be, and it was heartbreaking to learn that he’d been in that car accident because he’d been having a panic attack. I loved that he had Dodger, his emotional support dog, and seeing Dodger interact with Luis and how he comforted him when he was getting anxious. It was evident to me how much baseball was making Luis anxious, especially when he had a panic attack again about being moved up, and how he’d shared that it wasn’t the first time that it had happened, and I’m glad that he made the decision for himself to take a step away from baseball and go back to school instead. It was really sweet when he came out to his family too and how supportive and accepting they all were. I loved his dynamic with Gene too and the slow build up of their friendship again and their relationship, and how it turned out that Luis had liked Gene back then too, before he’d came out, and had kept tabs on him, bless his heart. I also loved that the last game they’d played of the season, they’d worn each other’s jerseys to make it evident without really saying anything that they were dating.

I absolutely adored Vince too!! I was quite annoyed with him tbh when he took his frustration and anger out on Gene about it being his last season and how he couldn’t perform due to his injury, but I was so glad when they made up again. Their friendship was so sweet and I loved it so much! I loved that Gene had been made to feel instantly welcome by Vince coming out to him and introducing him to his husband, and how Gene lived in the apartment attached to their house. I loved their weekly rituals and their entire dynamic! And I loved how Vince had teased Gene about Luis even before Luis was on their team, and how he just continued to do so as Gene got closer to Luis again and ended up with him. Vince’s relationship with his husband was so sweet too, and it filled me with joy to learn they were going to become parents once Vince retired.

All in all, I really really loved this book !!! And I’d love to read anything else the author writes, even more books about sports that I don’t understand, because this was really enjoyable and I adored absolutely everything about it!!

Content Warnings

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

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3.5

The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta

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4.0

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher

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5.0

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“When we can look at things in a different way, sometimes the things that would usually frighten us seem a little less frightening. The game can give us a safe space, with safe people, to explore parts of ourselves we might not be comfortable with in the real world. Sometimes, it’s easier to find your truth when you’re just trying it on for size first, without the pressure of having to make a big, sweeping change.”

This review is not spoiler free

I really, really loved this book, it was so beautifully wholesome and really touching. The found family element of the S&S party just filled me with so much joy and warmth!! They were all incredibly welcoming and supportive of each other, even though some of them had prior connections to each other whether they’re related or friends beforehand, that didn’t stop them from opening up their circle and welcoming each of the other girls with open arms. I loved getting to see Hollis face down her own anxiety and create friendships with people who actually loved and understood her, and not just a group she was comfortable with, though they treated her awfully, because it was familiar and what she’d always deemed friendship to be.

I really loved Hollis, she was such a sweet protagonist and I really felt for her with her struggles with her anxiety. I hated the way that Landon treated her (I wanted to sucker punch him in the face) and I hated the way that Chris, her boyfriend and supposed best friend, just stood by and never really did much, just let her be the butt of the jokes and be excluded when she was trying so hard to take an interest in something so important to him. I loved watching her grow throughout the book and find her confidence and find her true friend group in the girls. I have never really played much D&D (because our games never last), but I understand how Hollis feels about gaining confidence and being able to express herself by being someone else/it being a positive outlet as that is the way that I feel about cosplaying and one of the reasons that I enjoy it so much. It was really empowering to see her gain confidence in herself and be who she wanted to be through the games and apply it to her real life too.

Iffy was absolutely my favourite character and I loved her so much! Every time Landon said something about her, I wanted to come slap him in the face. I really adored her and Holiis’ friendship and it gave me sm joy when Hollis started seeking her out at school, and when Hollis finally split things off with Chris and left the boys’ group, Iffy wouldn’t entertain Hollis sitting alone for a second and immediately invited her over to her table. I loved how supportive and understanding she was, I loved how strong she was, I loved the character she played in their games and the person she was outside of them. And I loved how her being trans was mentioned, but not made a big deal of (except by Landon, but he’s an asshole so screw him).

I absolutely adored all of the girls in Gloria’s games and I loved their dynamics so much! Seeing them all interact and become the best of friends just really warmed my heart and gave me so much joy! I just loved everything about all of them!!

I really loved the way that, during the games, it was told like part of the story and I got really invested in them, to the point that I was absolutely sobbing my heart out when Aini’s character died. BOY that broke me.

My favourite aspect of the book was definitely the friendships and found family between the girls, they all supported each other in their times of need, and found common ground even though they were all vastly different people. I loved the world they’d created within their games and how they all got to express themselves through their characters. I loved when they dressed up as their characters for Halloween and did their little picture outing and game – that was so sweet! I also really loved the gradual development of the relationship between Hollis and Aini’s characters and how that built into their real life flirting and relationship themselves. I really truly adored how Aini didn’t pressure Hollis to figure out her identity and what label fits her, that she cared more about Hollis actually having feelings for her than what she identified as, which was just so sweet! People do put too much pressure on labels which can be confusing when you’re just figuring yourself out, so it was nice that Hollis wasn’t pressured to immediately find a new label for herself.

All in all, I absolutely adored this book – it made me laugh, it made me sob, it filled me with so many warm fuzzy feelings. It was just truly beautiful.

Content Warnings

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ramunepocky's reviews 506 reviews

ramunepocky's reviews
506 reviews