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smokedshelves's reviews
571 reviews
The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi
5.0
thank you to del rey and ballantine/random house for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
god, where do i even begin with this one. this trilogy had quickly become one of my favorite fantasies after a strong start with the final strife. and it held on with the battle drum. i was so nervous for how el-arifi was going to finish this series, since this with where we left off, this easily could have a make or break moment.
and i truly think she managed to pull it off so well. the levels of stress i had for these characters were amplified immensely going into this final book and even up to the accumulation of the final battle. at this point i really can’t say much regarding the plot without giving anything away. but what i can say is that she handled these storylines, these characters so well.
i feel like, with the way the events ended off we’re left with a sense of closure for what’s happened but i fully believe (and hope) that el-arifi has plans to go back to this world later, many years down the line. once things have settled down from the battle and the societies have been rebuilt. and i would love to see a sequel series covers that, whether with these same characters or following new stories. i really personally want to see more from this world. so i’m keeping my finger’s crossed.
as for the epilogue, i have thoughts that i want to scream into the void so so badly. anyways, if i say more i’m going to spoil this whole trilogy. so i’ll leave by saying, please go read this series!! it is an incredible world with a unique construction of blood magic at it’s core.
god, where do i even begin with this one. this trilogy had quickly become one of my favorite fantasies after a strong start with the final strife. and it held on with the battle drum. i was so nervous for how el-arifi was going to finish this series, since this with where we left off, this easily could have a make or break moment.
and i truly think she managed to pull it off so well. the levels of stress i had for these characters were amplified immensely going into this final book and even up to the accumulation of the final battle. at this point i really can’t say much regarding the plot without giving anything away. but what i can say is that she handled these storylines, these characters so well.
i feel like, with the way the events ended off we’re left with a sense of closure for what’s happened but i fully believe (and hope) that el-arifi has plans to go back to this world later, many years down the line. once things have settled down from the battle and the societies have been rebuilt. and i would love to see a sequel series covers that, whether with these same characters or following new stories. i really personally want to see more from this world. so i’m keeping my finger’s crossed.
as for the epilogue, i have thoughts that i want to scream into the void so so badly. anyways, if i say more i’m going to spoil this whole trilogy. so i’ll leave by saying, please go read this series!! it is an incredible world with a unique construction of blood magic at it’s core.
The Glass Scientists: Volume Two by S.H. Cotugno
3.0
thank you to putnam son’s and penguin teen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
i’ll be honest, i was a bit hesitant to continue on with this series. the first book felt like much hadn’t happened while following too much characters. but this was a graphic novel, so thankfully they’re very quick to go through and i was more willing to continue on with it than i would in a normal series.
and i’m definitely glad i did. while still not my favorite graphic novel series, a lot of my main concerns and complaints from the first volume transferred over. i can definitely say this one was better. we had a bit more background information for how jekyll/hyde came to be in this story. and there was a teensy bit more plot to follow in this one. also, this one was a lot more explicitly queer than the first which i truly appreciated.
i know the author had mentioned at the end of the volume that it’s difficult to adapt a webcomic into a traditional graphic novel because stories that you would have there can get dropped to favor of the main storyline. and i can definitely tell that this is what may be happening here. it does still feel a bit disjointed albeit leagues better than in vol 1. so, at this point i am definitely much more likely to keep going at this point and i hope i can see the growth with each volume in the pacing/storyline decisions.
i’ll be honest, i was a bit hesitant to continue on with this series. the first book felt like much hadn’t happened while following too much characters. but this was a graphic novel, so thankfully they’re very quick to go through and i was more willing to continue on with it than i would in a normal series.
and i’m definitely glad i did. while still not my favorite graphic novel series, a lot of my main concerns and complaints from the first volume transferred over. i can definitely say this one was better. we had a bit more background information for how jekyll/hyde came to be in this story. and there was a teensy bit more plot to follow in this one. also, this one was a lot more explicitly queer than the first which i truly appreciated.
i know the author had mentioned at the end of the volume that it’s difficult to adapt a webcomic into a traditional graphic novel because stories that you would have there can get dropped to favor of the main storyline. and i can definitely tell that this is what may be happening here. it does still feel a bit disjointed albeit leagues better than in vol 1. so, at this point i am definitely much more likely to keep going at this point and i hope i can see the growth with each volume in the pacing/storyline decisions.
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
4.0
as a former competitive swimmer and coach this makes me want to get back to coaching again so badly. this was such a beautiful homage to the sport and touched on the history of swimming as a black person in america perfectly.
Know Your Newlywed by Hillary Nussbaum, Heather Taylor
2.0
thank you to libro.fm for providing an audiobook listening copy of this book.
today i learned that i *really* do not like fully produced audiobooks (background noises and all). because what do you mean i'm hearing lips smack in the middle of this!! absolutely NOT. genuinely, i think i actually would've loved this book if it weren't for all of that. it genuinely made my brain so overstimulated that i had to reset the first chapter a few times to actually get used to all the noise happening.
today i learned that i *really* do not like fully produced audiobooks (background noises and all). because what do you mean i'm hearing lips smack in the middle of this!! absolutely NOT. genuinely, i think i actually would've loved this book if it weren't for all of that. it genuinely made my brain so overstimulated that i had to reset the first chapter a few times to actually get used to all the noise happening.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
4.0
a really really solid start to this series. i think upon a reread and/or reading bloodmarked i may bump this up to 5 stars.
basically,,, consider this like an unofficial 4.5 since i don't rate on 1/2 stars lol
basically,,, consider this like an unofficial 4.5 since i don't rate on 1/2 stars lol