March 2021 Reading Wrap-Up

ONE CANCELLED WEDDING

When the day finally comes for Annie to marry Alexander, the last thing she expects is to be left standing at the altar. She was so sure he was Mr Right. Now, she has no idea how she could have got it so wrong.

ONE UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER

After a chance meeting with Paddy, an old friend who reminds her of who she used to be, Annie takes a vow of her own: she’ll say yes to every opportunity that comes her way from now on.

ONE SPARE TICKET FOR THE HONEYMOON

Could a spontaneous trip with Paddy be the way to mend Annie’s heart? She’s about to find out as she embarks on her honeymoon – with a man who’s not her husband…

Click here for my full review

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When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

It’s been a few days since I finished this book and yet I’m still having a tough time finding the words to explain how I feel. When a book has been so hyped up for so much of your life, it’s challenging when it falls a little (or a lot?) flat.

I did read most of this book back in high school, but the paranormal elements made me uncomfortable and I never finished it – nor did I come back to the series. Last summer, I read all of The Infernal Devices – and I LOVED them – so I thought it was high time I attempt The Mortal Instruments again.

I’m grateful that I chose to listen to the audiobook because Mae Whitman did an excellent job with the narration and I think that had a lot to do with why I kept listening and remained fascinated for the most part. However, it might be just a sign of the times, but I felt like there were a bunch of problematic pieces throughout the story. I don’t need to name them ALL, but the biggest one for me is the almost incestual relationship between Clary and Jace. It could’ve been dealt with as a Luke and Leia moment with a quick kiss and an awkward reveal later on, but instead, they continued to mull over the fact that the two were “in love” and the way they treated each other after finding out that they were siblings just made me cringe.

In addition to that, I found that everything worked out a little too perfectly. Obviously, there were some open endings and those leads to the next books, but for a huge world, it seemed like it all wrapped up nicely in the first novel? That confused me a lot. However, I’ve noticed that it’s something Clare likes to do with these books because TID had some similar vibes at the end as well… at least those were at the VERY end of the trilogy though.

I don’t know… I feel like the longer I sit and think about this book, the lower my rating goes in my head. And the more I don’t want to continue the series or read any of her other books? It is my plan to continue them because I like to give a good, hearty try when it comes to a full series – and this world is SO huge now that I feel like I’d be missing out if I didn’t connect the dots.

Thank goodness for the redeeming factor: Church the cat. Oh, and Magnus of course.

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The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Wow. Wow wow WOW. What a FINALE. What a SERIES. I’m in awe.

After reading Six of Crows last summer, I knew I did something wrong. I did something backward. These were meant to be read first and I can see so clearly why that’s the case now. They’re the backbone of this world and they create such vivid imagery for the reader. They suck you in and give you everything you need to know about the Grisha, about Ravka, about all of it.

These characters are everything. The ones you think might be good actually could be bad and the ones that you assume are bad could be fantastic. You laugh at the awkward encounters and cry over the deaths and destruction. Everyone is an onion, with tons of layers to peel away.

While this particular book took a bit of time to build, the climax was incredible. There was SO much that happened in the last few chapters that blew my mind. And the epilogue? It made my heart soar. I usually hate epilogues, but this one gave us such a beautiful look into what transpired for these characters later on. My friend described it as a “sweet and bold” ending and I love that so much that I have to use it myself here (thanks, Kait) because it’s so accurate. The fact that they lived such ordinary lives after walking through extraordinary circumstances is just stunning to me.

I don’t like Mal. I never found myself changing my mind on that. I disliked him up til the final moments. However, I did love that he and Alina created a life of peace and happiness together. Despite the fact that they missed their powers, they were able to turn to one another and find joy in even the mundane.

Truthfully, I could word vomit about this trilogy for ages because I really did love it SO much, but I’m going to leave it at this: FIVE STARS for the whole series. Yep. It did THAT.

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Miles Morales is a normal school kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider-Man. After a disastrous earthquake strikes his mother’s birthplace of Puerto Rico, Miles springs into action to help set up a fundraiser for the devastated island. But when a new student’s father goes missing, Miles begins to make connections between the disappearance and a giant corporation sponsoring Miles’ fundraiser. Who is behind the disappearance, and how does that relate to Spider-Man?

Click here for my full review

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After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

After finishing this book, I looked up at my husband and said, “can my review only say ‘I hated this book and they killed the only character I liked at the end?’ and get away with it?”

Okay, I don’t think I can really get away with that, so I’ll expound a bit:

When I read Serpent & Dove, I made the mistake of getting the audiobook, which I strongly disliked. The narrator was not my cup of tea and I found that listening to it ruined the magic of the story. I came away from it craving sticky buns and not feeling much else towards it.

However, I made the decision to read the sequel – and I waited to get a copy of the book in a paper format so I could be my own narrator. I thought maybe this would help me find an interest in this world and the characters a bit more. I had pretty much only read negative reviews but wasn’t sure WHY everyone disliked it, especially after the massive hype surrounding the first.

Now I know why. I definitely know why. I was bored out of my mind for 90% of the story and for the last 10% I was just fuming with anger. If it weren’t for the fact that the next book will be the last, I wouldn’t continue. To say this one had “middle book syndrome” would be an understatement. It was just a bad book. Bummer.

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With one week to win back the best friend she might just be in love with, a travel writer plans the trip of a lifetime in this sparkling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

Click here for my full review

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After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

If I’m being perfectly honest, part of me believes I don’t have a place to review this. A lot of the themes and elements should only be reviewed by OwnVoices, so I’m going to stay in my lane and focus really on just certain elements of the plot.

Firstly, the audiobook was brilliantly narrated. I couldn’t stop listening because the story was told in such a way that I felt as though I was living and breathing it, rather than just hearing.

Secondly, I really enjoyed the Arthurian retelling. I don’t know a ton about that lore, but I knew enough that I wasn’t confused or attached to Google throughout the novel. I appreciated the additional magical creatures that were added for ferocity and adventure.

Thirdly, the characters were incredible. While I didn’t necessarily “relate” to a lot of what they walked through, I didn’t find myself disconnected from them either. They had great depth and I truly can’t wait to see what happens next!

The absolute only reason this got 4 stars instead of 5 was because the ending felt almost laughably predictable. I was expecting major plot twists and instead, it was exactly what I assumed would happen. That was slightly disappointing.

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Sometimes it feels like life’s falling apart at the seams. Sometimes you’re completely worn out by stresses that never seem to end. For every woman who has been disappointed, who has watched a dream die, whose life isn’t what she imagined it would be, bestselling author Holley Gerth has a heartfelt message of hope–you really are going to be okay. And it is possible to live with joy, resilience, and strength in both the good times and the bad. In fact, she says, that’s what God desires for us.

With her trademark positive encouragement and probing questions for self-reflection, Holley encourages women to spend less of their lives regretting and more of their lives truly living. She shows them how to guard their hearts against despair and look to the future with confidence, remembering that they are part of a greater plan and nothing can stop God’s purposes for them.

No review for this devotional.

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Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Truthfully, I had a tough time getting into this book. Part of that may have been that I had just come off the high of two really captivating contemporary romance novels and jumping into a book with so much world-building required more concentration than I possessed at the time. But it also could’ve just been that it’s a slow start.

It is a slow start, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great book. By about halfway through, I was really invested in the characters’ fates and by three-quarters of the way through, I was flipping the pages so fast my eyes could barely keep up!

Laia is a really likable character with a lot of admirable traits. She’s the epitome of a strong female lead and I appreciated her progression throughout the story. There’s a bit of a multi-character love… rectangle(?) going on that kind of confuses me right now, but I’m sure more of that will be explained in the coming books.

I’m not usually a huge fan of multiple POVs, but I think it was done really well in this book. It was actually helpful to understand both sides of the story and what was going on from each person’s perspective. I’m curious if the POVs will increase from here on out for the other characters.

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Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

See my original review here

UPDATE TIME: First rating (hardcover): 3 stars. Second rating (audiobook): 5 stars.

(NEW REVIEW) Never did I ever think I’d be reading this again, let alone within a year of my first read. Never did I ever think I’d like this book as much as I did this time around. Okay, but for real, if you’re thinking of reading Six of Crows but have not read the Shadow & Bone trilogy, PLEASE RETHINK IT. 98% of my issues with this book the first time were due to my lack of knowledge. After reading S&B, I not only had a strong desire to read SoC (and next, Crooked Kingdom), but once I began reading, I noticed SO MUCH that I hadn’t before.

The first time, it felt scattered, lacked backstory, and bored me in places. I didn’t get the hype. Now, I realize that Shadow and Bone WAS the backstory and the “scattered” element totally works when you understand the magic system, the references to the other characters (Zoya, Genya, Sankta Alina, etc.), and even the locations in the story.

I felt a much deeper connection to The Dregs this time around, as well, and though I have sadly read far too many spoilers about what happens in Crooked Kingdom, I’m really looking forward to diving in. OH ALSO: the audiobook is excellent for anyone having a hard time paying attention since the pace isn’t super quick. The full cast captured my focus really well!

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BIRTH OF A MONSTER
 
The Colossal Titan has breached humanity’s first line of defense, Wall Maria. Mikasa, the 104th Training Corps’ ace and Eren’s best friend, may be the only one capable of defeating them, but beneath her calm exterior lurks a dark past. When all looks lost, a new Titan appears and begins to slaughter its fellow Titans. Could this new monster be a blessing in disguise, or is the truth something much more sinister?

No review for this manga.

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The highly anticipated sequel to the thrilling New York Times best-selling Six of Crows.
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

I’ve begun to experience extreme emotions upon hearing, “No mourners, no funerals.”

Epic is not a word I use lightly, so hear me and hear me well when I say that this was an EPIC book. I found that it was set at a much quicker pace than Six of Crows, but not so quick that I missed what was going on. There were a couple of times where I got names mixed up or locations confused – but I think that was primarily due to the fact that I was listening to the audiobook and couldn’t visualize certain aspects.

I was completely mesmerized as the characters began to open up and we were able to get a glimpse into their pasts and what made them who they are during this timeline. I’m certain that I teared up no less than three times throughout the story, just because of the tragedies they had experienced. Up til this point, about the only person we had any backstory on was Kaz (and a little bit about Matthias), so learning about Inej and Jesper, specifically, had a huge impact on the emotional aspect of this book.

Naturally, I felt all the emotions I expected to feel based on context clues and, sadly, spoilers that I had seen prior to reading. Jesper and Wylan’s disastrous “first kiss” had me laughing so hard my belly hurt and Matthias being killed was brutal, especially since he and Nina were FINALLY getting somewhere with their relationship.

The ending for this book, however, was the most magnificent part. I can’t begin to tell you how satisfying it was to have somewhat of an open ending for us to imagine what could transpire in the future, while also feeling like the things we wanted to be finalized were just that: finalized. It was wrapped up beautifully, but not tied with a nice, neat bow – and I loved that. It reminded me of the ending for Shadow and Bone, where you could visualize what’s going to happen without Bardugo actually giving us every tiny detail of the rest of their lives.

This duology gets five stars all around from me!

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Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes, but not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils…

When you go years and years between rereads, you definitely forget pieces of the books you’ve read. I certainly experienced that when I picked up Ink Exchange. This was originally my favorite book in the Wicked Lovely series and now I’m positive that won’t be the case this time around.

This book is 10x darker than the first, with [TW] rape and other forms of sexual abuse, emotional and physical abuse, depression, addiction, and far more territorial characters than I remembered. I knew it was a tougher plot, but I think I had just pushed some of it to the back of my mind. This time around I really hated Irial and even felt disdain for Niall (though I know what is to come in the future, so I can’t fully express my genuine thoughts without spoilers here). Let’s just say, the Dark Court is really that: DARK.

As for the rest of the story, I appreciate the minor characters even more than the front-runners. I love Rabbit and Gabriel. Obviously, I still love Seth with my whole heart. I also really appreciated the introduction to Bananach! Ooohhh I can’t wait to read the next few books. This one really feels like a filler in some ways, like it was just setting everything up for Fragile Eternity and beyond.

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It’s 1989. Life’s easy for DEBORAH LESLEY: she’s up-market, drives her own flash car to school, and looks pretty good too. She’s never had a job, either; but now her parents have split up, and she needs the money.

JOE GARBARINI is cool. He likes motorbikes, girls, and fun. He doesn’t have time for much — he’s running Heartbreak Café when he’s not at school.

The Heartbreak Café is a noisy hangout on the north Californian coast. Joe’s worked there for years, and knows what it takes. He’s sure Debbie won’t last a month — but Debbie’s determined to put up with his wisecracks and prove him wrong.

Debbie, Joe and the rest of the gang are all at the Heartbreak Café. Meet them in this sparkling series from bestselling author Janet Quin-Harkin.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book.

This book had a lot of potential to be a cute and clever contemporary romance, but unfortunately, for me, it fell really flat. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that it was originally published in a different era, and therefore, a lot of the themes were super problematic.

What I liked:
– The setting! I wish I could spend every day in a beachside diner, eating burgers with the locals. It sounded like a great place to hang out with friends, relax with a book (or a comic book like Howard) by yourself, or even go out on a date.
– The “regulars” at the café. Ashley cracked me up with her ridiculous diet tips. Howard was always ready to watch another wacky science fiction flick. Even Mr. Garbarini made me smile with his willingness to see Deborah succeed – even at the annoyance of his grandson.

What I disliked:
– Deborah. She was awful. Stuck-up, spoiled, and with the mindset that she always has to prove everyone else wrong (whether that’s her mom, her boyfriend, Joe, etc.). She was the most unlikeable main character I think I’ve ever read.
– All of Deborah’s friends. They were so entitled and it bothers me that Deborah never once put them in their place.
– The “stereotypes.” OH MY GOSH this was the biggest nuisance for me. Again, potentially just when it was written, but it bothered me so much that Joe was “the bad boy” because he rode a motorcycle and he was “secretly smart” because he had a copy of Dickens in his leather jacket. GAG. And Howard was a nerd, we get it, but not all nerds are that uncomfortably awkward and loud about their nerdiness? And even the way they made assumptions about Deborah because she had money. It would just not fly at ALL to treat someone that way just because they have a nice car. Truly, all of that irked me to no end.
– The parental figures – or lack thereof. Deborah’s mom is selfish and an utter letdown as a mom. That doesn’t excuse the way Deborah speaks to her, but seriously? You’re just going to stop working altogether because you want to go to school? I understand wanting freedom after a divorce, but that was just totally unrealistic. Meanwhile, Deborah’s free spirit father is off hooking up with younger women and providing zero support. The dynamics were ALL off. Maybe it was supposed to show how Deborah had to learn how to handle life herself? But she does a terrible job at it and then has to deal with her flaky family.

Overall, I found that this book just didn’t settle right with me and I don’t plan to read the rest. I wish it was as cute as it had sounded like it would be, but oof. It was a bit of a hot mess.

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Angie Thomas’s searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty. Soon to be a major motion picture from Fox 2000/Temple Hill Productions.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Will I ever stop feeling strong emotions regarding The Hate U Give? Probably not. This is probably one of the most (if not the most) impactful books I have ever read.

I honestly don’t feel as though I have a place judging this on anything other than the story alone. What I will say is that every person needs to read this, but especially white people. I learned so much just from this one story. I cried and felt anger and wanted more than anything to make a difference as I read it. Even though this was a work of fiction, the events that took place in it are a reality every day in “real life.”

The characters were incredible. Strong, powerful, and tangible. They didn’t seem unrealistic in the midst of horrible circumstances. They had moments of anxiety and fear, but if anything, that’s what made them stronger in the long-run.

If I could, I’d shout it from the rooftops for people to read this. I know, I basically already said that, but I’m sitting here in a pool of my own tears from the impact that book just had on my life.

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Jane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing -in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.

When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.

But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?

This book was CUTE.

That was what stuck with me once I finished it. I turned off the audiobook and realized that there wasn’t much else that I remembered, which was a little disheartening. I hoped for a bit more depth, but it played out pretty much the way I expected. Towards the end, there were some moments where I thought it was going to take an alternate route and then it swung back to “stereotypical” again.

I did appreciate the mental health and disability rep. Tessa, the main character, has pretty intense anxiety and the writing about that topic was really well done. I could really relate to her inner monologue when meeting Lenore and even when she ditched her writing classes because of her fears. Tessa’s brother, Miles, has a disability, but rather than ever talking about it like a burden or something to be sorry about, she loves him fiercely and she’s very protective of him.

Nico and his gang made me SO ANGRY. Like, wanting to just stop reading kind of angry. They were every kind of RUDE and I hated that Tessa didn’t remove herself from the situation much earlier on, just because she wanted to be with “dream boy” or whatever.

I loved everything about Sam. I want Sam to be my friend. Can we have a book just about Sam? Thanks. Truly, honestly, the secondary characters were what I appreciated most about this book. While Caroline was kind of the reason that Tessa got into all her messes in the first place, she’s also the reason for redemption in the end, and that speech she gives Tessa deserves a standing ovation.

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In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times best-selling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Don’t miss the audiobook, read by Elizabeth Acevedo, the beloved author and narrator of The Poet X, winner of an Odyssey Honor and an AudioFile Earphones Award winner.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people….

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

Elizabeth Acevedo does it again! Not that I expected anything less from one of my very favorite authors. I listened to the audiobook and I’m so glad I did because I love that she narrates her own books. She speaks with such passion and it’s somehow soothing and exhilarating to listen to.

There was a rhythm and flow to this that felt almost like poetry or prose. I’m not sure if the physical copy reads the same way, but it certainly felt like that with the audiobook and I really enjoyed that element. I listened to the entire thing in one day.

It was very emotional. The build-up to the two girls realizing that they shared a father was spectacularly written and it kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out how they would handle meeting one another.

I really loved the emphasis on family and the strength and power of a woman QUEEN. It made me feel empowered as I read it, like I was being encouraged for my own strength, intelligence, and ability to handle whatever life throws my way.

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#1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star Nicola Yoon is back with her eagerly anticipated third novel. With all the heart and hope of her last two books, this is an utterly unique romance.

Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.

As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything–including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he’s only just met.

Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it’s that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?

Click here for my full review

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Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other’s arms.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve finished a book and felt unsure how to rate it. I’m almost positive that my rating for this will change as I continue to ponder different elements. As of right now, three stars is where I’m landing.

If I’m totally honest, I was dreading this book. Part of me wishes I could separate this book entirely from the rest of the series because then I would be able to review it in a more unbiased way. However, I can’t do that, which is a huge bummer because I am having the hardest time separating my feelings regarding the characters in the other books and how they’re portrayed in this one.

From what I could tell, the emphasis in this book was primarily on the characters and their development. There was very little world-building and while there was a relatively solid plot, it fell to the wayside because the focus was on the people rather than what they were doing. I lost interest in the politics and found myself skimming entire chapters or segments that had to do with the battle they were facing with the queens.

Things got the most tricky for me because I have loathed Nesta from the start. Even before she was Made, she irked me to no end. She was entitled, abusive, and – for lack of a better description – a total bitch. After being Made, things got worse. She treated everyone horribly, even when they had done absolutely nothing to elicit hatred or admonishment. The Inner Circle continued to treat her with kindness and love despite her terrible behavior… until this book.

In this book, with Nesta as the main character, the Inner Circle quickly became villainized and that was severely disappointing. We were immediately asked to rewrite our own thoughts on Feyre’s tolerance, Amren’s friendship, and Rhysand’s generosity (this one was the most confusing to me, because Rhys is the “savior” in all the other books, and Nesta has a serious double-standard when it comes to him because his “slick smugness” is “grating” and yet Cassian is allowed to be smug or prideful and that’s sexy?). Suddenly, those characters were seen as unforgiving, brutal, and unjust. That did not sit well with me at all. Just because we’re “commiserating” with an unlikeable character does not mean we should feel the need to dislike the characters we loved before. If Nesta’s development and growth towards finding love and power had been entirely of her own volition, without the others being seen so negatively, I would’ve found this a lot more appealing as a whole.

Of course, I can’t only focus on what I didn’t care for because this book had some seriously redeeming qualities. The moment when Nesta makes the conscious decision to train with Cassian and then begins to ask the other females to join her, I knew there was going to be great character growth. She recognizes the pain and suffering that others went through which matches her own and decides to do something about it. Later on, she realizes that while she’s asking those females to push past their fears, she’s been hiding from her own, and THAT moment was really powerful. In fact, just about everything that had to do with the Valkyries left its mark on me. Through her training, her relationships, her time 10,000 stairs away from temptation, she grew and learned to love and respect those around her.

Towards the end, there were some really incredible moments. Particularly, I enjoyed finding out that she had Made the House. I liked how the House had basically become a whole new character in the book (and one that I’d like to be friends with, please and thanks). It was also phenomenal how she sacrificed her powers in order to save Feyre, Rhys, and the baby. This might be brutal, but I do wish that someone had died? I know that sounds horrible, but I think that it wrapped up almost too nicely and that losing someone along the way may have been a necessary evil. Though I can understand why that wasn’t the case because she had experienced so much loss and to add anything on top of that might have broken her in a completely different way.

Oof. I could probably write about this book forever? Like I stated at the beginning, I’m not sure I’ll ever stop processing this. There’s so much to unpack and if I were to really state EVERYTHING I feel about it, it would no longer just be a review, but it would turn into a book of my own. Let me just state it this way: If you’ve read the other books and you hated Nesta, be prepared to have mixed feelings as you read this. If you’ve read the other books and you liked Nesta, be prepared to love her even more. If you haven’t read the other books but you want to read this one, I caution you because there are a LOT of plot lines that you should understand from the other books first.

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