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★★☆☆☆ I received this digital review copy from Aftershock Comics via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. Well that was stupid. There are ways of making a conspiracy-focused narrative without making it unbelievably dumb. The first 30 pages or so were promising, but then it devolved into a cliche mess. This is about this kid, Jake, and his corgi. (The corgi was the only character I liked) Jake is obsessed with conspiracy theories and feels like there's more than this provincial life. When his life gets turned upside down and he's inducted into a secret organization called the Beyonders, he discovers that maybe he's been right all along, that everything's connected. He sets out on a quest to crack the code. It's a race against the Order, what we know as the Illuminati, as they hunt down Jake, his dog, and his math genius friend, Narine. This first point is a personal thing, so take it...

★★★★★ I received this ARC from Delacorte Press via BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. I better be getting a sequel or I will personally strangle Rory Power. The Tox didn't just happen to us. It happened to everything. Obligatory Summary It's been 18 months since an insidious and horrific disease known as the Tox took over Raxter Island, and the girls trapped there are beginning to unravel. The Tox takes something from each of them, humans and animals alike—some their eyes, some their sanity—and gives them something else in return. Hettie and her two best friends, Byatt and Reese, have managed to maintain a friendship throughout all this turmoil. But things are changing, and when one of them disappears, Hettie will do whatever it takes to find her. Part psychological thriller, part psychological hor...

★★★☆☆ Buddy read with Nana ! Wow, the Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet parallels just keep getting stronger. Except Amulet is good and idek what this was. It was pretty. I'll give it that. The aesthetic is on point. I had no clue what was happening most of the time, but it sure was pretty. I could barely keep track of the characters, and almost everything that happened was pure self-indulgence. It really took me out of the narrative when certain large sea monsters were spouting certain words that sounded like something straight out of a drunk draft of Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. Also, Corvin gives me ACOTAR x TOG vibes and I'd really rather not rn. The weird Freudian crap going on with Tuya is also very weird and very uncomfortable. Overall, this was just a mess and the next one better be good, because the last one was great. But, I must admit, it was very pretty. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★★☆ Why didn't I read this sooner???? There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love. Soooo I really wanted to give this 5 stars. It is by far the best book Cassandra Clare has ever written. Unironically. TMI had mostly crap characters with a pretty cool plot; TID had great characters with a lame plot; this had stellar characters with an amazing plot. It really threw me for a loop. The big plot twists didn't come out of nowhere but also weren't super obvious. When we get the big reveal, I literally gasped and rethought the whole book, zeroing in on those little details she planted that didn't seem important at the time but actually meant everything. It was so well done! The characters in this really stole the show. Cristina starts strong and honestly, stayed there. She was an icon and I stan. Emma wasn't a cardboard cut out of a Strong Female Character either; she felt like an actual te...

★★★★★ This was truly delightful! I'm a big fan of children's fantasy, as it turns out, because I loved every minute of this! It's whimsical and magical and really just great. It has the same vibe as The Little Prince , Peter Pan , and Alice in Wonderland , but a bit lighter on the dark themes. It's definitely something I'm going to be reading to my future children. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★★★ Look back to the old tales of fairyland. Look back to legends of monsters and magic. Our stories have changed, but the world behind the world never does. This short story by one of my indie favs, K.A. Wiggins, really butters my bread, to be frank. It's got the spooky, fair folk vibes that I live for; the atmosphere really just shines in this. While I wasn't necessarily pulled in by the opening (such is often the case with first person for me, so there was no fault with the work itself), I was without a doubt pulled in by the tale itself. AND THAT ENDING! *literally dying* So you will want to stop here, while you still believe my words, while your world remains as it should be. Because this is the sort of story that cannot be told. Read the book here

★★★★★ This was the first book that I ever really loved. I first read it when I was about 10 or 11, and I fell in love with Scott O'Dell's writing, getting my hands on any of his books that I could find at my elementary school library. It really made me into a reader. But I hadn't read it in about a decade, and I was curious how well it would hold up to my adult mind. IT WAS EVEN BETTER!!! I originally rated this 4 stars, rather arbitrarily, but this reread proved that this is truly an amazing piece of historical fiction, especially for children. Even for its time, it does a great job at portraying Native American peoples in a humanizing light, as well as young girls (which is amazing, because Scott O'Dell was clearly a white adult male). It's compelling and action-packed, and extremely educational. I really felt for Karana as she lives abandoned on an island for the majority of her life, missing her family but feeling unable to leave her home. M...

★★★★☆ (original rating: 5 stars) This place was truly the highest and the lowest of all worlds—the most beautiful senses, the most exquisite emotions...the most malevolent desires, the darkest deeds. Perhaps it was meant to be so. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached. This book holds a really special place in my heart. It's the first book I ever read that was over 600 pages, and it was one of the first books that really got me into reading. I used to keep it next to my pillow every night when I went to bed, and I'd flip to my favorite parts (still know them by heart) over and over again, just to experience them again. I love this book, and nothing can ever change that. I did, however, decide to lower this from a 5 star rating to a 4 star. It just didn't affect me in the same way, the way it once had. Perhaps I've simply numbed myself to it, but it's been over 5 years since I last read it, and I just...didn't feel anything, ...

★★★☆☆ The only thing this book really succeeded in was reaffirming why I hate snobby people and their ceaseless contrivances. If you like Gossip Girl, reality TV, and don't mind fake-politeness, then you'll probably really like this. I, however, really didn't. This is a science fiction romantic mess about the most convoluted love dodecahedron you've ever heard of. Here's a brief overview: Person A is in love with person B , who is flirting with person C . Person A and C are best friends. Person D is friends with person A and C , and was in a relationship with person E . Person E is also in a relationship with person F , who's dating person G . Person H is in love with person A , and was hired by person C to spy on person B . Persons A , C , D , F , and H are all main characters. And that's not even the end of it. It goes on and on and on and on and I hated it. Oh, and there's pseudo-incest, if you're into that kinda ...

★★★★☆ This is by far my favorite entry in the Vampire Academy series. It gave me a bigger cast and a greater sense of the world. Honestly, it gave me almost everything that I've felt lacking in this series so far. The world felt so lived in, which is so hard to find in urban fantasy in my opinion. I realized, reading this, that I legitimately love this series, and not just in a so-bad-it's-good kinda way. It's really evolved into something great and well developed. It has the sillier exterior, but a much deeper, much darker undercurrent, and I absolutely love that. Rose's journey was definitely the best part. Even though very little happened for a long time, it was good build up to her ultimate decision and nice foreshadowing for what happens at the end. There was a plot twist that I definitely saw coming from a mile away, but I didn't really mind it. And I absolutely loved Dimitri's family; they were great. I wasn't a huge fan of Lissa's st...

★★☆☆ I received this ARC from Viking via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. June 4th. 2019 update: I've decided to up my rating from 2 to 3 stars, the reason being that I've just been thinking about this book a lot, and (while I still don't know what that one chapter said), this book really stuck with me, especially after I read the Hobbit, and realized what that weird dream about food was all about.  update over (original review written January 8th, 2019) This book was a bit of a trip. I feel like I spent 99 nights just trying to read it. "During the whole length of the battle, I was scared of hiding and becoming caught. Of running and being hit. Of shooting and becoming a killer. And all my fears warred inside of me, until they massacred one another, so that it wasn't courage that let me fi...

★★★☆☆ Lol what even was this?? When heart and sword meet, there shall be victory. I've only ever read Turned by Morgan Rice before, and it's one of my favorite so-bad-it's-good books, so I went into this expecting the same level of pure garbage that Rice always delivers. And I definitely got that, but I also got a little something more. This book honestly read like a promising but juvenile first draft. There was definitely something there, and I got some feels from certain events and the atmosphere. Ceres was hot headed and ridiculous, and probably the most cliche fantasy heroine ever, but I liked her. Thanos was definitely my favorite character, except he sometimes was a bit of a sexist pig, but it was so poorly done that I wasn't offended. The plot supposedly takes place over the course of like a week, but with every single chapter ending with some grand cliffhanger about how Ceres' life will never be the same, because she's been kidnapped...

★★★☆☆ I hurried around to the garage door because I really had to pee. What an iconic line. Obligatory Summary Alecia is just a regular Korean-American girl living in Seattle -- at least, she was, until she started doing magic. Then she came across a strange creature in an alley and let him eat half her soul. Now she can see and hear Iverog, but no one else can. When an older relative called Grandpa Dan tells her that he's a wizard, he takes her under his wing. But when her ability to see magical objects bring disastrous results, it's up to her to save Grandpa Dan, with only Iverog and a reluctant FBI agent to help her! My Thoughts I'm not entirely sure what I just read. I think I liked it though. To be quite honest with you, this felt like a parody of 2009 MG fantasy, with some very questionable yet humorous choices (as exhibited in the quote above) and a general disregard for resolving plot holes. But I'd be lying if I said...

★★★★★ My brother sat me down to read this, since it's one of his favorite ghost stories. It's basically an amalgamation of various other ghost stories, but told in such a way most of the plot points are via implication, and I loved it! It's very spooky and fun. I'm kind of shocked that it has so few ratings on Goodreads, actually. Definitely go read it, it's only like 1 page long hah. There's a great reading of it on Youtube by Michael Hordern that's only about 7 minutes or so.

★★★★☆ I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. It was honestly more of a 3.5 but the first half was great, so I'm rounding up. Love and friendship. Shame and heartache. Endings and beginnings. Obligatory Summary Isaura is on a boat, going back home to her father's house after a failed marriage, but the sea has been behaving most strangely, and when her ship capsizes in a brutal storm, killing everyone except for her, she thinks she'll die far from anyone who loves her. Leonel, the last of the mermen, illegitimate son of the sea goddess Ran, is the Guardian of the Fathoms. He's been investigating these storms for a while, trying to figure out what dark magic is causing them, but his royal family and kingly stepfather disregard every report. When he finds Isaura, adrift and alon...

★★★☆☆ Throwback to that time in sophomore year of high school when we were reading this in English and learning about psychological disorders in health and everyone was saying that Holden was bipolar and I dropped the truth bomb that he had borderline personality disorder and even had the direct quotes from the book and DSM-V to prove it. The whole class was shook. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★☆☆ I read this with Nana , my designated buddy reader hah (pre-review) No one expects a princess to be brutal. Actually, everyone expects a princess to be brutal nowadays. If she isn't then she's ~ weak ~ and a ~ damsel in distress ~ (actual review) Finally freaking done with this. I have some mixed feelings. "Someday you will go, and your life will be blessed for it. But it will not fix you—all your troubles will still be here, waiting. First you should strive to find peace where you are, and then you can make the pilgrimage to celebrate that peace." I honestly expected this to be a 4 star review, or maybe even a 5 star if the book gods were willing. They were not willing, unfortunately. They were very much not willing. I'll start with what I liked: the writing. It was spectacular. Very very very well done! I haven't read a YA book written like that in a long time, and it was extraordinarily refreshing. It was, ho...

★★★★☆ I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. Gustaf the brave had fought and bled, Then found himself cold and dead. He pleaded with the Goddess Hel, That if She would only make him well, He would kill ten men that night, And send them to Her without a fight. She agreed and took him back, To his body bent and black. When his spirit stepped inside, The pain and rot forced his cries. He begged Her again to set him free, Which She did most generously. Death cannot be fooled or bought. Best be gone than left to rot. Obligatory Summary Carina is an outsider wherever she goes: in her homeland, where she escaped Death, and in her new home, where she doles it out as a Daughter of Hel. But when her rival betrays her, she's forced to befriend her kidnappers, a motley crew of t...

★★★☆☆ I received a digital review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. My opinion is in no way influenced by the author, publisher, or distributor. Sort of like Percy Jackson and the Olympians meets Skyrim, this fantasy short story tells the tale of Segree, an assassin for the Egyptian gods who's task it is to hunt and kill minor Greek gods so that his Egyptian employers can escape their prison. This was a fun little short story, and I liked the concept enough, though it tended to feel more like a RPG and less like a real fantasy world, especially where the mythology was concerned. The writing was generally good, though it often read like passive voice (which I'm not entirely sure it always was) and relied heavily on excessive description. Also, Charon, the main opponent whose scene takes up the vast majority of the story, spoke in incessant third person. To give you an example of how often he said his own name, there were 62 instances of the...

★★★☆☆ I received this ARC from Crooked Lane via BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. When the time came for them to sleep through the night, something would be given: the gift of rejuvenating sleep, essential to life. But like every bargain, something would also be taken: it would be another of those inevitable steps away from her and into themselves. Let it go on, she thought, this beautiful torture, the time of sleepless nights. For as long as it will. Obligatory Summary Lauren Tranter is certain that a strange woman wants to steal her newborn twins and replace them with her own, but no one else believes her; not her husband, not her friends, and certainly not the police. Detective Harper, however, thinks there's more to the situation. After Lauren's twins get briefly abducted, things seem to be coming together, but nothin...