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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...

( Original tag video ) I found out about this from Nana's tag What's the best book that you've read so far in 2019?   Definitely The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark. I look at all my other 5 star reads this year, and none of them really compare, honestly. What has been your favorite sequel of the first half of the year? It was sort of a hard choice between my re-read of The Burning World by Isaac Marion and my first-time read of Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, but I ultimately choose Crooked Kingdom. New release you haven't read yet, but want to I adored the first book, Grace and Fury , so I have high hopes for the sequel, Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart. It came out on the 2nd of July and I really need to get a hold of it. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year The Monster of Elendhaven  by Jennifer Giesbrecht really seems to be up my alley and I just want it in my grubby little hands right now! Big...

★★★☆☆ 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...