4/5I was provided with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity. The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea is a fantastic, lyrical book full of pirates and escape from danger. It's also packed full of love, both romantic and familial. I am always here for a good mermaid book, and the mythology of mermaids and their connection to the sea was absolutely beautifully written in this one. Flora and her brother Alfie are young pirates on the Dove, a ship captained by a tyrannical, mermaid-blood drinking man who, along with his crew, pretend their ship is a passenger ship, and plan to sell everyone on board to slavery. Lady Evelyn has just been promised in marriage and is therefore leaving her home and travelling by ship to her new spouse. When Flora and Evelyn meet, Flora is Florian, as she is only safe on the pirate ship as a he, (there's no official wording that I remember, but as far as I can tell Florian is non-binary and mostly used she/her). and with some resistance on Florian's part, the two strike up a friendship. The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea is a tale told in several parts, from several POVs. We have Florian and Evelyn themselves, and then Rake, the captains first mate, and even the sea herself, mother to the mermaids. As always, I do prefer books written from one POV rather than multiple, but I must admit it works very well in this story. I especially liked seeing the parts written from the eyes of the sea. It was a unique way to read. The relationship between Florian and Evelyn is a huge part of this book, and in fact sets in motion their need for escape in the first place, and it is written so well, and so sweetly. From Evelyn teaching Florian how to read to Florian abandoning all she'd ever known to make sure that Evelyn was safe. All the characters in this book are intriguing and unique but these two by far were my favourites. I thought the ending, though slightly bitter sweet in some respects, was done perfectly. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who loves pirates, mermaids, or adventures at sea. I would have liked to see a little more of the sailing the open waters aspect that I enjoy about pirate books, but it didn't make a huge impact to not have much of that in this one, as the story was more about Florian and Evelyn finding freedom and happiness together rather than Evelyn learning how to steer a boat. I also would have liked to see more of Alfie, but the majority of the book wasn't spent in his presence so I guess that's understandable. The magic system, along side the mythology was also very well put together. The world building in general was done well, everything felt connected and polished and I enjoyed my visit into it. IF the author should ever decide to take another dip into this world... well I definitely wouldn't say no!
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4.25/5This is such a sweet, light book, while at the same time it deals with grief and illness (someone in Ollie's family, not Ollie himself). Reminiscent of Grease, Ollie and Will have a summer romance that is lovely and intense, and when it's over Will drops off the map. Fate intervenes however, and after summer is finished they end up at the same school together when Ollie's family move to be closer to his Aunt, who is very sick. While Will does indeed frustrate Ollie at first, he meets a handful of other people he becomes close with. Juliette, Lara and Niamh are a trio of friends who end up adopting Ollie into their fold (some less willingly than others) and Ollie soon finds his feet at his new school. One of my favourite parts of this book is the relationships between Ollie and the girls, and the girls themselves. Juliette wants a career in music, Niamh wants to be a plus size model and Lara, though she starts off cold and abrasive, turns out to be someone Ollie has the most in common with, in many ways. The journey across the pages of them meshing of a group was so well done. At times the girls didn't get on, but overwhelmingly it was an example of positive female friendship, of girls who are there for each other, and who are there for Ollie, now that he's their friend too. There's one scene involving a dagger (you'll know it when you read it, it's not an actual dagger) that made me cry like a baby at how far Lara and Ollie had come. (Some spoilers in this next two paragraphs)The Afraid-to-come-out story was handled well too, in my opinion. Will is scared of his friend's reactions, and of his family's reactions, because he's "supposed" to be the typical guy jock, but as his feelings for Ollie grow, so does his bravery. The fact that at the end of it he comes out on his terms, and not because Ollie is pressuring him, was such a relief, as I hate the trope of "well if you loved me you'd be out." Ollie himself had a great character arc where he went from being annoyed at every move that Will made that Ollie interpreted as Will showing he didn't care, to realising that in many ways Will was trying to meet him halfway and Ollie himself hadn't been doing that. Overall, this is such a lovely book to read. It's lighthearted in some aspects and heavier in others (be warned, it does deal with the idea and reality of death and I did sit there reading with tears streaming down my face several times over the course of reading), but overwhelmingly it's about life, and living it to the fullest and being there for the people you love. "When someone you love needs you, you step up." is the motto of this book, as well as a direct quote, and I think the world would be a better place if we all acted on that.
5/5I received a review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, so thank you for that! This is one of the ARCs I've been most excited to receive. There aren’t many books that have delighted me like this before. Like, there have been books I’ve loved, books I’ve cherished, but books I’ve been honest to god, full on delighted by? In such a pure way that they make me want to hug the book close to my chest and roll around the floor in glee? It’s rare, friends. And to top it all off, would you take a look at that front cover? It’s colourful, intriguing... do I doubt the physics of such a house? Sure! Do I want to live in it anyway? You betcha! T.J. Klune is one of the best, most surprising writers I’ve had the pleasure to be wowed by. The sheer scope of topics he covers and excels at is genuinely astounding. I love a lot of his other novels, and so before I started this one I kind of expected to enjoy it but holy moly I think I ascended to a new level of being while I read this. The premise is this; Linus is basically a case worker who is in charge of visiting different orphanages which are home to a range of magical youths. He is very good at his job and so Extremely Upper Management give him the task of examining a very special orphanage... one that houses the anti christ! Dun dun DUN! What's a poor sweet case worker to do. The characters, each and every one of them, are memorable and unique, especially the children. I don’t want to go into too much detail here, I never really do when it comes to books like this, because I genuinely feel like experiencing the introductions to the characters and world page by page is the best way to devour books that are particularly character driven. Don’t get me wrong, the plot is good and enjoyable, not full of action or adrenaline but important and moving. But the characters in this book are so fantastically rendered! Talking of plot though; this book might be character driven but I loved the world building that was sprinkled throughout. I do kind of wish we got to see more of the world, since the book takes place on only two locations really, because a lot of what is hinted at is really, really intriguing. Really though that’s just an excuse to write a sequel and take everyone on a road trip amiright? ... oh my god. Please write a sequel and take everyone on a roadtrip. Please?? And! I haven’t even talked about the main relationship! It’s m/m and quite possibly the first m/m fantasy type book that i’ve read where the characters aren’t swimming with muscles, which makes a really nice change in all honesty. It's such a soft, sweet slow burn romance that more than anything, just made me smile. Please read this book. It’s so beautiful. I’ve ordered myself a hard back edition so that I can, as previously mentioned, hug it and roll around on the floor. It has more of an impact than just hugging my phone screen with the kindle app open haha.
5/5So first things first, I was provided an arc of this book by the publisher on NetGalley. Never say wishes don’t come true haha. Now, if I’m being honest the first thing that drew me to this book is the yellow front cover. Not only is yellow one of my favourite colours, it’s also severely underused in the cover art world and my bookcase is crying out for it, so I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this as well. I was also very nervous to read this book, because of the topic of conversion camps, but I'm so glad that I pushed past that. Surrender Your Sons is an absolute roller coaster of a book and while I usually try to avoid including spoilers in my reviews I just can’t do that here. This book made me feel SO MUCH that I need to discuss is at length, so please be aware there will be some minor spoilers but nothing plot breaking. When I was ¼ in it was maybe 3 stars. I found Connor to be frustrating, he’d go backwards and forwards between being obsessed with his current boyfriend and getting back to him, and then flirting with Marcos, one of the other campers, and so it kind of made any feelings he had for Ario seem a bit?? Fake?? I guess? The further in to the plot we got however, the higher the star rating rose. Connor and the rest of the campers are scared, they’re children. They’re in a place where they’re being told all sorts of lies about themselves. But oh my god are they resilient. From the ones who try their best to protect the younger kids, to the ones gathering evidence since they arrived in an attempt to bring Nightlight down, every single one of the campers was so, so strong. For Connor, Ario was the only queer person he was aware that he knew, and he provided a safe space despite the fact that he pressured Connor to come out before he was ready. And Ario was also pulling away, which made Connor paranoid and possessive. Marcos, on the other hand, was protective and attentive and we all know that trauma bonds people. While Ario’s parents were accepting, both Connor and Marcos had been sent to Nightlight by their family. They experienced the horror of it together, and if that isn’t shared trauma I don’t know what is. Surrender Your Sons is about generational queer trauma. It’s about the way that inflicting this kind of damage to even just a handful of people can resonate outwards like a small rock thrown into a river creates larger ripples. From the younger members of the group, to 17 year old Connor, to some of the camp workers themselves who were returning campers so caught up in the lie and the Reverend’s power that they came back to work for him. And underlying all that is the story of Ricky, an older gay man who Connor had served meals on wheels to before Ricky passed away. Generations of trauma squeezed into one book. It packs a hell of a punch, lemme tell you. I read it in a day. If it had stretched over into day two I would have had to sleep not knowing what happened to the group. I would have had to go to work and sneak tense 15 min reads into my breaks and lunch. This was not a situation I was prepared to deal with and so I stayed up until 1am or so, with a belting headache, intermittently screaming at a group chat about how intense it all was. By the time I was at the last few pages I was exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally but oh my god was it worth it. This book was a masterpiece of character growth and complexity. It had so many twists and turns in it that I almost got car sick without going anywhere. Some chapters were very hard to read, and I cried several times but I also laughed. And after that teaser of an ending if we don’t get a sequel where 5 years down the line Connor is leading an elite team of ex campers to track down Miss Manners I will cry (I doubt we will actually get that, but if you think i'm not going to run fake scenarios through my head of this exact thing then you are WRONG). I recommend this wholeheartedly. But please do go into it with open eyes. Due to the nature of the plot there is discussion of suicide and self harm, of murder and religion and hate crime. It isn’t a book for the faint-hearted, but if you’re willing to give it a chance it’ll wow you.
4/5I absolutely love zombie books. It's weird, because they're also my worst nightmare. Like, if the world was ever going to end holy crap let it not be with zombies because there is absolutely no way I'll survive. It doesn't matter if they're slow or if they're fast, I'd be dead. Despite this, I can't get enough of books written about them. This is Not a Test and The Forest of Hands and Feet were both two of my favourite books when I was younger, and so when I saw that we could expect a YA zombie book with a gay main character I was super excited, and honestly? Wranglestone doesn't disappoint, even if it wasn't exactly what I expected. Peter is so sweet, and Cooper is adorable, and together they make a lovely couple. It was a little too fast moving for my tastes, in the sense of it felt a little insta love, but when we start the novel they've already known each other all their lives, so it doesn't read as eye rollingly annoying as it might do. You get to see them dance around each other for a little while, before anything official happens, but I love a good slow burn romance so I would have liked a little more lead up. The setting of Wranglestone is so spooky. Like, I loved the idea that for a chunk of the year they're safe and they can live their best lives, but behind all that they're slaves to the ice and as soon as it starts to form, they're in danger. It gives you a sense of panic, of a build up in tension. Another thing I liked is that the plot is a different take on the usual zombie type genre. It's a mix of a few different tropes that we've seen before in media, but I can't really go into much detail on them because it would be incredibly spoiler heavy, but things happen at the start of the book that seem so dangerous, but by the time you've read to the end and realised some of the key elements of this world you're like ohhhhhh that makes so much more sense! And the way that the author goes about revealing the secrets of Wranglestone to both Peter and the reader, is great. Overall, a nice, creepy zombie filled read. It's atmospheric, it's intriguing, while at the same time having a very cute love story at the centre, and apparently there's going to be a sequel, which, honestly I can't wait to get my hands on.
4/5I really, really like this series and the cover art for this one is about 100 times better than the first one, so we're off to a good start. I finished the first book (FULL REVIEW HERE) in 24 hours and I seem to be attempting to continue that trend for the rest of the series too. Poor Vie is not having a great time of it, yet again. I feel like this is also going to be a trend that I see continued. So here we are with the second book in this series. Once again, between avoiding and/or confronting everyone out to get him, Vie attempts to solve a murder. Only, things may not be as they seem and as we move through the investigation with Vie, it turns out there's a lot more going on that was first apparent. Added to that, the ending itself throws a big "wait WHAT?" spanner into the works too. I loved the part that Becca played, getting to see more of her and the friendship between her and Vie. It was nice to have him interacting with a positive influence who doesn't have a chance of sleeping with him. I love Austin, and to a slightly lesser extent Emmett too, but this boy needs some platonic friends too! On that same note, I love Sara. Honestly such a kind character who is just trying her best to look out for Vie. The way that story line played out was so perfect and I can't wait to see how it progresses in the third and fourth books. I think one of the focal strong points of this series is definitely the characters, so I was relieved to see that I loved them all just as much, if not more in some cases, as I did in the first book. The plot itself was interesting. It never really got boring, although there were a few points near the beginning that I had to force myself to read through and not skim to get to the action. You could just as easily chalk that up to me being desperate to find out what happens to everyone though, because I AM very impatient. I'm getting progressively more and more concerned about this brewing love triangle however. From past experience with books that include love triangles I've got a feeling I know how it's going to end up, and I don't think I'm going to like it haha, but I'll reserve judgement until I actually see a conclusion. I'll hold out for the polyamory we so clearly deserve! As I mentioned in my review of the first book this cast of characters does not read as the age they are so clearly meant to read as. They just don't. And every time it's mentioned how old they actually are I'm just like... But, as with the previous book, it wasn't such an issue for me that it stopped me enjoying it. I'm excited to see where the third book takes us. I do think it'll need to do something new, because the whole "Vie continues to get beat up," angle is getting very slightly old. As much as I love some good hurt/comfort I feel like there at least needs to be some extra comfort to balance the hurt otherwise it just gets a bit stale for me.
5/5 starsThis book was a very intense look into the life of a teenage psychic who is not having a great time of it. From the start it didn't hold any punches. Mr. Big Empty deals with aaaaall the issues, from bullying to child abuse to self harm and suicide, dipping into murder and torture along the way. It isn't ever boring, which, considering it's a long book, is a miracle, and although some aspects were slightly predictable, others were not, which to me is a good mix for a mystery novel. I read the entire thing in the space of 24 hours, on the bus, on my breaks at work, and then finishing it close to midnight, after which I promptly bought the second book in the series. I really loved Vie as a main character, he was refreshing and unique, and I felt for him from the beginning. I just wanted to protect him, which would be impossible because boy does this guy get himself into a thousand different fights every other day. I can't wait to see what trouble he gets up to in the next book haha. Please let Austin, Emmett and Becca protect him to the best of their ability. I'm a little unsure on how the relationship aspect of this series is going to progress. Spoilers within this chapter.... Okay so. I really love Austin as a character, which, yeah, that surprised me as much as it would surprise anyone else who knows me to know that I would pick him over Emmett who is usually exactly my kind of favourite love interest. I kind of want it to end in polyamory because I hate the idea of any of them being sad, but if I had to pick I think I would pick Austin as my hope for a happy ending type romance. The one thing I did find a little weird was how the characters didn't seem their ages at all. They're high schoolers, but they came across as college students or like, early 20s sometimes. It wasn't a big issue, it was just a little jarring to remember how old they actually were. Overall, I recommend it for anyone looking for a m/m romance-thriller-psychic-mystery. It was entertaining and emotional and very, very well written. "I have no idea what I did," I said. "But, holy hell, I did a damn good job of it." - The Scapegracers
5/5 starsI received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Very minor spoilers within. This book is everything I would have killed to read when I was a teenager. It’s very girl power, very witchy and very queer and I loved every second of it. I can’t wait for the second book in all honesty, I think it’s gonna be killer… perhaps quite literally. I love books with mean girl type characters who genuinely care for each other and look out for other girls. I love it even more when they’re Witches. The Craft film was my jam, although admittedly that didn’t quite end as fairytale found family as I would have liked. This book gave such craft vibes I devoured it, and to make it even better the found family/girl friendships were solid and supportive at the end. Our main character actually reads as a teenager, which I think we miss out on sometimes in YA fantasy books. Sideways is a lesbian witch who loves her power, who wants to be seen as powerful and show off to her peers. She wants friends. She wants a place to belong, she goes to parties, she charges for spells. The other main characters, our three other coven members and the love interest Madeline, were all equally real and fleshed out. Yates, Daisy and Jing were a beautiful diverse collision of different personalities. We don't really know a whole lot about Madeline, other than that she's a bit mysterious which... ok ok you got my attention. I'm weak for a mysterious girl. I also loved Mr Scratch. Hands down one of the most fun and interesting takes on witch mythology I’ve seen. The plot was slightly predictable, but not necessarily in a bad way, and one part of the ending did manage to surprise me which was nice. More than anything though, this book is FUN. Between the Halloween parties and the spell casting and the intrigue of the Witchfinders and the spell books, it all wraps into a very enjoyable book. The only thing I wasn’t really a fan of was how inconsistent some parts where. I don’t know if it’s just me or not but quite often there wasn’t really a separation between scenes, and some things that happened (such as Sideways showing up bloody and upset to her parents) weren’t really appropriately handled. I think the reaction from her dads should have been more worried and intense than it was, rather than just letting her not tell them anything about what happened and run off again with the same people she was with when she got hurt in the first place. Especially when her dads seem to care so much about her and her well being, it just didn’t sit quite right in the flow of the story. Overall though, a strong read. AND there's a beautiful piece of cover art, as the cherry on top of the cake of characters you care about and a plot that's intriguing. I can't wait to see where this goes, how the Madeline/Sideways angle pans out, and how the Witchfinders are handled. I want to see more different covens, I want to know more about the spell books, more about the wider background of the witch community. I want to see Chett get destroyed. That last one is perhaps the most important.
4/5 starsThe Electric Heir is the second part of the duology which began with The Fever King, a fantastic book you should definitely read before this one. Please bare in mind that both books deal with some heavy themes, including but not limited to eating disorders, alcohol abuse, rape, domestic violence and child abuse. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And honestly? My head hurts! You know why?? Because I just read this book in one sitting, eyes glued to my tablet, on the edge of my seat. It was a tense, tense adventure from start to finish, with moments of soft reprieve which were STILL tense in their own ways because as you read them you know that danger is around the very next corner. Whew. I mean, I was expecting great things and boy were they delivered on! This book is hard hitting and emotional in such a way that it leaves you feeling breathless. It deals with situations and topics which are very sensitive and I believe it does a good job of handling them with the honesty and care that they deserve. This duology is about survival, it's about being a survivor, and it never shies away from that, which I think is not just important, but vitally necessary. The synopsis of Electric Heir, sequel to The Fever King, by Victoria Lee, states on GoodReads "Noam Álvaro seeks to end tyranny before he becomes a tyrant himself." And you really do see that journey. Noam is a very powerful character, both literally and emotionally, and seeing the way he's changed from the beginning of the first book is incredible. His character arc has been flawlessly executed. A lot of the changes, a lot of the experiences he's had, have been negative, and he's done things that make him feel sick, but at the heart of him, all he's doing is his best. He's a teenager who has been through so much trauma it was bound to have rubbed off on him in some negative ways. His relationship with Dara is also incredibly well crafted and definitely one of the few positive things that Noam has going for him. Dara in his own right is a powerhouse of a character, not because of his magic, as he doesn't have access to that anymore, but because of the sheer presence he has on page. The way that he reacts, the way that he thinks, the way that he deals with his own trauma and his determination to stop Lehrer, everything about him is powerful. And yet I still want to wrap him in a blanket with Noam and keep them safe for the rest of forever. The one thing I will say (very slight spoilers ahead), which is probably the reason why I'm giving this a 4 star rating (although really it's more 4.5) is that I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending. After all the buildup to the final moment I glanced at the percent check at the bottom of my screen, realised I was on something like 94% and panicked because I thought I must have misread the situation and that I was heading for another cliffhanger and a wait for book 3. It wrapped itself up plot wise, we aren't left hanging, but I don't feel like the ending did the book justice. It's kind of hard to put into words exactly what I mean without spoiling it for everyone. Despite this, however, I 100% recommend The Electric Heir. The ending might not fully live up to my expectations, but the rest of the book surpassed them. It's very dark, twisted sometimes, hard to stomach even, but if you like your dystopias gritty and diverse, with a blast of magic, then you'll love this.
4/5 stars** spoiler alert ** This book is a perfect example as to why I don’t tend to read book series when only the first one is out lmao. I made the same mistake with the Cruel Prince and now I’m stood in book limbo and I HATE IT. I much prefer binge reading and consuming whole series at once but I couldn’t resist this summary and front cover. I listened to the audible version which was done very well. The world building was super interesting and the main characters were all complex beings. I hated Lehrer from the start I NEVER trusted that douche canoe and I need him to die a painful death in book two. The ending was very frustrating for someone who dislikes cliffhangers and wanted a happy ending lmao and Noam’s naivety and unreliable narration did grate on my nerves but I love my disaster bi son. I would, however, take a bullet for my brave gay son so.. if Noam and Dara don’t get a happy ending I’m gonna riot harder than every refugee in this book put together TBH. Talking of book two, I need it like I need air! :( |
Reviewer26. Capricorn. INFP. Hufflepuff. Archives
October 2020
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