Happy Release Day (09/05/2023) to this absolute masterpiece!!!
ARC Buddy read with my otp br partner & best friend, Darcey! WoStar Rating: —>5 Stars
Happy Release Day (09/05/2023) to this absolute masterpiece!!!
ARC Buddy read with my otp br partner & best friend, Darcey! Woo! Return of the Living… Book Bloggers? Lmfao love you sis! I’ve missed our brs SOMUCH!
HOLY SHHHH*T! I cannot even…words rn? I WILL say this was HORRIFYING, BADASS, HEARTBREAKING, MEANINGFUL, FEMINIST AF, CREEPY AF, and just oml suuucchhh a GREAT, PHENOMENAL READ, & a perf book to be a part of my spooky season kick off weekend!
When I can actually articulate a longer, more profound review (bc you best bet I have SO. MUCH. MORE. TO. SAY. about this incredible, incredible book !), I will be writing it asap—I’m still in that initial shock/ awe stage just phew!—RTC !
Another brilliant book, their sophomore novel, no less(!), written by the incredible Andrew Joseph White! They never fail to write incredible, terrifying, horror stories with profound insight into important topics, and do trans rep, autism rep/neurodivergent rep, & queer rep such amazing justice!
Thank you SO much to Peachtree Teen via NetGalley, & Andrew Joseph White for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
Oh my! This vol was so good!!!! This series, just like Inuyasha, is so dear to my heart! In this volume, both charming, mysteStar Rating: —>4.5 Stars
Oh my! This vol was so good!!!! This series, just like Inuyasha, is so dear to my heart! In this volume, both charming, mysterious, new characters, and beloved old ones, to my pleasant surprise, show up! It was definitely ALL ACTION! Loved it. ...more
Well this book was f*cking BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY, EXQUISITE. Near true perfection!
Let me start by saying that the illustratoStar Rating: —>4.5 Stars
Well this book was f*cking BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY, EXQUISITE. Near true perfection!
Let me start by saying that the illustrator, & author’s husband (!!), Jim DiBartolo, does with his illustrations what author Laini Taylor does with her words— Enchant ! His work in this book, as it always is, was a treasure trove for my eyes. Pure beauty, & enchanting storytelling, that told each story before it began with his hands… and it was truly breathtaking work. It was also fun to guess what would be happening in each story, because it was only enough to help you form an idea of what would happen. It was a brilliant idea, and just brilliant, striking, romantic, & truly gorgeous work. When these two team up, the angels SING!
Anyway, back to the writing ! This was pure brilliance, this collection of tales. For three short stories unrelated for naught but a kiss…? Just Pure, & Whole, Perfection. Few authors can so easily accomplish this— Laini Taylor’s prose & storytelling just go unequivocally unmatched!
Especially if you’re looking for a mere string of words that will make you FEEL romanced with no more than a bat of an eye when you’re reading a fairytale type story! I mean this woman is a damn literary seductress!
I will leave you with this (it was in one of my updates, but I am OB-SESSED! I just have an absolute fixation with this quote! It is pure BLISS!):
“With a quizzical look, Kizzy handed him her cigarette and watched as he raised it to his red, red lips and took a long suck. Her insides shivered a little, watching his lips close over her own lipstick prints. It was the closest she had ever come to a kiss. It was a kiss by proxy."
This… was… um. Way more chaotic & tedious than I would’ve liked? Still a guilty pleasure I guess … but I just kept checking hStar Rating: —>3.5 Stars
This… was… um. Way more chaotic & tedious than I would’ve liked? Still a guilty pleasure I guess … but I just kept checking how many pages were in the book , to see how many I had left. *sigh* still some great moments… but, nottt the best?...more
Another magical, adventurous & delightful read from F.T. Lukens!
One thing I love so very much about F.T. Lukens is that thereStar Rating: —>4.5 Stars
Another magical, adventurous & delightful read from F.T. Lukens!
One thing I love so very much about F.T. Lukens is that there’s always a promised HEA. Their novels are always lovely, chaotic (in the best way), & entertaining. I love that I always know I what I am getting into— A WONDERFUL TIME !
I have to say, this may have been my favorite so far ! The character development was fantastic & the MCs were on a long trail of disaster after disaster with even more magical mishaps at every turn…
“…that was as close as they were able to get because I took off running. They weren’t going to catch me. I was the motherfucking Gingerbread Man.” [Quotes may not be in the published version of this novel, they were copied from the advanced reader’s edition.]
This book was an absolute joy to read and the relationship between our two MCs Rook & Sun was *insert heart eyes emoji here* and queer! (wooo we love the LGBTQIA+ rep! Not to mention Sun is non-binary, and on the neurodiversity spectrum as well, as you will be sure to notice in the book though I don’t recall it ever being mentioned, besides Rook respecting it! Anyway we love all of that beautiful rep!), and charming AF! The relationship between the two “rivals,” as they are each apprentices of a sort to rival witches— Antonia, and Fable (who is also non-binary— thank you for all the NB rep, Lukens ☺️). The rivalry between Antonia (a city sorcerer) & Fable (a cottage sorcerer), I honestly think, was rather entertaining, and obviously a problem to overcome for Rook & Sun.
“I ignored them. It wasn’t mature in the slightest, but I didn’t know what to say. I’d chosen magic. I’d always choose magic. That wasn’t the question. But it had been nice to have a friend. To have someone who liked me in return. Someone who, despite my prickliness and social ineptitude, had kept trying. Most people gave up. Even my sisters didn’t fully understand.” [Quotes may not be in the published version of this novel, they were copied from the advanced reader’s edition.]
I also just have to say that when applied to real life, that particular quote speaks volumes to me, and truly means the WORLD, as someone who has AuADHD, anxiety, & bipolar II (depressive bipolar)… which getting a little personal: (view spoiler)[in regards to this, I’m speaking up & saying sometimes I majorly fail socially, causing miscommunication, or a need to not talk at all, or sometimes just ramble & don’t make sense at all, which obviously affects friendships as a whole, greatly. I can have the best intentions, and be genuine AF, but somehow still manage to screw things up royally? There’s more to that, and I think some people are just wired to assume that you’re being negative when you’re simply trying to COMMUNICATE, and boy do none of my illnesses help THAT sort of situation…) So this quote… just means the world. Knowing I have those sorts of friends in my life that understand as I sometimes fumble through life… well, they change everything <3 (hide spoiler)]
Magical hijinks ensue (which should be a TM for Lukens ...more
WOW. I absolutely CANNOT BELIEVE how lush, vivid, BRILLIANT (pun intended? Haha)☺️ & teeming with folklore/mythology, brilliantStar Rating: —>5 Stars
WOW. I absolutely CANNOT BELIEVE how lush, vivid, BRILLIANT (pun intended? Haha)☺️ & teeming with folklore/mythology, brilliant relationships between the characters, whether by found family, friends, lovers (though I must say that I could've done with a little bit more romance, this is one of the very few YA fantasy series out of a very, very many that I've read where I've actually honestly endlessly enjoye this mobdk novel that had little to no main plot line love story/ stories (not that it lacked a main lover or even something of a false love triangle , or other supporting characters dalliances/ romances (def sparks notes vers, lol, but you'll understand when you read ...more
Bahhh sappy romantic me loving all the queer love. Literally tears running down my cheeks right now.
I absolutely LOVED the sStar Rating: —>4.5 Stars
Bahhh sappy romantic me loving all the queer love. Literally tears running down my cheeks right now.
I absolutely LOVED the sapphic rep & the myriad of LGBTQIA+ reps in this novel! This novel was so achingly honest, & didn't hold back; It felt so REAL; so RAW. I don't know, i'm just so incredibly moved by this gritty, yet SO ROMANTIC story. Ruby & Morgan seemed just so incredibly real to me, like they could be people I know in real life. This novel really is something special. The tale of Ruby & Morgan is pretty damn epic, in all of the most realistic, amazing, messy, & beautiful ways.
Dugan did an absolutely fantastic job with this one!!!
Ahhh! You're telling me that there was a YA contemporary rom-com that actually lived up toStar Rating: —>5 Stars
Awkward meet-not-so-cute alert! Gahah
Ahhh! You're telling me that there was a YA contemporary rom-com that actually lived up to my massive expectations/ absolute NEEDS?! WOOHOO!
If you're looking for something that has sugary sweet, with a sea salt caramel cupcake vibe, a la Emma Mills or Morgan Matson... look no further ! This may fill the craving that those authors form, because I swear there is a science that lies behind these types of super successful (IMO) rom-coms, but it also felt like it went one step further for me (which is saying A LOT), & felt so ultimately authentic & real, as well!
***drumroll please!!!***
THE SUMMER OF BROKEN RULES IS A WINNER, GUYS!
It truly FEELS like K.L. Walther bottled up summer, used a water gun to spritz/soak each page with it, and then finally let it dry onto the pages of her book!
I mean, is it REALLY too great a set of expectations for a YA rom-com to be/have (everything this book is):
– actually laugh out loud funny at all the right times – smiles or happy tears most of the rest of the way – emotional & relatable especially if there's been a traumatic event (there has been, in this book ...more
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