This was a kind of cute, kind of entertaining, kind of also unfunny read. I enjoyed the SNL-esque skits being planned by Sally and her coworkers, evenThis was a kind of cute, kind of entertaining, kind of also unfunny read. I enjoyed the SNL-esque skits being planned by Sally and her coworkers, even though almost none of the humour landed with me. To be fair, I usually don't find actual SNL funny either, but I can still give props to Sittenfeld for accurately echoing a similar brand of humour to the program (...the millennial fart jokes used several times were making me wither away).
Sally was a decent protagonist; her background and insecurities were laid out plainly from very early on, making her wry humour less unbearable even when it treaded straight into cringey territory. I liked Noah too, though he wasn't given very many faults when compared to Sally. I think that's why their relationship wasn't very interesting to me; Sittenfeld spends so much time establishing Sally as a genius writer who's really just an extremely anxious middle aged woman convinced she's too ugly for anyone above her pay grade to like her. Noah is this almost flawless opposite, shown to be an also middle aged, famously handsome musician (and not much else) who just happens to take quick interest in her. I wish he was given more nuance, rather than the entire focus up until the last 20% being on Sally's more unsavoury traits and jokes.
This was a very easy, relatively short read, so even though there were things I didn't like about it, I was able to make it through mildly entertained. A little more meat to the story and side characters could have done wonders!...more
Cú Chulainn has to be the standout of Celtic mythology. He's the only figure that made a lasting impression on me, whereas everyone else blended into Cú Chulainn has to be the standout of Celtic mythology. He's the only figure that made a lasting impression on me, whereas everyone else blended into their titles of king or queen, god or goddess. I'm interested to learn more about the stories surrounding Cú Chulainn in depth. Go dog boy go!
And also: other mythologies do women better. The Greeks, Romans, Norse etcetera feature much more impressionable, strong, interesting female figures, despite being simultaneously more outwardly misogynistic.
It's pretty cool that the theme of impersonation is an anomaly of Celtic myth!
(NOTE: Only read/rated up to page 152, as that's what I read for class)...more
Nothing like starting off another year of university with the only thing I'm capable of reading at the time: manga recommendations straight from twittNothing like starting off another year of university with the only thing I'm capable of reading at the time: manga recommendations straight from twitter.
This was a decent story. My main complaint was having 3/4 of the main characters have black hair with an art style that made it hard to differentiate their appearances. I struggled to decipher who was who until almost the end of the story, and by then everyone was already together, tension resolved. The main couple was more wholesome than I expected, though I wish there were a few more chapters so we could see what their relationship would be like after they got together....more
“I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite. ”
I liked this book better whenever there was no plot, becaus
“I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite. ”
I liked this book better whenever there was no plot, because any time there was, I couldn't help feeling echoes of some better-executed fantasy novel that Fourth Wing seemed at least somewhat reminiscent of. Throughout, I craved better executed world-building and a little more originality, though I can't deny being entertained by Violet's snarky narrative and most importantly: Xaden.
This was my first time listening to a graphic audiobook, which features a full cast of voice actors and background noises tailored to specific scenes, like swords clashing during a duel, birds chirping in a garden, and even the echoing of voices as characters ascended a stairwell. The narrators were all incredible, adding largely to my overall enjoyment of Yarros' story. The audiobook was all around incredibly well done, so it was a bit difficult for me to gauge how much of me was a fan of the actual story, and not just the movie-like production playing out in my ears.
When the plot fell short, I found myself instead seeking out more of Xaden and Violet's romance. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed their dynamic, considering I usually hate enemies-to-lovers centred around characters of Violet and Xaden's type (Feyre/Rhysand or Bella/Edward come to mind off the top of my head). Several reviewers have mentioned disliking how quickly the two go from hating each to being desperately in love, but I surprisingly didn't mind it. To me it never felt like Xaden truly hated Violet outside of a flimsy facade; a dual POV (and no I'm not counting the single Xaden chapter as that) would have done wonders for this book, or at the very least made their initial animosity towards each other more believable. Once the two got together, Xaden quickly solidified himself as my favourite character.
Violet was exactly the kind of protagonist I've come to expect from booktok's extremely hyped romantasy recs. When I heard there was supposed to be disability rep through the protagonist (something similar to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) I braced myself for the worst, and was right to do so! Because Yarros loved to pick and choose which scenes to remember Violet's chronic pain, throwing in crazy rough smut scenes without consequence, but making sure to have several mentions of how fragile she was during trials or any sort of training/battles. If I closed my eyes and ignored those issues, though, I could admit the smut scenes were actually good. It was refreshing to see neither Violet or Xaden overly caught up in sleeping together despite the uncertain lines of their relationship (behaving like adults! yay!) and their chemistry was well articulated.
The dragons were cool. I hear they were a highlight—if not the best part of Fourth Wing—for many reviewers, though while I liked their role in the story, I wasn't as impressed or interested by the dragons as most other people seemed to be. I've just seen it done better, with far more well-developed worlds than this one; if Yarros built a stronger foundation around this world, showing us Violets time as a scribe, more of Xaden's backstory, or parts of the war that led to the current state of the wards, maybe I would've cared more. Series like The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons do it better imo, but Tairn and Andarna were still decent additions to the story.
Might continue with this series, mostly to find out what happens following that cliffhanger. And Xaden! I really didn't expect to like him so much, but here we are....more
Whoever categorized this as YA.... I have so many questions. This book felt messy in a distinctly adult way—both the protagonist and her sister 3.5 ⭐️
Whoever categorized this as YA.... I have so many questions. This book felt messy in a distinctly adult way—both the protagonist and her sister immediately striking me as unlikeable because of their seemingly petty attitude and angry way of viewing the world and each other. It was easy to dislike them before being made to know anything about them, but things quickly got heavy once more of their background was explored.
Choi does an exceptional job of fleshing out Jayne and June. Once their individual struggles and mindsets were fleshed out further as the story went on, my view on them changed. All of the dialogue between them came off as eerily similar to real conversations—the casual slang and disjointedness of casual bickering with friends or siblings was captured almost perfectly. I suspect it was for this same reason that I found the audiobook ten times better; I was so enraptured by the effortless stream-of-conscious interspersed with bits of such natural feeling dialogue. The first person narrative paired with Choi's writing style combined to form my favourite aspect of this book, easily.
I wasn't as emotional over Yolk as I expected to be after reading the blurb. My expectations were partially subverted, with a pretty big chunk of the story being about eating disorders (view spoiler)[(TW: bulimia) (hide spoiler)] rather than June's cancer. Regardless, Yolk covered a broad range of heavy topics through the lense of very flawed characters. Everything felt objectively well done, though I just didn't connect with this story as deeply as I wanted to. This is my first Choi book, so I'm definitely interested in reading more of what she has to offer considering her strong writing style....more
Adorable! but kind of lacking. The soft art style and concept were all very cute, with sweet characters to reinforce this as a decently enjoyable readAdorable! but kind of lacking. The soft art style and concept were all very cute, with sweet characters to reinforce this as a decently enjoyable read. Still, there was more explained about tea dragons in the follow-up handbook than in the actual story, so everything felt too oversimplified even for its middle grade audience. An undeniably charming graphic novel, but I couldn't help wanting more!...more
I spent half the time reading this in awe, and the other half confused. It is both beautiful and pretentious, with a non-linear narrative that revealsI spent half the time reading this in awe, and the other half confused. It is both beautiful and pretentious, with a non-linear narrative that reveals itself in disjointed bits and pieces. I'm not the most familiar with the bible, though the narrative choice to have biblical passage and retellings interspersed throughout the story in parallel to the contemporary love and tragedy was such a great idea. Someone more well versed with christianity/catholicism will surely take more away from Dayspring than I did, but it was undeniably profound and inspiring either way. Queer love was articulated so viscerally in short, poetic-like fashion. Oliveira has made something quite special here; I can't help wondering if I would've better enjoyed it with a more extensive background knowledge, or if it was a little too convoluted for the general reader....more
Stayed up until 3AM for this to release on kindle, very convinced we'd get some more Nichoji relationship development, but most of it was in the3.5 ⭐️
Stayed up until 3AM for this to release on kindle, very convinced we'd get some more Nichoji relationship development, but most of it was in the snippets Pacat dropped before the pub date. I think I'm going to be on my deathbed before they become canon because WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE NEXT CHAPTER IS DROPPING 2025?? I love these cuties so much, but that long for their next 'appointment'... I'm sick. I'll be surviving off of crumbs (their handholding panel) for months.
I enjoy every volume of fence almost no matter what, and this was no exception. While this portion was essentially just a big setup for the beginning of state championships, I adore these characters so much that just seeing them interact with each other is enough for a minimum 3 stars. Sue me. I loved Aiden and Bobby teasing Seiji about his date, and transitioned right into wanting to cry when Robert Coste didn't even acknowledge Nicholas, being so focused on Jesse and Seiji when Nicholas was so eager to make him proud :(
Well.... see you guys next year. Hold strong, fence enjoyers! We're no strangers to waiting ages for the next release.
Before reading
Nicholas & Seiji's reluctant teammate/roommate arc has been going on for eons... I started reading these comics in elementary school, and just finished my first year of university (where I even took fencing classes because of how much I loved this series!) But the synopsis.... after a million comic volumes and two whole novels, dare we say it's finally happening?? We're finally getting the boyfriends arc????? I will die....more
Saw everyone on twitter saying "close enough... WELCOME BACK ASH AND EIJI!!" in reference to this anime coming out soon, so as an avid Banana Fi3.5 ⭐️
Saw everyone on twitter saying "close enough... WELCOME BACK ASH AND EIJI!!" in reference to this anime coming out soon, so as an avid Banana Fish enthusiast (it ruined my life), it was only right that I read + watched this. The visual resemblance to our boys is almost uncanny, so imagine my shock when I found out the black-haired lead is a film club student... basically photographer Eiji, while the blond is a good kid viewed as more of a delinquent, and has been taken advantage of by adults...like poor Ash.
In all seriousness though, this was a short and unexpectedly sweet romance. I'm torn between a high rating for the stunning art and likeable protagonists, versus a lower rating because things moved much too quickly for my personal liking. I'm certain this manga would have strongly benefitted from even two more chapters, just to pace things out and give the protagonists more chance to pine before falling straight into a loving relationship. Still, I did really enjoy what I read, I just wanted more! Very excited to see how the anime will pace things out, potentially giving these two a more drawn-out story. They deserve it!...more
I think this is another classic case of "it's not you, book, it's me" but I'm not quite sure...
Godkiller is one of those small-scale, darkly whimsicalI think this is another classic case of "it's not you, book, it's me" but I'm not quite sure...
Godkiller is one of those small-scale, darkly whimsical fantasy novels following a ragtag bunch on a quest to fulfill their own separate missions. Kaner's writing was complex and atmospheric, the characters had some entertaining banter going for the entire novel, and the plot was decently thought out. I feel like I should've enjoyed this book more than I did, but all of the aspects that were objectively really good for some reason felt mediocre to me.
Even though Kissen, Inara, Skedi and Elo each had their own perspectives, I felt distanced from all of them. While I was interested in their journey and where it would take them because of their clashing motives, I don't think I cared as much for them as I did for their role in the aesthetic of the story: the loyal ex-soldier, the magical girl with a tiny god companion, and the sacrificial lamb turned godkiller. It was like the characters became pretty decor for the overall settings and themes playing out as the pages went on.
The romance didn't resonate much with me, either. I was almost caught off guard when Elo and Kissen's relationship started heading in that direction, so thoroughly convinced they would be great fighter friends who couldn't stop insulting each other to save their lives. Honestly, this felt like a story that didn't need romance, full stop.
The world-building might be the only complaint of mine that is more objective than subjective. This was a pretty short book considering the genre (only round 300 pages), so there wasn't much that could be accomplished in the way of explaining the broader scope of this world. While things were offhandedly said to be quiet large-scale, this book felt very contained. I don't mind that, especially when it comes to standalones, but that's not the case for this series since there are more books to follow. I wonder if Kaner will maintain ambiguity regarding the origins of gods and how so many of them came about, or if those things will be explained in depth later on.
Not sure if I'll read the next book. I thought about it, took it out from the library, but now I'm not so sure. I just don't see myself caring much for these characters even though the general feel of this series was pleasant. Still, this was a good series-starter! I can see why people like it....more
Friends to lovers to enemies back to lovers.... oh how it never gets old! I'm sure fans of Helnik will eat this one up, especially with the sim3.75 ⭐️
Friends to lovers to enemies back to lovers.... oh how it never gets old! I'm sure fans of Helnik will eat this one up, especially with the similar dynamic: Rossana is a hard-headed magic wielder with a grudge against Damian, her softhearted ex-lover who's been stationed as a guard and conditioned to follow orders before he can think too hard about what he really believes in.
I was under the impression that Seven Faceless Saints was primarily a fantasy, but I'd go as far to say this is romantasy or even a romance with a background plot of fantasy. I really enjoyed reading from both main leads, and while the mystery surrounding the murders near the Palazzo didn't strike me as particularly unique, I had a pretty fun time with this book. It was nicely written, and the dynamic between Roz and Damian entertained me to no end, especially with how badly they yearned for each other while trying to bury the feelings in entirely opposite ways. I love when men are lovesick and pathetic for strong bisexual women.... Damian you will always be famous in my eyes ...more
When a newly published romance novel blows up on tiktok, it’s usually either a complete abomination to literature, or one of the best things I’ve everWhen a newly published romance novel blows up on tiktok, it’s usually either a complete abomination to literature, or one of the best things I’ve ever read. Icebreaker is one of the first instances where I found that it was neither. And I’m actually kind of happy about that!
My interest in Icebreaker came mostly from the hockey element. I’m a casual hockey fan, and from what I recall I’ve loved every one of the handful of hockey romances I’ve read to date. Still, the overwhelming hype had an inverse effect on me, and I went in with abysmally low expectations…
Things started out rough. Hate is a strong word, but the first few chapters had me gearing up to hate both Nate and Anastasia for their annoying tendencies and narration. In the meantime I took a long break from this book, started and finished reading something else, and upon my return those feelings slowly started dissipating until I had to admit I was having kind of a fun time. Sure, Nate and Anastasia were kind of cringey at times, and that uber ride scene where… things happened with their friends crammed into the car… is burned into my memory for all the wrong reasons, but the rest was admittedly cute! My absolute favourite thing was the little aspects of found family, especially with Nate’s teammates and Anastasia’s best friend Sabrina all being so sweet and supportive. I loved the side characters even more than the protagonists, and I’m honestly surprised at how many great ones Grace was able to flesh out in the span of a single book! Sabrina and Robbie’s romance alone??? So good. It was only mentioned in bits and pieces by Anastasia and Nate, but I’d kill to read a book about them getting together since they’re both the actual sweetest.
Is this spectacularly written? No, definitely not. I didn’t expect it to be though, so I was able to look past a lot of the awkward dialogue or kind of cringey smut scenes. Is it weird that I enjoyed a romance mainly for every aspect other than the romance? Maybe. But it’s also pretty cool that there was emphasis put on so many other topics like the importance of friendship, reconciling familial ties, choosing your own family through friends, the importance of therapy, and putting yourself before your career. A surprising amount of good messages were packed in to this one, so I can’t even fault it for being a bit on the longer side. While it certainly wasn’t outstanding, I was pleasantly surprised by the direction Icebreaker took, and its handling of more delicate topics. Can’t wait to follow Russ and Henry’s stories in the next books, since they (alongside Robbie and Sabrina) were some of my favourite characters!...more
I don't know if I loved or hated this. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Mostly I'm just sad.
I've grown so attached to these characters, meaning pretty much I don't know if I loved or hated this. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Mostly I'm just sad.
I've grown so attached to these characters, meaning pretty much everything about the way TAS wrapped up pained me beyond belief. A lot of the decisions felt... nonsensical? I was convinced things were gearing towards an ending where either everyone dies or no one dies, so when I tell you I was shocked, I mean that never in a million years did I expect Blake to kill off who she did, give villain arcs to who she did, or let live who she did. Now I have more questions than I did going in.
Let's hope Parisa was right about the multiverse and Gideon's magic so that we can. I don't know. Open up another reality where all of this never happened!
Before everything went bad, I was genuinely enjoying everything about this book. Nicogideon enjoyers were thriving, Novacaine enjoyers were on the cusp of thriving (those murderous texting chapters between them were hilarious, heartbreaking and quite possibly the highlight of this book), while the other characters partook in some other friendships/rivarlies/kind-of-not-really-romances that I was also thoroughly invested in. The buildup of tension towards the 'sinister plan' (as my beloved Nico put it) kept me deeply invested in what was to come, especially since the only other obvious alternative was killing one of the initiates to satiate the archive's thirst for blood. Oh how naive I was. Before the first major death happened, I could feel my hopes for this finale collapsing and my heart syncing up with Gideon's because no no nonoo NO NOOOOO!!!
Ah. So many good things that never came to fruition. For one: Tristan and Callum's dynamic. There seemed two plausible outcomes for their relationship, so when none of them happened, I was pretty upset. Most of their chapters consisted of them poetically droning over text about how badly they'd like to murder each other. Which we all know is pathetically one sided because our pathetic king Callum is actually in love with Tristan and a master at repressing his emotions. Regardless, this all meant that I would have been okay with two endings for them:
(1) Tristan kills Callum, while in his dying moments Callum confesses his love. (2) Tristan forgives Callum, witnessing his true self, and they either live on platonically or romantically.
Well folks! That was a wrap. No catharsis for us. Anyways. My main and most severe sense of pain stems from something much worse. One of my favourite characters of all time got one of the most unfair and unjustified endings I've ever witnessed, consequenly meaning TAS just dethroned The Song of Achilles for the most that I've ever sobbed over a book.
Wow. Okay. Definitely did not expect that. But if you've read this book, you understand. I actually appreciate character deaths if they're done well and for good reason, but this felt so painfully unfounded that I couldn't fathom what had just happened, or for what reason. (view spoiler)[Nico deserved so much better than what he got. He's always been the sweetest initiate, his platonic 'i love you's sent to the others over text, his constant enthusiasm, and his big heart made his death as the consequence for Libby going off the rails feel deeply unfair. Gideon's chapters after Nico's death broke my already shattered heart; neither of them deserved even a fraction of this pain. I'm so angry for Gideon. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, this ending leaves me conflicted. The Atlas series has given me so many new favourite characters, so while I hated the way things ended for all of them, I can't ignore how much I loved seeing their dynamics play out in the first half. Regardless, a lot of the pain in this conclusion felt without reason, and I'm confident in saying that none–not one of the initiates' endings was satisfying. I mean, my two favourite initiates got the shortest end of the stick (view spoiler)[both dying for the stupidest of reasons (hide spoiler)] while there was no sense of catharsis at all for the rest of the initiates. My only sense of peace is that last Gideon chapter, where I'll be ignoring everything and pretending that the dream was real. It has to be real (I will go insane otherwise).
This was definitely not what I expected from my most anticipated release of the year. My only sense of comfort is seeing other reviews pour in with similar feelings of disappointment and heartbreak. Cheers to stewing in our grief, and surviving the Atlas series! ...more
Misaki and Usui are already growing on me. Their banter is pretty funny, and I like how the author is maintaining a strongly feminist narrative3.75 ⭐️
Misaki and Usui are already growing on me. Their banter is pretty funny, and I like how the author is maintaining a strongly feminist narrative through Misaki’s actions as school president. She’s a girl’s girl, and I love that! Even Usui is catching on to her actions and growing better from it (like when he fought to win the race so he could spare Sakura from kissing that other dude). I’m surprised at how empowering this manga is towards young girls; it’s refreshing to know a protagonist like Misaki was out there in shoujo for so many years!...more
One of my good friends recommended this to me years ago (probably around our first year of high school) and I only just now got around to it. With a tOne of my good friends recommended this to me years ago (probably around our first year of high school) and I only just now got around to it. With a title like Maid-sama, I was bracing myself for something weird, but this was... surprisingly not that bad?? Misaki as a protagonist borders on radically feminist, which I would have never expected from a shoujo manga that was first published almost 20 years ago. So while this manga still has the strangely-possessive male lead that was typical of the genre in the early 2000's, I'm starting to like Misaki and her goal to eliminate the stereotypes that might surround her if her classmates find out about her job.
The romance is moving surprisingly quickly for an 18 volume series. I mean, there was already a (one-sided) kiss and confession, so I'm genuinely curious as to how the author will create more intrigue later on. Will there be an extended period of romance after Usui and Misaki get together, or will there be a ton of plot complications that turn this into more of a slowburn? I'm curious to find out. ...more
Such a well drawn manga with really cool character designs!! Stein and Death the Kid stood out as particularly unique; I’m interested to see where theSuch a well drawn manga with really cool character designs!! Stein and Death the Kid stood out as particularly unique; I’m interested to see where their stories will go.
Although Soul Eater has an interesting premise with weapons that become human, it still took me a while to get into the plot. There was a lot of weird fan service and humour in the first half that had me verging on DNFing this, but I’m glad I didn’t, since the new characters made things really worthwhile. I’m definitely looking forward to what's coming!!
Also: Megan the Stallion’s Death the Kid costume this Halloween was so awesome!! Definitely got me interested in this manga....more
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