Meet Cute / Helena Hunting

3.5/5

Meet Cute is a rom-com movie in new adult novel form. It has a ridiculously hot, literal movie star love interest who cares for his sweet younger sister, a career focused woman, and a two-dimensional villain. It's a sweet novel that doesn't have the flaws many chicklit novels do, such as a catty friends and anti-feminist themes, and even supplies some steamy scenes. 

Meet Cute does a good job of balancing romance with relatively realistic and reasonable characters. I enjoyed the switching perspectives because I liked both of the leads, Kailyn in particular. She's smart and very put together, except for her fangirl scenes in the beginning which were so cringe they were a little hard to read. Kailyn is at a crossroads in her life and I appreciated her logic and approach to her problems. I also liked that she made time for her friend Holly; I'm glad that Helena Hunting didn't feel the need to add some trashy friend drama into the novel.

The villain was cheaply done but who cares? Nobody is reading this looking for a well-developed villain. Meet Cute delivers on everything it promises: a literal meet cute, sweet characters, a budding romance, and sufficient steam. It was a little too long for me to call it a quick read but it's a light read, and I'd recommend it to those who are looking for a feel-good story and happy ending.

White Stag / Kara Barbieri

 

3/5

An average to above average read. Janneke, our lead, is an interesting and well-developed character; her journey and growth are the strongest points of the novel. Janneke must decide what and who she is and want she wants in her future. Her internal conflict and the flow of her perspective felt natural. I appreciated her strength, especially in the face of past trauma. 

I believe White Stag started as a Wattpad fanfic so I had adjusted my standards accordingly and I'd suggest readers do the same before reading. I liked Janneke but no other character is nearly as developed. The dialogue can be hard to pin down because at times it is extremely modern which contrasts sharply with the world it's set in. I also found it hard to understand why and how, if goblins are so horrible and cruel, Soren is our one special angel with feelings? And the biggest downside was the ending; it was a major stretch and felt cheap. 

Overall, White Stag is a quick read with an easy romance to root for, and it can act as a filler for the The-Folk-of-the-Air-shaped hole you may have in your heart. Be sure to adjust your expectations in terms of development and complexity, read all of the trigger warnings beforehand, and you'll be set to give it a try. 

Sorcery of Thorns / Margaret Rogerson

5/5

Sorcery of Thorns reinforces my belief that Margaret Rogerson should be on every YA reader's "authors to watch" list for her well-developed characters, wonderful relationship building, and enchanting worlds. 

Her first novel, Enchantment of Ravens, disappointed me at first because I had expected an epic fantasy when it was a romance novel, but quickly became one of my favorite comfort reads due to the relationship, the lead's cleverness, and description of the world. Sorcery of Thorns, which is an entirely different novel, is the epic fantasy I wanted, and even more clearly displays Rogerson's strength in creating complex characters and relationships.

Sorcery of Thorns follows Elisabeth, who has been raised in the system of Great Libraries where sorcerer-created grimoires are kept under control. She's been led to believe that sorcerers are evil, because sorcerers must tie themselves to a demon in order to use magic. When the Libraries fall under attack, Elisabeth finds herself in the heart of the conspiracy, and the novel is about her fighting this threat. 

The official blurb makes it seem like Elisabeth and the sorcerer Nathaniel team up to face the threat, but the truth is that her journey takes many twists and turns and Nathaniel has a smaller role than I would have expected in a typical YA novel, something I appreciated. This journey is about Elisabeth, and I thoroughly enjoyed her strength. I loved her realization that the information she'd grown up on may have been biased, and I admired her willingness to keep an open mind and make her own opinions. One thing in particular that stood out to me in Sorcery of Thorns was that Elisabeth is often first on the scene and the first to act. I didn't realize how common it is for a female lead to follow another character into action until I read one scene where Elisabeth is there first, Nathaniel and his demon Silas following behind her. 

And this brings me to Silas, Nathaniel's demon. As stand-out of a female lead as Elisabeth was, Silas really stole this show. I think he's made it onto my personal list of best characters. Every scene with him was a treat; honestly, there may have been more scenes between Elisabeth and Silas than Elisabeth and Nathaniel. The slow discovery of Silas's character was as enjoyable as, and probably aided, Elisabeth's self-discovery. Silas was a mystery, and I never really knew where he stood or if he could be trusted, and that made reading about him so exciting.

I've read other reviews for Sorcery of Thorns that mentioned pacing was too fast. For me, there was a point about 30% of the way in that actually felt too slow because Elisabeth was isolated, but otherwise Elisabeth is a very proactive character always looking for the next step. I can understand why others may think the ending wrapped up too quickly, but I don't feel the same way. Everything that needed to happen and should have happened, happened. In fact, the last sentence really packed a punch. It was honestly the best ending I've read in a while and probably the best scene in the book.

Sorcery of Thorns has a stronger-than-usual female lead, a world book-lovers will enjoy, a background romance, and an interesting demon. Not sure what more I could ask for in a YA fantasy. Please give it a try ASAP.

The Fill-In Boyfriend / Kasie West

 4/5

The Fill-In Boyfriend was exactly what I was looking for in a cute holiday read. It's a romantic coming-of-age novel that is very reminiscent of Since You Been Gone by Morgan Matson, which is one of my comfort reads. 

Every so often, between fantasy and sci-fi reads, I crave an easy teen romance. I'm always wary that I'll unluckily pick up one of the many horrible high school novels full of underdeveloped characters, catty friends, and unrealistic boys that always stink of anti-feminism. You know what I'm talking about. The Fill-In Boyfriend is not that. Obviously, one can't have too high standards for a novel of such genre-- you won't find anything stunningly original here, but you will find a sweet coming-of-age story, funny dialogue, and a strong ship. There are times when our protagonist Gia's narration can be a little boring, but I feel that that's part of her character and development; the point of the novel is her learning to form and express her thoughts.

I read The Fill-In Boyfriend in one day. I loved having such an easy ship I could get behind, and I thoroughly enjoyed being sucked out of boring pandemic life and into Gia's world. Kasie West does an excellent job of showing instead of telling, and I loved the almost unreliable narration. It allowed me to slowly discover Gia's character the same way she was discovering herself. I would highly recommend The Fill-In Boyfriend to fans of Matson's Since You Been Gone and those looking for a sweet, fun read. 

The Inheritance Games / Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2.5/5

The Inheritance Games has a plot very similar to that of the movie Knives Out. I really enjoyed that movie and solving puzzles, so the premise of Inheritance Games interested me.

I liked our main character Avery and her cleverness, but the biggest drawback of this novel are the poorly sketched out Hawthorne brothers. Each one is a one-dimensional stereotype. None of them are complex, and all of their dialogue is extremely unrealistic which made for some cringey interactions. I also disliked the slight love triangle; it wasn't too bad because Avery doesn't seriously get involved with either. Also, the characterization of Emily was flat and poorly done. She was nothing more than a plot device and an unoriginal one at that.

Overall, The Inheritance Games was fun because I enjoyed watching Avery's determination in solving the puzzle and protecting those she cared about, but the novel isn't particularly intense or complex. Beware that the characters are not very well-developed, but otherwise Inheritance Games is an enjoyable light read for fans of riddles. 

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories / Holly Black

I find I can't rate this, because it isn't a novel of its own and also because I may be a little biased. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is a companion novel to The Folk of the Air trilogy, one of my favorites of all time. I cannot express how much I love Jude, and Cardan, and Jude and Cardan together. I know I am not alone in this opinion.

I tried not to have too high hopes for the companion novel, but when it's pitched to have Jurdan scenes from Cardan's point of view, how could those hopes not creep up? And that was my main issue with How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories-- there were hardly any interactions between Cardan and Jude. I love Cardan, and I loved learning a bit more backstory on him, but I felt like this companion novel didn't offer anything new or exciting. It felt like Holly Black could've whipped this up in two days. 

Really, I'm not going to complain because I will devour any Jude and/or Cardan content there is, so 🤷.

Incendiary / Zoraida Cordova

1/5

A strong point of Incendiary is the development of the protagonist Renata's character. I liked her mystery and complexity, and the way Zoraida Cordova contrasts Renata's view of herself with others' views of her. Cordova creates an interesting situation of mistrust, redemption, and betrayal. 

I read Incendiary with an anticipation for something that never came to fruition. The world and situation had so much potential, but once I finished the novel I was left with the sense that Renata had not actually progressed very far. 

We spend a lot of time following her around the kingdom, from the castle to the rebels to wherever else, and at the end of the book nothing had really been achieved. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the plot to find a solid drive, but it didn't happen. The ending has set the circumstances up so that the sequel may find a clearer, stronger plot, but I don't feel that Incendiary has something special enough in it to make me want to read the sequel.

The Storm Crow / Kalyn Josephson

2.5/5

The Storm Crow was an average read. 

I think Josephson wanted to include some mental illness awareness because she gave the main character depression. I may sound harsh, but this is a YA fantasy novel, not realistic fiction, and I'm not interested in a main character that isn't going to be proactive. Luckily, Thia becomes much more active as the novel progresses and I enjoyed watching her gain that strength.

The world lacks originality, which in itself is not a dealbreaker, but the characters weren't strong either. We've got an orphaned princess struggling to lead her kingdom, her handy soldier sidekick, a hot frenemy prince, and a powerful tyrant. The relationship between Thia and Prince Ericen was a particular letdown for me. I had been hoping to see a strong transformation as their relationship grew. Instead, their dialogue always felt forced, as if Josephson was trying to strangle them into different molds.

If the blurb really excites you, skim the novel and see if it can keep your interest; otherwise I'd recommend something along the lines of The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid or Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross.

The Fell of Dark / Caleb Roehrig

3.5/5

The Fell of Dark is one of those vampire novels that doesn't take itself too seriously. I've always found the humorous undead novels that treat everything like a joke to be fun, which is why I picked this novel up. 

Delightfully gay, the book is led by August Pfeiffer, whose sarcastic and exasperated voice I enjoyed very much. Unfortunately there is a bit of love triangle, but the triangle takes on more of a threesome vibe than a one-or-the-other vibe. Although pleasantly progressive, I must admit this was a little disappointing for me because the blurb had led me to believe we were gonna get some hot action between poor, semi-closeted August and hot, brooding vampire. August is literally always thinking about how horny he is-- and that never built up to anything. Unfortunate indeed.

The next defining trait of this novel would be the sheer amount of players introduced. You've got the vampire syndicate (basically their government), the league of the dark star (small vampire group led by a witch vamp?), vampire Rasputin and his psychos (literally), and some old cronies (the witches you read about in hamlet?). It's a lot, and they're all after August. At first it's exciting to learn about each group's role, but towards the end it gets hard to keep track of. It felt like August was just being pushed around between these groups for the entire novel. I also didn't like how August didn't have a single "normal" friend; every character eventually revealed him/herself to be related to one of the groups somehow.

Caleb Roehrig did a good job of giving his vampires emotionally-complex backgrounds. I could see how a character's past experiences and emotions drove their actions, especially in Gunnar, August, and Viviane. The best character by far is August's math tutor. I might recommend The Fell of Dark for her alone. Jk. I'll recommend The Fell of Dark for those who like light vampire reads and funny narrators.

Sisters of Sword and Song / Rebecca Ross

 

4/5

I read Rebecca Ross's The Queen's Rising and enjoyed it immensely due to the beautiful way Ross captured the admiring relationship between the two love interests. I'd hoped Sisters of Sword and Song would contain the same beauty, and it surpassed my expectations. When Evadne's sister Halcyon is given a fifteen-year sentence for manslaughter, Evadne volunteers to serve part of Halcyon's sentence. Sisters follow the two women as they serve out their punishment and unravel the mystery behind Halcyon's crime.

There are many novels about jealous siblings, and I worried Sisters would repeat that trope and heavily favor one sister over the other. Instead, both Evadne and Halcyon were well-developed, complex characters, and I adored both. Rebecca Ross doesn't forget to create distinct side characters either. But the true stars of the show are Ross's complex relationships. Most YA relationships are simple hero-villain and hero-friend relationships, but in Sisters Ross builds multi-faceted relationships full of complicated history that create a more complex read. This is especially visible between Halcyon and Stratton, and Evadne and Damon. 

Ross ties together a cast of well-written characters in a setting full of spies, quests, magic, and intrigue. I'd recommend this fast-paced novel to fans of Shadow and Bone and The Queen's Rising.

Date Me, Bryson Keller / Kevin van Whye

 

3/5

A fun, light read! Kevin van Whye's writing is smooth and easy to read, and I enjoyed Kai's character. Bryson is a male Mary Sue: a flawless golden boy who is incredibly similar to the love interests in Red, White & Royal Blue and Only Mostly Devastated. And of course, it draws ideas from the original gay YA novel, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Some people are outed, some people come out, and these dreaded coming outs were actually dreaded for no reason and everyone accepts them warmly.

I could easily attack this novel for lack of originality, but a novel does not have to be original to be fun. Not every novel with representation needs to make some new statement. It is enough to be enjoyable fluff that incorporates characters that readers want to see. I would recommend Date Me, Bryson Keller to fans of the novels I mentioned above and those looking for a cute romance to brighten your day.

The Bucket List / Georgia Clark

 

2/5

I had high hopes for The Bucket List and I was definitely let down. I had expected a mature novel addressing the challenges of finding out you have a high risk of cancer at a young age. Instead, the only adult things in this novel were the sex scenes.

Our main character Lacey is a selfish liar who treats her only friends like trash. This is addressed in the novel but only at the end, when there are no scenes left to show growth or development. I had hoped this novel would be about self-discovery and about finally doing the things you've always wanted to do-- instead, this novel is about chasing men in a sad effort to feel validated and fulfilled. 

Seeing that Lacey has a high chance of breast cancer and must decide whether or not to have a mastectomy, I understand why Georgia Clark wrote Lacey's bucket list full of sex-related items and I was actually excited about that. Where I fundamentally disagree with Clark is Lacey's journey. I believe that Lacey should have grown as a person, her perspective on life should have shifted, and she should have learned to accept and love herself. Clark seemed to believe that Lacey just needed to chase after every man she laid eyes on until she found one that would tolerate and validate her after her planned mastectomy.

I did not see the development in Lacey's character that I had hoped for. In terms of emotional growth and themes, this book reads like a cheap YA paperback with a trashy sixteen-year-old lead. The only things keeping it from being labeled as such are the sex scenes, which although are hot, would have been much hotter if the emotions had been there. Two out of five because I finished it, but I would not recommend this to anyone. 

The Afterward / E.K. Johnston

 

4/5

The Afterward is about what happens to the characters after they've completed the exciting adventures that YA fantasy novels usually focus on. This is a concept that I haven't seen done before, which pushed me to pick up this novel, and I don't regret it at all. The three things I enjoyed the most about The Afterward were the alternating timelines, the normalcy of the leading characters, and the diversity. 

The Afterward alternates between the two leads', Kalanthe's and Olsa's, perspectives and between a year after the quest and the time of the quest. I really enjoyed the switching narratives because they slowly revealed more of each character and of what exactly happened during the quest. The two leads aren't the usual "stars" you'd see as protagonists in a YA novel; neither of them are the most respected or most skilled or most talented. Instead, the rest of the team on the quest fill those roles, and they make for a very exciting host of side characters. Yes, there are still the strong knights and the mysterious mages you find in plenty of other novels, but they are written in such a way that drew me towards them and made me eager to learn more. 

Each flip between storylines and perspectives unveiled more of every character's intriguing background. And overall, The Afterward was extremely diverse and open, particularly in terms of gender identity, sexuality, and race. These factors make The Afterward a lovely read that distinguishes itself from most other YA fantasy novels out there.

Looking back, the only flaws I can think of in The Afterward are that the present timeline never picks up speed to something high-stakes, and the story was too brief for me to bond with any character in depth. But I found so much more than that in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed watching a variety of characters and past events unfold before me, and I would highly recommend this novel to those who are looking to meet new characters that one wouldn't usually find in YA.

Stain / A.G. Howard

 

4/5

Stain is marketed as a retelling of the Princess and the Pea, but the story that A.G. Howard paints is much larger than that. 

Howard is naturally skilled at world building. The kingdoms and settings she creates feel natural in her writing, and her scope covers everything from the environment to the industry to the culture. In Stain, she creates intergenerational storylines and beautifully ties them all together. I was interested in both the past and the future of the individuals in the ensemble of a characters, because Howard gave each of them a developed backstory that explained his or her motivations. The only flaw with having this many characters is that it's harder to grow too attached to a single one. Although I liked reading each of their stories, I didn't feel particularly emotionally tied to any one character. 

The biggest downside to Stain is the pace. It is slow but consistent. I knew what was going to happen even if I didn't know how, and I spent a lot of the novel impatiently anticipating the future and wishing Howard had felt the same urgency. And once the prince and princess finally met, I felt that Howard didn't stress or stretch out that moment as much as she should have, especially given how long I had waited for that moment. But overall, the plot and characters are engaging enough that despite the pace, I never considered putting the book down.

I love when a story has multiple components that all tie together, which is what happens in Stain. Howard builds a beautiful story and world, and I would highly recommend Stain to fans of dark fairytales and storylines with fate. 

Wintersong / S. Jae-Jones

1/5

DNF. A story of a girl, who is of course plain and has never given in to any of her "selfish" wants, must play a game with a Fae prince in order to save the younger that she's always felt responsible for. Stunningly unoriginal. If you're looking for a faerie romance, try An Enchantment of Ravens, and if you're looking for a heartless faerie game, try The Cruel Prince. Both of these have much better developed characters.

Wicked as You Wish / Rin Chupeco

0.5/5

DNF. This book held a lot of promise, and perhaps I'd try it again in the future (though unlikely). The beginning is a huge information dump that made it hard to figure out the state of the world, and even after going over it multiple times I still had questions about the setting. The characters also failed to draw me in, so I didn't make it very far before I tossed this and picked up a new book.

Only Mostly Devastated / Sophie Gonzales

2.5/5

Only Most Devastated is a quick chick-lit read that I finished in a day. I enjoyed the casual tone, which made it easy to breeze through, and also makes it a good novel to pick up if you're looking for a light read. But if you're looking for more high-quality plot and writing, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

My main problem with Only Most Devastated is Ollie's complete lack of spine. He is a reactive rather than proactive protagonist. I suspect that his pushover personality is there to emphasis character development, but his character growth didn't show up until late in the novel and didn't achieve the extent I'd hoped it would. I found the dialogue to be acceptable at first but became glaringly unrealistic by the end of the novel. This is especially clear in the Lara's character and in Ollie's reaction to tragedy.

On to the good-- I liked that near the end of the novel Sophie Gonzalez showed us more of what the other characters were going through and enabled us to change our sympathies. Gonzalez also captured complex relationships well and the way these relationships shift.

Overall, Only Most Devastated is an average read. Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue both did much better jobs at capturing teen angst and the hardships of coming out.

Circle of Shadows / Evelyn Skye

2.5/5

I was first drawn to Circle of Shadows because I found the proposed "gemina" bond between the characters interesting and I liked that it started with a kingdom at peace rather than with a tyrant. I finished the novel and looking back, it was a very average read. My main problem with Circle of Shadows was its lack of originality in terms of plot and characters.

I struggled through the first ~30% of the novel because the characters and world were bland and un-unique. A semi-twist is revealed about 40% of the way in; I predicted it before the reveal but it still made the story more interesting. After that, the story picked up. There was more action and higher stakes, which made the reading go by much easier until I hit about 85% of the way in. Here, the plot becomes outright blasphemous. A side mystery throughout the novel is the lineage of Daemon, one of our protagonists, and the reveal was farfetched and inconsistent with the rest of the novel. It felt as if Evelyn Skye neared the end of her novel, realized she'd created an enemy that was too powerful and heroes that were too weak, and so she dumped magical nonsense in to try and tip things in the hero's favor.

But to speak well of this book, there actually wasn't a heavy focus on romance, which is a pleasant surprise. There is one kiss in the entire novel and it isn't between the two people I thought it would be, which again is unusual for a YA novel.

Overall, Circle of Shadows was not an unenjoyable read but it won't win any awards from me regarding excitement or originality. It's not a bad choice if you're between novels and looking to kill time, but I'd find it hard to believe if you said you couldn't find something more interesting.

Tweet Cute / Emma Lord

4/5

I was in the mood for a cute chick lit and Tweet Cute exceeded my expectations. The writing is much more advanced than what you'd find in an average YA rom-com novel. Not only does Emma Lord create characters with depth, she also describes them in precise ways that are distinct from most chick lit novels. Because of this, the enemies-to-lovers story didn't feel trite. Instead, I was learning about new, well-developed people, and watching them slowly grow closer. 

I finished Tweet Cute in two days and it was a breath of fresh air compared to the dense and not-always-well-written YA fantasies I'd been reading. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoyed Matson's Since You Been Gone or Elston's 10 Blind Dates.

Ninth House / Leigh Bardugo

3.5/5

I am a big fan of Leigh Bardugo's. I've been with her since Shadow and Bone first came out and have read all of the Grishaverse novels more than once. I was excited for her debut adult novel, especially since I enjoyed Sarah J Maas's debut adult. 

I burned through Ninth House. The plot and characters are engrossing. The novel follows the characters during ~3 different time periods, which may sound confusing but I never had a problem keeping up. I actually really enjoyed the nonchronological format because it lended to the mystery of the novel and slowly revealed how each character got to where they are today. I loved the way Bardugo wrote Alex's simultaneous vulnerability and strength.

Her depiction of Darlington deserves just as much if not more praise. I found myself falling in love with Darlington, even though we only meet him in flashbacks or through the perspectives of other people. That is one of my complaints with the novel-- I spent the novel eagerly anticipating meeting Darlington in present time, but we never do. 

My biggest problem with the novel is the way it wrapped up: in a hasty and absurd fashion. The explanation for the murders felt absurd, cheap, and out of line with the rest of the novel. On a slightly separate note, the reveal reminded me a bit of Meg Cabot's Mediator series. There is a bit of an info dump at the beginning, but, as I feel with most info dumps, it's a minor issue because all it requires is a bit of skimming and stamina. Overall, Ninth House is a strong read because of the characters, plot, and writing. 

All the Stars and Teeth / Adalyn Grace

1/5

All the Stars and Teeth started off strong with a determined lead, Amora, who has a magical power that is much darker than most YA powers. Unfortunately, that was the only original aspect of this novel. The rest of it includes cliches like Amora running off with a handsome "pirate" to "save her kingdom," finding out that the dad that she's looked up to is actually a liar, and that her arranged fiancé actually has feelings for her. 

In her journey, she experiences a jumble of miscellaneous encounters, none of which are particularly intriguing. All of it is very standard for a YA fantasy novel: feeling out of place as a princess in a tavern, easily slaying a mystical ocean beast, rescuing a mermaid from bad men, and finding out that the villain isn't as villainous as he seems. I could go on. It was all very predictable and boring; by the end of the novel I was skimming so fast I was reading one word a page, and I could still follow the storyline.

I will give points for how gory her power is, how they would cut off limbs from one of the characters who had the ability to regenerate limbs so that Amora could use his bones. That lack of squeamishness is relatively rare in YA novels. But overall, there are much better versions of this novel out there, such as Natalie Parker's Seafire. 

The Starless Sea / Erin Morgenstern

2/5

I am a big fan of The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern's debut novel. She perfectly captured the magic of a moving circus and the desperate desire to be a part of one. I had high hopes for The Starless Sea and was looking forward to experiencing Morgenstern's magic on paper again. 

Unfortunately, Morgenstern gets so caught up in trying to create something grand and magical that she completely forgets that a cohesive plot is necessary. Starless Sea starts off strong with Elliot finding himself pulled into a mysterious world. But as the novel continues, Morgenstern forces in so many cliche elements that the world become cluttered and absurd. Starless Sea involved the personification of both fate and time, moon and sun (at least I think it did?), along with talking bees and time travel. And of course, don't forget all of the star-crossed lovers those conditions make!

Yes, the magic of her writing is still there. Her description of painted doors coming alive is beautiful. I loved the little stories within stories, such as the vignette about the moon and the sun. But Morgenstern tries to tie together way too many stories, making metaphors literal and then metaphorical again, that at the end of the novel, I had no idea what had happened or what she was trying to say. I gave it two stars rather than one because I managed to finish it, so I guess that's good.

If you haven't read The Night Circus, I would highly recommend that. Afterwards, if you miss Morgenstern's magic, give The Starless Sea a try. Enjoy the writing, but don't bother searching for a plot. 

The Shadows Between Us / Tricia Levenseller

4.5/5

If you're a fan of Holly Black's The Cruel Prince, I would highly recommend you give The Shadows Between Us a try. They are similar in that our female protagonist isn't afraid to be cruel to get what she wants, and that both the female and male leads have very gray morals. 

I liked that Alessandra was so different from most YA leads who are usually goody-two-shoes fighting for justice. I can't say that I liked her as a person though, because the things she does and the way she thinks were too cold-hearted for that. The same can be said for the Shadow King. I was shocked to find that he approved of her calculated methods, and I wish that he'd been given a more developed backstory.

While The Shadows Between Us is the closest novel to The Cruel Prince that I've read so far, and it is very impressive for that in itself, it doesn't quite match up to The Cruel Prince because its characters lack the charisma of Jude and Cardan. But characters like Jude and Cardan are rare, so to set every character to that standard would be unjust. Plus, Shadows had a host of side characters that I appreciated.

Though I complained earlier about do-good protagonists, I did feel like the novel lacked a bit of justice at the end. Other than that, The Shadows Between Us was extremely satisfying, with strong themes of independence and feminism, and I would recommend it to mature teens. 

The Queen's Assassin / Melissa de la Cruz

1.5/5

The Queen's Assassin lacked drive. The characters showed no dedication to their respective goals, and the plot wandered. There is a secret "revealed" at the end of the novel but I am honestly not sure if Melissa de la Cruz meant for it to be a reveal or if she meant for us to know it from the beginning, because it was so painfully obvious from literally the first sentence of Chapter 1.

Cal's chapters contained too many moony descriptions of Shadow. Our two leads started out strong and competent, but their so-called espionage mission in the second half of the book was so poorly planned and written it felt like I had accidentally strolled into a poorly-written, plot-free fan fic. De la Cruz also starts wildly tossing in magical elements that were never hinted at in the first 3/4s of the novel. It made the ending feel cheap and ridiculous, and left it on a sour note.

I mean, I finished it, so it wasn't that bad. I enjoyed Shadow's voice and her thinking, and though the beginning is a bit of an information dump, I enjoyed the interesting world-building. I would compare this to a much less developed Grave Mercy. If you're looking for a light romance with a bit of a political background, I'd recommend you breeze through The Queen's Assassin.

The Kingdom of Back / Marie Lu

1/5

I wanted to like it, but ultimately there just wasn't enough interesting material to keep me reading.

Marie Lu did a wonderful job in writing Nannerl's voice, her desire to be great, and her love for her brother. She also created a magical atmosphere-- I could almost feel this other kingdom existing between the cracks of our world. The problem was that there wasn't enough plot. Nothing happened! The novel was slow and our protagonist was much more reactive than proactive. I couldn't tell if the Kingdom of Back was all imagination, if it was a real parallel world, or if Marie Lu was intentionally trying to keep us guessing. 

Ultimately, there was nothing to keep me interested in Nannerl's story. I skipped to the last chapter, skimmed it, and it was just as boring as the first ~1/3 that I'd read, so I concluded that I had missed out on nothing.

Ink in the Blood / Kim Smejkal

4/5

Ink in the Blood is wonderfully written with a cast of complex characters. I loved Kim Smejkal's descriptions of all of these odd people, and the vulnerability of our lead Celia. I also adored the relationship between Anya and Celia.

The diversity and detail of the characters along with the exciting circus setting are two strong points of this novel. It's reminiscent of The Night Circus, but more grounded in terms of mood. Smejkal's exploration of Kitty, Anya, and Celia were all amazing, and I wish we had more time with them to go even further in depth. I felt that her writing of the Plague Doctor though was a little overdone. 

Overall, Smejkal, Celia, and Anya put on an excellent show, and I would recommend Ink in the Blood to The Night Circus fans and to those looking for representation in gender identity.

The Night Spinner / Addie Thorley

4/5

The Night Spinner is about Enebish the Destroyer, a general with the power to control darkness who was shamed when she lost control and killed innocents. Enebish is trying to get back into the good graces of her older sister and the emperor, so that she might regain some semblance of the power and freedom that she once had. Her chance to prove herself is to help her sister, the top general, crush a rising rebellion. 

What made me give The Night Spinner a strong rating was the amount of betrayal that Enebish faced. Just one after the other! I loved it. It kept me guessing. The constant deception taught Enebish to trust herself, adding in elements that make this novel a coming-of-age story as well. I liked that it picked up where most YA novels usually end-- most are about protagonists discovering his/her power and rising in the ranks, but this is about Enebish's story after she's fallen from grace. 

Addie Thorley wrote Enebish's voice full of vulnerability, longing, and determination. I could feel how badly she belonged with the night and I rooted for her the whole way. I would recommend this novel for readers looking for a less politically-heavy Grave Mercy.

House of Earth and Blood / Sarah J Maas

4.5/5

Sarah J. Maas's first in a new series, House of Earth and Blood, is full of plot twists and interesting characters. It starts off with some overwhelming info-dump, but if you stick through that rough beginning, the story is well worth your time. I'll tell you the downsides upfront: the characters can be a little cliche (a seemingly slutty party girl, a tortured angel, a pretty Fae prince) but at the same time the book was also packed full of intriguing side characters (particularly Jesiba) whose personalities and side plots I all wanted to explore.

The novel is of typical Maas length, which is to say it's quite long, but the length is justified considering the impact and intensity of events covered. Though I felt frustrated with Bryce's character at times, I enjoyed watching the slow unveiling of her character throughout the entire novel. I also appreciated the continual twists that always had me guessing at each character's true intentions and personality. The best part of the novel was the climax-- I can't name the last book that had an ultimate battle that long and intense, and I loved it. My eyes may have even watered a little. 

If you're a fan of Maas's other novels, I would highly recommend picking this up. It's amazing for me to see that she's shed the shame that was ACOTAR and is returning a bit towards the tougher Throne of Glass atmosphere.

2020 So I Suddenly Come Into a Lot of Reading Time

3/5

I picked up this 2002 duology because I was looking for a enemies-to-lovers story that was more or less similar to The Cruel Prince. It was pretty much what I expected, starting off with a pair of capable siblings defending their land from the tyrant king. But as the novel progressed, the protagonist grew more and more stupid. She was aware of her ignorance and stupidity and yet did nothing to improve it. She would feel ashamed of her ignorant actions, but then be too afraid to apologize and confront them, so instead we spend the novel burdened by her incompetence. Other than that, the plot and characters are interesting, and I was moved enough by our underdogs to be sympathetic to their plight. 

1/5

I was drawn in from the very first page with McLemore's beautiful writing. She captured the magical atmosphere perfectly, similar to the way Erin Morgenstern captured the magic of her Night Circus. The novel is also gender identity conscious, which would be a big plus for those looking for more representation in YA novels. But the biggest drawback and the reason why I didn't finish is because the novel was boring. The plot didn't move fast enough, which may have been in part due to the beautiful writing slowing the author down. 

3.5/5

This 2005 novel is another that I found in my search for something similar to The Cruel Prince. The high-stakes, poison-happy plot of the book and enemies-to-lover relationship make it a closer match to Cruel Prince than Crown Duel. The main character is very smart and the multiple twists in the plot both make this a strong read, but the aspect that truly stood out to me was Snyder's handling of past trauma. Snyder's slow reveal of our protagonist's trauma gives it the weight it deserves. She truly shows us the emotional impact of past events, rather than blandly using them to add motives or false stakes. A small downside of the novel would be that it also contains the trope of a protagonist finding out that she actually has magical powers, but that took a small role in this novel and actually played well into the rest of the plot. Overall, I would recommend.

2020 Beginnings

3/5

An enemies-to-lovers story. I finished it a little confused, because I had expected more in terms of plot and also in terms of developing the love interests' relationship. I would have preferred more scenes furthering their relationship because they fell in love a little too easily, and more scenes focusing on the actual plot. But overall, both the characters and world were well-written and interesting. Also, I believe this novel falls under "New Adult" rather than "Young Adult," in case that influences your decision to read it.

3/5

An original world, but not original enough, especially toward the end. But still enjoyable throughout. 

1/5

I couldn't finish this. By the length and simplicity of the sentences, you'd think Dealing in Dreams was written for a first-grader. I read some reviews which encouraged readers to stick through the boring beginning because the action would eventually pick up, but I just couldn't make it through.

1.5/5

I picked up this modernized version of Beauty and the Beast because I was in the mood for a quick and light feel-good story. Turns out, all of the characters were trite (I know it's a retelling but that doesn't make freshness impossible) and the way each of Jaya's, the protagonist, relationships ended was predictable and handled so poorly that the endings felt absurdly unrealistic. If this had been released ~15 years ago, I think the old-fashioned, mild feminism and cliches might be more understandable, but this was released this year! Somehow the book managed to make me feel almost foolish for expecting better. 

2019, The End of a Decade

Fall'19, things I read while I was abroad. I chose to reread a lot of Leigh Bardugo, devoured Holly Black's Queen of Nothing, started and enjoyed The Great Library series, and ended with a sweet chick lit.

4.5/5                                     4/5

The Great Library series has wonderful world-building, complex characters, and a badass protagonist. I love Jess, the protagonist, for his background, family, and drive; I am always rooting for him. The series has a total of five heavy novels, but don't let that scare you off. Even if you only read the first one, it's still well worth your time.

4/5 

The Folk of the Air has made it to my list of all time favorites, and it's a been while since I've added anything to that list. The closing book wasn't as strong as the first two but it wasn't a letdown either. Though I felt that it could have been longer, I was satisfied that it didn't break my heart. It felt so good to see Jude and Cardan and Madoc again. The series isn't for the faint of heart-- it's cruel, power hungry, and lonely. But it's also an extremely well-written tale about carving your own place in the world of your choosing. 

4.5/5

I read this in a lovely, bookish cafe in Vienna. I'd been craving a chick lit reminiscent of Morgan Matson's Since You Been Gone, and Ashley Elston delivered. 

2019 "Haul" Part II

4/5

Cutthroat women, a high stakes plot, and a strong protagonist. The heist style kept me on my toes as did the complex relationships between all of the characters. It had similarities to To Kill a Kingdom in that they had a similar brutal tone and were both set on the ocean-- it's a good thing and I would recommend both novels. Will be reading the sequel.

3.5/5

Different from the YA fantasy that I usually read, probably because this is not in the YA genre. The sarcasm and humor were fun and could be found in YA, but Beat the Reaper definitely had more explicit violence and sex scenes. I enjoyed the medical talk; at times it felt a bit like an anatomy lesson but I didn't mind. This novel is gory and dark, but also fun and engaging. I would recommend it to older audiences (18+) who aren't squeamish and like danger.

4/5

It's been a while since I read To Best the Boys. I don't remember the details but the impression it left on me was that it wasn't a bad read. The labyrinth added some intensity and the novel had the feminist themes that I adored, but the novel as a whole was not particularly original. The plot of a woman pretending to be a man is one that I enjoy, but can also be found in Spin the Dawn and We Hunt the Flame (both are also in this post) and AC Gaughen's Scarlet (a good read).

3.5/5

Figured it was about time I finally read one of the biggest YA novels of our time. It was as good as the hype, and I would highly recommend fans of YA science to fiction to read Ready Player One if they haven't already. It's the OG. The ending was not unsuspected, but the intense journey was incredibly fun. Ernest Cline's voice as Wade Watts is candid and clear. I loved the world's design and Wade's determination to face the great challenge both of finding the eggs and protecting the OASIS. 

3.5/5

Unlike any other YA sci-fi I've read before. Dayton chooses a vignette style displaying politics and technology at different points in time. I loved being able to see the larger story through different stories and people; each one was unique but also tied by a common theme. I would recommend fans of sci-fi and those interested in the ethical line between science and playing god to check out Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful. 

3/5

A pretty standard chick lit. Made for younger audiences (maybe ages 12+?). Daphne's behavior is beyond inappropriate in how she oversteps her boundaries. I liked the little twist when the novel reveals how different one person's interpretation of events/identity can be so different from other people's interpretation. There were also some sweet moments. I'd recommend this for those looking for a fun, light read that doesn't take too much thought.

2.5/5

As I mentioned earlier, I'm a bit of a sucker for plot lines where a woman pretends to be a man. That, along with the promise of a competition between two strong protagonists, made me want to read We Hunt the Flame. Also, the cover is gorgeous. While the novel isn't absolutely horrible, it was disappointing. My biggest problem was that most of the reveals and characterizations are common throughout YA fantasy novels; neither the characters or plot had originality or depth. Towards the end, the plot became sloppy and poorly done. I would suggest We Hunt the Flame if you have nothing else to read and to first properly adjust your expectations.

3.5/5

A good, fun coming-of-age novel. It lacks a cohesive plot and Scarlett can be a immature, but ultimately she has a bright voice that kept the read engaging. I appreciated Ruth's character and Scarlett's relationship with her, although Ruth's story definitely felt trite.

3/5

Another novel where the female protagonist disguises herself as a man to participate in a contest. I gave Spin the Dawn a lower rating than I probably would have otherwise because the novel was different from how it was sold. I was under the impression that it would be a competition to become the king's tailor; that competition ended maybe a fourth of the way into the novel, and then Maia is sent with the king's mysterious magician/jester/advisor (?) on a completely separate mission that takes up the remainder of the novel. The entire story has a much more romantic tone that I had expected it would, and overall I felt that Elizabeth Lim couldn't decide what she wanted her story to be. A tailor's competition, a magical trial, or a djinn story? She tried to shift between all three, and it made for a weak YA fantasy. The only cohesive thread throughout would probably be the romantic atmosphere, so if you enter the novel only looking for that then I think it will be more enjoyable. Overall, an enjoyable but not a strong read.