I really had no idea what to expect when I picked this up, but I really enjoyed this one! The audiobook was the perfect listen for my roadtrip, and I was totally immersed in this word. The voice was perfect, the audiobook was wonderfully narrated, and I loved the rich magic. The Harry Potter parallels were a little too strong to ignore (which was kind of distracting), but this book felt so much bigger. I feel like it was like: let’s make it an international school, where everyone brings their own unique magic, and let’s also have some bigger world themes of prejudice and acceptance. And of course, the New-Orleans-flavored conjuring magic was just chef’s kiss. Snagged a copy for my middle-grade nieces and will totally be reading book 2.

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Okay THIS book.

This world felt like the 2001 movie A.I. (with Haley Joel Osment) crossed with Ghibli vibes. Initially I was a little thrown off because this audiobook narrator isn’t my favorite, and the inciting incident was unfortunately caused by a parent deciding to keep a secret from their adult child in a way I felt was just to serve the plot. (And this is the second time I’ve seen that particular trope this month, so I was already kind of sensitive to it.)

However! Putting that aside, this author’s ability to create charming characters is really amazing. They totally pop off the page, and I loved all of them. Huge found family vibes and really cute banter. This colorful world really played out for me like a Ghibli film in my head, and though the voice here is super similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea, this one is a lot darker and heavier. I liked the philosophical questions posed, but on the whole I found it a little long, and the ending was just a little too bitter on the bittersweet spectrum for me.

So yeah Ghibli x A.I. If that sounds interesting, or you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea, I would definitely give this one a try!

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This book felt like a really strange read for me! It follows a grieving, isolated woman fending off her would-be-murderer home-alone style, but also alternates perspectives with the murderer in a way that I found almost humorous? If you’re looking for a thriller to get your heart racing, I don’t think this one is it, and I thought the twists were fairly predictable, but I think its mix of tones is rather unique. So if the premise of a rather inept killer swapping perspectives with a capable, infuriated target sounds interesting, definitely give this one a look!

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So this book takes a pretty common premise (what if you could take a test to find “your one”), and then follows five pretty not-good people who take the test as they make exceptionally not-good choices in light of it. If you’re looking for happily-ever-afters, this is definitely not for you. Though I don’t think I need a HEA, I didn’t particularly find this ending satisfying, and I found it to be a touch slow. But obviously, a lot of people loved it and they adapted it into a show, so that could just be me! If you like kind of darker, pscyhological dramas that take their time, give this one a look!

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This story follows a protective mother and a suspicious daughter as they’re finally forced to deal with the the mother’s mysterious past. The premise was interesting and the tension was there, but this was a tough read for me. I’m not sure if it was the narrative or narration or a combination of the two, but I had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters, and I think the resolution could’ve used a stronger punch. I usually love thrillers, so I’m surprised, but I guess this one really just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishr for the ARC!

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