This is going to be a short review, because I friggin’ loved this book. Drawn in from the first page, I loved the magic of this fantasy world with a WWII feel. Loved the You Got Mail interaction between the two main characters. Loved the two leads themselves – complex and deep (though they felt a little older than they were.) Loved the writing. Loved the premise. Loved the narration. Honestly, the only thing I didn’t love was that cliffhanger ending. It felt weird to me for some reason. But will 1000% be reading book 2, and have already recommended this one to basically everyone I know.
So, someone told me this book was weirdly addicting and they were NOT wrong. It was totally invading my brain space at all times, so do yourself a favor and make sure you clear your schedule so you can read it (as close to) straight through as humanly possible.
A high fantasy with a great, modern voice and solid military vibe. Cool magic. Interesting world. Likable characters. Touch-her-and-die. High stakes. Danger everywhere. Enemies-to-lovers (with plenty of lusty tension and some spice if you’re into that). Fast-paced.
And the DRAGONS. This is how dragons should be. Scary, dangerous, brutal, intelligent, loyal. Just YASSS.
Yeah I’ll be honest, I’m always leery to get into super hyped books, and this one didn’t really grab me from the start. But even though it’s long, this book just fllooooowwwws, and as soon as the dragons really entered the picture a quarter of the way through I was IN IT.
At times, I did get a little tired of the lusty sexual-tension dance between the MCs, but that ending was totally just *chef’s kiss.*
Does it live up to the hype? I honestly don’t know if that’s possible, but this was a solid 5 stars for me. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel and going to the movies. (Please, Hollywood, do them justice.)
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Yes awesome, scary dragons! I’m ready for the movie!
So I loved Simon Snow 1 & 2, and while I still enjoyed this one, it was probably my least favorite of the series. Of course, I love Simon and Baz and Penelope, but the story seemed to be a little wandering. And Agatha’s POV really didn’t come together for me this time. It felt disconnected from the others, and kind of incomplete. I’m not sure if there will be a book 4, but on the whole, I feel like Agatha has always been kind of an afterthought, and even more so in this book. Would still totally recommend this to fans of book 1 & 2, and would definitely read a book 4 if there ever is one!
I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. I loved Fangirl, I really liked Simon Snow #1, and I’ve read all of Rainbow Rowell’s novels, soooo yeah, I am a fan, and I totally should’ve read this sooner.
There is little to say here other than I excessively enjoyed this. Simon Snow (ex-chosen one who is going through some stuff), his broody (but sweet) vampire boyfriend, Baz, and his BFF, Penny, go on a magical American roadtrip, and it is chaotically fun. Rowell’s fast-paced style and amazing banter is totally brought to life by the narrator, and I picked up book #3 immediately. Basically, if you liked the first book, or you’re a RR fan, you’ll be down for this.
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Big thumbs up for this one – totally made me smile.
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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Loved it! Will now be recommending to everyone and bring on book 2!
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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A reminder from Elsa to watch out for the bittersweet ending.
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!
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!
Kiss Me Deadly builds a really interesting contemporary-adjacent world in which vampires, necromancers, ghosts, and other paranormal events feel like the norm. The characters are voicy and there’s lots of action as we follow the disappearance of a child vampire, but while I liked the characters, the enemies to lovers dynamic between Nathaniel and Seraphina didn’t really pop for me. But, if you’re into urban paranormal with a side of slowburn romance, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out!
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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Tula looks like she’s on the verge of a reading slump.
Hayley Reese Chow 