Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this account of the GoThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this account of the Golden Age of Piracy! This account was very detailed and I learned so many cool things about specific pirates and about the practice of piracy through reading it. I also didn't find it to be too dense, which I do worry about with nonfiction accounts sometimes.
Would highly recommend to anyone doing historical research on piracy or just interested parties (like myself!) who are interested in learning more about piratical history.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I anticipated this to be a Jurassic Park x PThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I anticipated this to be a Jurassic Park x Pirates of the Caribbean type adventure and it was more an ARK survival x Pirates of the Caribbean type adventure. This didn't phase me at all, just a note for other folks who are interested!
Now for the review: holy moly, I had a blast reading this book! It was a rollicking, occasionally gory and raunchy adventure with plenty of pirates and dinosaurs. Despite the fantastical events, the historical elements (namely pirate and dinosaur stuff) was clearly meticulously researched. I also found the characters to be very endearing despite their rough and tumble demeanor (I mean they're all pirates, so that's a given). I also found the villain quite complex! For an action/adventure romp, this book surprised me with both its great sense of humor and huge amount of heart.
My one complaint about the book was the storyline jumps at the beginning. These felt very theatrical and I think had this been a film, it would be clearer when the narrative dipped back into the past. As it is in written form, sometimes these shifts weren't very obvious from the get go and it took me a little too long to figure out that I was in flashback territory rather than a continuation of the present plot line. Other than this, it was a really heckin' good time.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Oh my goodness, this was such an incredThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Oh my goodness, this was such an incredibly fun book! I came for the queer pirates and stayed for the lovable characters and utter hilarity! I truly can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a book. I also adored the cool little details of the world, such as the island-sized turtles, the glowing blue dogs, the ghosts who needed sexy little dances to be appeased and leave people alone, and the herald cards with descriptions at the beginning of each chapter! All of these things added so much depth to an already endearing and wildly funny cast of characters.
The audiobook narration was incredible and added to the humor rife in this book. I really enjoyed how easy it was to tell which character was which from the accents and inflections the narrator added.
I am looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author and exploring her already established series!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This short little manga is so sweet! It centThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This short little manga is so sweet! It centers around an aroace character AND includes several queer side characters who are all represented in such positive and authentic ways. It also contains really valuable information about asexuality and would be a fantastic read for anyone wondering about their own sexuality and gender identity.
My only complaint is that I wish it was longer. I would love to read more of Chika's story, or more about the various side characters.
Publication date (English edition): Jan 17, 2023 ...more
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Oh. My. God. This book was incredible! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Oh. My. God. This book was incredible! I cannot stress enough how well-written and immersive it was, how emotional and heartbreaking it was, and how eerie and atmospheric it was. The characters are brilliant in all their broken goodness (or complete villainy in Evangeline's case). It has been a loooong time since I cheered for a protagonist more than I have for Cordelia. She starts off the book in such hopeless circumstances and to see her gain some hope and agency as the book went on made me want to see her succeed more than ever.
I'm still quite emotional about this book and the journey it took me on. The audiobook narration only contributed even more to these emotions. I am looking forward to revisiting it in the future and experiencing this story again.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was wonderful! I absolutely aThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was wonderful! I absolutely adored the found family vibes and the way the characters all interacted with each other without it being romance-y. I also loved the world building and lore present throughout the story. It was all very cohesive and engaging. Apart from the characters, the heists were probably my favorite element of the story. I LOVE a good heist story, and to have multiple fun museum heists in one story was so fun.
The messages about culture, humanity, diversity, and family were also incredible. Overall the story was very touching and the audiobook told it very well.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed portions of this book, espeThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed portions of this book, especially the recipes section and the beginning portion that went through the many different kinds of lavender and their uses. Overall, I felt like this was a very informative book about all sorts of ways to use lavender.
I do wish it provided more details on where to get ethically sourced/pure lavender essential oil since many of the crafts and recipes require lavender oil instead of dried lavender buds.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I found this poetry collection to be a vastThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I found this poetry collection to be a vast range of hits and misses. Some of the best poems speak to generational trauma and grief and have excellent biblical and horror imagery. However, others sounded uninspired, and didn't even feel like poetry at all, just short stories with weird line breaks.
The poems I enjoyed were as follows: "Breaking the Cycle" - this dealt with generational trauma and how it can mess you up so so well. "Not Just Anybody" - excellent concept and follow through. Loved the idea of sin-eaters. "The Power of Grief" - a beautiful look at death and grief, more haunting than scary. "Pawn" - a fantastic exploration of Judas and how he was just what God made him to be. "True Crime" - an insidious look at just how normal serial killers can appear "Hypocrite" - an honest and graphic look at how Christians are not very Christ-like
Most others were regrettably very forgettable, but I did greatly enjoy this handful.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I ADORED this cute little sapphic loveThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I ADORED this cute little sapphic love story. Kianthe and Reyna had such a healthy relationship and I adored how they communicated so well. I loved the pacing of the story and the coziness of the vibes combined with stakes that kept the story moving. I also liked the setup for a sequel and am excited to read the the next book. (view spoiler)[ My only criticism is that the way Reyna's issue with the queen was resolved did not feel like a real resolution. Even though she says she's free to do as she wishes, I feel like she's low-key still working for the queen, which is not how I would define freedom. But perhaps she'll come up again in the next book and things will be more resolved. (hide spoiler)]
The audiobook narration was INCREDIBLE. Probably my favorite audiobook I've ever listened to narration-wise. Also, the little one shot at the end of the audiobook. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was really not what I was expecting. ThThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was really not what I was expecting. The first few pages had me excited, and the description (which promised gothic vibes, witch hunts, children of the devil, critiquing the patriarchy, and discovering island secrets) caught my attention quickly.
Alas, I couldn't find most of that in this book. I just feel lied to I guess. The writing was pretty, but I left equal parts confused and bored. Disappointing.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was, as the kids say these days, mThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was, as the kids say these days, mid. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. Despite what promised to be an interesting plot, I was pretty bored for most of the story.
There's a dash of sci-fi, thriller, heist, mystery, and even some literary fiction vibes, but all through that I simply did not connect with anything in the book. Not the characters, not the plot, not the setting. And it wasn't like the writing was bad or anything, it just didn't capture my attention at all.
I think there is certainly an audience out there for this book. I've seen other commenters compare it to the Loki television series, so maybe fans of that would enjoy this book. It just wasn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I will go on record as saying this is tThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I will go on record as saying this is the type of book I usually stay far away from. I am not a romance novel person (much less a hetero romance novel person) and have made it a point to avoid romantasy because it just strikes me as needlessly spicy romance with some fairies thrown in for the hell of it. So off the bat, this book had a LOT to overcome when it came to my usual interests. BUT IT DID THAT! I thought I would tire of the book quickly, with it being one of my least favorite genres, but Selene did such an EXCELLENT job with her worldbuilding that I was hooked.
The idea of a changeling going to rescue the human they had replaced was such an intriguing idea to base a story on, and I really enjoyed the execution. I also loved Fia as a character. Her fleshed-out backstory (view spoiler)[ (hello, family trauma!) (hide spoiler)] and motives made me cheer her on. I also really enjoyed how magic functioned in this story, especially when it came to Fia's magic.
The inclusion of retelling elements from such stories as "The Swan Maiden" and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" made this story all the more enjoyable because of these familiar (yet delightfully new) elements.
Some reviews mention that the book is a "smut without plot" story, and I did not find this to be the case, as the plot and the suspense were very well done! I think the suspense around Irian's plot line and the mysteries around his character/motive were especially interesting to read about. (Do rest assured if you like spice, there is certainly some of that as well, though for readers like myself who are generally not fans of those types of scenes, it's really not too unbearable.)
My only complaint about the book would be Rogan's character. He really sucked as far as love interests go, and for the life of me, I had no idea what Fia saw in him in the first place. I think the author intended his prince background combined with a lack of common sense to be endearing, but I found it super annoying. He just didn't have enough of a personality/motive to be interesting in the slightest. (view spoiler)[ Hence, I was quite happy when the love triangle stopped love triangling and Fia made her choice to be with Irian. (hide spoiler)] Despite this, I will definitely check out the next book in this series because I sincerely did enjoy this one!
I don't think this book was strong enough to push me into the romantasy girlies' world (I still will never read ACOTAR), but I think it's made it more likely for me to pick up a book in this genre if the premise seems interesting enough, and that's some high praise.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As a classics fan, there was much about thisThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As a classics fan, there was much about this novel I enjoyed. I liked all the little things this novel taught me about the Shelley's life, particularly in regards to their writing collaboration. It was clearly meticulously researched, and I enjoyed the author's end note discussing their writing process as this project morphed from a more academic piece to a full fledged historical novel.
Unfortunately, the writing style was not for me, largely because it was written in present tense. For whatever reason, using present tense and full names for the characters for the first few chapters made the novel feel impersonal and difficult to visualize. However, putting aside my personal biases, this novel is clearly a formidable feat, both academically and literarily, and I'd like to give a hats off to Harker Shaw for all the work they put into this piece.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I was so pleasantly surprised by the deThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I was so pleasantly surprised by the depth of this book. Behind the campiness and the fun horror iconography was an incredibly sincere commentary on queer representation, trauma, repression, internal homophobia, the destructive nature of capitalism, corporate greed, and compulsory heterosexuality. As much as I adored the campier moments, these more serious topics were what made the book stand out so much to me.
The story was very well done, and I enjoyed the more meta moments that Misha had where he pondered his actions as the protagonist of a story. I thought that the connections that each of Misha's monsters had to his past and trauma he faced were also incredible, and this felt like such a wonderful tribute to horror writers who include biographical elements in their stories.
I also caught a couple of references to the author's previous novel, Camp Damascus, and I am even more excited to read that novel now!
As a multi-voiced audiobook, this production fell short to me, because most actors only got a few lines of dialogue while the narrator performed most of the work. I have no complaints with the quality of the narration, it just felt disingenuous to call the production a full cast audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
There were some things I really enjoyed and Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
There were some things I really enjoyed and appreciated about this book, so I'll start with those: 1. Sister bonds: this sister bond was done well! The amount of fighting/arguments balanced well with the love and appreciation for each other, and I liked that the sister bond was the focal point, rather than a romantic bond. 2. Aro/ace rep: Ophelia's implied asexuality felt very in-character and was described in a period-appropriate way, so it didn't take me out of the historical time period. I really loved this aspect of her character! 3. OCD/neurodiverse rep: Again, the way that Betsy's mental struggles were described felt very period-appropriate and added a lot to her character.
Some icks that I had about the book: 1. Simple villains: the villains felt very unbelievable compared to the well-fleshed out main characters. I wish they had more substance to them to balance well with the complex mcs. 2. Pacing: The beginning of this book REALLY lagged. I was not very invested until around 50% of the way into the book, which is too long. For a title that promises a fast-paced piratical adventure, there sure wasn't a lot of fast paced moments or a lot of pirates.
All in all, this was a solid book, but it didn't hook me nearly as much as I had hoped it would because of the two dimensional villains and the slow pacing.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I ADORED this book. It was a lovely cozy sciThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I ADORED this book. It was a lovely cozy sci-fi adventure, with fantastic autistic and poly representation to boot!
While the world was wonderful and so believable, the characters were what really shone through. Even the background characters clearly had their own lives and didn't seem to exist as just a backdrop for the story to take place.
I also REALLY appreciated the truthful representation of autism, particularly with Lane's character. Her autism was not represented by the extremes of infantilization or Savantism, but as a condition that makes some things about life difficult. I particularly loved the way her sensory issues and problems with social cues were highlighted without everyone around her only feeling pity. I also thought it was excellent that she responded to people in her life that infantilized her and treated her as less-than.
I also really enjoyed the representation of poly relationships. Not being poly myself, I certainly don't know all the intricacies of poly relationships, but I enjoyed that this book didn't only focus on the positives or the negatives, but rather a more realistic portrayal of both the highs and the lows in a poly relationship (also I absolutely adore the polycule in this book because they're all so good for each other ahhhh).
Truly a joy to read, and one I will happily reread and recommend to others!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book had all the ingredients to make itThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book had all the ingredients to make it a new favorite: sapphic romance, dark academia, biblically accurate angels, cults, nonbinary/trans rep... alas, what it did with those ingredients was a wild ride, but like the kind that you want to get off of as soon as possible.
The two main characters were god-awful. And not in the way where they're so evil that you love to hate them. They were just completely empty vessels filled only with obsession (Veaer) and hunger for love (Elise) Their chemistry was NON-EXISTENT. For the life of me, I cannot understand Veaer's crazy obsession with Elise after seeing her literally murder someone else, and the fact that that element of the novel was not believable made everything else just that much less believable. Veaer is an absolute doormat of a character that seems to just exist to be a love interest for Elise, and that could be excusable in a side character, but she's the MAIN CHARACTER.
I also do not understand much of anything about the world of this story. There are terms thrown around like Senti and Caemi (Caemi gave me heavy furry vibes, so do with that what you will), but the differences between these races (species?) aren't explained at all. I am left with so many questions. Why do people care about the four heirs so much? Why do caemis seemingly have less rights than Senti? Who has magic and who doesn't? How do you know what kind of people have magic? How do the caemi and senti ascend to angels? What kind of education do most people need to thrive in this world (clearly arts/magic but like what about math and shit)? Additionally, the "dark academia" vibe fell very flat because the school just seemed to be a backdrop for the story. I was hoping for more academic rivalry/classics references as I come to expect when that genre is mentioned.
The shifting timeline also didn't make sense. I find myself wondering what the flashbacks to years 1 and 2 add to Veaer's character at all, especially since there weren't many of them at all.
Now despite all that I disliked about this book, it has some points that are its saving grace and that got it to 2 stars instead of just one. Tychon's character and his transness being connected to divinity was incredible. Veaer's visions of Tychon as a biblically accurate angel were very interesting. I really loved the connection this novel made between trans bodies and heavenly/angelic bodies, and if that aspect were more heavily included, I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more. Alas, this saving grace was a mere spot compared to the rest of the book, so its inclusion was not enough to make me enjoy this book in its entirety.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I adored this Orpheus/Eurydice retelling! I Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I adored this Orpheus/Eurydice retelling! I love this story in all its forms, and this was no exception. In no way did the characters' labels (queer, poly, Latinx) feel added just for the sake of representation because all of these labels were essential to the story, which was wonderful. The verse was also beautiful, particularly the imagery of the City. It is cliche to say, but I felt as if I were there!
I have added some of R. M. Romero's other works to my TBR list because I loved this one so much. I am looking forward to exploring more of Romero's body of work! If it's anything like Death's Country, I have a lot to look forward to.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I think some people out there will realThank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I think some people out there will really enjoy this book, but boy howdy, it was NOT for me. The description sounded really fun. What's not to love about a bone forest, sapphic romance, and magic schools?
Unfortunately, all of this fell so flat for me for a few reasons: 1. The writing style: the writing style felt very clichéd to me. The whole "the wolf in my heart howled" and basically all the talk about the animals in Rosamunde's heart just killed me. The language also felt way too modern for what was supposedly a medieval-ish time period.
2. The heteronormativity of the main ship in a book marketed as queer-normative: YIKES. It truly felt like a slap in the face to my lesbian self to have Shaw so clearly be masculine-coded and take the lead on EVERYTHING and to have Rosamunde be very much the feminine-coded one. For all the other likable queer characters in very queer relationships, the main ship felt like a copy/paste of a stereotypical hetero romance but just with the MMC's pronouns switched. It made me so frustrated!
3. AND FINALLY, THE MOST EGREGIOUS REASON: THE TROPEY-NESS OF IT ALL!! Maybe it's on me for not looking up a tropes list of this book before starting it. But god, this was just a heavy-handed trope cocktail that was so hard to wade through in order to get to some good bits. For those who wish to know, such tropes include: -fake dating -fated mates/bonding (also wayyyy feels like this world low-key punishes single people, like bonding is the end all be all? Super irritating as well) -enemies to lovers -"I'm not like other girls" -Hella miscommunication -school bullying I honestly probably missed some. One or two of these wouldn't be so bad, but all of them? I truly almost turned off the audiobook in chapter one.
I find the idea of the bone forest very intriguing, and that is the ONLY reason this book is getting 2 stars instead of 1. The audiobook narration was also very nice. I will definitely not be reading the next book because getting through this one was such a pain. But again, I do think there are some folks out there that will eat this UP.
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