ARC Review: Tweet Cute

Summary:

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Review:

For a few moments, all Pooja can do is blink at me. “Okay, first of all, this is possibly the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard. And we live in New York City, so that’s saying something.”

This book is so stinking cute and un-brie-lievably cheesy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a eARC in exchange for an honest review

I adored this book.

We have two POVs:
JACK: the self-identified “class clown” (really he seems more like an apathetic teen who enjoys banter than a class clown), he’s a twin (but not the golden one), app enthusiast, and son of mom and pop sandwich shop owners

“There’s nothing quite as awkward as living in a shadow that is quite literally the same shape as yours.”

Jack usually uses a ton of similes, sarcasm, and other quips in his narration (while a tad overdone in the beginning chapters, it mellowed out to a more enjoyable level as the book went on), all while nailing that mild teen self-loathing, constant tinge of sadness.

PEPPER: her picture shows up as the first image when you google “Type A”, part-time baking blogger, full-time over achiever, and daughter of burger empire owners

“Apparently in the vast arsenal of useless talents that aren’t going to help me get into college, I am really good at being snarky on Twitter.”

Pepper’s POV you can practically feel her nervous energy and near constant state of anxiety over trying to meet all of her commitments, while still be the best daughter and sister she can be.

Both teens are super relatable in today’s high stress, “need” to go to college, U.S. education system in a joke, sleep is for the weak, just let teens be teens. It’s something a lot of Gen Z kids can relate to.

Things I adored about this book:
• the level of absolute cheese (i mean, come on the two MCs are named PEPPER + JACK what else would you expect?!?!?!!?)
• the sarcastic banter (three ways: Weazel, Twitter, and in person)
• Jack is a sarcastic and nerdy boy. but also makes an app where any and all bullying is shut down so fast (he’s a softie)
• Pepper is so sweet, she stress bakes and gives her treats the most outrageous names, and can literally shut people up with cake
• it’s a pretty relatable book (two teens just want to fit in with their peers, not let down their parents, and be supportive siblings, all while trying to figure out their own dreams)
• the romance is adorable
• the book shows readers not to judge someone based on your own limited viewpoint. which was amazing, and sweet, and i love fully.

I will warn you that the pop culture references seem more geared at people born in the late 1990s rather than kids born in 2003 (a lot of Mean Girls, High School Musical, and other sort of “dated” pop culture references). BUT Paige (Pepper’s older sister) is in her early 20s and I can definitely see an older sibling force the younger one into watching that mid-2000s goldmine of tv and film. Also, some things are resolved a tad quicker than I expected with fewer consequences than I imagined they would in real life (not sure how else to phrase it without spoiling that plot point, but i assumed a certain….meme…would have more consequences for…future schooling…than it did).

All in all: this is a cute, fluffy rom-com that delivers all that it promises.

Content and Trigger Warnings: emesis, mentions of bullying

ARC Review: Wilder Girls

Title: Wilder Girls
Author: Rory Power
Pages: 368
Rating: 2.5/ 5 stars
Synopsis:

It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

“We don’t get to choose what hurts us.”

Oh no. This is my first super disappointing read of 2019.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

WILDER GIRLS is boring.

The plot was a neat idea: there is a sickness going around infecting an all girls school on an island off the coast of Maine. It has two POVs. It’s queer. The book is dark, the writing style dry and eerie. And the heart of this story is mystery. Lots of mystery: What caused this illness? What is lurking in the woods? (I LOVE spooky woods stories.) And other things that I’m pretty sure would head until spoiler categories.

BUT it was super boring. A lot of people are comparing this to LORD OF THE FLIES (which I have never read so idk if that was a boring book too) so I guess if you liked that then maybe you’d like this too…?

I thought a book as dark as this would be more enjoyable.

I liked the premise. I think the story would’ve worked better in a movie or mini-series format.

Goodreads isn’t showing this book as a sequel. WILDER GIRLS can work as a stand-alone or a series. VICIOUS and COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN are two other books with endings that leave promise for either. And I quite enjoyed that aspect.

The book throws you right into the middle of the story with no real set-up or closed ending. While this might annoy people I actually really enjoyed that aspect. It definitely strikes me as a spooky campfire read.

The book as a concept I liked. And it was a quick read (after hitting that 35% mark because omg it took me seven days to power through that) but overall I was bored 90% of the time and the book is ultimately forgettable.

tl;dr: Meh.

I can’t tell if this is more of a 2 star or 2.5 star rating. I went with 2.5 because it gets points for queerness, writing style, the let me teach you how to shoot trope but queer, and a great ending so I’ll round up. But just know it’s mostly 2 stars because boredom.

Content Warnings: Rory listed all the content warnings on her site

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Book Review: These Rebel Waves

“Everyone, remain calm,” she announced. “I’m about to blow some shit up.”
“Nay!” Vex shouted from the pilothouse. “We’ve a kid here now, all right?”
“Sorry. I’m about to chaotically rearrange some shit up.”

The Synopsis:

Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work.

Devereux is a pirate. As one of the outlaws called stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he pirates the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.

Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace. 

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review:

Oh man. Oh man. Oh man.
This book was FANTASTIC. 

We’ve got humor and pirate and gays and serious topics too and fucking plot twists. 

I’m going to sue Sara for emotional distress because that cliffhanger ending was fucking CRUEL. 

Okay. This book was fucking fantastic. Seriously. Superb. 

It totally gave me Star Wars and The Lunar Chronicles vibes but in a fantasy setting rather than sci-fi. 

So, what is the book about you ask?!?
1. Trauma. Specifically childhood trauma. The prologue beings with a short scene that was formative to each of the three main characters childhood’s. Ben watching family members burned at the stake for using magic. Lu as a child soldier/spy on a mission. Vex being imprisoned and tortured. The prologue really sets the tone for the book.

2. Living with Trauma. Yes, technically I could’ve included this in bullet number one, but showing characters surviving trauma and showing characters living after they have survived trauma are two VERY DIFFERENT THINGS. Each character copes with this loss of their childhood innocence in different ways. Each has things that trigger them. The ptsd and panic attacks are all handled with care. 

3. QUEERNESS. We get gay rep. We get lesbian rep. We get bi rep (i think?). WHOOP WHOOP! (side note: most of the negative reviews I’ve seen are people bitching because they heard a rumor the book was about gay pirates and were disappointed it wasn’t about a bunch of gay pirates. we have gays. we have pirates. but the gay main character is not the pirate. not quite sure how that rumor began? and when i say it has pirates…no one is really out on the open sea looting ships. more like there are multiple characters who are pirates but the plot of the book is to find a missing person, not raiding ships. so go into it with the right expectations…or go into it not knowing what the book was about but thinking it had a cool cover and was available immediately at your local library like i did lol)

4. Heavy Topics. This book tackles topics like: Colonialism. War. Genocide. Xenophobia. Racism. Refugee crisis. Safe havens. Being a child soldier. Trauma. Child abuse. Domestic abuse. And so much more.

5. Teens Acting Like Teens. There is this reoccurring theme with Lu thinking i just need to get this info, bring it back to my folks, and let them deal with it/come up with a plan. Which partially steams from Lu’s days as a child soldier/spy who had rebel leaders for parents, but also it is quintessential teen-ness. Trying to stop a war at the age of 17?!? That’s a lot to put on one kid’s shoulders. The whole book felt like I was actually reading a book about teens (rather than so many other YA fantasy books where I feel like I’m reading about a bunch of 22-25 year olds instead of teens). There are other moments too. the characters felt the ages they were supposed to be. it was great.

Plus the book contains excellent banter.

“Can I help you, Princesa?”
She pulled back, rolling her eyes.
“She doesn’t like when you call her that,” Nayeli whispered, lounging against the tree.
Vex frowned. “Really?”
“You thought I enjoyed it, raider?” Lu scoffed. “That I flinched out of pleasure?”
“But there you go, calling me raider! It was a give-and-take.”

There are so many funny line I want to share but I don’t want to spoil them/they are ten times better in context.

“You took off your dress,” he stated. He should’ve been more concerned by the goddamn arsenal on her chest, but his brain wouldn’t let the other fact go.

Ah, Lu and Vex crack me up every single fucking time.

This book is told in three POVs. 
Let’s meet the main cast! 

Lu: 

The part of Lu that had spent her childhood doing this—fighting to survive, not just live—had propelled her to this precipice, where she was holding a deadly botanical plant and staring at her friend’s brother.

daughter of politicians. wants to be one herself. was a rebel, a child soldier, and a spy. has ptsd. secretly a softy. super smart. cunning. knows how to fight. wears dresses or trousers depending on the occasion. feels so much guilt. i want to give her cake and a hug but mostly cake.

Vex: 

No one fucked with his crew. No one.

pirate. has a nice smile. was tortured as a kid. can charm the pants off anyone. loyal dude. what a sweetie. jokes a bunch. captain. i want to be his bestie and take a bunch of goofy selfies together.

Ben: 

Goddamn it, was Ben the only one who could play off a lie?

what a gay nerd. such a nerdy nerd. the nerdiest of nerds. his pov fell flat compared to vex and lu just because why would i want to read about a nerd when i can read about a pirate and a soldier?! his povs becomes fucking great around 80% so hang in there (also has the fewest povs, so don’t worry). i want to be his study buddy. we can drink hot chocolate and quiz each other like the nerdy nerds we are.

The story was told in a cool layout. Lu and Vex shared chapters (they were split halfway through) and Ben (usually) got solo chapters with scene breaks in them.

The last 20% had so many plot twists I thought I was going to get whiplash. Especially because the entire book up to that point I was thinking this is a fun, trope-y book that I’ve kind of seen before but still fun as hell then I got to those twists and was shocked. about to throw my phone. fucking. SHOCKED. 

And that damn cliffy. I’m so fucking bitter. What did I ever do to deserve a cliff like that?!? Worse than the fucking AGOS cliffhanger and that was brutal.

This was great. 

Content Warnings: murder, violence, war, torture, imprisonment, emesis, terminal illness, racism, xenophobia, mentions of child abuse, colonization, mentions of domestic abuse, drug abuse/addiction, ptsd, panic attacks, chronic illness, biological warfare 

Book Review: Prince Charming

“I met a queen once,” Dad muses. “She tried to put her hand down my trousers.” Dad looks over at me and raises his eyebrows. “Surely this can’t go any worse than that.”

The Synopsis:

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair, a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review:

Have you ever read a book before where you are 99% certain you are going to hate it and then it ends up being hilarious and you adore it?

Well, that’s what happened to me reading PRINCE CHARMING (formally called ROYALS).

This is NOT my type of book: the original cover and title like burned my eyes. they were so hideous. The synopsis sucks. And I generally hate reading rom-coms unless they are queer and besides two minor characters this book is pretty straight. BUT the new cover is fabulous. And I have wanted to read the spin-off, Her Royal Highness, since it was announced. 

I went it expecting the book to be a DNF or maybe a fluffy, meh book. 
But NO.
This. Book. Is. Hilarious. 

Honestly. Like it has SO MUCH dad humor. Daisy is the best narrator. 
The book is so fucking cheesy. 
Like, dipping cheddar in a fondue level of cheese. 
But I loved it. 

ALSO IT HAS FAKE DATING IN IT.

This would make a hilarious teen movie. Netflix-style. Especially if Daisy broke the fourth wall. It would be a HIT.

I laughed out loud, like couldn’t breathe level, several times in this book. And nearly every five minutes I was laughing at something else. The plot is so wild. But the humor is GREAT. 

I mean, don’t go into this expecting the book to be like a tutorial in Scottish lifestyles. In this world, Scotland has a modern royal fam so it is obviously AU. Also in this version of Scotland they don’t have universal healthcare. Take everything with a grain of salt, okay? (idk why Scottish are referred to as British in this world since it is its own country…but its fiction so i guess it doesn’t matter?)

100000% times better than I was expecting. 

Content Warnings: mentions of former alcoholism/drug addiction, alcohol abuse, binge drinking

Book Review: The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“There was something, something that clicked in the back of her mind. Her brain was always doing that—clicking and not talking to her about the clicking.”

The Synopsis:
All Stevie Bell wanted was to find the key to the Ellingham mystery, but instead she found her classmate dead. And while she solved that murder, the crimes of the past are still waiting in the dark. Just as Stevie feels she’s on the cusp of putting it together, her parents pull her out of Ellingham academy.

For her own safety they say. She must move past this obsession with crime. Now that Stevie’s away from the school of topiaries and secret tunnels, and her strange and endearing friends, she begins to feel disconnected from the rest of the world. At least she won’t have to see David anymore. David, who she kissed. David, who lied to her about his identity—son of despised politician Edward King. Then King himself arrives at her house to offer a deal: He will bring Stevie back to Ellingham immediately. In return, she must play nice with David. King is in the midst of a campaign and can’t afford his son stirring up trouble. If Stevie’s at school, David will stay put.

The tantalizing riddles behind the Ellingham murders are still waiting to be unraveled, and Stevie knows she’s so close. But the path to the truth has more twists and turns than she can imagine—and moving forward involves hurting someone she cares for

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review:

Okay this book was like a thousand times better than TRULY DEVIOUS.

IT WAS SO FUCKING GOOD

Vi wasn’t misgendered AT ALL in this book so I am thrilled (I know, I am applauding Maureen for doing the bare minimum. BUT STILL. And who knows, maybe my library had some weird outdated ebook version I loaned for TRULY DEVIOUS??).

The mystery was fun. It has fewer plot twists than book one, but still very enjoyable. Stevie’s anxiety rep continues to be amazing. And this cliffy is crueler than the laugh one. *cue evil laughter*

Content Warnings: panic attacks, mentions of suicide, mentions of alcoholism, arson, house fire, murder, animal dissections,


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Book Review: Truly Devious

“The sun was warm and the grass was springy and all around her was the scene of murder.”

The Synopsis:
Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym, Truly Devious. It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history. 

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.

My Review:
I am really struggling to rate this book because on one hand it is a great murder mystery, with funny narration, excellent anxiety rep, enough clues to make you think you know what is going to happen but not be fully confident until the end. In some ways, this felt like a much better version of The Naturals.

BUT. Maureen includes a nonbinary character…and then proceeds to misgender them in three scenes. Vi is a very minor character but it still pissed me the fuck off.

(TW: misgendering is discussed in the rest of the paragraph) The book is told in third person from Stevie’s POV. You find out Vi is nonbinary in chapter ten. Stevie assumes Vi uses a different pronoun. so up until this chapter Stevie uses the wrong pronoun to refer to Vi in every scene they are in. Janelle corrects Stevie in a chill way in chapter ten (because this is the first time Stevie uses a pronoun to describe Vi in dialogue). Stevie says sorry and begins to use they/them pronouns to refer to Vi. You make a mistake, you say sorry and move on. (then again, the book is told in third person so literally i have no idea why Vi needed to be misgendered at all…?) Then in chapter twenty, Maureen writes the wrong pronoun. This was in an actual narrative sentence, not dialogue. In this sentence, the word they is also used (but to describe a group). If you read the sentence quickly, it is easy to miss. Maybe this was a truly unfortunate typo that wasn’t caught in the editing (again, you read it quickly, easy to miss. fyi this is on the first page of chapter twenty). Yeah it sucks, and is harmful to enby readers. this is super shitty but could’ve been an honest to god mistake (i reread the paragraph like five time to verify i wasn’t interpreting it incorrectly). lots of easy to catch mistakes are missed in editing (i reread this one series every year for the past five years and only this year caught that a character goes from wearing sweatpants to shorts to sweatpants in the span of two pages in the same scene. obviously not the same level of severity of this error. not trying to defend Maureen. this is a shitty thing to not catch. shit happens) BUT it happens AGAIN in chapter twenty-four. once is a shitty edit error. TWICE is not a fucking mistake. Was Vi a last minute enby edition?!?!?! GAH. It put a bad taste in an otherwise great book.

also, at orientation we are introduced to a diverse cast which was awesome but 90% of the kids at orientation are never spoken of again. i was hoping to at least get some in-class interaction or something. they all kind of disappeared after that one paragraph scene. i guess the mention is better than none but still…..not great.

also i wanted more janelle tbh.

So I don’t know how to rate this book. If the misgendering hadn’t occurred i would have rated this book four stars for sure. with the misgendering….two? idk. i’ll hold off rating for now.

Now on to the good!
The anxiety rep was amazing. I have an anxiety disorder, so I can assure you, it is great rep.

The story is pretty good and is told in modern times at an elite boarding school with flashbacks to a murder/kidnapping that occurred 80 years earlier. It was a super cool layout. Loved the transitions. And Stevie is a hilarious narrator.

Content Warnings: misgendering (chapters 10, 20, 24), panic attack, anxiety, murder, abduction, violence



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Review: Ignite the Stars

Book: Ignite the Stars
Author: Maura Milan
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Pages: 400
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Synopsis:

Everyone in the universe knows his name. Everyone in the universe fears him. But no one realizes that notorious outlaw Ia Cocha is a seventeen-year-old girl.
A criminal mastermind and unrivaled pilot, Ia has spent her life terrorizing the Olympus Commonwealth, the imperialist nation that destroyed her home. When the Commonwealth captures her and her true identity is exposed, they see Ia’s age and talent as an opportunity: by forcing her to serve them, they will prove that no one is beyond their control.
Soon, Ia is trapped at the Commonwealth’s military academy, desperately plotting her escape. But new acquaintances—including Brinn, a seemingly average student with a closely-held secret, and their charming Flight Master, Knives—cause Ia to question her own alliances. Can she find a way to escape the Commonwealth’s clutches before these bonds deepen?

She’d go along with being a cadet for now, until they’d all forgotten about the Blood Wolf within their ranks. Once their defenses were down, only then would she flash her teeth.

So book twitter, book tumblr, book instagram, goodreads. You have all failed me. WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK?!? IT IS SO FUCKING GOOD.

So we are blessed with three POVs:

Ia:
Rebel against the Commonwealth. Has a kick ass helmet. An icon™. Also, a pilot. And on the cover. I’m in love. She’s badass.

From close inspection, she noted the doors were locked with fingerprint scans. Every single one of them. She scratched her head. Well, then, she would have to cut someone’s finger off.

Her POV was always hilarious to read. I found out about this book because Ia was listed on an anti-heroine book list. And she is totally an anti-heroine. She’s stabby. She’s killed. She’s smart. She’s cunning. I stan a legend.

Brinn:
A super smart, die-hard Commonwealth stan. Wants to work in politics. Has blue hair. Dyes it brown (because people suck).

History was an examination of the past, but there was no hope in the past, only sadness and despair. All she wanted to do was look ahead where the future was bright and blinding. And hers.

Brinn had SO MUCH growth in this book. Like honestly. So much. What a cute little nerd. No spoilers, so I’m going to keep hush hush about dear old Brinn.

Knives:
The youngest flight master in RSF history. You know he’s probably hot. I mean, every single space pilot in movies and TV is hot (Poe, Ray, Cassian, Han Solo, Lotor, Keith, Shiro, I could go on…).

Knives wasn’t going to go easy on them. He was going to work the new cadets until they ran home, crying to their parents. Until they had nightmares of him.

He likes to think he’s scary but really he’s a big softy. And he is so conflicted. He lives in a near constant state of inner turmoil.

Where has this book been my whole life? It’s great. Usually when a book is underrated, I like to give a few comp titles to help readers figure out if they would enjoy the writing style or plot, but honestly, IGNITE THE STARS is something else entirely. It’s in a league of its own. It has a fun plot, with hilarious banter, fleshed out characters each with their own motivations, great supporting characters, good character growth, I love the relationships, and each POV has its own style (even though the book is written in third person).

The b a n t e r.
Especially between Knives and Ia.
Gold.
Pure gold.

Exhibit A:

“And one more thing,” the boy said. “You will be bound twenty-four hours a day. Except during lessons and scheduled meal hours.”
“So when I go to the bathroom, you’ll be wiping for me?”
“If that’s what you want.” The boy looked up from the journal with a daring grin on his face, which only made her want to rip his throat out.

Exhibit B:

“I know you’re trying to figure out how to escape,” the boy said smugly. He pointed up at the ceiling. “Those vents are welded down with a solid layer of pure vinnidium and sealed with five inches of concrete. The ceilings are thirty meters high, impossible to get to unless you have a windpack.” He shrugged. “I dare you to try though. It will make things more fun.”

Exhibit C:

She pushed at Knives’s cheek gently. “Dummy,” she whispered at him. Then, finally, she was out cold. Knives stood over her, waiting for any sign of consciousness. He tapped her in the center of her forehead. Nothing.
Thank Deus. He’d thought she would never shut up.

And you can’t forget the friendship between Ia and Brinn:

“Who’d have thought that I’d have the Blood Wolf of the Skies as my personal bodyguard?” she said.
“You’re lucky I’ll do it for free. My rate’s pretty steep.” Ia smiled smugly.

Or even this gem:

She searched through the dark for Brinn’s face, expecting a warm welcome. A hug, a hello. Anything.
Footsteps stomped toward her, followed by the sting of a palm against her face.
All right, that worked too.

Also this book explored both sides of war. Of how each side hurts, even if you believe what you’re doing is right. Which was super cool to read about.

The ending was spectacular. (tbh I adore this book, but still not entire sure why the government would recruit its number one threat…but this book was so fun so who cares)

I need the next book. STAT.

Content Warnings: bullying, prejudice against refugees, torture, war, murder, imprisonment, mentions of slave trade/slavery, mentions of suicide, hate crime,

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ARC Review: We Hunt the Flame

Book: We Hunt the Flame (Sand of Arawiya #1)
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 480
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Synopsis:

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. 

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

Ever since hearing WE HUNT THE FLAME’s synopsis about a Hunter and an Assassin I’ve been wanting to read this book. But it was that quote above Hafsah shared on twitter that made me know this was going to be one of my favorites.

I am lucky enough to have read an eARC of WHTF (Thank you Hafsah and FSG/MacMillan) . And let me tell you:
It.
Is.
AMAZING.

Everything from the banter to the world-building to the plot twists to the main and secondary characters to the antagonists. AMAZING.

And I’m not lying. One point I got to something I was NOT expecting. I said “Oh, shit” put my hand to my mouth and gasped. Like I was staring in some daytime drama (little embarrassing, luckily I was alone). I then swung my head around because I wanted to ask if anyone else saw that (idk why I was expecting some creeper to be lurking over my shoulder reading my ebook, but I was frazzled, okay)? You know when you see something crazy (like a dog skateboarding in person or a person ride a unicycle while juggling) so you put your hand to your mouth, gasp, and want to turn to the person next to you and ask if they saw it too? Yeah, that’s how I was.

Pretty much the whole time I read this I was either saying Yes!; laughing, chuckling, grinning, some combination of the three; or muttering oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

Trust the hype people.

Oh man, I can’t wait for the book to come out so I can actually share all of my favorite quotes with people. I think half my eARC is probably highlighted with funny scenes, inspiring scenes, beautiful scenes, and just plain pretty prose.

The characters are awesome. I love them all. Even the secondary characters are well-fleshed out. The friendships are great. The book is pretty high stakes. Also this is a journey/quest book (I love journey books) which was an added bonus for me. And I loved how Hafsah added transliterated Arabic throughout the book.

And I’m still screaming about that ending.

Content Warnings: murder, slavery, torture, imprisonment, mention of suicidal thoughts, mentions of child abuse, mention of suicide, violence, gore, war

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ARC Review: Red, White & Royal Blue

Book: Red, White & Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Pages: 432
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Synopsis:

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him. 

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

“History, huh?”

(it makes sense when you read the book)

This.
Book.
Was.
Fucking.
Spectacular.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Honestly I can’t pitch this book any better than the fucking blurb.

Do you like queer romances?
Do like hate-to-friends-to-lovers?
Do you like passionate MCs?
Do you enjoy laughing?
Do you love books that revolve around family and friends?
Then you will fucking love RW&RB.

I just—this was great.
I especially loved Alex’s realization that he was bisexual and how he comes out to another character who is also bisexual and how the two of them both realized their orientations at different times (because I sure as hell didn’t know when I was in high school) and it was so fucking wonderful. Thank you Casey!!!

“Straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves they’re straight.”

^ I felt that.

In this book we get: gay and bi rep via main characters. trans and pan rep via minor characters. multiple people of color rep. and Casey has their characters all talk about how America was built on slavery and England on colonization and both countries are guilty of genocide. WOO! (i mean, not “WOO!” to the genocide and slavery (because those are both bad, obvi), but “WOO!” to calling it out rather than pretending it didn’t happen)

This
is
my
type
of
BOOK!!!

I get the feeling the only people who will be leaving this book one star reviews don’t like queer books or say it has a ‘liberal agenda.’
aka I loved it.

Oh man, and since Alex is my age, all of the pivotal American experiences he mentions…I fucking cackled. I mean…this one dance scene. And yes, any 90s US baby will know what I’m talking about…

Sorry, this review is sort of incoherent. I am just really fucking pumped. I loved the family dynamic and the relationships between siblings and friends and parents and lovers and staff.

I just love Alex and June and Nora and Ellen and Henry and Bea and Pez and Zahra and Shaan and Oscar and SO MANY MORE I JUST. Okay. It has a really solid cast is all I’m saying…lots to work with for movie material.

My only real complaint is that Alex and Henry introduce a new sex act while they both are super drunk and have never discussed doing anything like this sober. before it happened. I mean, the book is a rom-com so no one feels regret or like they were taken advantage of. But as a general statement, being super drunk while introducing a new sexual act puts you in murky consent territory. If they had some previous conversation about being interested in it, or if they hadn’t been drunk, my thoughts would be very different. But again, rom-com so everyone is super happy the next morning.

Yeah, so if you like queer books, mild politics, and enjoy comedies then you’ll love this book.

Content Warnings: emesis, parental death (cancer), suicide joke(s), mentions of drug use/abuse (cocaine, abuse of Adderall), mentions of rehab, panic attacks, mentions of depression, mention of attempted rape (off-page, not super detailed), ableist comments (‘insane’, ‘crazy’. ‘I’ve been stricken deaf’), multiple ‘inbred’ royal jokes



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