Reviews

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to WednesdayBooks and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist. Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her. Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long.

After reading and loving Down Comes The Night, I was incredibly eager to read Allison’s next book. Even when I didn’t really know anything about, I knew I wanted to read it. When I found out that it was about a hunt for a mythical fox, and that it would have more yearning and more pining, I just wanted to read it more and more. It sounded amazing, and the cover is gorgeous! Trigger warnings: animal death, antisemitism, nationalism, xenophobia, PTSD, neglect, grief, blood

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Reviews

We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

*Spoiler free*

Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour’s families have been in business together for years: Quinn’s parents are wedding planners, and Tarek’s own a catering company. At the end of last summer, Quinn confessed her crush on him in the form of a rambling email—and then he left for college without a response. Quinn has been dreading seeing him again almost as much as she dreads another summer playing the harp for her parents’ weddings. When he shows up at the first wedding of the summer, looking cuter than ever after a year apart, they clash immediately. Tarek’s always loved the grand gestures in weddings—the flashier, the better—while Quinn can’t see them as anything but fake. Even as they can’t seem to have one civil conversation, Quinn’s thrown together with Tarek wedding after wedding, from performing a daring cake rescue to filling in for a missing bridesmaid and groomsman. Quinn can’t deny her feelings for him are still there, especially after she learns the truth about his silence, opens up about her own fears, and begins learning the art of harp-making from an enigmatic teacher. Maybe love isn’t the enemy after all—and maybe allowing herself to fall is the most honest thing Quinn’s ever done. 

I mean, it’s a Rachel Lynn Solomon book, so I was looking forward to it before I even knew what it was about. I will seriously read anything that she writes. But, when I found out that this would be about a harp player, who’s the daughter of two wedding planners, and the baker son of the caterer’s her parents partner with often. The son who she has a rocky relationship with. Oh yeah, this definitely sounded like something I was going to be interested in. Trigger warnings: depression, OCD, anxiety

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Reviews

We Are The Fire by Sam Taylor

*Spoiler free*

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Thank you so much to Swoon Reads and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana―both taken from their homeland at a young age―only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place. Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both. When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.

I came across this book because the cover knocked me off my feet. My friend is friends with the author, so when she showed me the cover, I was enthralled. It’s gorgeous and a little bit frightening and a kind of powerful. Plus, it sounded amazing too. Armies of children forced to undergo transformations to fight for a cruel king. It definitely sounded like something I would like to try out. Trigger warnings: grief, torture

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Other

What Love, Victor Means To Me

 

I basically sobbed my way to writing this post. I fell head over heels for this show. When I finished it, I didn’t want to write a review. Which is weird, because I have this deep, burning love for it inside of me and I usually want to share that here. I just feel like anything I could write about it wouldn’t do it and what I’m feeling justice. I don’t want to talk about just what I liked about. This show was so good and touched me so deeply for so many more reasons than that. But I do want to talk about, because I have things to say about it. This show touched me and I want to share that. So, this won’t really be a review. It’ll still be a lot of me rambling, but i’ll be a bit more personal rambling. Really, this show is just incredible special and I’m going to take the chance to talk about what it left me feeling.

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Reviews

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

*Spoiler free*

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Thank you Puntman and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

Naomi Westfield has an Instagram-perfect life, including the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family every bride dreams of being a part of. They never fight, complain, or disagree. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And they are miserably and utterly sick of each other. Tired of contorting herself to fit the ridiculous standards demanded by Nicholas’s family, Naomi wants out of the relationship. But there’s a catch: Whoever calls off the engagement will have to foot the enormous bill for the wedding. When Naomi finds out that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of wills to see who can annoy the other into surrendering through pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare. But now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves. They’re having so much fun getting on each other’s nerves that it starts to feel like something else entirely. As Naomi discovers hidden feelings for Nicholas buried under three years of simmering resentment, she wonders if he feels the same way. Suddenly, the countdown to the wedding that may or may not come to pass feels more like a race to mutual destruction–and Naomi doesn’t want to be left alone at the finish line.

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I didn’t really think I would like it. It sounded angsty, and I just didn’t think it would really be something I would want to read. Maybe sometime, but who knows when. And if I’m being completely honestly, I really didn’t love the cover. I know, I know! I’m so sorry, but I’m not a huge fan of the font. Nevertheless, one of my friends read it and adored it, and I wanted to read a romance book, so I thought I would give it a try!

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