Thank you to NetGalley and Essy Knopf for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Nepo is a delightfully fast paced story about being neurodivergent.Thank you to NetGalley and Essy Knopf for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Nepo is a delightfully fast paced story about being neurodivergent. I loved how genuine Shayan’s journey of self discovery was. The way he would recognize his traits in other people who were openly endis and feel both comforted and panicked really resonated with me. Also, I’m going to be so honest, it took me way too long to realize endi was just ND (short for neurodivergent) spelled out. This probably should have been obvious cause people do the same thing with NB/enby for nonbinary (which I am), but alas… I didn’t put the pieces together until the very end.
Additionally, I adored the actual plot and worldbuilding. It’s just such a phenomenally fascinating idea that was executed really well. I do think this book is very recognizably YA, a lot of the themes are very approachable and probably won't be new concepts to most adults. However, I think it’s great to see these topics like classism, and ableism be discussed more seriously in YA, especially in a way that would be easy for YA audiences to understand.
The ending is relatively open (which is my personal preference, but I know it’s not everyone’s). It feels conclusive, but there are enough plotlines left open that it makes me wonder if the author wanted to leave the opportunity for a sequel while also ensuring Nepo worked as a standalone. While I am an avid standalone lover, I adored these characters and this world, so I would be thrilled if there ends up being a sequel in the future....more
This book was an absolute delight! Cleo has a very clear voice, and all of the characters were reallyThank you to NetGalley and the author for an arc.
This book was an absolute delight! Cleo has a very clear voice, and all of the characters were really compelling. I really loved how Cleo’s mental health struggles were portrayed. It didn’t feel like her OCD and PTSD were sugarcoated, but they also didn’t feel played up for shock value. I also really appreciated how much of an emphasis there was on healthy communication in the farm pack as a whole.
The only thing that stopped this book from being 5 stars for me, is that I don’t really love the omegaverse lore in this book. In Defective, all female alphas and male omegas are infertile (betas don’t exist). Now, I don’t particularly care for pregnancy tropes, and I do think it makes sense in the lore of the world (plus it’s really important for Cleo); however, I think one of the fun things about omegaverse is the fact that it’s extremely bioessentialist without actually relating to real life biological sex. Admittedly, this is my first omegaverse book (I have read some fics previously) so maybe this is standard in the book community. Additionally, while I didn’t care for this choice in the lore, I do think the lore of both the omegaverse and the post-apocalyptic world were very interesting and well written!
Overall, a stellar debut and I will definitely be checking out Ivy Lovell’s next work (which I believe is an m/m friends to lovers spy romance!!). ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an arc! All opinions are my own.
This book was everything I had hoped it would be!Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an arc! All opinions are my own.
This book was everything I had hoped it would be! I loved the one sided enemies-to-lovers dynamic, and I think Charlie and Jasper’s relationship was really well written overall. Anytime there was a lack of communication or miscommunication, it felt like there was a genuine reason for it, so it wasn’t as frustrating as miscommunication often is. I think one of my favourite things about this book is the total lack of transphobia and homophobia. There is kind of a looming threat of it (which comes from being in a school that places a lot of value on tradition) but that’s it. I also really enjoyed the platonic relationships between Charlie and the other characters. I loved his character growth, and the way he and his friends looked out for each other. There was just such a sweet community vibe throughout the book that made it really comforting to read.
There was only one thing that I didn’t particularly like. Throughout the book, Jasper is referenced as winning the “Sexiest Poet of the Year” award. But like... he’s 16. Is this award only for highschoolers? Because if so I don’t think there should be an award ranking highschool poets based on sexiness. And if this is an award for all poets, then I feel like it should probably be 18+. Obviously, that is a very minor issue and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book overall, but it came up enough that I felt like I had to talk about it....more
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an arc. All opinions are my own
This was a great graphic novel! I’m a sucker for aThank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an arc. All opinions are my own
This was a great graphic novel! I’m a sucker for a good time loop, and I loved the way this one was handled. I was pleasantly surprised by how serious the book got at points. The overall mood is pretty lighthearted, but it explores themes like grief and feeling trapped in life in a way that felt really genuine. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an arc! All opinions are my own.
The Starving Saints is a story bursting with hunger, cannibalism, and thThank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an arc! All opinions are my own.
The Starving Saints is a story bursting with hunger, cannibalism, and the power of bargaining (with a heaping side of girl kissing). This was just such a delight to read. However, if you are someone who likes all of your mysteries to get wrapped up nicely, this is probably not the book for you. Almost none of the mysteries get answers at all, and the ones that do are very vague. I am personally quite fond of weird, open ended horror books, so I ate this right up....more
Thank you to NetGalley and Dover Publications for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is an amazing writing tool for DMs and fantasy writers!Thank you to NetGalley and Dover Publications for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is an amazing writing tool for DMs and fantasy writers! The art is stunning and I think the prompts provide enough guidance to stave off writer’s block, while leaving room to tell a unique story that fits within your own setting. I also think the idea of using a tarot deck is super fun since it makes the roleplaying feel more mystical....more
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Unworthy has a lot of my favorite things: sapphic romance, weird Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Unworthy has a lot of my favorite things: sapphic romance, weird cult stuff, and journal entry style chapters. Unfortunately, it ended up falling flat for me. If this wasn’t an arc, I probably would have dnfed it around 30% of the way in because I was just never particularly interested in anything that was happening. I also feel like a lot of the horror tapered off towards the end. Without any spoilers, there were some dark themes later on in the book, but I never felt like they were given the time or weight to feel consequential....more
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