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
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
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is definitely a very powerful graphic novel, andThank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is definitely a very powerful graphic novel, and the art is stunning. There are a lot of heavy topics like self harm, alcoholism, and sexism from the protagonist’s family. I think this graphic novel is very approachable for younger audiences (though there are graphic depictions of self harm which could be triggering for some audiences). My only real complaint was how quickly the protagonist seemed to get better. While I do think it is great for darker stories targeted toward younger audiences to have hopeful tones, I also think that recovery in this book felt a little too neat and clean. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately I just wasn’tThank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately I just wasn’t able to get into it. I have not read the original text, so I cannot personally attest to how faithful of an adaptation this is, though the introduction claims that most of the text in this graphic novel is taken directly from the original novel. A Wizard of Earthsea is truly a classic adventure story full of travel and magic. I do appreciate this adaptation's goal of restoring the diverse representation to a story that has previously been whitewashed by adaptations.
I think the landscapes in this graphic novel were stunning. However, the color palate was very muted, and the facial expressions were a bit lackluster in my opinion. I think having brighter colors or more exaggerated facial expressions would have made this book feel much more lively....more
Thank you so much to HarperVoyage and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
Faithbreaker is an absolutely breathtaking finale to aThank you so much to HarperVoyage and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
Faithbreaker is an absolutely breathtaking finale to a phenomenal trilogy, and I have a lot to say about it, so this review will be divided into two parts.
First, the actual feedback:
Writing: Kaner’s writing is such a clever blend of imagery and emotion with all of the snark and sarcasm that will have the reader laughing on one page and tearing up on the next. Of course, since this is the final book in a trilogy, I was already familiar with Kaner’s style, and while I personally found this book even more engaging than the previous two, there was not a significant change in writing.
Characters: I personally think the characters and their relationships are the pillars of the Fallen Gods series. While Faithbreaker does add a couple of characters to the main cast, it also does a wonderful job of adding depth to the characters. All of the characters, even some of the antagonists and side characters feel like real people with their own histories and motivations which greatly increased the immersion.
Worldbuilding: While this book does add some more depth to the world, the majority of the worldbuilding took place in the first two books. With that being said, while Faithbreaker doesn’t introduce much new worldbuilding, it does take the opportunity to show some aspects of the world that were previously mentioned.
Plot: I am very fond of stories about wars and fighting gods and pirates, so I was always going to love this story. Though even when setting aside those particular biases, I believe Kaner does a wonderful job at maintaining suspense. With war on the horizon and Hseth on the rampage tensions start at a very high point, but the constant stream of hope running through this book stops it from becoming too stressful to read. There are more moments of tragedy and hopelessness in this book than the first two, but it feels like a natural progression of the themes from the previous novels.
Second, my personal feelings on the book:
The way that queerness is represented in this book feels so natural and lovely. I really adored the way that non monogamous relationships and sexual but not romantic relationships were allowed to exist without contest or fanfare. Sometimes I find that queer books put a very heavy emphasis on romantic attraction, (which is totally valid) but as someone on the aromantic spectrum, it means a lot to me to see non-romantic relationships that go beyond the realms of typical friendships. Also the way that disabled people are represented (and allowed to exist as fully fledged characters) and the other characters make accommodations without being asked made me cry a little every time. I understand that accommodating people who need accommodations should be common decency, but it is something that doesn’t happen enough in real life or in fiction, so it still made me really happy.
The drama between Elo and Arren was SO GOOD. I’m obsessed with knights who can’t stop loving someone who hurt them. I’m obsessed with kings who always wait a little too long to learn how to love someone gently. From the first time we got an Arren chapter I knew I would be obsessed with him as a character. I just think he’s so delightfully interesting. Also, Inara’s personal journey with trying to balance her love for humanity with her anger and desire for justice felt like a very accurate and empathetic depiction of being a child and learning that people do cruel things. Truth be told, I have so much more to talk about, but this review is now over a page long, so I will end it here....more
I think this book was a good cozy read. I definitely agree with some of the other reviewers that it was lacking depth.Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
I think this book was a good cozy read. I definitely agree with some of the other reviewers that it was lacking depth. I don’t think this book will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next, but I do think it’s a fun read if you’re cool with just being along for the ride.
Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by the action scenes. I often find that action scenes feel a bit cluttered, or hard to keep up with, but the fight scenes in this book were easy to follow. I do wish there was a little more action in this book, or at least more tension. The stakes are set pretty high (the potential return of world ending dragons) but the focus of this book is mostly on the relationship between Claudia and Kas.
If you’re someone who likes cozy fantasy, I think you would enjoy this....more
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a lovely story about self discovery! The sThank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a lovely story about self discovery! The story is very cozy and approachable for younger audiences, without feeling too oversimplified for adults to enjoy reading. Also, K. O’Neill’s use of color is truly outstanding. The art has such a charming nostalgic quality to it that I just adored....more
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