I like the idea of the book. It’s simple and sweet but profound, and makes for a joyful read. Though the whole exposition about astrology felt a bit rI like the idea of the book. It’s simple and sweet but profound, and makes for a joyful read. Though the whole exposition about astrology felt a bit repetitive and boring at times, it was overall nice and feel good. Would have loved to know more about the characters’ future in the epilogue....more
When I started reading this trilogy in part due to our Stars and Sorcery book club, I never thought I would be binge rCW: torture, violence and deaths
When I started reading this trilogy in part due to our Stars and Sorcery book club, I never thought I would be binge reading the whole thing in the same month. But once I began, I really wanted to know what was going to happen next and couldn’t help but stay up late nights to finish it all. And wow was that an intense finale.
As far as final books in a fantasy series go, we all have a few standard expectations - lots of tense moments, action sequences, major revelations and realistic consequences - and this book delivered them all and how. I can’t believe that this is the same story that took place in a small town in Timekeeper because of the way this world has expanded, and the unbelievable implications of clock towers and time on innocent people. The author just ramps up the pacing and action many notches here, with the story spanning rebels fighting for freedom, terrorists seeking destruction and control, desperate youngsters fighting for family and love, gods fighting gods for supremacy, and an extremely intelligent megalomaniac villain pulling the strings behind it all. The story and writing was equal parts exciting, horrifying and heartbreaking and I just couldn’t put it down. There were parts where I thought it dragged a little or instances where I thought it was all too convenient, but it was great writing overall.
I don’t know how the author manages to make me care about Danny so much, even when I’m infuriated with him. There is an inherent loneliness in him that I relate to so much, and he cares a lot about his friends and family which all make him a great protagonist to root for. But his single minded obsession with Colton unnerved me at times, especially when he wouldn’t let Colton grieve or feel anger properly for what was done to him, and felt jealous Colton’s feelings about the people from his past. But he also suffers greatly throughout the book, both mentally and physically and considering his already traumatic history, I couldn’t hold any grudge against him for too long. He is really put through the wringer this time but when it’s really necessary, he puts out all the stops to do what’s important for the greater good and I just kept wishing that things turn out better for him towards the end.
But it was definitely Colton and Daphne who stole the show for me. Colton’s trauma is truly unimaginable and I was in awe of the way he tried to process it all while also struggling with the intense situations he is put in constantly and having to make choices with high a price. His journey from being a happy positive clock spirit to someone who can feel the full rage of human emotions and care for so many people, and then make more sacrifices though he has already done so much - he has a great character arc and I really loved reading about him. Daphne on the other hand has a different kind of evolution, understanding to let go of the past and finding a new home and future for herself, while also doing whatever she can for the greater good.
I really don’t want to talk more about these three or the remaining wonderful cast of side characters who all have their own unique journeys and leave a memorable impression on the reader, because the author doesn’t shy away from making them all suffer and also killing some of them. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen so many significant character deaths and other consequences in a YA fantasy and I have to hand it to the author for making such bold choices.
In the end, all I want to say is that this was an intense finale to a fun and interesting fantasy series and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. It’s a great feeling when you discover a wonderful new author (to me) in the first month of the new year. And if you are someone who likes the idea of an alternate Victorian England, time controlling clock towers and spirits, lots of Greek mythology influences, an angsty forbidden love story and lots of POC and queer characters - then you should totally checkout this series. And now that I’ve finished the author’s entire backlist in a month, I guess I have no choice but to find another wonderful author!!
Merged review:
CW: torture, violence and deaths
When I started reading this trilogy in part due to our Stars and Sorcery book club, I never thought I would be binge reading the whole thing in the same month. But once I began, I really wanted to know what was going to happen next and couldn’t help but stay up late nights to finish it all. And wow was that an intense finale.
As far as final books in a fantasy series go, we all have a few standard expectations - lots of tense moments, action sequences, major revelations and realistic consequences - and this book delivered them all and how. I can’t believe that this is the same story that took place in a small town in Timekeeper because of the way this world has expanded, and the unbelievable implications of clock towers and time on innocent people. The author just ramps up the pacing and action many notches here, with the story spanning rebels fighting for freedom, terrorists seeking destruction and control, desperate youngsters fighting for family and love, gods fighting gods for supremacy, and an extremely intelligent megalomaniac villain pulling the strings behind it all. The story and writing was equal parts exciting, horrifying and heartbreaking and I just couldn’t put it down. There were parts where I thought it dragged a little or instances where I thought it was all too convenient, but it was great writing overall.
I don’t know how the author manages to make me care about Danny so much, even when I’m infuriated with him. There is an inherent loneliness in him that I relate to so much, and he cares a lot about his friends and family which all make him a great protagonist to root for. But his single minded obsession with Colton unnerved me at times, especially when he wouldn’t let Colton grieve or feel anger properly for what was done to him, and felt jealous Colton’s feelings about the people from his past. But he also suffers greatly throughout the book, both mentally and physically and considering his already traumatic history, I couldn’t hold any grudge against him for too long. He is really put through the wringer this time but when it’s really necessary, he puts out all the stops to do what’s important for the greater good and I just kept wishing that things turn out better for him towards the end.
But it was definitely Colton and Daphne who stole the show for me. Colton’s trauma is truly unimaginable and I was in awe of the way he tried to process it all while also struggling with the intense situations he is put in constantly and having to make choices with high a price. His journey from being a happy positive clock spirit to someone who can feel the full rage of human emotions and care for so many people, and then make more sacrifices though he has already done so much - he has a great character arc and I really loved reading about him. Daphne on the other hand has a different kind of evolution, understanding to let go of the past and finding a new home and future for herself, while also doing whatever she can for the greater good.
I really don’t want to talk more about these three or the remaining wonderful cast of side characters who all have their own unique journeys and leave a memorable impression on the reader, because the author doesn’t shy away from making them all suffer and also killing some of them. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen so many significant character deaths and other consequences in a YA fantasy and I have to hand it to the author for making such bold choices.
In the end, all I want to say is that this was an intense finale to a fun and interesting fantasy series and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. It’s a great feeling when you discover a wonderful new author (to me) in the first month of the new year. And if you are someone who likes the idea of an alternate Victorian England, time controlling clock towers and spirits, lots of Greek mythology influences, an angsty forbidden love story and lots of POC and queer characters - then you should totally checkout this series. And now that I’ve finished the author’s entire backlist in a month, I guess I have no choice but to find another wonderful author!!...more
I remember owning a couple of books from this author’s Abhorsen series years ago but I never read them. Even this book wasn’t on my radar, but when I I remember owning a couple of books from this author’s Abhorsen series years ago but I never read them. Even this book wasn’t on my radar, but when I happened to read the synopsis around the time of its release, I thought it was a bit different from my usual reads and wanted to give it a try. I can’t say I was blown away by it, but it turned out to be a good read.
I liked the idea of this world, each kingdom having its own archangel with their own host of lesser angels, and the mages of the kingdom being able to summon them using icons. I particularly loved the way the icons are described in detail and it would be very interesting to see some artwork related to it. But we are never given any details of the world itself, beyond the basics. It’s almost not until the end that the Doom of Ystara is revealed, and while it made for a nice mystery, I just wasn’t sure the revelation was worth the wait. There are also too many names of people we care nothing about, a hierarchy of the angels which I couldn’t remember at all, and so many different angels who could be summoned that I stopped who was capable of what magic. The only part of the world that I could remember atleast a little was the top most power players in the kingdom of Sarance and their archangel.
The best part of the book was that it was fast paced right from the get go, with the readers being thrown in the middle of the action in the prologue itself. As there are too many characters introduced to us in the beginning, it took a while for me to realize who the important ones are and then try to remember them. This book is told through third person (I think) and had a level of detachment in the narrative style which prevented me from getting to know any character closely. I found the dialogue also to be a bit repetitive and annoying at times. There are only a few action sequences but I thought they were described very well. But on the whole, I was very interested to know what the end goal was and how it would be achieved, and that’s what sustained me to keep going. I’m also a bit conflicted about the ending - it felt underwhelming but also appropriate, so I don’t know what to say about it.
Whenever there is an ensemble cast, I’m always excited to get to know them all but unfortunately, that didn’t happen here. Lilliath is probably the only one we spend a significant amount of time with, and she was very much a mystery throughout. All I could understand was that despite her promises to her followers, she really seemed very selfish and had her own motives, without any care to protect those around her. Among the other four main characters, the only one I really got to know a bit was Dorotea. She is a scholar and has powers that no one understands but I loved how confident she was in herself, and just wanted the opportunity to continue her education. Her quest for knowledge and her belief that books are the biggest treasure really endeared me to her. Henri, Simeon, Agnez and Dorotea’s instant connection and friendship was also lovely to read about, but it would have been nice to know a bit more about them individually.
To conclude, I think this was a book that had a lot more potential but not all of it worked on page. If you have read the author’s previous books and enjoyed them, then the writing style might work for you. If you like books which focus more on the plot but not a lot on characterization, then this might be the right book for you. It has an interesting world and magic system, but there was just something missing. And I also feel it could have been better fleshed out if it was a duology rather than trying to compress it all into a standalone book.
Merged review:
I remember owning a couple of books from this author’s Abhorsen series years ago but I never read them. Even this book wasn’t on my radar, but when I happened to read the synopsis around the time of its release, I thought it was a bit different from my usual reads and wanted to give it a try. I can’t say I was blown away by it, but it turned out to be a good read.
I liked the idea of this world, each kingdom having its own archangel with their own host of lesser angels, and the mages of the kingdom being able to summon them using icons. I particularly loved the way the icons are described in detail and it would be very interesting to see some artwork related to it. But we are never given any details of the world itself, beyond the basics. It’s almost not until the end that the Doom of Ystara is revealed, and while it made for a nice mystery, I just wasn’t sure the revelation was worth the wait. There are also too many names of people we care nothing about, a hierarchy of the angels which I couldn’t remember at all, and so many different angels who could be summoned that I stopped who was capable of what magic. The only part of the world that I could remember atleast a little was the top most power players in the kingdom of Sarance and their archangel.
The best part of the book was that it was fast paced right from the get go, with the readers being thrown in the middle of the action in the prologue itself. As there are too many characters introduced to us in the beginning, it took a while for me to realize who the important ones are and then try to remember them. This book is told through third person (I think) and had a level of detachment in the narrative style which prevented me from getting to know any character closely. I found the dialogue also to be a bit repetitive and annoying at times. There are only a few action sequences but I thought they were described very well. But on the whole, I was very interested to know what the end goal was and how it would be achieved, and that’s what sustained me to keep going. I’m also a bit conflicted about the ending - it felt underwhelming but also appropriate, so I don’t know what to say about it.
Whenever there is an ensemble cast, I’m always excited to get to know them all but unfortunately, that didn’t happen here. Lilliath is probably the only one we spend a significant amount of time with, and she was very much a mystery throughout. All I could understand was that despite her promises to her followers, she really seemed very selfish and had her own motives, without any care to protect those around her. Among the other four main characters, the only one I really got to know a bit was Dorotea. She is a scholar and has powers that no one understands but I loved how confident she was in herself, and just wanted the opportunity to continue her education. Her quest for knowledge and her belief that books are the biggest treasure really endeared me to her. Henri, Simeon, Agnez and Dorotea’s instant connection and friendship was also lovely to read about, but it would have been nice to know a bit more about them individually.
To conclude, I think this was a book that had a lot more potential but not all of it worked on page. If you have read the author’s previous books and enjoyed them, then the writing style might work for you. If you like books which focus more on the plot but not a lot on characterization, then this might be the right book for you. It has an interesting world and magic system, but there was just something missing. And I also feel it could have been better fleshed out if it was a duology rather than trying to compress it all into a standalone book....more
CW: anxiety and on page panic attacks, depression, talk of suicidal ideation, bullying, loss of spouse and parent in the past. There are other contentCW: anxiety and on page panic attacks, depression, talk of suicidal ideation, bullying, loss of spouse and parent in the past. There are other content warnings which are mentioned in the beginning of the book.
I know I don’t read enough ownvoices gay romance stories even though I like the genre a lot, but I’m always looking out for more. And Cole McCade is definitely one author I look forward to even though I did abandon his Criminal Intentions aerial after reading nine or ten episodes because it was too dark for my taste. But this is a new romance series and I was so excited when I got the ARC.
While this series is definitely not dark, it’s also not like the romcoms I’m used to reading. Both the characters of Fox and Summer are the products of their pasts and traumas, and their depictions felt so real and visceral. Summer suffers from anxiety and panic attacks but he is also brave enough to give voice to his desires when challenged and I admired him so much for being compassionate and relentlessly trying to get out of his comfort zone.
Fox on the other hand has closed himself off for years because he couldn’t process the grief of losing his wife. He is a professor everyone is quite scared of because he is a very tough taskmaster, but underneath he is so soft and just needs someone to show him that deserves to live and love again.
Cole has a way with words and the writing really is exquisite at places, tugging at your heartstrings so much that you can feel all the pain and the joy that the characters are experiencing. Even though I did feel that the falling in love part happened a bit fast, it was still very believable and I was rooting for them all the way. I wasn’t sure I would like the setting of the boarding school before I started reading the book, and I’m still not entirely impressed with it because the concept of rich kids being bullies and traumatizing each other is not my kind of narrative, but I liked the direction the author took that particular subplot in. There were not many other side characters except Summer’s mom who only made a couple of appearances, but was delightful.
Overall, this was a very emotional love story with great depth in the characters and I thoroughly loved my reading experience. And I’m quite excited to see where the series goes next.
Merged review:
CW: anxiety and on page panic attacks, depression, talk of suicidal ideation, bullying, loss of spouse and parent in the past. There are other content warnings which are mentioned in the beginning of the book.
I know I don’t read enough ownvoices gay romance stories even though I like the genre a lot, but I’m always looking out for more. And Cole McCade is definitely one author I look forward to even though I did abandon his Criminal Intentions aerial after reading nine or ten episodes because it was too dark for my taste. But this is a new romance series and I was so excited when I got the ARC.
While this series is definitely not dark, it’s also not like the romcoms I’m used to reading. Both the characters of Fox and Summer are the products of their pasts and traumas, and their depictions felt so real and visceral. Summer suffers from anxiety and panic attacks but he is also brave enough to give voice to his desires when challenged and I admired him so much for being compassionate and relentlessly trying to get out of his comfort zone.
Fox on the other hand has closed himself off for years because he couldn’t process the grief of losing his wife. He is a professor everyone is quite scared of because he is a very tough taskmaster, but underneath he is so soft and just needs someone to show him that deserves to live and love again.
Cole has a way with words and the writing really is exquisite at places, tugging at your heartstrings so much that you can feel all the pain and the joy that the characters are experiencing. Even though I did feel that the falling in love part happened a bit fast, it was still very believable and I was rooting for them all the way. I wasn’t sure I would like the setting of the boarding school before I started reading the book, and I’m still not entirely impressed with it because the concept of rich kids being bullies and traumatizing each other is not my kind of narrative, but I liked the direction the author took that particular subplot in. There were not many other side characters except Summer’s mom who only made a couple of appearances, but was delightful.
Overall, this was a very emotional love story with great depth in the characters and I thoroughly loved my reading experience. And I’m quite excited to see where the series goes next....more
I was obviously eagerly awaiting for this sequel because Price of Killers had a monster cliffhanger and I just had to know what happened next. And it I was obviously eagerly awaiting for this sequel because Price of Killers had a monster cliffhanger and I just had to know what happened next. And it was (and wasn’t) what I was expecting.
It was both exciting and very different to completely shift to Dante’s (Chris’s) POV in this novel and it finally gave me the chance to get to know him better. He has lost a lot in life and is single minded in his dedication to find justice for his partner. I could totally empathize with his struggle to keep his feelings for Hawes in check while also being able to do his job. Hawes on other hand seemed to handle it all reasonably well. The chemistry and angst between them was scorching hot. But the story also quickly moved into a bit of instalove territory - which was a little unrealistic but also kinda understandable because of all the high stakes and adrenaline fueled situations they find themselves in.
The writing is fast paced and full of evolving situations where we can’t guess what’s gonna happen next and that was a lot of fun. There’s not much action this time around though and I really wanted some of that. We also hardly got to know the Madigan siblings more and I thought that was a missed opportunity. The main suspense throughout the two books has been about finding out who is the person ultimately pulling the strings and I think it was pretty easy to guess this time around and I think I’m right, which was actually disappointing because I wanted to be devastated by the revelation. The ending was kinda unexpected but cool and I can’t even guess what’s gonna happen next.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the first book but it was still fun and interesting and I’m very much looking forward to more explosive shenanigans in the finale.
Merged review:
I was obviously eagerly awaiting for this sequel because Price of Killers had a monster cliffhanger and I just had to know what happened next. And it was (and wasn’t) what I was expecting.
It was both exciting and very different to completely shift to Dante’s (Chris’s) POV in this novel and it finally gave me the chance to get to know him better. He has lost a lot in life and is single minded in his dedication to find justice for his partner. I could totally empathize with his struggle to keep his feelings for Hawes in check while also being able to do his job. Hawes on other hand seemed to handle it all reasonably well. The chemistry and angst between them was scorching hot. But the story also quickly moved into a bit of instalove territory - which was a little unrealistic but also kinda understandable because of all the high stakes and adrenaline fueled situations they find themselves in.
The writing is fast paced and full of evolving situations where we can’t guess what’s gonna happen next and that was a lot of fun. There’s not much action this time around though and I really wanted some of that. We also hardly got to know the Madigan siblings more and I thought that was a missed opportunity. The main suspense throughout the two books has been about finding out who is the person ultimately pulling the strings and I think it was pretty easy to guess this time around and I think I’m right, which was actually disappointing because I wanted to be devastated by the revelation. The ending was kinda unexpected but cool and I can’t even guess what’s gonna happen next.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the first book but it was still fun and interesting and I’m very much looking forward to more explosive shenanigans in the finale....more
It’s probably more of a 3.5 but I don’t feel like rounding up.
I can’t say that I’ve been a huge fan of this series since the beginning, but I’ve enjoyIt’s probably more of a 3.5 but I don’t feel like rounding up.
I can’t say that I’ve been a huge fan of this series since the beginning, but I’ve enjoyed the Alaskan setting enough to want to continue. And I’m glad I did because I found this book to be much better than the previous installments.
The writing in this book took me a while to get into and I was a bit bored initially. But once the winter season started in the story, it was interesting to get to know more about how the volunteers work along with rangers, what are their responsibilities and what kind of incidents should they be equipped to deal with. There was always this sense of danger, especially related to avalanches which felt real and visceral and gave me a real appreciation for the work all of them do to keep the tourists safe. On the flip side, this book doesn’t showcase the beauty of the Alaskan backcountry but concentrates on the issues travelers might face - but I didn’t mind this shift. I had enough of the picturesque locales in two books and it was nice to see the other side too. The last third of the book was also quite emotional and I ended up crying a lot (it could have just been my mood too though). It’s probably one reason I liked this book more despite not connecting with the characters a lot.
Quill wasn’t an easy person to like. Not that he is bad, but he has so many internalized issues about relationships and being out as gay that sometimes I wanted to give him a hug, but other times I wanted to give him a good shake. But he was great at his job and I really liked that he didn’t shy away from talking about all the dangers, even if his audience didn’t appreciate it. Owen on the other hand is a cancer survivor, who now has a bucket list and wants to get through it all because he doesn’t want to waste any time. He is also a very social, talkative and extroverted person which makes him an exact opposite of Quill. And I totally understood his wish that Quill be more open, but I don’t think he completely empathized with Quill’s hangups. They are so different from each other that I couldn’t understand why they liked each other in the first place, but there was a lot of friendship and relationship development which I enjoyed. It felt very domestic and adorable and I liked those quieter moments. However, there was also a lot of back and forth, especially on Quill’s part and while I could feel where he was coming from, it got frustrating after a while. When the conflict happened, it seemed inevitable but I was also so upset that I kept sobbing for quite some time. However, the ending felt a little rushed but also earned and very very sweet.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read despite some of the issues I had with the characters. I loved following the rangers and getting to know their daily life, and that’s one main reason this is probably my favorite of this trilogy. This book also has the hurt/comfort trope - so if you enjoy these themes or the setting of Alaska, you should definitely check out this book. Even if you have been disappointed by the previous books in this series, I have a feeling you might enjoy this better just like I did.
Merged review:
It’s probably more of a 3.5 but I don’t feel like rounding up.
I can’t say that I’ve been a huge fan of this series since the beginning, but I’ve enjoyed the Alaskan setting enough to want to continue. And I’m glad I did because I found this book to be much better than the previous installments.
The writing in this book took me a while to get into and I was a bit bored initially. But once the winter season started in the story, it was interesting to get to know more about how the volunteers work along with rangers, what are their responsibilities and what kind of incidents should they be equipped to deal with. There was always this sense of danger, especially related to avalanches which felt real and visceral and gave me a real appreciation for the work all of them do to keep the tourists safe. On the flip side, this book doesn’t showcase the beauty of the Alaskan backcountry but concentrates on the issues travelers might face - but I didn’t mind this shift. I had enough of the picturesque locales in two books and it was nice to see the other side too. The last third of the book was also quite emotional and I ended up crying a lot (it could have just been my mood too though). It’s probably one reason I liked this book more despite not connecting with the characters a lot.
Quill wasn’t an easy person to like. Not that he is bad, but he has so many internalized issues about relationships and being out as gay that sometimes I wanted to give him a hug, but other times I wanted to give him a good shake. But he was great at his job and I really liked that he didn’t shy away from talking about all the dangers, even if his audience didn’t appreciate it. Owen on the other hand is a cancer survivor, who now has a bucket list and wants to get through it all because he doesn’t want to waste any time. He is also a very social, talkative and extroverted person which makes him an exact opposite of Quill. And I totally understood his wish that Quill be more open, but I don’t think he completely empathized with Quill’s hangups. They are so different from each other that I couldn’t understand why they liked each other in the first place, but there was a lot of friendship and relationship development which I enjoyed. It felt very domestic and adorable and I liked those quieter moments. However, there was also a lot of back and forth, especially on Quill’s part and while I could feel where he was coming from, it got frustrating after a while. When the conflict happened, it seemed inevitable but I was also so upset that I kept sobbing for quite some time. However, the ending felt a little rushed but also earned and very very sweet.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read despite some of the issues I had with the characters. I loved following the rangers and getting to know their daily life, and that’s one main reason this is probably my favorite of this trilogy. This book also has the hurt/comfort trope - so if you enjoy these themes or the setting of Alaska, you should definitely check out this book. Even if you have been disappointed by the previous books in this series, I have a feeling you might enjoy this better just like I did....more
I didn’t even know about this book until a few weeks ago but when I saw the author tweet about the kinIt’s probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.
I didn’t even know about this book until a few weeks ago but when I saw the author tweet about the kind of themes he was talking about in it, I wanted to give it a try. And I’ve previously read an anthology edited by Lamar Giles called Fresh Ink which was amazing, so I was expecting this to be equally compelling.
It’s actually been a while since I’ve read a YA contemporary because I’ve started feeling a bit too old for them, so I’m trying not to project my adult perceptions onto the book. The book was very easy to read, engaging in a way that made me not want to put it down more than a couple of times. I thought the conversation style between the teenagers was realistic but I truly don’t have any experience to compare it to. The author also manages to keep the fun going while interspersing the narrative with some serious discussions and introspection and I thought that was done real well.
Religion plays a major role in the storyline here and while it’s another experience that I can’t comment about its authenticity, I thought the importance of being a part of the church and adhering to its teachings among the characters was depicted very realistically. And I liked the message that though some in the leadership and elderly congregants might stick to old school principles, it’s the young people with their new ideas and new perspectives that can make the church and religion itself much more progressive and inclusive.
The other major theme throughout the book is male entitlement and how men (and young boys) dismiss the opinions or just about any assertion by a woman, assume that they themselves are always right, consider themselves entitled to women’s time and space and bodies, and then lash out when their so-called feelings aren’t reciprocated. Obviously toxic masculinity can’t be eradicated by reading one book but the author definitely tries to talk about how young boys can be taught to recognize such behavior within themselves and try to change.
The author also tries to talk about the dichotomy of a church preaching abstinence and purity pledges, trying to prevent the school from following a comprehensive sex ed program despite an increasing rate of teen pregnancies and how this adversely affects the young women who do end up getting pregnant and then slut shamed, but no one even cares who the responsible father was. The undue burden put on women in every aspect of their lives is shown extremely realistically in a couple of chapters which hit very close to my heart and those few chapters are definitely what make me want to recommend this book to everyone.
Del is like any teenager who has a crush on a girl and finally thinks it’s his time because she has broken up with her boyfriend. He is also reluctant to go the church but finding Kiera at the same place gives him an opportunity to impress her and that’s how he gets involved in the activities. On one hand he makes some lasting friendships in the church group, realizes the importance of the community and how it can be a force of good and change; but on the other hand, he never deviates from his almost obsession with Kiera and neglects many other important tasks in his life. He is obviously encouraged by his other friends which just shows how much peers influence the behavior and how much more parents have to be in communication with their kids. I thought the author did a great job making Del sympathetic enough that we find him a relatable teenager but also are able to recognize his faults - I just wanted to give him a good shake sometimes and make him see how wrong he was.
The whole friend group is very diverse with very distinct personalities, their own unique relationship with faith and the church and with each other. There are conflicts and difficulties but they also resolve in their own ways and I enjoyed the varied dynamics between each of them. Del’s sister Cressie plays a very small but one of the most important parts in the story and I loved the transcripts of her YouTube videos. While I didn’t like that the author uses the concept of men learning to respect women’s boundaries when something happens to a woman in their family, I think the change has to start somewhere and this is as good a reason as any. I also found Del’s parents dynamic very interesting - they are so much in sync in many ways but still there’s an element of dismissal of a woman’s beliefs and fears and I thought that was so realistic as well.
To conclude, this is a great teen contemporary that gives a very unique perspective on religion, toxic masculinity, and female agency without beating down its message or portraying anyone as the villain. It’s charming, relatable, with a great cast of characters and a very important message that I think deserves a read. I would definitely recommend it to any teenage readers or parents of young kids, as well as anyone who enjoys reading contemporary stories rooted in reality.
Merged review:
It’s probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.
I didn’t even know about this book until a few weeks ago but when I saw the author tweet about the kind of themes he was talking about in it, I wanted to give it a try. And I’ve previously read an anthology edited by Lamar Giles called Fresh Ink which was amazing, so I was expecting this to be equally compelling.
It’s actually been a while since I’ve read a YA contemporary because I’ve started feeling a bit too old for them, so I’m trying not to project my adult perceptions onto the book. The book was very easy to read, engaging in a way that made me not want to put it down more than a couple of times. I thought the conversation style between the teenagers was realistic but I truly don’t have any experience to compare it to. The author also manages to keep the fun going while interspersing the narrative with some serious discussions and introspection and I thought that was done real well.
Religion plays a major role in the storyline here and while it’s another experience that I can’t comment about its authenticity, I thought the importance of being a part of the church and adhering to its teachings among the characters was depicted very realistically. And I liked the message that though some in the leadership and elderly congregants might stick to old school principles, it’s the young people with their new ideas and new perspectives that can make the church and religion itself much more progressive and inclusive.
The other major theme throughout the book is male entitlement and how men (and young boys) dismiss the opinions or just about any assertion by a woman, assume that they themselves are always right, consider themselves entitled to women’s time and space and bodies, and then lash out when their so-called feelings aren’t reciprocated. Obviously toxic masculinity can’t be eradicated by reading one book but the author definitely tries to talk about how young boys can be taught to recognize such behavior within themselves and try to change.
The author also tries to talk about the dichotomy of a church preaching abstinence and purity pledges, trying to prevent the school from following a comprehensive sex ed program despite an increasing rate of teen pregnancies and how this adversely affects the young women who do end up getting pregnant and then slut shamed, but no one even cares who the responsible father was. The undue burden put on women in every aspect of their lives is shown extremely realistically in a couple of chapters which hit very close to my heart and those few chapters are definitely what make me want to recommend this book to everyone.
Del is like any teenager who has a crush on a girl and finally thinks it’s his time because she has broken up with her boyfriend. He is also reluctant to go the church but finding Kiera at the same place gives him an opportunity to impress her and that’s how he gets involved in the activities. On one hand he makes some lasting friendships in the church group, realizes the importance of the community and how it can be a force of good and change; but on the other hand, he never deviates from his almost obsession with Kiera and neglects many other important tasks in his life. He is obviously encouraged by his other friends which just shows how much peers influence the behavior and how much more parents have to be in communication with their kids. I thought the author did a great job making Del sympathetic enough that we find him a relatable teenager but also are able to recognize his faults - I just wanted to give him a good shake sometimes and make him see how wrong he was.
The whole friend group is very diverse with very distinct personalities, their own unique relationship with faith and the church and with each other. There are conflicts and difficulties but they also resolve in their own ways and I enjoyed the varied dynamics between each of them. Del’s sister Cressie plays a very small but one of the most important parts in the story and I loved the transcripts of her YouTube videos. While I didn’t like that the author uses the concept of men learning to respect women’s boundaries when something happens to a woman in their family, I think the change has to start somewhere and this is as good a reason as any. I also found Del’s parents dynamic very interesting - they are so much in sync in many ways but still there’s an element of dismissal of a woman’s beliefs and fears and I thought that was so realistic as well.
To conclude, this is a great teen contemporary that gives a very unique perspective on religion, toxic masculinity, and female agency without beating down its message or portraying anyone as the villain. It’s charming, relatable, with a great cast of characters and a very important message that I think deserves a read. I would definitely recommend it to any teenage readers or parents of young kids, as well as anyone who enjoys reading contemporary stories rooted in reality....more
This book was fun and very sweet at places. The hurt/comfort trope worked quite well, but when the conflict happened, I have to say I didn’t like it (This book was fun and very sweet at places. The hurt/comfort trope worked quite well, but when the conflict happened, I have to say I didn’t like it (seems to be happening to me a lot lately). Thankfully, everything resolved quickly and the ending was very adorable.
I liked the characters of Reuben and Toby. They had a nice dynamic right from the get go and their easy chemistry while they were living together was very cute. I also adored Reuben’s daughter Amelia. Her transformation from a cranky teenager to someone who just finds her path was delightful to read about. I wasn’t that much of a fan of Toby’s family despite their closeness and his utter adoration for them, they just felt too nosy. However, it does seem to improve towards the end which wasn’t bad.
Overall, it was a good read. It doesn’t have that much of an atmospheric feel like the previous book and Alaska is still very much a good part of the story. It’s an okay book for a one time read and felt very easy to finish in a single sitting. However, it doesn’t live up to some of Annabeth Albert’s older, more amazing books.
Merged review:
This book was fun and very sweet at places. The hurt/comfort trope worked quite well, but when the conflict happened, I have to say I didn’t like it (seems to be happening to me a lot lately). Thankfully, everything resolved quickly and the ending was very adorable.
I liked the characters of Reuben and Toby. They had a nice dynamic right from the get go and their easy chemistry while they were living together was very cute. I also adored Reuben’s daughter Amelia. Her transformation from a cranky teenager to someone who just finds her path was delightful to read about. I wasn’t that much of a fan of Toby’s family despite their closeness and his utter adoration for them, they just felt too nosy. However, it does seem to improve towards the end which wasn’t bad.
Overall, it was a good read. It doesn’t have that much of an atmospheric feel like the previous book and Alaska is still very much a good part of the story. It’s an okay book for a one time read and felt very easy to finish in a single sitting. However, it doesn’t live up to some of Annabeth Albert’s older, more amazing books....more
25th anniversary of my all time favorite tv show, a book written by cast members about the behind the scenes of the production and the legacy of servi25th anniversary of my all time favorite tv show, a book written by cast members about the behind the scenes of the production and the legacy of service it has created, and an election looming over our heads - frankly it’s a perfect season for binging The West Wing again for the nth time but I’m in India now and apparently it’s not available to stream anywhere ...more
I was very excited to read this book because I’ve really enjoyed the author’s two previous trilogies It’s probably more of a 2.5 but I’m rounding up.
I was very excited to read this book because I’ve really enjoyed the author’s two previous trilogies and I wanted to see how her attempt at a standalone romance novel would turn out (especially without the suspense elements). I’m so sad to say that it didnt live up to my expectations.
The one thing you’ll consistently see me saying about this author’s books are that they are very fast paced and I always end up finishing them pretty quickly. However, this one turned out to be very slow paced and though I couldn’t figure out the exact reason, I had quite a bit of trouble with the writing style. I just kept wanting to put it down but I persevered and managed to finish it. As the main premise of the book is the two MCs on a culinary tour, we get some beautiful, mouth watering and delectable descriptions of amazing food and wine and it was a delight to read. As I’m pretty unaware of most of the high end food mentioned, I instead enjoyed reading about the different kinds of wines and the yummy and decadent desserts. The locations of the culinary tour covers some wonderful places across America and I almost felt like I was traveling alongwith them. This journey was definitely the best part of the book. The book is also pretty emotional towards the last third, because one of the MCs is sick and refusing treatment, and I ended up shedding a lot of tears. But I still didn’t have an easy time reading it. I had a tough time differentiating between the two POVs which usually doesn’t happen to me, and that’s probably one reason it took me a while to get through.
The romance is instalove because it all happens in ten days, but it was believable and definitely felt brought on by the heightened circumstances. I really liked Clancy, who is a complete foodie and his heartfelt appreciation of all the food he is introduced to was great to read. He is also a very compassionate doctor and I could totally feel how much he wanted to be an oncologist. Miller on the other hand is a famous Michelin Star chef and while I could understand some of his reasoning behind not wanting treatment, it was mostly rubbish. As someone who has an amazing family and a great group of friends, I found it callous that he didn’t want to give anyone even the chance to say goodbye. There was a lot of push and pull between the two of them, mainly because Miller has resigned himself to die and doesn’t wanna get close but Clancy doesn’t let him go. I liked the development of their friendship and love story but the writing style made me feel a bit detached from them. Sloane is Miller’s ex-wife but she plays a significant part in his life and this book and I actually liked getting to know more about their friendship over the years too. Both their families are also wonderful and supportive and it was nice to see all characters being so loving towards each other.
To conclude, this is probably my least favorite of Layla’s books. Without the suspense elements of her other books, this one felt very slow paced and took me a while to get into the groove. The love story is emotional and I liked it, but it’s not something I consider memorable. However, if you like reading about amazing food and wine, you might like this book. I would definitely suggest not going into this book hungry.
Merged review:
It’s probably more of a 2.5 but I’m rounding up.
I was very excited to read this book because I’ve really enjoyed the author’s two previous trilogies and I wanted to see how her attempt at a standalone romance novel would turn out (especially without the suspense elements). I’m so sad to say that it didnt live up to my expectations.
The one thing you’ll consistently see me saying about this author’s books are that they are very fast paced and I always end up finishing them pretty quickly. However, this one turned out to be very slow paced and though I couldn’t figure out the exact reason, I had quite a bit of trouble with the writing style. I just kept wanting to put it down but I persevered and managed to finish it. As the main premise of the book is the two MCs on a culinary tour, we get some beautiful, mouth watering and delectable descriptions of amazing food and wine and it was a delight to read. As I’m pretty unaware of most of the high end food mentioned, I instead enjoyed reading about the different kinds of wines and the yummy and decadent desserts. The locations of the culinary tour covers some wonderful places across America and I almost felt like I was traveling alongwith them. This journey was definitely the best part of the book. The book is also pretty emotional towards the last third, because one of the MCs is sick and refusing treatment, and I ended up shedding a lot of tears. But I still didn’t have an easy time reading it. I had a tough time differentiating between the two POVs which usually doesn’t happen to me, and that’s probably one reason it took me a while to get through.
The romance is instalove because it all happens in ten days, but it was believable and definitely felt brought on by the heightened circumstances. I really liked Clancy, who is a complete foodie and his heartfelt appreciation of all the food he is introduced to was great to read. He is also a very compassionate doctor and I could totally feel how much he wanted to be an oncologist. Miller on the other hand is a famous Michelin Star chef and while I could understand some of his reasoning behind not wanting treatment, it was mostly rubbish. As someone who has an amazing family and a great group of friends, I found it callous that he didn’t want to give anyone even the chance to say goodbye. There was a lot of push and pull between the two of them, mainly because Miller has resigned himself to die and doesn’t wanna get close but Clancy doesn’t let him go. I liked the development of their friendship and love story but the writing style made me feel a bit detached from them. Sloane is Miller’s ex-wife but she plays a significant part in his life and this book and I actually liked getting to know more about their friendship over the years too. Both their families are also wonderful and supportive and it was nice to see all characters being so loving towards each other.
To conclude, this is probably my least favorite of Layla’s books. Without the suspense elements of her other books, this one felt very slow paced and took me a while to get into the groove. The love story is emotional and I liked it, but it’s not something I consider memorable. However, if you like reading about amazing food and wine, you might like this book. I would definitely suggest not going into this book hungry....more
As someone who has never played any sport in my life, I still can’t figure out my fascination for sports romances, especially hockey because I hardly As someone who has never played any sport in my life, I still can’t figure out my fascination for sports romances, especially hockey because I hardly know anything about it. But they just make me insanely happy and this book was no different.
I remember reading the first book in this series and liking it but it’s been a while, so I didn’t go in with a lot of expectations. I just wanted to have fun and this author duo gave me that. I haven’t read any other books by Piper Vaughn but I have really enjoyed other hockey romances by Avon Gale and this one has a very similar feel. The writing is so easy to get through right from the beginning and I flew through the book in a single sitting. The authors do such a wonderful job making us root for this enemies to lovers to friends to more romance and I just couldn’t get enough. There is also a lot of focus on the game itself, it’s pressures, the camaraderie of the team etc and I loved reading about it all. Even the conflict felt very realistic and made me all emotional. This love story has more like an HFN but it feels very organic to the characters themselves and I also liked that coming out was never a point of contention.
Its amazing to see two protagonists of color in a sport like hockey which is majority white. Ryu is Japanese American who is very reserved, driven, a perfectionist who expects too much from himself. Emmitt on the other hand is Black, who has a faced a lot of prejudice but has never let it get to him and has finally arrived at the NHL. He is also supremely confident, a bit cocky and loves posting shirtless selfies on his insta. They are just so different from each other and competing for the starting goalie puts them at odds, but there were too many sparks flying to be ignored. I loved how they slowly became friends and realized they had feelings for each other despite not wanting to. It was kinda sweet watching them together, bringing out the best in each other on the ice, and also bonding over the immense parental pressures they have faced.
I absolutely loved the team camaraderie here too. Even though I don’t remember much from the first book, it was cool seeing Tristan and Seb together, just being all sappy and adorable. Tristan is the nicest guy ever and Seb is a force of nature and I really wanna reread their book now. Morley is another defenseman who was a prominent side character and he was annoying at first with his typical dudebro attitude and just making offensive jokes all the time. But I quickly realized he is a great friend, just with a puerile sense of humor. He is also not a fan of labeling his sexuality but doesn’t seem to discriminate between genders and I didn’t expect him to be so open and accepting about it. I have a feeling he is going to be the protagonist of the next book and I can’t wait.
To conclude, this was a fun, intense and emotional love story which had both hockey and romance in equal measures and I loved it all. I laughed, I cried and I didn’t want it to end - what more can I expect from a lovely book. If you like sports romances, then I definitely recommend this book. This works perfectly well as a stand-alone too but I think you should also read the first. I hope the wait for the next book in the series won’t be as long as this time.
Merged review:
As someone who has never played any sport in my life, I still can’t figure out my fascination for sports romances, especially hockey because I hardly know anything about it. But they just make me insanely happy and this book was no different.
I remember reading the first book in this series and liking it but it’s been a while, so I didn’t go in with a lot of expectations. I just wanted to have fun and this author duo gave me that. I haven’t read any other books by Piper Vaughn but I have really enjoyed other hockey romances by Avon Gale and this one has a very similar feel. The writing is so easy to get through right from the beginning and I flew through the book in a single sitting. The authors do such a wonderful job making us root for this enemies to lovers to friends to more romance and I just couldn’t get enough. There is also a lot of focus on the game itself, it’s pressures, the camaraderie of the team etc and I loved reading about it all. Even the conflict felt very realistic and made me all emotional. This love story has more like an HFN but it feels very organic to the characters themselves and I also liked that coming out was never a point of contention.
Its amazing to see two protagonists of color in a sport like hockey which is majority white. Ryu is Japanese American who is very reserved, driven, a perfectionist who expects too much from himself. Emmitt on the other hand is Black, who has a faced a lot of prejudice but has never let it get to him and has finally arrived at the NHL. He is also supremely confident, a bit cocky and loves posting shirtless selfies on his insta. They are just so different from each other and competing for the starting goalie puts them at odds, but there were too many sparks flying to be ignored. I loved how they slowly became friends and realized they had feelings for each other despite not wanting to. It was kinda sweet watching them together, bringing out the best in each other on the ice, and also bonding over the immense parental pressures they have faced.
I absolutely loved the team camaraderie here too. Even though I don’t remember much from the first book, it was cool seeing Tristan and Seb together, just being all sappy and adorable. Tristan is the nicest guy ever and Seb is a force of nature and I really wanna reread their book now. Morley is another defenseman who was a prominent side character and he was annoying at first with his typical dudebro attitude and just making offensive jokes all the time. But I quickly realized he is a great friend, just with a puerile sense of humor. He is also not a fan of labeling his sexuality but doesn’t seem to discriminate between genders and I didn’t expect him to be so open and accepting about it. I have a feeling he is going to be the protagonist of the next book and I can’t wait.
To conclude, this was a fun, intense and emotional love story which had both hockey and romance in equal measures and I loved it all. I laughed, I cried and I didn’t want it to end - what more can I expect from a lovely book. If you like sports romances, then I definitely recommend this book. This works perfectly well as a stand-alone too but I think you should also read the first. I hope the wait for the next book in the series won’t be as long as this time....more
It took me a long time to finish this book because my baby celebrated his first bday recently and I’ve been very busy with hardly a minute to spend onIt took me a long time to finish this book because my baby celebrated his first bday recently and I’ve been very busy with hardly a minute to spend on reading. But I finally got to binge it and turns out, it’s such a sweet and heartwarming tale and I can totally see why every one of my blogger friends has adored it.
While the world building as a whole isn’t much of a concern here, the setting of the magical zoo is delightfully presented, introducing us to each of the amazing fantastical creatures and their lovely caretakers, the ecosystem of the world concerning these animals and the beautiful camaraderie between everyone working in the zoo. The ever anxious introvert Aila, supportive bff Tanya, maybe comes off as bitchy but is secretly softhearted Luciana, the gorgeous but mysterious Connor - and ofcourse the phoenixes and griffins and kelpies and more - all make for a great team to follow along on their daily adventures involving budgeting to feeding to answering stupid questions and even fighting off smugglers.
It’s a delightfully cozy story of the bond between humans and animals and sweet tale of the beauty of friendship. I also really enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Bentley. Definitely recommend. ...more
It’s been a bit since I read the second book of this series and enjoyed it, but haven’t found time to get to this coz I don’t have an audiobook. I wenIt’s been a bit since I read the second book of this series and enjoyed it, but haven’t found time to get to this coz I don’t have an audiobook. I went into this not knowing who the characters were going to be, so it was a pleasant surprise and I had so much fun binging through this in a single sitting.
Cherry has been lonely for five years due to being kidnapped by dragon and doesn’t wanna trust a new one who proclaims that he will save her. Dante instantly knows she is his mate but also has enough decency to defer to her that she needs space and time to decide about a relationship. It was a little less instalovey than the first two books, so it was nice to see the developing bond between the two. Dante taking Cherry on an adventure trip to make her happy was sweet. There’s obviously some hot sexy times in the second half of the book. We also meet Alexis who was a nice little addition to this delightful story.
The writing in this book was as funny as expected, with its share of heartwarming, tear jerking and gory violent moments. I breezed through it very quickly, squealing when we get glimpses of the past characters. I think this is the end of the series but I feel like I wouldn’t mind if the author stays in this world and writes more romances for the rest of the side characters. Overall a very enjoyable trilogy, and definitely the kind of cozy romantasies I want to read more of in the future. ...more
I’ve never actually watched the Cdramas based on the original legend of the white snake but I was always excited to know more about the story, and it I’ve never actually watched the Cdramas based on the original legend of the white snake but I was always excited to know more about the story, and it was natural that I gravitated towards this retelling. And this felt so easy to read that I didn’t even realize that I finished it so quickly.
The writing just flowed beautifully and I felt carried away by the prose. It’s also a very simple tale of love - familial, platonic, romantic and more - made heartbreaking and angsty by the little twists of fate, destiny playing with the hearts of our beloved characters. The romance between our leads might come across a tad bit instalovey but it’s also a fated connection, so it’s not too unbelievable. I also adored the way the author depicted friendships in this book, full of trust and genuine affection for each other.
The characters are also very easy to love - Xian the dutiful prince who just wants to save his mother, Zhen the snake spirit who wants to experience a human existence and also save his adopted sister, Qing who will do anything to protect Zhen, and Feng the ever dutiful bodyguard who is equal parts exasperated and fond of his prince’s antics. They all make for a great story, making me smile and blush and cry at various times.
I thoroughly enjoyed this queer retelling of a famous legend and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. ...more
Loading...
