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ashley_mrose530's reviews
444 reviews
The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like this one didn't pay off as much as it should have and it was a lot slower than the two before it. It felt very cyclical and relied heavily on the will-they-won't-they stuff which became very repetitive and boring.
I also didn't really see the point in most of the POVs of the Ezra Six. They didn't seem to add anything to the plot or the main characters development. Some of them added a little bit, like the last one, but mostly they were unnecessary.
At the start of this series, I thought everyone was either going to die or create a polycule between all six of them and maybe, if the author was brave enough, have a six-way polyamorous relationship. It seems I was kind of correct on both.She was not brave enough for the polyamory unfortunately but the polycule was very real and though she did kill off some of the characters, she did it in such a way that it somehow completely ruined any development the remaining characters had.
I kind of wish they had gone through with the experiment so that they could learn from it and realize how wrong it was or maybe realize they were right to do it. But as the ending currently sits, it feels more like Libby made the choice for everyone and no one really got any growth from that.
I couldn't even really tell how they all reacted to Nico's death. All of their reactions to it felt stagnant especially since he was never mentioned as one of the choices to possibly kill when they needed to make that choice. He was never a consideration for any of them, so the fact that all of them seemed to take the news of his death as a "oh that happened" kind of thing was weird. Gideon had the biggest reaction, naturally, but of the original six, I think the only one that had any big reaction to it was Reina and that was more or less just a realization that she would never get to tell him that she forgave him. She seemed to be the only one that would be affected in the long run.
Libby has to deal with the fallout of killing her "other half" but we don't get to see how that affects her at all. She runs straight to her ex girlfriend's death bed to try and get closure with her instead and then her story was just over.
And then Callum dies and we get Tristan going through a thousand scenarios in his head but ultimately being very blasé about it which makes no sense at all. I wanted to see him react, explode even. I felt like that would have been true to his character, but he just does nothing. I'm not even sure if he actually ended up killing his father in the end or not.
I don't know, this book just felt not as good as the other two in quite a few important ways and I wish it had pushed the characters more or maybe pushed the plot farther? I'm not sure. It just felt like a let down.
I also didn't really see the point in most of the POVs of the Ezra Six. They didn't seem to add anything to the plot or the main characters development. Some of them added a little bit, like the last one, but mostly they were unnecessary.
At the start of this series, I thought everyone was either going to die or create a polycule between all six of them and maybe, if the author was brave enough, have a six-way polyamorous relationship. It seems I was kind of correct on both.
I kind of wish they had gone through with the experiment so that they could learn from it and realize how wrong it was or maybe realize they were right to do it. But as the ending currently sits, it feels more like Libby made the choice for everyone and no one really got any growth from that.
I couldn't even really tell how they all reacted to Nico's death. All of their reactions to it felt stagnant especially since he was never mentioned as one of the choices to possibly kill when they needed to make that choice. He was never a consideration for any of them, so the fact that all of them seemed to take the news of his death as a "oh that happened" kind of thing was weird. Gideon had the biggest reaction, naturally, but of the original six, I think the only one that had any big reaction to it was Reina and that was more or less just a realization that she would never get to tell him that she forgave him. She seemed to be the only one that would be affected in the long run.
Libby has to deal with the fallout of killing her "other half" but we don't get to see how that affects her at all. She runs straight to her ex girlfriend's death bed to try and get closure with her instead and then her story was just over.
And then Callum dies and we get Tristan going through a thousand scenarios in his head but ultimately being very blasé about it which makes no sense at all. I wanted to see him react, explode even. I felt like that would have been true to his character, but he just does nothing. I'm not even sure if he actually ended up killing his father in the end or not.
I don't know, this book just felt not as good as the other two in quite a few important ways and I wish it had pushed the characters more or maybe pushed the plot farther? I'm not sure. It just felt like a let down.
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was a fantastic conclusion to this duology. I love this series so much. I loved all of the characters and watching them develop and grow throughout this series. Gillig's writing is so fun and so was the plot of this series. The world was so well built and the story was perfectly paced. There really isn't enough good things to say about it really.
The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a really fantastic book. I'm still digesting that ending because... wow.
I loved the magic system here. It was fascinating and intricate. I liked that it was clear that not everyone had this spirit power and even of those who did, only a few could do the things that Meilin could without the jade key. And her power was so cool. Being able to control people and the element of water? It was amazing to watch her utilize both powers at different times.
I also liked that her power was connected to her greed which was basically her desire for freedom and to do as she wished. Desire is a form of greed and I liked that even though her desire was for freedom, something that is very natural and even admirable to strive for in today's society, it was still put up against this thing that has such a bad connotation. It really made you think about wants and desires and even basic needs in a new light.
I loved that we didn't really know who to root for or trust throughout the whole book as well. I like Meilin and I sympathized with her desire to be free but it was so closely tied to her greed and therefore her power that I wasn't sure what would happen when or if she ever actually got it. And then there were the other characters. I didn't know if she should trust the dragon or Sky or any of them really. They were all a part of this society that was made to force women down and most of the time you could tell that they would probably uphold that.
But then Sky was actually coming around and including her after he found out she was a woman and not a man, which gave me hope that the others might as well. And I had that hope all the way up until the very end of the book when the author just absolutely crushed it. It makes complete sense for Meilin to not want to go back to the life of a woman though and I knew that. It also makes sense for the society to refuse to change even though she literally saved them all. In this sense, I should have seen that ending coming, but I had so much hope in a happy ending that I was blind to the actual most likely outcome and it devastated me.
Anyway, I loved this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who would be interested in an Mulan retelling and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
I loved the magic system here. It was fascinating and intricate. I liked that it was clear that not everyone had this spirit power and even of those who did, only a few could do the things that Meilin could without the jade key. And her power was so cool. Being able to control people and the element of water? It was amazing to watch her utilize both powers at different times.
I also liked that her power was connected to her greed which was basically her desire for freedom and to do as she wished. Desire is a form of greed and I liked that even though her desire was for freedom, something that is very natural and even admirable to strive for in today's society, it was still put up against this thing that has such a bad connotation. It really made you think about wants and desires and even basic needs in a new light.
I loved that we didn't really know who to root for or trust throughout the whole book as well. I like Meilin and I sympathized with her desire to be free but it was so closely tied to her greed and therefore her power that I wasn't sure what would happen when or if she ever actually got it. And then there were the other characters. I didn't know if she should trust the dragon or Sky or any of them really. They were all a part of this society that was made to force women down and most of the time you could tell that they would probably uphold that.
Anyway, I loved this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who would be interested in an Mulan retelling and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a cute little romance story, but there were certainly some things that put me off.
I will say that it had me at the beginning with Drew. I thought he and Noah were kind of cute together, but then the thing with the blog started happening and I got the worst thought in my head which never actually got revealed to be true at the end. I thought Drew might turn out to be the one who started saying the blog was lying and all fake. I'm pretty sure that's what the book was hinting at when Drew told Noah that he figured out he was the admin, but then it was never confirmed by the end which was kind of a let down. I really felt like that whole situation didn't have much resolution and was a bit disappointing for me. Drew and Noah basically had a fight about Drew not letting Noah have some space and then they just never talk to each other again? If Drew actually had feelings for Noah, he would have tried to reach out to him again and even if he didn't, I still think they needed some type of resolution because that just felt very much forgotten by the end of the book.
Anyway, when Devin came into the picture, I felt so much better about em. The two of them were clearly meant to be the love interests and Devin is so much more supportive and accommodating to Noah. I thought they were so cute together. E was probably my favorite character in this book even though e didn't have much characterization beyond being the love interest. We didn't really know anything about em to the point that Noah was trying to figure out a gift to give em and I couldn't even think of anything because e had almost no personality. And yet e was my favorite character in this book, if that tells you anything about the others.
Which brings me to the main character, Noah. I could not stand him for most of the book. He was so entitled and spoiled and selfish the whole time. He had no empathy for anyone else and didn't even think of anyone else but himself. He did get a little bit of growth at the end but it still wasn't really shown to us as readers. He should have been the one to make the scavenger hunt for Devin and showed how sorry he was to Becca, his supposed best friend (even though she was trying to get with a terf??? What kind of best friend does that??? "But I talked to her and she's not actually like that" is not a good enough excuse to even be talking to someone who seemed to actively harm trans people let alone your trans best friend!). Or at least, he definitely should have done something to show that he was starting to change and not be so self-centered.
I guess the main thing I did like about this book was the chemistry between the two actual love interests. They had me feeling for them and rooting for them to get together which is probably the most necessary part of a romance book, but the rest of it definitely needs some work.
Anyway, when Devin came into the picture, I felt so much better about em. The two of them were clearly meant to be the love interests and Devin is so much more supportive and accommodating to Noah. I thought they were so cute together. E was probably my favorite character in this book even though e didn't have much characterization beyond being the love interest. We didn't really know anything about em to the point that Noah was trying to figure out a gift to give em and I couldn't even think of anything because e had almost no personality. And yet e was my favorite character in this book, if that tells you anything about the others.
Which brings me to the main character, Noah. I could not stand him for most of the book. He was so entitled and spoiled and selfish the whole time. He had no empathy for anyone else and didn't even think of anyone else but himself. He did get a little bit of growth at the end but it still wasn't really shown to us as readers. He should have been the one to make the scavenger hunt for Devin and showed how sorry he was to Becca, his supposed best friend (even though she was trying to get with a terf??? What kind of best friend does that??? "But I talked to her and she's not actually like that" is not a good enough excuse to even be talking to someone who seemed to actively harm trans people let alone your trans best friend!). Or at least, he definitely should have done something to show that he was starting to change and not be so self-centered.
I guess the main thing I did like about this book was the chemistry between the two actual love interests. They had me feeling for them and rooting for them to get together which is probably the most necessary part of a romance book, but the rest of it definitely needs some work.
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I still absolutely love the character study happening in this series. I love seeing how they've all changed so much since the start of the first book. Parisa cares more, Tristan is growing in his power and confidence, Libby is having a whole corruption arc, Nico is learning his flaws and setbacks and he finally might be recognizing his feelings for Gideon? Callum is becoming less sociopathic and Reina is just kind of losing her mind with how much knowledge she's gained. Plus all of the other characters who weren't the original six have changed and you can tell, even Atlas.
I loved how you can see the way Atlas shaped all of them and how they all will eventually agree to his plan of opening doors to other universes or creating a new one all together but their still struggling their morality and whether that would be a morally good thing or not.
It's so fascinating to listen to and I love the psychology of it all, but I don't know if I'd be able to get through these books if I hadn't been listening to the audiobooks. I think they would bore me a little too much if I was reading the physical copies since they're so character dense and there's almost no plot at all.
I'm so grateful that I have access to these audiobooks though because I do really appreciate them from an author perspective. The craftsmanship and skill you would need as an author to write something like this is still so astonishing to me and I'm in awe of Blake for it.
I loved how you can see the way Atlas shaped all of them and how they all will eventually agree to his plan of opening doors to other universes or creating a new one all together but their still struggling their morality and whether that would be a morally good thing or not.
It's so fascinating to listen to and I love the psychology of it all, but I don't know if I'd be able to get through these books if I hadn't been listening to the audiobooks. I think they would bore me a little too much if I was reading the physical copies since they're so character dense and there's almost no plot at all.
I'm so grateful that I have access to these audiobooks though because I do really appreciate them from an author perspective. The craftsmanship and skill you would need as an author to write something like this is still so astonishing to me and I'm in awe of Blake for it.
Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I guess I do like the quarterback/cheerleader troupe, I just don't like it for straight people hahaha
This is a really cute sapphic romance. I loved the two main characters so much. They had such great chemistry and were so cute together. I also loved that so many people were queer in this book and there were so many different identities represented even if some of them were smaller characters.
It was beautiful to see that neither of the main characters really felt the need to ever come out to their respective parents. That's how it should be. The only ones they had to come out to was the general public at their school. Queer people shouldn't have to come out even to the general public, and we're obviously not to that point yet, but it was refreshing to see that opinion reflected in this book even if it was just for the parents of the main characters.
I do think this book had a little bit of a pacing issue. I wanted a few more happy interactions between the two main characters before they started fighting and the plot moved on. I felt like we didn't get much of a chance to see them actually develop their feelings for each other before the drama happened. In this same vein, I felt like they got together a little too quickly. I felt like they flirted twice without even an accidental hand brush or something before they started kissing even though Amber technically had a boyfriend. It just felt really fast and I wasn't exactly ready for it.
Overall, a cute little high school sapphic rom-com.
This is a really cute sapphic romance. I loved the two main characters so much. They had such great chemistry and were so cute together. I also loved that so many people were queer in this book and there were so many different identities represented even if some of them were smaller characters.
It was beautiful to see that neither of the main characters really felt the need to ever come out to their respective parents. That's how it should be. The only ones they had to come out to was the general public at their school. Queer people shouldn't have to come out even to the general public, and we're obviously not to that point yet, but it was refreshing to see that opinion reflected in this book even if it was just for the parents of the main characters.
I do think this book had a little bit of a pacing issue. I wanted a few more happy interactions between the two main characters before they started fighting and the plot moved on. I felt like we didn't get much of a chance to see them actually develop their feelings for each other before the drama happened. In this same vein, I felt like they got together a little too quickly. I felt like they flirted twice without even an accidental hand brush or something before they started kissing even though Amber technically had a boyfriend. It just felt really fast and I wasn't exactly ready for it.
Overall, a cute little high school sapphic rom-com.
Painted Devils by Margaret Owen
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I didn't think this was going to end on a cliffhanger! Now I have to wait for the next book to be published before I get to know what happens.
Anyway, I loved this book. I loved the characters and the world building is still so solid. I loved the mystery of trying to figure out the crime and how it was all going to come together.
I adored Vanja and Emeric so much here and I loved how Owen took on the topics of sex, virginity, protection, and consent. It was expertly done in my opinion and very admirable. It wasn't overbearing but still present and looked at in a healthy way.
I do feel a little bit like there was a pacing issue. It felt a little disjointed between the towns that they visited. They almost felt like they were separate stories even though they all obviously connected in the bigger plot, they still felt completely separate from each other especially since they had little mysteries to solve in each town they went to. I really enjoyed them, but there was just that little bit of dissonance that made me feel like they were not connected for some reason.
Overall, it was a beautiful, wonderful book and I cannot wait until the final one comes out. I will devour it for sure.
Anyway, I loved this book. I loved the characters and the world building is still so solid. I loved the mystery of trying to figure out the crime and how it was all going to come together.
I adored Vanja and Emeric so much here and I loved how Owen took on the topics of sex, virginity, protection, and consent. It was expertly done in my opinion and very admirable. It wasn't overbearing but still present and looked at in a healthy way.
I do feel a little bit like there was a pacing issue. It felt a little disjointed between the towns that they visited. They almost felt like they were separate stories even though they all obviously connected in the bigger plot, they still felt completely separate from each other especially since they had little mysteries to solve in each town they went to. I really enjoyed them, but there was just that little bit of dissonance that made me feel like they were not connected for some reason.
Overall, it was a beautiful, wonderful book and I cannot wait until the final one comes out. I will devour it for sure.
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is such a cute little series filled with introspective questions that make you reflect on our society today and the way we view the world. The story itself is so cozy and sweet and I love getting to see Dex and their robot friend grow closer as they travel together. I will continue to read this series for as long as Chambers sees fit to make the books.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am so happy I finally got to read this book. I remember seeing so many rave reviews about it and it definitely earns every single one of them. I put this book on hold in February and I'm so glad it finally came in.
I loved this book so much. The characters are amazing and beautifully written. Thomas has such a lovely writing voice and I can't wait to read more books from them.
I loved the way they wrote about Yadriel's experience with being trans and how that affected his life and even his family's culture. And watching him slowly fall in love with Julian was swoon-worthy.
I felt like the world building was so perfect too. I wasn't left with any questions about why things were the way they were and it was great to get immersed in a culture that wasn't my own and learn more about it through this book.
There really isn't enough good things to say about this book and if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely get on that.
I loved this book so much. The characters are amazing and beautifully written. Thomas has such a lovely writing voice and I can't wait to read more books from them.
I loved the way they wrote about Yadriel's experience with being trans and how that affected his life and even his family's culture. And watching him slowly fall in love with Julian was swoon-worthy.
I felt like the world building was so perfect too. I wasn't left with any questions about why things were the way they were and it was great to get immersed in a culture that wasn't my own and learn more about it through this book.
There really isn't enough good things to say about this book and if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely get on that.
6 Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Sadly, I really didn't like this one. I will say that I liked the focus on mental health and how the book explored Penny's relationship with her mom and how toxic her mom was. But that's the only reason why this one got a 1.75 star rating.
First, I very much disliked Penny from the start. I thought she was way too immature for her age and just whiny. It really bothered me that she got upset that her mom was donating her liver to save her best friend's life. Like she actually got angry at her mom for deciding to do that. And this happened before we got any background info about her relationship with her mom at all. So she came off as a selfish brat who didn't care about her love interest's mom. Even with the background info, she still isn't out in a good light with that one to me. She also got mad that her mom painted her grief? Ridiculous. Of course she did and she's allowed to do that because even if she wasn't there it still affected her too! Her other opinions about how her mom was acting were valid but these two really rubbed me the wrong way after already disliking her character.
Tate was better, though I don't think she had much personality outside of being her mom's caretaker while she was sick and hiding her feelings for Penny. There wasn't much there to dislike to be honest. But because I didn't like Penny so much, I therefore didn't care about her relationship to Tate either so I got bored of the book by the end and wasn't even happy to see them finally kiss.
This book also suffered from trying to shove too many troupes together. They had grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, one bed, and fake dating. And none of them were very realistic either. I don't know why the girls grew up together but basically hated each other? It didn't make sense to me. The forced proximity would have made sense if it happened before the events of the book because it seemed like both families were struggling for a long time and you would think they would have thought to try to live together earlier to save money.
Anyway, there were many things that I hated about this book and then I just got bored with it by the end so I don't even really know how the issues with Penny's mom got resolved but I don't really care either. Definitely should have DNF'd this one.
First, I very much disliked Penny from the start. I thought she was way too immature for her age and just whiny. It really bothered me that she got upset that her mom was donating her liver to save her best friend's life. Like she actually got angry at her mom for deciding to do that. And this happened before we got any background info about her relationship with her mom at all. So she came off as a selfish brat who didn't care about her love interest's mom. Even with the background info, she still isn't out in a good light with that one to me. She also got mad that her mom painted her grief? Ridiculous. Of course she did and she's allowed to do that because even if she wasn't there it still affected her too! Her other opinions about how her mom was acting were valid but these two really rubbed me the wrong way after already disliking her character.
Tate was better, though I don't think she had much personality outside of being her mom's caretaker while she was sick and hiding her feelings for Penny. There wasn't much there to dislike to be honest. But because I didn't like Penny so much, I therefore didn't care about her relationship to Tate either so I got bored of the book by the end and wasn't even happy to see them finally kiss.
This book also suffered from trying to shove too many troupes together. They had grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, one bed, and fake dating. And none of them were very realistic either. I don't know why the girls grew up together but basically hated each other? It didn't make sense to me. The forced proximity would have made sense if it happened before the events of the book because it seemed like both families were struggling for a long time and you would think they would have thought to try to live together earlier to save money.
Anyway, there were many things that I hated about this book and then I just got bored with it by the end so I don't even really know how the issues with Penny's mom got resolved but I don't really care either. Definitely should have DNF'd this one.