hobbithopeful's reviews
227 reviews

Our intrepid trio continues on to try to find the Unnamed Prince, gaining unlikely allies on the way, and overcoming new obstacles. Old friends are met, and new enemies are encountered and I liked this very much.
This series just feels like a delightfully light fantasy series, I can shut off my brain and just enjoy the book. It almost reminds me of listening to someone tell me a story.
We get to see a bit of romance in this, I won't spoil anything, but it was very sweet and I liked the inclusion of it.
This book was a delightful palate cleanser that got me out of a funk, and for that I am so grateful.
If you are looking for shorter diverse fantasy books to read, give this one a go!
I very much love this cover as well, it's very soft and I like the symbolism.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
This is NOT magical realism this is CHRISTIAN FICTION.
This is a common tactic done to appeal to secular audiences, try to market the media as something else and not disclose the fact it is religious. (Also a very popular Evangelist tactic too!)
God is mentioned 69 times in this book which is a mix of poetry and writing. 69 TIMES.
I am all for reading different faiths and culture, it's important to be exposed to such things, but in a book like this where the narrative is one belief or nothing.
Main character Eli is sent away to a cabin in the woods to process her grief and mourn and goes through VERY heavy handed religious symbolism thinly disguised (and poorly disguised) as magical realism. (Guys just say it's religious or are you afraid no one would read it if you did?) Over the course of the book we have lovely rhetoric and harm shoved down our throats every other chapter.
Would you like to know the "big reveal?" Turns out

all she had to do was realize God loves her and her depression is cured! ALSO HER EX ISN'T EVEN DEAD HE JUST DIDN'T BELIEVE IN GOD!

  I'm not even joking! The book made is seem like he was

dead!

Behold THIS HARMFUL QUOTE FOR THE REVEAL:

"The voice echoes in my mind: I love you. If I am loved, then I-I am meant to be here. I am meant to be alive. On this earth. At this time. I am worth something, with or without you."

This is easily the most harmful and problematic book I've ever read in my lifetime.
Don't worry we also get some lovely purity culture and abstinence only education mentioned too!

  Luckily Eli and her ex "only kissed" even though she was worried they were moving too fast. And of course it mentions she hasn't had sex yet! Because that was necessary! (It wasn't!)

I worry what happens if a kid reads this and receives the message this book is trying to shove down people's throats. All you have to do is "accept God's love" and your depression will be magically cured.
That's not how that works, it's ableist and is going to cause lasting harm! You can't pray away depression or mental health LITERALLY THAT'S NOT HOW THAT WORKS! The number of mutuals who have trauma from this rhetoric (as do I) is numerous. Mental health and depression is NOT a choice.
Even in the author's note they say
Lastly, at the end of the day- there is Someone out there who loves you. Who doesn't want to fix you. Who doesn't think you need fixing. ..And if you listen you can hear it"
I am incredibly disappointed that this book is being marketed falsely, and incredibly angry in everyone involved in getting this harmful book published. Any child or teenager who reads this and believes if they just can hear God or believe enough or accept God's love, that they will be happy and then wonders why that doesn't happen? That's on y'all. You should be ASHAMED.
Any quotes come from an ARC and are subject to change before the book is released and finalized.

DNF 25%
Thank you Penguin for this ARC
A short story anthology revolving around what different people collect.
Normally I love collections like these, I think it's one of the best ways to discover new authors, or you get a bunch of stories in one. For some reason this just didn't hit Some of these authors I really enjoy, so I was very disappointed to just for some reason not be enjoying the book.
I know short stories are difficult because authors only have a short amount of time to make everything happen. There were times when I had no idea what the plot or message was supposed to be, or it felt overly heavy handed. I do not feel like a lot of the stories even connected to the theme, or just I think I wasn't enjoying the writing.

I think a lot of people will enjoy these stories, but they are not for me. If you like any of these authors I say try it out for yourself.

DNF @ 51%
Rushed, stereotypical, and overall incredibly disappointing, this is one of the most disappointing monster romance books I've read.
I wisht the book would have spent a bit more time building up their relationship before jumping straight to sex. I love smutty books as much as the next person, but it went from 0 to 100 at such a pace it lacked chemistry and a good build up. They have one conversation and then when working out he gets a boner and she is getting on her knees like immediately? Where is the tension? The chemistry? Way too insta-love! I won't compare it to a fanfic because I've read FANTASTIC fanfics. I know this is a smutty monster romance, but I've read erotic novellas with better pacing and development. The dialogue is so incredibly cringey. I have never heard someone in my entire life actually say half the stuff in this book and mean it. Words like "kawaii" in a sentence made me physically CRINGE.
PLEASE STOP WRITING THE FABULOUS GAY BEST FRIEND! Seriously we are still doing this in 2023?! (Or whenever this was published?!) Attention romance writers: if you want to write a gay best friend stop and think: am I playing into harmful stereotypes? Have I actually ever met a gay person? HAVE I HAD A GAY PERSON BETA READ THIS AND GO HMM YAS QUEEN SLAY? No? Maybe stop falling into the pitfall of harmful depictions mkay? ALSO no one would say that about this book because this is straight up harmful queer representation. Do we think that's how every gay person talks! (Guess what they don't!) They also don't come out of the closet armed with a curler, makeup palette, and a fashionista sense! GAY MEN ARE NOT YOUR ACCESSORY STRAIGHT WHITE GIRLS!
The characters are allegedly in their 30s but read like immature teenagers with how weirdly young they are written.
My only saving grace is I have Kindle Unlimited so this technically wasn't money spent.
I would NOT recommend this book! THIS IS AN INSULT TO MONSTER ROMANCE EVERYWHERE! I'm never trusting hyped up monster romance again.
The cover is fantastic, and I am sure a ton of people will get it because of that. Seriously, wonderful design and composition on the cover.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
I started reading this book, and could not put it down! Absolutely enthralling, positively mysterious, and wonderfully magical, this is easily one of my top books of the year.
Set in the Appalachian Mountains, Bittersweet in the Hollow follows Linden and her sisters investigating a mysterious disappearance. As tensions rise and secrets are uncovered, what little love the magical family has from the town soons turns bitter...
This book is just such a fun read, it's tense and I love reading about the James family and their "practical magic". My favorite is Linden, her ability to "taste" what others are feeling leads to wonderfully written prose and descriptions that had my stomach growling. I am very grateful to live in Texas, because after reading about crispy fried chicken, fried green okra, and butter heavy desserts, I have quite the appetite! (Seriously I think my stomach growled for most of the book!)
There is also some romance, and there is chemistry, sweetness, and the perfect amount of tension between them.
Much like the namesake, this is quite a bittersweet book. Don't go into this expecting fluffiness and comfort, but do expect a supportive family of strong woman, and a town full of dark secrets. I did enjoy the ending, the payoff was perfect and the suspense that had me staying up late to read did not disappoint with the reveal.
I was planning on finishing this book tomorrow and reviewing it then, but I couldn't put it down! I had to find out what happened next, and the next thing I knew I had reached the conclusion and sadly the end of the book. Honestly I wouldn't mind if this wasn't a standalone and instead a series. (Perhaps focusing on each sister?) Also mostly because I really want to see

the parents get back together. That was so heartbreaking to learn of sacrifices that were made. I wouldn't mind seeing "Hadrian" somehow getting a happy ending with Rowan either. 

Perfect for fans of dark fantasy, Krystal Sutherland, or excellent books in general, I HIGHLY recommend this book! This is Kate Pearsall's debut novel, and I need more from her immediately!
I will say I am not crazy about the cover. In fact I very much dislike the cover, it has fair composition and design, but does not convey the theme or mood of the book well. It feels a bit plain and dry compared to how wonderfully dark and magical the story is. The author name being in a script font looks like it was added as an afterthought, and just looks completely out of place. (It makes it seem childish) I hope that this book receives the success it deserves, and perhaps at some point a new cover for a different edition.

Lyrical, magical, I love Emezis' style of storytelling and writing. I had read Bitter awhile ago, and finally got around to reading this one. (I know going backwards!) I really love the message of this and the writing style. Check your content warnings, a lot of the subject will hit very close to home for a lot of people. The differences in how Bitter and Jam each approach "their monster" is very interesting and I want to go reread Bitter again to compare, and see how the characters used to be.
Perfect for all ages, highly recommend.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC  
Great premise, very poor execution that made little to no sense, lacking any emotional impact and feeling unfinished.
I was so excited to read this, it checks all my book boxes. BIPOC mc? Check. Queer? Check. Issues of racism? Check Check. Told in verse? Check.
Just when we are introduced to the characters and get to see a horrible situation happen at Cerulean's school, there is an

accident with their Father, who ends up bedridden and heavily injured. You might think, hey this is where we get to connect with the characters more and see what is going on. Especially with the pile of past due bills on the table. Nope they just leave? Ditches their girlfriend, their friends, their loving family? And then there's a time skip and it's years later and we just see other people's povs? There was no emotional impact except for confusion. You don't have any time to connect to the characters or even really form an attachment to them. It's mentioned so many times how loving their family is, and yet they leave.

It just feels incredibly unfinished and didn't make any sense at all plot or character wise. Maybe if we had gotten more time to get to know and care about the characters, then it would have had a greater impact. If anything the actions just made me confused, and I just didn't understand why the book just ended. I wasn't in a place of wanting to read more, I just was so confused by how the story went. It truly feels unfinished. If the book was twice as long and gave us time to at least know Cerulean and maybe to give more foreshadowing I would have understood it more.
As it stands this is such a great premise, but a book that I am truly surprised to see getting published.
(Listen and I feel entirely less crazy reading all the reviews who share the same mindset!)
 I would not recommend this book. At this time I wouldn't read anything else by Candice Iloh either. 
If you are looking for a good BIPOC queer verse book I recommend  [book:The Black Flamingo|41020406]

This is just an incredibly fun and nostalgic read. Plus dragons! Honestly I adored this book, it felt very nostalgic to me when I read it. It reminds me of all of those dystopian books I loved to read as a teen like [book:The Hunger Games|2767052] ! The inclusion of disability rep in fantasy was so great to read, I love how Violence used it to her advantage and worked with it.
Every book should have dragons. Seriously what is it about dragons that takes us right back to our childhood!
Also for romance lovers, the romance straight ROMANCED. It was exquisite to read. Plus they destroy a room during sex...so like yes it's excellent.
Also Tairn and his little petty comments gave me life I love him so much.
The twist was A TWIST! I thought I knew what was going to happen but I was so wrong.
THE ENDING KILLED ME! If I see the author it is on sight and I'm throwing hands.
I HIGHLY recommend this book,it's fun, fantasy, romance, and just a great time.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
A powerful read about leaving your bubble of privilege, and how undocumented immigrants are affected by natural disasters.
I very much enjoy how Ruby knows how to best use her appearance and beauty to her advantage. The way she dealt with Frank made my heart break a bit for her, but at the end of the day she was doing what was needed to survive.
Ruby grows a lot in this story, and watching a very spoiled character realize there is more to the world then just what she is dealing with is always a thought-provoking read. She really had to step up for her family, and even though she starts off ignorant, by the end of the book she really is a different person.
I am always wary to read a Latine book regarding topics of immigration and ICE because of the large amount published compared to more "cozy" stories. It does push a certain societal narrative and stereotype around our culture, and I do feel the need to mention publishers choosing certain themes to publish over others. I do like how it was handled here, even though it was almost a bit too rainbows and sunshine with how everything worked out perfectly for the undocumented immigrants. (An unrealistic portrayal to be frank)
I did find this book extremely prose heavy, the only reason this isn't a five star book for me. There are so many inner monologues and summaries, and just it reads very fast-paced at times. Every time I thought we were going to have a scene or conversation, instead sometimes it will go for pages of just inner monologue or summarizing with no dialogue or anything else whatsoever. I do think I would have liked it if it was longer and spent more time showing the dialogue instead of just summarizing character interactions.
I do think I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot more then the second.
The ending was fine? I was very confused by some of the characters. Remy seems to alternate between being mature and smart, to being incredibly immature especially for someone of his age and responsibilities. Ambiguous endings can work in certain situations, but it seems that Ruby is just chasing after another guy so I didn't quite enjoy that fact. (Though hey I am super happy to see a BIPOC character not

end up with the white guy!)

I did feel like certain men were forgiven too easily by other characters, I almost wish the woman each had a bit more self respect in how they were treated. Or at least came to the realization that IT'S OKAY TO BE ALONE!
I would recommend this book, and I would read more from Hailey Alcaraz. This is her debut novel and I am excited to see more from her.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
A great concept and message, but the execution of it fell flat for me.
I did like the characters, and found the story incredibly relatable. I most enjoyed the beginning of the book, all the uncertainty and strife made for many tense scenes.
I really had a hard time with the dual POV. Every time it went to Vince's pov, I just kinda sighed and was hoping it would go back to Violetta's. I know the author is trying to show how the justice system impacts families and those on the outside, but I truly wish we had gotten less of Vince, or ideally just stuck with Violetta's pov. It felt like it didn't add much to the story, and the pacing of it slogged on for me. There were several times I kept "waiting" for something to happen.
I really liked the premise and concept of what the author was trying to show and the point she is trying to make, but the execution of it fell flat for me, and by the end I truly think it is a swing and a miss. By the end of the story there truly isn't a major point made. I do think it would have had a bigger impact and stronger message if Violette

ended up with an endless trial, or just committed another crime. Because at the end of the day the way the justice system is set up it is set up for people to just end up back in jail, and truly isn't one of rehabilitation.

I really thought we were going to learn more about the trials, and have more of a commentary on how minority communities are unfairly and unjustly targeted for such laws but that didn't happen either. There is so much talk about how terrible the Trials are, and how traumatic, and I honestly expected Violette to have to go through something akin to the endurance trial, or just show how what she went through impacted her to reoffend again. Instead she just ends up

going to therapy. Which yay is a great ending, but also again just doesn't fit the tone and message of the book.

With a story and concept like this the bittersweet ending came off too happy and hopeful for the message it was trying to get across. I'm glad I'm not a blubbering mess after reading this, but it didn't stick in my head and make me keep thinking about it.
I would definitely read others books by Jennifer Baker, and if you're interested in the premise I would say check this one out and see if you like it! But I wouldn't personally say this is a book I would recommend.