ravensandpages's reviews
565 reviews

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! 

EVERYONE'S THINKING IT is definitely one of those stories where you come for the mystery and stay for the cast. Following two estranged Nigerian cousins, Iyanu and Kitan, as they navigate their private high school after everyone's secrets get mysteriously leaked, this YA struck a good balance between fun (again, with a great cast that had awesome rep and felt realistic, along with a lot of shenanigans and mess) and serious (tackling issues like biphobia, colorism, black fishing, and racism) and was overall a really great read. I genuinely wish I had more to say articulately, but I'm so stuck on how greatly executed this was. I think it would make for a phenomenal movie or miniseries, and I will be recommending this one widely!! 

I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you SO much, Angry Robot!

Never have I loved a set of characters so much I could forgive them for being chronic sparkling water drinkers, but here we are.

EVOCATION is a poly romance set against an urban fantasy taking place in my beloved Boston, how I miss it, that follows three principal characters: David Aristarkhov, Rhys McGowan, and Moira Delacroix. David has been paraded around his entire life as a psychic prodigy from a long line of powerful mediums, backed by a family legend about a deal with the Devil that turns out to be terrifyingly real. To avoid death at 30, his only solution is to (somewhat messily) reach out to his ex, Rhys, a sorceror currently opposing him to be appointed for High Priest—and the only way to get to him is to charm his wife, Moira, a medium herself who isn't keen on seeing her husband get tangled with David again.

But over the course of trying to break the curse, they all become closer than they thought possible and have to contend with what that might mean for their future... that is, if David even has one.

I adored this book. I enjoyed the writing, the magic system, and the immersion of the setting—I was this close to booking my ticket back! I could feel the love for Boston and the characters felt established and well-rounded. The characters!! I loved them all, and I think this is a book where that really matters. I would say this is more of a romance than a fantasy, since the A plot is truly centered around the relationships between the three and the curse/David's impending death is relegated to the B plot, so readers who are more interested in the curse and not in those characters probably won't have as great a time as I did.

The way connection and relationships were talked about in this book was also wonderful. I could wax poetic about the bond between David and Moira, and I also loved how jealousy was brought up and handled. I think this first book wraps up well enough (no cliffhanger endings), but I am SO excited to see these characters again and watch where their journeys take them. Thank you again to Angry Robot for blessing me with an early copy of this, I will absolutely be hounding everyone I know to read it. 

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Netgalley and Kodansha!

Ah... turns out I'm still weak for a well-done high school romance, contrary to what I believed in my head. This was 100% a cover request, but I was absolutely delighted by what was inside, especially because of the similarities between it and my second favorite shoujo series, Love Me, Love Me Not. If you're as big a fan of that one as I am, I would recommend reading this! 

This shoujo follows four high schoolers: Hikari, Mari, Ohtani, and Asagiri. Hikari and Mari have been friends since elementary school, and Mari fits the perfect archetype of the romances Hikari likes to read: shy and sweet. Despite her beauty, Mari has always had a hard time even greeting people, and Hikari decides to help her by wingmanning Ohtani, the boy who sits in front of her that has shown his own interest in Mari. Asagiri often tags along when Ohtani comes to sit with them for lunch, and thus the quartet rounds out. It would be a simple set up, if only Hikari hadn't begun to realize her own interest in Ohtani. 

I loved the art style in this one and the characterization was endearing. There were so many charming details, like the conversations about double eyelids, Hikari's french horn playing, and Mari's adorable face she makes whenever she's anxious.  Of the four, I think Asagiri shines the least—he's only on the edges of Hikari's POV and is more a supportive friend in Ohtani's than his own character—but I have faith that he'll be more fleshed out in the following volumes, which I absolutely plan to read. I am liking the beginning of Mari's arc and I am very excited to see where this series goes. 

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Netgalley and Kodansha! 

I haven't watched Suzume yet, but reading this eARC made me ten times more excited to get to it. The charming art style and movement had all the charm I remember from the trailer and I loved the story. 

Suzume follows the titular character, a young girl trying her best despite the loss of her parents, whose world is turned upside down when she meets a stranger on the road to school asking for directions to an abandoned place nearby. After hearing that the cops are keeping a strict eye on the place, she races back to warn him—only to find a mysterious door leading to nowhere that ends up taking her on an adventure she never could have predicted. 

I loved the whirlwind energy and I adored the characters. They both have my whole heart and the parts where they reacted to underestimating each other were done quite well. I think there were some pages where the flow of panels felt kind of strange, though this might have been the way they ended up being laid out on digital. This is a manga adaptation of a movie, so at least if you're desperately craving more like I am, the full story is already out there.