sara_berlin's reviews
274 reviews

I cannot stress how important this book is to me, to people I know and to thousands of people out there, and how many more it could become important to. I'm so glad that this exists, I can't even begin to explain the depth of my love for everything Alice Oseman does. On a personal level, I'm still figuring out the asexual aspect of my identity (so far we've got demisexual), and even though I think I know a lot more about different kinds of attraction and how to identify them than your average person, and probably more than even most queer people, it's still so validating to have something like this printed and just written out in a way that sums up all my thoughts. The main thing is that, unlike a lot of teen books, this book makes it so abundantly clear that romance isn't everything, to which I can only say PREACH. I read this mostly digitally, but I wish I had a physical copy so that I could look at it on my shelf and immediately go back to that feeling of certainty and security this wonderful book gave me. 1000000/10, a must read for anyone who has questions or is just curious about this topic.  

A very fitting, albeit bittersweet, finale to the series. It's got to be my favorite book out of the three, and I think you can definitely see the improvement in Leigh Bardugo's writing which eventually built up to Six of Crows. She said at one point that she decided to write Six of Crows in third person because she enjoyed writing the prologues and epilogues of Shadow and Bone that way, and I definitely think it's fitting. I also think that in this book Alina's voice was more distinct, and the general plot and world become more unique and less generic-YA type. I'm also happy that I can watch the show and read King of Scars now (we stan Nikolai). 

I'm so glad this exists! Personally, I've been entrenched in the LGBTQ+ community for long enough to understand most of these things, but I think it could be very helpful to the "baby gays." It's also useful to have something like this that basically sums everything up. Of course, I am biased, since I really enjoy Rowan Ellis' content on YouTube (Go check it out! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCniXurp_3xcDh923eiqGX3w), but I highly recommend this book! Also, like some of the other reviews have said, it would make a great gift to a young (or maybe even not so young) queer girl you know.

I was very excited for the representation in this book, and I will say that it was good it just didn't hit the spot for me. Only thing is, it does take more than half the book to get to what's said in the blurb (that's a first for me!), but maybe it's just the blurb that should be rewritten. I will say that even though Kat's personality was pretty far from my own, and I found her a bit difficult to relate to, I still liked her as a compelling and interesting character. Also, I really enjoyed the focus on her photography as an art, as well as how that brought Kat and her friends together. It reminded me of my friend group. Either way, I do recommend it as a book, just not a new favorite.

This was such a well-rounded and good book. I was hooked from chapter 1, as a good thriller should do, and I was not let down. Personally I had pretty high expectations, having heard about the representation, and they were more than fulfilled. It tackles so many things from different perspectives, I mean you have two main characters who are black and queer, with pretty different life circumstances. It's fascinating. Also, it's not just the representation that's good (although honestly even if it was I would probably still give it 5 stars) the emotion in the writing was conveyed so well, and the plot was interesting without being convoluted. There's a reason I finished it in three days (would've been two but I fell asleep at ~380 pages, not because it was boring but because I was extremely exhausted). To be completely honest I don't have much to say because I can't think of anything I didn't like about it. Maybe that I found Chiamaka's backstory a bit underdeveloped at first, compared to all the exposition we got with Devon, although that may just be because of their differing personalities. Anyway, highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a diverse, riveting contemporary/thriller book.  

I think this was a very interesting look into the faith of Ravkans and the art is also stunning. I'll read as much of the Grishaverse as I can get.
A few of my favorite stories were the stories of Santka Vasilka, Sankt Lukin the Logical, and the Saint of the Book. 

Olivia Prior does not want to die. She has only just begun to live. (and I had only just begun to enjoy this book)


It was really slow to start, but once you get into it the going gets a bit easier. It also wrapped up okay but didn't do the circle back thing that I like for books to do, when they reference in the end something that was significant near the start, and gives you a kind of closing feeling by reminding you of the difference between what the character felt at the beginning and at the end. The middle section was the best in my opinion, but in general it was a bit disappointing. I didn’t have super high expectations for this book because people seemed to not like it too much, so I wasn’t super let down but still. Also, definitely on the younger side of YA, but I didn't mind that. I think because of it feeling younger, as well as being third person, you don’t get as connected to the character as you might in more new adult/older YA books. 
I think the book’s main flaw is that it didn't really have a focus/main theme. At first you think it's kind of a coming of age story maybe, where Olivia is finding her place (or lack thereof) in the world around her and deals with grief and that sort of thing, but by the end it's more about family and building a home? It was just kind of all over the place. Also, Olivia is kind of a Mary Sue character. She rarely messes up, and most of her problems are caused by her circumstances or other characters. It’s clearly not a character driven book, but it’s only somewhat more plot driven, and writing isn’t enough to carry a story. The book is also unfortunately kind of meh in every way, except concept and writing. I actually really liked the writing and it made me even more excited to read V. E. Schwab’s other books. 

Have you ever laid awake at night, unable to sleep, staring at the walls? 

Maybe you’ve glimpsed a shadow, or a strange shape, that sends your thoughts down a certain illusory path. Maybe some part of you eventually figured those thoughts were inane and you shook yourself out of the stupor. Yet, the feeling continued until you drifted into sleep. You probably forgot it, come morning. 

Maybe the reason you were lying awake before was caused by one of your many late night ponderings of your mental state, wondering if you’re just making it up or if something truly is wrong. Doubted yourself, every step of the way, as it seemed that everyone around you claims that people are making things up left and right, and thought that maybe those feelings are perfectly sane. Maybe everyone feels off for no apparent reason sometimes… 

If you have, then you’ll probably like this story. 

            –                   –                  –

The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story about a young woman feeling trapped by her situation and own inability to cope with life, which she starts to project onto the wallpaper in her room. I think everyone has seen faces in abstract patterns, art, random objects or even nature, but the narrator of this story (she’s left unnamed) takes it multiple steps further. She pictures a whole story for “the woman in the wallpaper” and we see that from her perspective, she already feels disbelieved by and somewhat ostracized from everyone else, so when she picks up the habit of studying the wallpaper in her room and starts noticing things, nothing about it feels unnatural to her. It’s just an extension of her preexisting circumstances. We the readers see how the woman she sees in the wallpaper can be read as a metaphor for how she feels, but because she doesn’t think that it’s a strange thing to see, she doesn’t question it and doesn’t realize that perhaps the woman is her. 

It’s one of those stories that makes you question everything. It asks, “what if?” What if the woman in the wallpaper was real, and truly trapped? What if the narrator is clinically insane? Or, worst of all, what if we all have the potential to think like this and won’t notice if we do? 

I loved it. A wonderfully written finale to the duology. Different real world topics were covered in this series, which I really appreciate (oppression, war, trauma, community, etc.). I don't have much to say that I didn't already say about the first book. I will say the pacing could use some work, but, especially for a debut series, it was really good. I'm excited to see what Nina Varela writes next. 

"One raven for uncertain peril. Six for danger sure to arrive. A dozen for death, if not avoided. The enchantment is sealed."

Margaret Rogerson never disappoints. Her writing style is wonderful, as always. It's simple enough to not require much concentration or energy, but also transportive and beautifully atmospheric, perfect for readers like me who enjoy escapism. However, my favorite aspect of this book was definitely the juxtaposition between the humans and the fae. On one hand, the fae are practically immortal and the lives are humans are less than a blink to them. On the other hand, the fae leave nothing behind once they are dead (as one of the characters points out), while humans have their Craft. Mortals, as the fae call them, are viewed as beneath them and strange, fragile little creatures with their emotions, meanwhile everything the fae have that matters to them is vain, frivolous and completely fake. This fundamental difference of fae being immortal and extremely powerful but essential empty and meaningless, while the humans are small and weak but feel so much in their however short lives and have so much to live for, is a reoccurring theme throughout the book and essentially carries the plot as well. Also, keeping in mind this was my first fae book, I think it portrayed the whole inability to lie and politeness aspects very interestingly, and in keeping with the juxtaposition. They're so surface-level polite and courteous, but when you go even a little deeper fae often have more insidious motivations and feelings. It has an added layer of intrigue to me because there are some humans, in real life, who I know are like this, so seeing it shown as an inhuman characteristic is definitely thought-provoking. In general the book has encouraged me to go read some other fae stories. 

Much like Sorcery of Thorns, I thought the magic system was very unique. That's clearly something Margaret Rogerson is good at, and I highly value. I think especially readers who are artists will appreciate the character of Isobel even more. Also, it adds to the previously mentioned juxtaposition; fae magic is all about strength and appearances, particularly glamour, while human "magic" Craft is about embracing something that is part of who you are and what you are made to do. We see this up close in how Isobel (the main character) marvels at Rook's capabilities, while he, and other fae, seem utterly entranced and confounded by human craft, despite their nature that encourages them to show no doubt lest it be seen as a sign of weakness.

I mentioned Sorcery of Thorns in that last paragraph, and I admit I did enjoy that book a bit more. I found the main character slightly more endearing and, frankly, more human (Isobel's flaw is that sometimes she's almost too perfect), as well as the whole book-related magic system really fascinating. Also, I think you can tell that Rogerson's writing has matured, because emotions are conveyed even more directly in Sorcery of Thorns than in this book, and it's even more immersive, and generally more polished, I'd say. I did still really enjoy this book and can't wait to read Vespertine, and whatever she has coming next. Happy reading!