laur

We should have some unprecedented events that are good for once

Neil banging out the tunes ~

i also thought vasya’s story wrapped up perfectly, and the finale had me on the edge of my seat! arden’s writing was beautiful as always, creating such vivid imagery and complex characters.

this isn’t necessarily an all-time favorite book of mine, but definitely a perfect conclusion to a series!

my favorite parts of this book, and the series as a whole, was the exploration of different kinds of religions and how they clash and can co-exist, especially with the rising prevalence at the time of christianity. konstantin was by far the most interesting character to me, with his moral panic

the winter of the witch: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

i was surprised that my last book of 2024 was a 5 star read! i also didn’t think it would come from this series’ finale, as the first 2 books were a 4 and 3.5 respectively! but this finale wrapped up everything so well and explored themes that i loved

#booksky

i’m still really impressed by the writing and the world for this being a debut novel! although the world could have had more depth, i think there’s the possibility for more development in the following book because there’s a really solid base!

the nightmare was my favorite part of this book even though the rhyming was a bit too cheesy for me. the evolution of the nightmare in elspeth’s mind had me hooked, even though the reveal of what it is did not surprise me at all and i called it from the beginning lol

i was absolutely not convinced by the romance. the fake dating was basically nonexistent. their was no chemistry between elspeth and ravyn imo, so their shift into romance felt so out of the blue. ravyn didn’t really have much of a character so i wasn’t really rooting for them to even get together

one dark window: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

a really fun plot with an interesting magic system! unfortunately, the main characters were just very flat and didn’t really have unique personalities. but the ending of the book had me hooked, and i’m excited to pick up the sequel!

#booksky

overall, would still recommend as the romantic tropes and pacing are perfect for me. i just wish there was a better resolution to their individual plots

i love when romance has more exploration into character flaws and real life issues that can cause problems in a relationship (like emily henry and abby jimenez) and was excited to see these things brought up in our MCs, with the addiction and job plots, but they were resolved far too easily for me

i did wish this had more exploration into the MCs personal lives and struggles, esp with the addiction plotline. it’s such a major issue and it almost felt like it just stopped being mentioned for like half the book and then the issues are rushed to be resolved super quickly at the end

holiday romance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

this is my ideal friends-to-lovers dynamic! i was giggling and blushing the entire time and this was a perfect read for this time of year! the romance was perfectly paced with great love confessions, although the ending landed a bit flat for me

#booksky

i will say that the human characters were very forgettable, and i had such a hard time getting a sense of location all throughout this story. which is why this is my lowest rated of the installments so far. but this was still highly enjoyable and i can’t wait to read the rest of the series!!

rogue protocol: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

an enjoyable, action-packed installment of the murderbot series. murderbot and his personality is by far my biggest draw to this series, followed by any new introductions to other bot characters. the action in this one is my favorite of the three i’ve read so far!

#booksky

krypto the super dog from superman saying “AI art is theft! support real artists!”

wow you guys are right this dog kicks ass

some hesitancies for fully giving this 5 stars were some shocking and unnecessary descriptions of poop which really took me out of certain moments. as well as some personal pacing preferences that took me out of the immersion. could potentially be a 5 upon a reread, which i definitely want to do!

because the feeling that these magical experiences evoke in the characters only made me connect with the family more. would highly recommend tandem reading both w/ the audiobook and the text to get the full experience of hearing these characters’ voices and emotions!

really loved the themes of this book, especially the exploration of the inherent spirituality of the land that this family experiences, which in itself led to a wonderful experience of the blending between reality and imagination. i found myself not caring whether something “actually” happened,

sharks in the time of saviors: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

a truly moving and beautiful debut! i felt utterly transported into this novel whenever i picked it up. i’ve never felt such strong and distinct character voices in a multi-pov book ever before! i’m not usually a magical realism enjoyer but this one was great!

Two characters sleeping with the back against the couch during a sunny day. They're surrounded by ghost cats and one of them wears a witch hat. There's vials, plants and trinkets all around them.

Soft. 🫂

i wasn’t originally planning on reading the sequel but by the end, i grew attached to momoko and satoru’s story, so i will be continuing on (at some point…my tbr is ever growing)

the japanese writing style has always felt more succinct and to the point in comparison to most english prose i’ve read, and usually that distances me from the characters and connecting with them emotionally. but the directness of the prose really worked in this story for me!

i empathized with our main character takako and her struggles of feeling lost after a major life change and finding a reinvigoration through books, but i connected a lot more with satoru and momoko. finding out what exactly happened between them and their love story was really well done emotionally

days at the morisaki bookshop: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

a cute and cozy palate cleanser between longer and darker reads. it did get me in my feels towards the end, but overall a very lighthearted story. i wish the story was more cohesive and less fragmented, but that is just my personal preference

#booksky

god please let the AI bubble burst soon, i know it's going to take half the economy with it i'm just sick of every tech product i use begging me to try their shitty fucking AI content generation

i just wish more had been expanded on the friend group lennon had because there was so much potential there. they were just there when needed for a plot point

and i wanted more time spent on drayton’s campus!like so much of this “dark academia” book is Not spent on this eerie campus? like hello???

so much of this book was focused on the absolute chemistry-less love story between lennon and dante. lennon just acted so childish with him which annoyed me to no end. this could be to blame by the audiobook narrator’s voicing of lennon which was grating, but she literally threw a temper tantrum so…