andyslibrary42's reviews
98 reviews

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

4.0

This was such a fun story full of magic, mythology and super interesting characters like Kiki, a sassy little talking paper crane. If you read this for nothing else, please pick it up for Kiki! I also really loved our main character, Shiori, and her connection to her brothers. The dragon character seems really fun, and I was slightly disappointed we didn’t get much of him in this book, but I know it was setting up for the next one. I wish the relationship between Shiori and Prince Takkan had been developed more. How they meet and him instantly taking an interest in her didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but I do think his character was really sweet, so hopefully we get more between them in the sequel. One thing about Elizabeth Lim’s writing though is that it will transport you into a world that feels so magical, so I will always praise her writing style! 

Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

This is the best one so far. I didn’t realize this would break me the way it did. 

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

DNF @22%

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

DNF @ 40% I didn’t like how this looked down on sex workers. I just wanted a silly romance, and instead found myself fuming at how the MC could just “never do what her sisters does.” And the MMC was even worse.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

This was really fun! I always enjoy stories that explore the multiverse, and I think this one had a really unique take on it. Our main character being able to step into different worlds was really cool! This did a fantastic job of exploring those other worlds while still maintaining a really interesting plot in the main world. I feel like this book had a great cast of characters as well. I’m looking forward to the sequel coming out later this year! 

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

I loved everything about this book! The dark academia vibes, the eerie atmosphere, the fairytales, the prose, the characters, when I say everything I truly mean that. Effy was a wonderful main character to read from. I really enjoyed the slight enemies to lovers vibes we get in this story, and also watching our main characters unravel the mystery surrounding everything. As a woman I found this book to very empowering and I think the end scene will live in my brain forever - go Effy!!! The vibes in this book are just perfect this time of year, highly highly highly recommend!

Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

I really enjoyed the weird atmosphere and the sapphic romance, so it gets three stars for that, but I was SO disappointed when we got to the twist because I knew what was going on the entire time. After the twist I was waiting for the actual twist to come because I thought surely this cannot be the big reveal. Also, there’s so many hints sprinkled throughout the entire book that are leading you into guessing what’s going on from the very beginning.

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❗️spoiler ❗️

You cannot write about food in this way without my immediate thought always being that someone contaminated the food with human remains. There’s an episode of Criminal Minds that RUINED me for this type of story, so I always see it coming when food is involved in horror. 

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

I definitely would’ve rated this higher if it had been longer. I just wasn’t as attached to the characters because we didn’t really have time for any development, but as a short smutty novella it’s really quick and fun! 

Morning Star by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

Oh my gosh, this was so good! I genuinely had my heart STOMPED on while reading this book. It was packed full of action with moments of humor and heartbreak. It was also full of plot twists that kept my head spinning! The character development in this story is truly phenomenal. We see so many people completely change, and we are also introduced to a few new characters that I really enjoyed as well. The ending was really good, and I’m really looking forward to the next set of books to find out what happens with our characters.