asipofcozy's reviews
206 reviews

At the end of I Wish You All the Best I was left wanting more. More of Ben, more of Nathan, more of the dynamic between everyone because I absolutely adored this book. That beginning left me feeling so many things - anger, connection, frustration, hurt, jarred. And throughout the book I felt like I was being swept away with so many emotions and following along with Ben and their feelings.

What I think this book does really well at is showing the other side of reality and coming out. We are starting to really see an uptick in LGBTQIAP+ literature (which I am very grateful for). However, many of the books out there portray a lot positive coming-outs, which we need to feel hopeful, but at the same time we also need the ones where there isn't a positive coming out, like in the case of Benji coming out to their parents and being kicked-out.

I am not saying we shouldn't have all the positive examples of coming-out but for some of us coming-out was not a positive experience and we are left wondering, hoping will it get better? How can we move on from this? Can we still be accepted? Benji feels all of this and more, struggling through anxiety  and depression and fear of coming out ever again. I connected with them on such a large scale. 

My only critique would be that I wanted more, I wanted more of the characters, of the ending plot, of Nathan and Benji. More of Benji growing and gaining confidence. However, it seems like there is a Novella that is available to us so definitely picking it up :).

I was quickly enraptured into A Marvelous Light. The story-telling, the magic system, even the characters and their complex backgrounds astounded me. 

I loved how intricate and unique the magic system was. Basing the magic around cradles (a Childs game with string) and intricate hand moments and just the fact that the magic itself was quite complex. Not being able to use magic outside of a "contract", how humans are affected by magics and their contracts, and how there is a limit to the use. 

I will say that at times, we needed more explanation on the magic system. It took me awhile to put together that the magic was using cradles to facilitate an action. Also, we were given information about the magic system quite late into the book, which would have helped explain a lot of moments and discussions that were had between the characters. 

To quickly mention the writing style. The setting of this book is 1908 English and the author does a great job at portraying proper English of that particular time. That being said it felt jarring at times. Sometimes the sentences were quite strange and there were phrases that stuck out that I had no clue to the meaning. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It just took a moment to get into the writing style and the "proper" English of the time period. However, the first 50 pages were headache inducing.

The plot also had a lot of twists and turns. Moments that you thought were giving away parts of the plot only to find out you were quite wrong. There were a few moments that I was right in my assumptions but the whole mystery aspect - most of my guesses were wrong in that respect.

And then there was our beloved characters Robin and Edwin. Out of the two, I feel like Edwin had the most growth and that Robin was there to help him with that growth. When reading Edwin's backstory, the abuse that he faced and continues to face, and his fear of getting hurt - all I wanted to do was give him a big ole hug. He hides behind books and reason - while useful can leave you sheltered from the world and emotions...which he reflects on quite a lot. Robin had some development and had moments of privilege that he also acknowledges as fault.

The chemistry those two had, had me at the seat of my chair for a majority of the book (just saying).

I am definitely looking forward to picking up the rest of the series!

The Secret Patient is a book that falls into a genre that I very rarely read. I have heard a lot about it and I wanted a break from reading fantasy. And let's just say I have a lot of thoughts and not many thoughts on this book. I was expecting thriller/mystery and what I got was - some thriller with a lot of bullshit characters and a whiny main character.

Let's start with what I liked about the book. I really loved this premise of this women (Alicia) killing her husband and never speaking another word. I enjoyed some of the plot building up to it and weaving in the story of Theo (the psychotherapist). When we were given the diary of Alicia, I devoured those pages. Towards the end I did start to see the story weave together, and I can see why many people enjoy the suspense of this book. And the ending does leave you with that "oh my god" moment. That is, if you don't read spoiler reviews or watch tik Tok videos on it.

Now let's get to the parts I really just do not like.

While I did enjoy many parts of this book, there was just too much that I felt like I could skim over and still get an understanding of what was going on. Not only that but there were a lot of pieces that really didn't fit into the story and I wish we had more of the psychology aspect and less of Theo's internal dialogue of being a "savior". I wanted to enjoy this more but there were some things I couldn't look past.

my soul needed this 🤍🍂🕯️

This was a really enjoyable read. I loved the unique magic system with the cards, it reminded me of tarot cards but with magic and consequences of using said magical cards. I loved how, while this is depicted as "YA", we get that deeper insight into the magic system that we normally wouldn't get and how focused the plot was on the cards, the sickness, and the world. 

However, that being said, I don't really have many strong feelings on the book. I neither love nor hate it. I was more invested in the magic than I was the characters. The magic was unique the characters not as much. They definitely followed the typical YA character arch, along with the romance. Don't get me wrong there was good character development and even secondary characters seemed fleshed out. However, there was nothing special or unique about them. 

The romance also seemed to follow the same YA fantasy romance pattern - instant attraction, tension/lust, confession, and angst. 

One other thing, this is published as YA and it read as new adult/adult - especially with the s*x scene, gore, and other dark themes. Granted we get an above the bed version (feelings more than details). While I am all for lusty content in books and think that we shouldn't gatekeep romances/ s*x in YA. I do think that publishers need to start publishing books, like this one, in a New Adult category because many of these newer YA fall there and not with YA. That's just a personal thought.

If looking for something "similar" (not like) Legends and Lattes but with more sustenance, then I highly recommend picking up A Rival Most Vial. It has everything one would want in a cozy fantasy, but with a little more fantasy, low-stakes, and a lot more romance thrown in.

I was instantly enraptured in the world, the diverse cast of characters, and the low-stakes plot. For a cozy low-stakes fantasy, we were given a lot about the world and it was wonderful. I loved learning about all the creatures that existed in this world and how they interacted with each other. The dungeon and dragons vibes were coming to life and I was here for it.

And the characters are all cinnamon rolls that you want to bundle up and hold close, especially Ambrose. The character development between Ames and Eli really hit home and you got to see that slow progression from rivals to lovers (the best trope out there). With Ambrose, we got to see a lot behind his character. He comes off as a know-it-all with his nose in the air when it comes to his mastery in potion making. However, as we delve deeper into the book, we get more of his sad story and his true fear of abandonment. 

Then with Eli we get this happy-go-lucky man who is excited for his new career path. However, we also see get to see him overcome his own woes of internalized fear of sticking with just one thing and fear of failure. But watching them grow together was what really hit home for me.

When a book makes me laugh, smile not stop, squeal over the romantic moments, and just make me feel things it becomes an instant favorite. 

I can't wait to read more of what Ashwick writes in this world.

Was completely surprised by this YA fantasy. Lately YA has been a miss for me, but I was enraptured in Shiori and her brother's story. It did start off quite slow, and took a bit to get into. However, once past the first 70 pages or so, the pace really picked up. Lim's writing also helped with the fast pace, her writing style is whimsical and so easy to read.

I loved the Studio Ghibli vibes I was getting and there were also a few fairytales mixed in with the original fairytale of the six swans. 

The character development with our main character Shaori is wonderful. To watch her grow from this spoiled princess to a young determined women was a wonderful journey. I loved her relationship with her brothers and father. Also that little bit of "found family" thrown in was even better.

I guess my only complaint is the lack of diversity between the characters - especially the brothers and love interest. You really couldn't distinguish one from the other. Also, most of the time I couldn't picture what they looked like because we never given a complete description of them. They felt very 2-D and didn't have much dimension character-wise. Even Shiori didn't get much of a description. 

However, even with that and the few moments of the plot being slow (I could only take so much food talk) I still can't wait to pick up the sequel!

Such a beautiful and heartwarming story. It really delves deep into what is the meaning of humanity. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to have so many complex feelings and thoughts?  It also touches home on modern day issues that we are facing, the path that we are continuing down with destruction and chaos and yet showing glimpses of the wonders that humanity could do. Powerful, beautiful, found-family, heart felt romance - it was liking coming home in those first few pages.

Once again another hit with TJ Klune. I cannot wait for the next book he writes.