cortanasreadingnook's reviews
368 reviews

The Art of Breathing by Cali Melle

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Thanks to Cali Melle and Valentine Literary’s team for sending me a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. It doesn’t affect my thoughts in any way. 

“Luna. You rule the goddamn universe. There is no one above you.” 

 Luna Truly is living on borrowed time. Being diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation as a baby means she’s spent most of her life in the hospital or in the confines of her childhood home, strapped to tubes and machines. But through it all, boy-next-door and her childhood bestfriend Oliver Hart has been by her side. And this is their last summer together before Ollie leaves for college. Will things change? Or will Luna’s fear hold her back from truly living her life to the fullest? 

I had no idea that this was the very book I needed right now. The Art of Breathing is a very intimate and angsty story between childhood bestfriends who have shared every single waking experience together as children, up to their teenage years and reminds me a of a less tearjerker version of A Walk to Remember but is just as beautiful. Trope wise, these stories have been on shelves countless times, yet I can’t help but appreciate how we got a book for the hopeless romantics. Luna and Oliver’s story is both very dear and bittersweet in some parts that one can’t help but just need more of them. Not only does this book help destigmatize guilt, trauma, and terminal illness, but it emphasizes the importance of our choices, letting people in, and how all of us are spending our lives on borrowed time. What an eye-opening read. 
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Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Their Vicious Games is a perfectly insane book where Ready or Not meets a fucked-up version of the famous The Selection. When Adina Walker’s acceptance to Yale and well… everywhere gets rescinded, she decides that she will take her future back. And the only possible way to do it is to join The Finish, an annual event hosted by the founding family of her alma mater Edgewater Academy.

This book is basically a slow descent into madness that laughs at the classism and bigotry of primarily white systems and their seeking praise for inviting women of color into their institutions. Wellington was able to create a story that is a big fuck you to racism in a fun, adventurous manner where a black woman stands at the end of it all and where women of color are given a voice.
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The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Lost Book of The White is definitely TMI 2.0. This was such an action-packed book filled with perfect comedic timing. I can’t believe I have come to the end of the very last book for TSC. The whole gang is back! (One of them owns Church). My heart is very full from reading this. All of our favorite ships share a bunch of cute and domestic moments together, especially Malec with their now warlock baby, Max. Little spoiler, Jace officially calls Maryse ‘mom’ now and her being a grandmother to Max is absolute perfection. Set three years after the events of the Mortal War, it makes me feel nostalgic that everyone has grown up and become more comfortable in how they carry themselves. I’m very sad that my time with these characters will come to an end someday, but I also can’t wait! The Eldest Curses is a trilogy that ties up the events for TWP’s first installment, which will be out in 2026.  

Note: Please do follow a reading order before starting this. I read it chronologically, which is approved by CC herself. This series cannot be skipped as it opens up possible events for TWP. 

Buddy read with my good friend Haley.   
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I genuinely didn’t expect this to be a deeply sorrowful story. This coming of age, young adult graphic novel tackles two teenage girls spending a life-changing summer together. The art style is very beautiful and compliments the heartwrenching yet equally hopeful story that the writers were trying to tell.  
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Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s Squad is basically a lesbian Teen Wolf! It’s a queer, haunting fantasy about teenage girls killing predators. But when the police start looking for a suspect, everything starts getting more complicated. Between getting away from the police and falling for a friend, can Becca keep this charade up? 

The illustrator did such an amazing job with the art style, following the chic of those old superhero comics in the 80s and 90s. I really enjoyed this, and it was extremely fun to read about women seeking vengeance against entitled assholes (AKA the fucking patriarchy). 6/10! 
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Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Regina is captain of the cheerleading team and is the most popular girl in school. Not only that, but she’s had her life set out for the next 10 years, along with her girlfriend, Chloe Kitagawa. But when Chloe starts failing English and jeopardizes Regina’s expected future, she decides to hire Hawkins, the mascot who has a crush on her… and who is apparently Chloe’s childhood friend. 

Belle of the Ball is basically a lesbian mean girls with a pretty limited, yet engaging color scheme. The story started out strongly, but it’s such a turn off when there’s emotional cheating, even though arguably it did all work out in the end. I wanted to like this, but every single relationship in this book is manipulative or toxic. The characters individually had so much potential but none of them were fully fleshed out towards the end. 
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This is such a cute graphic novel about the lesbian daughter of a count who became a crossdresser after her father’s passing and an activist princess. What makes it more fun is that the characters are named after different varieties of cheese. If you love cheese and sapphics then count this one in! IT’S SO PINK LIKE PRETTY PRETTY ALL PINK! I LOVED IT. This story is also very much inspired by her real-life wife, Emily and their love story. It’s like Chappell roan meets grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s so adorable. 
Eighteen Roses by Shannon C.F. Rogers

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Big thanks to Shannon C.F. Rogers and Feiwel & Friends for sending me a review copy through NetGalley! This doesn’t affect my review in any way. 

Happy book birthday to Eighteen Roses! This heartwarming, coming-of-age young adult novel features family, the growing pains of friendship, and Filipino-American diaspora. 

I loved this book simply because it was genuine in its representation of Filipino family dynamics. Luz is very relatable and frankly, it surprised me how much of myself I saw in her anger and envy of the world. I liked how the author was able to write about a characters’ detachment from their culture and identity. I also adamantly refused to not have a debutante ball and I understood Luz’s resentment throughout this book. Moreso, the difficult relationship she has with her mother is so REAL that at times I wanted to tear up. Growing up with festered bitterness or simply sadness for either one of your parents is something you will eventually come to terms with because they will remain unchanged, and this book perfectly captures that. I also loved how this navigates friendships and self-discovery. Her chemistry with Esme was so nostalgic because I have it with my best friend as well. Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a book that centers on personal growth. 

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Blood Jade by Julia Vee, Ken Bebelle

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. This doesn’t affect my thoughts in any way. 

I genuinely liked the concept of Phoenix Hoard as a trilogy. It is a nod to Japanese and Chinese diaspora, it involves elements of Asian folklore, intricate clan politics, and thrilling, action-filled storytelling. However, I believe my time with this series is done, because though I had fun with certain parts, I had trouble with the lengthy, significantly slowed down the pacing of the book so I skimmed through many parts. I would still recommend this because almost all of Asia finally got featured in a fantasy book, which is no small feat, given that East Asia normally gets highlighted. But instead, the writers were able to incorporate a few characters from SEA, South Asia, and more. The story mostly emphasizes power play and plot has gotten significantly thicker with no clear villain in sight, which I find interesting.

As an Asian myself, I have a clear understanding and respect for Emiko’s responsibilities as not only the former Butcher, but as the now Sentinel of San Francisco. I could also see myself in the way she navigates her life and duties. SHE IS VERY RELATABLE. 

I understand other readers’ excitement for this book, but its best part is that a lot of eldest daughters and achievers of the family would empathize with her character because she is folklore’s mirrorball on steroids with an obsession for KitKats. I also think that Emiko has a very colorful personality and her comebacks at most were hilarious. 
Girls Who Burn by MK Pagano

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If you guys like the idea of The Summer I Turned Pretty turning into a small-town thriller-romance, then I highly recommend MK Pagano’s Girls Who Burn. This is a standalone mystery about two childhood frenemies rekindling a past “flame” while catching a murderer. 

Gave this book a 4-star rating simply because the mystery behind the murders that Addie tries to unearth with Seth lies in so much drama. I loved the chemistry between all of the characters because their roles in the story made the pacing more engaging. Addie is an incredibly unreliable narrator, making the storytelling equally confusing and thrilling, which added to the fun. Furthermore, it heavily implies the advantages that people in power have, especially that of men. It really is a fucked-up version of TSITP, and arguably the plot is a bit generic, I still stayed for the drama. This book is also perfect for fans of The Ivies and Dead Girls Society.

I buddy read this with my good friend Krys @dismalhoneydews/@cherryivies. 
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