lizards925's reviews
388 reviews

I had this essay collection in my TBR for a few years and I wish I had listened to it sooner. Smith's narration of her work was wonderful to listen to, I haven't read any of her other work but after today I will definitely start. The first of her essays were more on what was going through her mind when COVID-19 start to infect the world and inevitable cause everyone to quarantine, willingly or not. As she continues to write her thoughts, she starts to highlight the inequality certain minority groups had to face in everyday life and how they were heightened during the virus's peak infection rate and caused most people to be forced to acknowledge these facts. I am not as well versed in reading essay collection, but I will be revisiting this collection in the future to see what I overlooked the first time. 

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is a quick read that has a lasting impact after finishing. Following Death after she has been let go of her job due to humanity soon discovering immortality was a fun concept to read about. I loved that despite being turned mortal and not being able to do her job deaths still follows her wherever she goes much affecting the man who will eventually creat everlasting life. The art style and writing format was beautiful and every character no matter how minor had a powerful impact on Laila throughout her mortal journey. The ending was ambiguous and is really up to the reader to reflect on what Laila’s final decision is. Normally I don’t reread graphic novels but I could see myself revisiting this one in the future. 

I was definitely engaged when reading this book but it was often due to annoyance, confusion, and occasionally slight anger. The setting is magical and the imagery is beautiful, I loved the inclusion of Mexican mythology and the worlds Thomas builds. Unfortunately the plot is not great, it feels half thought out at times. This book changes from Teo and Xio’s POV to get both sides of the story which is fine and honestly could only work that way due to the first book’s cliffhanger of an ending. It might be on me but I cannot help but see Xio as a less interesting and more annoying version of Nico from PJO. I have a hard time believing that ALL the characters were able to forgive him so quickly and while he did end up helping the “good guys” it felt rushed and not as fulfilling because you get told he changed sides instead of having him earn it through constant efforts. All it took was 1 major action then it’s fine? The ending was rushed and the fact that the Gods decided to just leave the humans to their own devices felt like a cop out. They took little responsibility for the deaths they allowed to happen, only Suerte really showed remorse and he’s gone? Does that mean they are not truly immortal? Apparently Suerte is really gone so he willed his own death so is their existence only because they want to live? What is the point of even interacting with humans or their kids if they don’t really need their “worship” or “faith” to exist or have power in this universe? They could have easily protected humans without living with them since the beginning but they didn’t because what? It never occurred to them? It’s clear that some gods don’t care that much about the humans or even their kids so why would they live among them? If they won’t interfere with humans again what does that mean for the semidioses? Will they eventually stop existing due to the lack of interactions between mortals and gods? It’s not like it will actually matter though since it has been proven that humans can exist without the gods ruling over them and living with them. I find it so strange that there is a town that has existed and thrived for who knows how long before the story took place and no one really cares? You are telling me that the gods don’t know about it or even try to bring it up before they dismiss themselves? When the semidioses try to establish a new society without gods they don’t even mention the possibility of reaching out to Yucca or Paz for advice? They might have decided to leave them alone to respect their wishes to stay isolated but it’s not like it matters to the heroes before they entered the village the first or second time. I mean they told the trio to not fight the “monsters” many times and they never listened or really apologized for making matters worse by fighting. This town has a way to function and live peacefully among the “monsters” and no one asks how they can do the same? I feel like this is seriously overlooked and I would have personally wanted more exploration of those conversations in the end to explain how society is slowly adapting to a world without gods. Overall I have a lot of issues and am being very critical because I loved the premise of the story since I first read it years ago. I think it would have been better if it was written for an older audience or even added another book to further explain how this world began, it’s current issues, and how it can change for the better. If you are someone that does not really care about intricate details of mythology then this duology is great. Teo and Aurelio are cute, Niya is the best character out of everyone and the experience of reading it is entertaining at least.

It took a while for me to get used to the writing style, but once I did I  was invested in what Elisha would decide. I can’t say that I agree with his choice or his reasoning behind it, I understand it. Even though the characters and plot line are fictional, the questions that Wiesel asked of the protagonist are not which makes this a compelling read. I read this because it is the second novel in his Night Trilogy, the first was more memorable because it was a memoir but this one definitely deserves to be looked at if you would want an inside look into what continues to haunt the people that survived the holocaust. 

This was a great short read in a magical series that is only gets better as the series continue. I am not usually a person to read science fiction / fantasy series but since the novels are easy to finish in one reading session, I find myself returning to this world whenever a new installment releases. 

I have read Cochruns previous 2 books, and I think this is her best one yet. There are 2 plotlines in this book, the first is about repairing the falling out between Logan and Rosemary they had as teens. The second is about these two women being able to bring their old English teacher, now parental figure, across the country via a road trip as his dying wish. Like most romance novels, it does rely on tropes to get readers attention but what I like about Cochrun's novels are that she does not only rely on them to write her story. This is a story about romantic love but also familial, platonic, and love for a community. The relationship between Logan and Rosemary was cute, endearing, and at times annoying but still entertaining to see develop throughout the story. I enjoyed Joe character very much and loved every scene he was in; I would have loved to read more about him and his past, maybe not as a full novel but a novella would be cool. I think this is the first romance novel I have read that made me emotional and cry at the ending, I would definitely reread this one in the future. 

I knew nothing about this book besides the infamous scene that lead to many schools banning it from their libraries due to indecency. After reading it I would say that is a huge disservice to the story. I did not like the characters much, but they are relatable, messy, funny, and hopeful. They annoyed me but also made me feel for them because they are teens going through a difficult time and there is no rule book on how to deal with your first loss. The story is divided into two parts, before and after. The before is much more slice of life and focused on Pudges desire to be something, to experience something new. The after is full of the characters being obsessed with the past and the why and how to continue when those are both unclear and unresolved. It might be YA but I think people that aged out of that age range could still find elements of the story touching and introspective.

This was a cute and relaxing read about Theo’s journey into discovering and finding out it means to be nonbinary. Any reader that falls under the trans/nonbinary umbrella would relate and appreciate the creation of this graphic novel. The story is short but rewarding, the color scheme and art style fit the theme. Overall a great read for anyone looking for a short but reflecting graphic novel.

It was a cute read, definitely geared towards people that have read both Simon vs the homosapiens agenda and Leah on the offbeat. The novella focuses more on both of these relationships and how college life/ long distance is affecting the characters. For fans of Nick, Alice and Nora, unfortunately there is not much about them in this story but it makes since it’s not very long. I listened to the audiobook and the major con of it is how repetitive the naming of emailing address can be. I would guess about 20% of the audio is just characters rattling off the list of emails. If you can get passed that then I would recommend if you want more of the Simon-verse. I would go for the print/ebook version unless you really want to hear Micheal Crouch as Simon which is what made me want to listen instead of read this story.