therivingtonreader's reviews
246 reviews

This book had me mentally screaming at Vienne and Graz in the best way. I wanted them to just talk it out and be together!! They had such strong individual personalities, but they were so cute with each other.

Graz is an inventor and can be sweet, but he's also arrogant and assertive. Vienne is a stubborn adventurer who's confident in herself, but can be a little impulsive. Their (sometimes) clashing personalities lead to some arguments, but they ultimately ended up having a very sweet relationship. 

This can be read as a standalone, but there are many characters that appear in this story from the previous Trollkin stories. I'm going to have to go back and read the others because I've only read 2 so far, and I love seeing old characters in the newer books. 

Thank you to Lyonne Riley for the ARC! I'm so glad I got to read this! 

"I am fine being a monster...If it means I can protect those I care for."

I loooove Magnar 😭 he is so sweet and I adore how he loves Delora. I really appreciated Delora as a character as well; she's plus size and has depression, but her depression doesn't stem from self-hatred about her body. Her entire existence doesn't revolve around her size. I also related to her quite a bit, her anxieties and inner thoughts felt very familiar. 
The only reasons this is getting a 4 instead of a 5 are because I'm not a fan of

surprise pregnancy (which I know is a me problem lol), and as a mom I couldn't help but think about who TF was watching the baby while Delora and Magnar were off getting freaky 😭😂

I loved this!! It was fun and goofy, and I was totally invested in the mystery. I was 100% confident in who I thought murdered Lady Lady, and I was totally wrong 😂 but I had an absolute blast reading it.

The characters were all unique and believable, the story was easy to follow despite all the clues and characters there were to remember, and I'm genuinely excited it seems like this is going to be a series. The ending definitely set up for a 2nd book at least 👀

If you're looking for a lighter or cozy mystery, this is definitely it! I'd recommend this to just about anyone!

I LOVED this. It was so cute and heartwarming, and it gave me some serious Twilight vibes with the flower field. I think I might be in love with Mothman too 😅

Heather took me a second to come around to, but she eventually became really likeable to me. Moth is grumpy and romantic, and their relationship was so much fun to see develop. It was a slow burn, but not too slow. I thought it was perfectly paced, and all the big moments happened when they should have.

The stakes at the end of the book felt like they were relatively high, and I was really hoping Chris was going to get his ass kicked. He sucked and I made many notes reflecting that in my copy lol. 

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, so buckle up if you're planning to read this whole review.

Let's start with the good:
I LOVE the cover. Probably one of my favorites, maybe of all time. The art is beautiful and creepy, and perfectly encapsulates the story.
I was really impressed with the horror elements of this book. The demon was gross and I was definitely left feeling unsettled and uncomfortable. As someone who used to stream on Twitch and has a love for video games, a lot of the creepiness kind of hit home for me.
Ash and Viv's relationship was also really cute. I thought they had great chemistry and I was rooting for them to get together.

The bad:

I have a lot of issues with the entire storyline involving Riley's death. From the very beginning, Viv blames herself for killing her little sister. And when you finish the book, you realize the entire story is kind of about grief and guilt. But when it was revealed that Riley died from drowning, and Viv also covered it up by making it look like she choked on a button (from their mom's cardigan btw), I felt that maybe it was not portrayed as seriously as it should have been. Obviously Viv did not kill her little sister on purpose, but there is a very big difference between an accident and being downright neglectful. Viv was being neglectful by leaving a full tub of water accessible to a 3 year old while she went to stream on Twitch, and then she covered it up with something that would put the blame on her mom. As a parent to a toddler, I realize I may be more sensitive to this topic, but I also felt that it was treated more like she accidentally burned dinner and covered it up instead of literally killing her sister.
The confession to Viv's parents at the end about the truth of Riley's death also rubbed me the wrong way. Her mom's first words after hearing the truth were quite literally "Oh my god...It wasn't my button." To me, that is not what my first thought would've been 3 months after my 3 year old child died. I would've been furious and heartbroken, and not even close to calm toward my 17 year old daughter who not only killed her with her neglectfulness, but then made a conscious decision to cover it up.

Starting off the year strong with this absolute MASTERPIECE. If you're looking for a sign to pre-order this book, this is it. I don't have the vocabulary to explain how much I loved it. And especially after reading the afterword. I've always had a love for Nat Cassidy's work, but this one hit home in a lot of ways. 

It's about fear. Grief. Anxiety. Parents. Found family. Sometimes it's a little whacky, but most of the time it's terrifying. It perfectly encapsulates how fear and anxiety can be all-encompassing.

This book made me want to keep the lights on at night, but also made me cry. It made me question my sense of right and wrong. I really can't give away too much of the plot, because I want everyone to be as surprised by the turns in this story as I was.

It's only January, but I think this is going to be my book of the year. If I read something better than this, I think my brain will probably explode 😅

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the ARC!!

This was an excellent read. Everything that Ruby (and Jodi later on) did to this family is so horrendous, and I feel sad for Shari and all of her siblings that grew up knowing nothing else. Shari did a great job telling the story from start to finish.

She doesn't really delve into a lot of the specifics of the 8 Passengers videos, so if that's what you're looking for in this, you're better off watching a YouTube essay about Ruby (j aubrey has a great one if you're interested in that). This is more about Shari's experience specifically, and the emotional turmoil she endured in the relationship with her mother, her church, and the rest of her family.

I really hope that Kevin, Shari, and the rest of their family is finding some peace and healing now that Ruby and Jodi are both in prison. 

I got 40% into this book and still had no idea what was going on, and I don't really care to find out. It's confusing to follow and all of the characters are very self-centered.
Thank you to Henry Holt Books for the review copy.