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yas_sezer's reviews
205 reviews
Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
4.0
4 stars (waiting to finish the 3rd book to see if THAT will take the 5 stars)
i ate this book up. nom nom nom
i was a little hesitant at the start since realising we weren’t following kady and ezra as our main characters, but i loveeeeeeed our mcs for this. hanna and nik have my heart (especially nik, im sorry give me tattoos and im already gone). i was conflicted at the beginning since she was in a relationship with jackson, and i am a loyal girly so naturally i was praying she wouldn’t cause a love triangle cheating situation. so jackson being rapier and causing their inevitable breakup was perfect for her and nik to get together.
besides the romance, holy shit so much happened in this. we had attacks left right and centre, with hypatia arriving to heimdall not knowing anything, assault fleet kennedy arriving to blow shit up, but also getting hijacked by beitech AND having weird leechy worm evil slugs wandering around
i ate this book up. nom nom nom
i was a little hesitant at the start since realising we weren’t following kady and ezra as our main characters, but i loveeeeeeed our mcs for this. hanna and nik have my heart (especially nik, im sorry give me tattoos and im already gone). i was conflicted at the beginning since she was in a relationship with jackson, and i am a loyal girly so naturally i was praying she wouldn’t cause a love triangle cheating situation. so jackson being rapier and causing their inevitable breakup was perfect for her and nik to get together.
besides the romance, holy shit so much happened in this. we had attacks left right and centre, with hypatia arriving to heimdall not knowing anything, assault fleet kennedy arriving to blow shit up, but also getting hijacked by beitech AND having weird leechy worm evil slugs wandering around
The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
2.0
2 stars
i could not connect to bree at all and found her to be completely insufferable. her pick me energy is something i haven’t seen to this extent for a long time both irl and in books, and it was not missed at all. starting from her being in nathan’s apartment at 6 in the morning and basically competing with his girlfriend, to her attitude being with the whole team of boys, to her acting around nathan - it’s just not for me. of course nathan’s girlfriends aren’t going to like you and have a problem with you, you’re the walking embodiment of the typical ‘girl best friend’, you are the reason girls don’t want their men to have girl best friends. it was so difficult to read her pov.
nathan on the other hand wasn’t too bad. i found the biggest fault in him when he was dating other girls despite knowing he loved bree. why would you drag other girls into this mess knowing you aren’t going to be able to love them? you’re trying to get over bree by using other girls? you’ve been celibate this whole time you know it’s not gonna work, why bother. besides that, i actually liked that he was putting in more effort to pursue something with bree and picking up on the little things that gave him hope like her checking him out through the mirror. also him writing the cheat sheet with his friends on the whiteboard was wholesome. i liked the dynamic between the boys.
also nathan’s anxiety was something i didn’t expect to be such a decent chunk of his character and im not mad about it. i enjoy seeing this representation particularly with male characters since its not very common (yours truly by abby jimenez is the only other one ive read thus far). i related to him and could understand exactly how it feels, and i found no problems with the way bree responded to this. she actually helped him through it in a good way.
the general plot of the story is something i know i would’ve enjoyed more if bree wasn’t the way she was. the whole “one of us is famous”, fake dating, friends to lovers, it’s my cup of tea. buttt she really just dragged it down and made parts of the story i looked forward to just insufferable.
her only redeeming points were all related to helping him with his anxiety - the red carpet and at her nephews birthday. other than that i couldn’t deal.
i will say i was sorta glad there wasn’t a third act conflict in this the way i expected. it only would’ve been so much worse since this entire book runs on miscommunication
i could not connect to bree at all and found her to be completely insufferable. her pick me energy is something i haven’t seen to this extent for a long time both irl and in books, and it was not missed at all. starting from her being in nathan’s apartment at 6 in the morning and basically competing with his girlfriend, to her attitude being with the whole team of boys, to her acting around nathan - it’s just not for me. of course nathan’s girlfriends aren’t going to like you and have a problem with you, you’re the walking embodiment of the typical ‘girl best friend’, you are the reason girls don’t want their men to have girl best friends. it was so difficult to read her pov.
nathan on the other hand wasn’t too bad. i found the biggest fault in him when he was dating other girls despite knowing he loved bree. why would you drag other girls into this mess knowing you aren’t going to be able to love them? you’re trying to get over bree by using other girls? you’ve been celibate this whole time you know it’s not gonna work, why bother. besides that, i actually liked that he was putting in more effort to pursue something with bree and picking up on the little things that gave him hope like her checking him out through the mirror. also him writing the cheat sheet with his friends on the whiteboard was wholesome. i liked the dynamic between the boys.
also nathan’s anxiety was something i didn’t expect to be such a decent chunk of his character and im not mad about it. i enjoy seeing this representation particularly with male characters since its not very common (yours truly by abby jimenez is the only other one ive read thus far). i related to him and could understand exactly how it feels, and i found no problems with the way bree responded to this. she actually helped him through it in a good way.
the general plot of the story is something i know i would’ve enjoyed more if bree wasn’t the way she was. the whole “one of us is famous”, fake dating, friends to lovers, it’s my cup of tea. buttt she really just dragged it down and made parts of the story i looked forward to just insufferable.
her only redeeming points were all related to helping him with his anxiety - the red carpet and at her nephews birthday. other than that i couldn’t deal.
i will say i was sorta glad there wasn’t a third act conflict in this the way i expected. it only would’ve been so much worse since this entire book runs on miscommunication
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
3.75
3.75
“i would take anything she chose to give me - the tiniest fraction or her entire world. i would take her for a single night knowing that ill lose her by morning, and i would hold on to her and never let go. i would take her healthy, or sick, or tired, or angry, or strong, and it would be my fucking privilege. i would take her problems, her gifts, her moods, her passions, her jokes, her body - i would take every last thing, if she chose to give it to me”
this was a fun time, different to ali’s usual work, but as usual it was a quick easy read. doesn’t really count as fantasy in my mind, more just a romance where the main characters happen to be a werewolf and a vampire (vampyre coz why not).
i didn’t have high expectations going in, and coming fresh off a 5 star series, i needed a palette cleanser and this served its purpose
i really liked lowe our alpha werewolf mmc and how protective he was over her, how he treated her, and he really just felt like a MAN. he held everything together but was not afraid to let his emotions show with misery and with his sister ana which i always love. him being the leader that was down to earth and connected to those around him was a nice quality, i didn’t find him insufferable.
misery i actually liked, which surprised me. i was expecting there to be a whole lot of miscommunication again and be bored, but misery was actually a great communicator and i love her for it. she always spoke her mind and wasn’t afraid to ‘act up’ or make her wants and needs clear, especially to lowe, which i respected. i have found that i always enjoy stories more when our characters are like this compared to when they just self sabotage and keep everything to themselves. she was a fun time
i liked the relationship as well and enjoyed seeing the couple together. seeing them grow closer together through their forced marriage and seeing lowe struggling with his unwanted attraction to her was great, but im slightly annoyed that it took so long for misery to clock that she was the mate he was speaking of this entire time. but to be fair once she realised i liked that she was open about it and spoke to him. breath of fresh air. i always tend to get bored when the couples actually get together, but again i took it for what it was. also, this is spicier than her other books, and has lots of biting and sucking alongside other things so be warned if ur not into that (knot😭).
there were a few things that made me giggle or cringe (knot!! 🥲), but i just accepted it for what it was. i expected there to be a lot more lore that i’ve seen before in other werewolf stories, but she switched a few things up which i didn’t really mind. again, im not really thinking too critically when it comes to these books, i just want to enjoy my time and i did
side characters like ana, serena, and owen i actually liked. they had enough depth to them that i cared about them during the story, and im expecting the next book to be about serena and keon which should be fun. we didn’t really get to see much of keon but we know he’s a nice enough alpha uncle so why not
the conflict was actually pretty interesting for what it was. misery’s dad is such a disgusting character im sorry. you gave away your daughter when she was a child as a collateral, then you force her to get married to a were, you kidnap her friend, and you try to kill her, and that’s not even including the years worth of degrading and shaming 🥲 gross man, glad he’s fucked off hehe
i needed a palette cleanser and miss hazelwood gave that to me once again, would recommend for this purpose.
this was a fun time, different to ali’s usual work, but as usual it was a quick easy read. doesn’t really count as fantasy in my mind, more just a romance where the main characters happen to be a werewolf and a vampire (vampyre coz why not).
i didn’t have high expectations going in, and coming fresh off a 5 star series, i needed a palette cleanser and this served its purpose
i really liked lowe our alpha werewolf mmc and how protective he was over her, how he treated her, and he really just felt like a MAN. he held everything together but was not afraid to let his emotions show with misery and with his sister ana which i always love. him being the leader that was down to earth and connected to those around him was a nice quality, i didn’t find him insufferable.
misery i actually liked, which surprised me. i was expecting there to be a whole lot of miscommunication again and be bored, but misery was actually a great communicator and i love her for it. she always spoke her mind and wasn’t afraid to ‘act up’ or make her wants and needs clear, especially to lowe, which i respected. i have found that i always enjoy stories more when our characters are like this compared to when they just self sabotage and keep everything to themselves. she was a fun time
i liked the relationship as well and enjoyed seeing the couple together. seeing them grow closer together through their forced marriage and seeing lowe struggling with his unwanted attraction to her was great, but im slightly annoyed that it took so long for misery to clock that she was the mate he was speaking of this entire time. but to be fair once she realised i liked that she was open about it and spoke to him. breath of fresh air. i always tend to get bored when the couples actually get together, but again i took it for what it was. also, this is spicier than her other books, and has lots of biting and sucking alongside other things so be warned if ur not into that (knot😭).
there were a few things that made me giggle or cringe (knot!! 🥲), but i just accepted it for what it was. i expected there to be a lot more lore that i’ve seen before in other werewolf stories, but she switched a few things up which i didn’t really mind. again, im not really thinking too critically when it comes to these books, i just want to enjoy my time and i did
side characters like ana, serena, and owen i actually liked. they had enough depth to them that i cared about them during the story, and im expecting the next book to be about serena and keon which should be fun. we didn’t really get to see much of keon but we know he’s a nice enough alpha uncle so why not
the conflict was actually pretty interesting for what it was. misery’s dad is such a disgusting character im sorry. you gave away your daughter when she was a child as a collateral, then you force her to get married to a were, you kidnap her friend, and you try to kill her, and that’s not even including the years worth of degrading and shaming 🥲 gross man, glad he’s fucked off hehe
i needed a palette cleanser and miss hazelwood gave that to me once again, would recommend for this purpose.
Obsidio by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
5.0
5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i have been putting off writing this review because thinking of the series makes me emotional.
ez and kady, nik and hanna, rhys and asha, and of course ella, i am going to miss these characters so much
i have been putting off writing this review because thinking of the series makes me emotional.
ez and kady, nik and hanna, rhys and asha, and of course ella, i am going to miss these characters so much
Memento by Amie Kaufman
4.0
cute little novella showing us how aidan came to be who he was, and i enjoyed seeing that insight into him and how he learnt how to function the way he did for the series. worth reading since it doesn’t take up much time at all
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
he finally reached a point in his life where he was content and at peace.. until he wasn’t. so heartbreaking to see him come full circle only to know the big terrible thing won in the end.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
4.0
4 stars
i can’t pinpoint what is missing from this but i didn’t get a 5 star feeling. in saying that though, i liked everything about it? i had a great time reading this story
the atmosphere being during the war in older times is something i thoroughly enjoyed. it felt reminiscent of when i read the book thief (although this book gave me maybe 10% of the emotions the book thief brought out of me). the typewriters, the journalist offices with the cigarette smoke smell and clouds, the rain, the sounds - i loved the description of it all and it did a great job of painting the picture for me
rowan and iris i like, but don’t love? something is missing with them. i don’t know whether it’s the way they got together and it feeling rushed, but i can also understand why that was the case (being in a war and almost dying will enhance emotions and make you want to hold onto the people around you, who would’ve thought!). even so, i do still like reading about them and their story and the typewriter letters are very sweet. i’ve been tabbing and underlining quotes that have impacted me in some way.
side characters like marisol, attie and forest i like and i feel like they’ve been developed a decent amount for a relatively short book. i connected with the girls quite quickly considering how little time i spent with them
the elements of the “behind the scenes” of war were interesting to read. i’ve always had an interest in historical fiction and history irl, so seeing the infirmary and the trenches were not a fun time but interesting. this is probably what gave me feelings of the book thief too (keep in mind, only 10%).
overall, it’s a book that doesn’t feel high stakes, but is? the magical element is not overwhelming. we have magical gods and enchanted things but that’s about it. by the time i wrote this review, i’ve already started the second book so i can say that we get more history about the gods and more of them involved in the plot, which i was missing from this book
i would recommend this. but not to everyone. i don’t think it’s the best historical fiction out there, but it is an enjoyable read. personally, i don’t mind the slower paced books so it clicked with me but i can see people finding this boring and rushed. it’s more character driven than plot heavy imo
i can’t pinpoint what is missing from this but i didn’t get a 5 star feeling. in saying that though, i liked everything about it? i had a great time reading this story
the atmosphere being during the war in older times is something i thoroughly enjoyed. it felt reminiscent of when i read the book thief (although this book gave me maybe 10% of the emotions the book thief brought out of me). the typewriters, the journalist offices with the cigarette smoke smell and clouds, the rain, the sounds - i loved the description of it all and it did a great job of painting the picture for me
rowan and iris i like, but don’t love? something is missing with them. i don’t know whether it’s the way they got together and it feeling rushed, but i can also understand why that was the case (being in a war and almost dying will enhance emotions and make you want to hold onto the people around you, who would’ve thought!). even so, i do still like reading about them and their story and the typewriter letters are very sweet. i’ve been tabbing and underlining quotes that have impacted me in some way.
side characters like marisol, attie and forest i like and i feel like they’ve been developed a decent amount for a relatively short book. i connected with the girls quite quickly considering how little time i spent with them
the elements of the “behind the scenes” of war were interesting to read. i’ve always had an interest in historical fiction and history irl, so seeing the infirmary and the trenches were not a fun time but interesting. this is probably what gave me feelings of the book thief too (keep in mind, only 10%).
overall, it’s a book that doesn’t feel high stakes, but is? the magical element is not overwhelming. we have magical gods and enchanted things but that’s about it. by the time i wrote this review, i’ve already started the second book so i can say that we get more history about the gods and more of them involved in the plot, which i was missing from this book
i would recommend this. but not to everyone. i don’t think it’s the best historical fiction out there, but it is an enjoyable read. personally, i don’t mind the slower paced books so it clicked with me but i can see people finding this boring and rushed. it’s more character driven than plot heavy imo
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3.5
3.5 stars
so fun!! i’m looking forward to reading on with this series
let’s get it straight - it is not groundbreaking, not complex, hasn’t got amazing writing, not plot twist heavy, not a unique story.
but if didn’t need to be. this is a group of special people solving cases and being part of a mystery. that’s all it needs to be. it’s a fun time, the characters are all different to each other and you grow to care about them, and you want to be part of their journey with them
our main 5 are cassie, dean, michael, lia, and sloane (our profilers, emotion reader, lie detector, and math calculation girly). i’ve grown to care for them all (probably important to note that i found myself caring for them when i binged the book, but when i was reading a chapter here and there, i was wayyyy less invested and cared a lot less. do what you will with that information)
i tried not to guess the ending or the twists because i felt that it would be predictable (it was, despite my efforts to just sit back and relax). but i’m not even mad about it. it was what i expected going into a YA mystery. if i wanted insane plots and twists, id read adult
only minor issue i have is the fkn love triangle AGAIN. why does miss barnes like doing this to us. i always feel bad for them and beg our mc to pick one (pick dean, dare i say he is grayson coded?
so fun!! i’m looking forward to reading on with this series
let’s get it straight - it is not groundbreaking, not complex, hasn’t got amazing writing, not plot twist heavy, not a unique story.
but if didn’t need to be. this is a group of special people solving cases and being part of a mystery. that’s all it needs to be. it’s a fun time, the characters are all different to each other and you grow to care about them, and you want to be part of their journey with them
our main 5 are cassie, dean, michael, lia, and sloane (our profilers, emotion reader, lie detector, and math calculation girly). i’ve grown to care for them all (probably important to note that i found myself caring for them when i binged the book, but when i was reading a chapter here and there, i was wayyyy less invested and cared a lot less. do what you will with that information)
i tried not to guess the ending or the twists because i felt that it would be predictable (it was, despite my efforts to just sit back and relax). but i’m not even mad about it. it was what i expected going into a YA mystery. if i wanted insane plots and twists, id read adult
only minor issue i have is the fkn love triangle AGAIN. why does miss barnes like doing this to us. i always feel bad for them and beg our mc to pick one (pick dean, dare i say he is grayson coded?
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
4.0
4 stars✨
- am i in the minority if i say i preferred this over divine rivals? for the most part at least (definitely ate up roman and iris’ tension build up more in the first)
- learning more about the magic in this world with the gods history and witnessing them in action made this more interesting to keep reading. it isn’t the most complex or fascinating magical system, it’s rather simple but to be honest i think it’s enough for the story. this is more of a historical fiction than a fantasy, it doesn’t NEED more. this is enough
- i was quite disappointed with envas character development. while i didn’t expect a massive battle between enva and dacre directly, i did expect her to utilise her powers indirectly much more than she did. i understand that she soaked up the other gods powers so dacre couldn’t get them, and in turn it weakened her original power, but i didn’t like that. i built her up to be such a whimsical woman, but one that oozes power when you look at her, and she just wasn’t that.
- new and old side characters (tobias you’re so cute) were liked, no complaints here. i stand by how i felt in divine rivals. marisol, keegan, forest, sarah, tobias, and attie all felt so warm even in this and i really felt for them. oddly i still liked them fairly closely to how much i liked roman and iris.
- the plot development of roman’s father was a good addition. i was hoping we would get some sort of depth to him rather than him just being an angry powerful rich man. he started giving me lucius malfoy vibes so instantly i felt for him more (don’t get me wrong though, i don’t respect his decisions, but i can understand)
- one thing i really tried to accept but unfortunately my heart just wasn’t in it even though my brain was is the connection between iris and roman. i don’t doubt their love for one another at all, but since the first book everything just happened so quickly. i think i would have preferred their love story if they were already discovering their feelings beforehand slowly. if it was more of a “friends - i think i like you more - fuck it i don’t wanna lose you” type of trope, i would’ve believed it more. but having this be “work rivals to lovers” even in the war setting, i struggled to connect. i did and still do appreciate all of their moments, the way they love each other, the risks and sacrifices they are willing to make, i enjoyed all of it. but i wasn’t yearning for them and super attached (again, not a single tear was shed and i am a crier).
- in saying all of this, i need to reiterate that my brain completely understands why their romance is the way that it was. and i actually enjoy that concept of seeing the way war affects the ‘regular people’, the ones who get left behind. we don’t just see this with roman and iris, but between iris and forest too. war conditions don’t exactly make things black and white. you can’t predict how you’re going to be impacted, and honestly if i was in their position i would probably have done the same thing.
- the writing. this was probably my favourite aspect about the entire thing. i continued underlining and tabbing this book, because there were many many quotes that made me feel something to my core.
- is this series perfect? no. is it my favourite? no. but i liked being in this world and i enjoyed the vibes. i miss the characters and the story, and believe this had the potential to be so much greater than it was. i didn’t find myself bored at all, didn’t want to put the book down and read something else. i would recommend this to a certain niche of people, but i don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea. me though? thoroughly enjoyed. just missed the cherry on top.
- am i in the minority if i say i preferred this over divine rivals? for the most part at least (definitely ate up roman and iris’ tension build up more in the first)
- learning more about the magic in this world with the gods history and witnessing them in action made this more interesting to keep reading. it isn’t the most complex or fascinating magical system, it’s rather simple but to be honest i think it’s enough for the story. this is more of a historical fiction than a fantasy, it doesn’t NEED more. this is enough
- i was quite disappointed with envas character development. while i didn’t expect a massive battle between enva and dacre directly, i did expect her to utilise her powers indirectly much more than she did. i understand that she soaked up the other gods powers so dacre couldn’t get them, and in turn it weakened her original power, but i didn’t like that. i built her up to be such a whimsical woman, but one that oozes power when you look at her, and she just wasn’t that.
- new and old side characters (tobias you’re so cute) were liked, no complaints here. i stand by how i felt in divine rivals. marisol, keegan, forest, sarah, tobias, and attie all felt so warm even in this and i really felt for them. oddly i still liked them fairly closely to how much i liked roman and iris.
- the plot development of roman’s father was a good addition. i was hoping we would get some sort of depth to him rather than him just being an angry powerful rich man. he started giving me lucius malfoy vibes so instantly i felt for him more (don’t get me wrong though, i don’t respect his decisions, but i can understand)
- one thing i really tried to accept but unfortunately my heart just wasn’t in it even though my brain was is the connection between iris and roman. i don’t doubt their love for one another at all, but since the first book everything just happened so quickly. i think i would have preferred their love story if they were already discovering their feelings beforehand slowly. if it was more of a “friends - i think i like you more - fuck it i don’t wanna lose you” type of trope, i would’ve believed it more. but having this be “work rivals to lovers” even in the war setting, i struggled to connect. i did and still do appreciate all of their moments, the way they love each other, the risks and sacrifices they are willing to make, i enjoyed all of it. but i wasn’t yearning for them and super attached (again, not a single tear was shed and i am a crier).
- in saying all of this, i need to reiterate that my brain completely understands why their romance is the way that it was. and i actually enjoy that concept of seeing the way war affects the ‘regular people’, the ones who get left behind. we don’t just see this with roman and iris, but between iris and forest too. war conditions don’t exactly make things black and white. you can’t predict how you’re going to be impacted, and honestly if i was in their position i would probably have done the same thing.
- the writing. this was probably my favourite aspect about the entire thing. i continued underlining and tabbing this book, because there were many many quotes that made me feel something to my core.
- is this series perfect? no. is it my favourite? no. but i liked being in this world and i enjoyed the vibes. i miss the characters and the story, and believe this had the potential to be so much greater than it was. i didn’t find myself bored at all, didn’t want to put the book down and read something else. i would recommend this to a certain niche of people, but i don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea. me though? thoroughly enjoyed. just missed the cherry on top.
Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3.75
3.75 stars🙂↔️
we have improved, i’m hoping it keeps going up from here.
- i liked the focus of this being on dean and his fathers history with being a serial killer. if anything i would have liked a lot more information regarding what went on behind the scenes, but it is YA so getting too graphic might not be the best thing to do
- as i have mentioned before, i really like deans character and i think him and cassie make a great match and balance each other out quite well. i didn’t really feel a romantic connection between cassie and michael, and tbh him sitting around like a duck waiting for her to pick him is embarrassing. get off the floor. him and lia tho.. i hope they become endgame too
- side note for sloane. she needs more love and appreciation 🥹
- agent sterling took a while to grow on me for the same reasons she took a while to grow on cassie. we just got betrayed by agent locke, can we really be blamed for being suspicious. i have no bad vibes with agent sterling at this stage so if we get betrayed by her too, i will be utterly shocked. but anyway, her dynamic with briggs (ex-hubby lol) i like and i hope they find a way to resolve their past issues. she’s his work partner now, surely there’s a hidden workplace romance going on here
- judd is growing on me but i can’t help but have a lingering suspicion about him. is he too nice? too safe? i don’t know exactly what it is but something about him makes me feel tense, like he is going to be involved in all this drama in some way. i don’t want to put that much thought into that idea because i would rather live in denial🙂
- the group themselves have grown on me and the found family is great in this series. it’s only book 2, and i feel like i really know them and have grown to care about them. they’re all memorable and have qualities specific to just them, and i like the more difficult concepts that are explored with their back stories. particularly since it’s YA, exposure and representation is important (eg. sexual assault, physical abuse, neglect, imposter syndrome).
- once again, i don’t want to be too critical of this series (i tend to be less critical when it comes to YA because i am not exactly the main target audience and i know that). the writing is easy to read and digest, there are parts that feel very “telling” and not “showing”, and i understand that based on our characters abilities, there is a lot of verbal explanations that need to happen so everyone knows what’s happening. but at the same time, i would have preferred having some things left for the reader to pick up on themselves and figure out. you can read this so mindlessly because everything is spoon fed to you
- i found the reveal to be a bit disappointing. the killers being who they were felt a bit like a cop out and was not as impactful as i would have liked. i just had a very “oh” reaction rather than “oooo”, which isn’t great for a mystery. but alas, i enjoyed the ride and hope we keep going up from here
- i would recommend this series thus far, but don’t expect anything crazy. it’s just a fun time, so take it for what it is. onto the next!
we have improved, i’m hoping it keeps going up from here.
- i liked the focus of this being on dean and his fathers history with being a serial killer. if anything i would have liked a lot more information regarding what went on behind the scenes, but it is YA so getting too graphic might not be the best thing to do
- as i have mentioned before, i really like deans character and i think him and cassie make a great match and balance each other out quite well. i didn’t really feel a romantic connection between cassie and michael, and tbh him sitting around like a duck waiting for her to pick him is embarrassing. get off the floor. him and lia tho.. i hope they become endgame too
- side note for sloane. she needs more love and appreciation 🥹
- agent sterling took a while to grow on me for the same reasons she took a while to grow on cassie. we just got betrayed by agent locke, can we really be blamed for being suspicious. i have no bad vibes with agent sterling at this stage so if we get betrayed by her too, i will be utterly shocked. but anyway, her dynamic with briggs (ex-hubby lol) i like and i hope they find a way to resolve their past issues. she’s his work partner now, surely there’s a hidden workplace romance going on here
- judd is growing on me but i can’t help but have a lingering suspicion about him. is he too nice? too safe? i don’t know exactly what it is but something about him makes me feel tense, like he is going to be involved in all this drama in some way. i don’t want to put that much thought into that idea because i would rather live in denial🙂
- the group themselves have grown on me and the found family is great in this series. it’s only book 2, and i feel like i really know them and have grown to care about them. they’re all memorable and have qualities specific to just them, and i like the more difficult concepts that are explored with their back stories. particularly since it’s YA, exposure and representation is important (eg. sexual assault, physical abuse, neglect, imposter syndrome).
- once again, i don’t want to be too critical of this series (i tend to be less critical when it comes to YA because i am not exactly the main target audience and i know that). the writing is easy to read and digest, there are parts that feel very “telling” and not “showing”, and i understand that based on our characters abilities, there is a lot of verbal explanations that need to happen so everyone knows what’s happening. but at the same time, i would have preferred having some things left for the reader to pick up on themselves and figure out. you can read this so mindlessly because everything is spoon fed to you
- i found the reveal to be a bit disappointing. the killers being who they were felt a bit like a cop out and was not as impactful as i would have liked. i just had a very “oh” reaction rather than “oooo”, which isn’t great for a mystery. but alas, i enjoyed the ride and hope we keep going up from here
- i would recommend this series thus far, but don’t expect anything crazy. it’s just a fun time, so take it for what it is. onto the next!