Ooooooh man I didn't expect Kuon, of all characters to do what he did.

And honestly so early in the series because the way that egomaniac has rigged this whole thing, people were going to eventually turn on each other, it was a given, but not this early. I was proven wrong!

This was so much fun!
I loved coming back to see what the four septuagenarians were up to and I wasn't disappointed in the least.

I was hooked from chapter one thanks to them again as they are a lovely set of characters but then lol and behold we meet Elizabeth's ex husband who has gotten himself into some trouble and has oddly enough decided that Elizabeth will be able to help. Which he's not wrong and from there we go 😂

I've had this on my TBR for a while , so I was really stoked to find it at my library the other day that I picked it up.

This is definitely not what I was expecting and for that I'm in awe. It's not every day that a book surprises me and this did with it's tale of dark magic, murder, mayhem, and tense familial relationships.

This was such a fantastic book and I had no idea it was part of a series until now.

This had some good twists and turns and I loved the setup of the book between two perspectives as well as some letters through out that relied on its current arc and no so much on the series which was great for me as a first time reader.
#popsugarreadingchallenge

Picked up right after the first volume and it was amazing to see.

Nomura has drawn a lot of action panels, which just drives the excitement of this whole thing in my opinion. Especially as the round robin tournament continues with Isagii's team still clashing with themselves.

Hopefully they figure out their problems before moving forward 😔

Just action packed from beginning to end and it's amazing to see so much action in larger panels.

I'm too invested in the current battles happening in this manga for my own good 😊

I'm a little sad. It was odd and yet nice to see some familiar faces and names and while I enjoyed the book overall don't get me wrong, it starts on his birthday no less, to read about him getting reaped and then the ride to the Capitol and you know the general story because it's just like Katniss' in the sense that it's the same formula.

But I'm saddened because a lot more could have been explored and in a different way.

Wow... That was a fast paced first volume and I think I'm going to read the rest of the series!

I had this one on my TBR for a while and I'm in love with the art style! Some of these panels are just amazing to look at, the artist, Yuseke Nomura, does some amazing things with different perspectives and use of line thickness to really draw the eye to specific panels.

I almost dnf'd this but it grew on me after further reading once I got into the pacing of the book.

I ended up loving that it felt like a love letter more than a retelling of Dracula in it's use of epistolary as well as it's prose and use of storytelling.

Gibson did a great showing of how monsters can be complex and multi layered but also store that even they can have something to fear.

Not the tagged book 🤣
I was away from all socials for a bit of a digital detox and to see my bestie but I managed to go to the library earlier in the week and so I'm excited 😆

I came into this one right after Caraval as I was intrigued by the setup into this new arc but IDK, i found this one to be less magical, full of similes that made me laugh and predicted the book as I read along.

All in all, while I found some wording to be funny, thanks to the similes, the overall story was fun and I enjoyed it even if I didn't believe in it all but I'm intrigued to read the last book.
#25in2025

This was a different book compared to the other three and a lost has to do with Taran.
This is his book.

Taran leaves on a journey to find who he is and where he came from which leaves him on journey of lots of self-discovery and growth because I have to admit that Taran not only learned a lot from a good amount of people but emotionally, I feel like Taran learns to love himself as he is and for who he is.
#25in2025

Overall the book is a bit of a mixed bag. It's a bit autobiography, a bit helpful advise, and a bit of medical information, with some slice of life moments from a mom with kids.

I went into this not knowing much and came out with some good information to ask on my next Dr. visit and an interest to learn more on menopause. I'm at an age where I want to know and need to so I can better prepare.
#popsugarreadingchallenge

I read this one way too fast for my liking considering how long I was waiting for the EN translation and it was soooooo good.

Picks up right from the last volume and Konosuke finally gets to see Tsuki with his own eyes and that's the opening page and then it's right into the action and these panels are gorgeous looking.

And I really can't wait for the next volume (っ °Д °;)っ

This was such a fun volume and an expected one too!
Even though not much happened in the larger "Operation Strix" storyline, I loved how the volume was centered around the gala and the competition for Sy-on boy's hand at a dance.

I loved that from there it was a great setup for Mr. Henderson's backstory. It was heartfelt and I'm in feels over here to know more.

Absolutely a fantastic end to this series and I still am kicking myself for waiting so long to finally get to it!

There was so much action and I was too wrapped up in it - I was invested in the story but the characters themselves, the writing and the emotions that Schwab created here that when I got to a very pivotal scene, I was just all FEELS.

A yuri manga I didn't realize I needed to read till I started it!!

I loved the story and that the volume bounces between Aya and Mitsuki as we read from both of their point of views especially considering the huge misconception that starts this while thing!

I loved the diversity representation of Latin and LGBTQ. Also I need to give credit to Ana Osorio for her narration of this book.

That being said, the pacing was okay and then it wavers to slow with pages and pages of a single moment that unfortunately said a lot but also nothing. I found as I kept reading that this book did a lot telling and less doing which is a shame because again the concept sounds interesting.

Considering that by the author's own note, she had little to go on, this was a well fleshed out book on Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval and her survival.

I almost dnf'd this but Marguerite's dynamic with Damienne was probably the most interesting because even though Damienne is her maid, there's more of a mother/daughter dynamic and this is the one that got me.
I really liked the second half of the book.
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I found it hard to get why these two MC's are together other than end of world scenario - I'm expected to believe that they fall instantly in love but the chemistry is all wrong. I was missing the comedy and romance of the "romcom" part of the title.

Also the sex scene felt weird to me that I did indeed skim it. Yup I did, and had no problem with it. I just felt it was graphically uneccesary. Just not for me.

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I am so saddened that I finished this because it was so much fun.

I loved Helen right from the opening chapter. There's so much realness to her. She's smart, opinionated, fierce, passionate and full of try. She's just trying her best. She's a year divorced & is trying to pull herself together & is ready to start with a wilderness survival course that ends up being nothing like she expected but an opening to somethings that she needed.
#25in2025

The book itself is under 200 pages but I struggled early on as the author has decided to start this book in the middle of everything and we slowly learn that it's a dystopian setting, with little context as to how it happened, set in a convent full of women of varying ages.

I might have to pause reading another from this author since I've read two back to back and each one has left me reeling in disgust and horrified.

I can't wait for Saturday as I'm going to see a friend I haven't seen in a while and go to Bingo Loco and dinner!

#majicmonday @Eggs

I absolutely devoured this the other night as I was in the first one hundred pages and then I was done and couldn't believe it!

Once I got into it, I found it to be quiet enchanting as I come into books with little to no expectations especially when it's a new to me author, like this one, but this was quite a fun read.

#25in2025 #fromthetbr

I've had this one on my TBR for a while but I never felt in the mood but once I saw that Curry narrated the audio, I needed to give it a listen!

The whole book just takes me back to the way fantasy books used to be written with heavy world building and so much detailing!

Plus I loved Sabriel's portrayal in the book. She's young and unsure at the beginning. It's been a while since I've read a character like her.

#25in2025 #fromthetbr

What a dreamlike quality novella.

I was a bit unsure at the beginning because of the very flowery prose but for the way the magic or "Grammer" is set up it works here. I'm not one for flowery prose in general but I've encountered more and more of it as of late.

This was the perfect length for the story. Absolutely an ethereal read.

@Lauredhel #pantone2025

Nightfall really has little worry for herself and her sole focus is Loid, which is certainly odd but pales to Yuri's almost borderline infatuation with his sister. Just when I thought he could be ok, he does something a little unhinged like in this volume's case he was able to pinpoint Yor from a scent and sound of her footprint... From her accent and sound of her footfall.
Like I know he's fictional but creeper.

All in all a fun, fast read full of fanfic tropes and smut. I just never thought I would have read a published A/B/O book ever but another one from the TBR read!

It's very weird when a well known fanfiction trope is published and weirder still when I can still read the which fandom this used to be. Funny enough idk but I read a lot of A/B/O fics in this particular fandom so yeah 😁 changing the names did little to hide it.

This was a hard book to read. For me it was similar to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, which was also a difficult, brutal, and haunting read. I have to appreciate both the author and the translator for taking the means they did with the book and being specific about their wording and terms.

This is haunting, bleak, tense, disgusting, and disquieting but it's also well written, and an odd page turner. One more book off the TBR!

I'm a bit disappointed and it has more to do with the publisher's book blurb of "presents a raw, intimiate glimpse into her creative process." when it's 90% song lyrics of Welch's first 4 albums.

I love Welch and her music but there's very little of this glimpse into her process.

I wouldn't have picked this up to read now knowing what I know but this makes a nice coffee table kind of book.
#25in2025

This volume is back with the action adventure I was hoping for.

Nothing against Anya but sometimes she takes away from the original plot but anyways this volume was more of Loid being his operative self and hunting down a mole in their midst.

All in all this was a good volume and thanks to that illegal cliffhanger, I'm off to find the next volume at the library.

I am so sad to finish this one after all this time to be left feeling disappointed.

There's a lot.of things that bother me like Gallowglass' character arc, the introduction and small arc of Benjamin which always was weird, the inclusion and almost dismissal of the DNA info dump and it going nowhere here, the haphazard pacing and Harkness' cute wrap of the arcs without doing them proper justice.

I'm glad to put this in the rearview.

I was intrigued by the cover and found a very good sapphic retellingof Swan Lake.
I had a bit of a slow start reading this. I found the use of flowery prose to be a bit much but it works within the setting of the story which has a bourgeoisie feel and as the book went on, I didn't notice it as much as the the story started to roll out and be one the main focus for me.

@Lauredhel #pantone2015

For a novella there was a lot of characters, details, world building, and intricate moments which is all King. There were one too many moments that were just slow and King felt the need to take up pages rather than paragraphs to describe the waiting in between the moments of action and character dialogue.

All in all, not my favorite but I finally got this off my TBR.

#popsugarreadingchallenge

Again I am kicking myself for being late to this series!!

It was quite a buildup all throughout, alternating between Lila and Rhys primarily and then once they meet again, it was such a rush and that last 25ish percent was everything and I was just enthralled and waiting with Bates breath. Also that was such an illegal cliffhanger. Ugh 😩 😫

I'm on hold at the library for the last one and I can't wait!!
#25in2025

Aside from a small diversion about Loid, this was mostly about Anya and her classmates on a fieldtrip gone wrong and boy does it go WRONG!

All in all some good character growth and back to the general story but what is up with that ending... the difference is literally a night and day difference and I'm very interested to know more.

I'm really glad to have read this one to finish off the series became this was a fun read.

Each retelling was different but this one brought back the love, excitement, and action that the film had especially with Marc Thompson back as the narrator.

I really do love how many Star Wars books he's narrated because it's like a homecoming back to the universe every time I hear him narrate a book.
Absolutely a fantastic end to this series.
#25in2025

I don't read scripts so the setting up of it took some getting used to but then after that it reads smooth, the scenes flow right into each other in a seamless way with notes here and there of characters and settings and even some camera direction that it was easy to imagine or in my case relive as I've seen this one plenty of times.
I really loved being able to read this 🫶🏻

It's hard to admit considering how quickly I read this one, but I don't know how to feel about the characters, in general, especially the two leads because sometimes it felt like there was some idea of a slow burn with a dash of yearning and then other times, I felt nothing from either character aside from awkwardness. Or maybe it's the overall dialogue which at times felt stilted.
I like the representation more than the romance part.
#pantone2025

There are pages full of resources like tenent laws by state, federal laws and regulations as well as some great info like house hunting and what to look for and I wish this was something I had when I looked at my first apt.

After reading the first few chapters, the "Emotional Resetting" started to feel idk odd? I couldn't understand why Mercury is apologizing for different things so it read odd for me but all in all, a solid book.

I absolutely love how Rowell writes as she manages to create fun characters that have depth and layers. She gets me every time with the slow burn romance but more than that her male characters are just fantastic. She gives them a lot of lead time to express their thoughts and opinions which I love more than her female characters and this book was no exception.

Not to mention Rebecca Lowman is amazing as ever. I can listen to her for hours.

I really liked reading Twilight's backstory.
Even with his name redacted, it was interesting to see him from childhood, how care free and friendly he used to be and then to read the actual origins of who we now know as Twilight is heartbreaking but it's this event that is his driving force.

Oddly enough, after that, the rest of the volume just felt lackluster but it's also going back into the larger storyline so let's see.

I forget how big Clamp goes.

From larger than life illustrations with so much detailing on every panel, to their intricate lore, and story this edition is starting to pick up steam as the other angels and seals are gathering and are showing off their different skills not to mention that Kamui was told of his dual destinies and the implications of either.

This is one of those books that I had on my TBR for a while and so I was hyped to read it but now I'm left with "What did I just read?", and not in the good way.

No character was likeable and I was left with that odd ending which is feeling like the norm which I'm not a fan of. Not my cup of tea and not something I would recommend but oddly enough I've been told by people that they liked this one, so to each their own.

To finish a book in two days... You know I wasn't doing much of anything but reading this one.

I loved Lucie right from the beginning —she feels very grounded, and down to earth. She is aware of herself on something's like work and being a mom but other things like herself and her love life, like many of us, a bit unsure and unaware of her wants and needs but when she voices her musings aloud.. well things get good and I couldn't stop!!

The more I think about this the more I think that I liked the start for sure but idk, it's like once Bliss got Crow and Birdie into their first kiss, the book just loses steam as there were a a few conversations or characters that weren't explored and ends up being rushed. Rushed character relationship, rushed explanation for Birdie's ailments, rushed exploration of daddy issues on both sides and with minimal plot.

I love what Alexander did with this book, as there was more depth and growth to Taran and Co. in this book, as most of the book is their journey to rescue Eilonwy, he takes the chance to showcase them in a way that offers growth through conversation, highlighting that titles and status is unimportant as it's the heart of the person that matters.

@Lauredhel #pantone2025

This might be my favorite of the series!
All because I got more Nightmare Knight and a bit of his backstory which actually helps the overall story arc.
Overall D.G went deeper with the characters showing some growth and I'm going it continues into the next. I read what my library had so we'll see.

@Lauredhel #pantone2025

This book was full of twists and turns and just when I thought I had it, I got a new piece that confused and befuddled me which I love when an author does that. The world building I loved is still present & this time more expansive as we are taken to a new canton for a puzzling disappearance that is actually a murder mystery full of political intrigue, blood, and power that falls to Ana and Din to solve.
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This was full of grit, woe, and exploitation as the book depicts the rigged politics that keep corporations in power at the moment expense of the low working class, in this case, immigrants who came to the US for the American dream just find themselves covered in dirt and coal dust like much of their dreams.

It's crazy how although this book was originally written in 1917, a lot of it still pertains today.
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