ARC Review: The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill

Goodreads: The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon #2)
Publish date: 17 September 2019
Publisher: Oni Press
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy, Graphic Novel

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

The Tea Dragon Festival is another beautiful graphic novel by Katie O’Neill. The style and use of color in the artwork is gorgeous and really brings to life this wonderful world of dragons, tea dragons, magical forest creatures and village life. The story takes places before The Tea Dragon Society, and I really enjoyed meeting the younger versions of Hesekiel and Erik, two loveable characters from that book.

In this comic, we follow the story of Rinn, a young village girl who’s an aspiring cook and talented forager, who stumbles upon Aedhan, a young dragon who has been asleep for 80-years. Aedhan is plagued by guilt for having not done his duty of taking care of the village residents, but he was put under a sleeping spell by a magical forest creature. Rinn brings Aedhan to the village and the two quickly form a strong, sweet bond as Aedhan picks up his dragon duties and reintegrates to village life. I loved how this story was even more diverse and inclusive than the first book. We have characters who use sign language, different ethnicities, and diverse sexualities, and none of these elements in the story feels contrived.

The tea dragons were just as freaking adorable as in the first book. I want to live in this world and I want to take care of those tea dragons, no matter how pesky they’re claimed to be! At the end, O’Neill also included additional information about the tea dragon varieties, and more wonderful history about dragons like Aedhan.

This was a very quick read full of sweet and fluffy things! And I mean, super cute good looking dragons. Come on, isn’t that all you really need to know? Recommended to everyone who wants to experience all the good and happy feels!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the e-ARC for an honest review.
Have you read the Tea Dragon graphic novels or are they on your TBR?

Blackbird, Vol 1. by Sam Humphries & Jen Bartel – Graphic Novel Review

Goodreads: Blackbird (Issues #1-6)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Rating:

Nina Rodriguez knows a hidden magical world run by ruthless cabals is hiding in Los Angeles. When a giant magic beast kidnaps her sister, Nina must confront her past (and her demons) to get her sister back and reclaim her life. Don’t miss the first collection of the smash-hit neo-noir fantasy series!

I’m very on the fence about this one! If I could rate this graphic novel based on the color palette and artwork alone it would’ve been a solid 5 stars. This is the type of artwork that I’m an absolute sucker for. Everyone and everything is simply gorgeous–the setting, the character expressions and personalities physically expressed. Jen Bartel’s work is seriously impressive.

That said, the storyline and characters didn’t work for me. I didn’t enjoy a single one of the characters and I was especially frustrated with Nina. I understand she went through a terrible thing in her childhood from the night of the earthquake to losing her mum at such a young age, and that those events basically spiralled until young adulthood to where she is now. But her character was incredibly annoying and weak. Trying to follow her thoughts and mood was like trying to catch a swing that’s going in the opposite direction as me all the time. The flow felt a little stilted and didn’t really connect. And her moods! Oh my goodness. For example, MINOR spoiler: one minute she’s hating on Clint hardcore and then the next minute, they’re holding hands and almost kissing? I’m sorry but what and why? I think Clint’s character might have been the only one who was half-decent, but we also don’t really know that much about him yet. Other than that he has great fashion sense lol

The story was also very reminiscent of The Wicked + The Divine. While I thought the powers of the paragons and the use of gems was a unique aspect of the story, I continued to feel confused throughout this whole volume. We didn’t really get any answers about anything, and I know that this is only the first six issues, so hopefully in the coming issues things will become more clear. 

That said, as much as I enjoyed the artwork, I don’t think I’ll be continuing on with this graphic novel. I’ll just continue to enjoy the artwork 🙂

Have you read Blackbird? Love it? Hate it? Meh about it?
Let me know in the comments and let’s have a little chat!

Mini-Reviews: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Field Notes on Love, and I Hate Fairyland – #BookReview

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Creekwood #1) by Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Simon was a heartwarming, LGBT romance and I feel like the whole book was the epitome of the high school experience. This story was full of great friendships, hilarious and very quirky family relationships, as well as awkward and sometimes cruel high school experiences. I think Albertalli did a really great job of capturing the mind of a closeted gay teen and his struggles with coming out. Simon’s character was so endearing. He was sweet, caring, a bit of an oddball and actually pretty wholesome. I loved that everyone was so supportive of him! His exchanges with Blue were adorable and I really enjoyed how their relationship transformed from flirty friends to love as they opened up to each other. They were so pure and I wanted to give them all the hugs! That said, parts of this story really bothered me, and it specifically related to the friendship between Simon and Leah, who was his supposed ‘best friend’, but was almost wholly absent in his story. Having already read Leah’s book, I have my issues with her character as well, but for claiming that they’re so close, they’re not really? For some reason this really bothered me a lot 🙂 In the end, everything (obviously) sorted itself out and it was an uplifting story that left me feeling happy and content.

“I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways… And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again.”

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Romance

Field Notes on Love is everything I thought it would be and then some. I loved the idea of a book being set on a train, two strangers coming together, and with ‘love’ in the title of the book, you know romance plays a big part of this story. Surprisingly, this was more than just a fluffy love story; it was about family, friendship, vulnerability and ultimately finding out who you are, what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it. The story was told in alternating perspectives. I liked that both Hugo and Mae were such down-to-earth characters, who were enjoyable as individuals as much as together. The almost instant connection between Hugo and Mae, which I would normally find cheesy and annoying, didn’t feel at all contrived. The family relationships were proper #familygoals. All their interactions were full of kindness, understanding, support and encouragement, plus I found Hugo being one of sextuplets very interesting. The siblings only make minor appearances throughout, but you can feel the love and connection between them, and their individual personalities shone. The banter within both families made me laugh out loud multiple times! Although the plot was fairly predictable, sometimes you just need a happy and fluffy read that leaves you feeling good after you finish the last page. The characters really won this book for me. If you’re looking for a good quick summer read, I’d highly recommend it!

“They could be anywhere and nowhere, but they’ve somehow found themselves here, and she’s suddenly grateful for it, all of it, for the extra ticket and the way it brought them together despite everything, the bigness of the world and the unlikeliness of a moment like this.”

I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After (I Hate Fairyland #1) by Skottie Young
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Humor

The thing that drew me to this graphic novel was the artwork. The level of detail, the vibrant rainbow colors, and the cute characters that inhabit fairyland all made me want to pick up this comic! I loved how the bright colorful artwork juxtaposed with the very gore-filled story as we followed Gertrude’s bitter journey through fairyland to find the key to take her home. I guess I’d be bitter too after so long. Her tirades and deft “dispatching” of basically every character she crosses in fairyland, while admirable if you like that sort of thing, does get old after a while though. The storyline didn’t reveal anything new about why she’s still there after all these years, and I kind of wish we got to see more of the start to her journey, before she completely lost her mind, and became a bitter young woman trapped in a child’s body. I also wished we learned more about how and why children get abducted to fairyland in the first place! But maybe that’s too logical and serious for a graphic novel such as this? While I did enjoy it, Gertrude’s trajectory was basically the same through all scenes, so I’m not sure if I’d continue on with the series. I will say I’m curious to see what happens next, although considering it’s Gertrude fairyland may end up looking like a killing field sooner rather than later!, I just don’t know if I’m curious enough. The art work is definitely amazing though—I’m always attracted to bright splashy colors and the various inhabitants of fairyland!

Have you read any of these? Would love to know your thoughts on them if you have! Leave a comment below and let’s chat books 🙂

#WWWWednesday: 03 July

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

I recently finished Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith and I really enjoyed it. I loved the idea of a book set on a train, two strangers coming together, and with ‘love’ in `the title of the book, you know romance plays a big part of this story. Sure, it sounded cheesy and maybe improbable in real life (kids, don’t try this at home), but it was enough to get my hopeless romantic heart thumping in excitement at the thought. What are books for if not to let your imagination run a little free? Surprisingly, this was more than just a fluffy love story; it was about family, friendship, vulnerability and ultimately finding out who you are, what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it. You can read my review up on Goodreads and I’ll be posting it up on my blog with a few other mini-reviews later this week!

What are you currently reading?

Oops, I did it again… I’ve currently got four reads going! I’ve gotten through big chunks on three of them: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young, and Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey. I couldn’t wait to pick up Sorcery because I’ve heard lots of great things (what’s not to love about magical libraries and books that come to life?!) and I’m 1,000% loving it so far. Fairyland is absolutely bizarre and the contrast between the gorey content and the bright colors and mostly innocent characters oddly really works? I’ve heard a lot about Fix Her Up–both the problematic things but also about the steamy scenes that are apparently really… steamy? Haven’t come up to those scenes yet, but I’m not sure I’m loving any of the men in this book. I’ve just started reading The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel by Kurt Brindley just the other day. This was an ARC that released 01 July, but due to life in June being completely insane that slipped through the cracks but I’m hoping to finish reading it by this weekend! 🤞🏽

What will you read next?

So these have been on my list since the previous WWW because I’ve pushed them back (SORRY AURORA RISING) but I really want to get to them after I finish my current reads. I’m enjoying mixing up graphic novels with my other reads and I want to continue doing that! The graphic novels are Sparrowhawk (Sparrowhawk #1) by Delilah S. Dawson and The Magicians: Alice’s Story by Lev Grossman & Lilah Sturges. I’m really going to prioritize reading Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff soon too!

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

June Monthly Wrap Up!

So… June was a month and I’m so glad that it’s over! I was plagued by intense work stress and anxiety for the majority of the month and it greatly impacted my reading. I couldn’t focus on anything for extended periods of time unless it was more visual than text, so I ended up reading a lot of graphic novels. Which was fine, and I enjoyed the ones I read, but I missed out on two buddy reads that I planned to join and I barely scratched the surface of my pride month book list–even though the majority were still LGBTQ reads. In the end I read 21 books:

Of these reads, four were physical books, and the rest were Kindle books and e-ARCs. I’ve really slowed down with requesting ARCs and I’m so glad because with the month I had, I would’ve fallen even more behind and felt awful about it! There are a few that I still need to catch up on that I’ve been requested to read by the author, so I’m putting that as a priority in July! As for which one was my favorite book, I honestly can’t decide between The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah or Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Both books have been massively hyped and to me, they were worth ALL of it. Seriously, they were so good, and I’m sad that it took me so long to pick up The Nightingale because it did all the things to my feelings. I haven’t cried so hard reading a book in a long time and I’m a bit of a crier, friends!

With all the graphic novels I’ve read this month, I’ve surpassed my Goodreads goal of 90 books and I’m now sitting at 104. Although I know it’s not about the number of books I read, it’s still exciting to think that i’ve already read over 100 books and we’re only half-way through the year! I wonder how many I’ll end up reading this year?

I’ve written reviews for most of these so if you want to see what I thought of these books, you can follow the links below! That’s all for now though, folks. I hope everyone’s reading month was fab!

Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Review: What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Graphic Novel Review: The Woods (Vol 1-9) by James Tynion IV
ARC Review: Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
ARC Review: When the Light Went Out by Bridget Morrissey
Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Review: Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Review: The #UltimateBlogTour: The Written by Ben Galley

How was your reading month? What was your favorite read?
Come drop me a comment below and let’s chat books 🙂

Friday Favorites: Books Set in Space!

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: Books set in Space. So I feel like this one should be relatively easy, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that I actually haven’t read that many books set in space? I have quite a few books set in space that are sitting on my physical / kindle shelves, but I really do acquire books faster than I can read them (#bookwormproblems)! One day though, I will get to them. For now, here are my favorite books set in space (and yes, I’m counting that last one!):

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Hands down one of the best sci-fi series that I’ve ever read. The humor, the romance, the creepiness, the battle for survival, AIDAN. I mean, it’s got everything and it’s set in space. It’s pretty stellar (pun intended)!

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Do I even need to mention how much I love Saga? I probably don’t, but I will anyway. Saga is probably my all time favorite graphic novel–granted I don’t have the widest repertoire–but it’s true. The ending of the last volume KILLED ME, and I can’t wait for Vaughan and Staples to bring it back to life already (pretty please?)!

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I think this series is honestly one of the best re-tellings I’ve ever read. It’s so unique and jam packed full of action. I loved how Meyer brought together all the stories, how strong the female characters are in their own ways, and of course, it’s set in space (the majority of it anyway)!

Ender’s Game by Scott Orson Card. I think this was the first sci-fi book I read as an adult and I have to admit it was after watching the movie. While the movie was interesting, I enjoyed the depth we got in the book a lot more! It’s an oldie but a goodie that I (surprisingly?) don’t see getting a lot of attention in the book world.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Does this book count? I guess I’m making it count! I mean, the little prince’s home is a planet, he also travels from planet to planet, so technically it’s set in space, right? That has to count for something! It’s one of those childhood books that still have the ability to touch my heart when I read it as an adult. This is one of the books I’m hoping gets passed down the line for generations!

What are your favorite books set in space? I’d love to hear some recommendations if you have them to give. Let’s chat in the comments!

#WWWWednesday: 26 June

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

I recently finished Autoboyography by Christina Lauren and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Both were reads for pride month that have been sitting on my shelf for a while, and I’m really glad that I finally picked them both up. While both are books about LGBTQ+ characters with stories that many readers have praised and found they can relate to, I feel like I connected more with the characters and the story in Autoboyography. Speaking of which, you can read my full review of it here. Stay tuned for my review of Simon coming soon!

What are you currently reading?

I can’t decide what I want to read right now, friends! I finished Simon last night and what with work, I haven’t had the time to think about what I want to read next. I do have a book that I need to finish before 30 June as I’m part of my first ever book tour, so I’ll obviously prioritize The Written (Emaneska #1) by Ben Galley. But I also want to pick up Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff and I think I might just do it!

What will you read next?

I think I want to read some graphic novels after this, and I’ve been approved for two on NetGalley the other day, so I’ll be getting to Sparrowhawk (Sparrowhawk #1) by Delilah S. Dawson and The Magicians: Alice’s Story by Lev Grossman & Lilah Sturges. I will also (finally) tackle Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven by Marjorie M. Liu.

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

The 2019 Mid-Year Check-In Tag

Happy Saturday, book friends! How is everyone doing? It’s been a helluva week and now that the big conference and presentation is over, I’m feeling so drained of energy and mostly relieved that I survived! I’ve pretty much been off the blogosphere/bookstagram world this whole week and I came back a lot of awesome posts to catch up on but also fun book tags such as this one!

I wasn’t tagged for this but I thought I’d do it anyway because it looked fun and it’ll help me get back into the blogging flow! I can hardly believe it’s already THE END OF JUNE. I’m shook by how quickly this year has flown. In terms of reading, it’s been a pretty good year although I’m looking forward to reading many more amazing books in the latter half. I’ve pretty much already completed my 2019 Goodreads Challenge of 90 books (currently: 89/90) and I’ve already upped the number once (it was originally 75). I was wondering if I should up the number again, but I think I’ll just leave it now. Without further ado, here’s my answers for the 2019 mid-year book freak out tag!

Best book you’ve read so far in 2019?

This is a really tough pick. I have a Top 4 and I want to choose them all(?!) because I love them equally but for different reasons! But I think I will go for The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah because yeah, wow. You can read my review for it here.

Best sequel so far of 2019?

Okay, this is weird (and I also just realized it but) I haven’t actually read any sequels this year. There are a few that I’m dying to get to (eventually) but until now, I’ve been reading a lot of contemporary and historical fiction. Do graphic novels count though? Because if yes, then I’d definitely say Saga Vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan!

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to?

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim. This is another one with a lot of hype around it and I’m meant to be reading it right now as a buddy read, but I still haven’t got around to it!

Most anticipated release for the second half of 2019?

Oh, it is really SO HARD to choose just one but the first one that came to mind is The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman. That epic cliffhanger of an ending in Thunderhead shook me and I’m so curious to find out where we pick up, what has happened since and how things are going to be fixed–if they’re at all fixable!

Biggest disappointment?

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. This was my second read of 2019 and it just really didn’t work for me. There was a lot of hype around it and I still see a lot of people praising it, but it just wasn’t my jam! While I thought the way the story was told was creative and different from anything else I’ve read, it was also confusing, and slightly boring at times. Also, so many questions left unanswered at the end!

Biggest surprise?

Normal People by Sally Rooney. I read Conversations with Friends, Rooney’s debut last year and I hated it. Like, I passionately disliked it. It’s written in Rooney’s distinctive style, and I enjoyed that, but it was just the characters that I found had no redeeming qualities. I couldn’t stand them and it frustrated me the more I read! I didn’t think I’d read Rooney again, but when Normal People came out and was a huge hit, FOMO (and #bookstagram) made me buy it. I’m so glad I did–I loved it! You can read my full review here.

Favorite new author (debut or new to you)?

Jane Harper. I’ve gone on about her in a couple of posts already but honestly, her atmospheric writing just blows me away. Also makes me miss Australia (even though I never lived in the outback lol)! You can read my review for her book The Dry here.

Newest fictional crush?

Quan from the Bride Test by Helen Hoang. I really hope that Helen Hoang writes his book next because he deserves it! He’s the typical ‘bad boy’ with the tattoos, and the bad ass bike, but he’s such a sweet, caring softie when it comes to family. I’m so ready to read an epic Quan story! You can read my review for Hoang’s fantastic second book here.

Newest favorite character?

Kya Clark aka The Marsh Girl from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. The story of this girl was so heartbreaking but her strength and resilience in the face of all the adversity was amazing? Astounding? Simply mind blowing and I loved her character so much. She was so pure, and genuinely so good hearted and fiercely smart. Such a strong and amazing female lead! Review coming soon.

Book that made you cry?

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. This book gutted me. I was so scared that the ending would be so much worse than it already was, but I’m glad that Sepetys gave us a spark of light to hang on to. Books set during this period of history never ever fail to make me wail like a baby!

Book that made you happy?

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren. This book was so funny, sassy, and just all around awesome. Hazel is such a quirky character and to be honest I’m not sure who I had more of a crush on — her or Josh. They were adorable and I’m pretty sure that my heart didn’t stop singing throughout this one! You can read my full review here.

Favorite book to movie/tv adaptation that you saw this year?

I honestly haven’t watched many movie/tv adaptations this year, although I know that I want to! The only one that comes to mind is The Umbrella Academy on Netflix. When I watched it I had no idea it was written and directed by Gerard Way, who my bestie and I was lowkey obsessed with during my uni/emo days! I haven’t read the graphic novel though, but the show was pretty fun.

Favorite review you’ve written this year?

Hmm… Probably my review for Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I related to the MC so much and I loved the serendipitous storyline and discussions about fate/destiny. That made writing this review pretty easy but also fun. Plus, I included one of my favorite quotes. You can read my full review here.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)?

I’ve bought quite a few beautiful books this year and I’m so happy with all of them! I have to say though that The Binding by Bridget Collins is probably my most beautiful purchase. The jacket is already gorgeous but the naked cover and inside of the cover are also equally as beautiful.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

There are so many books that I’d like to have read by the end of the year–literally the list goes on forever–but I definitely need to read Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

How has your reading year been so far? I’d love to see your answers for this book tag! If you’ve done it too, leave your link down in the comments below and let’s chat 2019 reading 🙂

The Woods (Vol. 1-9) by James Tynion IV – Graphic Novel Review

Goodreads: The Woods (Vol. 1-9)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Dystopia, LGBTQ+
Panda Rating:


On October 16, 2013, 437 students, 52 teachers, and 24 additional staff from Bay Point Preparatory High School in suburban Milwaukee, WI vanished without a trace. Countless light years away, far outside the bounds of the charted universe, 513 people find themselves in the middle of an ancient, primordial wilderness. Where are they? Why are they there? The answers will prove stranger than anyone could possibly imagine.

I was feeling a little unwell on Monday and so I took a sick day and spent the whole day in bed reading. While I “should’ve” been reading the ARC for Mrs. Everything, I found myself looking at the graphic novels in my collection and randomly started The Woods, unsure of what I’d encounter but I was intrigued enough by the premise and the artwork. Next thing I know, it was late evening, I hadn’t left my bed all day, and I had come to the final episodes of the series. This graphic novel sucked me right in. It’s extremely weird, a lot more graphic than I thought, but really enjoyable sci-fi/fantasy/horror that I just couldn’t put it down. I’m not a big fan of horror but this one wasn’t so bad. Although the art work definitely accentuated the horrifying and gruesome aspects of the story. The art work wasn’t the type that I’m normally attracted to in graphic novels (i.e. modern, clean and sharp lines) but this rough style and coloring really suited the story. The colors and the drawing style really leant the comic a rough, dark air which was fitting with the plot, and it reminded me a lot of the work in earlier comics, especially the superhero ones. **Not that I’m an expert or anything**

The Woods begins 25 minutes after Bay Point has been transported to this alien moon thick with dense woodland, and we go back in time a bit to learn about the main characters in the story, and to find out what was happening prior to the school’s vanishing. From then on a lot happens right away and also the whole storyline moves very quickly. There is a mysterious alien triangle that captivates one of the students, terrifying bloodthirsty monsters start coming out of the woods, and a group of five students band together to journey into the woods and to find out where they are, how they got there and how they can get home.

The characters in this story were so diverse; there were many queer characters, from such a wide mix of race and socioeconomic backgrounds. I grew attached to so many of them along the way! I loved how well we got to know the main characters in the story. We get an insight into defining moments in their lives, including parts of their childhood, and because of that their character arcs were really rich. Although quite a few characters irritated me at the start of the story, Karen especially, I thought their character growth throughout the story was really well done and my perspectives on them really changed by the end. No doubt though, my favorites were Ben and (surprisingly) Calder! I love it when we see softer sides to seemingly indifferent or tough characters and these two wormed their way into my heart!

The worldbuilding of this highly bizarre alien planet was truly spectacular and I loved how there ended up being different towns that we discover along the way that were all so full of history–of the people who inhabited the towns and how long they’d been there–and it’s slowly revealed that pockets of people throughout the history of civilization have been magicked to this moon. I won’t lie–there is a lot that happens in this story that leaves you questioning what you’re reading and wondering whether it’s possible for a story to get even more bizarre than it already was in the beginning (spoiler: it’s possible). I also really can’t get into the specifics about what happens without giving the story away, but I was so invested in the characters and their story. While a part of me would’ve also been satisfied for them to just build new lives and stay on this moon, I was really happy with how the author brought everything together for a satisfying conclusion. But I kid you not when I say it’s really bizarre. 😂

Overall, I was really satisfied with this series and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I won’t say I recommend it to everyone because it definitely won’t be to (probably) the majority’s tastes, but if you’re up for highly weird, sci-fi/horror stories with lots of action, then I’d suggest giving it a try!

Have you read The Woods? Does it sound like something you’d be interested in? Also, do you have graphic novel recs?

#WWWWednesday: 12 June 2019

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

I recently finished What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera and I binged the twelve issues for Fence by C.S. Pacat too. I read both of these for pride month, and I loved them a lot! You can read my review for What If It’s Us here and for Fence here. I can’t wait for the Fence series to continue because that last issue ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, so I have a feeling the action and drama is really about to get started!

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Mrs. Everything (ARC) by Jennifer Weiner. As I mentioned before, I’m super behind on my ARCs and this is one of them. Although I’m only about 30% in, this book is already pulling at my heartstrings! Jo and Bethie have already gone through so much and I’m excited to find out what happens with them next. I love family sagas, especially reading about the relationship between sisters, so I have a feeling I’m really going to love this one. This book is now out everywhere (published 11 June) so go get your copy!

What will you read next?

I’ve already started Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens but I put it aside to read Mrs. Everything. Once I’m done with that book I’ll definitely be picking this up again because I want to finally tick it off my TBR! Plus, I’ve loved what I’ve read of it so far. It’s slow moving, but the writing is so well done and atmospheric!

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books?