This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK, Atom in exchange for an honest review.

This book is not what I expected.

This is the Way the World Ends bills itself as a YA thriller of sorts, at least from the vague description, but it is more of a dystopian than I was expecting. When Waverly gets the chance to attend an exclusive party she could never afford, she jumps at going. Unfortunately while she is there, the world literally starts to end and she discovers there has been an evil plot by the elite and wealthy to make sure only the 'appropriate' kind of people survive.

I must confess, my favourite part of this book was before any of the party stuff happened. I was enjoying reading about Waverly and her friends, and I found the reveal that the world was literally ending to be jarring and not what I wanted. Yes, it's there in the title but so many titles like this are metaphorical, especially in YA. It seems to be trying to come across as much more of a Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars vibe from the blurb, and this is not accurate at all.

Putting that aside however, this book was fine. I think it skews close to the unbearable in terms of the 'wokeness' for me, and I say that as someone who adores representation in books. The rep was just a bit too deliberate and obvious in a clumsy way, with it being brought up almost constantly in ways which were unrealistic and didn't make sense. This is compounded by the villains, a bunch of old, white rich men. I hate people like that as much as the next feminist, but it was lacking the depth and realism to stop it being cartoonish. I support the intention, I just think the execution wasn't the best. This is especially clear when it comes to Freddie, the nice guy best friend who is just genuinely a nice guy for the most part, but gets punished by the narrative for...being male?

It also ends on a cliffhanger/sequel hook and that was a real pet peeve for me. The pacing felt a bit odd while I was reading it, and it was painfully clear by the end that it was purely to leave material for the next book. It didn't feel like a complete story by itself and that is always disappointing.

Overall, this book is a ton of fun in parts and it was nice to see such a wide range of representation. I just wish it had all been executed a bit better, and also that the blurb of the book told me more what kind of genre/experience to expect

Overall Rating:

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

I've not had the best experience with this author's books in the past but I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. The Only Good Indians is a powerful tale of Native American culture and the inevitability of nature, featuring some truly great horror moments. Four young Native Americans break into an area where they're not meant to hunt and end up killing a very young female elk. Years later, things begin to happen to them one by one as they start believing they see a monster.

The strengths of this book really come from the moments of horror. I was surprised at several points and really excited by the directions the plot took at times. Unfortunately this was also a bit of a flaw. The book chooses to focus on each man one at a time (for the most part) which means I would get very into a storyline only for it to end abruptly and for the book to change. I was definitely most into Luke's plot and I very much wish that had been the focus of the whole book.

On a less personal preference note, I do struggle with this author's writing. I have only tried to read one other book by him and I didn't get very far because I found it very incoherent and difficult to follow. The Only Good Indians sadly also has this problem, though thankfully to a much lesser extent. Most of this book's plot is coherent but there were large chunks were I just couldn't work out what was going on, and not in a good way. The style is very reminiscent of magical realism in that sense so it might be a genre blend that just isn't to my taste.

Having said that though, I did very much enjoy the majority of this book. It has such a unique plot and one that is executed really well for the most part. It's been a while since a horror book has literally made my mouth drop open in shock and those moments will stick with me for a long time. I definitely recommend this to any fans of horror and this has prompted me to give this author another try for sure.

Overall Rating:

My Whole Truth by Mischa Thrace

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher North Star Editions in exchange for an honest review.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. My Whole Truth is the story of Seelie, a girl who murders a boy called Shaun after being brutally attacked by him. Seelie is then drawn into a court battle, with half the town thinking she's a cold-blooded killer and the other half turning a blind eye. With perhaps one of the worst mothers I have ever read about barring actual physical abuse, Seelie has only her close friends for support.

So much of this book I really liked. I loved the message of found families being as important (if not more so) than real families. It was really engaging and well-written throughout, I think the pacing was spot on and I couldn't predict exactly where the story was going which kept me hooked. There were however sadly a few issues.

Firstly, there is a female-female romance in this which would be awesome if it didn't come out of nowhere. It genuinely wasn't until a line about halfway through where the character goes 'we could be something more' that I realised this was meant to be a romance and not a friendship. Given I'll ship characters in queer relationships at the drop of a hat, this was a little odd.

Secondly, the main character makes a HUGE dumb decision. I can't talk about it in detail but it is baffling when it happens, continues to be baffling for the rest of the book and is even more baffling at the end. I don't understand the main character's actions at all and so it just comes across to me as a bad decision at every point. And not a bad decision that the narrative acknowledges either. This is the reason this book got a much lower rating than I would have otherwise given it. I could not get over this thing which seemed to happen purely because of plot contrivance.

Overall, My Whole Truth is an excellent attempt to deal with very different subject matter. It doesn't shy away from the topic it has chosen and, for the most part, I was invested in the characters and plot. I just think if the main character's motivations could be described a bit better, that would turn a good book into a great one.

Overall Rating:

.5

What I Know (Good Girl) by Miranda Smith

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

So this book appears to have changed title after me requesting it, although it is still 'Good Girl' on Goodreads so I don't know which title to refer to it as. Either way, I was HYPED for this book and I am ecstatic to say it didn't disappoint! What I Know is the tale of Della, a woman who uncovered her brother as a psychopath when she was a teen. Now a teacher, she gains a new student called Zoey who she gets ominous feelings about. When another student is attacked, Della becomes convinced Zoey is responsible and sets out to prove it. This book is told with past and present day chapters, gradually uncovering what happened with her brother and what is happening with Zoey now.

I LOVED this book. Firstly, this is a perfect example of how a solid thriller can have no twists and not suffer at all. You keep reading not because you want to be surprised, but because it is inevitable that something bad happened with her brother and you want to find out what. And with the present day plotline, there is the constant uncertainty as to how guilty Zoey is. Speaking of which, a thriller book where the main character isn't instantly dismissed by her loved ones for her suspicions? YES PLEASE. No one truly doubts Della until about halfway through the book where things start to get murkier, and even then it is handled so well. I am sick of reading thrillers where the main character's husband/best friend/sister etc will just instantly think they're crazy. It was so refreshing to see characters express doubt and concern like actual humans would, with their focus being on helping Della rather than calling her insane or refusing to listen.

Della herself was a great main character. You doubt her a little as a reader but not in a way which makes you think she is unreliable and therefore you can't trust her. She is so fleshed out and her backstory is very compelling. I was so glad she had two friends who, in a thriller first, had actual personalities! (I kid) Marge and Pam were welcome additions to the story and served their plot functions well whilst actually being interesting.

The main thing I want to commend this author on is taking this kind of subject matter and handling it so well. This thriller essentially pits a trauma survivor against a damaged teenage girl and it could be so easy to make the protagonist unlikeable considering how she treats Zoey. Likewise, it could be easy to have some really unfortunate implications about believing victims. But Smith dodges these pitfalls expertly and I never felt like we were supposed to agree with everything Della was doing, nor were we supposed to think Zoey was a complete monster. It poses some really interesting philosophical questions and makes them part of the story but never in a way which detracts.

I cannot praise this book highly enough and I am very excited to read Miranda Smith's other work now. If you like the sound of the premise, then I urge you to give this a try. There are triggers warnings for sexual content/assault and also I suspect if you have been gaslighted in the past, this book might be hard for you to read. But if you want to be utterly sucked into a good thriller plot for a few hours, you can't go wrong with this.

Overall Rating:

.5

When No One is Watching by Linathi Makanda

I received a copy of this book thanks to publisher Odyssey Books in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow. When I was kindly offered this poetry collection to review, I had no idea I would fall in love. Linathi Makanda is insanely talented and this collection broke my heart and stitched it back together. I'm always suspicious of comparisons to other works but this is so similarly tonally and quality-wise to Rupi Kaur that I really have no choice. This poetry collection explores themes of feminism, ownership of bodies, relationships, self-esteem and a whole host of other things all covered in beautiful detail. It is split into four sections: Love Rising, Love Lost, Internal Uprising and Hope Rising. My favourites were the middle two (I'm a sucker for cathartic/melancholy poetry) but all four were excellent.

One thing I really loved was that how Makanda manages to put so much meaning and emotion into so few words. Some of the poems are only a line or two, but these were often the ones that would make me pause and think. These words demand attention, to be reread again and again so you can carry them with you. My favourite poetry is the kind that captures those intense feelings and this collection carried so much emotion.

Any fans of Milk and Honey, please check out this book. Makanda deserves to go far and I cannot wait to see what else she writes. I promise you will not regret it.

Overall Rating:

Out Now edited by Saundra Mitchell

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.

Number of stories: 17
Great stories: 3
Good stories: 6
Okay/not for me stories: 8

Despite what those stats might suggest, I adored this collection. The stories which I loved, I really loved and I know I'll remember them for a long time. The good stories were similarly very enjoyable, and those I didn't enjoy were mostly due to them being genres I am not typically a fan of. I have comments for every story so I'm going to launch straight into those.

Kick. Push. Coast. by Candice Montgomery-This was a great opening story about a girl who is skateboarding and questioning her sexuality. The skateboarding works as a decent metaphor and while not a lot is going on, it's very well-written and I like the general themes and feel of it.

What Happens in the Closet by Caleb Roehrig-I LOVED this story. Set in a world with vampires, a gay guy is at his Homecoming dance when a vampire attack happens. He ends up in the closet with his crush and things go from there. This had a brilliant sense of humour and fantastic character dynamics. It was also very hot! One of my favourites and I wish it was a whole book.

Player One Fight! by Eliot Schrefer-This started off strong but got a bit lost along the way. A guy uses videogame metaphors to describe the kind of messy relationship he's in at the moment. It ended very abruptly and I couldn't quite get what the author was trying to say.

Lumber Me Mine by CB Lee-This story is the perfect example of how to flesh out things with only a few words. A lesbian who has recently gone through a bad breakup is forced to return to school where her ex attends. She also thinks the new girl in her class is pretty cute. This had great rep, cute character dynamics and I liked the protagonist a lot. Very solid.

Follower by Will Kostakis-Whilst hanging out on a beach, a guy sees a famous influencer and strikes up a conversation with him. This is a great example of how I don't necessarily have to like the characters in order to appreciate a relationship dynamic. It had some good moments and potentially could have been fleshed out more but I still really enjoyed it.

Refresh by Mark Oshiro-A boy waiting for his app date is in for a surprise. This could have gone a bit sour but I loved the writing and it was so well-executed. Again, this was another story I wanted more of but not in a bad way. It ended at a good point and, while not as fluffy as some of the others, still had an engaging relationship dynamic.

Victory Lap by Julian Winters-This story genuinely almost made me cry, despite not being sad in the least bit. A boy is looking for a date for his dance and is unsure of how to come out to his father. This was the best kind of cute, the characters were insanely fleshed out for how short it is and I absolutely adored it. A definite favourite.

A Road of One's Own by Kate Hart-A group of queer people go on a road trip together and a romance ensues. This one was okay and again, it had a decent discussion of rep and various things that can come up when you are not white and straight. However, it was a bit lacking and I never really bonded with the characters that strongly.

Seditious Teapots by Katherine Locke-This had an awesome premise. A person starts collecting teapots with various anarchist/political things on them and the story is about them trying to work out their gender identity, pronouns etc while accepting that labels don't necessarily fit them well (I use 'they' as that was the phrase used in the story, though it was also discussed as not a great-fitting label. Alas I lack a better one).

Starcrossed in DC by Jessica Verdi-This short story basically has the plot of State of Us as far as I can tell. That is, two daughters of the president and a rival candidate fall in love. It had potential but again, the characters weren't super engaging and that made it hard to get invested in their romance.

Floating by Tanya Boteju-I could not remember this story for the life of me and sadly, none of the reviews I checked could remember it either. I like Tanya Boteju's other work but this did not stand out.

The Soft Place by Hillary Monahan-This story was almost entirely about a girl's drug trip. I can see some people really liking this story but sadly it didn't gel well with me and I didn't get a whole lot out of it.

A Pound of Flesh by Kosoko Jackson-This was the story about a human in love with a god and the punishment Aphrodite enacts on them because of it. Again, this was a story that just wasn't for me but this time it was because of the fantasy element and the way it was done. Fantasy fans might get a lot more out of this but it didn't do a whole lot for me.

One Spell Too Many by Tara Sim-In a world with witches, a girl works at a bakery incorporating spells into the things they sell. She gets asked to make a love potion for a friend and a confidence potion for her crush and hi-jinks ensure. This was another favourite for me. Very cute set-up and, while somewhat predictable, I loved the world and characters.

Far From Home by Saundra Mitchell-This is about an alien/Superman expy and him getting into a situation with his crush. This had some interesting points and not bad writing, but the sci-fi/alien element didn't do a whole lot for me.

The Coronation by Meredith Russo-I got lost pretty soon when reading this one. Two trans teens get sent out into a fantastical world but I couldn't keep track of what was going on. Again, not my kind of fantasy sadly.

Once Upon a Seastorm by Fox Benwell-This was another fantasy story which looked at being trans through the lens of the selkie mythology. I actually really enjoyed this, partially because my trans partner is super into selkies but also just because it was a well-written story which was lighter on the fantasy elements. I liked what it did and thought it was a cool concept.
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So yes, overall I really adored this book. I've not yet read All Out so I can't say how it compares, but this had a whole variety of rep, plots and characters to enjoy. I am so glad I read this and I will 100% be recommending this to my queer (and not so queer) friends.

Overall Rating:

Loved by P.C & Kristin Cast

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot believe there is a new House of Night book in 2020. When I saw this was on NetGalley, I was HYPED. I read every single one of these books back in the day in all of their glorious insanity. This series is the absolute definition of guilty pleasure and I didn't realise how much I missed being baffled by it.

So Loved is the first in a new trilogy, set one year after the first 12 books. Zoey is now turning 18 (that's right, everything happened to her before she was 18!) and things are not quite right with the universe. EITHER universe.

Oh yes that's right, there are parallel worlds in this. And zombies! And a whole bunch of other insane plot elements I wouldn't dare spoil. All of the expected characters are here and even a few unexpected ones. If you enjoyed the previous House of Night books then this is much of the same and it continues the story well. It was a very entertaining read and I couldn't put it down. Do I think these books are great examples of quality writing? Honestly no. But I'm never bored reading them and that's worth something.

Sadly it would not be fair to mention some of the explicit negatives. Pop culture references are toned down massively from the first series but there are 5 on the very first page which is a LOT in quick succession. There is also a fair amount of questionable content, both in terms of jokes and actual patterns that show up. The black girl must keep talking about how sassy and black she is (I am not black myself but this stood out as a yikes to me), calling herself 'brown sugar'. Two lesbians discuss about magically making straight girls lesbians and it's implied they took advantage of that. Damien is a gay guy who is revealed later to have depression and, presumably as a result, he cries. A lot. Like every time he shows up. Male characters crying is 100% fine but when the gay guy is the only one who cries, this has unfortunate implications attached.

All in all, this is a solid continuation of the series. Is it perfect? No, but none of them were ever perfect. Did I enjoy reading it? Absolutely. For better or for worse, these books hold a morbid fascination for me and I will definitely be carrying on with this new series.

Overall Rating:

.5

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

VERY LIGHT SPOILERS FOR EVERY HEART A DOORWAY & BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY.

I am unbelievably happy I got an ARC of this book. I love this series with every fiber of my being and so far, I have yet to be disappointed by a single book. Come Tumbling Down picks up a little while after Beneath the Sugar Sky with the return of my personal favourite character, Jack. She has come back to the school to seek help because her sister has stolen her body and the very existence of her own doorway world is in danger.

There isn't much else I can say about the plot without spoilers but this book brings back a lot of characters I had missed and with them, all that fantastic representation. It makes me so happy reading about everyone in this series because every single bit of representation seems so well-handled (obviously I cannot comment on the groups I am not part of but there are no obvious red flags to me) and every character is so fully-fleshed out and interesting in their own way. The storyline continues to be creative and just a joy to read about. As much as I enjoy the one-off explorations of the doorway worlds, every new book seems to add to the growing overall storyline and this is just the perfect way to continue on with Jack in her world. The only potential downside is some people might be sad that their other favourites aren't in the spotlight but I'm sure future books will address this and give them their turn.

Honestly, there's not much more to say. If you're a fan of this series, this next installment will not disappoint. If you've not started this series yet, I highly recommend it. McGuire creates a magical world with magical characters and who could ask for more?

Overall Rating:

.5

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review.

I am LIVING for this wave of cute fantasy graphic novels with great representation in them. Mooncakes is the story of Tam, a non-binary werewolf who comes back to their old town and reconnects with their old childhood friend, Nova. Nova is a deaf witch who has been investigating some mysterious demon activity in her town and, when Tam gets dragged into the demon activity, it's up to the both of them to put a stop to it.

Firstly, this graphic novel has a great art style. It's cute but not so much that older readers would be put off by it. The colours and particularly the way the magic is shown in the universe creates a lovely atmosphere that sets the tone for this world. Secondly, I fell in love with pretty much all of the characters. They aren't the most developed in the world (which to be fair, is standard for a graphic novel) but they're so likeable and every character has a key role to play in the narrative which was a neat touch. I adore Nova and Tam and could honestly read a good dozen or so stories about them.

Overall, Mooncakes is the perfect read for anyone who loves cute fantasy stories with great art and lovable characters. It joins a proud group of witch-themed graphic novels which makes it a fantastic Halloween read for those who aren't necessarily into horror. It is definitely worth checking out.

Overall Rating: