All Booked Up

TL;DR: More of the same tropes and a cliffhanger ending with no satisfaction. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Silver haired fae girl enters trials to get freedom, black haired broody man gets horny. Characters: I can’t say much for them because honestly there wasn’t much too them. Setting: Felt very much like every other trial/subjected city I’ve ever seen. Romantasy: I didn’t much…

TL;DR: This felt like Conan had an acid trip in a wizard city. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Gotch is trying to avenge his brother in a city run by wizards, the weird follows Characters: Gotch was our best character, but I really liked the variety we were introduced to Setting: This city had to have been dreamed up on some sort of substance. It felt weird and trippy but also very……

TL;DR: A super fun little adventure. I really enjoyed this. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Bait has to figure out how to live in two worlds. In the Dungeon or beneath? Characters: We’re being told this from a third perspective so not super deep but still lovable. Setting: I loved the Dungeon. I could honestly have read another 2 or 300 pages about it. Fantasy: Classic fantasy here.…

TL;DR: An ambitious mix of Narnia, The NeverEnding Story, and really any contemporary story. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: A family balances normal life and struggles with ruling a fantasy world. Characters: There are SO many here, even for me there were probably too many. Setting: I loved the idea of the March, but the contemporary setting was SO dull for me. Fantasy: I do wish…

TL;DR: Maybe not for me, very quick burn with shallow feeling characters. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: A young assistant falls for his boss’s ex-husband. It goes about as well as you expect. Characters: They felt very bland and honestly seemed to exist to check some boxes, which made me very uncomfortable. Setting: The setting actually was lovely. I liked the little wonderland…

TL;DR: A great debut about a generation ship and the weight and division of language. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Pacing was a bit rough, but overall a fascinating plot setup for a series. Characters: I really liked all of the characters we got here. Setting: The ship felt really real. It wasn’t super clear visually but it felt like part of the story. Sci-fi: A great execution of…

TL;DR: Pacing was all over the place, with a lot of flaws. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: A dating show to choose the next Emperor’s spouse, what could go wrong? Characters: Ugh. Our MC is entirely incompetent and our love interest is grossly toxic. Setting: I didn’t get much from the setting. Sci-fi: Just a prop really. We had hints a ‘super evil’ alien race and were told about…

TL;DR: This one tried for edgy romantasy and flopped a bit. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: A master exorcist and foot solider… have no chemistry. Characters: No thank you, I didn’t love them. Nope. Setting: There was some effort at worldbuilding but I don’t think it’s well done. Romantasy: This was… not it. Summary: A bloody war between demons and the Vatican has waged for more…

TL;DR: A deeply disappointing sequel. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Immediately after book one, and we quickly find out nothing was free will? Characters: For such fierce characters in book one these three felt so drab and dull. Setting: The city just sat there. It felt like a prop. Other parts of the setting worked a hair better but not by much. Romantasy: If we’re going throuple…

TL;DR: An interesting thought experiment Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: A goverment faction clones our founding fathers, what could go wrong? Characters: These weren’t really the important part, it was more the idea. Setting: Again, not important. SciFi: We didn’t get much of that either? Summary: The trouble starts when a curious young man finds a smartphone in his privy. The…

TL;DR: Such a fantastic horror representation of depression. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Macy has to follow the rituals or the dark will take over, and the red sun will rise. Characters: It’s primarily Macy and her slow decline trapped in this job, this house trying to fight off the dark. Setting: A house that doesn’t seem to want the character nor can the character control.…

TL;DR: An incredible debut, I don’t understand how this doesn’t have more hype. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Sebastian tells us the story of a great love, and tragedy in his long history. Characters: I loved all these terrible and wonderful people. Setting: This was beautifully written. It felt cold, wet, bloody, all the things. Horror: The horror in this wasn’t just the type you…

TL;DR: A little frustrating and dull. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Venturing out into the woods, Lou gets targeted by something that wants to devour her. Characters: There was some potential here but the storytelling itself didn’t work for me. Setting: I love a good woodsy horror, and that was fairly well drawn. Horror: I don’t love the comparisons on the pitch here, it’s not very…

TL;DR: An absolute gem, I adored this. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Evelyn and her daughter must bond with a grief-stricken sentient house. That premise is just gold. Characters: Everyone we met was lovely. The characters were well drawn and I’m excited to see them in future books. Setting: The best part of this besides the cozy vibes. The worldbuilding and setting was phenomenal.…

TL;DR: A great continuation of this story with higher stakes. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Kate finds out what happens when those she trusts betrays her, and how she deals with it. Characters: I love them, all of them. Even the Crying Girl. I want to know and see them more. Setting: The campground is my dream camping spot now. That’s how much I love this. Horror: Excellent. This…

TL;DR: I think the tropes in this just weren’t for me. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: Fake Amnesia to bring together a boss and employee with lots of family in the mix Characters: I liked Sam! Not really Jonathon though and that was probably the issue for me. Setting: I have very little to no recollection of any strong setting, but that wasn’t the point here. Romance:…

TL;DR: A particularly hard hitting volume in a fantastic series. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much! Plot: This takes place on Chih’s first journey out to collect stories where they are working in a seaside town being swarmed with refugees. Characters: We get to see a different, much less confident Chih here which was different and really leant to us learning more about what makes them who…