The book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved this book so much!!! The writing was absolutely beautiful. I can honestly say that this books has easy found a place in my top 10.

I loved to action scenes and how they were written. Everything felt so well timed out and no aspect of the book felt too slow or too rushed.

The plot :⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book had me gripped like no other! Every twist and turn had me wanting to read more. I loved the world building and the use of magic. I also absolutely adored the relationship between Bree and Nick.

Its amazing having a main character like you and to be represented in a fantasy book! Having Bree navigate both college and a secret society whilst being black was something that ground the book in reality ; as she faced microaggressions from both institutions.

The plot twist had me shook, I wasn't expecting the villain to be who it was.

The characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bree: I love Bree so much! She's a fantastic main character and seeing her growth during as the book went on was great. Seeing her work through her grief and let love in was heartwarming. I loved how stubborn she was and how smart she was. Her and Nick make the cutest couple.

Alice: the greatest best friend in book history. She is caring, kind and so funny. I wish we had been able to spend more time with her during the book. When she put Tor in her place at the towards the end? That's when I knew she was the realest.

Nick: literal defintion of a golden retriever boy! He's just so sweet and goofy. Nick deserves to be happy, so I'm gonna need that to happen in the next book.

Sel: initially I didn't like Sel, he was giving broody and cold without a reason. But as more of his backstory got revealed and he opened up more I began to enjoy his character more. I also just want Sel to be happy in the next book.

Other characters i want to talk about

Tor: I liked her initially and I like her relationship with Sarah but the slick shit she said toward the end??? I will be giving her a side eye in the next book.

William: absolute king! I loved him, he was funny and kind. An absolute pleasure to read about

Vaughn: fuck this man. That's all I've got to say

Overall

All I can say is that I can't wait for the second book! I'm so excited to see where it goes

5/5

A good girl's guide to murder by Holly Jackson

The book ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The pacing was just great and it was super well written! There wasnt a point in which I was bored. Although, I didnt like the fact that a lot of the action was reserved for the last 20ish pages. It was also quite funny in places which broke up the tension.

I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters, that made the relationships more fun.

I also enjoyed the way that Holly wrote her character of colour and wasnt colourblind in it, allowing for the tension of race to play in her book.

The plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was on the edge of my seat for all of it! I truly didn't know the plot twist until it came to the last few pages.

I really enjoyed the fact that small details that were given in the beginning became importance. The plot twist was absolutely amazing.

The slow-burn relationship was beautifully written and the interactions between Pip and Ravi really showed them developing individualy and as a couple.

The characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pip: admittedly at first I didnt like Pip that much, but she completely grew on me. She is charming and witty. Her dedication to the mystery is truly inspiring.

Ravi: He was my favourite character, he was absolutely hilarious. It was also so great watching him getting justice. I loved his personal growth throughout the book.

Andie: she was the most complex character but she is definitely the villain and a victim at the same time.

Sal: he just deserved better period.

Other characters of note: Naomi was dodge from the get go and I didnt trust her.

Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely loved this book! I cant wait to read the sequel. I would recommend this book to anyone! It's a great mystery ya book

*spoiler freeish*

Honestly potentially one of my have plays. Its dissection of being african and masculinity along with how the media portrays these things was done beautifully.

On a personal note it was amazing to see Zimbabwe portrayed when including the conversation. At first I was irritated by the fact that the Zimbabwean conversation was one of the most intense, but this an accurate portray. There are many conversations that Zimbabweans are having an need to have that are filled with high emotions from music to the legacy of Robert Mugabe and its portray in the media. Once I reflected on this I realised how important this conversation was.

Another conversation that really impacted me was the South African conversation. The discussion of slurs was an important one and this brought up points that I hadn't really thought about, which was great for me.

I also loved the intertwining stories that took us from London to all over Africa. The ending wasnt what I had expected but I definitely think that it is what was needed. Another thing that I loved was the use of music, from hiphop to afrobeats to traditional songs.

Honestly watch it while you can!

https://youtu.be/oNxfr9tSsSc

The album should feel like a collection of songs rather than an actual album. However, there is a thin thread that connects the songs. Some of the changes in genre were jarring and a shock but it kept me hooked.

I can understand why people didn't like it but I felt that it was great that the band were able to test so many different genres of music.

The song that shocked me the most was shiny collarbone, I hadn't expected for a old school garage sound to appear on the album, I did actually enjoy it! But it was just a shock.

The songs I loved the most is between what should I say, nothing revealed/ everything denied and tonight. Both have a sort of funky vibe that I really enjoy, what should I say also has this remotely house beat which I'm really into at the moment. The guitar was what really hooked me in, I really enjoyed the 90s vibe it gave out. Tonight, is a sing I can just see myself singing in my bedroom whilst dancing terribly, the lyrics also super hard hitting.

My least favourite song was bagsy not in net, something about this song just didn't connect with me. I did enjoy the outro.

4/5

I would totally advise people to try it out 💕

This book genuinely took me forever to really get into but when I did it was totally worth it. As the book develops you get to see Moonbean open up and become more trusting as well as overcome her indoctrination which was such a beautiful thing. Also the relationship between doctor Hernandez and agent Carlyle allowed for a lighter comedic aspect for this very heavy book.

There were some scenes in the book that I found hard to read based on the content include sexual assault and violence.

Though I did enjoy the book I feel like the ending was a bit rushed.

4.5/5