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pages_and_procrastination's Reviews (1.6k)
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was given a digital copy of this title, free. All opinions are my own.
To be completely honest, this was a cover request. I didn't even realize that it was a graphic novel until I went to download it. The graphics are bright and eye-catching. It was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. The characters!!! Another ragtag group that comes together for a rescue mission. But, Zuli and Frowly go into this mission blind. They are blind about the world beyond the haven tree and who they can trust. But even more dangerous, they are blind to who and what they themselves are. Along the way, they find creatures that want to hurt them and creatures that go out of their way to help them. And the revelation at the end!!!! I really need the next volume now! It is both a blessing and a curse to read a book early.
To be completely honest, this was a cover request. I didn't even realize that it was a graphic novel until I went to download it. The graphics are bright and eye-catching. It was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. The characters!!! Another ragtag group that comes together for a rescue mission. But, Zuli and Frowly go into this mission blind. They are blind about the world beyond the haven tree and who they can trust. But even more dangerous, they are blind to who and what they themselves are. Along the way, they find creatures that want to hurt them and creatures that go out of their way to help them. And the revelation at the end!!!! I really need the next volume now! It is both a blessing and a curse to read a book early.
If you like graphic novels, or want to ease into them, I think that this would be a great one to start with.
It releases March 2022!
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A police procedural urban fantasy that's about catching a serial killer who can summon demons? Yes, this is a combination that is screaming my name. And it did not disappoint. I like Kara, she is a competent detective with a lot of skills and still a lot to prove. She's confident but not cocky. Another thing that I liked about this was the red herrings. They were connected but didn't reveal the villain too early. I was just as surprised as Kara was to discover who the Symbol Man was. I mean the possibilities and suspects actually made sense. Because this is a police procedural, I do have to point out that a couple of things just didn't make sense (sleeping all day and investigating at night, not finding out until the very end that an FBI agent isn't really an FBI agent, among others). This wasn't perfect, but it does hit all of the right notes. It was interesting with the fresh perspective on demon lore and hierarchy. This the first book in a series and it does a good job of not only wrapping up the plot of this book, but also of setting up the next book.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
I am not a Dungeons & Dragons fan. In fact, I know absolutely nothing about it. I requested this because of the author -Madeleine Roux. I haven't read everything by her, but what I have read- I have enjoyed. And So, I'm not surprised that I enjoyed this. This was a fun adventure story that is both an adventure and about self-discovery. Zelli knows that she’s different, she knows that she is human. But finds she was foolish to believe that no one else (besides her moms) knew this. She isn’t even sure sure what she’s looking for, only positive that it will lead her to Allidora Steel Strite Anything that has a quest and a ragtag group will always grab my attention. Butthere was more to this and I appreciated that. I really liked Zelli and her friends. The point was never about not being afraid, but about doing it anyway. Even though the others know she has a place at the academy, they gave her the space to discover this truth on her own. Even despite the disdain the monsters have for humans, the group didn’t get hung up on this and worked together to take down their common enemy. And Zelli wasn’t forced to choose between the two sides of her.I also enjoyed the colorful and detailed illustrations. There is something about having images form the story bought to life that adds another layer to the story. I think that this a very solid beginning to a series that I am looking forward to reading more of.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was given a digital copy of this, free. All opinions are my own.
I was given this as part of the Early Reads program. I had seen the cover a few times and when I had the opportunity to review it, I took it. This is a friends to lovers romance. And all of the quirks and drama that come with it. I like Nick and Noel and their connection with music was cute. But they were also frustrating in the "will they/won't they?" department. Not because they didn't know how they felt about one another or if they thought that their friendship would survive if the romantic relationship didn't work out. They made silly/frivolous choices that was more of self-sabotage than anything else. But, I was glad that no matter how many times their exes popped back or weaseled back into their lives, they didn't waffle with those decisions. Nick and Noel were clearly meant for each other. I do think that Noel's clinging grip on her past was a little over the top, and shouldn't have been as hard to overcome as it was, but I also appreciated that Noel was self-aware. Overall, I enjoyed this story. There were some funny antics that are definitely worth checking out. The steaminess doesn't really come out of the blue, but it takes it a moment before it gets on the page. This is supposed to be a Christmas romance, but it didn't really have that Christmas-y feel.
I was given this as part of the Early Reads program. I had seen the cover a few times and when I had the opportunity to review it, I took it. This is a friends to lovers romance. And all of the quirks and drama that come with it. I like Nick and Noel and their connection with music was cute. But they were also frustrating in the "will they/won't they?" department. Not because they didn't know how they felt about one another or if they thought that their friendship would survive if the romantic relationship didn't work out. They made silly/frivolous choices that was more of self-sabotage than anything else. But, I was glad that no matter how many times their exes popped back or weaseled back into their lives, they didn't waffle with those decisions. Nick and Noel were clearly meant for each other. I do think that Noel's clinging grip on her past was a little over the top, and shouldn't have been as hard to overcome as it was, but I also appreciated that Noel was self-aware. Overall, I enjoyed this story. There were some funny antics that are definitely worth checking out. The steaminess doesn't really come out of the blue, but it takes it a moment before it gets on the page. This is supposed to be a Christmas romance, but it didn't really have that Christmas-y feel.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
I decided to make an exception and post my review for this title on my blog (this is a book written by a male author) because I have so much to say about this book. And I want to point out that this is not a perfect book, There are some flaws that immediately come to mind - how some characters are dropped in the middle of the story and how the final twist comes about without any real preparation, this could have been intentional or it could have been lazy writing. But in the big picture, with the overall enjoyment of this story, the flaws can be easily overlooked. I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games, one of the books that this is comped to, and one I believes nods back to Katniss and her story while still standing on its own.
I really like Caitlin, there is just something about her. Yes, she has always wanted to manifest, and yes I went in thinking that maybe manifesting isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. But there is just something about her. I wanted her to manifest so that she could be the one to bring about whatever changes were needed in this world. As the story unfolds, she has what I call the “X” factor, it is something within her makeup that will not allow her to just go with the flow simply because it is expected of her. She is also not the most observant person in the community, she is completely unaware of the silent rules that people follow but never speak of. I am not sure if it’s simply because she believes in the superheroes so much that it’s hard to imagine that they may be very different than she has imagined, or if she has been completely sheltered her entire life.
I am going to be completely honest and admit that I am struggling with this review. Not because it was bad, but it's been about a month since I've actually read this book, and yet I want to go back read it again. There were a lot of nuanced things that I want to experience all over again. I miss the time that I spent with Caitlin, who is so used to standing out that she wouldn't be able to fit in if she actually tried. I want to see the girl that she was when she was trying to manifest with her crazy antics. I went in to this book thinking that she would be the one to save her world. Or at least be the catalyst for the change. Initially, I thought that she would manifest and see the truth of things from the other side. She does become the catalyst, and she does see the truth of things. But it doesn't happen the way that I expected it to. In fact, that is something else that I would have love to get a glimpse of -how it all worked.
Ultimately, Caitlin is a pawn in so many schemes/machinations it's truly hard to believe that they are all innocent. And when I say pawn, I don't believe it is negative in this situation. Had she been told the truth upfront, she would have agreed to the majority (if not all) of the things that happened. But not letting her in on every detail was a dangerous choice as well. I could go on and on about this book, and I'm not even sure if any of this makes sense - I think this is better experienced rather than spoiled. I have so many thoughts and would love to discuss this with someone who has read the book. And if you haven't read it? I definitely recommend it.
