The Midwinter Witch (The Witch Boy #3) by Molly Knox Ostertag

The Midwinter Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag

My Rating: ★★★★

Now that Ariel has been studying witchcraft with Ariel and his family, he finally has someone learning everything he missed with him. Plus, his family is getting ready for the Midwinter Festival, and it will be Ariel’s first time in attendance. Unfortunately for Ariel, she’s apprehensive given it’s a family event and she’s not family. Meanwhile, Aster is dealing with other problems, like his mom discouraging him from competing in the annual Jolrun tournament as the only boy witch in the family.

I’m a little sad to be starting this volume since it’s the final book in the series. However, I couldn’t not read it because I love this series so much that it would be a shame to skip the final volume just so it would never end. This volume was just as heartwarming as the previous volumes, and I loved seeing the characters continue to grow. It was even funnier to see Ariel’s grandma lose patience with the woes of magical learning.

I really loved seeing Aster bond with various family members. It was especially nice to see that more and more family members are accepting of his status as a witch, as well as to see those characters encourage them. Seeing him face family members who are prejudiced and both the continued hardships and how those supporting him come to his defense was wonderful. It was also nice to see how showing his magical abilities publicly to his family did for those who find themselves in similar situations as him.

It was also nice to see Ariel and Charlie’s friendship continue to blossom, even when friend fights happen. I found that Ariel’s plot did not wrap up given the information we found out about her biological family, and that it’s something that needs another volume to see how it turns out. It’s the only downside to this volume because there’s a lot more story to tell here, but I don’t think the targeted audience will notice that. Otherwise, I think this was a almost perfect ending to the series.

The Hidden Witch (The Witch Boy #2) by Molly Knox Ostertag

 
The Hidden Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag
My Rating: ★★★★★

Aster is excited to finally be allowed to formally learn witchcraft, but the adjustment is quite steep for the adults in his family. Only girls can be witches, and he’s now the second boy in the family to be born with a natural talent for it. Aster’s grandmother steps in and offers to help him catch up with his peers, but she has a heavy request: help her care for his great-uncle. Meanwhile, Charlie is doing great, though she’s happily promised to never share that she knows about magic. Unfortunately for her, someone’s cursed her, and she needs Charlie and his family’s help to find who is cursing people in town.

I absolutely loved the first volume of this series, so I was extremely excited to finally start the second volume. Keeping up with the heartwarming feel of the first volume, we follow Aster and his friend Charlie as their lives continue back at school. Aster is finally starting classes for witchcraft, but he still doesn’t fit in. The adults in his family are having a hard time accepting that he’s a witch because, according to tradition, he should be a shapeshifter. However, not everyone has a problem with it, and we start to see that with his peers and his grandma.

It was nice to see what happened with his great-uncle after the showdown in the first volume. Aster is in the unique position of being a witch who was once facing being an outcast for being one. Because of this, he is the one who is able to help heal his great-uncle in ways that his grandmother can’t. It was really nice to see the three of them bond as well as see how helping someone who once tried to harm everyone helped not only Aster, but other people.

I also loved following Charlie again. It was great to see how her bubbly, extroverted, and friendly personality doesn’t stop for anyone. She instantly befriends the new girl at school, Ariel, and doesn’t back down when she lashes out to protect herself from getting hurt. Ariel is also a witch, but she has no training due to being in the foster care system and never being placed with fellow witches as the supernatural world is not shared with the rest of the world. I really loved following how this plot progressed and eventually wound down. I really liked Ariel, so I think she’s a great addition to the series as it continues.

There are some other parts of the book I loved, including a few small plot points that I don’t want to spoil by mentioning them. I’m interested in seeing how those develop as the series continues. The artwork was also absolutely stunning, which I’m not surprised by since the first volume was beautiful. All in all, I’m really enjoying this series and the messages it delivers.

The Serial Killer's Girl by L.H. Stacey

 
The Serial Killer's Girl by L.H. Stacey
My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Boldwood Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lexi Jakes has been running from her past for a long time. Working as a journalist and currently living with her boyfriend and their daughter, hardly anyone knows that she’s the daughter of Peter Graves, a well-known convicted serial killer. Not even her boyfriend knows. Everything changes when the murder of her biological mother hits the news cycle. The clencher? Whoever did it is a Peter Graves copycat and they’re sending him a message.

We follow Lexi Jakes and the copycat killer whose identity isn’t revealed until later through rotating POV chapters. The most we know about the copycat killer for a long while is that they are the sister of Peter’s final victim. Other than knowing the copycat killer is unhinged right off the bat because they’re killing people, it’s clear that they are completely unhinged and not caring that the damage they’re doing is hurting everyone the same way she was hurt.

Meanwhile, Lexi spends a lot of time debating on whether or not she is going to tell her boyfriend about her past. When I say a lot of time, I mean majority of the book is her going back and forth on it. Once she’s run off to seek the safety of the family that took her in and gave her a loving and stable home, she needed to tell her boyfriend right away or just accept it was not happening. Unfortunately, that was not the case and we just watch her fear take on different appearances while she argues with herself about what she should do.

This book has a lot of good points. However, the suspense was barely there, and personally, it missed the mark on being a thriller. I’m most disappointed by the climax of the story being totally glossed over. We build up to this big event, Lexi makes here way there and understandably has cold feet, and then the next chapter starts and skips straight over the actual event. The climax is not finding out who the killer is, either, so the whole book fizzled out once it just skipped straight over this very important meeting. The pacing was very slow as well, which would’ve worked well if the suspense made it into the story.

That said, I really enjoyed some of the characters and the initial worldbuilding is excellent. I could really see Lexi’s life and her surroundings the whole way through. Because of this, I’m looking forward to what the author comes up with in the future because I think they are capable of writing a very good thriller. Everything was there to make it happen in this book, but it just missed the mark by a little bit.

The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons #2) by Julia Quinn

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
My Rating: ★★★★

When Anthony Bridgerton decides it’s time for him to marry, he jumps into the latest season face first and selects his bride from a distance. No one believes the notorious bachelor will actually settle down, not even Lady Whistledown! However, Anthony sees the beautiful Edwina Sheffield and decides she’s the one since he does not plan on ever loving his future wife. Unfortunately for him, he must seek the approval of her older sister Kate, and she detests every fiber of his being. Both are unwilling to back down, so Anthony and Kate butt heads every chance they get as something more blossoms beneath the surface.

The second season of the show is my favorite of the series so far, so I was interested in finding out how I liked the book. I can honestly say I loved it! The show and book series complement each other well, so I’m interested in seeing if they continue to do so as the Netflix series continues. This time around, we follow Anthony and Kate as they butt heads, slowly falling in love along the way. Kate is determined to find the best match for her sister, and Anthony has never met a woman who challenges him that is not related to him.

I found that I like the Netflix version of Kate much more than the book version, but otherwise, I like most of the characters much more in the book. Anthony is quite the piece of work, but he has heart, and I’ve grown to like him a lot. Seeing Kate and Anthony face off at nearly every turn for a portion of the book was so much fun. I really loved how they slowly fell in love even though Anthony didn’t realize that was the case for him as they married. What a clown, but who doesn’t love a clown?

The character development for both characters were absolutely wonderful, and their chemistry was off the charts. I thought it was believable that they fell in love somewhere along the way. I also liked learning more about why Kate is terrified of thunder and lightening, as it’s something we never learned in the show. It was such a sad story!

Of course, I was very excited to finally see Eloise, though it was limited. I can’t wait until we see more of her as she’s my favorite character in the show. I’m also enjoying seeing the relationships between the Bridgerton family develop more as the series continues. I’m excited to see where the story goes, which is something I’ll be finding out soon enough as I’ve decided to start the third book this weekend. It’ll be exciting to see how it comes to life on screen in the future!

The Horde (The Woods #5) by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas

 
The Horde by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas
My Rating: ★★★★

Now that a new leader of Bay Point is close to being voted in, the details behind his plans become clear. They aren’t good and they’re going south. Fast. It’s a good thing there’s many good people among Bay Point, and some of them are determined to make sure they pull through the deadly shenanigans and not find their community under a dictatorship when all is said and done.

Remember when I was feeling pretty iffy about where the series looked like it was heading? This volume threw those feelings straight out the window and renewed my faith in the series. We were also taken back to the original fast paced but not confusing days earlier in the series because things went from zero to a hundred and nothing was confusing. It’s clear where it’s going and what Bay Point is facing not only from the dictatorship coming in, but also from one of their own happily trying to bring it in.

We saw many of the characters coming into their own as well as more flashbacks telling us how they came to be who they were when the series first started. It also looks like we’re one step closer to finding out who has been bringing people from Earth to this moon for centuries and why. All I know is that the next volume is most likely going to be equally fast paced and packed with information that makes sense to the series.

I’m back to looking forward to seeing where this series is going to continue to take me, and I’ve already got the next two volumes. I went from feeling iffy and a little sad that I was most likely dropping the series to snatching up the next two volumes and ready to get reading. Hopefully we’ll get some answers soon, but I can’t picture the characters getting back to Earth. I think they’re here to stay.

Herrick's End (The Neath #1) by T.M. Blanchet

 
Herrick's End by T.M. Blanchet
My Rating: ★

I received a copy from Tiny Fox Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Ollie’s friend and crush goes missing, he’s determined to find her. Unfortunately, for him, it takes him on a journey to a world he never new existed. Along the way, he quickly learns that one can turn their abusers over to a very long hell in a world created by witches. It’s hell for abusers, but the rest of the place is a sanctuary for survivors. As an outsider, Ollie needs to listen and do his best to blend in, but he’s determined to do the exact opposite and learns a lot more than expected.

I think that this book has an interesting concept, but it’s one that I would’ve liked a lot better if it was told from a different perspective. We follow Ollie, who is supposed to be this great and nice person. The only thing he’s guilty of is standing by and doing nothing when he sees the signs of abuse on other people. It’s clear we’re supposed to be rooting for Ollie all book long, but I disliked him early on. He’s got a savior’s complex, doesn’t listen, and thinks he knows a lot more than he does. Ollie is the classic “nice” guy and he irked me all book long. This book turned out to not be a book for me, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be others who enjoy it.

I think the concept of Herrick’s end and its dual purpose as a sanctuary for survivors while being a total hellscape for abusers is very interesting. I wonder how this book would’ve gone if we followed the three witches who created it or any one of the many who have sought sanctuary. We briefly met Ollie’s crush, Nell, and it would’ve been interesting to follow the story from her perspective as well.

Instead, the story is pulled in several directions making it seem like a YA fantasy that then turned into a dark adult fantasy with a lot of blood and violence. There’s also magic because there’s three witches we see twice. All that’s clear is that Ollie is a savior that was foretold by a character we don’t really know much about. I’m left with far more questions than answers because the plot wasn’t resolved, but the idea of following Ollie for another book is far from appealing so I’m going to pass on finding out.

All in all, I won’t be continuing this series, but I do think that the overall concept is an interesting one. It just didn’t work out for me, but that’s okay. Every book has its audience, and it just turned out I’m not the audience for this series. There is also lot of talk about abuse, violence, and eating disorders in addition to the violence that takes place in the book, so if any of these are a trigger for you, this will be a pass for you.

Movie Night (The Woods #4) by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas

 
Movie Night by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas
My Rating: ★★

A year after the events of the previous volume, we discover how far everyone from Bay Point has come. Nearly everyone has been working together to turn the school into their new home. The fight for who will be the next leader of everyone from Bay Point is on as it becomes increasingly apparent that the fight is getting dirty. Meanwhile, Karen has gone off the deep end and soon finds herself tangled up in more secrets that New England are keeping their lips sealed about.

I’ve been enjoying the series up to this point and this is the volume that’s taking an odd and unexpected turn that is making me feel iffy about where it’s going. I’ll read the next volume and make my decision then, but this is the volume that is making me question the series. There’s also a time jump with a clunky opening left me a bit confused at first. I’m also sad that we barely saw New England this time around, especially after the events that took place in the previous volume. It just feels like it was all glossed over to quickly move to what’s clearly the next big storyline.

However, some of it was good. Since a year has passed, there’s a jump in all the relationships as well. There’s a romance that’s on the rocks, friendships that have frayed to completely ended, family relationships that have gotten closer while others are further apart than ever. We also see some rivalries, including one that had some good foreshadowing leading up to it in the previous volumes. In addition to the relationships and rivalries, we also see a jump in all new to this moon’s living situation as they’ve been working hard to make it home while trying to retain the things that are forever left behind on Earth. These are all interesting things that I had been looking forward to seeing develop, so it’ll be interesting to see how that goes if I decide to continue the series after the next volume.

All in all, the good and bad was split pretty evenly here. Hopefully it sorts itself out in the next volume, but I’m not feeling very hopefully at the moment with the way this new major storyline appears to be going.

The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn

 
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
My Rating: ★★★★

As Daphne Bridgerton enters her second year hoping someone of interest will begin courting her, all she gets is yet another marriage proposal from someone she’s already turned down before. At the same time, Simon Basset has finally returned to England and is hoping to avoid the marriage hunt all together. Unfortunately for him, society has other plans for him, and he finds himself cornered by every mother hoping to snag their daughter a good marriage. Together, Daphne and Simon agree to fake a courtship to better her marriage prospects and save him from being cornered by a bunch of moms again… until the courtship begins to feel all too real.

I started the Netflix show last year and have enjoyed it very much, so when one of my friends and I were talking about the books, we decided to give them a go together. I heard a lot of rumblings without spoilers about the first book, so I was expecting it not to be good. Imagine my surprise when I got started and really liked it! I loved the writing and found the characters much more likable in the book. I’m not saying the characters aren’t likeable in the show, but several of them are far more likable in the book.

I really enjoyed following the story during its ups and some of its downs, its funny moments, and was excited to learn more about the characters I’ve been following in the show. I was disappointed at the severe lack of Eloise, but I know she’ll have her time to shine and will hopefully make a bigger appearance before then. It was also fun to read the bits of Lady Whistledown’s publications while knowing who she is already.

For those of you who have not seen the show, I’m going to warn you that there is a rape in the book. For those of you who have seen the show, I want to let you know that it is even worse in the book. Daphne was a likable character up until she blatantly ignored the withdrawal of consent from Simon. As far as I’m concerned, Daphne can kick rocks barefoot for all eternity. Once it got to this point in the book, I felt sick to my stomach and I feel absolutely awful for Simon.

There are two epilogues at the end of the book, and the second one does contain some spoilers for one of the later books. If you still want to check out the series but want to avoid the spoilers, you should probably skip over the second epilogue. I plan on continuing the series, though I think I’m going to take a break after the second book so I don’t get ahead of where the show is.

New London (The Woods #3) by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas

 
New London by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas
My Rating: ★★★★

Now that the inhabitants of Bay Point High School are aware they are probably stuck far away from home, they are faced with surviving in an entirely new world. The good news is that they aren’t alone, and that there’s an entire community that’s been thriving for some time. Unfortunately for all involved, there are sinister forces at play in and out of that community.

This volume really hit the ground running. We’re still following the same characters, but now there’s a whole new community introduced, and we get to see that the general population of it isn’t so bad. New London is thriving, and it all seems rosy on the surface, but like anything, it holds some secrets that are far from friendly.

One of the things I enjoyed about this volume is that we got to learn about how New London came to be, and who was once talking to the stones the same way Adrian is. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. There’s a reason someone or something has been bringing people to this place every so often. I think it’ll be interesting to eventually find out what that reason is and how the characters will eventually get to that point.

I’m extremely interested in seeing how the story pans out. I like that we’re starting to follow some of the new characters that have been introduced, so I’m excited to see what’s in store for them as well. I think the likelihood that we’ll find out what’s going on back on Earth is slim, but it’d be interesting to see a glimpse of that if it were to happen. I will say all those flashbacks from the previous volume are really starting to pay off, so I feel a lot less iffy about them now.

Cottagecore Galore: A Timeless Coloring Book by Katie Vaz

Cottagecore Galore: A Timeless Coloring Book by Katie Vaz

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for something cozy for your coloring book hours, look no further! This entire book is full of beautiful, cozy pages to color that fit all my cottagecore needs. Every single page is absolutely beautiful and brings everything from pretty quilt patterns to fruits and baking. It’s such a simple and beautiful book to have on hand and fill with natural colors or put a funky spin on the pages as one sees fit.

I really like that there’s a good variety of scenes depicted with beautiful artwork. There’s flowers, bunnies, baking, picnics, tea, spice jars, and the list goes on. It’s the perfect coloring book for any fan of cottagecore who love the calmness of it all. Plus, it’s aesthetically pleasing even before coloring the pages!

Dekoboko Bittersweet Days (Dekoboko Sugar Days #2) by Atsuko Yusen

 
Dekoboko Bittersweet Days by Atsuko Yusen
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from LOVE x LOVE through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rui and Yuujirou have been best friends since they were kids. Now that they confessed the feelings they’ve been harboring for each other, it should be smooth sailing. They haven’t told anyone about their relationship, but life is good until they face the possibility of a long-distance relationship. Will their relationship survive this bump in the road?

I’m going to be honest here. I’m a clown and didn’t realize this was the second in a series. That said, the opening of the book is a reminder of everything that went down in the first volume before kicking off the story, so I wasn’t lost at all. I will be reading the first volume, but as I write this review, I have not read it yet. I can say that it’s very easy to get into the story thanks to the refresher that’s intended for anyone who didn’t reread the first volume before digging in.

I absolutely loved the story from the start. It’s a very sweet story about best friends who have always known they were meant for each other. While I missed out on watching them confess their feelings and discover they feel the same way, I did get to see them in love and living their best lives. I also got to see them hit their first big struggle in their relationship, but I won’t mention if that’s resolved because that would be spoilers!

I loved every character that was featured. While I love Rui and Yuujirou, Rui’s brother is my favorite character in the book. I do wish we got to know the supporting characters more, but it’s entirely possible that we got to know them well in the first volume. I’ll find out when I read that. However, as it stands, some of the supporting characters fly through while others are there often but don’t get much character growth. If this series were to continue, that’s something I’d love to see.

All in all, I think it’s a wonderful love story full of funny and sweet moments. This is the second book I’ve read from Atsuko Yusen, and I’m excited to see what else they come up with. So far, this is the second cute and heartwarming story with a touch of humor that I’ve read from them and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.

The Swarm (The Woods #2) by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas

 
The Swarm by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas
My Rating: ★★★

When a high school is transported from Milwaukee to an unknown location somewhere in the universe, everyone is left with questions that no one can answer. They’re all alone in this new world except for all the insects and animals they’ve never seen before… or so they thought.

I immediately had to pick up the second volume of this series because I needed to see where the story was going. While it’s not what I was expecting, it was nice to see the backstories of more characters. I’m not the biggest fan of the way the flashbacks were handled, but it’s more because they caught me off-guard than there being an issue with them. I simply was not expecting the volume to open with a flashback, so I was really thrown through a loop at first and wasn’t quite sure where the flashbacks were going the first two times they happened. That said, they were handled well and really made a difference in how well I knew the characters involved by the end of the volume.

I’m interested in getting to know more of the characters as the series continues, and I hope we eventually see what’s going on back on Earth. We’ve met some of the character’s family members through flashbacks, and it’d be nice to see what’s going with everyone and how an entire school vanishing in thin air is being handled. I’m also interested in learning more about the people who have been living on the moon the school has been transported to.

All in all, I think there’s a good chance this is going to be a good sci-fi series as I continue to read it. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we start to see even more sci-fi elements as time goes on.

The Arrow (The Woods #1) by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas

The Arrow by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas
My Rating: ★★★

When a high school is transported from Milwaukee to somewhere in the galaxy, no one knows what’s going on. The entire school population is left in a chaotic mess complete with bizarre killer animals and insects. All anyone knows is this isn’t Milwaukee anymore, and help is not on the way.

I picked this up expecting a crazy sci-fi story and that’s exactly what I got. We follow a couple members of the school staff and a handful of students, giving us a good variety of perspectives after the entire school relocates to another moon. We’ve got people who think they know everything, those confused but feel like they need to do something, and many who are just sad and frightened.

While there’s a good variety of characters, there were three that irked me from the start: the mean teacher, one of the students working under him as school guards, and Adrian. The first two just had bad vibes from the start and only got worse to demonstrate the bad side of humanity. I can see why those two characters are there and they are meant to be disliked. However, Adrian is the classic character that thinks they’re the only one who knows what’s going on and what to do, which makes him extremely irritating. It seems like Adrien is going to have a large arc. I hope I don’t spend the entire time wishing he’d be written out.

Otherwise, I think it’s a great series opener. It’s fast paced, the artwork is stunning, and there’s a good amount of sci-fi and mystery aspects that are going to make me keep wanting to turn the page. I’m interested in seeing where this goes and if the characters we follow will expand as the story develops.