Strange Kawaii by Mag Hokkyoku

Strange Kawaii by Mag Hokkyoku

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Z Lab through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a super cute coloring book for yourself or a teenager, then this might be the book for you! Inside, you will find 30 kawaii coloring pages covering a range of images that will delight you. Whether it’s adorable characters or kawaii landscapes, you’re bound to enjoy coloring each page!

I found this so cute. It’s complex enough to keep your mind busy while also not going overboard so that teenagers can enjoy coloring the pages as well. I really like that they are one sided coloring pages so you don’t have to choose which page to sacrifice to markers that will bleed through the pages. Plus, there’s a page designated just for tearing out and sticking between the page you're currently coloring and the page after it! I really enjoyed this and look forward to checking out more from the artist.

Curious Book of Creepy Crochet: 25+ Oddball Amigurumi Creatures by Carolyne Brodie

Curious Book of Creepy Crochet: 25+ Oddball Amigurumi Creatures by Carolyne Brodie

My Rating: ★★★★★

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

If you’re looking for a good Halloween theme pattern, then this book might be perfect for you! Inside you will find 25+ perfectly spoopy patterns that demonstrate that amigurumi can really be anything you want it to be. You will also find a comprehensive supply list complete with pictures, the basics of crochet, a small assembly guide, and a quick rundown on how to read crochet patterns. Plus, there’s a step-by-step crochet guide with pictures to help guide you as you learn any stitches you may not know.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so of course I had to pick this up! I really liked the variety of patterns included. My favorites are Velvet the Bat, Revna the Raven, Squash the Pumpkin Doll, Rotten Ralph the Zombie, and Patch the Scarecrow. However, all of the patterns are wonderful! I love how each pattern comes with its own story about the character. You’ll also discover that each pattern is rated anywhere from beginner to intermediate, which will help you decide if it’s something you’re ready to make! The fact that there’s so many in-progress photos included with each pattern is excellent as well. It will be a huge help to beginner crocheters or anyone who is new to amigarumi.

All in all, this is an excellent pattern book! There’s a nice variety of patterns and it’s perfect for crocheters of all levels. I really like that there’s photos of some of the more technical aspects of each pattern, and that there are some tips and tricks included early in the book before you get to any of the patterns. Plus, the patterns are pretty straightforward and easy to read. I can’t wait to make some of them!

The World of Jumbo Amigurumi: 30 Easy Crochet Designs for Huggable Plushies by Genna Tatu, Elysa Weitala (photos)

The World of Jumbo Amigurumi: 30 Easy Crochet Designs for Huggable Plushies by Genna Tatu, Elysa Weitala (photos)

My Rating: ★★★★★

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

If you’re interested in making amigurumi with bulky to jumbo weight yarn, then this is the book for you! Inside you will find 30 adorable beginner friendly patterns along with a comprehensive supply list. Plus, there is information about how to read patterns, and a short but comprehensive guide on how to crochet in addition to other various skills you may need to learn.

I have some jumbo yarn I want to use, so I decided to check out this pattern book. I can’t wait to make the Sweet Strawberry and Shane the Silly Shark patterns! All of the patterns are absolutely adorable. The patterns are also pretty straight forward and beginner friendly, so I think a lot of people are going to love adding this to their collection. It’s also a great book for beginners because it has a lot of excellent information and the instructions on how to crochet are super clear and easy to follow. The photographs for each pattern are absolutely wonderful as well. I can’t wait to make some of these patterns!

History's Greatest Drinking Games: From the Notorious to the Wisely Forgotten by Elliot Martyn

 
History's Greatest Drinking Games: From the Notorious to the Wisely Forgotten by Elliot Martyn

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Socializing while drinking is not a new pastime. If you’ve ever been interested in learning about the history of drinking games, then this might be the book for you! It’s interesting to learn how far back drinking games go back along with any information available about the types of games people played. Now I don’t know about you, but I didn’t know politics were involved with drinking games throughout time, so I think you’re bound to learn some new things!

I really liked that it didn’t just cover drinking games throughout time, but also covered the culture and political history as well. Context is important, so it was great to read about anything I hadn’t previously known that made the games make even more sense. However, it was so expansive at times that I think it should’ve been marketed differently. The official summary makes this sound like it’s going to be a super light and fun read. What you actually get, at least the time that I received the ARC, is an interesting history book that’s information heavy and with very dry writing. I was expecting something different, but this is something I still would’ve picked up even if it wasn’t presented as a silly and fun non-fiction book on a range of drinking games throughout history.

Juliet and Juliet by Mel V. Vargas

Juliet and Juliet by Mel V. Vargas

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Random House Graphic through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Juliet Montague crashed a Capulet party, she never expected to meet a really sweet and amazing woman… Juliet Capulet! Now the two are running around in secret with the help of their closest friends. When friendships and family relationships are on the line, Juliet and Juliet have to be extremely careful with where they go and who they trust. It’s too bad a Capulet is about to kickstart the drama!

As a Shakespeare girly, I had to pick this up ASAP! I really enjoyed reading this LGBTQ+ retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I also loved that this is a modern take that combines modern clothing with period clothing, which the artwork really brought to life. The cast of characters are wonderful and mostly supportive, and that’s always nice to see. Juliet and Juliet are my favorite characters, but I did really like several of the supporting characters. Plus, almost everyone seemed mostly reasonable and supportive, and that was really nice to see.

That said, I don’t think this book captured the essence of the source material. There was significantly less drama on top of there not being much conflict between the families. Plus, no one remembered why their families were beefing even though they had access to technology and years of tabloid rumors and whatnot. At the end of the day, I think this could’ve easily been its own story because it wasn’t really much of a retelling. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy every second I spent reading it, but as a retelling, it’s loosely inspired by the source material.

Cozy Cottage Cross-Stitch: 25 Charming Patterns to Make You Feel Perfectly at Home by Elle Noonan

 
Cozy Cottage Cross-Stitch: 25 Charming Patterns to Make You Feel Perfectly at Home by Elle Noonan

My Rating: ★★★★★

If you’re a cross stitcher who loves cottage core, then this may be the book for you! Inside, you will find 25 wonderful patterns ranging in size and skill levels. While skill levels aren’t listed on the patterns, it’s pretty easy to spot whether or not you’ll be ready for it if you’re a beginner. There’s also some information on tools, materials, and some stitching basics to help new stitchers understand the stitches and how to read a pattern. Plus, there’s little bonus tips included with the patterns!

All in all, I really love this pattern book. I’ve also been a fan of Elle’s/stitchsprout’s patterns for a while and have been a member of their patreon on and off, so I knew this would be up my alley. I’m so excited to cross stitch some of these patterns. They are just too perfect!

Thunderstruck by Lissa Layland

Thunderstruck by Lissa Layland

My Rating: ★★★

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

Althea Leos, aka Thea, is extremely family oriented, and choosing to work on her thesis in Norway is something she struggles with. It doesn’t help that her prestigious thesis advisor immediately dumped her onto one of his colleagues. So what’s Thea going to do? Knock her thesis out of the park, join a local activist group, and develop feelings for the leader of the group! Only Thea isn’t sure what she really wants, and what was supposed to be a drunken apology turns into her stumbling into Asgard itself. Now she just has to pass a couple tests and prove that she won’t breathe a word about the gods being real, which is hard to do when she’s got a thing for both Thor and Loki!

I really liked this book, but I wasn’t sold on the romance plot at all. There was zero romantic chemistry unless things were starting to get a little spicy. Thea kept thinking about how she was trying to get her libido under control while it was off having a nice vacation. I do like that Thea, Thor, and Loki developed pretty good friendships. I just wasn’t seeing the romantic energy.

That said, I enjoyed reading the rest of the book. There’s a wonderful cast of characters, strong family bonds, and excellent worldbuilding. I really liked how the author made our climate change impact the Norse gods, which was a really interesting take on things that I hadn’t seen before. I just wish the story leaned more into this and less into the romance plot. I don’t know if this is the first book in a series, but it seemed like a series opener that could be left as a stand alone. If the story does continue, I will definitely check it out.

My Sister Took My Fiance and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince, Vol. 2 Kiduki Hoshikawa (artist), Yū Sakurai (author)

My Sister Took My Fiance and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince, Vol. 2 Kiduki Hoshikawa (artist), Yū Sakurai (author)

My Rating: ★★★★

After accidentally catching Prince Leonhart’s eye, Cordelia’s life is quickly changing now that she finally has someone on her side. Unfortunately for her, her family doesn’t see eye to eye, and she’s about to clash with not only her sister, but also her parents. Meanwhile, Leonhart’s own family troubles are coming to a head as his brother plots against him and tries to drag Cordelia into it!

I really enjoyed the first volume, which had a surprisingly amount of depth. However, this volume is closer to what I was expecting the first time around. So much happened and there were several times that we skipped straight over the believability factor with Cordelia’s responses. I guess this is the start of her healing journey, but in a crazy way since she’s being kept on her toes elsewhere.

That said, I still really enjoyed the volume. It was fast paced, the story was mostly good, and we started to see some justice of sorts in action. I do think we should’ve seen Cordelia’s family begin to face the music at a different time than we see Leonhart’s own brother’s shenanigans rear its ugly head at full force. Everything happening at the same time rather than focusing on one or the other took away from both plots in the end, but that’s just my opinion.

All in all, I did enjoy the book, I just wish it explored the way things impacted Cordelia and Leonhart differently than it did. I also wish that the plot points with the two families came to a head at different times. Otherwise, it was a fast paced read that had me absolutely glued. It’ll be interesting to see how things go from here, especially with the way things ended with Cordelia’s family.

Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! Vol. 2 by Mashimesa Emoto, Nitou Akane (Illustrator)

Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! Vol. 2 by Mashimesa Emoto, Nitou Akane (Illustrator)

My Rating: ★★★★

Free of her ex-fiancé, Misha is free to make her dreams come true, so that’s exactly what she’s doing. Now she’s happily studying and making friends at magic school with her familiar by her side. In fact, she’s even joined the organizing committee and is scrambling to figure out what type of menu she wants to propose! Misha is also becoming incredibly close to Vil, but right as she realizes that she’s developed feelings for him, she hears some damning rumors about him that could change everything. Is she doomed to always have her heart broken, or is Vil being framed?!

This was another cute and enjoyable read following Misha at magic school. There’s a little bit of mystery in the same breath as the first volume, which was interesting to see pan out. However, I think the friendships and other connections are the strong points of these books. I just can’t wait to see all of Misha’s relationships continue to develop. Plus, I enjoyed getting to know more about the characters, especially Ehr. I also like that we get an extra from Noah’s point of view at the end, which gives us some additional insight.

My only complaint is that Misha is extremely naive, and remembering her past life doesn’t give her much experience on that front. I was actually taken straight out of the story a few times because of it. Otherwise, this continues to be a fun vibe read. Gem continues to be my favorite character, and I’m interested in seeing what we learn about them when the next volume eventually drops.

My Sister Took My Fiance and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince, Vol. 1 by Kiduki Hoshikawa (artist), Yū Sakurai (author)

 

My Sister Took My Fiance and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince, Vol. 1 by Kiduki Hoshikawa (artist), Yū Sakurai (author)

My Rating: ★★★★

As the eldest daughter of a count, Cordelia grew up with a very strict education befitting her family’s status. Unfortunately, she also grew up in the shadow of her extremely spoiled younger sister, Priscilla. The sisters couldn’t be any more different, and their parents are too busy doting on Priscilla to notice that their entire family’s reputation is in the trash. Priscilla has always taken anything her older sister likes, but even Cordelia was stunned when she discovered that included each of her fiances! Four broken engagements later, Cordelia is resigned to life as a spinster. What she didn’t expect was to accidentally catch the eye of Prince Leonhard!

I picked this up looking for a semi-light read and got sucked in right away. We follow Cordelia as her latest fiance is about to leave her for her younger sister. At this point, she’s accepted life as it’s always been for her. She’s carrying a lot of hurt, trauma, anger, and resentment thanks to the way her parents and sister have treated her for a long time. Cordelia’s healing journey hasn’t begun yet, and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to her feelings and responses to both positive and negative attention.

Despite the heavy layers to the story, the author balances it out with their world building, a touch of humor, and positive characters and plots. It may not have been the light read I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. There’s an excellent cast of characters, and Prince Leonhardt crashes into the picture with a positive force. He’s also got the heart of a lion. Literally! Their interactions also bring in some hilarious moments that had me cracking up.

All in all, I’m looking forward to picking up the next volume. I really liked the characters, the world-building was excellent, it has a lot more depth than I was expecting. Plus, the artwork was beautiful and really helped bring the story to life.

The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed #2) by Brigitte Knightley

The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

My Rating: ★★★★

When Osric finds out he’s in need of some specialized healing, he manages to bribe Aurienne to let him be her experiment. What the unlikely duo never expected was for this experimental healing to actually start to work, or that they would fall for each other along the way. While Osric and Aurienne avoid sorting out their feelings, they also begin to look for who is behind the pox outbreak. Something weird is going on and lives are at risk, especially if Aurienne and Osric get caught!

While I enjoyed the first book, it wasn’t exactly my favorite. However, I liked it enough that I was really looking forward to reading this when it dropped. I’m excited to say that I ended up loving it! We follow Aurienne and Osric through their rotating perspectives as they fall in love and prepare for a war they just discovered is coming. The romance itself was a pretty slow burn at first. I was pleasantly surprised when it eventually began picking up speed and busted a move from that point forward. I think my favorite part about this romance is the emotional connection between Aurienne and Osric. This is my favorite type of romance, but it also made a lot of sense for the characters.

I also really liked the world building and getting to know some of the other characters more. Plus, the humor cracked me up this time around, which I really enjoyed since some of the humor in the previous book felt forced. That said, I did reach the end of the book and felt like the story was a little incomplete. I don’t think it’s actually incomplete, but that we spent so much time leading up to the start of the war only for the story to wrap up seemingly early into that plot point. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this enough that I will likely reread it in the near future. The romance and humor went hard this time around, but the emotional connection was really top tier. I do wish we saw more of the supporting characters, and I don’t think we needed all three epilogues, but I ended up really loving the story.

The Alien Jungle Warlord's Bride (Starfallen Brides of Xytheos #1) by A.V. Wilcott

The Alien Jungle Warlord's Bride by A.V. Wilcott

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from NMZ Fantasy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When war threatens Elena Parks and her friends' lives, they’re forced to flee New Terra on an ancient spaceship that’s barely running. Lucky to make it out alive, the twenty survivors find themselves crash landing on Xytheos and getting married off by the Concord Stone. Now Elena’s married to Rythar, the Warlord of the Green Reach, and she’s about to be split up from the rest of her friends. Pissed about her predicament, she’s determined to hate Rythar while taking off to save her friends and regroup. The only problem? It’s hard to make a run for it when you don’t know anything about the planet you’ve landed on, and Elena’s discovering that she’s more attracted to Rythar than she wants to admit.

We follow Elena, an engineer and trauma nurse, from the moment she’s about to flee New Terra. We also occasionally follow Rythar, but we mostly follow Elena. I do wish we switched off to Rythar’s perspective more often, but I’m happy with the chapters we got. I really loved both characters and enjoyed all of the world building as well as some of the supporting characters that we got to know. There was also a lot of information to take in, but it never felt overwhelming because we never got too much at once.

My only complaint is that for someone who is supposed to be so smart, Elena kept getting riled up and jumping into action without properly formulating a plan. It bothered me because she seemed to learn from how going from A to Z without much planning never panned out, but then would do it all over again. Otherwise, she was a great character to follow. I just wished we got to see Elena learn from her mistakes when she’s supposed to be the leader of her friends.

That said, this won’t be a book for everyone. Elena is from New Terra and was part of the breeding program since humans are dying out. Xytheos is facing the same problem, and while they are genetically modified to the point that they’re no longer human, technology can’t cure the high infertility rates or low birth rates. The Concord Stone selects its so-called perfect matches with the best chances of success at procreation in mind, so think fated mates meets sci-fi. While the relationship that Elena and Rythar slowly build is based on communication and consent, the marriages happened because of rules that Elena and her friends had no say in. Check your trigger warnings before picking this up so you can pass on it if you need to.

Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! Vol. 1 by Mashimesa Emoto, Akane Nitou (Illustrator)

 

Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! Vol. 1 by Mashimesa Emoto, Akane Nitou (Illustrator)

My Rating: ★★★★★

When Misha von Ritual’s fiancé reveals that he’s been cheating, everything from her previous life in another world comes flooding back to her. Double as mad, Misha makes sure to throw hands before calling off the engagement. Now that she’s not working herself into an early grave to take care of her two timing ex-fiancé, she has a chance to think about what she wants to do with her life. Misha always wanted to go to magic school, and now she finally has a chance to make it happen!

This was such an enjoyable, cute, and light-hearted read. We follow Misha from the moment she realizes that it’s finally time to live for herself. She has a heart of gold and is always happy to help if she can. I loved most of the characters, but Misha’s familiar, Gem, turned out to be my favorite. We don’t know too much about them yet, but I loved seeing them hanging out and working with Misha. Gem has such a great personality that it was hard not to love them!

While this is a light and fun story, I really enjoyed learning about the world Misha lives in. The magic system is pretty interesting so far, and the characters are more complex than they seem on the surface. There’s also a bit of mystery, and anyone who knows me can tell you that I love mystery plots. Plus, the artwork that comes up every so often is so cute. I’m looking forward to checking out the next volume and seeing where the story goes from here!

Fleet of Wonders (Fleet of Wonders Duology #1) by Erin Hànyù Lynch

Fleet of Wonders by Erin Hànyù Lynch

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Eliza’s abusive parents throw her out, she decides that it’s time for her and her best friend to finally get out of the slums. She and Jules just have to pose as foreign nobles and compete in the naval competition with prizes worth the risk of trapping themselves on a ship with their teammates. It’s how they find themselves on the Belladonna where they make enemies, find romance, and quickly discover that this competition doesn’t care who makes it out alive.

We follow Eliza and Jules through their rotating POVs as they work their way toward the front of the competition that asks them to face death at the hands of their rivals. They face racism at every turn in a world inspired by different points in history that you will quickly recognize. This story heavily deals with racism, diaspora, verbal and physical abuse, parental death, and deportation.

I loved Eliza and Jules in this medium paced steampunk historical fantasy. I also found Eliza’s smithy abilities interesting, so I’m interested in learning more about the magic system all together. The challenges were kind of all over the place whenever they were actively solving a riddle or building something, which kept taking me out of the story. Otherwise, it was an excellent read that was often character driven, which I really enjoyed. While I love my fast-paced books, I always really enjoy reading character driven stories. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes next, especially after that cliffhanger.

Pupposites Attract, Vol. 3 by Hono Natsuna

 

Pupposites Attract, Vol. 3 by Hono Natsuna

My Rating: ★★★★★

When Kiyotaka and Chiharu spend some time at a relaxing and dog friendly bed and breakfast, they manage to make new friends along the way. Is romance in the air, or is that just Kiyotaka and Chiharu starting to fully realize they have feelings for each other? It turns out it’s more than just them because Chako has a longtime crush on Kiyotaka’s brother, and she’s been mistaken as his friend!

I really enjoyed reading this volume. It was cute and fun, but we also got to know Chako and her best doggy bud, Aniki! I really enjoyed learning more about her and how she’s always struggled with making friends. I also liked learning about her relationship with her grandfather and how she and Aniki became so close. While the focus of the volume wasn’t them, I really liked getting to know them better and seeing how they’re going to fit in the story as it continues.

This is such a heartwarming series. It’s really nice to see the series start to really blossom now that we’re three volumes in. If you like slice of life stories with slow burn romances, this will be an excellent series for you. Plus, the artwork is stunning and I love seeing all the dogs! I’m really excited to pick up the next volume and see how all of the characters will continue to develop.

Between the Veil (Between the Veil #1) by Zoe Zeman

Between the Veil by Zoe Zeman

My Rating: ★★★

When Auden lost her parents, she was sentenced to a lifetime of beatings and nightmares for reasons she doesn’t understand. Despite that, she’s managed to build a life with her two closest friends who make life worth living. Everything changes when the blood sucking immortals from another kingdom arrive claiming it’s time to take her back with them. It’s also when she learns she’s trading one prison for another, and that the only true thing she’s ever known is the prophecy that’s haunted her every step of the way.

For some reason, I wasn’t expecting this to be a slow-paced story, but I really enjoyed it. We mainly follow Auden as her life gets turned upside down, but we also get rotating POVs of Everette and Azriel along the way. I really enjoyed following Auden and Azriel, but not really Everette. I found he has next to no personality and I really ended up just disliking him the longer I read. I also wish there was more world building early into the story, which would’ve made it easier to get into the story. I just felt more in the dark than Auden was for the first 10 chapters, and she didn’t even fully learn what was going on until toward the end of the book.

I knew there was going to be a love triangle, but I wasn’t expecting to have absolutely no interest in Everette. He and Auden have no romantic chemistry, and their friendship felt super forced. This becomes even more glaringly obvious when Azriel enters the picture because he has excellent chemistry with everyone, and the romantic chemistry between him and Auden is fire. I just couldn’t take the friendship or romance between Auden and Everette seriously, especially as we got deeper into the story and we learned more about the real reason he was there. We kept being told how close their friendship was when it felt forced, and how in lust the two were with each other when that also felt forced.

Despite my issues with the love triangle and lack of world building, I really did enjoy this. I liked a number of the characters and was interested enough in the premise to keep reading even when the world building was lacking. I’m obviously not a fan of the love triangle, so I’m hoping Auden ends up with Azriel because I honestly don’t see a single reason why she’d choose Everette in the end. I don’t want to say too much about the prophecy or who Auden is, but I think it was worth the wait to get some big answers. I’m hoping the next book is more polished than this one, but I did enjoy reading this debut novel from the author.

The Bone Altar Bride (The Blood Oath Cycle #0.5) by E.C. Gregory

 

The Bone Altar Bride by E.C. Gregory

My Rating: ★★★

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

When Liora Hale’s name was selected as the next sacrificial bride, she’s numb. It’s a Blood Moon, and if the Unnamed King doesn’t get a new bride, her village will go through a rough year for disobeying the curse. However, Liora knows the truth behind her name coming up, and she’s desperate for answers to questions she’s always been lectured for daring to ask. When it turns out the Unnamed King and the curse are completely different from what she’s been told her whole life, Liora is ready to fight back.

I thought this novella sounded pretty interesting, and the first half had me totally hooked! We follow Liora from the moment she’s about to learn she’s been selected as the latest bride. I think the plot was an interesting concept, and I really did enjoy seeing all the lies unravel. However, I think it would’ve worked better as a full-length book rather than a novella. There just wasn’t enough time to properly build up a romance, so it ended up falling completely flat on that front.

That said, I really did enjoy the first half of the novella. It had a lot of potential and I think it would’ve worked really well as a full-length book or a novella without the romance plot. Unfortunately, I’m on the fence about checking out the first installment when it comes out. By the time I reached the final page, I had forgotten that this is the opening to a series rather than a stand-alone romantasy novella. The story wrapped up pretty well for me, so I’m not feeling particularly drawn to continuing, but we’ll see what happens.

Breaking Up Was the Plan, the Duke Falling For the Villainess Was Not! Vol. 2 by Kotoko, Ataka

Breaking Up Was the Plan, the Duke Falling For the Villainess Was Not! Vol. 2 by Kotoko, Ataka

My Rating: ★★★★

When Grace was reincarnated as the villainess in one of her favorite books, all she wanted was to make sure that Zane and Charlotte got together. What she didn’t plan for was for things to go completely off the rails when she saved Zane’s sister! Now he’s fallen crazy in love with Grace and is refusing to let her break things off. What’s worse is that something is strange about Charlotte, and Count Gardner is putting in his best effort to try to seriously court her. Poor Grace. Nothing is going right!

I almost dropped this book during the first chapter because I was just not vibing with it, but I’m glad I stuck with it! I was fully sucked back into the story by the end of chapter two and ultimately really enjoyed reading this. However, Grace is unnecessarily dense, and some of the things Zane has said and done are quite alarming. Those are my only real complaints about the book.

Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable story. I like several of the characters, and the world building is pretty interesting. Haniwa is my favorite character, and I really want to see what happens as their abilities get stronger alongside Grace. There were some things about a few characters, Charlotte included, that were confirmed for me as well. It’s made me more interested in seeing how one particular plot will unfold, so I’m excited to pick up the next volume.

Cozy Kawaii Christmas: 50 Adorably Festive Coloring Pages by Editors of Cider Mill Press

Cozy Kawaii Christmas: 50 Adorably Festive Coloring Pages by Editors of Cider Mill Press

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Cider Mill Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for the perfect cute and cozy Christmas coloring book, then this may be the book for you! Inside you will find 50 festive coloring pages depicting a range of scenes with adorable animals featured in each scene. The festive pages are on the more detailed side, so this may be a coloring book for middle schoolers and older. I love that the coloring pages are printed on only one side of each page, so I won’t have to choose which page I want to color in and which page will be sacrificed to my alcohol markers bleeding through. All in all, it’s an adorable coloring book!

Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind, Vol. 2 by Jun Hareta, Yahiro Arase

Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind 2 by Jun Hareta, Yahiro Arase

My Rating: ★★★★★

Now that Keios has learned that he accidentally rejected Nicole at every turn, he’s doing everything he can to win her back. Unfortunately for him, every time he tries to make things right, everything goes completely wrong! Meanwhile, Nicole is as happy as can be now that she’s put her expectations on the table. She’s discovered her independence and is content with the future she sees for herself, and it doesn’t involve romance… or possibly Keios at all?!

I’ve been really enjoying this series so far. This time around, Keios has learned the error of his ways and is trying to fix it. Along the way, we get to know some of the characters a little more, especially Keios and the reasons behind his previous actions. It was another fun volume! I especially loved watching Nicole really embrace doing what makes her happy while Keios chases after her.

What I enjoy most about this series is that there aren’t any quick fixes that magically make everything better. While it’s fun to see things run a lot more smoothly than they do in reality, it’s always good to see someone have to actually try to learn from their mistakes and put in the work to fix things with the person they hurt. I also love that Nicole has moved on, so it’s going to be pretty hard for Keios to mend things. It’s been fun watching his misadventures while Nicole is living her best life with the support of her peers the whole way. I’m looking forward to checking out the next volume!