Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist I went into Fourth Wing expecting fire-breathing dragons, high-stakes battles, and a fierce heroine. What I got was a hormonal fever dream with wings. Call me cynical, but if I wanted this much panting and brooding, I’d rewatch a teen drama from 2009. The Details The protagonist is supposed to be training for survival in a deadly war college. Yet somehow, she spends more time obsessing over jawlines than strategy. Every guy gets described like he walked off a romance cover. Every moment alone with one becomes a slow-burn cliché. The world is literally falling apart, but…
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Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist Heather Fawcett has done something magical with the Emily Wilde trilogy, and this final installment, Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales, is a masterpiece in quiet fantasy. It’s the kind of book you clutch to your chest after reading—the kind that lingers in your heart and makes you believe in the strange and beautiful all over again. The Details The Scholar Returns—Sharper, Braver, and Still Herself Emily Wilde remains one of the most distinct and refreshing protagonists in fantasy. She’s brilliant, socially stilted, and completely uninterested in playing the polite academic. Yet her…
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Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is a masterfully written sequel that deepens every element I loved in the first book. Heather Fawcett has once again crafted a story that feels like curling up by a hearth with a cup of tea—only to be swept into ancient forests, mischievous faerie courts, and the bittersweet truths of the human (and fae) heart. The Details We return to the journals of Emily Wilde, the fiercely independent and marvelously awkward dryadologist whose passion for faerie research remains unmatched. Her voice continues to shine—wry, intelligent, and deeply…
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Lying in the Deep
Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist When I picked up Lying in the Deep, I was ready to be hooked. A semester-at-sea program. A murder on board. An isolated cruise ship full of secrets. That setup should’ve practically written itself into a suspenseful, claustrophobic thriller. And for a while, it really seemed like it would. But once I got past the first few chapters, it became clear that this book wasn’t going to lean into the eerie, locked-room mystery I expected. Instead, it swerved into full-blown teenage drama — complete with jealousy, romantic angst, and more irrational decision-making than I had…
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You Will Be Mine
You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Let me start by saying I don’t hand out 1-star ratings like candy on Halloween. I’ll usually find something, anything, to hold onto—a compelling plot thread, a charming side character, a sliver of emotional payoff. But You Will Be Mine? No. This book drained every last drop of patience I had, and by the final chapters, I was genuinely questioning my life choices. The Details The premise was promising enough: creepy letters, a group of college friends, someone stalking them, and people dying. I mean, that sounds like a good time, right? Classic popcorn thriller…
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The Summer She Went Missing
The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Let’s set the scene: small town, a girl disappears, secrets bubble just beneath the surface. You’re thinking ooh, juicy! Maybe this’ll be a tight, suspenseful mystery with compelling twists, layered characters, and psychological depth. You dive in; get comfortable. You prepare for thrills. The Details And then—BAM. The main character arrives and steamrolls every ounce of potential like a drama queen on a mission. Look, I enjoy a flawed protagonist. I really do. But what we’ve got here isn’t a flaw. It’s a full-blown character malfunction. This girl isn’t just immature—she’s emotionally stunted. You’d…
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The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan is a beautifully layered and haunting novel that shifts through time. Blending South Asian folklore with the eerie elegance of British gothic literature, it draws you into a story where the past never truly stays buried. Set in a crumbling English mansion called Cilmary, the story follows Ayesha, a teenager who moves in…
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Two Twisted Crowns
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Two Twisted Crowns in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist To begin with, Two Twisted Crowns picks up right where One Dark Window left off—and from the very first chapter, Rachel Gillig pulls you even deeper into the eerie, enchanted fog of Blunder. This is the kind of sequel that not only meets expectations but shatters them, rebuilding its world with higher stakes, sharper emotion, and a story that cuts clean through the heart. The Details Firstly, Elspeth…
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Queen Among the Dead
Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Queen Among the Dead in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston is a richly atmospheric YA fantasy set in a myth-infused version of ancient Ireland. With its fierce heroine, enchanted landscapes, and anti-authoritarian message, this book has all the elements of an epic. But while the premise is promising, the execution sometimes stumbles. The Details The story follows Neve, a strong-willed princess who refuses to be bound by the expectations…
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Cursed
Cursed by Marissa Meyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Cursed in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Cursed is the much-anticipated conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s Gilded duology, a haunting and magical retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. While this final installment offers a return to the eerie world readers fell in love with in book one, it struggles to maintain the same level of momentum and emotional depth. It’s still worth reading, but it didn’t quite leave the lasting impression I had hoped for. The Details The strongest element of Cursed remains…
