The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune | Book Review

“Sometimes you need to take things on faith,” she said quietly. “Even if you think you have no faith left, I promise you, you do. All of you do. It’s easier, I think, to stay lost. But when you’re found, when you open your eyes, you can finally see the truth for what it is.”

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

LENGTH: 394 pages

GENRES: Science Fiction, Romance, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 26 October 2018 (e-book only) / re-released 4 February 2025 (for print)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A spine-tingling standalone novel by bestselling author TJ Klune – a supernatural road-trip thriller featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors on the run from cultists and the government.

There’s nothing more human than a broken heart.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only brother wants nothing to do with him, and he’s been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington, DC.

With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family’s summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon, to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It’s not.

Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn’t exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

My Review

I didn’t get that. Not before, Art had told him. I don’t think any of us did. Not until they felt a heart beating in a chest like I have. Not until I felt the bones beneath my skin. We’re not alike. Not really. We’re separated by time and space. And yet, somehow, we’re all made of dust and stars.

The Bones Beneath My Skin has been on my TBR for about a year, and I’m very glad I finally got around to reading it. It was weird and wonderful and exhilarating to read, and I had a pretty good time with it.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read TJ Klune, which was a large part of why I finally wanted to read this. I read and reviewed both The House in the Cerulean Sea and In the Lives of Puppets almost three years ago now, in 2023. Far too long to go without reading a TJ Klune novel, and I’m glad I finally rectified it. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the other two, but it’s still a bit of a banger, and a must-read for fans of Klune’s other works.

Alex reached down and picked up his rifle, snapping it free from the harness. Nate grabbed a dropped metal baton.

“You know how to use that?” Alex asked.

“It’s a stick,” Nate said. “You hit people with it.”

Anyway, the characters were definitely the highlight of this novel. Our POV main character is Nate Cartwright, a young journalist seeking a stay at his inherited cabin to clear his head and figure out where to go next, after suffering some devastating losses. He has the biggest character arc of the bunch, and I loved watching him fall into a found family with Alex and Art. Found families always seem to be one of Klune’s strong suits, and The Bones Beneath My Skin continues this trend.

The other two protagonists – Alex Delgado (not his real last name, but I’m not gonna spoil it) and Artemis Darth Vader – are also phenomenal. Art is especially a treat, and I loved her dialogue. The established father-daughter dynamic was also wonderful, and I enjoyed all of their interactions. The interplay only gets better once Nate started being drawn in – these three are a fantastic trio. Some of my favorite scenes in the book are just the three of them hanging around the cabin doing stuff and talking. The chemistry and dialogue between everyone is also off the charts.

“You’re not toast,” she said. “You can be Nathaniel Cartwright. Then you can be someone else. And then if you don’t like it, you can be Nathaniel Cartwright again. You’re not toast. Bread doesn’t have a choice. You do.”

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.

I also liked a couple of the minor characters, when though they don’t really appear much, or hold a lot of impact to the story. Eddie the gas station guy was great, and I also really liked Nate’s former coworker Ruth. I would have liked to see more of them, because I really liked the scenes with them and Nate, but I understand why they didn’t appear all that often. They kind of felt like they were only there to move the plot forward, though, which is a little unfortunate.

The story is also very engaging, and the pace is perfect. I like how the book starts off a little slower, and then around the halfway point, abruptly begins to ramp up. It just works so well.

The last third of the novel does slow down a bit though, and the plot feels like it goes on a little tangent for a bit, but it also feels necessary and connects nicely to the climax of the book. The ending was fine, but it didn’t hit right for me for some reason. I’m not sure why. It was still a solid read overall, however.

“I wondered what you would be like. Humans. What you would be capable of. How your minds would work. How your hearts would beat. You are animals. Fierce and wild. You are harsh and brutal and beautiful. There is no one like you in all the universe. You have the power for such destruction within you. And such joy. It’s a dichotomy that shouldn’t exist, and yet here it is. Within you. Within all of you.”

But yeah, I quite enjoyed The Bones Beneath My Skin and, as I mentioned above, I’m glad that I finally got around to reading it. Fans of softer sci-fi, aliens, found family, books with LGBT+ stuff, and of course – fans of TJ Klune – will probably like this novel.

As always, thank you to everyone so much for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah | Book Review

Every story is a memory. A tale that happened neither here nor there, but in another time and place. Our job as story-tellers is to describe that reality as we understand it. It is the listener who must determine what is and is not.

The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah

SERIES: The Sandsea Trilogy #2

LENGTH: 529 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 15 April 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A thief and a prince trapped in the crumbling, magical realm of the jinn must figure out how to save one world in order to return to their own in The Ashfire King, the second book in this epic series of myth and magic, perfect for fans of The City of Brass and The Bone Shard Daughter.

Neither here nor there, but long ago… After fleeing a patricidal prince, legendary merchant Loulie al-Nazari and banished prince Mazen bin Malik find themselves in the realm of jinn. But instead of sanctuary, they find a world on the cusp of collapse.

The jinn cities, long sheltered beneath the Sandsea by the magic of its kings, are sinking. And amid the turmoil, political alliances are forming, and rebellion in the jinn’s capital city is on the rise. When Loulie saves the life of a dissenter – one of her bodyguard’s old comrades – she puts herself in the center of a centuries-old war.

Trapped in a world that isn’t her own and wielding magic that belongs to a fallen king, Loulie must decide: Will she carry on someone else’s legacy or carve out her own?

My Review

There is no such thing as a single truth. There are just the stories we tell others, and the ones we tell ourselves.

It’s been quite some time since the first book in the Sandsea Trilogy. This is true for me as well even though I read and reviewed The Stardust Thief about a year after it came out, I’m also reading and reviewing its sequel nine months after it first released. So it’s been almost as long for me as it had been for everyone else last April.

I don’t know why it took me so long to read The Ashfire King. I got the book the day it came out and I was so excited about it (it was one of – if not my most – anticipated new book of last year), but then I just… didn’t read it. Part of it is because I was currently in the middle of another series and I wanted to wait to read anything else, I think. I’m disappointed it took me this long to read it, though.

Anyway, to the review!

General Thoughts

“So long as I breathe, I will not falter. To live is to persevere. For the world, and in spite of it.”

I did enjoy this book a lot, though not as much as its predecessor – that one I loved. I think it might be because it was a little slower, plus I didn’t vibe nearly as strongly with it as I did the first book. Oh well, I still liked it, though.

When we left our characters at the end of The Stardust Thief, the party was split. Qadir was captured by Omar, Loulie and Mazen were hurtling down into the jinn realm with the ifrit Rijah, and Aisha was fleeing into the desert.

And The Ashfire King pretty much continues from where the first one left off. It should be noted that the book starts off with one of the trilogy’s ‘story sections’ and this one kind of gave a little summary of what happened in the first book, which was very nice after the gap. It was integrated well into the story itself, as well, since there was a new character introduced that needed to be caught up on the events of book one. Not to mention it was in-character, what with Mazen being a storyteller and all.

The Characters and Story

She gasped at the sight of the compass in his hands.

Her compass.

Loulie stifled a cry as she grabbed it from him. The moment she felt its magic humming beneath her fingers, she grinned. Even had she wanted to, she could not have smothered that smile.”You went back for the compass?”

“You came back for me. It was the least I could do.”

Speaking of the main characters, they each continue to have their own little arcs here. Loulie is desperate and determined to get back to the surface and find Qadir, and she’ll do whatever it takes. Mazen is struggling with Omar murdering their father the sultan, his uncertainty of Hakim’s whereabouts, and his fear of returning home. Aisha has sworn revenge on Omar for lying and betraying her, whilst she deals with sharing a body with the Resurrectionist after their bargain in the first novel. And Qadir and what happened to him is unknown, though it is strongly implied he’s been captured by Omar. And everyone’s character development was extremely compelling here – I ultimately really enjoyed where they all ended up at the end of the book.

The plot was pretty slow, as I mentioned earlier. There were a lot of big moments throughout, but the book didn’t really ‘pick up’ so to say until almost two thirds of the way through. I’m not sure if this is a case of middle book syndrome, or if this book is just kind of slower just because it is, but I don’t recall the first book being as much of a slow-burn. I remember being pretty invested in that one for almost the whole time. Don’t get me wrong, the plot here was interesting and I enjoyed all the character moments. But parts of it did feel slow.

The Romance and Writing

Remembering the last time they had flown-the last time he had convinced Loulie to fly – he smiled and said, “Are you scared, Loulie?”

She cast a sharp look back at him. Just as they had been then, her eyes were filled with defiance. She gave him the same answer.

“Never.”

The climax was great though, and I generally liked the ending (except for the cliffhanger – ugh). The romance and relationship development is also a very slow-burn, but that was fine as it works for this story and makes sense with the characters. (I will confess to being unsure of its existence occasionally, however, with how slow it is, lol.)

The novel’s writing is also just as strong as its predecessor. I again also really enjoyed the way the little story sections were written and stylized. It’s probably one of my favorite things about this series.

Final Thoughts

His dedication flummoxed her. But then she realized she felt the same way. She did not know when it was she had come to rely on Mazen bin Malik, but at some point, the thought of losing him had become unbearable.But he was safe. They were safe.

But he was safe. They were safe.

For a moment, Loulie let herself believe it. She leaned her cheek into Mazen’s chest and thought, I refuse to lose anyone again.

Somehow, she would make certain of it.

The Ashfire King is a pretty good sequel to The Stardust Thief, and it clearly sets up the third book in the trilogy well. I definitely recommend it to fans of the first book – I think they’ll probably enjoy it. I also think it’s a good read anytime of the year, though you should definitely only read it if you’ve read the book one.

As always, thank you to everyone so much for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell | Book Review

It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him.

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

SERIES: Impossible Creatures #1

LENGTH: 358 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Knopf Books for Young Readers (originally published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

RELEASE DATE: 10 September 2024 (originally publication date 14 September 2023)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR • A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, KIRKUS REVIEWS, AND SHELF AWARENESS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever.

It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Katherine Rundell’s story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It is brought vividly to life with more than 60 illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.

My Review

“I think… wherever you are, the needle points you home.”

Impossible Creatures is a solid middle grade fantasy-adventure novel. The characters are diverse, interesting and likeable. The world of the Archipelago is lush and vibrant with life. And the art spread throughout this book is absolutely beautiful.

Christopher Forrester 🗺️ and Mal Arvorian 🧭 are our two protagonists. And I think that they complement each other out rather well. They’re both curious and bursting with a need for adventure, as well as courageous, intelligent and kind. Christopher was a good audience surrogate, and Mal was a good way to exposit the world building of the novel. I also enjoyed the characters that traveled with the protagonists Nighthand ⛵and Irian 📔 as well the creatures that traveled with the group.

The creatures were one of the biggest highlights of the book. The sphinxes and kraken were probably the most intriguing of them all, but my favorites were al-mirajes, the ratatoskas, the kankos and hippocamps. Also the glowing cat. And I always like mermaids and nereids. Ratwin the ratatoska 🌊 was a cool and I really liked how often she popped up in the novel. Gelifen the baby griffin 🪶 was also cute.

“And that’s the magic? The glimourie?”

“Glimourie, aye. Or glamarie, some of the islanders call it. Glawmery, glamry, glim, glimt. It’s all the same: it’s the name they give the first magic. Long ago, it was everywhere.”

I thought that the story of Impossible Creatures was pretty good. It wasn’t my favorite part of the book, but I think it was just fine for a middle grade novel. There were a few standout moments for me and a couple “twists” that got me – in that they weren’t actually twists but I thought they would be, so they ended up surprising me. I kind of figured out all of the actual twists though, and I thought that they were a little too obvious. To me. But they probably wouldn’t be for the actual target audience of this book, so I think they’re actually fine.

I also thought some of the character motivations were a bit unrefined and that the characters got attached to each other a little too fast. It felt like the author was rushing to get to certain points, and was speedrunning certain things in order to get there. I felt that the second half of the book was also much stronger than the first.

I’m kind of half-and-half on the writing here. On the one hand, the author definitely has some experience and some of the prose reflects this. On the other hand, I thought some of the dialogue was stilted and unnatural, and there were a lot of weird metaphors, some of which I thought didn’t really make sense.

Some sentences have the power to change everything. There are the usual suspects: I love you, I hate you, I’m pregnant, I’m dying, I regret to tell you that this country is at war. But the words with the greatest power to create both havoc and marvels are these:

“I need your help.”

The artwork, including the cover and the interior illustrations, was probably my favorite part of the novel. It’s just… so good. The cover is vibrant and colorful, and the actual hardcover itself beneath the book jacket is also very nice – nicer than most other hardcover books I’ve seen in a while. Like, it’s not just one color, there’s a bit of embellishment to it. The red sprayed edges are also nice, and complement the book well, whether the book jacket is on or off.

And of course, the interior illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. As much as I like to imagine myself what everything looks like, I always enjoy pictures and art of it within the book just as much. Also, there’s an awesome map inside as well – and it’s also the inside cover pages!

I also wanted to highlight the bestiary. I love it when books have bestiaries and appendices and stuff like that, especially when they’re well done. And this book has a good bestiary. Seeing pictures of what almost all of the creatures looked like was really awesome.

“For instance: consider the greatest riddle of all-what you should do with your one brief life? The answer is different for each person. There is no neat answer, though many have tried to offer one. There are no answers to being alive. There are only strong pieces of advice.”

All in all, however, I think that Impossible Creatures was a pretty decent book, a good middle grade novel and a solid start to a new series. I definitely recommend it to its target audience, as well as those who enjoy middle grade fantasy-adventure books with great art. The sequel is also coming out later this year, so now is the perfect time to read it.

Anyway, as always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett | Book Review

I let out a trembling breath. “And what sort of queen would that make me?”

He looked perfectly earnest as he leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Mine.”

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

SERIES: Emily Wilde #3

LENGTH: 352 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Del Rey

RELEASE DATE: 11 February 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves.

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

My Review

“Where would I be without you, Em?” he said. It was an old joke of ours, but it wasn’t a joke now, the way he said it. I did not reply, merely straightened the hair he had mussed, brush-ing it back into place. He took my hand and we kept going. Soon, the castle came into view-its light was visible first, a glow that silhouetted the nearby trees.

Yes! I finally finished and posted this review! It only took me forever. Ugh, I don’t know what it was about February this year… I just couldn’t get into reading for whatever reason. (I also can’t believe it’s been a month since I last posted a book review. Grrr. I’m a little frustrated with myself.)

Anyway, let’s talk about Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales.

Despite how long it took me to get to reading this book (the end of February) and how long it took me to compose this review (now), I really did enjoy it. It wasn’t my favorite in the series – that’s still the first novel, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries – but it was still very good. Honestly, I found that I enjoyed it about the same as book two, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands.

And so, without further ado, here I go. This ended up being a longer review, so I had to break it into sections, lol.

The Characters

He rose, shaking the dew from his cloak. “You have that look.”

He had mirrored my own train of thought, which made me scowl at him irrationally. “Which?”

“The one you wear whenever you outsmart me in some area,” he said.

“Well,” I began with a shrug, then stopped. My magnanimity was wearing thin, I’m afraid. “Haven’t I?”

He laughed, a clear, bright sound, and then, before I knew what was happening, he had lifted me off my feet and spun me through the air, the greenery and shadow of the forest a whirl all around me.

“My beloved Emily,” he murmured in my ear.

📒 Emily Wilde 🖋️ is still a fantastic protagonist. I still love her narrative voice and the trajectory of her character arc was awesome. Her relationship and banter with her academic rival and heir to the faerie realm of Silva Lupi, 🍃 Wendell Brambleby 🪡 (and yes, Wendell is still just as ridiculous as he’s always been) is also just as wonderful as it’s been the past two books. I really love where their relationship starts off from in this book, and where it finally ends. Everything about it was beautiful.

I always enjoy animal companions in stories, and Emily’s Black Dog 🖤 Shadow 🐕 and Wendell’s faerie cat 🧶 Orga 🐈‍⬛ have been fantastic ones for this series. It’s been a little sad seeing Shadow slow down, as he’s an old dog now, but he’s still as sweet and loyal as ever, and it made me happy every time he appeared on page. And Orga… well, a cat is still a cat even if it’s a faerie one, and I enjoyed all of her appearances as well. I just love doggos and kitties.

📚 Niamh Proudfit 🌳 is, I believe, the only new major supporting character introduced in Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales, but I felt she was a strong one. I really enjoyed reading about her, as well as her developing friendship with Emily. And we got to learn more about characters introduced near the end of the last book that didn’t get a lot of pagetime before, like Taran (a faerie lord who is also Wendell’s step-uncle as well as apparently like a million years old – as well as a sadist) and Callum (Taran’s mortal consort who has the faerie lord wrapped around his finger, but is unfortunately still kind of a non-character here in book three).

As this was the last book in the series, we also saw the return of pretty much all of the relevant cast from the first two books, which was phenomenal. I always love it when final books do this; it gives the impression that the series has come full circle. So yeah, Lilja and Margret, Farris Rose, Ariadne, Poe, Wendell’s stepmother, and even the freaking Hidden King all make appearances. And none of them feel like they’re out of place.

The Plot

I paused as the weight of what he was saying sank in. “Then-you haven’t the slightest idea how to rule a kingdom.”

“Does anyone?” He took my hand, discomfort shifting suddenly into earnestness. “We will learn together.”

“Oh God,” I said faintly.

He studied me. “Is it that bad? You already know more about faerie kingdoms than any mortal.”

As with the other two books in this series, I rather 💖 enjoyed the plot 📖 – I’d put it on par with book two. I think the strongest part of this novel for me was the middle, but the beginning was also pretty good even if it was a little slow.

The ending was also something that I thoroughly appreciated. I think that it was a wonderful way to end not just this book but the entire series as a whole, and can’t imagine a different denouement. Though I will mention that some of the chapters leading up to it were slow and felt like the book was being drawn out a little. Yeah, some of the pacing of the last third of the book was kind of… yeah. But I still really liked the story of this novel as a whole!

The Romance and Prose

He took my hand. His eyes were greener in the dappled sun-light and emerald murk of the lake. “Will you marry me?”

As always, 💞 I adored the romance 🔥 between Emily and Wendell. Their banter, was of course, impeccable, and the respect and love and trust between these two characters is my favorite part of their relationship. These are two people who know and understand each other very well, even despite the very inhumaness of the way one of them feels sometimes. I can’t stress enough how much I love reading about a deep relationship between two mature (for the most part) adults that is very consentual and full of communication. This is why they’re one of my favorite couples in fiction.

Not to mention these two start dating near the end of book one, so the rest of the series sees their relationship continue to evolve beyond the “finally getting together” phase that most books with romance end on. Just, so much of their romance is refreshing to read. And they complement one another so well.

Regarding the 🖊️ writing and prose 📄 … well, of course it’s still fantastic. As I mentioned above, I love Emily’s distinct voice, but I also love the way her journal entries are written. Even though I admittedly skipped most of them, unless I needed or desired further clarification, I appreciated the footnotes. They were – and always are – a very nice touch in the Emily Wilde series, and even if I don’t always read them I like that I have the option to, if I so choose.

Final Thoughts

“What can mortals learn of the stars, given that we cannot walk among them? Yet we try.” I opened my notebook again. “Others have argued that it is the endeavour itself that is the point of scholarship. I am not so certain of that, for I can never stop yearning for new discoveries. Even the smallest are as precious jewels to me.”

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales was an amazing addition to the Emily Wilde books, and an awesome conclusion to the rest of the series. I enjoyed reading about these characters and their world, and am very satisfied with the way things finished off, even if I’m a little sad to say goodbye. But it had a good ending, and that’s always one of the things I hope for the most when reading a series.

Of course I’m going to recommend this book, just like I did the rest of the series. Heather Fawcett is just a fantastic writer all around, and this book and especially the Emily Wilde series, showcase it beautifully. So yeah, if you like fantasy, romance, well-written romance and characters, and enjoy the occasional epistolary novel, then I can’t recommend this book enough. This trilogy enough. Heck, if you just enjoy good books – just read the Emily Wilde series, okay?

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

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This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone | Book Review

How can there be more when this is done? But it will never end – that’s the answer. There is always us.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

LENGTH: 198 pages

GENRES: Science Fiction, Romance, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Gallery / Saga Press

RELEASE DATE: 16 July 2019

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future.

Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

My Review

Words can wound-but they’re bridges, too. (Like the bridges that are all that Genghis left behind.) Though maybe a bridge can also be a wound? To paraphrase a prophet: Letters are structures, not events. Yours give me a place to live inside.

Oh my stars. I finally read it. I finally read This is How You Lose the Time War. And though it wasn’t the five star – or even four and a half star – read that I was kinda expecting it to be, I still greatly enjoyed it and am very glad I read it.

I’ve been peripherally aware of this novella for years; since sometime in 2020, I believe. But it didn’t quite catch my attention until the Bigolas Dickolas Incident of 2023 on Twitter (sorry “X”). If you know, you know. And like, I actually found out about it on Twitter (not sorry “X”) from the actual Twitter thread it occurred on, as opposed to like an article or YouTube video first. So it’s been on my TBR since this time – it’s just taken me forever to get around to reading it. And I finally did!

Out of all the things about this book, I think the two main characters are probably one of the strongest aspects of the book (we’ll get to the other in a bit). But it would have to be, in order for the book to be this compelling, considering how character focused it is. Which is very, by the way. This is a very character focused story – it’s all about how two characters interact with each other and how this ignites change in both of them.

Words can wound – but they’re bridges, too. (Like the bridges that are all that Genghis left behind.) Though maybe a bridge can also be a wound? To paraphrase a prophet: Letters are structures, not events. Yours give me a place to live inside.

Out of the two of them, I’d probably consider 🍓 Red ❤️ to be the technical main character. She has the most chapters, and a pretty decent chunk of the plot of the This is How You Lose the Time War is her character arc front and center. I also think that I preferred her over the two of them, I loved how long and emotive her letters to Blue were, and loved her personality.

The deuteragonist, 🫐 Blue 💙, was also a pretty fun and interesting character, and I was surprised she wasn’t my favorite considering I prefer the color blue to red in real life. But, I dunno, I guess I just didn’t like her letters as much. Especially at first. But I guess the less emotions in her letters (particularly in her first ones and compared to Red’s) just shows that she’s a bit more reserved about her feelings than Red is, even if Blue was the first to reach out.

Regarding the plot… I’d say that I definitely preferred the characters to it by a pretty good amount. The 📖 plot 📖 just wasn’t as strong, and for almost half the book, feels pretty nonexistent. This changes in the second half of course, and an incident close to the end makes you consider the amount of plot actually happening in the first half in a new way. But it’s still extremely light in the book’s first half. Which is why I was really happy when it did feel like plot was finally happening; in some ways, the beginning of this book was kind of a slog for me to get through.

There’s a kind of time travel in letters, isn’t there? I imagine you laughing at my small joke; I imagine you groaning; I imagine you throwing my words away. Do I have you still? Do I address empty air and the flies that will eat this carcass? You could leave me for five years, you could return never-and I have to write the rest of this not knowing.

I liked the budding🌹 romance 💘 here well enough. Red and Blue had a surprising amount of chemistry for two people who hadn’t properly met. Their letters to each other were also beautiful, though I really had to suspend my disbelief in some of their construction. I also found the pet names to get a little annoying after awhile. However, I thought the varied terms of address in the letters’ salutations to be awesome.

The 🖋️ writing 📃 was actually what I felt to be the strongest part of This is How You Lose the Time War. Yes, the character interaction and development was crucial to this story. But I think the novella’s writing is what actually carries it for me. The 💜 purple prose 💜 here is lyrical and lovely and so intricately written. This is some of the best purple prose I’ve read in a while, actually. I had so much trouble choosing quotes that I liked for this review. There was just too much great writing here.

But maybe this is how we win, Red.

You and me.

This is how we win.

So yeah, even though it wasn’t a perfect hit for me, I still greatly loved this book. And I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested, especially to those who like well-written science fiction and romance. Even if you’re not usually into sapphic fiction, I still encourage you to give this one a shot.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

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Summerfall & Homecoming by Claire Legrand | Book Reviews

That was one thing Rinka had always loved about humans, in the books she had read-like the faeries, they were governed by their hearts, by their passions. Their love of food and beauty, their love of country and home, even their love of love itself.

Summerfall by Claire Legrand

SERIES: Winterspell #0.5

LENGTH: 116 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

RELEASE DATE: 26 August 2014

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In this captivating novella, prequel to the upcoming Winterspell, Claire Legrand weaves a story of magic, political intrigue, and forbidden love.

Rinka is a faery, passionate and powerful, determined to maintain the tenuous peace between faeries and humans.

Alban Somerhart is a human, a reluctant king trapped in an arranged marriage, desperate to prevent war.

Their love could save the kingdom of Cane—or shatter it forever.

This entrancing tale sets the stage for the rise of a wicked queen, and the journey of a lifetime for a human girl named Clara…

My Review

“Anise,” Felazita whispered, tucking the blanket more closely around the child. The word dropped from her tongue like the beginning of a dance.

“I’d like to name her Anise.”

So, I finally got around to reading the Winterspell prequel novella. And it was okay. It wasn’t something that I really got into, but it made me appreciate stuff about Winterspell more, and reminded me about stuff I enjoyed about the book.

I wasn’t super into Rinka or Alban or their relationship, but I could understand why they were into each other, and I appreciated the background for the main story. I also liked seeing more faery characters, and it was nice to see faeries as a whole portrayed more sympathetically, as Anise and her cohort just didn’t do that for me in the main installment.

Summerfall really made me realize that one of the things I really enjoyed was the world of Cane and the way magic worked. It was cool to see more of it. I also liked seeing Cane in a more peaceful state, as opposed to the dystopian winter nightmare that it is for essentially the entirety of Winterspell. Aside from the epilogue, of course.

All in all, even though I didn’t really care much for the characters – especially since I already knew what had happened to them before I read it courtesy of the novel sequel – I appreciated a lot of other things this novella had. I also definitely recommend Summerfall to those who read and enjoyed the main story of the novel.

“Clara?” he questioned. His thumb circled softly against her palm, and love swelled in her like the rising sun.

“It will be a long journey,” she agreed, leaning down to kiss him, “but we will make it, together.”

Homecoming by Claire Legrand

BOOK DESCRIPTION: A brief epilogue to Claire Legrand’s YA Nutcracker re-telling, Winterspell. (Available for free download at Claire’s website.)

My Review

Yes, Clara had thought of these things. She had prepared herself to expect differences-an older world, progress made without her, decisions come and gone.

But knowing something and actually seeing it were, she was now finding out, two radically different things.

I don’t have too much to say about Homecoming either. Not only is it even shorter than Summerfall, what with it being a short story as opposed to a novella, but it’s really not anything more than an extra epilogue, as it says on the tin.

It was nice to see all the characters reunite after everyone split off at the end of Winterspell. I also liked seeing how everyone grew as characters apart from one another, as that doesn’t usually happen; especially for an extra epilogue like this. It was really nice to see Cane mostly patched up though, and that was probably the thing I enjoyed the most about this short story.

I definitely recommend this if you enjoyed Winterspell and wanted to see that happy ending that didn’t quite make it into the novel. Especially since it’s free on Claire Legrand’s website. Really, there’s no excuse not to if you’re a fan of the novel.

Anyway, as always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

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Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS) by MXTX | Book Review

“Thanks,” he said in a hoarse voice.

He wasn’t scared of falling. He had fallen many times over the years. But hitting the ground still hurt.

[…]

How wonderful it would be if there was someone there to catch him.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (MDZS) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX)

LENGTH: 2,000 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Seven Seas

RELEASE DATE: 21 December 2021 – 2 May 2023 (originally serialized online and in Chinese in 2015)

BOOK DESCRIPTION OF VOLUME #1:

This historical fantasy tale of two powerful men who find each other through life and death is now in English, for the very first time.

Wei Wuxian was once one of the most outstanding men of his generation, a talented and clever young cultivator who harnessed martial arts, knowledge, and spirituality into powerful abilities. But when the horrors of war led him to seek a new power through demonic cultivation, the world’s respect for his skills turned to fear, and his eventual death was celebrated throughout the land.

Years later, he awakens in the body of an aggrieved young man who sacrifices his soul so that Wei Wuxian can exact revenge on his behalf. Though granted a second life, Wei Wuxian is not free from his first, nor the mysteries that appear before him now. Yet this time, he’ll face it all with the righteous and esteemed Lan Wangji at his side, another powerful cultivator whose unwavering dedication and shared memories of their past will help shine a light on the dark truths that surround them.

My Review

“Who was it?” another boy asked.

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat quietly.

“The Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian,” Lan Sizhui replied.

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat again. “Um, why him again? Can we not talk about something else?”

No one paid attention to him. Lan Jingyi waved him off anxiously.

This book. This monstrous, gigantic book. I love it. It has its flaws, of course, but on the whole, I think it’s an amazing story.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, originally known as Mo Dao Zu Shi, and almost always shortened to MDZS, is a (very long) Chinese historical danmei fantasy novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (otherwise known as MXTX). And it’s a great book.

Also, it’s gay.

It’s also notable that it’s spawned numerous adaptations. There’s an animated series adaptation that I adore, a live action version known as The Untamed that I don’t give a crap about (I have absolutely zero interest in watching it), a graphic novel adaptation and an audio drama. So yeah, a lot of adaptations. I personally discovered this novel through fanfiction, and have thoroughly enjoyed it ever since. (It’s how I knew I’d like the book.)

But yeah, this book is a long one, too. And as a result, I have more to say than I normally would. So, I’m gonna break this up a bit.

The Characters

“Because that’s just how you are,” he continued with a smile. “To put it nicely, you’re chivalrous and free-spirited. To put it bluntly, you offend people wherever you go.”

To me, the characters are the heart of MDZS. Yes, the plot is fantastic. And everyone loves the romance here a ton. But I think the characters are what hold it all together.

🖤🪈 Wei Wuxian is our protagonist here. The book is told in third person perspective, and it’s pretty much just him. He’s a fun main character to follow – Wei Wuxian is smart, funny, kind and utterly without shame, and I enjoyed his personality and perspective. He’s also the character archetype that I affectionately the stupid genius, because he’s also one of the most oblivious characters I’ve ever seen.

🤍🗡️ Lan Wangji is the deuteragonist, and spends the novel supporting Wei Wuxian. He’s reserved and kind, and will do everything he can to make sure Wei Wuxian is happy and healthy. Lan Wangji is also the love interest. (This isn’t a spoiler – it’s very obvious he’s in love with Wei Wuxian from the beginning. Well, to the readers at least – Wei Wuxian is another story.)

I also really enjoyed all of the supporting characters to some degree, though there are far too many to talk about. My favorite dynamic in the novel, however, was between Wei Wuxian and the juniors. I really liked the teaching role he took with them – and not just because it made world building and exposition feel very natural.

The Plot

“One step at a time,” Lan Wangji said.

“How did you recognize me?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Think for yourself,” Lan Wangji replied.

Speaking of the plot, it’s definitely one of my favorite things about MDZS. I loved the gruesome mystery that gradually unfolds with the mysterious disembodied arm that appears the day of Wei Wuxian’s rebirth, as well as following where it went. 🎁📖 The present plot was my favorite of the book, and I feel that it’s the stronger of the two that exist within.

⏰📃 The other plot, because I wasn’t kidding when I said there were two, takes place as an extended flashback, and covers all the stuff leading up to Wei Wuxian’s death, as well as his revival thirteen years later. I felt that this plot was necessary to understand the full scope of the novel, but I definitely enjoyed it less than the current plot. (This isn’t unusual for me, though. Whenever there’s a current plot and a past story told in flashbacks simultaneously, I pretty much always enjoy whatever is going on in the story’s present. The flashback stuff is why I gave Volume 3 four and a half stars, though.)

🗺️✨ The world building was also fantastic. As I mentioned above, it really came across very naturally because of the way it was presented to the reader. Making Wei Wuxian a bit of a teacher was a great decision for the exposition of this novel.

The Romance

“Or, in other words – I fancy you, I love you, I want you, I can’t leave you, I whatever you.”

I really enjoyed the ❤️‍🔥 slow-burn ❤️‍🔥 between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. It was generally well written and has a sweet conclusion. These two have a great dynamic and good chemistry. MDZS also features my favorite love confession that I’ve ever seen, and I think one of the best ones I’ve ever read, objectively.

The only thing I didn’t enjoy about this relationship were the sex scenes. Now, I don’t like reading smut or about sex to begin with, so I’m a bit biased there. But I didn’t like the smut here at all. Some of it definitely has to do with the fact that sometimes the consent seems a bit dubious to me, but that’s neither here nor there. And the less said about the incense burner dreams extra, the better. (Please, for the love of God, just skip that extra/chapter if you ever read this book. My eyes.) (I think you can guess why I only gave Volumes 4 and 5 four and a half stars. Though with Volume 4 it was also the flashback stuff.)

The Writing

“No one can walk along a single-plank bridge their entire lives and never fall,” Wei Wuxian explained. “It can’t be helped.”

Since this is a translation, it’s nearly impossible for me to comment on the writing and prose. But I can certainly talk about this novel’s translation itself. Which ranges from… not the best to generally okay. (The Exiled Rebels translation found online is said to be better, but I also found it to have its own issues. Different ones, but I think they both have problems. It’s a very good translation for free, though.)

Not gonna lie, the translation for MDZS starts off rough. Like, Volume 1’s translation is straight up noticeably awkward and clunky and not the best. Volume 2’s is a little bit better, but there’s still something to be desired with it. The quality of the translation is specifically the reason why I gave the first two books four and a half stars. Because they had a lot of my favorite arcs, and would’ve otherwise been five stars.

In Volume 3, the translation felt like it had a noticeable improvement, to me. Even from the get-go. And Volumes 4 and 5 were slightly better than 3, which was great. I just wanted to warn anyone interested that the translation starts out rough, even though the story itself is definitely worth it. (Or you can just read the free translation online.)

The Extras

Wei Wuxian easily derailed this argument with some nonsense of his own. “Don’t you go trying to intimidate people with Lianfang- zun’s name. Furthermore, Little Apple is a steed that Hanguang-jun gifted me! Why would you guys bring Little Apple down the mountain to a Night Hunt? And allow it to be injured too?!”

“Liar!” the Lan juniors responded as one. They refused to believe that Hanguang-jun, with his taste and class, would pick such a steed as a gift. Even though Lan Wangji didn’t refute the statement, they vehemently refused to believe it.

MDZS features some short stories at the end of it. I enjoyed most of them, and thought they fleshed out the world and characters a bit more. (Hated the extra sex scenes, though. All of them. Especially the incense burner extra. Never going near that again. Whoo boy.)

My favorite extras were the ones with the night hunts, though I also enjoyed the one with the villains just hanging out. Most of the others were pretty good or at the very least okay, however.

Final Thoughts

“Lan Zhan,” he called. “Look at me. Quick, look at me!”

Wei Wuxian was calling to him with a smile on his lips. Just as he always had, Lan Wangji looked at him.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is a masterpiece. I loved almost everything about it, and had trouble putting it down. I read this entire 500,000+ word monstrosity in five days ’cause I liked it so much. It’s a really engaging story.

Like One Piece, however, I find it a bit difficult to recommend simply because it’s so long. Well, not as difficult, because MDZS is still far shorter and much less time consuming to get into. But it’s still long. So if you can handle long fantasy novels and enjoy LGBT+ relationships in fiction, as well as good character writing and world building, then I can recommend this. Just mind the translation.

Also, it would be remiss of me not to talk about the art here. It’s gorgeous, it’s beautiful, and it’s ultimately the reason I decided to go with the official translation. The book covers are pretty and vibrant and the illustrations within the volumes themselves are also very lovely.

But yeah, as always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night.

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle | Book Review

Every small town has stories, and Fall Island is no exception.

Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle

LENGTH: 304 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Horror, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire

RELEASE DATE: 5 November 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

There’s a saying on Fall Island: the snow will get you.

Gracie Hutchinson has lived here her whole life and knows there’s some truth to those words. Every few years someone dies in a snowstorm, or loses their mind, or disappears without a trace. Sometimes it seems like more than just New England weather. Now, a hundred-year-storm is approaching, and while most of the locals have taken the ferry to the mainland, Gracie must stay behind.

But she’s intrigued to find someone else her age has stayed too—Joseph Wescott, whose mysterious family lives in Wescott Manor, descendants of the legendary first settlers of Fall Island. Together, they stumble across something even more unsettling than the coming storm: the body of a stranger, murdered in a grim ritual. Someone on the island believes the old Fall superstitions have a dark power—and now, they have Gracie in their sights.

As the hours count down to the blizzard’s landfall, it seems the only safe place to go is Westcott Manor. But Gracie wonders if there’s another reason why she’s been brought there, one that has to do with Joseph. She’ll discover secrets that have been kept for generations, a hidden history, and the terrifying truth about Fall Island. Because even when the storm ends, there’s no escape from the horror beneath the snow.

My Review

It’s like snow just swallows them. The snow got ’em, say the old people. Snow drowned ’em but good.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a horror novel, and Snow Drowned didn’t disappoint. It was dark and unsettling, and there were several twists lurking beneath the surface. And no, it unfortunately wasn’t evil snow.

First off: the plot. I actually ended up really enjoying it for the most part, and there were several things about it that I didn’t immediately predict, which is always fun. This book had a lot of Harvest Home vibes, right down to a disconcerting old lady who’s in charge of the community, and the strange, perplexing mystery the protagonist slowly unravels throughout the novel. There was some unexpected eldritch horror referenced as well, and I was definitely not expecting to read another book with it this year – or for it to be this one.

Though I really liked the story as a while, as well as several individual scenes and chapters, I didn’t enjoy parts of the climax and most of the ending. And I can’t really say why because it’s a huge spoiler. Well actually, part of it was because there didn’t end up being evil snow that kills people, which I thought would’ve been a really cool concept, but part of it was that the actual stuff behind everything (revealed about 85% through the book) kinda disappointed me, for some reason. (I know why I didn’t really like it, but telling could ruin the story.) I also didn’t really care for the ending for this reason as well. But it’s also because the ending was darker and more open-ended than I expected it to be.

“It’s just shitty luck, being born here and being born first.”

Regarding the characters of Snow Drowned, I found I ended up liking them for the most part. Though I initially found 🌨️ Gracie Hutchinson to be a little annoying, she ended up being a fairly decent protagonist to follow. I ended up liking her curiousness and the fiery bits of her personality that emerged as the book went on. Our male lead, 🌊 Joseph Wescott, was also fairly interesting in that he ended up being more than just the nice rich heir to the island. I found his grandmother 🏔️ Marin Wesott and the old, mysterious nun, 📔 Sister
Francis, to be more interesting, as well as their and conflicts and history and secrets.

The family dynamics between characters and the mysterious history of Fall Island were also interesting. They were honestly the things that had my attention the most during the novel. I really wanted to know what was going on.

The writing of the book was also pretty good – both the prose and the dialogue. My only major problem (and it really is an issue) is how repetitive everything is in the first few chapters. Chapter 1 has a huge exposition dump that lasts a decent chunk of it. It honestly wasn’t that fun to read. I immediately thought that it would’ve been far more enjoyable to follow if it was integrated into the story proper via dialogue. Instead it was something that the main character was randomly thinking about for no real reason other than to feed us the plot.

Which… the novel actually does in chapters 2 and 3 which makes it even worse. Like, why are you bothering to front load all this at the very beginning if you’re just going to do it again in a better way just a little bit later. It was a decision I didn’t understand, and feel like it should have been changed in editing. But that’s just me. Other than that, though, the writing was fine.

“Because as long as there’s a mark bearer, they will always rise,” I remember.

So yeah, for the most part, Snow Drowned was pretty good. I enjoyed it well enough and I certainly recommend it. I think that people that enjoy stuff like The Wicker Man unironically, or books like Harvest Home or ones that feature eldritch horror but with a YA flavor, might enjoy this book.

As always, thanks to everyone for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

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One Piece (Pre-Time Skip) by Eiichiro Oda | Review (Part 1)

The titles of the first eight arcs of One Piece

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

NUMBER OF VOLUMES: 110 (as of this review)

GENRES: Fantasy, Manga, Fiction

ENGLISH PUBLISHER: Viz Media

ORIGINAL RUN: 22 July 1997 – present

BOOK DESCRIPTION OF VOLUME #1:

Join Monkey D. Luffy and his swashbuckling crew in their search for the ultimate treasure, the One Piece.

As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to stretch like rubber. Its only drawback? He’ll never be able to swim again—a serious handicap for an aspiring sea dog! Years later, Luffy sets off on his quest to find the “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world…

Get Ready to Set Sail!

My Review

This review has been a long time coming. I’ve been buddy reading One Piece with my spouse for the past year – it’s so long that we take breaks every month or so (also so I can read stuff other than One Piece).

It’s also so long that I decided from the get go that I’d split it into three reviews. The first review: the Pre-Time Skip Arcs (aka: this one). The second review: the New World to Wano. And the third review: the Final Saga (this one I wouldn’t do until after One Piece is complete, which could be a couple more years).

So yeah, my spouse and I started reading it about a year ago. Which, wow, that’s a while. There’s a lot of ground to cover here (because of how freaking long this manga is), but I have surprisingly little to say. Or maybe I have too much to say about it and it’s too much, so my brain decided to automatically process the extraneous stuff out. I don’t really know. Either way, this might be a shorter review than you’d expect for such a long and long-running series as this.

The Characters

The characters are one of the things that keeps me coming back. I love the Straw Hats, they’re such a fun, eclectic crew with all kinds of quirks.

👒 Luffy: Ah, the crazy rubber man. He’s so ridiculous, funny and dumb. I know he’s a cookie-cutter shounen protagonist, but I love him. He’s so extra.

🗡️ Zoro: Zoro and Luffy are two peas in a pod. They’re both dumb and ridiculous and extra, but different kinds of dumb and ridiculous and extra. He’s the first person to join the crew, and he’s Luffy’s right hand man. I love the running gag about his complete lack of sense of direction.

🍊 Nami: The second one to join the Straw Hats, and the navigator. For so long, Nami held the single brain cell (until Robin). I love her attitude and how she keeps the group on track.

🏹 Usopp: Luffy’s ~~liar~~ – I mean sharpshooter. His arc in Water Seven changed how I saw him as a character – though his exaggerated cowardice alternatively irritates and amuses me.

🍲 Sanji: The ship’s cook. I like Sanji for the most part, but his pervy tendencies annoyed me sometimes. The anime pervert trope needs to go away for a bit, I’m kinda getting tired of it.

🦌 Chopper: The reindeer doctor. He’s so CUTE. 😍

📚 Robin: The sixth member to join the Straw Hats and an archeologist. I really enjoyed her – she’s got a great character arc and I like her dark humor.

🛠️ Franky: The Straw Hats’ shipwright. Also, a blue haired cyborg engineer powered by cola (yes, really). I didn’t expect to like him as much as I did, but I think he’s in my tip five Straw Hats.

💀 Brook: A skeleton and musician. He was the Straw Hat I was most excited to meet, partially because it took a bit to get to him (and also because he’s a singing skeleton who makes bad puns). He didn’t disappoint.

I loved a lot of the supporting characters that appeared in each arc as well, but there’s waayyy yo many to even mention here. My favorite characters that weren’t Straw Hats, though, were: Vivi, Buggy, Dr. Kureha, Chouchou the dog, Iceberg, Kokoro, and Ace.

The Plot

There’s. So. Much. Plot. Like, so much. This story just keeps going on and on. And I love it, even if it is incredibly long. Every arc in One Piece has something to love, even if I enjoy some a little bit more than others.

The setting itself is also really cool. I love the idea of a world that’s basically a giant ocean. It reminds me a lot of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. (And yes, I know One Piece predates this game by about five years and that Oda was working on it for years before it started being serialized. I just played this Zelda game first, many years before I started reading OP, in fact.) I love all the unique islands and biomes and how like sixteen different seasons technically exist. It’s also really interesting how even this early on, there’s some foreshadowing and implications that not everything about the way the world is currently is as it seems.

Impressively, nearly all the arcs have some relevancy to most of the major plot points that have come up as well. Even the ones that don’t really seem to affect it as much still have stuff to contribute to the world building. I’m also impressed with the consistency, despite the length and how long this series has been running.

But now for a brief review of all the arcs I’ve read so far:

🏴‍☠️ East Blue: Though some people have said that this is the weakest and one of the worst arcs compared to the rest of the story, the East Blue Arc is actually one of my favorites. I think it’s even in the Top Three. I found it to be a fast-paced, engaging and solid start. Most of the Straw Hats are introduced in this arc, and I loved reading them join the crew, and all the hijinks that occurred along the way.

🧭 Baroque Works: My favorite arc in the series so far. There’s just something about it that I really love. I gave nearly every part of it five stars. The crew finally venture out to the Grand Line here, and I loved seeing the crazy adventures turn up to eleven.

☁️ Skypiea: As much as I ended up loving the later parts of this arc, Skypiea definitely wasn’t my favorite. Let me be clear, I enjoyed this arc as I did all of the rest of One Piece. But… it’s probably my least favorite. It just doesn’t feel as connected to the rest of the story, and I think that’s part of what bothered me. (That, and the build up at the beginning felt a bit slow.) Here, the crew sail to an island in the sky.

🌊 Water Seven: I really liked this arc. Top Three (or Four) definitely. We get to learn a lot about some of the crew, and stuff really starts to build up for the stuff that leads to the time skip. There’s also a lot of world building that goes on here. In this arc, the Straw Hats seek a shipwright to help repair their shop, the Going Merry.

👻 Thriller Bark: Probably my second least favorite arc, actually. I love it to bits still, like Skypiea, but it isn’t quite up to par with the rest of the story for me. I really enjoyed the idea of a Halloween themed island (or ship I guess, technically), but parts of it just weren’t as interesting as other arcs. The crew are waylaid and sucked into the Florian Triangle in this arc.

🏝️ Sabaody / 🔐 Impel Down / 🔥 Marineford: I know, I know, these are technically three separate arcs. But they’re all so short and the events that occur throughout all three are highly related and really build off each other before culminating in the event that causes the time skip. So I’m grouping them together here. Anyway, this was another Top Three Arc for me; everything is all just so crazy and intense and it’s one event right after another. During these arcs the Straw Hats are separated and Luffy sets off to rescue someone close to him.

The Art

It would be remiss of me to review a manga without mentioning the art. Though I was initially put off by the art style – this was several years ago now when during my one and only attempt to watch the One Piece anime – I ended up liking it. It’s pretty goofy and unique.

The only thing kind of negative I gotta say about it is that there aren’t really unique female character designs. A lot of the women generally look the same. But other than that, I don’t really have anything unfavorable to say regarding the artwork.

Final Thoughts

I really, really enjoyed what I’ve read of One Piece so far, and am definitely looking forward to what is to come. I can’t wait to see what happens next! And the characters and story and world building and art are all just so good. I really do love almost everything about this magnum opus of Oda’s.

Unfortunately, as much as I adore this manga, I don’t really feel comfortable recommending it. Because of how insanely long it is. One Piece is definitely a commitment, and despite what OP manga superfans claim about this being the greatest manga ever (which I don’t think, just to be clear), probably not for everyone. If you are interested, however, this series is very accessible – there are a lot of different options to read and/or watch it. As of now, I rate what I’ve read as a whole:

But yeah, I’m possibly going to continue with this perhaps at the end of this month, but if not then hopefully next month in December. I wanna read what happens next, but I also want to read other books, too. So I have to manage my OP reading!

Anyway, as always, thank you so much to everyone for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

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The Sheets Series by Brenna Thummler | Book Review

It’s difficult to list, in order, the things I hate. But I can say with no uncertainty that laundry and ghosts are currently tied for first.

Laundry because it’s much too real.

Ghosts because they’re not.
Sheets

The Sheets Series by Brenna Thummler

LENGTH OF SERIES: 928 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Supernatural, Middle Grade, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Oni Press

RELEASE DATES: 28 August 2018 – 5 September 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION OF SHEETS:

A story of ghosts, family, loneliness, and laundromats.

Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen-year-old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything she’s worked for. Wendell is a ghost. A boy who lost his life much too young, his daily routine features ineffective death therapy, a sheet-dependent identity, and a dangerous need to seek purpose in the forbidden human world. When their worlds collide, Marjorie is confronted by unexplainable disasters as Wendell transforms Glatt’s Laundry into his midnight playground, appearing as a mere sheet during the day. While Wendell attempts to create a new afterlife for himself, he unknowingly sabotages the life that Marjorie is struggling to maintain.

Sheets illustrates the determination of a young girl to fight, even when all parts of her world seem to be conspiring against her. It proves that second chances are possible whether life feels over or life is over. But above all, it is a story of the forgiveness and unlikely friendship that can only transpire inside a haunted laundromat.

My Review

Humans are delicate, too. The teensiest mistake can ruin them, even if you do everything else right. Just because mistakes seem small and insignificant, doesn’t mean they are.
Delicates

Ugh. I wanted to have this review out on Halloween. Clearly, that didn’t happen, lol. So much for that. (Here’s a belated Happy Halloween 🎃👻🐈‍⬛🧹🦇🕸️ to everyone, by the way.) But it’s here now, I guess. Anyway.

I decided to read the Sheets series because it looked cute, and… honestly, that’s kind of it. But I don’t think I really need to have another reason than that. I mean, that’s my initial reason for picking up most books – there’s something about them (usually their covers) that draws me to them. And this wasn’t any different.

Since there are actually three books in this series (it isn’t just the same book split into three volumes, like The Glass Scientists), and I felt differently about each one, this review is actually gonna be split into three mini reviews. So let’s start off where this series starts off – with the first book in this little series: Sheets.

Sheets

“But this place is home, baby. And once you have that, there’s nowhere you’d rather be.”
Sheets

I rather enjoyed Sheets. It was a solid start to this little series of graphic novels. My favorite thing about this installment – and I guess the rest of the books as well – was how nostalgic it made me feel.

If I put the pieces together correctly based on the information provided, and am remembering that correctly, this series starts in 1998. I was very young at that time, so I barely remember anything, but since a bunch of nineties stuff carried over a bit to the 2000s, it was enough to make me feel the nostalgia. The Gameboys, the lack of cell phones everywhere – all these things awoke ancient memories within me. It was so weird, but it was nice to look back on that time.

The thing that I loved the second most about these graphic novels was how ghosts’ forms come from bedsheets. I absolutely loved that idea – I thought that was so clever and adorable. The ghosts were also my favorite part of the art style.

The characters were also cute. I really liked Marjorie and Wendell’s friendship, but I wished we’d gotten to see them more as friends during the novel, instead of just becoming friends near the end.

Speaking of the ending, it was kind of… eh. Everything wrapped up just a little too neatly, and parts of it didn’t make sense. If being seen by humans is such a huge law in the ghost world, why is it suddenly okay at the end? But I recognized that this series is targeted towards middle grade and younger, so I kind of get why everything was wrapped up so quickly and efficiently.

Delicates

“Everyone has ghosts. I think we all need to learn that there’s no shame in letting them out.”
Delicates

Out of the three graphic novels in this little series, Delicates was unfortunately the one that I enjoyed the least. Don’t get me wrong – I still liked it, I just didn’t like it as much as the other two.

The main reason for this was definitely all the middle school drama. It just annoyed me to read about, likely because I already lived it. I didn’t enjoy middle school drama when I was in middle school and I don’t enjoy it now. And out of all three books in the Sheets series this one definitely deals with it the most, which is why it’s my least favorite. I think that actually kids in middle and primary school will enjoy it for this reason, though, because they’re probably going through this stuff right now.

I did enjoy the new main character introduced, however. Eliza was awkward and quiet, but she really rounded out our main trio in the best way. Unfortunately, like in Sheets, we didn’t get to see as much of this interaction as I’d have liked. We also didn’t get to see too much of Marjorie and Wendell just hanging out as I had expected either, which was also disappointing. Because most of Delicates was focused primarily on introducing Eliza and the aforementioned middle school drama.

I will say that the topics focused on in this installment are important for middle school aged kids, as well as sensitive, so reader discretion might be advised. (Depression and suicide ideation are very heavily implied.)

Lights

It’s much harder to create light than it is to extinguish it.
Lights

Lights was my favorite out of the Sheets trilogy, and it really isn’t that surprising. It was the most “action packed” of the three, and had the most interesting plot to me. It focused on the thing I was most curious about from the beginning: Wendell’s past before he died and the events leading up to it.

This is also the installment where we got to see the friendships play out between the trio that I’d wanted to see since Sheets and that I felt were a bit neglected in Delicates. We also got to see a lot of catharsis playing out regarding parts of the story and between characters, so that was also nice to read.

All in all, I don’t really want to say too much about this one, as it is the last book in this series. But I will mention that I really enjoyed it and that it definitely had a satisfying conclusion for the trilogy.

Final Thoughts

“There’s good and bad in everyone, you know?But the more friends you have in your life… well… the more, uh, brightness you’ll have overall.”
Lights

Regarding this series as a whole, I think the Sheets series is a solid little collection of middle grade graphic novels. I definitely recommend this to kids that age that like cute supernatural stories with a bit of a darker side.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure teenagers and adults might find something (or things) to enjoy about it, whether it be the art, the nostalgia or the ghost story aspect of it. But I definitely think kids will get the most enjoyment out of this trilogy out of everyone.

As always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you have an excellent day/night! I hope everybody had a great Halloween, too!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS:

Goodreads

Instagram