I think this book will stay with me for awhile, I'm afraid the willows have taken root. I know many people draw the obvious parallels with Lovecraft, but for me this one also had some vibes that brought up touchstones from The Mist (Stephen King) and a smidge of Pan's Labyrinth. Definitely that dark otherworldliness but also the religious and/or mythical undertones throughout.

Sometimes the vastness and imagination that goes into multiverses can be overwhelming but I thought this was beautifully balanced by the characters, with their lightness and their dark humor and being so down-to-earth (which is funny, all things considered!). Carrot and Simon, and even Uncle Earl help even things out and brought levity to a quagmire of disturbing otherness.

The disquieting undertones all throughout was classic horror that I greatly appreciate. It's like a feeling you get that something is behind you and that paralyzing moment where you're deciding whether to look or not, to quickly escape or rationalize it away. In willow world or not, that feeling stays with you throughout the story and it's fabulously unsettling. On the flip side the vivid picture painted with some of the more in your face creepy situations, like the bus or Sturdivant, was grotesquely clear and so easily visualized.

I think my favorite part of all though was the last part in the Museum. It brought a whole new heartwarming element to the tale that I wasn't expecting. For lack of a better term, there really is no place like home, and the idea that your home might feel that way about you too is quite touching. All in all this was a fast paced enthralling read and I definitely look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I received an arc of this book from Gallery Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

Fable was exactly what I didnt even know that I needed. I've been struggling to connect with YA for awhile now. I think I was just missing the right kind of YA. The kind that isn't defined or constrained by it. This was escapism at its finest. Young's writing has a way of sweeping you away right along with the characters. You feel as though you are deep diving side by side with Fable the whole wild journey. And what a turbulent journey this is!

Not only was this story incredibly atmospheric but the characters were very well written too. This ragtag crew of Waterside strays aboard the Marigold became the family you choose, which sometimes means even more than the one you're given. I feel like we've only scraped the surface of their uncharted depth and I look forward to discovering more hidden treasures there. The ending was quite explosive. I already knew I'd want more of this exquisite world, but those last few pages made me hurt for it. Marvelous beginning to an epic tale!

I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

I've been eagerly awaiting this book since the minute I finished The Rogue King! While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think Kasia stole the show in a lot of ways in the first book and Skylar was a bit more enigmatic and more standoffish in this one so it made it harder to connect. It also made the connection between Skylar and Landon a bit more fickle. The chemistry was there but there was less longing and more of them scrambling to push back apart from each other. It was kinda the opposite of what I felt in The Rogue King, I was more into Kasia and in The Blood King, Landon was the beacon for me. His role and his drive to protect and do right by his people was admirable and made him more accessible. Undoubtedly they make a good pair though. He clearly needed a strong match and Skylar was definitely that.

This sequel hit every other key perfectly for me. It enriched the already lavish world, the overall plot furthered, the dragon politics raged on, characters we've previously seen were expanded on, and we meet some new ones with sure to be interesting roles in the coming novels. I have to say I'm completely fascinated with Meira and what she has been up to. I'm hoping to see a bit more of the gargoyles she's been hanging around with in the next book! Also, very curious about the Black Clan dragons and how that'll all play out. Each addition to the series only makes me want more and more!

I received an arc of this book from Entangled: Amara via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

This was a perfect summer read! You know the kind, something light and quick and fun. Honestly I haven't been feeling much YA lately but this was the ideal choice for dipping a toe back in, I was able to read it all in two sittings.

The relationships in this book were wholesome and cute. I liked that while obviously it was a romance, it was mostly about a young girl finding herself. I also really enjoyed being immersed in Winnie's life and culture. While it can be great to see yourself in a character sometimes, it's also awesome to learn about cultures different than your own and see a new perspective. One of my absolute favorite things about this story was how rich it was in Thai culture. Dunn writes beautifully about Thai traditions, values, so many glorious dishes, and she even touches on the struggle of being a Thai-American living in the US. I really appreciated getting that closer look into something I didn't know a ton about.

I received an arc of this book from Entangled Teen via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

I went into this one hoping for a little more action/excitement. I was more forgiving of the lack of that element in the first book because it's a lot of setup on the world and plot in general but I really needed to see that progression in the sequel, and through the first two thirds of this book I did not. The Morning Flower was actually set up quite the same as the first book in terms of very little progression until the end. Again with this one, the plot and world are interesting but I can't help but to be left feeling like a lot of the search for answers and rather mundane details could be condensed greatly in the first 2/3 of this story. It drags. It made it hard for me to fully get into and that's not what I want in a sequel. It's a lot to wade through to get to the excitement, just to end on another cliffhanger.

Even other sub-elements like the romance are basically non-starters. When done well a 'will they or won't they' can be fun and torturously exciting. Ulla and Pan or even the hinted at spark of attraction with Jem-Kruck just never had that integral draw. The desire to see either happen at all never fully formed for me. The characters were so apprehensive and not fully into it that how in the world could I as a reader be? Surprisingly I think a lot of this book was meant to be a slow progression to more between Ulla and Pan but their lack of passion and outward interest definitely fed into mine and I just didn't end up caring one way or another.

I was really hoping book one was an exception and not the rule and unfortunately that proved otherwise for me here. While I would like to see what happens next in the story, it's just not enough that I am content waiting to reach the end of another novel to get a little further.

I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.