I have to echo the majority of other Goodreads reviews I spent at least a half hour reading after finishing this book by saying that the concept is so so so cool, but the execution and plot choices didn't deliver for me as a reader. I was fueled to purchase this novel with no prior knowledge for three main reasons: 1) The enchanting cover, 2) the intriguing dust jacket description, and 3) the fact it was an author's debut novel. I'm all about supporting debuts from my own hopeful standpoint of being published soon, so I sincerely don't regret this read. In fact, I have to applaud so many parts of this debut work while ultimately feeling let down by the final execution because if this is just the beginning of  Medina's contribution to the world of fantasy writing, we're in for a treat (PSA: It's by no means easy to write a book).
What I can applaud about this novel: The worldbuilding. So cool. In fact, maybe the story's coolest element. I have to harp on the confusion I experienced trying to follow the plot (juggling multiple POVs is a feat, but I don't think the choice to juggle multiple POVs with third-person narration and significant time jumps in the middle of chapters worked optimally here). Due to this confusion, I felt myself most drawn into a desire to experience and understand more of the world of the dead gods, how they're worshipped, how they're arguably defiled (ie. Anchor as a product) etc. There's so much fodder for this element of the story to make however far Azul's storyline stretches more intriguing.
Which brings me to characters: I just could not connect with them despite really really wanting to. I wanted to sink my teeth into what I thought would be an explosive romance between Azul and the emissary of the Lord Death, because come on. The fundamental tension between their very beings was ripe soil, but I didn't feel like the fruit grew. Concerning the rest of the cast of characters, I just couldn't keep up, and therefore spent most of my mental reading energy trying to keep them straight rather than becoming invested in who they were.
I genuinely think there are many moving parts to this book that work so well, but because they don't all work together nearly-seamlessly for me as a reader, I won't be continuing to read the rest of this series as it continues.

Unsurprisingly, I learned so much from this succinct, emotional, comprehensive, and factual collection of information about a disease and its effects I really had to prior knowledge of. I think I am one of many readers who probably (hopefully) had several moments while reading where it became clear to them that, although unjust, the lack of more widespread knowledge on this disease and its effects is so deeply rooted in issues concerning colonialism, racism, poverty, and lack of resources that are available to the rich but overlooked as a priority for the poor. I think Green's way of outlining and organizing information about tuberculosis as a tangible scientific thing combines perfectly with its intangible aspects (aka, how it deeply impacts every aspect of humans like Henry's lives). Framing all of the overlapping information and history through the testimony of Henry is a fantastic writing device as well as testament to Green's deep personal investment in tuberculosis as something that interests him while not directly targeting him. I was moved by the consistent descriptions of Henry's tenacity, vigor, moments of decline, family matters, and eventual recovery. His is a story that I understand to have impacted Green in a lifelong by the way he writes about him as well as how he utilizes his story as a means for hope and shedding light on how the disease exists and devastates in areas like Sierra Leone.
I also really appreciated how Green wrote about OCD from his own perspective and related this particular type of mental illness to understandings of TB in a delicate, educated way. Reading the specific ways Green uses this book and narrative to shape the concepts of stigmatization and romanticization for both TB and OCD felt like he'd peeked into my own mind and first hand experiences as a woman who's lived with diagnosed OCD since she was 6 years old. Green's well-conducted research and well-expressed findings and conclusions based on all that research make his writing sensational, in the novels of his I've greatly enjoyed as well as this nonfiction gem. 


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Some of my favorite quotes from Everything is Tuberculosis:

"Nothing is so privileged as thinking history belongs to the past."

"Stigma is a way of saying, “You deserved to have this happen,” but implied within the stigma is also, “And I don’t deserve it, so I don’t need to worry about it happening to me."

"People who are treated as less than fully human by the social order are more susceptible to tuberculosis but it’s not because of their moral codes or choices or genetics, it’s because they are treated as less than fully human by the social order."

Ok so wow, cozy fantasy may be for me in a way I never thought it would. It wasn't that I doubted a compelling plot could be crafted from the less action-packed parts of a fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons-inspired world, but more so that I wouldn't be kept interested in a slower-paced plot. I think it was the geniusly-crafted characters and fantastic dialogue from the first few pages that really made me stop and sit up . I was intrigued by the stone Viv hides under the floor of her livery turned coffee shop from the start, aware it was important in a magical way as well as symbolic for Viv---will things go right for this retired ranger intent on making a dream come true and settling down in a town that could be hers? I had to know! 
I liked learning how the mechanics of this fantasy world worked in terms of the technology Viv, Cal, and Tandri used to build and create not only the shop itself, but the machinery necessary to make and maintain coffee. I was very happy to see the appearance of an iced latte (that may have been my main gripe in this review if such an appearance had not been made). The descriptions of community among the shop's patrons, the town at large, and the sense of camaraderie that emerges from the presence of the establishment and good beverages really warmed my heart.
From a writing perspective, this novel also just hits all the right beats at the right times, rolling right along with a plot that spreads forward like a fancy red carpet. I felt such satisfaction at seeing a physical end product of Viv's patience and perseverance in the coffee shop (and such despair when the inevitable happens). I was also so so delighted to find that what I thought may have been hints at a romance were, in fact, hints at a romance. Three cheers for a nearly-concealed slow burn I didn't realize I was rooting for until it was right in front of me!



One of my favorite quotes from Legends & Lattes:

"I was just thinking that you don’t have to forget who you were… because that’s what brought you here."

I've been seeing a lot of resounding praise for this novel including the word "masterpiece," and I definitely can say I agree with the use of the word here. While this book holds oh so much, and so well (I loooooved the consistent footnotes), it also tells a story that resonated with me for its beautiful moments of simplicity regarding making friends in a place of learning. 
From the very beginning, Robin's journey to Oxford felt like one I wanted to believe would go as smoothly as possible. But, because Kuang is the fantastic writer she is, and the undertones of colonialism's destruction permeate the narrative from the very first page, I knew this couldn't be the case. I loved, despite this heavier aspect of the novel, how the wonders of academic camaraderie were crafted. The shared exhaustion, codependency in coursework, late night swapping of thoughts, and everything in between---it made me desperately miss grad school. It also made me think about the unique quality of Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty's group, seeing how they butt heads harmlessly in the beginning and terribly at the end due to the environment of the institution they were in and the work they were doing. Victoire quickly became my favorite character, and Letty quickly became the character I was the most fascinated by---from her complicated relationship with Ramy that we really only get to examine from Robin's limited scope, to her Interlude near the novel's end. Yes, she's a white woman in a country that supports her existence for the most part, but the intricacies of the oppression she felt she faced as a woman at Babel (in the shadow of her late brother) really made me stop and ponder her perspective as it related to Ramy, Victoire, and Robin's situations as students in the same country at the same school. When things really started to hit the fan, I knew the group couldn't all see a happy ending, but I wonder what happened to Letty on the other side.
I haven't even touched on this book's completely unique magic system yet, but maybe that's because all I really have to say is that it blew me away. Not once, or twice, or three times, but pretty much any time a new facet of it was explained or demonstrated in a scene or footnote (I really loved those footnotes). The amount of research as well as fascination with and innate knowledge about language and translation it took to write this, and write it well, increases my already vast appreciation for Kuang as an author and human being. I think I need to add The Poppy War to my to be read list.



Some of my favorite quotes from Babel:

"He pulled on his English accent like a new coat, adjusted everything he could about himself to make it fit, and, within weeks, wore it with comfort."

"He enjoyed novels more than anything else."

"Never, Robin thought, would he understand these men, who talked of the world and its movements like a grand chess game, where countries and peoples were pieces to be moved and manipulated at will."

"If they're going to tell stories about you, use it to your advantage. The English are never going to think I'm posh, but if I fit into their fantasy, then they'll at least think I'm royalty."

"It felt now as if they had all the time in the world to do nothing but be happy, if they could just remember how."

"Language was just difference. A thousand different ways of seeing, of moving through the world, No; a thousand worlds within one. And translation -- a necessary endeavor, however futile, to move between them."

This was delightfully short and sweet (with a little less emphasis on 'sweet'). Really, this was eerie and cool. I enjoyed listening to the hour-long immersive audiobook that really felt like walking through a dream come to life. From the whole cast of voice actors to varied music and sound effects, listening to this on a cold and windy winter's morning walk around my neighborhood couldn't have been more serendipitously planned or executed. 
To keep this short and sweet (and void of spoilers), I'll say this is accurately marketed as a Sleeping Beauty retelling with elements of another fairy tale sprinkled in at perfect intervals. The series of final events & resolution makes a lot of sense as a result. I really liked the classic fantasy, bardlike writing style (made even more bardlike via audiobook), as well as the nameless main character queen. The pace and subtle ease with which parts of the plot and its connections to what readers think they know about Sleeping Beauty's original tale are revealed are fantastic. I also enjoyed the ambiguity of the ending.



Some of my favorite quotes from The Sleeper and The Spindle:

"'There are choices,' she thought, when she had sat long enough. 'There are always choices.'"

"She wondered how she would feel to be a married woman. It would be the end of her life, she decided, if life was a time of choices."

*MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*

How delightfully twisty and turny this was! I've said it once, and I'll say it again---can we get the Bridgerton people on the phone? Cause really, c'mon! There is so much content in this novel, not only for spine-tingling romance, but also extended commentary on what it may have realistically been like for members of the British ton who weren't able to be themselves freely via choosing who they truly love.
One of my favorite aspects of this book (despite James and Bobby's equal parts sweet and spicy romance) is that you know what Beth and Gwen are up to if you've read the first book in this duology. The two girls are in a great amount of this narrative without it being an extension of their story at all. Rather, they do a pretty great job of orchestrating the double marriage Gwen comes up with pretty much on the fly at the end of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend.
What starts as a tension-filled rivalry between James and Bobby concerning who they think the other person is (or will turn out to be), becomes much more than their once faroff admirations of the other while attending Oxford. The forcing together of their families and social groups quickly forces them to have to turn the other cheek and reform their opinions about one another, or live in agonizing denial that, inevitably, they each have raging crushes on the other.
I appreciate the depth this novel reaches and achieves when it comes to creating a tangible weight attached to London's high society. This tiny little microcosm of social rule and order is the perfect setting to use as a medium for commentary on the fact that the queer community has always existed, but has time and again existed in forced secrecy, supported only by other community members or family. Despite these book characters' limitations, their commitments to true selfhood and true love prevail through clever schemes and brave willingness to trust family and friends.
I think James' character works so well to portray that innate fear of being "found out" for who you really are and having to deal with the reality that what other people think of you does matter (to a certain extent). But then there's Bobby, more willing to embrace his identity and "proclivities," as they frame it, due to being the second son of a wealthy family and not the first. I think it's very beautiful how these two men learn so much about themselves through bickering and coming to terms with their attraction to each other. I also adore a good "we're all going to the country for a few days away from the prying eyes of the ton where we can do pretty much whatever we want" scenario (hehe).
I also absolutely loved the Epilogue. It made me emotional to see how this set of resilient and loving characters found a way to make their own family and happiness despite several persistent forces that would love to see them ruined and apart. And that, in making their own found family, they also provide a family for orphaned children in need of love (and double the amount of mothers and fathers). 

Alban is apparently releasing another queer British ton romance novel soon after the new year, and to say I'm excited would be an understatement!!



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One of my favorite quotes from You're the Problem, It's You:

"What if the world could be a better place? What if we could make it a better place, for all of us?"

This will be a short and sweet review since I mainly read this to serve as part of my class prep for the upcoming spring semester! I think this volume serves as a very baseline and, without sounding derogatory, shallow look at the general overview of Greek and Roman mythology. I appreciated the book's distinct sections and organization of prominent gods and goddesses to monsters to lesser deities to famous Greek heroes. It certainly isn't easy to categorize mythos into neat and tidy chapters without any overlap, given the intricacies of immortal and mortal familial ties, monsters traversing the plots of multiple heroes' lives, and the beliefs of the ancient Greek people often blending together in terms of their region, worship practices, and sacrificial rites. Again, given these complications, I think this book gives fantastic summaries, key details, and illuminating descriptions for each of its topics, paired with beautiful images of paintings, sculptures, and busts from across eras that add to the prose. My students will definitely be reading vital parts of this work to supplement their reading of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey in all its complicated but ancient glory!

*MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*

This surpassed my expectations as the fun, fluffy, and slightly spicy romance read I needed in this current season! I seriously think once the folks over at Netflix finish all their "Bridgerton" adaptations, this book could be their next big project. Cause it reminded me of all the best parts of "Bridgerton" while going a step further and doing a lot of work to actualize what it would've been like to desire someone society deemed you couldn't have.
I thought Beth and Gwen's relationship was very nicely contrasted (and strengthened) by the necessity they saw in matchmaking their parents. I adored how it started out as a "parent trap" kind of situation that slowly but surely evolved into an affair of the girls' own. But Lord Havenfort and Lady Demeroven's tragic past and "will they, won't they" push and pull do so much for the plot. Even though they're technically the B plot romance, I absolutely loved their chemistry and was so invested in their happiness. Lady Demeroven's dramatic proposal in an epic, sweeping, joyful conclusion where all of the puzzle pieces for joint happiness fall together had me teary-eyed! Several moments in this novel had me seeing a bit blurry, like the multiple occasions Beth and Gwen think they're saying their final goodbyes, or Lady Demeroven's quiet admission to dealing with Lord Ashmond if it means that Beth and her will be provided for. 
Some of the side characters definitely got confused and mixed up in my mind (considering there's quite a lot of them milling about London society's balls and garden parties and teas), but I really enjoyed how they added to the scope of Beth and Gwen's world and society. It really got me thinking about how tiny a bubble London high society was, that the people living within it were confined to such limited roles and perceptions of how the world could operate, chiefly, who had to marry whom. By the end of this story, I was thoroughly convinced the Demerovens and Havenforts had found the perfect loophole and outcome for all of their happy endings without feeling like the writing took shallow or unbelievable shortcuts to get them there.
I also think the epilogue's setup for a second book in this matchmaking chronicle was clever and left me wanting to see how I could come to grow attached to James and Bobby as characters. 



One of my favorite quotes from Don't Want You Like a Best Friend:

"They lay them over their vanity chair. Such a simple action, but Beth feels like it speaks volumes. Their under things there, together, atop each other. They stand staring at the pile of their skirts, Beth can feel the brush of Gwen’s chemise against her own, close, but not close enough."

Side note before I even truly begin: the alternate covers for this novel are absolutely gorgeous! Not that this one isn't super cool, but wow, the other ones match the overall atmospheric and haunting vibe this entire book creates so much better.
The entirety of my review latches onto those two words, actually: atmospheric and haunting. I really think that the writing style and strength of description is this book's strongest quality. I felt like I could walk through every room, see every tree and stone in the forest around Hiraeth Manor, and smell the scent of the briny ocean that touched truly everything in this novel. I was bound to like this book at least a little, given its inextricable connection to the sea and its sublime qualities. 
Though I had my moments of confusion (how exactly does the Fairy King possess people, and when?) and feel the ending is a bit more "telly" than "showy," I really enjoyed following along behind Effy in all her complicatedness. I love an unreliable narrator (though this book is technically written in the 3rd person), and Effy is quite a charming one. Whether she likes it or not, she is faced with the possibility of the supernatural leaking into her reality. Despite these dangers, she seeks to find glimpses of magic in everyday life; this perception of the world is one I can sympathize with. I think she's a very brave as well as very relatable young woman. She embodies beautiful aspects of being a woman with feminine power, but also allows room for the representation of feminine power being abused by men to make women feel misplaced shame (enter Master Corbenic, Ianto, the Fairy King, etc.). Sometimes the commentary on this subject felt a little on the nose to me (some of Effy's interactions with random side characters at the university, for example), but overall I think the plot of this book is able to sustain the whimsy of its ocean-related setting and the heavier concepts of female autonomy. 
I also really appreciate how this book approaches the idea of female voices being erased, covered up, or plagiarized. I felt righteous anger, a desire for justice, and sweet relief all in turn. Without spoiling anything, I really appreciated the twist ending concerning the true authorship of the novel Angharad, and all the implications of that true authorship. It was a twist that actually caught me by surprise! 
From my understanding, there's a second book connected to this first. I think I'll be checking it out.



Some of my favorite quotes from A Study in Drowning:

"What's the point in studying literature if you don't want to tell stories?"

"'What's the point,' he began, as they climbed back into the car, 'of drinking coffee if you're going to dilute it to that degree?'
Effy took a long, savoring sip. 'What's the point of drinking coffee that doesn't taste good?'"

"Why was it always girls whose forms could not be trusted? Everything could be taken away from them in an instant."

"Perhaps a romance is a story with no end at all; where the end is but a wardrobe with a false back, leading to stranger and more merciful worlds."

"And changing your mind isn't foolish. It just means you've learned something new."

"You took away all the other wanting from me."

"He kissed her, or she kissed him---it mattered only as much as it mattered whether the house was sinking or the sea was rising. Once their lips touched, Effy could think of nothing else."

"How terrible, to navigate the world without a story to comfort you."

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

While I think parts of this are sincerely awesome, I unfortunately think those awesome parts get swallowed up by a plot that's trying to hold too many things at once. And, on top of that, it's a plot that moves only incrementally faster than the ultraslow plot of Iron Flame.
I was able to track with Violet's motivations for the most part: find a cure for the dark wielding, parasitical magic slowly eating away at your boyfriend's mind and find the long lost family of your dragon who may be the key to a cure as well as invaluable allies for a coming war. I started to get more bored than lost when Violet and the "quest squad's" journey just kept going and going. Sure, finding the irids in the very first place beyond Basigath they looked would've been incredibly disappointing. But the only parts of this novel I find memorable are bits and pieces of the random places they visit, such as Trager's death in the land of the luck-obsessed people and the scary panthers in the one ruler's lavish banquet hall.
Character development-wise, I disliked Xaden more and more as the book progressed. I started to wonder why Violet was fighting so hard for the fate of a guy who loves her enough to tell her to run in the other direction. Maybe it's harsh to question why she'd fight so hard, because it is in love's name, after all. But Violet keeps putting herself, her friends, and her dragons in danger time and time again for Xaden who, in the end, uses his dark wielding powers for what he testifies is one last form of resistance. I just simply cannot wrap my head around this logic; it made me really angry, to be frank. For him to spend all of the book exhibiting self-control concerning wielding (except, of course, when they're in places without magic where he sees the opportunity to have some wild sex and takes it), only to then just let go of that self-control in a battle that felt impossible to track from a reading standpoint felt like such a subpar ending. I didn't know what kind of emotional payoff that ending was going for. In comparison to the first and second books' amazing cliffhangers, this one is certainly lacking.
So I guess, in conclusion, I'll be reading the fourth book when it comes out to see if elements of the first book's magic make some reappearances. I haven't completely given up hope on this series.

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Some of my favorite quotes from Onyx Storm:

"Help her, my love, I’m afraid our daughter has atrocious taste in men."

"'You have been the gift of my life,' I tell Tairn."