darquedreamer's reviews
653 reviews

Oh, this was such a cozy read! Like a Hallmark movie mixed with The Good Witch. With sprinkles of Practical Magic, A Discovery of Witches, and Willow.

It was vibrant and beautiful. Unique and familiar. Magical and romantic. Absolutely bewitching!

I loved the flow, the world building, and the magic. I loved the characters, the story built across time, and the elements of nature and true witchcraft. And, I loved that there was an adorable wolf buddy, and a strong, sisterly friendship bond.

It had elegant writing. Imagery fit for a painting. This one hit the spot and was utterly satisfying!

Vaqueros, punk rock, and Selena, oh my!

Malas was a powerful story of love, loss, grief, friendship, and family. It was a coming of age story full of grit, cultural beauty, and drama. It was about rebellion, strength, and acceptance. It was full of heartache, laughter, nostalgia, and amazing music.

This is the story I needed in my teen years. As a Latina who did not begin to truly embrace my culture until my adult life, I loved everything about this book, including the fact that I was so much like punky Lulu at her age. 

Woven beautifully with the Mexican and tejano culture was an outstanding story of strong women. Connections spanning generations. Superstition. Depression. Fighting against familial and societal norms and expectations. Self discovery, learning about where you came from, and figuring out what friendship and family truly means.

Looking For Smoke was an absolutely captivating read. It was poignant and beautiful. Thrilling and dark.

Cobell did an astounding job bringing to light the most important reason for the story's existence, while creating dynamically vivid characters to become attached to. She wove a young adult crime thriller in with beautiful bits of Blackfeet culture and major life lessons about growing up, friendship, and family. She truly made an impact by highlighting the very serious issues and situations revolving around MMIW (missing and murdered indigenous women) in a way that readers, and more unaware people, could understand and relate to.

Layered in with the MMIW crisis, murder mystery, and cultural beauty, was the importance of recognizing yourself, your culture, and understanding what's going on around you in the world. Cobell highlighted how important it is to realize that there is more to be found under the surface of people, places, and situations. She showed what it feels like to never feel like you are good enough, for others, for yourself, for your culture and family. She showed what it feels like to begin to truly understand the significance of worldly issues you knew very little about.

Looking For Smoke was an elegant, heartbreaking metaphor for finding the fire within. Within people, and within situations. Whether it be a beautiful, burn, or a terrifying, rage.

Memorable quotes for me:

"When you grow up here, you never have to prove you belong."

"Anyone can look like they have it all together and still have that poison in their mind."

"It was like... I'm not full, so I don't count. I didn't grow up here, and my family isn't very traditional, so I must not know any of the culture."

"I know who I am, but when I have to prove it to someone else... It makes me doubt myself, I guess."

"We're a resilient people. We always have been."

"She waves her fan of eagle feathers in the air to the drumbeat, her braids bouncing against her chest in the same rhythm. The jingle dress dance brings healing. She's dancing for Samantha's family and for her own. She's dancing for our community. For our tribe. For all the other tribes battling the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

She's dancing for all the stolen sisters out there."

All quotes are from the book, written by the author.

I really had high hopes for this one. The synopsis sounded like it was right up my alley in terms of YA thrillers. What I got ended up feeling like a watered down, cliche, Lifetime movie about teenagers, but meant for adult audiences. I would not recommend this to teenage girls AT ALL! There were so many things going on in this one that just aren't appropriate for a young audience. Without giving spoilers, the plot twists were more like warnings, and things that need to be looked out for on the side of parents. Things that should be discussed with teenagers as life lessons for body positivity and safety purposes. But the lessons that were meant to be taught in the story never quite felt learned by the characters. The story had potential to be both entertaining and useful as a way to show teenage girls that they need to protect their bodies and theirselves while also realizing that they have power and that they are all beautiful no matter what, but it most definitely fell short and seemed to be teaching the wrong things. 😩

Thanks for the e-arc penguin teen. 

Oof, this one started off with a bang. It gave me Terminator and The Thing vibes, and would have made a kick ass movie. It was thrilling, gory and gritty, nonstop action with a high body count. Full of blood, guts, and body parts, like Kill Bill and Ready or Not. It had a motley crew of dynamic characters. Especially STRONG, badass, female characters. It had me rooting for the criminal. It ended up being a little long winded, but it was an enthralling mix of Crime Thriller and Eldritch Horror, with twists and turns galore. And, there was a cat. 😻

Thank you Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the e-arc!

Holy hell (pun intended), this was good!