katiemack's reviews
1398 reviews

I put this on hold a while back and promptly forgot about it, so it was a nice surprise to see it on the hold shelf yesterday!

As someone who loves and appreciates data visualization, this was a real treat. It's one of the rare books I may purchase for myself. (It's a great little collection of factoids with which you can impress your guests.)

I think Tessa Dare is underrated when it comes to the humor she infuses throughout her books--I laughed out loud a couple of times! While the physical relationship between Penny and Gabriel starts quickly (a little too quickly for me), the chemistry throughout the book was believable. The friendship between Penny, Nicola, Alex, Chase, and Ash is as heartwarming as always.

I feel like I haven't gotten to know Nicola too well, so it will be interesting to read her story!

I had high expectations for this book, and it delivered! The story is so cute, and the artwork suits the narrative really well; I appreciated how well some of the panels depicted emotions without using dialogue.

I was excited for this book and, ultimately, I was a little disappointed.

I was hooked on the content and message (especially Rai’s tackling #metoo and NFL issues), but I don’t think I like Rai’s writing style. She explicates too much and sacrifices character development in doing so—I would have liked to see more growth from Rhi, and Samson seemed a little bland.

This was a difficult review to write (and, just a heads up, it will be a self-indulgent one). Not because the stories aren't good--in fact, this is one of the best collections of short stories I've read all year--but because of how they resonated with me as a Denver resident who doesn't quite fit in.

I moved to Denver from Chicago almost 1.5 years ago. I didn't move for the legal weed, the mountains, the tech gigs, or even the weather. I moved because my husband has a (non-tech, I should add) job here that he loves. While I appreciate many things about Denver, I've felt a little...listless since moving here.

I picked up Fajardo-Anstine's collection because I wanted to feel more connected to my new city; instead, after finishing it, I feel even more hollow and alienated. The passion and care with which she writes about Colorado, about Denver in particular--even when she's bemoaning the city's gentrification and crime, even with the undercurrent of sadness that bolsters each story--made me want to weep.

I wish I could feel the love for Denver that she feels. Maybe someday I will. But not today.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Macbeth before and was thrilled to see that Capin (whose debut novel I really enjoyed) was tackling a retelling of the story for a YA audience. As the description suggests, it does read as a violent, Kill-Bill-esque version of the story with a more diverse cast of characters (and I'm all for more diversity, especially in YA). Capin also does a nice job conveying the trauma that sexual assault leaves on its victims. (Watch for a surprisingly tender moment between Jade and her parents regarding this.) I appreciated the TWs at the beginning; however, both the violence and the plot required a lot of suspension of disbelief.

As one reviewer pointed out, Macbeth involves a woman psychologically and emotionally influencing her husband to murder his peers, but it happens over a sustained period of time. In this retelling, Jade manages to accomplish the same thing over one or two weeks, all with little-to-no interference from adults or parents. Additionally, while Capin's writing is poetic and devastating, I could have used more character development and enrichment.

In short: this is pure, unadulterated revenge fantasy, if that's what you're looking for. It might resonate more with teens (though hopefully they won't emulate the main characters).