Friday, July 26, 2024

Book Review: "Check & Mate" by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Check & Mate
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: YA Romance
Page Length: 352 pages
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Dare I say Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong? Once again, I am obsessed. 

Check & Mate is Ali Hazelwood's debut into the YA romance sphere. On the surface, it's a gripping romance between two rival chess players. But underneath, it's a story about family, self-identity, the transition into adulthood, and sexism in organized competition. This, to me, is one of Ali's most balanced books in terms of plot, romance, self-exploration, and secondary characters. 

I was sucked in from the beginning. We're introduced to a very compelling main character that you can see is having a rough go of it. She's trying to support her family, often at the expense of her own happiness and fulfillment. Playing chess, and the cash rewards that come with tournaments, is a way for her to support them, despite all of the complex emotions around the sport.

It's hard to pick what I loved most about this book. I know that I was laughing and giggling and kicking my feet often. I also know that it dealt with a lot of complex situations and emotions in a thoughtful way. Yes, the main plot was about the main character playing chess tournaments and getting closer to a rival player, Nolan (swoon!), but it was also about so much more. 

Check & Mate somehow managed to address so many topics including the transition of growing up into adulthood, complex and differing family dynamics, friendship strains and changed, sexism and misogyny in sports, self-identity exploration, and even the issues with class and money. If I even try to address all of them I'll end up writing an entire essay. 

All that to say, I loved it. Mallory and Nolan were delightful to read about. Nolan is so unlike any of Ali's other male leads (and that's not to say I don't love the others too) in a refreshing way. Mallory is so focused on everyone but herself and it was beautiful to watch her put herself first finally. This was just a pair of characters who are flawed but beautiful and kind and I loved watching their romance bloom.

The side characters were equally interesting and compelling. Each one had such a unique voice and distinct impact on the main characters. I loved them all, especially as the story went on and we got to see how each of their relationships with Mallory evolved. 

Overall, this was one of Ali's strongest novels to date and has become a new top favorite of mine. I'm quite excited to get a copy for my shelf and read it over and over again in the years to come. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Monday, July 15, 2024

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag: 2024 Edition


It's already past the halfway point of the year (oh my god I'm having a crisis about that). This tag is one of my favorites to do every year around this point and it'll be rather interesting to look back at the year so far. I've read 74 books at the time of writing this tag (which is wild) and there's still a whole five and a half more months to go. There's been a lot of amazing books, a fair number of good but forgettable ones, and some real stinkers. And, of course, there's been a lot of rereads.

As a disclaimer, I try not to pick the same book for multiple prompts in this tag to make it more varied. I also don't include my rereads when factoring in favorites or feelings because it's just an unfair advantage to those books at that point. Let's go ahead and take a glimpse into the year so far...



1: BEST BOOK YOU'VE READ


This was really hard to choose. There have been some stellar new reads this year. I had to go with Pack Darling by Lola Rock, however. I read this duology in one day back in February. I immediately couldn't stop thinking about it and I actually then reread it in May. It has become a comfort series, mostly because of how much I love the characters and how well the story was written. I already am looking forward to rereading it again in the future. And, if you'd like to know more of my thoughts, you can find my original review here



2. BEST SEQUEL YOU'VE READ


I think, in the spirit of not mentioning the same books over and over, I'm going to go with Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe for this one. To me, it seemed like this story got better and better with each volume. As you got to learn more about the characters, see the plot develop, and explore new relationships. It was fun and I binged the series so quickly (of what had been released at the time). 



3. NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN'T READ BUT WANT TO 


There's a couple of them. There were some new releases that I was really excited for this year but my emotional state for the beginning of the year didn't lend itself to complex fantasy books. And now that I'm working two jobs, I'm quite busy and sometimes new releases tend to fall off in favor of mood reading whatever sounds best. For this, I think I'm most wanting to read Relever by Jane Washington sooner rather than later. This is the fourth book in the Ironside series with the fifth one releasing in December. It's a favorite series of mine and I'd been eagerly anticipating this release, but it just hasn't felt like the right mood to reread the series and continue on yet. 



4. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT


Unfortunately this goes to House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas. While I enjoyed parts of this book, I largely feel that it was one of her worst written books and often read more like fan service. I was really hoping it was going to cure the issues I had with the series after Sky and Breath but it actually just made them worse. Despite the parts I did enjoy, the longer I think about this book the more disappointed in it I am. You can read my initial review here



5. BIGGEST SURPRISE  


We're going to have to go with Yellowface by R.F. Kuang for this one. The surprise isn't that I loved it, which I was expecting going in. The surprise is at just how dark and twisted this story got. From the way it was described to me, it was a satirical story that made fun of the publishing industry and called out the bad practices in it. And it was that, but the way most people discussed it was like it was a hilarious story with all of that. To me, it was a lot darker than I expected, which was the big surprise. However, I thought it was phenomenal and so well-done and I have not stopped recommending it to my family and friends since I finished it. 



6. FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR


I'm going to go with Brynne Weaver for this one. I've read three of her books this year and enjoyed all of them, particularly Butcher & Blackbird and Leather & Lark. She writes serial killer romances and that's not a genre I've been a stranger to in the past. However, Butcher & Black took me by complete surprise because it's a romcom. I immediately was addicted and so excited for the sequel to follow it up (which was also stunning). 



7. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH


Alright so usually I don't get fictional crushes, which is something I've talked about in previous mid-year tags when I answer this question. However, I've been approaching romance reads in a new light this year and there are a few characters that have cracked me enough to be somewhat called a fictional crush. Mainly Eli Killgore. 

This could partially be because I just finished Not In Love a few hours before writing this but also because this man is a SIMP. He is down bad for Rue in all the best ways. He cannot function properly when she's in the room, he cannot stop thinking about her, and he understands her on such a fundamental level that is rare to see. Truly amazing. Plus, the spice in this book was written so well to my taste and that doesn't hurt at all. 



8. NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER


Okay I have to cheat a little bit because one of my newest favorite characters is Lilah from Pack Darling by Lola Rock. There's a reason I've already read the duology twice and a lot of it has to do with how much I love Lilah. I just couldn't help but fall for her and I truly think she's a fascinating, multi-dimensional character that goes on such an intriguing journey throughout the duology. 



9. BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY


Ali Hazelwood is coming in again with Love, Theoretically. Now, I did cry *a lot* in this book but not for reasons you might think. This book wasn't sad or anything but what I mainly cried over was the open, honest communication and how beautiful the relationship was. I do believe it's mainly because I was firmly in my post-breakup feels but I could not stop crying over how beautiful these characters were together. 



10. BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY


Okay can you sense a pattern? This one goes to Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood. I was giggling, kicking my feet, cackling out loud, and just having a jolly time reading this book. To me, it's one of Ali's most balanced books when it comes to plot, romance, social commentary, and secondary characters/plots. It felt so well-done and I have to admit I was fully obsessed with the characters and story. It was just amazing to read. And I fully believe this year has cemented to me that Ali Hazelwood is a new auto-buy author. 



11. FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION


Okay so this isn't a movie adaptation but, in my defense, a lot of adaptations recently just haven't been in my realm of interest. However, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show that began in December and ended in January is an amazing one! Of course, I do have *some* issues with it but it by far a faithful and well-done adaptation. I cannot wait to see what future seasons hold. 



12. FAVORITE REVIEW YOU'VE WRITTEN


I recently (finally) posted my review for this book. As I previously mentioned, this is one of my favorites of the year so far. And I finally posted a review that I felt did it justice. Of course, I loved the book so it was excited to get to talk about it. You can find that review here



13. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU'VE BOUGHT


I've actually been pretty good in terms of hauling books this year and keeping the number low. The most beautiful book has to go to Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcette. This is the gorgeous Fairyloot edition with stenciled edges, artwork, an exclusive cover, and is signed. It matches the first book which I got from Fairyloot a while back and they're just simply stunning together!



14. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?

There's a whole lot of these. My TBR is never-ending and I am always finding new ones to add to it. However, here's a list of a few of my top priorities for this year: the An Ember in the Ashes series, Red Rising, Love on the Brain, The Book of Azrael, Entwined, and A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Friday, July 12, 2024

Book Review: "The Throne of Honor and Blood" by J. Bree

Title: The Throne of Honor and Blood
Author: J. Bree
Series: "Mortal Fates" #2
Genre: NA Fantasy Romance
Page Length: 683 pages
Publication Date: May 19, 2024
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

The Throne of Honor and Blood was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. The first book, A Crown of Oaths and Curses, was in my top reads of 2023. I hadn't stopped thinking about it since I finished it and I was endlessly looking for updates on when the sequel would come. Finally, after a somewhat difficult release month for J. Bree, it finally arrived!

I read this book over the course of two days and I could barely put it down. I was so excited to be back with these characters and in this world. I absolutely could not stop thinking about it anytime I had to do something like work or eat food or brush my teeth. I was addicted.

That being said, I do feel some disappointment in this book as a follow-up to Oaths and Curses. The first book was such a strong, amazing story. While I loved this book, a lot of that comes from the fact that I already loved the characters after the first book and was just happy to be with them again. From the standpoint of personal enjoyment, this book was five stars to me. But, unfortunately, some of the issues with it were too much objectively for me to be able to rate it that.

What it really boils down to, for me, is that this feels like a very disjointed story akin to a first draft. I know that J. Bree did a re-edit for sensitivity reasons in the last couple months before it finally releases and, while I don't know what the original text was like, this did not feel like a fully edited book ready for release. I do believe that she might have been under stress from readers and put it out before she was ready. 

There were glaringly obvious mistakes like switching between first and third person multiple times in the same page. And then there were the plot turns that felt out of the blue and completely wrong for the story. Maybe the plot changed as she wrote, maybe not, but I do know that it often felt disjointed. 

I will say, despite issues with it, I still loved it. It's still a series I love. And my hope would be that J. Bree would take the time needed to write an absolutely stellar third book even if it takes longer to do so. She's one of my auto-buy authors and I did love this book, even though I have complicated feelings around some of the larger issues with it. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Friday, July 5, 2024

June 2024 Wrap-Up + Book Haul


June has come to a close and we're already halfway through the year! This was a very busy month for me and I did not read as much as I'd hoped to. I enjoyed the two books I read, though, and I'm very much looking forward to July's reading goals!


1.
Title: Leather & Lark
Author: Brynne Weaver
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

2. 
Title: The Ever King
Author: L.J. Andrews
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review TK 





I hauled four books this month, which is a rather large number compared to the past few months. I'm pretty excited about all that I got, though, so let's go ahead and dive in!

Up first, I got Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver. This is the sequel to Butcher & Blackbird which is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I was so incredibly excited for this sequel (which I've already finished and loved). Not only that, but the first printings had a typo with a mini "i" and I know it's silly but I really wanted one. This one does indeed have the baby "i" and I'm just so thrilled about it!

Then I picked up I Am Grey by Jane Washington. This is a standalone from Jane that she recently announced she'd re-edited and changed a bit. This version was going to be going out of print and I wanted to snag a copy so that I could compare the original versus the new version. It's also just beautiful.

When I was visiting my hometown, my mom and I went to the local used bookstore I've been going to for years. I just browsed for a bit and ended up grabbing a copy of The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. This is one of my favorite stories from when I was a kid and I had actually never had a copy before. So when I saw a hardcover in perfect condition I snagged it up. And now I can reread it and finally get to the sequels!

The last book I picked up this month was the Fairyloot edition of Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. I ordered this ages ago, I think right when I moved back to the USA, and it's finally here! This is the sequel to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries which I got in a Fairyloot box a while back. It was the most stunning edition and I knew I was going to want the matching edition for this one. I haven't yet read the first one but it's on my fall TBR so I can't wait to get to it then and be able to dive straight into the sequel after!



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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