Can we get a count for how many times Will and Nico fell asleep on top of each other? Because it's gotta be in the double digits...

I read The Sun and the Star when it first released, didn't love it, and haven't touched it again till now. It's the latest installation in the PJO side of the Riordanverse chronologically (I think?), and I mostly picked it up again because I need to know all the Percy Jackson canon, meaning I need to reread this so I can read its sequel. I enjoyed it better on a reread, I think, because I knew what to expect this time, but what I didn't like as much, I feel better equipped to criticize it now.

Because let's address the elephant in the room: this book has very mixed reviews for a reason, and that reason is that this book doesn't feel like a Rick Riordan book. I am not blaming Mark Oshiro for every fault in this book (the other Riordanverse books aren't perfect either), but at the same time, they are picking up a series that is so dearly beloved that even the smallest slight is going to earn major backlash. Which, of course, wouldn't be an issue if this book weren't riddled with plot holes, mischaracterizations, and small details that are just factually incorrect. I won't point out all of them because there are a great many other reviews that are basically full-length papers about everything they found fault with, but I did notice a rather glaring mistake in my copy where Nico's mother is referred to as "Bianca." Every book has mistakes. It's just the nature of the industry. But for neither author nor any of the editors to notice, it's a bit disappointing considering the scale of the fanbase. If I'm being honest, I think this book was set up in a way that guaranteed the feedback it would receive. The co-authorship means the writing will be different, inviting another author invites the increased risk of plot holes, and when you're writing the story of a character as dearly loved as Nico - with the intention of representing him properly for the queer readers - you have so, so much at stake and you're almost guaranteed to create a disappointment.

It's time for Nico di Angelo to go on a quest. He's been hearing a voice begging him to rescue them from Tartarus, and he believes the voice belongs to Bob, the reformed Titan left behind in the Heroes of Olympus series. Now Nico and his boyfriend, Will Solace, must venture to Tartarus to save Bob, but Tartarus is no place for demigods, and even though Nico survived once, what are his chances of making it out again? The plot is fairly straightforward, as most PJO books tend to be. The protagonists are issued a quest, they encounter unexpected obstacles along the way, there's a twist in the prophecy, etc. The difference between this book and the other Riordanverse ones? The pacing and the action are extremely toned down in this book. I know it's meant for a middle-grade/early YA audience, but everything feels overly lighthearted for a book dealing with such dark themes. For me, I think the thing that bothers me the most is the ending and how cringy it is. I hesitate to call this book "cozy" because it's not, but at the same time, half the conflict is internal, a quarter of it is drama, and the final quarter is actual plot conflict. Again, this is not an inherently bad balance, but it doesn't match prior PJO books, so it's not matching what readers expect. Also, in general, I just found the humor super cringy. Riordan's banter and jokes have always felt a little quirky to me, but this book took it a level too far, especially with Nico. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but Nico's banter in other books isn't wholesome, right? I like the message this book is trying to spread, and I like the idea of having a cozier kind of book for the queer readers, but at the same time, it a) bludgeons you on the head with the representation (I get it...Nico and Will are boyfriends...you don't have to use the phrase every other sentence) to the point where it loses its nuances and impact, and instead turns stereotypical, and b) the coziness is such a large departure from reader's expectations that it's guaranteed to disappoint some. I don't think the plot is bad; I think it's just different, and not necessarily in an appealing way.

I don't really have much to say about the characters because they feel so shallow in this book compared to the other Riordan series. I didn't care for Nico the first time I read through the PJO, HoO, and ToA series, but I like him a lot more now that I'm older. That being said, he just felt underdeveloped in this book, which feels like a disservice to the fans. The same goes for Will. He felt very moody (they all did, to the point where I assumed it was something god/creature making them act that way) and, like Nico, very shallow. I wish a bit more care had been taken in eliminating mischaracterizations and creating more nuanced/complex characters, if only because the fans were so excited for this book.

I don't think The Sun and the Stars is a bad installation in the series. I actually enjoyed it on my second read-through, but mostly because I already knew what would happen and didn't have my expectations set as high. It's worth reading, but don't go into it expecting a typical Riordan book.

3.5/5

Came for the angst and stayed for the banter

Also, Small Bob!!

We can never have too many female rage books.

Aicha is a standalone historical fantasy novel based on the Moroccan myth of Aicha Kandicha and her resistance against Portuguese colonialism. The premise sounded really cool and reminded me a bit of The Poppy War, so it was on my TBR before I saw it on Netgalley and grabbed it. Unfortunately, I seem to have had the same experience as many other readers. While I enjoyed the concept and the ending, I struggled to stay invested in the story. I read about 65% of it in one day, but mostly because I wanted to move on to another book. That being said, I do think this book has an audience, but it was mismarketed (at least from what I saw) as more fantastical than it actually is. Honestly, I'm hesitant to even call this a historical fantasy because the fantasy elements are so minimal that it reads more like a regular historical fiction.

Aicha is the daughter of a Moroccan freedom-fighter, and she'll take any chance she can get to join the fight. As the rebels prepare for a siege, Aicha must prove she can handle the riskier tasks, but there's something sinister simmering beneath her skin, and she might not be able to control it. This book is almost entirely preparation for a siege that lasts four chapters, so my main issue with it was pacing. I understand why we needed the backstory we did, but I didn't really feel the weight of the stakes because it felt like almost every scene was just conversation. There were a few action scenes throughout, and I liked the end (even though I agree it was a bit rushed), but it wasn't enough to make up for the drag of the rest of the book. The ending - despite feeling a bit rushed - was satisfying for me. I didn't have any real expectations for how it would end, but as it approached, I kind of realized what we were heading toward, and it helped the emotional impact hit harder for me. I think if the pacing were just a bit quicker, I would've enjoyed this book so much more.

I can't decide how I feel about the cast of characters. Aicha is one of those protagonists that I simultaneously love and get annoyed by. Her fury was palpable, and she was someone I could root for, but wow, did she make some stupid decisions. Her recklessness could be a bit annoying at times, but in general, I really liked her and her arc. Surprisingly, I wasn't a huge fan of her sister, Samira. Usually, I love the sister duo trope, but I felt Samira's exasperation, and it kind of put me off because I sided with Aicha for once. I didn't care much for her father or Rachid, though I'm not really sure why. I honestly wasn't fond of any of the supporting characters, and I don't know if I just personally found them underdeveloped or if I didn't like their personalities? I was kind of just meh about them like I was about the plot. Honestly, Aicha carried the book for me.

Aicha is a standalone historical fantasy (heavier on the history than the fantasy) based on Aicha Kandicha, featuring a female rage narrative and plenty of critique of colonialism. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.25/5

The characters need to chill with the simethicone...we don't need to be taking GasX every other page, guys.

The Half King is an NA romantasy with a super intriguing premise: every firstborn in the kingdom is cursed, and the king's curse is that he turns into shadows every evening. The concept sounded really, really cool, which is why this book was so high up on my TBR, but as many other reviews have mentioned, the execution can be a bit disappointing. Was it entertaining to read? For the most part, but not for the reasons it was supposed to be. I've seen some other people mention that it could've easily been YA, and I'm inclined to agree...it has the coming-of-age arcs that a YA would, but the only reason it's NA is because we needed two random sex scenes.

In a world where firstborns bear curses, Cerise is a secondborn and an oracle in training...only she doesn't have the ability to See the future like all the other oracles. After a vision from the Reverend Mother lands her a place in the palace with King Kian, who disappears every night into the shadows, Cerise must figure out how to break the firstborn curses without becoming too caught up in whatever shady religious stuff is going on with the palace priests. I thought the magic system had a cool premise, but I didn't fully understand it. The priests had to obey the king for some reason, and the supposedly all noble firstborns are cursed, but we never really see the curses in action beyond Kian's, and I guess Nina's (Cerise's sister, whose curse is to be extra hot). The first 40% of the book felt very political-heavy, and the last two-thirds were more action/adventure in style, which surprised me a bit, but I was glad to get out of the palace. Despite the supposedly "high stakes" of everyone approaching their Claiming Days - which will make their curses permanent - I didn't really feel the suspense. The last 20% was extremely fast-paced, but it was almost too rushed to the point where I felt lost, and we didn't really have time to dwell on the emotional impact of certain things. Also, I found the plot twists to be either extremely predictable or impossible to know beforehand. I'll talk about my major gripe with the twists following my review because I want to mention content with spoilers, but if you don't want to be spoiled, know there is one plot twist that I guarantee no one could possibly guess. Again, I was entertained, but more by the craziness of random plot points than the actual story itself. I might end up reading book 2 when it comes out, if only to see how much more unhinged it gets, but I'm not dying to find out what happens next.

The craziness I mentioned? Where to start...the love interest makes a comment about "the natural male disdain for pants." Why? Because he's naked, like, 24/7. I think I could count the scenes where he's clothed on one hand, which feels entirely unnecessary. Also, the simethicone? The characters must have a lifetime supply of GasX because they're popping "stomach soothers" every other page. And the FMC has a dog, but he's not a dog; he's actually part hyena, and apparently, if you're part hyena, you grow several inches in a day? Not sure what the exact timeline is for this book, but I believe it is mentioned that the dog is too big to fit in her hand after one night of owning him. Oh, and the art on the inside covers where the love interest has a dagger to the wall? It's actually a scene where he kills a poisonous frog. Romantic, right? Not to mention the fact that Cerise and her sister have mirrors that basically act like cellphones so we can have convenient FaceTime when she's having an existential crisis for the third time that week. I'm sure there's more craziness and lots more talk of not wearing pants, but you can discover that for yourself.

If you couldn't tell already, I wasn't super fond of any of the characters. Cerise is your typical romantasy lead. She's a girl with standards that disappear the moment the brooding shadow daddy steps into the picture, but she's also moral, unlike everyone else. I would've liked her more (I did think the backstory as a failed oracle was cool) if she didn't hang out with a group of men for half the book, because it gave pick-me energy even though she wasn't a pick-me explicitly. Kian was fine. I was disappointed with the lack of exploration of his curse because we had to spend so much time talking about him being naked 24/7. He's pretty generic as far as love interests go...actually, he might even be more generic than your typical MMC. I liked Daerick, probably because he a) gave gay best friend vibes and b) had the coolest curse (in my opinion) of slowly going insane. I want more Daerick page time in the future, please. I didn't mind Nero that much, though he was a bit random, and I need to know how he fits into the larger picture. The only character I had strong negative feelings for was Nina, and I think it was because Cerise wouldn't shut up about how hot she was, and that made me not trust her. My feelings for these characters are kind of just my feelings for the whole book: cool premise but mildly disappointing execution.

The Half King is the first book in a new NA romantasy that will likely appeal to fans of The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae and readers who just enjoy the romantasy genre in general.

3.5/5

Rant Time - Will Include Spoilers

I genuinely do not think one person on this planet could have predicted Nina being Cerise's mother. Not one. The issue for me is that we never (at least as far as I remember) hear anything about Nina being significantly older than Cerise. I looked back at her first introduction, and we just know she's hot and recently/soon-to-be married (can't remember which). To me, that newly/almost married status implies a relatively young age (late twenties), and Cerise's closeness with Nina further suggests that they're close in age because of how tight their relationship is. Let's do math for a second. I don't think it's explicitly said how old Nina was when she conceived Cerise, but at the youngest, she would've probably been, like, 13. If your sister is 13 years older than you, you think there'd be some sort of mention of that age gap, but nope. Not even any question - despite all her concerns about her lineage - about why there was such a big gap between them. It wouldn't have bothered me as much if it had been at least somewhat foreshadowed, but it was thrown in randomly along with the news of a dead twin??? And then she dies, and Cerise doesn't even really care that she's been lied to her whole life and that her sister is actually her mother, and now her sister-mother is dead? This plot twist made me way more angry than it had any right to, and I might've even missed a detail somewhere that foreshadowed it, but for now, I'm mad and I will continue to hate sister-mother Nina and that is her title now.

Similar to my reviews of the original KOTLC books, I won't be fully giving my opinion on this book because I've read it so many times that it feels unfair to judge (especially considering this series has a special place in my heart, even if there are some parts I really struggle with now). Instead, I'll include a list of the notes I took while reading below, and I also just want to mention a few things that really stood out to me about this adaptation.

The first big thing I noticed has nothing to do with the story itself: my imagination has no windows? Having read KOTLC #1 upwards of a dozen times, I know these scenes and settings by heart, and seeing them drawn out for the graphic novel was an experience because I realized that my imagined version of the settings has no windows. I'm not sure why, it's just a fact, and it's too late to fix it now.

The other major thing I wanted to highlight was the way the abilities were rendered on the page. I haven't reread the first graphic novel since its release, so forgive me if it was a thing in that one, but most of the abilities were visible on the page. I know this is probably for the sake of adaptation (how else are you supposed to show empathy), but I've been in a glowy magic mood lately, so seeing it rendered in this way was super cool to me. I really like how Sophie's inflicting was drawn because it really reinforced how powerful the ability is and why it's something to be feared. The other abilities we see with glowing are empathy and telepathy, which I liked but didn't find as meaningful, but I just really like the idea of the glowing to visibly render the abilities, especially in a world that relies so heavily on light.

As far as adaptations go, I think it was very faithful to the original and captured Sophie's emotional turmoil from the second half of the book. I found the art to be great and less distracting than book 1 (fish-eyed Fitz, I'm sorry, but I cannot focus on the plot when you exist), and I'm glad I finally have a Sandor to picture that isn't just one of the goblins from The Rainbow Fairy books.

Anyway, here are my notes for the graphic novel. I don't have original page numbers or anything (I'm not that committed). They will contain SPOILERS for the graphic novel and for the rest of the KOTLC series because I'm a nerd and I've read it too many times. So, without further ado:

• they really captured Sophie being in denial every other sentence
• Marella’s hair is kind of giving Maysilee Donner vibes and I like it
• So I didn’t realize the Vacker dining room has windows … that’s on me y’all
• Alvar does not have a straight bone in his body
• Update: none of the rooms have windows in my imagination … I don’t know why
• Apparently one of Forkle’s alter ego is just Legolas
• Having Oralie’s empathy be visible is a choice … I kinda like it though
• The goblins standing beside the councilors is hilarious imagery to me for some reason
• Apparently Terik lives in Oz
• Not the Shannon Messenger star in Hollywood
• Imagine you take your student on a field trip and she just stays trauma dumping and then brings up your situationship from like 20 years ago
• I love the librarian’s design so much
• Yo the Offish is huge
• Guys it’s a mail person they’re real!!!!
• Also its interesting that elves build their cities out of light since they all have blue eyes and blue eyes are weaker to bright light
• I think I’ve said it before … but do elves have anti-depressants?
• Alvar now is not the time for a saucy door lean
• Seeing this illustrated makes the Neverseen look twice as overdramatic
• Forkle really be looking like the disguised king at the beginning of BotW
• Can the elves light leap at night? Am I stupid?
• I love the random shots of Fitz being emo eating breakfast while Sophie is fighting for her life -I know she was in danger and dex was dying but like if Sophie took a moment to peek under those hoods this series would be 5 books shorter
• Honesty I love the design choice of making Sophie’s eyes glow when she inflicts
• Why is Keefe eating a burger in the middle of the tribunal?
• The way alter-ego Forkle and Tiergan could be twins
• This is the first time I’ve seen an elf with a mustache and it’s a jumpscare