oh wow, just wow. my jaw is on the floor. this blade of ours was absolute perfection in the form of a book. book one was amazing, but this…this was on a whole other level. i honestly don’t think i have enough words to describe just how incredible and cool this book is. i’ve always loved books that show what happens after a revolution, and how that affects society, and this book does a stunning job at that. the ripple effects of book one’s events and everything that went down are being felt throughout this story. the city is in disarray, and the tension is palpable.

once again, the richness of the world-building shines through. this book had some horror-esque elements, and i loved that. it carries on the dark tone from the previous book and enhances the danger that our beloved characters face. this is truly such a visually stunning book. it feels so immersive and almost like a movie playing in your head. i felt like i was right there in the world, experiencing its dangers. and the prose? don’t even get me started on how freaking mind-blowing it is. shalini abeysekara, the writer you are!!! so beautiful, so descriptive and truly what makes this book the masterpiece it is.

i don’t want to say much, just in case i accidentally spoil anything, but the plot of this book was a masterpiece. the story is heavily plot-driven, and i loved seeing familiar threads from the previous book intertwine with the plot of this one, leading to some very unexpected discoveries. i honestly couldn’t tell you what was going to happen. i literally stayed on the edge of my seat while reading because of the number of plot twists that were served to us. and not to swear, but the character development was so fckn perfect and breathtaking. no matter who it was, whether it be sarai or kadra, or the villains of the story, or even the side characters; it felt like everyone got such complex and well-rounded character arcs, aided by the absolute banger of a plot that this was.

and amidst all the darkness and tension and unrest, the utterly romantic and tender scenes between sarai and kadra felt like such a balm to my heart. i loved the way their story progresses because even with all the secrets that exist between them, it was so clear to see how much they cared for and loved each other. and the way kadra was so gentle and so mature, patient and kind towards sarai, and the same goes for sarai…oh, i freaking love this couple. truly one of the most romantic and devoted couple i’ve ever read in a fantasy book.

if you haven’t read this series yet, please consider picking it up!!! i loved book one, i loved this blade of ours and i know for a fact that i’m going to come back to this series again and again and again. i absolutely adored shalini’s writing (she’s an autobuy author for me!!) and i cannot wait to read every single thing she writes, including her grocery list if she’s okay with that.

thank you hodderscape for the e-arc!

3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)

i always love a second chance romance, so getting to read ship happens early was really exciting. this book was so cute, and surprisingly emotional at points. this was the first book that i’ve read from mason deaver, but certainly won’t be the last, because their writing style was so fun to read and i loved the way they wrote the dialogue, as well as how they described the emotions the characters were going through. also, this book has some of the funniest chapter titles that i’ve read, so bonus points for that. i also found the trans rep and the arthritis rep in this to be beautifully written.

the pacing was a little bit slow for me at the start, but it did pick and stayed steady for the rest of the story. i liked how the story didn’t hesitate from showing how much the breakup had affected owen, and how even after a year, he was still reeling from it. like owen, i’m an overthinker so i related to him so hard when he spiralled, especially once he was on the cruise ship, and his ex jacob was also there on the trip. personally, i wish we had gotten jacob’s perspective in this book. it would have made my personal rating a bit higher, but nevertheless, i did like how he was introduced and how clear it was that he still cared about, and was in love with owen. they had such a cute relationship with a whole lot of chemistry, and i absolutely loved all the scenes where they were being so couple-y.

my only issues with the romance is that there was a lack of communication, mainly on owen’s part and i get that, but i wished he’d have opened up more. this did make it slightly hard to believe in the steadiness of their relationship and i honestly thought they’d break up again at the end of the book, but i’m glad they didn’t. the journey may have been arduous, but these two truly belong together.

overall, ship happens was a really fun, charming read amd i’m eager to explore more of mason deaver’s books!

thank you avon books for the e-arc!

4.75 stars (rounded up to 5)

leave and come back felt like the perfect book for my desi girl heart. i saw so much of myself on page and came out of it, experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. this is the kind of book that i’ll be thinking about for days, and possibly all eternity. i absolutely adored lavanya lakshmi’s writing, and the way she managed to capture the complicated (and loving) nature of a desi family. a lot of it reminded me of things that i have seen in my own family and it made me glad to read representation like that.

among the many, many things that i loved about this book was how well it captures all the different tamil and punjabi wedding traditions, as well as the intensity of an indian wedding. i’ve been to a lot of them and this book perfectly captures how crazy things can get. it felt very grounded in real life, and all the different side characters felt like people you’d bump into at an actual wedding (i feel like i certainly have).

the portrayal of simran’s grief was one of the most beautiful parts of the book and i found myself tearing up at multiple points while reading. a lot of her personality reminded me of myself, and so whatever she was going through, whether it be worrying about the multitude of relationships in her life or trying not to be a disappoint to her family and community, felt very relatable. her internal struggles and how she deals with everything, including leo’s arrival at the wedding festivities, were so freaking perfect. basically, i love her a lot.

and leo?? oh my god, the way i would do anything to have a man like him in my life. he was so caring, charming and kind and learned to speak tamil and hindi to interact with simran’s family. and the fact that he dropped everything and crashed a wedding because simran said she wished he was there? yeah. i was a goner. i liked that we had his pov because his kindness, willingness and openness in how he interacted with simran’s family made him so loveable. their romance felt very bollywood coded, and i literally loooved every single scene they had together.

leave and come back felt like the perfect desi rom-com and was such a great tribute to ddlj. like i said, i’m not going to forget about this any time soon and honestly, i would so watch an adaptation of this. i adored this and can’t wait to read it again!

thank you harper collins uk for the e-arc!