"Ike... responds the only way he knows how to respond. No, that's not true. He responds in the way that's easiest for him. He flips the grill. Coals fly everywhere like fiery confetti. A piece lands on Isaiah's arm. It will leave a light scar that resembles a birthmark."

S. A. Cosby has mastered the pulpy thriller fiction genre, and he touches on important issues while delivering fast-paced action with tender moments in between.

Do I think this book was necessarily my favorite genre? No. It read like a typical older action thriller, full of misogynistic, racist and homophobic characters. That said, these characters were used to display some very important themes, and I think it was effective and exciting enough to keep me going.

Some of the writing was a bit too tropey and corny for my taste. At times, characters became a bit preachy with the lessons they learned, but Cosby's prose was so delightful that I didn't really care. Plus, this is the type of book that may draw readers that need to hear these lessons spelled out a bit.

While the style wasn't my personal favorite, I still really enjoyed branching out and giving this type of read a try! If it weren't for the seasonal read-a-long, I'm not sure I ever would have picked this up. A touching tale to be sure.

"She chuckled to herself and wiped her eyes with her crooked old finger. Sometimes when she told stories about the past her eyes would get teary from all the memories she had, but they weren't tears. She wasn't crying. They were just the memories, leaking out."

What a profound story of choosing to live in the now despite the despair that life can bring. I found Ozeki's use of the two perspectives to break up the pacing incredibly effective, and the prose was profound. I found myself sobbing more than once as I read about the struggle of Nao and her father as they battled depression, and I found comfort in the wisdom and understanding of Jiko. The book also had a great humor to it; one moment I'm sobbing my eyes out and the next I'm laughing out loud. Not many books can do both for me!

The inclusion of formative historical events such as WWII, the horrible tsunami in Japan, and 9/11 made the story feel close to home and grounded in a way I really appreciated.

This was very close to a 5 star read for me. Ozeki was beautifully subtle at just the right moments, and while, yes, I felt seen and heard by her writing, I also just found myself hungry to unravel the mystery of the diary and Nao's life. However, the inclusion of magical realism (especially closer to the end) blunted the impact of the book for me just enough that it no longer was a 5 star read for me. I would've much preferred Ozeki leave the ending entirely up the air than include the odd dream hopping/quantum realm moments.

Still, this will absolutely go down as one of my favorite reads of the year. This may be a book I come back to in the future! I would caution readers to check trigger warnings as the subject matter is extremely heavy, but it is well worth reading, and may be one I consider an important read.

Once again I have no quotes for you. I have found Gwynne's writing to be entertaining and action packed with little substance in way of prose or depth to give it meaning. I did, however, find myself pleasantly surprised by the upgrade in writing quality between book 1 and book 2. Thankfully, in this installment, Gwynne spends less time telling us what everyone is wearing and what weapons are in their kit (still a lot of time, but less) and more time on interactions between characters and world building. The action certainly is gory and impressive, and there sure is a lot of it. I still struggle identifying with or really investing in characters, but I was more intrigued by their stories in this book and cared more about where they ended up. That said, I have decided this book series is just pure unadulterated fantasy. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, I was hoping for a bit more depth and emotional investment compared to what is there. There are some basic themes being presented of found family and a mother's dedication to her child, that sort of thing; but nothing that leaves you thinking deeper or ruminating on later. I am interested enough to finish out the series and see what happens to all of the pieces that Gwynne has left on the board. I'm sure it will be a fun ride.