I am completely and utterly obsessed. What a stunning debut. Thorn Season captures everything I want in a book: richly described characters with tense emotional dynamics, excellent political intrigue and court drama, and of course, magic. I stayed up until 3 in the morning (which I never do). I just could not put this down. The world building is straightforward, maybe even a bit generic, but it's the author's vivid imagery and clever way with words that transported me into the story. The plot twists and betrayals scattered throughout kept me reading and added genuine tension between characters. By the end, I was a nervous wreck waiting for all the shoes to drop. My main gripe is that the early chapters are very info-dumpy. It made the story much more interesting, but this is definitely not a "brain off" book! Our FMC Alissa is the morally gray heroine I've been looking for -- witty, competent, and self-aware. Alissa knows she is spared from the Hunters because of her family and position at court. It's that understanding and sense of indebtedness that pushes her to sacrifice herself again and again to protect those she loves. Having this perspective on Alissa makes her reckless moments more understandable and believable as a reader. I felt myself rooting for her! The romance definitely took a backseat in this book and it has no spice, but gosh, does the author know how to write tension and banter. I'm not a "smiling and kicking my feet" kind of girl, but Alissa had even me in a chokehold with her clever quips with all the male love interests. I highly, highly recommend this book. I still can't believe this is a debut novel. Pick this up if you want an addictive and unputdownable read that'll keep you guessing from the very first chapter! Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | Storytide for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who never outgrew my Katniss Everdeen phase, I was immediately drawn to To Cage A Wild Bird by Brooke Fast when I saw it marketed as perfect "for fans of the Hunger Games." While it didn't quite hit the mark I was hoping for, there's definitely something here for the right reader. Before I dive in, I found out after finishing the book that the author has a established bookstagram. I think it's awesome when creators become authors but I read this without following or knowing anything about her beforehand. The storytelling is streamlined and doesn't bog readers down with a lot of complexity. I love this kind of straightforward storytelling in young adult books, but because this is an adult novel, I would have preferred more complex character/plot development and connection to the rest of the world. In a similar vein, I felt like too much of the relationship and trust-building between the characters happened off-page, which undercut what could have been a wonderful found family story arc. When characters finally decide to fully trust Raven, it feels like that sudden high level of trust came out of nowhere. I wish the author included more scenes that actually showed the tension between characters and how Raven worked through it to gradually earn their trust. The romance between Vale and Raven developed way too quickly for my tastes, but the book wanted you to believe it was genuine love. The whole book would have been stronger if this was in Dual POV or if Vale’s background story was revealed closer to the beginning. Uncovering Vale's backstory earlier could have served as a more natural foundation for the romance. As it stands, the romance is a distraction from the main plot rather than a complement to it. This book is perfect if you are looking for a fast-paced adventure, but, for me, it really struck out in terms of execution. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was going back and forth on whether I wanted to read Silver Elite or not given the mixed review. Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm glad I read it. I’ll start with the things I liked. It’s bingeable. The writing is straightforward and the worldbuilding is pretty surface level. It’s the type of book I gravitate to when I want to turn my brain off and read for awhile. It’s fairly predictable and not all that original (no lie, I guessed the major plot twists starting at page 20), but that made it fun in a different way. I kept reading because I was anticipating those plot twists and still squealed during the big reveals all the same. It served it’s purpose as an enjoyable palette cleanser for me. Although I enjoyed this book, I won’t say it was perfect. I’ve seen this compared to other popular dystopian series like The Hunger Games (which is my fave series of all time) or Divergent. If you’re looking for an "adult Hunger Games", you won’t find it here. I’m not sure if it’s totally wrong to label Silver Elite "dystopian", but this book doesn’t interrogate political or social structures like the The Hunger Games or Divergent do. It stays pretty surface level. The dystopian backdrop mostly exists to tee up the romance. I don’t think this is inherently a bad thing, but it’s worth knowing before you pick it up. If you’re looking for a closer comparison, the vibes reminded me of Fourth Wing with dystopian seasoning sprinkled on top.

Ugh…I started putting off finishing this book when I hit 60% because I just knew the ending would hurt. Lately, I’ve been struggling to find a book that felt original but this one really stands out as one of the best books I've read this year. I didn’t expect this book to explore such profound themes while still giving me the romance filled with the tension and yearning I was craving, but it absolutely delivered. The author masterfully wove both the romance and the rebellion setting together through the dual POV, alternating timelines, and the depth of the world and characters, which kept me engaged from beginning to end. I appreciate that romance isn’t smut heavy and is filled with sweet acts of love and care. This is juxtaposed with the backdrop of a mining town at the core of a class rebellion. We also delve into themes of power, generational exploitation, and classism through the characters’ daily lives. On the surface, it doesn’t sound like a great backdrop for a romance, does it? But the contrast between Patrick being the feared, morally gray character with the tenderness of his and Nina’s relationship strengthens the romance subplot without making the tense, emotional setting simply a backdrop. I highly, highly recommend this book. If you need me, you can find me stalking the author’s socials waiting for the announcement of the second one. I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

I’ll start by saying that if I had read this book when I first got into romantasy two years ago, I probably would have been obsessed. Quicksilver had a lot of potential. It included all the elements of a fantasy romance I typically enjoy, but they felt thrown together haphazardly, which made the plot confusing and hard to follow. It’s like the author knew what made popular romantasy books work but had no idea how to effectively use those themes and tropes in her own story. Because so many major romantasy elements were packed in, none of them were executed well or with any depth. And listen, I’m no literary critic. I’m willing to overlook issues like the ones in Quicksilver if the romance is good—but even that felt hollow to me. Overall, I wish I had loved Quicksilver as much as everyone else seemed to. It just felt like a huge missed opportunity.

This one is a 3.75 rounded up. It’s been a while since I’ve read a romantasy that made me truly feel what the characters were feeling — the yearning, the passion, the frustration, everything. I actually forgot how much I love a true star-crossed lovers story. This is 100% worth the read if you're looking for a heart-aching love story and a romance you can root for. While the ending was chaotic — my main gripe — everything else was explained well. I’m also utterly obsessed with the beautiful celestial world the author created. It took a while for the plot to really get going, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down. I should note that the romance is overwhelmingly the central focus of the book. I had zero complaints there, but if you’re looking for a more balanced split between romance and plot, this book might not do it for you.