BOOKS | Review: Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

Name: Girls Like Girls

Author: Hayley Kiyoko

Publisher: Penguin Books

Date Published: June 2023

Genre: Fiction, young adult, contemporary, romance, drama

Pages: 309

Rating: 5/5

Still spiralling after the death of her mom, Coley is flung into the middle-of-nowhere Oregon to live with her long-lost father. Life pretty much sucks. Until she meets Sonya. Sonya with her head-turning beauty and her laugh that imprints itself in Coley's brain. Sonya who cuddles just a little bit closer and flirts a little bit harder whenever Coley's around. But Sonya's stuck in an on-again-off-again relationship with her jerk of an (ex)boyfriend and hounded by the expectations of her parents. Will Sonya ever be ready to take a chance on this unexpected love?

- From Goodreads.

This story was quick and easy to read. The tension and intrigue of the plot built up well, it was nicely paced and kept me turning the pages.

The characters were developed thoroughly and felt real. I could understand their feelings and motivations, and the main character and her love interest were especially compelling.

I think it portrayed well the struggles of a teenager trying to figure out how to be who they are, especially around new people, and all while dealing with grief and a difficult family situation. I think all of these themes were woven together well in the story and it all came to a satisfying conclusion at the end.

I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a summer teen romance with queer characters. It had a lot of heart and emotion and felt like a really meaningful story.

BOOKS | Review: The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Name: The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry (Unnatural Magic series #2)

Author: C.M. Waggoner 

Publisher: Ace

Date published: January 2021

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, adventure, mystery

Pages: 371

Rating: 4/5

Hard-drinking petty thief Dellaria Wells is down on her luck in the city of Leiscourt - again. Then she sees a want ad for a female bodyguard, and she fast-talks her way into the high-paying job. Along with a team of other women, she’s meant to protect a rich young lady from mysterious assassins.

At first Delly thinks the danger is exaggerated, but a series of attacks shows there’s much to fear. Then she begins to fall for Winn, one of the other bodyguards, and the women team up against a mysterious, magical foe who seems to have allies everywhere.

- From Goodreads.

This book had quite a unique writing style and voice that took a bit of getting used to at first, but was fun and entertaining to read and gave it quite a lot of personality.

The plot was quickly paced and full of plenty of unexpected twists and turns. I could not predict what was going to happen next or where the story would end. It definitely became quite intense and dramatic towards the end and was thrilling to read, but also had quite a bit of emotion to it.

The author created a collection of very interesting and unique characters, they were all very distinct and had lively personalities.

Overall, I think it was different to anything else I have read before and I would recommend it if you're looking for a fun adventure and mystery fantasy.

BOOKS | Review: Lips Touch by Laini Taylor

Name: Lips Touch

Author: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Date published: October 2014

Genre: Fiction, anthology, short stories, young adult, fantasy, paranormal, fairy tales, romance

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5

Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:
Goblin Fruit
In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?
Spicy Little Curses
A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse.
Hatchling
Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons? 

- From Goodreads.

Goblin Fruit

This was a very dark and seductive story, it was very sinister but strangely delightful in a wicked way to read about how the goblins could latch onto what the soul desired and tempt you until you willingly did what they wanted, even though it would doom you.

Laini Taylor has a very poetic and descriptive style of writing that works perfectly with this kind of story, something like a dark fairy tale or twisted cautionary tale.

Spicy Little Curses Such as These 

This was quite a different story from the first one, although it had the similar feel of being something like a darker fairy tale. It felt very romantic while also having a tragic, bittersweet element to it.

Hatchling

This third story was quite a mysterious, suspenseful and intense story. There were quite a few different parts to the story and it was a little difficult to follow at first but by the end it all fitted together like a completed puzzle. Laini Taylor did not hold back on the darkness of this tale either and it was certainly not a lighthearted story, but it was definitely written well and had an interesting ending.

Overall Thoughts

It was a very well done collection of stories that fit together well and really showed Laini Taylor's skills for writing and her ability to write sinister, fairy tale-style stories in her own way, making them fascinating even when they became quite horrifying.