Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

★★★★☆ 

I really liked this novel! We are transported to a futuristic world where people live on Earth, Mars, and an asteroid belt. There is a missing girl, a beleaguered detective, and a handsome captain trying to get to the bottom of an empty ship he finds. Government corruption, space battles, and mysteries all intertwine into this first novel in a nine-book series. Super fun read!

Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

★★★☆☆

We finally made it through the slog! We honestly thought it would never end, because it felt like it would never end. But Jordan really brings the plot back to us in this book. We still maintain that people close to Rand are super boring, but I can’t wait to see what Sanderson does in the final three books. I can’t believe we’ve covered eleven books of Wheel of Time. This is just really weird.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

★★★★☆

This was such a good book! A look at a small town surrounding their Junior Team possibly winning a championship and bringing much needed money to the town. When a girl is raped by the star player, people take sides over who is right and who is wrong, and what people will do to support the people they love. This book was so sad and gripping. Can’t recommend it enough.

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow

★★★★★

This book (and it’s companion podcast) is amazing. I cannot recommend it enough. Hearing Farrow discuss what he was going through as he found women who were harmed by Harvey Weinstein, and the work that went into killing this story, is fascinating. Farrow never focuses more on himself than on the women he is trying to help. He is conscientious of what these women went through. I appreciated this story and it made me so sad and angry for the women who have been silenced throughout the years.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

★★★★☆

Hamnet is a stunningly written novel. The way O’Farrell writes an history-adjacent story of Shakespeare and the loss of his son. I loved what O’Farrell does. She shifts the focus not on the men, but on a child and his mother. This book is so much more than just an alternate history, it’s a look at grief, mysticism, and healing. Definitely worth the read, although it is a bit slow.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

★★★☆☆

This book is very cute and very sweet. A story about the son of the President of the United States and his hatred of the Prince of England. When they are forced to spend time together, a romance blooms! The romance works and I adored that the romance, once it starts, is very much about communication and common respect. The issues between the two made sense, and the plot wasn’t too harmful. I enjoyed this book a lot and get why people have such a deep love for it.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

★★★★★

I adored how Lee writes this book! Jade City is about a family who rules their Jade soldiers, a society of people who can augment their fighting skills with the use of jade. The worldbuilding and characters are excellent. I liked that Lee was able to keep you guessing on what was going on, while pushing different stories of honor and legacy.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

★★★★★

OWWR February Standalone winner, we are definitely doing a deep dive into this book this month and loving every minute of it. This genre bending novel was so sweet, hard to read, and beautiful. We follow a runaway girl, a woman who sold her soul to hell, and an alien and donut shop owner! What follows is so heartfelt and amazing, you have to read it to beleive it! Every moment was interesting and new to me. I found myself racing to the music to listen to what Aoki described, and found myself rooting for every one of these characters to find a happy ending and acceptance, except for the toad, of course.

Reclaim the Stars edited by Zoraida Cordova

★★★★★

Seventeen short stories using sci-fi and fantasy by Latin American writers! This book is amazing. I loved almost every short story, and wanted them to be full length novels, honestly. The way each author takes a view of love, space, underworlds, etc. is so beautiful and unique. Honestly, buy this book when it comes out on February 15!!