Beware of the book dragon!

A solid retelling of beauty and the beast, with solid, well developed characters. I liked Harper had cerebal palsy and made it so it didn't define her life- I needed that positivity in my life! It's like a warm, magical hug that invites you more and into it- just what I needed to end 2019 with! I love the tension in the book, and how it wasn't just the simple beauty and the beast story. Rating: 4/5

CW for the book: rape, murder, drugs, abuse, violence, assault, sexual assault, date rape and drugging, self-harm Deep and dark mystery, amazing world-building, great characters! Leigh Bardugo has set the standard for reading, going into my 2020 reading year! This book was unput-downable and I read it cover to cover on the one day- in very high heat (it hit 42 degrees celcius where I am!) The plot was everything I hoped for, and the way it was excuted was in a way that kept me reading and reading and reading until I was done! My rating: 5/5

I've thought long and hard about what I want my 2020 reading goals to be, and have come to a conclusion! In 2020 I want to read: At least 1 classic book/month At least 1 #loveOzYA book/month A least 1 book off my Goodreads tbr/month That puts me at 36 books that I am aiming to read next year! In January, I'll be finishing off my current physical tbr that is on my desk, and that currently includes a title for each of those three catergories!  Angel Mage for #loveOzYA,  A Room of One's Own for the classic,  and Wayward Son- a book that has been sitting on my Goodreads tbr for ages! I'm keen to see how I track with these goals throughout the year, and will post back at the end of each month to report how I'm going! I hope everyone is having a safe and relaxed end-of-year! :)

This one... felt a little underwhelming, but it was interesting to read, given that I'm not the biggest fan of Arthurian stories. There was a fair bit of repetition in the narration, and kept me in the dark for a while. I did like the way that Guinevere was portrayed, and wished that there was a little more to the plot. I did enjoy the descriptiveness of the setting, however! I rate this one: 3/5

A heartfelt, moving story about two teenagers who have 'dark' secrets and are forced together to do a math assignment. This story felt rather heavy, but also was engaging enough that I read it in a single day, cover-to-cover. I loved the themes of heartbreak, love and relationships, family, and betrayal. Each of these themes felt very thoroughly covered and I enjoyed seeing them crop up as the story progressed. I'm a bit of a mess after reading this one, ngl, but I really enjoyed, and rate this one a very solid 4.5/5 stars!

A fun story about a young guy, Kane piecing his life back together after an incident occured that left him with no memory, and a criminal investigation. Filled with queer+ characters, lucidity, and just plain whimsicalness- it was a gripping story! I enjoyed the plot, and the romance arc was truly adorable! Rating: 4/5 Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley for the eARC!

CW: Mental health, violence, terrorism Arctic Zoo was an interesting take on themes of violence, family, and mental health. It told the tales of Georgia, a once A-grade student at school, who has lived in the UK for her whole life, and of Julius- a Nigerian boy who was a governor's nephew. These two tales barely intersect, as each had their lives in their respective country at first, but then by chance, meet at a mental health clinic in London. The book touches on domestic terrorism, political violence, and family, as well as a bit of mental health- althought the latter only just felt brushed upon and could've been expanded more upon. Overall, I felt like this was an interesting and somewhat unique story, and I rate this one a 4 out 5.

I love how this book had strong female characters, that stood up for themselves- such as Chess and Abby! I also enjoyed the setting of Venice, and the drama the swelled from the realms- it made for an exciting read! The narration made for easy reading, and I felt that I read this one quite fast, showing the high stakes at risk. I wish I had more of Tom's story though, that would have been a nice touch. Overall, I give this #loveOzYA novel a rating of 3.5 stars!