Five for Friday: Classics

To say me and classics don't tend to get along would be a bit of an understatement. About 8 times out of 10, I won't enjoy a classic (and no, I don't know why that is, it just is). So these five classics are properly good ones. (And yes, I did have to refrain from reccing 5 Jane Austen novels.)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

Comments: The original hate to love romance, let's be real. Pride and Prejudice is only not my favourite Austen book because Persuasion exists.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: At twenty-seven, Anne Elliot is no longer young and has few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she had been persuaded by her friend Lady Russell to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a handsome naval captain with neither fortune nor rank. What happens when they encounter each other again is movingly told in Jane Austen’s last completed novel. Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, but, above all, it is a love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities

Comments: My favourite Austen novel hands down. If you want a good, slowburning second chance romance, read this one!

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. A compelling and compassionate view of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society, Les Misérables is a novel on an epic scale, moving inexorably from the eve of the battle of Waterloo to the July Revolution of 1830.

Comments: Me and long books don't tend to get along, so the fact that I loved this book is a sign of good things in itself. Despite Victor Hugo's tendency to prevaricate (those chapters on the nunnery and the Paris sewers are really something else), this is a fairly quick read.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: The murder of brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov changes the lives of his sons irrevocably; Mitya, the sensualist, whose bitter rivalry with his father immediately places him under suspicion for parricide; Ivan, the intellectual, whose mental tortures drive him to breakdown; the spiritual Alyosha, who tries to heal the family’s rifts; and the shadowy figure of their bastard half-brother Smerdyakov. As the ensuing investigation and trial reveal the true identity of the murderer, Dostoyevsky’s dark masterwork evokes a world where the lines between innocence and corruption, good and evil blur, and everyone’s faith in humanity is tested.

Comments: The same comments about long books as above apply also to this book, and yeah, so this one took me about 9 months to finish, but it was still really good (despite the long, long monologues. And I'm talking long. There was one point where Dostoyevsky went 9 pages without a break in the paragraph).

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarré

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: implied torture

Synopsis: It is now beyond a doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by Moscow Centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of British Intelligence. His treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. It is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. But which one? George Smiley is assigned to identify him. And once identified, the traitor must be destroyed.

Comments: Okay, so a slightly more modern one to end this - a really good slowburn mystery story. If you like historical spy mysteries, especially those set after WW2, this one is for you.

Review - "Cloaked in Shadow"

Cloaked in Shadow, The Dragori #1
by Ben Alderson
rating: ☆☆
published: 5th December 2017
spoilers? a bit

Goodreads

I think the best word to describe my experience with this book is disappointed. It wasn't that I had overly high hopes for this book that weren't met - more that, the more I read of it, the less I really liked it.

Putting aside the issues I found with the editing (three times your instead of you're, and once vile instead of vial), the writing really wasn't that amazing. And that was fine, for the first 60% of the book or so, but then it got tiring. I was all prepared to rate this book 3 stars, maybe 3.5, up until the writing started to grate, but after that it was all downhill. Not only that, but some aspects of the plot and characterisation gave me real SJM vibes. If you like her books, you'll probably like this one, but as I'm sure I've made clear, I am not a fan to say the least. So those vibes did not go down well.

More majorly, the characterisation felt really off for me. The characters were fairly shallow (I really couldn't tell you much about any of them, not gonna lie), and felt inconsistent at times. Not to mention all the growling when someone they liked was anywhere near someone who might or might not be flirting with them (okay, okay, it was once, but once feels like a lot when it's a trope you hate to death). Because the characters were shallow, the relationship development was also shallow, maybe even non-existent. Yes, they didn't jump into bed straightaway, but there was hardly any change in how they behaved around one another from 10% in to 70% in when they kissed. It was honestly fairly boring. There was also the relationship between Zac and Petrer, which seemed to oscillate back and forth between Zac being friendly and apparently forgetting that Petrer cheated on him (a fact which Petrer shows no remorse for), and Zac being cold and blanking him. He cheated on you Zac! He's not even sorry! Just break it off with him completely and be done. (Don't then be disappointed when he hurts/betrays you even if he's possessed. Or at least, if you are, make your mind up on it earlier!)

The conflict right at the end also came right out of a SJM book. I mean, evil magick possession? Collar-esque devices stopping you from using magic? It's overdone. And there was some torture thrown in there too to top things off! The King tortured horrifically his own son, and I really don't understand why that was put in there. Granted it was off-screen but. Was that really necessary? Can you not set up the premise for book two in any other way?

Having said all this shit I didn't like about the book, it's only fair I end with things I did like. The worldbuilding was good, I really enjoyed that. I also loved that it had a gay romance in, but made it feel completely normal. No homophobia shoehorned in - none of that, even though it's a fantasy world, you gotta have homophobia amirite - and the relationship didn't feel like it was forced into the book (even if it was shallowly developed).

Five for Friday: Fantasy (II)

Another week, another Five for Friday! It's more high fantasy recs, but this time focusing on YA books. Less focused on underrated books this week, just some YA novels I really love. (Also this time, I remembered to do it on Friday!)

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: attempted rape, graphic descriptions of violence

Synopsis: Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.

Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.

Comments: We were never going to get through this without me reccing Melina Marchetta at some point, let's be real. Finnikin of the Rock is the start of a trilogy, but can be read as a standalone, and is probably up there as my favourite fantasy novel ever.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities.

What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

Comments: Melina Marchetta got inspiration for The Lumatere Chronicles from this series, and it is truly very good. Apparently, the later books in the series are even better, which is going to be really something because I loved book 1.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help - the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills.

But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls...

Comments: Everyone knows the Studio Ghibli film of this, but it feels like so few people know it was a book, written by the queen of fantasy Diana Wynne Jones, first. It's very different to the film, just as a warning, but it's amazing in its own right.

The Princess and the Captain by Anne-Laure Bondoux

Rating: stars

Synopsis: Malva is the princess of Galnicia, destined to marry the Prince of Andemark, or so her parents think. On the eve of her wedding, she escapes at dead of night, little realising that she is letting herself in for a life of peril and adventure, including being shipwrecked in a huge storm and being captured as part of a harem.

Comments: This book really fucked me up when I first read it aged something like 13. Like, fucked me up so bad I haven't dared reread it since. Nonetheless, I'm reccing it now. Join me as an emotional wreck!

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.

Comments: If you like morally ambiguous protagonists/antiheroes, this book is for you. Rin Chupeco's writing is amazing and I just know this series is going to end up breaking my heart.

Five for Friday: Hate to Love

Hate to love, when done well (and by well I mean excrutiatingly tense slowburn), is honestly my favourite trope, so obviously I had a hard time picking just five books for this week. (Technically there are six, yes, I know, but that bonus rec doesn't count!) So, from a long list of 22 books, here's the final five.

Whatever. by S J Goslee

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Mike Tate is a normal dude. He and his friends have a crappy band (an excuse to drink cheap beer and rock out to the Lemonheads) and hang out in parking lots doing stupid board tricks. But when Mike's girlfriend Lisa, who knows him better than he does, breaks up with him, he realizes he's about to have a major epiphany that will blow his mind. And worse--he gets elected to homecoming court.

It's like the apocalypse came, only instead of nuclear bombs and zombies, Mike gets school participation, gay thoughts, and mother-effin' cheerleaders.

Comments: This is probably one of my favourite examples of hate to love (and how to do it well). It's also a really well-written romance otherwise (and pretty damn cute). Mike is the epitome of a Disaster Bi.

A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Miss Lydia Charingford is always cheerful, and never more so than at Christmas time. But no matter how hard she smiles, she can't forget the youthful mistake that could have ruined her reputation. Even though the worst of her indiscretion was kept secret, one other person knows the truth of those dark days: the sarcastic Doctor Jonas Grantham. She wants nothing to do with him...or the butterflies that take flight in her stomach every time he looks her way.

Jonas Grantham has a secret, too: He's been in love with Lydia for more than a year. This winter, he's determined to conquer her dislike and win her for his own. It all starts with a wager and a kiss...

Comments: I had three Courtney Milan hate-to-loves on the long list for this post. Three. That's how good she writes them. Ultimately though, this has to be my favourite of the three. How she manages to get more slowburn and pining into 120 pages of hate-to-love than a lot of authors manage in 300+, I don't know, but she does it amazingly any which way.

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: An ancient mystery. An unlikely union. For one young princess in a state of peril, a dangerous wish could be the only answer…

She is the princess of Bharata—captured by her kingdom’s enemies, a prisoner of war. Now that she faces a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. But should she trust Vikram, the notoriously cunning prince of a neighboring land? He promises her freedom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together they can team up and win the Tournament of Wishes, a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. It seems like a foolproof plan—until Gauri and Vikram arrive at the tournament and find that danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans, mischievous story birds, a feast of fears, and twisted fairy revels. New trials will test their devotion, strength, and wits. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.

Comments: Veering away from romance novel hate-to-love for a moment, this is one of my favourite novels where the hate-to-love isn't the main plot. It's a side plot to a quest to save two kingdoms, but it's woven in so well, and it also has the best kind of tension.

Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...

This is not one of those times.

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...

Or not.

There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.

But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...

Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...

Comments: I only read this this month, so that it's already on my rec list is a good indication it's amazing. This is the first Julia Quinn novel I've ever read, and it was a good one to start with clearly. The romance is a perfect slowburn and I didn't even get annoyed when the angst arose through a misunderstanding.

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: transphobia

Synopsis: Ten years ago, Peter Pan left Neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as Wendy Darling. Growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.

But when he returns to Neverland, everything has changed: the Lost Boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. Even more shocking is the attraction Peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, Captain Hook — and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.

Comments: Oh man, have you ever wanted to read a book where, after fighting for so long, Peter (aged up) and Hook work out that actually, it's not hate but attraction they feel? I didn't realise I did until I read this book, but trust me. It's something you want to read.

P.S. a bonus rec, because I had to cut this list down from 22 books, and one of my absolute faves didn't make it: On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

Five for Friday: YA Romance

Yes, yes, it's not Friday, again, but I forgot alright! I'm in the middle of finals, I'm allowed some slack. This week covers YA romance. I realise some of these are fairly popular books, but forgive me. I'm posting late and still wanting to get some more revision done today. So without further ado, here's the list!

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Comments: Oh man, this one is really cute! It also has probably the best meet-cute in YA lit that I've read so far.

Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Lexi Angelo has grown up helping her dad with his events business. She likes to stay behind the scenes, planning and organizing...until author Aidan Green - messy haired and annoyingly arrogant - arrives unannounced at the first event of the year. Then Lexi's life is thrown into disarray.

In a flurry of late-night conversations, mixed messages and butterflies, Lexi discovers that some things can't be planned. Things like falling in love...

Comments: I am really, really weak for tropes like hate to love (or in this case, mild dislike and somewhat extreme irritation to love), so this book was right up my alley. It's also 450+ pages long but I read it in less than a day, so that's always a good sign.

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Rating: stars
Content Warnings: implied suicide attempt, child abuse of side character

Synopsis: Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

Comments: If you want a book that will really truly break your heart into a million pieces and then do a magical healing act and piece it back together again, this one's for you. I was bawling over this book, like, genuine red and itchy eyes crying. I couldn't leave my room for a good 15 minutes after I finished it.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Comments: FAKE DATING. That's all I really need to say about this one. It has fake dating. I mean, what more do you need to know to convince you to read it.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: character death

Synopsis: This is a love story.

It's the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets.

It's the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea.

Now, she's back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind.

Comments: Much in the vein of another Australian author I love deeply, Cath Crowley has taken it upon herself to break your heart into a million pieces on the basis of a single line of words. So, naturally, it was love at first line for me and this book. And it's definitely one you should read right now.

Review - "Anger Is A Gift"

Anger is a Gift
by Mark Oshiro
rating: ☆
published: 22nd May 2018
spoilers? yeah, fairly major one

Goodreads

Galley provided by publisher

I really need to start a shelf which sorts books into the category of "it's not you, it's me" because this is one of those ones. I figure the best way to get through this review is by listing the good and bad things so, here we go.

THE GOOD

- The diversity! The cast of characters in this book was fairly diverse, especially in terms of the LGBT community being represented, which was great to see. And I really did like most of the characters a lot.

- Moss and Javier were cute, though perhaps their relationship progressed a bit fast, but I get why it did for the plot. (I also get why That had to happen, but I'm not happy about it.)

THE BAD

- The writing was, not objectively bad bad, because obviously people have really loved it, but for me it was cringey, and at times felt like the author was trying too hard to be relatable and down with the kids. And, yeah, at times I did think it was straight up bad so, that too.

- Because the writing was bad, my enjoyment of the book plummeted, if I'm honest. The writing is what makes or breaks a book for me first off. Characters are secondary - I can get through a book with unlikeable characters alright if the writing is good, but a book with bad writing becomes a slog, no matter how much I like the characters.

- Another personal quibble I had: the use of the q-slur as a blanket term. So, sure, reclaim it for yourself, but I hate having to read it as a blanket term. It's actually started making me feel sick seeing it so, that wasn't fun when it showed up in this book.

- I wouldn't say this book is bury your gays, but a gay character does die in it. I understand why that had to happen - Moss needs a catalyst for his anger to surface properly, and it was never not going to be a death when you consider the subject matter of the book, and it had to be someone he loved, which leaves his mother, his best friend, and his boyfriend. But yeah. I doesn't mean I had to like it.

- At one point, an ace character compared her struggles to those of a lesbian character, which felt really uncomfortable. Firstly, they're not the same, no matter who's comparing them. Secondly, and more majorly, I don't feel like it's Mark Oshiro's place to be making that statement of comparison. He did similar things with women making comments about men being trash and all too, and it just felt uncomfortable. Like when a straight author has their gay characters make comments about straight people. It just doesn't feel right.

So yeah. Overall, my one word review for this book would probably, unfortunately, have to be: disappointing.

Cover Reveal, Giveaway + Review: A Light Amongst Shadows

I've never taken part in a cover reveal before, so this is going to be exciting! The cover I am revealing today is for A Light Amongst Shadows, the first book in the Dark is the Night series, by Kelley York and Rowan Altwood. It's the story of James Spencer, who is sent to Whisperwood School for Boys, a place for troubled youth, by his parents. There he gets embroiled in a mystery surrounding the school, and the ghosts within it.

This book is probably one of my favourites so far this year, so you'll definitely want to read it! It has the perfect mix of romance and plot, and the paranormal aspect, quite honestly, scared the shit out of me.

As well as the cover reveal, there's also a giveaway of a copy of the book going on, link at the bottom of this post. So, without further ado, here's the cover!

RELEASE DATE: 1st June 2018

SYNOPSIS: James Spencer is hardly the typical troubled youth who ends up at Whisperwood School for Boys. Instead of hating the strict schedules and tight oversight by staff, James blossoms, quickly making friends, indulging in his love of writing, and contemplating the merits of sneaking love poems to the elusive and aloof William Esher.

The rumours about William’s sexuality and opium reliance are prime gossip material amongst the third years… rumours that only further pique James' curiosity to uncover what William is really like beneath all that emotional armor. And, when the normally collected William stumbles in one night, shaken and ranting of ghosts, James is the only one who believes him.

James himself has heard the nails dragging down his bedroom door and the sobs echoing in the halls at night. He knows others have, too, even if no one will admit it. The staff refuses to entertain such ridiculous tales, and punishment awaits anyone who brings it up.

Their fervent denial and the disappearance of students only furthers James’ determination to find out what secrets Whisperwood is hiding...especially if it prevents William and himself from becoming the next victims.

PREORDER LINKS (US)

AMAZON | iTUNES | BARNES AND NOBLE | KOBO

AUTHOR LINKS

Kelley York

FB page | FB group | website | twitter | tumblr

Rowan Altwood

FB page | twitter

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY


REVIEW

Spoilers? teeny tiny ones

Goodreads

The school bells chime as they have every day before, but the sun seems a little brighter when I wake to it shining upon William’s face.

Content Warnings: discussion of past CSA, drug abuse, torture, murder

I know it's only April and this is likely going to be a bold statement, but I'm going to open up this review by declaring that this is probably one of the best books I'll read all year, if not the best book. That being said, I still don't know how I'm supposed to review it. I swear, the more I like a book the harder I find it to review, and I really really liked this one, so I'm finding it near impossible to review.

Firstly, I'm going to start with the plot. The plot in this book is the perfect mix of romance and mystery. Sometimes, I feel like plot kind of gets shunted to the side in favour of romance, or it's forced into such a slowburn nothing happens for 75% of the book, and everything in the last 25%, and I get bored. This book has the perfect balance of all that, keeping the mystery and paranormal side of things moving, while still developing the romance. (As a side note, the paranormal aspect scared the absolute shit out of me, so that's a good sign. But equally, that could be because I'm so easily scared. Did I ever tell you about the time I couldn't look in a mirror in the dark for at least a week after watching episode 1x06 of Supernatural (the Bloody Mary episode)? So, yeah.)

Secondly, the characters. I loved each and every one of the main characters (that I was supposed to, obviously. I wanted the rest of them to burn in hell, but. Y'know), especially James and William, but an honourable mention goes to Oscar (*sobs*). James was by far my favourite though. I particularly liked how his attempts at being discrete involved reciting love sonnets to William in the middle of a crowded hallway. Congrats James, no one's ever going to realise you're into William like That. Also, special mention to how he completely just gives up trying to be discrete right at the end and goes around calling William 'darling' and 'sweetheart' in front of all his friends. James is the prototypical Disaster Gay.

Finally... well, yeah. I don't have anything more to say than this really. I loved the plot and the characters and the romance, and just the whole entire book. If there's one 2018 release you definitely need to read this year (and, let's be real, that's an understatement, I know), it's this.