Leah on the Offbeat Review

9780241331057I actually really enjoyed this. I think it was fact that this kind of just a continuation of the storyline from Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda we just get a different fresh perspective.

Leah is bisexual, she has told her mother but none of her friends or peers knows just yet. She has gone back and forth with herself about finally coming out especially since Simon was outed last year. She is very set in her ways but being a senior and having the year coming to a close change is going to forced upon her whether she wants it or not!

Leah is just a super fun relatable character. She’s very self aware and not afraid to speak her mind which I really enjoyed about her. If she thinks someone has said or done something wrong she will speak up and state the facts which not a lot of people would do nowadays so I thought that was commendable. I didn’t really like how she was kind of playing with Wesley’s emotions towards the end of the book though. She didn’t really have that conversation with him that she just wanted to be friends and wasn’t interested in a relationship with him. I just thought that was a little sucky of her to lead him on when she knew he liked her.

Abby kind of got me nerves in this book. I really thought she was playing games with Leah and leading her on subconsciously. I guess I just didn’t like her as much because she was kind of portrayed as being so likeable if that makes sense. I enjoyed Simon a lot more in this book than I did in the last book. I think because he has truly accepted himself and he is just living his best life with his boyfriend and his friends. I kind of have a soft spot for him because he had such a hard time being outed and blackmailed and everything that happened to him, so seeing him so happy and in love was gratifying to read.

Leah’s mum was fantastic I loved her. I thought the relationship she has with Leah is very special. She wants to be apart of her daughter’s life and works super hard to provide for the both of them. She is so supportive and accepting of Leah, which I loved reading as well. It just shows how much she loves her daughter for who she is not based on her sexual preferences.

Again the dialogue and conversations that occur throughout the course of this book is so witty and fun and kept me highly entertained. This was a very quick, easy read but also delved into some pretty heavy themes that added another layer to the plot.

⭐️4/5 stars great companion novel to Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda if you loved that book you will love this even more!

Night Study Review

16130759I liked how the story progressed from the last book to now.

Yelena is still dealing with the ramifications of loosing her magic and once her pregnancy has been confirmed she is in even more danger. Valek will stop at nothing to protect her even if that means disobeying the Commander, something he has never done before.

The stakes have risen once again and they remain at an all time high throughout the course of the book. The struggles and situations that Yelena and Valek find themselves in constantly have evolved and become a lot more serious which I enjoy. This evolution of the storyline over the course of the five books is excellent. We see Yelena go from a struggling, beaten, morose young girl, into the strong, resilient, loyal woman she has now become.

I also loved seeing this other side to Valek come through. Finally accepting that Yelena and his love for her has become more important to him than the Commander. I thought the scene where he finally made the decision and proposed to Yelena was super emotional and beautiful to read. The changes we have seen from Valek are probably the most drastic and the growth of his character has been steady over the course of the series. I loved reading from his POV, seeing how he thinks and experiencing the situations through his eyes really helped to engage me in the story.

The plot was constantly ebbing and flowing, being super fast paced at times with a lot of action and then having the dips in between that helped to maintain the setting. The characters are on the move constantly so we really get a firm grasp on the world and really broadened the scope of the story.

Night Study really delved a lot deeper into the details that were sort of glanced over in the other books. I liked that we actually got to meet Valek’s spies that he has placed around Ixia and Sitia and how he utilizes them in various situations. Seeing how loyal his corps are to him and the lengths they will go to satisfy him was another point I enjoyed.

All in all I thought it was a solid book. It progressed and established the plot more quickly I feel which made for an easy read. There were still some surprises and plot twists thrown in to keep me engaged and immersed, which helped to propel the story forward.

⭐️4/5 stars I really enjoyed it! Evolving storyline, high stakes, plot twists, magic!

Wildcard Review

29386918I liked how the plot progressed in this book!

Now that Emika knows the truth about the Neurolink she can no longer trust Hideo. But after someone in the Dark World puts a bounty on her head she is no longer safe. Having to put her trust in the one person she never thought she would in Zero and his merciless crew the Blackcoats.

I thought the pacing in the story was very well done and I was highly entertained throughout the course of the storyline.

Emika didn’t really have a lot of growth I feel for me in this book. She stayed pretty much the same as we seen her in Warcross and I kind of wanted a bit more from her. Granted she was still an essential character there was just something lacking from her. She doesn’t take control as much as I wanted her too being the badass bounty hunter; I felt she was more so reliant on the other characters.

I loved the inclusion of Jax into the plot. She is strong, powerful, yet still empathetic and helpful. I thought she contrasted with Emika perfectly. I loved how multi-faceted she is and how much of an impact she had on the plot in a short amount of time within the story.

Learning everything about Zero and Sasuke was a twist that I honestly could not see coming. I thought it was very well thought out and made a lot of sense. I could truly see some scientist who has a skewed ethical compass actually doing this to someone and that’s one of the things that I liked about it.

I also like that we see this morally gray side to Hideo that was hidden in the first book. We knew why he established the Neurolink but I didn’t really fathom how far he would go once he realised he still hadn’t found Sasuke. Creating the algorithm to try to trace the kidnappers was kind of genius and really threw into the light just how dedicated he is to his cause, which I low key found admirable.

The action ebbed and flowed nicely for me in a way that I remained very invested in the story. Having that count down hovering over their heads was another factor that I felt kept the tension high and the stakes even higher.

⭐️4/5 stars I was invested in the characters, the action was entertaining, really enjoyed it!

Leah on the Offbeat

IMG_2124Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda was definitely one of my more liked contemporary reads of the year. I found Simon to be very effervescent and witty, Leah on the other hand kind of got on my nerves a little bit throughout the storyline. I just felt like she was a bit moody and sulky and didn’t really act like a best friend should. But then she does have her own story and I’m sure there was a reason behind her behaviour that will be shed in this book. I think she’s also struggling with her own sexuality during the same time Simon was so that will be interesting to dive into! I flew through Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda in I think one sitting; it was a very quick, easy read so I’m looking forward to the same from Leah on the Offbeat!

Happy Reading📚