djmysteryflavor's reviews
413 reviews

A lovely collection of stories and artwork that remind me of classic tales of heroism all told through the point of view through brave woodland critters. 

As someone who was friends with a lot of members of our high school marching band, this felt nostalgic for me. Harper, additionally, reminded me of the parts of growing up queer that were sometimes difficult and other times joyous when I was that age. I loved the friendships and the growth that those friendships go through. I did feel like the whole Tinder profile plot point, though necessary for the development of certain relationships, was a little convoluted. I also felt that the resolution to the story fell a little flat for me. Overall, though, I enjoyed the writing and the premise of a queer love story told within a marching band setting. 

This was a highly anticipated read for me and it didn’t let my expectations down. Gwen, a princess, and Arthur, a chaotic young lord, are to be married but can’t stand each other. Through a surprising development they form a truce and ultimately become friends. For me that was the best part of this story besides the typical medieval background points within the plot. The friendship between not only Gwen and Arthur but also between the other characters within their little family made reading this book a delight. Additionally I found that quite a bit of the dialogue made me laugh as the characters bumble their way through romance, battles, and just all around shenanigans. A very fun YA read. 

I was caught a little off guard by this story because I was not especially aware of the more fantastical elements of the book but found that they were balanced into the horror within the pages quite well. I did have an inkling about who the culprit was but not the details around the how they were able to cause their chaos. Definitely a fun read if you’re looking for a YA fantasy horror with a more Victorian era vibe. 

I really enjoyed Lenz’s writing style as well as the injections of her humor within the difficult memories she put on paper. Sometimes all it takes for a person to get taken advantage of by people like those mentioned in this book simply being a good person with an open heart and I thought that Lenz provided a good insight into this point of view. Not every cult is some big, explosive, newsworthy entity. More often than not it’s just normal people with greedy little hands thirsty for power and control. 

An interesting mix of supernatural mystery and an examination of the beautiful balance between life and death. It was unsettling and lovely in a gruesome sort of way. I doubt I will forget the imagery.