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Enum & Valerie quoted Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Zoe Hana Mikuta: Gearbreakers (2021, Feiwel & Friends)

No logré engancharme. Tal vez es que la realidad de la guerra es demasiado punzante …

The paperbook book Eris was reading sits abandoned, overturned on its pages, spine comfortably cracked. A line of tape borders the edge of the cover flap. I look at her. "Did you paste over a different cover?" Juniper flits by, arms in the air. "Eris likes us to pretend I'm the only one who reads the romance novels." "You can laugh," Eris says, blushing. "But I'm holding the future of your skin hostage." [with a tattoo needle and ink] I crane my neck to peek at the book again. "Romantic." "Dangerous." "Dramatic."

— Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Page 246 - 247)

Enum & Valerie quoted Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Alison Cochrun: Here We Go Again (2024, Atria Books)

Fur babies welcome, but all humans must be on a leash.

— Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (Page 139)

Enum & Valerie reviewed Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Zoe Hana Mikuta: Off with Their Heads (2024, Disney Press)

In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they …

This is fucked up

4 stars

To be clear: This book is quite often called a "retelling of Alice in Wonderland", but I don't really agree with that description. The book is full of references - for instance, you'll find an Alice (Icca's middle name), a Rabbit (Caro's last name), a Red Queen who asks for chopped-off heads, a Hattie (the Red Queen's first name), a Cheshire (the apothecary's last name), jabberwockies, and, of course, a Wonderland. And regular nonsense. But apart from that, Off With Their Heads has nothing to do with Lewis Carroll's classic.

It is quite fucked-up though, and confusing (probably on purpose). Fucked-up girls in a fucked-up world, lovers-to-mortal-enemies, siding with the Queen or against her. Slaying saints.

Oh right, that is a consistent Mikuta feature: Every one of her books is about killing religious entities. In Gearbreakers and sequel, the girls slay gods. In Off With Their Heads, they decapitate saints. …

To be clear: This book is quite often called a "retelling of Alice in Wonderland", but I don't really agree with that description. The book is full of references - for instance, you'll find an Alice (Icca's middle name), a Rabbit (Caro's last name), a Red Queen who asks for chopped-off heads, a Hattie (the Red Queen's first name), a Cheshire (the apothecary's last name), jabberwockies, and, of course, a Wonderland. And regular nonsense. But apart from that, Off With Their Heads has nothing to do with Lewis Carroll's classic.

It is quite fucked-up though, and confusing (probably on purpose). Fucked-up girls in a fucked-up world, lovers-to-mortal-enemies, siding with the Queen or against her. Slaying saints.

Oh right, that is a consistent Mikuta feature: Every one of her books is about killing religious entities. In Gearbreakers and sequel, the girls slay gods. In Off With Their Heads, they decapitate saints. I love that, can't wait for her next book. Whatever it is about, I'm sure some divinities are going to eat shit.

And is this a fucking throuple at the beginning?? A gay throuple as main characters?

Contra: Lots of violence against birds. Probably to demonstrate that the protagonists are horrible people, but I'm sure that message already comes across without torturing crows all the time.

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they …

Chapter starts Icca was Oh. A grave mistake has been made, dearest readers. Humor me, again, again, allow an embarrassed and grinning narrator to start this chapter over. Chapter starts anew

— Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Page 977)

Embarrassed and grinning, huh?

Enum & Valerie quoted Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

The kiss felt like math, like variables and equations spilling out in front of her, and if she kept kissing Logan, eventually she would understand what they all added up to.

— Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (Page 95)

... is this positive or negative????

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they …

Icca didn't say anything. [...] That was fine, Carousel waited. She considered speaking to Hattie's furniture, but she didn't want to startle the tea table or the candle holders with her queries, since she was almost sure Hattie never spoke to them at all.

— Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Page 328)

Das kannste auch dem Ochsen auf der Fleischbrücke erzählen. (aber vielleicht überseh ich hier auch die kinky Lesart, in der es sich um Human Furniture handelt??)

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they …

But truly, dear readers, if by this point in the story you are still seeking comfort, enough so that you are picturing our darling, gruesome champions engaged in habits so domestic and casual as the pursuit of higher education, even toting around a god such as Carnage, then a concerned narrator must ask after you - are you very much all right?

— Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Page 255)

certainly not, thanks for asking though

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they …

Content warning spiders, blood

The courts liked to gossip, and they liked to titter about how terrifying the Queen was, with the same air as children daring each other to inch closer and closer to a very large and fanged spider hung on the wall, thrilled with their own rising heartbeats. The spider was safe either way - either such children wouldn't dare squashing it, or one would be brave enough to raise their chubby kiddy fist, and then the spider would lunge, and there would be blood everywhere, and as much as some of the courtfolk liked to preen, they also knew the thing about the everywhereness-quality of the blood.

— Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Page 50 - 51)

Ah yes, how it usually goes with spiders O.O

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they …

Well, since you're already here, dear readers, past the middle of this sentence, at its frayed end...

— Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Page 1)

i feel called out D:

Enum & Valerie reviewed Die Lunte brennt. by Tuula Kallioniemi

Tuula Kallioniemi: Die Lunte brennt. (Paperback, Carlsen)

Die Lunte brennt - und das nicht nur auf ihrer Freizeit, die nach ein paar …

Lanka palaa

3 stars

Nachwirkungen eines abgebrochenen Ferienlagers. Alle Charaktere sind super simpel gestrickt, aber der Zufall macht daraus trotzdem wieder unterhaltsame Wendungen. Und ich dachte, Novellen seien ausgestorben.

Enum & Valerie reviewed Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler (Daylight Falls, #2)

Dahlia Adler: Under the Lights (Paperback, 2015, Spencer Hill Press)

Josh Chester loves being a Hollywood bad boy, coasting on his good looks, his parties, …

A sequel thet doesn't feel like a sequel

4 stars

Both Josh and Van really are good characters from Behind the Scenes that desperately needed their own stories. Whenever a romance story is told from two alternating points of view, you automatically assume they're the couple. You're in for a surprise then...

Enum & Valerie reviewed Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler (Daylight Falls, #1)

High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of …

Not overwhelming, but enjoyable

3 stars

I am a bit disappointed how it all boiled down to "oops we didn't communicate" again. Same applies to "Cool for the summer" btw. None of Dahlia's books have a really elaborate creative plot, but they're still fun to read and hard to put to the side.

Enum & Valerie reviewed Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

Dahlia Adler: Cool for the Summer (2021, Wednesday Books)

Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase …

Go tell your mother. Kiss one another.

4 stars

If you don't have an earworm right from the start, you'll have one afterwards. Trust me. Also, this book was good enough to finish in 24h and keep me up all night.

Enum & Valerie reviewed Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (Blood and Tea, #1)

Hafsah Faizal: Tempest of Tea (2024, Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes the first …

Read if you like coconuts

4 stars

The largest part of the book is about an elaborate heist, so if you like heists, knock yourself out. However, it's embedded into a larger major story, which doesn't really need that heist - it would work just as fine without it. Then again, the Spindrift Tearoom & Bloodhouse concept is pretty cool. And: coconuts!

Enum & Valerie quoted Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (Blood and Tea, #1)

From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes the first …

Why save the world when you can have tea?

— Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (Blood and Tea, #1) (Page 304)

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Enum & Valerie quoted Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Enum & Valerie quoted Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Enum & Valerie reviewed Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

This is fucked up

4 stars

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Enum & Valerie quoted Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Enum & Valerie quoted Off with Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Enum & Valerie reviewed Die Lunte brennt. by Tuula Kallioniemi

Lanka palaa

3 stars

Enum & Valerie reviewed Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler (Daylight Falls, #2)

A sequel thet doesn't feel like a sequel

4 stars

Enum & Valerie reviewed Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler (Daylight Falls, #1)

Not overwhelming, but enjoyable

3 stars

Enum & Valerie reviewed Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

Go tell your mother. Kiss one another.

4 stars

Enum & Valerie reviewed Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (Blood and Tea, #1)

Read if you like coconuts

4 stars

Enum & Valerie quoted Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (Blood and Tea, #1)