Tall Water: A Review

Tall Water by SJ Sindu & Dion MBD

My Rating: 5 stars!

Cover Rating: 6/10 It’s a nice cover, but it feels pretty non-descriptive. I like it, but it is pretty middle of the road as far as covers go.

Publisher: HarperAlley

Publish Date: August 12th, 2025

Number of Pages: 256

Received: Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-arc. All opinions in this review are my own.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE HONOR BOOK!

From Stonewall Honor–winning writer SJ Sindu, author of Shakti, and celebrated illustrator Dion MBD comes a powerful coming-of-age teen graphic novel that follows one girl’s journey to Sri Lanka to reconnect with her long-lost mother during the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Perfect for fans of Persepolis and Almost American Girl.

Ever since she turned sixteen, Nimmi has wanted to see her mother. Though she has a loving but overprotective father and a budding relationship, she yearns to travel to Sri Lanka to confront the mother who refused to leave the island during a war, not even for Nimmi’s sake. Her father is going back for the first time as a reporter on assignment, but he refuses to take her, deeming Sri Lanka too dangerous.

But then Nimmi’s mother appears to her in a dream, asking her to come find her, and Nimmi knows she must go. Her father is livid when he sees her at baggage claim, but by then it’s too late, and he reluctantly agrees to help Nimmi make contact with her mother. In Sri Lanka, Nimmi tags along with her father and his guide, past checkpoints and armed soldiers and increasing hints of the war that rages there.

However, the day after Christmas, disaster strikes and a tsunami ravages the island. Stranded amid the devastation and destruction, can Nimmi reunite with her mother? Through her journey, Nimmi might just learn that the person she most needed to find was herself.

Opening Page:

Musings:

This graphic novel is breathtaking and it is no wonder it became award winning. Stories like this are testaments to what it means to be human. It shows how life can forever change you in an instant and how your priorities can shift as your perspective receives new insights. Nimmi’s trip to Sri Lanka was one that Nimmi was absolutely ready to take, but I think it became so much more than she imagined it would be.

Through experiencing the struggles of her homeland firsthand parts of her are completely transformed. No longer are Sri Lanka and her mother an idea in her head, but something tangible and real. The knowledge of the truth of what it means to be in that place and understand the person that her mother is becomes a wealth of knowledge that enriches Nimmi’s life.

I had known nothing about Sri Lanka or the conflict that takes place then before I read this. I feel that the way this story was told was a powerful way to both provide knowledge and to give a deep sense of humanity to the people of Sri Lanka.

I remember after reading this I had to take a step back and collect myself. This is a story that reaches inside you and asks you to reassess what is and is not important in this life. It also makes you think about your sense of purpose and if you truly feel you are living your life with intention.

This graphic novel is something I believe everyone who stumbles across it should read it at least once. There is something profound about it. It made a huge impact on me.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

Dracula’s Brunch Club: A Review

Dracula’s Brunch Club by Brian Gonsar & Keenan Gaybba (Illustrator)

My Rating: 4 stars!

Cover Rating: 8/10 It is a really cute concept for cover art and it is really well executed.

Publisher: Oni Press

Publish Date: August 26th, 2025

Number of Pages: 224

Received: Thank you to Netgalley for providing an e-arc! All opinions in this review are my own.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

A 2026 Ringo Award Nominee
A 2026 Maverick Graphic Novel List Pick
A Comics Beat Best Kids Comic of 2025

Have you ever wondered how vampires got their taste for blood? In Dracula’s Brunch Club, it all started with a crimson-red donut, dripping and oozing with spooky secrets—I mean, jelly. Dripping and oozing with non-spooky-tasting JELLY. Get ready to sink your fangs into the hilarious new graphic novel from debut authors Brian Gonsar and Keenan Gaybba!

Count Dracula is not your average vampire. Well, sure, he’s undead, hates garlic, and will burn up in sunlight—but unlike other vampires, he has a knack for baking. And it’s his brunch club’s famous blood-orange-jelly donuts that give his fellow vampires the energy source they need to live forever. But when Transylvania experiences a mysterious jelly shortage, it allows his nemesis, Constantine, to swoop in and steal the brunch club—and the vampires’ loyalty—from Dracula. But it’s not just jelly donuts at stake. When townsfolk start to go missing, Dracula suspects Constantine has far more sinister motives lurking that could threaten everything vampires and humans have worked for. With the help of his chef and human friend, Elena, Dracula must find a new energy source before every vampire and human turns on him and he loses his coveted brunch club forever.

With a foreword from Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers!

Opening Page:

Musings:

I thought this was so adorable. Reading through this little comic put a smile on my face the entire time. The premise is simple yet effective, Dracula may be a big scary vampire, but he is also a baker and he wants to make the most delicious donuts around.

I loved how even though this was short it had some stakes (not the literal kind) that led to fun shenanigans that made this feel like watching a Cartoon Network episode. I enjoyed the writing and I adored the art. Dracula’s Brunch Club will be a delight to sink your teeth into especially during the Halloween season.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

Ionheart: A Review

Ionheart by Lukas Kummer

My Rating: 4 stars!

Cover Rating: 9/10 This cover is really great. It is eye-catching and immediately shows the fantasy and sci-fi fusion this comic has. I love the color choices.

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions

Publish Date: August 19th, 2025

Number of Pages: 312

Received: Thank you to Netgalley for providing an e-arc. All opinions are my own.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

This head-spinning, time-bending graphic novel is a nuclear fusion of fantasy and science fiction whose every page glows with an eerie light. Will you survive the blast?

Pursued by a terrifying demon, a young knight flees across the radioactive ruins of a fairy-tale land. His only weapon is the same cursed power that once destroyed this world—what some would call magic, and others would call technology.

As his relentless enemy draws closer, the knight’s terrible secrets begin to unfold. How many lives has he lived? Is this the past, the present, or the future? Is he destined to bring love, or unimaginable destruction? And if he fails…will humanity get another chance?

The English-language debut of Austrian-German graphic novelist Lukas Kummer arrives like a thunderbolt, arcing brilliantly between timelines, genres, and dimensions. This ambitious, atom-smashing book combines trace elements of everything from Tintin to Blade Runner to Adventure Time to The Dark Tower into a deadly breakthrough: intricate, explosive, and entirely new.

Opening Page:

Musings:

I think what made me enjoy this so much was how unique yet familiar this story felt. It gave some of the best elements of two incredibly distinct genres, fused them together, and made a cohesive story from it. A story of a knight outrunning his demons is not so uncommon, but the way he does it, the magic/technology aspects that’s what sold this as an intriguing story to me.

I very much enjoyed the art as well. Not only was the story unique, but the art had a very distinctive style of its own. The bright colors and the bold settings made everything stand out. It was a really good mesh of good writing and good art. If you want something that really stands out on its own I recommend picking up Ionheart and reading it for yourself. It’s a nice little gem of a comic.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint: Volume 1: A Review

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint: Volume 1 by singNsong

My Rating: 5 stars!

Cover Rating: 8/10 This is a really solid and unique cover. It definitely caught my eye. I like that it becomes the template cover for the remaining books in this series.

Publisher: Ize Press

Publish Date: July 22nd, 2025

Number of Pages: 252

Received: Thank you to Netgalley for providing this e-arc. All opinions are my own.

Purchase: Yenpress.com

Synopsis: Kill each other within the time limit or die. It’s just another evening commute on the train, until the passengers are given an order they can’t disobey. Utter chaos ensues, but ordinary office worker Dokja Kim only feels an unsettling calm. He knows exactly how this will play out! The subway car, the passengers’ reactions, even the bizarre creature that suddenly appears to oversee this sadistic scenario…everything is straight out of his favorite story, an online novel so obscure he is its sole reader. And as the only one who knows where the plot is headed, Dokja must use his knowledge to survive the oncoming apocalypse!

Opening Sentence: “There are three ways to survive the apocalypse.”

Musings:

This was one of the most unique and interesting stories I have read in a long time. I am OBSESSED with Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. I could not put it down once I started reading it. What if you were the only one in the apocalypse to know what is going to happen before it happens? What if your super obscure hobby is what leads you to survival in times of great crisis? That is what this light novel’s premise is based in.

There is action with very high stakes. There’s complex relationships between all the characters and yet this light novel is a short 252 pages. Dokja Kim is not the most pleasant of protagonists. He can be morally grey where his decision making can be good and bad. He is always calculating and he keeps his secrets close to his heart.

A somewhat similar story to this would be found in Alice in Borderlands. Your entire world and all the rules of how it functions changes in an instant. All the rules change yet, there is no one holding your hand and telling you any of it outright. Except, for just a single individual. The premise to me is so good, but a good premise means nothing without good writing to back it up. Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint has that fantastic writing.

This story is a testament to human nature. People are willing to do anything to be the ones to survive. It goes to show, when it comes down to it, human beings can and will abandon their morals in the name of survival and those who will not sacrifice their lives because of it.

I cannot recommend this enough! I absolutely am going to deep dive and read all of the light novels in this series going forward. I am desperate to know what happens next and all that this world has in store for Dokja Kim.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

The Kiss Bet: Volume 2: A Review

The Kiss Bet Volume 2 by Ingrid Ochoa

My Rating: 4 stars!

Cover Rating: 7/10 The cover is pretty cute. It does a good job of giving the vibe of what kind of story this is. I like it.

Publisher: Webtoon Unscrolled

Publish Date: August 5th, 2025

Number of Pages: 288

Received: Thank you to Netgalley for providing this e-arc. All opinions are my own.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

In this adorable coming-of-age comic for fans of This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki and Rainbow Rowell’s Pumpkinheads, Sara Lin has decided now is the time: she’s going to make her first kiss, something special and magical, happen.

It’s senior year and Sara Lin just turned eighteen. She’s got great friends, a cool dad (or so he thinks), and a whole lot ahead of her. The last thing she needs to worry about is her first kiss. 

But that’s all about to change because her good pal Patrick just challenged her to a bet that will either lead to love, heartbreak, or embarrassment . . . or maybe all three. Along the way, as Sara explores her relationship options with three different boys, she discovers life isn’t a fairytale and romance is inherently complex. It’s messy and complicated, but boy, it sure can be fun.

In this second volume of the series, Sara Lin might have lost all her romance-related bets with her friend Patrick so far, but she’s determined to make something happen with her crush Joe at the upcoming school festival. First she has to pass her math exam, which means dealing with her tutor, Oliver, who instantly recognizes Sarah from their almost kiss at the subway. And Patrick’s not quite done, he challenges Sara to the highest-stake bet yet: kiss someone by the end of the festival or be forced to quit the newspaper club. And Sara understands that some lessons can’t be taught, and that life must be experienced. 

Then Patrick challenges Sara Lin to his highest-stakes bet yet: have her first kiss by the end of the festival or quit the newspaper club. 

This volume collects episodes 19 to 36 of the charming WEBTOON comic The Kiss Bet.

Musings:

I enjoy The Kiss Bet for what it is, a true coming of age high school drama where teens are making mistakes because when your that age that is what you do. The entire premise of The Kiss Bet while definitely a fun one, is indicative of this friend groups immaturity.

I like that about The Kiss Bet. It is mostly accurate to the experience of being a teenager while adding in a fun and crazy bet with some high stakes to really reel you in. If you love watching teenage drama tv shows you will love The Kiss Bet. Volume 2 entertained me quite a bit and I had a lot of fun during my time with it.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

Crush Depth: A Review

Crush Depth by Tim Daniel, David Brian Andry, Alex Sanchez (illustrator)

My Rating: 3 stars

Cover Rating: 10/10 This cover is delightfully horrific and gross. The cover is definitely what caught my attention about this comic.

Publisher: Mad Cave Studios

Publish Date: September 30th, 2025

Number of Pages: 120

Received: Thank you to NetGalley for providing this e-arc. All opinions are my own.

Purchase: Madcavestudios.com

Synopsis:

A deep sea submarine horror adventure series that deals with the world-shattering effects of environmental cataclysm and the struggle for power between two brothers.

Two brothers locked in a sibling rivalry wrestle for command of a massive nuclear submarine, The Absolution, in a near-future irrevocably altered by climate change. Chief Science Officer Liana Pearson finds herself not only caught between the Wilder brothers, but drowning in her fear of the surface world. When something alien infiltrates The Absolution and upends the balance of power, Liana is left with only two deadly options–reaching the toxic surface world or steering the sub into the unforgiving abyss and crush depth–Breathe Deep!

Opening Page:

Musings:

I wish the story was as good as the art was in this comic, because the art was phenomenal. However, fantastic art cannot hide just an ok story. Which made reading Crush Depth kinda a disappointment for me. The story is just ok. I did not hate it, but when you give a comic like this that level of incredible artwork the holes in the story really show.

I wanted to be head over heels in love with a story like this. It has so many things that attract my attention. Yet, it left me wanting so much more and unfortunately I likely will not continue on to read more of these comics in the future.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

Muted Volume 1: A Review

Muted Volume 1 by Miranda Mundt

My Rating: 5 stars!

Cover Rating: 9/10 it’s so damn pretty! It looks like a haunting fairytale just waiting to pull you in and tell you its secrets.

Publisher: Ten Speed Graphic

Publish Date: July 8th, 2025

Number of Pages: 320

Received: Thank you to Netgalley for the free e-arc! All opinions in this review are my own.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

A summoning ritual gone awry kicks off a lush, witchy graphic novel series with joyful streaks of found family and polyamorous sapphic romance—in this first volume of the hit Webtoon coming-of-age story, now with bonus content.

It has been thirteen years since the mysterious fire at the Severin family manor that killed Camille’s mother and twin sister, and the last thing Camille wants to do is return to her old home deep in the swamps of Louisiana. But she doesn’t have a choice. Deeply ingrained family tradition and Matriarch Athalie—Camille’s coldhearted aunt and head of the Severin household—demand it. 

When the time comes for Camille to perform the demon-summoning blood ritual that every prospective matriarch in her family must complete, she is afraid of making a mistake. No matter how hard she tries to be a witch worthy of the Severin name, nothing is ever good enough for her aunt. Camille has practiced and practiced, but instead of the beat of demonic wings or the snap of talons, her blood calls forth evergreen vines and leaves. Terrified of what this might mean, she flees into the swamps.

But her failed ritual gives her something precious: time away from Aunt Athalie. Time to spend with her beloved familiar Toben and kindly cousin Silvia. And—unbeknownst to her—time to fall in love, discover the truth of her magic, reunite with long lost family, work through her grief, and solve the mystery of who killed her mother and sister. 

Complete with an exclusive bonus chapter, this first volume includes episodes 1-27 of the highly popular Webtoon webcomic Muted.

Musings:

This Webtoon is so fantastic. It had been a while since I first read it so I re-read it to write this review. It was even better to me the second time around. Camille is going through a time of great discovery. She finds out not only is she a blood witch, but also a plant witch. Witches from duel bloodlines are not supposed to exist and yet through her parents love, there she is. Camille is learning to accept and explore who she is and what her magic can do.

My favorite part of this first volume is the party scene where she and a new friend go and calamity ensues and in her drunkenness Camille lets out more then she probably should have to someone she just met. My other favorite part is towards the end of Volume 1 where Camille explores her other powers for the first time and I won’t spoil it, but it’s such a fun part of her growth as a teen becoming an adult and also as a witch coming into her own power.

Muted is wonderfully written and at times a little dark. The illustrations are gorgeous beginning to end. If you love a witchy fantasy I highly recommend picking up Muted!

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

My Heart is a Chainsaw: A Review

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

My Rating: 5 stars!

Cover Rating: 2/10 unfortunately I really dislike this cover. I would not have wanted to read it because of the cover. I definitely picked this up based on the title and the author. This is way too plain and uninteresting for me.

Publisher: Saga Press

Publish Date: August 31st, 2021

Number of Pages: 405

Received: Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc! All opinions are my own.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel

Shirley Jackson meets Friday the 13th in the rollicking, bloody first novel of The Indian Lake trilogy by the master of modern horror Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. 

“Some girls just don’t know how to die…”

Shirley Jackson meets Friday the 13th in My Heart Is a Chainsaw, written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones, called “a literary master” by National Book Award winner Tananarive Due and “one of our most talented living writers” by Tommy Orange.

Alma Katsu calls My Heart Is a Chainsaw “a homage to slasher films that also manages to defy and transcend genre.” On the surface is a story of murder in small-town America. But beneath is its beating heart: a biting critique of American colonialism, Indigenous displacement, and gentrification, and a heartbreaking portrait of a broken young girl who uses horror movies to cope with the horror of her own life.

Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies…especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold.

Yet, even as Jade drags us into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges…a portrait of the scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask: angry, yes, but also a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves, and desperately wants a home. A girl whose feelings are too big for her body. My Heart Is a Chainsaw is her story, her homage to horror and revenge and triumph.

Opening Sentence: “On the battered paper map that’s carried the two of them across they’re not sure how many of the American states now, this is Proofrock, Idaho, and the dark body of water before them is Indian Lake, and it kind of goes forever out into the night.”

Musings:

Many have called this a love letter to the slasher genre and to me that is the very best description for it. Slashers are Jade’s hyper-fixation. She knows everything there is to know about slashers and she uses that knowledge in great detail to predict and try to understand the patterns of the current killer on the loose at Indian Lake.

If you love the slasher genre as a whole and adore horror this book will be one that you love. If you hate slashers well… I have no idea why you would pick this up. The absolute depth of love for slashers is incredible in this book. It could almost be educational.

Beyond that there is still this tense story of a killer killing at Indian Lake and Jade is doing everything she can to support who she feels is the final girl and to do everything she can to not become the killers next victim herself.

The intensity doesn’t fully pick up until a bit over halfway in the book. Once it does pick up though it is incredibly intense. Plus, it of course has some great kills as any slasher worth its salt would have.

I enjoyed this book so much and I especially loved its ending! For any horror movie lover this book is an absolute must read!

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

Legends & Lattes: A Review

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

My Rating: 5 stars!

Cover Rating: 10/10 This edition of Legends & Lattes is perfectly cozy and fits the story perfectly. It is understated and the edges help create the full package.

Publisher: Tor

Publish Date: June 7th, 2022

Number of Pages: 296

Received: My partner bought me the special edition from Barnes & Noble.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. 

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

“Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what’s advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart

Opening Sentence: “Viv buried her greatsword in the scalvert’s skull with a meaty crunch.”

Musings:

Legends & Lattes is the place where you can settle down after slaying your foes and drink a latte and be merry with your fellow adventurers. I have loved the concept of this book since I first heard about it and several years later, having read it, I was not disappointed. I enjoyed this book very much.

Normally, I feel like a story of building a coffee shop and finding success and good people might be boring, but there’s a warm magic to Legends & Lattes that is undeniable. I can imagine after living the life Viv had lived creating her own livelihood and for the most part putting down her sword is an immense relief. I love that it was a practice in allowing life to unfold before you and not fighting it.

The people that came into Viv’s life in this period are the bestest of friends she has ever had. People who genuinely care about her for her and will put their necks out for her success. Thinking of how tough Viv’s neck actually is makes it even more powerful. As strong as she is, allowing a community to form around her was beautiful to see.

I loved that along with the friendship, love also came into Viv’s life. I adored the warm caring of Viv’s and Tandri’s relationship. It is a slow and quiet kind of love that also I think is super wholesome considering the orc and the succubus are both not the sort of beings you would think would have such a gentle love.

I am so excited to read more! I will be reading the graphic novel and the sequel very soon!

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

Check out my INSTAGRAM!

I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1

Angel Down: A Review

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus

My Rating: 4 stars

Cover Rating: 3/10 unfortunately as good as this book is for me that does not extend to its cover. It is just not a design that vibes with me.

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: July 29th, 2025

Number of Pages: 285

Received: Netgalley provided an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Bookshop.org

Synopsis:

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR • USA TODAY BESTSELLER

The critically acclaimed author of the “crazily enjoyable” (The New York Times) Whalefall returns with an immersive, cinematic novel about five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel that could hold the key to ending the war. 

Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man’s Land to euthanize a wounded comrade.

What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire. This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell.

Angel Down plunges you into the heart of World War I and weaves a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict.

Opening Sentence: Unfortunately I cannot provide the opening sentence for this book as the entire book is a single sentence.

Musings:

I listened to this book as an audiobook and the performance was fantastic. However, I did not realize this book was a single sentence going into it and that was to my own detriment. Sometimes it was hard to focus on what was being said because it felt like there was so much being said without a pause. Now I know why that was the case and I feel like at a later date I should read this again with that knowledge in mind.

Angel Down really does feel like this relentless stream of consciousness of horrible thing after horrible thing. It takes the idea of a higher power that asks you to cast away the worst parts of yourself and if you do then something of great good will happen. There is a desperate feeling of, yes yes! I will do whatever you ask. I will cast away anything. However, saying and wanting is completely different from accomplishing what is being asked of you.

It also captures the desperate and relentlessness of war. Things get progressively more dire and relentless as it goes on and the ending lends itself to being never-ending. I feel that people that enjoy stories like Metro 2033 with the desperate and sheer hopelessness of that world, would also enjoy Angel Down.

I am definitely going to give myself some space from this one and revisit it later. Maybe listen and read it at the same time (truly the performance was so well done). I feel like this read through of it was not enough for me to fully take it in. The book definitely did make me uncomfortable and anxious and almost breathless. I just feel like I will be able to talk about it in more depth at a later date.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! 

This month’s charity recommendation is https://www.aclu.org/ they fight for lgbt and abortion rights and do so much to change laws and educate the public on lgbt and abortion issues. They are also currently fighting for the right to birthright citizenship. 

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I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me afford Veterinary Technician school: Here is a link to my Venmo:https://venmo.com/u/Tiana-Wolfe-1