Tracy Wolff

This is the four-month coma book, aka “what happened while Grace was missing between books 1 and 2” and Hudson was sarcastically British and devastatingly hot. (Side note, why is he British when his brother isn't?? unclear, not important) They’re trapped in a magical void that is apparently her mind, fight dragons (but not the same ones from school that invited her to that party that one time, oh no), survive impossible scenarios, and slowly start a romance that will make Jaxon show more internally combust. Gargoyle powers manifest. Hudson is smug. Grace is dramatic. I hate that I enjoy this so much or even at all. show less

The love V escalates (it's not a triangle unless everyone is into everyone (that's how shapeswork) )—Grace is now romantically squished between two brothers, neither of whom respect personal space and only one of whom is British (I love this-- it's so dumb). She dates Hudson (the British one-- good choice) while Jaxon pouts and plots. Graduation looms, battles happen, dragons attack, people die, and somehow the Unkillable Beast gets freed. Grace still doesn’t fully understand boundaries, show more but at least she’s learning to juggle boy feelings and world-saving responsibilities like a champ (both equally important things). Campy and ridiculous, but the fun kind of ridiculous. Also, is that queer rep I am spotting? show less

Grace wakes from a four-month coma only to discover she is now…a gargoyle. Yes. A gargoyle. Because apparently, being bitten by vampires wasn’t enough trauma and we needed actual evidence that the MC was super special and "not like the other girls" for reasons better than being not magic at magic school. Meanwhile, the love triangle has officially evolved (actually, it's a love V. It's always a V....) : Jaxon and his brother Hudson both want Grace, but only one can have her at a time show more (not like that). Also somehow we are still in this V despite the existence of fated mates (because fated mates are absolutely serious business)? oh, the absolute teen drama of it all.
Sorry, have to come back to this: the gargoyle reveal is not cool, not scary, not clever—other authors didn’t write gargoyle MCs because it’s dumb, not because no one had thought of it before. But here we are.

I hate this, I love this, I laughed, I groaned, and I am entertained.

Those familiar with my reviews may note that I gave the first book in the series 2 stars and now we have dropped to 1. Those even more familiar with my star rating system will note that this actually signals an improvement of sorts as 1 stars for me are when we have now descended so far into bad it's come back around again to being good-- so bad that my ironic love and my passion for camp overrides my rational analysis. I guess we are here for the ride now. show less

Parents die, school is secretly full of monsters, broody vampire shows up—same energy as a high school musical directed by Stephen King.

Basically, MC Grace moves to Katmere Academy after her parents die, where she is surrounded by supernaturals her uncle and cousin failed to mention—classic “we didn’t think you needed to know” parenting that I am very hopeful only exists for the plot and not IRL. She meets broody vampire Jaxon, almost dies repeatedly, discovers she’s a show more human-shaped plot device in a brewing supernatural war, and kisses a boy mid-earthquake. Somehow survives. Oh, and reads a copy of Twilight given to her by said broody vamp—self-awareness level: peak. (Grace almost dies like six times. Survives. Still somehow thinks reading Twilight is the peak of detective work. But since Kristen Stewart thought Yahoo search (not even google...) was good enough for her own story, I guess that just where the bar is)

Fun? Yes. Good? Absolutely not.

I wish I’d read this as a teen because I think I would have enjoyed it unironically, but alas, I was firmly in my 20s with a fully developed frontal lobe. Still, I devoured it because misery loves company. show less