amnesia

Once, Again, Always

by Amanda Gayle

coming October 6, 2026

(4.5 / 5)

In Once, Again, Always we meet Molly, who has lost her memories from the past 6 years and is horrified to discover that she’s married to her old high school nemesis. It’s not surprising that this one turned out to be a pretty emotional read. It really captured Molly’s grief over her amnesia and how disorienting it could be. I also felt for Aster, who was in such a difficult situation as the spouse. But amidst the sad undertone, I also felt like there was a feeling of hope. I really enjoyed watching Molly and Aster reconnect, and the romance felt natural. I also liked the found family that Molly gained through some unexpected friends. Between the chapters, we get some brief “before” flashbacks to Molly’s time in high school and college. Aster was not likable at all during that time, but it also makes sense given Molly’s opinion of him in the beginning. It’s almost hard to believe that a person could change so much, but not enough that it took away from my enjoyment of the story. This book was mostly about the characters’ journeys, though there’s still some drama worked in. I’m impressed with how drawn in and invested I was with this story. What a great debut novel, I look forward to seeing more from the author!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions in my review are completely my own.

Meet Me at Midnight

by Brianna Bourne

coming June 30, 2026

(4.5 / 5)

Thank you to Random House Children’s Books, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think when I went into this book. I could pick up on some sad vibes right away, and the dreams Aria had were a bit surreal. But wow, this story really pulled me in. It was packed with emotions that I could feel along with the characters. I enjoyed the sense of mystery it had while we got clues about what had happened in the past. I liked Aria and Strat as the main characters, and really loved the dynamic they had with each other. But I think the thing I liked most was the message it had about facing reality versus escaping into dreams. I thought it was very insightful, and I loved watching these characters grow over the course of the story. While there were some aspects of this story that reminded me a bit of other books I’ve read, it had some truly unique elements that all fit together very well.

May 5, 2026 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

Verse Book 1: The Broken Half

by Sam Beck

(4.5 / 5)

The art in this comic is just gorgeous. It really sets an atmosphere that gives it a magical feel. I thought that the Verse, which is their magical language, was especially cool. While at first it looks mysterious, it actually is close enough to English letters that I don’t even need to look at the reference to be able to translate it most of the time. You don’t need to read the Verse if you don’t want to, but I found it fun to look for the hidden messages within it. The story is intriguing, and I enjoyed following the characters’ journeys. We’re already starting to see them grow from where they started, but there’s obviously much more this can go from here. This was my second time reading this comic, but I could see myself reading it again.

May 28, 2025 by danimae1981 Comics/Graphic Novels Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Daedalus

The Nabukko Trilogy #2

by K.R. Gadeken

(4 / 5)

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the free review copy of Daedalus. All opinions are completely my own.

Daedalus is the 2nd book in The Nabukko Trilogy and picks up pretty close to where the first book left off. I think I actually liked Daedalus even more than the first book. It continues the feeling of mystery, with a lot of questions still not answered by the end of the book. I definitely have some theories though, and there’s a lot of clues along the way, so it kept my interest well. This book adds in an element of adventure that I really enjoyed. There was plenty of action and drama leaving me on the edge of my seat. It made the book really hard to put down. I also enjoyed the relationships between characters. I’m looking forward to reading the next book and a bit bummed I’ll have to wait a while to see what happens next.

May 8, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Sci-Fi Young Adult 0

Nabukko

The Nabukko Trilogy #1

by K.R. Gadeken

(4 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own.

Eff has been on her own for the past three months, wandering around a strange planet. She hardly remembers anything from before. When she finds a colony, Nabukko, maybe she can finally get some answers.

I’ll admit, this book first caught my attention because of the gorgeous cover, though I’m glad I gave it a chance because I enjoyed reading it. There’s an air of mystery throughout this book since our narrator, Eff, is experiencing memory loss. I liked the detailed descriptions of the strange planet, plants, and animals. We meet a whole cast of characters, and the variety of relationships that Eff develops was interesting. At times the story felt like it was dragging a bit, but given this is the first book in a series, I expect it’s also setting up a foundation for the next books. There was still plenty of excitement though, especially toward the end. The book ended a bit abruptly, with most of my questions not answered yet. I’m excited to see what happens in the next book!