The story that started it all, Legends & Lattes is what originally helped put cozy fantasy on the map. And to this day, I still think it sets the gold standard for the genre.

I don't know what I expected going in. The cover would have me thinking it's some sort of Dungeons and Dragons fanfic. But I don't know anything about the game, so I imagined this wouldn't be my jam. Ha, was I wrong.

Viv is tired of being a bounty hunter and is hanging up her sword. The orc is settling down to the quiet life, opening a coffee shop in the city of Thune. But can she really leave her previous life behind and find success and a new home, especially in a city where she is a complete stranger and no one even knows what coffee is?

Ah, this story! It's just brimming with joy and heart on every page. To read it is to be enveloped in the gentlest, warmest of hugs. You don't have to be an orc or bounty hunter to fully appreciate the themes in here—of starting anew, finding yourself and a place to belong, and opening your heart to never thought-of possibilities. It's such a core part of the human experience, and this book captured a most lovely rendition of it.

But to say this story is cozy doesn't mean it's boring. To the contrary, there is excitement and tension aplenty, with all the right components to have me turning the pages as fast as I could. I wanted to gulp it down, but also to savor it slowly. I couldn't think of a single thing I didn't enjoy in here, from the characters to the plot to the writing.

I can totally see why this book has gotten all the hype, and I can't recommend it enough. Now I know what you're thinking: But Yun, I don't read stories about orcs or hobs or gnomes. Well, neither do I, and look where I am. Obviously, if you only enjoy tales of sadness and misery, this book isn't for you. But if you want something truly heartwarming and delightful, then this is not to be missed.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

I'll be right here. Until they drag me off the line. I'm not going anywhere.

Oh, Anthony Bourdain. The world lost a great chef and unmatched culinary ambassador the day you died.

Kitchen Confidential is the memoir that originally put Anthony Bourdain on the map. I never got around to reading it when it was first published back in 2000, but I've always been a fan of his, catching his No Reservations and Parts Unknown whenever I had the chance. So it's with no small amount of excitement that I've finally gotten around to his famed memoir.

Reading it for the first time more than two decades later, I can't help but feel as though a ghost has leapt off the pages. His voice is as vibrant as ever, his eye for the delicious and the shocking coming through on every page. To read his words is to experience his view of the world, and it is filled with food, drugs, profanity, and astonishing candor.

If you've ever been curious about how a professional kitchen is run, well, this will satisfy that curiosity. And what's in here is eye-opening, to say the least. Sprinkled with Bourdain's self-deprecating dark humor, it's sure to make you chuckle and cringe in equal measure. After having read this, I'm not sure I'm in a particular hurry to eat out, at least in the types of restaurants he highlights.

What makes Bourdain so special is clearly evident amongst the pages here, even from a book he wrote long ago. He has a way with words, building what would be mundane happenings at the hands of a lesser wordsmith into riveting and scintillating vignettes. And he does this again and again. I couldn't look away.

In particular, his chapter on his first visit to Japan has all the flavors of what would become his trademark later. His unabashed enthusiasm for trying new foods and experiencing new cultures, and his innate understanding that the two are inextricably linked. To read his words is to feel his emotions, and they are tinged with the bittersweet—wonder for new culinary adventures but also sadness for all that he wouldn't have the chance to experience.

I confess I'm a full-blown foodie. I love trying new restaurants, finding new things to eat that I've never had before. That moment, when you take the first bite of a never-before-tried dish and realize you've found a new favorite, it's one of the best feelings in the world. And Anthony Bourdain passionately embodied that. To read about his early days is an honor, and I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.

All of Our Demise is a solid conclusion to the duology, and yet...

I can't help but feel unsatisfied. I remember how much I enjoyed the previous book. It was fresh and exciting, filled with memorable characters and interesting story arcs. I wanted to keep turning the pages and couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

But this book somehow lacked that vital energy. Where is the fun? Where is the excitement? Almost everything that happens in here, you could foresee from book 1. The only exception is a development near the end, and I'm not sure I totally buy it. It feels like it came out of nowhere and was thrown in for emotional punch rather than to add something meaningful to the story.

It doesn't help that this book is so long. Instead of just sticking to the tournament (the most exciting part), we also have side stories involving random spellmakers, follow the detailed fallout as townspeople freak out about the curse, and putter around as each champion deals with their families. It's just too much and takes the momentum away from the main plot.

The writing also feels more YA. There are lots of moments when we stop right in the middle of the action to pontificate the meaning of various champions' lives, or take multi-page detours into their romances with each other. Perhaps if I were younger, this would appeal to me, but it doesn't work for a grizzly old curmudgeon like myself.

Don't get me wrong, this is a decent story. But it seems to suffer from sequel syndrome. On the surface, everything that worked for the first book is here. But somehow all the elements don't quite come together into the riveting tale it should've been. Instead, it feels like a rather mundane, long-winded wrap up of a foregone conclusion.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

Not just roommates, but bedmates (though not at the same time)! Really, what an intriguing premise! I suspect my early twenties broke self would've been tempted, if only I'd been clever enough to have thought it up.

And yet, the tantalizing premise somehow didn't translate into a riveting story for me. I'm not sure what happened here, other than maybe it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

I thought it was a story of two strangers slowly falling in love with each other thanks to their cramped quarters. And yes, that is part of the story, but it felt like it wasn't the main focus. For one thing, because Leon and Tiffy aren't at the flat at the same time, it takes quite some time before they really start to interact and eventually meet.

Instead, we spend a lot of time on side characters and side plots, with Tiffy's ex-boyfriend, her three best friends, her place of work and work drama, Leon's girlfriend, his brother, and his search for Johnny White. Phew, there's a lot going on!

In fact, the storyline around Tiffy's ex-boyfriend just went on and on. He was clearly the bad guy here, but I didn't feel scared or repulsed by him as I should've been, only annoyed. He is so overwritten that he comes across as rather cartoony, more like the caricature of a villain rather than an actual one.

I also didn't jell with the way Leon's point of view was written. He is meant to be a guy with few words, so his parts were written as sentence fragments. But it just made him feel wooden and awkward to me.

Still, there were enough cute moments and the characters are undeniably loveable, so it wasn't a terrible read or anything. I definitely had fun. But in the end, I just didn't see the magic here that everyone else did.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

If I had a choice, I wouldn't want this life either.

What is it about Prince Harry's story that is so riveting to us common folks? Is it morbid curiosity about the royal life? Or is it that we can all relate to dysfunctional families and it's hard to look away when it plays out on such a public stage?

It must not be easy to be Prince Harry. He lost his mother when he was just 12 years old, and instead of being protected by the adults in his life, he was forced to parade through London behind her coffin in some sort of bizarre show of stoic grief. At a time when he needed abundant love and support, his family became ever more uptight and withdrawn, with their motto of "never complain, never explain." I'm not sure how any child growing up in such circumstances could hope for happiness or even normalcy.

And yet, against all odds and with many missteps along the way, he grew up to be a soldier and dedicated public servant, and eventually found happiness with Meghan. But through it all, his family seemed determined to keep him silent and in his place, even at great personal cost to him and his wife.

Here finally is his chance to tell his story in his own words.

And the result is everything I could want in a memoir: heartfelt, reflective, and bracingly honest. Prince Harry doesn't shy away from talking about the mental and emotional toll of his unresolved grief for his mother nor addressing the controversial events of his life. But if you're hoping for jaw-dropping revelations or juicy gossip, this isn't it. I only follow royal news in passing, and there's nothing in here that really took me by surprise.

In approaching this, I'd heard a lot of commentary around why Prince Harry felt the need to write this memoir at all, especially when he and his wife have been so expressive about wanting privacy and peace for their family. But after having read this, it totally makes sense.

In psychology, there's this concept of the Real Self vs. the Ideal Self, which states that the bigger the gap between who we present to the world and who we really are on the inside, the more cognitive dissonance we feel; whereas the more aligned the two are, the happier we are. For so long, Prince Harry has been toeing the family line while being forced to keep silent about every mischaracterization and abuse printed about him and Meghan. Thus, the version of him that he showed to the world is not his authentic self. I imagine the mental anguish at having to pretend must wear one down, and it is freeing to finally show the world who he really is.

This memoir also has a heck of a love story, and I'm always up for one of those. I've very much respected Prince Harry ever since his deployment days and then seeing all the good that he has done for veterans with the Invictus Games. And while I didn't watch Suits, everything I've come to know about Meghan seems to indicate she is also worthy of my respect, using her fame to support women's rights and social justice. Every time I see them interact, it's clear their love for each other. So to read their love story is a joy, despite all the ugliness that was going on at the time.

For me, my personal philosophy has always been to live the life that is most authentic to who I am, and I certainly couldn't begrudge others doing the same. And so I must applaud Prince Harry for having the courage to live his best life and to share his story, even in the face of overwhelming opposition. Good for him.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

How crazy can a story on infidelity be? Hmm, crazier than I expected, that's for sure.

Lillian leads a rather pedestrian life as a wife and a mother, until one day she meets a handsome stranger at a coffee shop. What follows is an affair filled with lies and deceit (aren't they all? But this one's got more than your usual), and Lillian's life slowly spins out of control. Suddenly, nothing is quite as it seems.

I always find Alessandra Torre's writing to be eminently readable and here's another demonstration of that. Lillian's story sucked me in, and I was drawn into her tale of infidelity and deception. There were many surprises along the way, and it all made for great fun.

However, the characters and their actions were quite over-the-top, which made the whole thing feel rather loony and unreal. Obviously, domestic thrillers aren't meant to resemble real life (hopefully), but this story feels even more out there than usual. And its heavy focus on love and infidelity made it at times more drama than thriller.

Still, it was an enjoyable way to pass the time, and I always look forward to more from Torre. If you've never read her though, I'd recommend starting with Every Last Secret or The Good Lie instead of this one.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

High magick fell from the stars, and when we found it, we did what humans always do. We decided it was ours to claim.

It's been so long since I've felt the magnetic pull of YA fantasy, I wondered if I'd outgrown the genre altogether. But here is definitive proof to the contrary. All this time, I'd just been waiting for a captivating tale to reel me in and All of Us Villains does just that.

In a world greedy for high magick, seven families in Ilvernath are bound to a powerful secret. During the Blood Moon, each family must offer a champion to fight to the death, with the winner gaining control over the highly sought-after resource. And so for the current seven champions, thus begins the battle of their lives. Who will emerge victorious, when victory carries such a high cost?

This story grabbed me from the very first moment. Even though it uses a trope previously done before, there's enough newness in here that it still feels fresh. The magical system is fun, the unfolding of the tournament fascinating, and the characters compelling. Even when they are forced to do morally gray things, you can't help but cheer for them. When you put it all together, it makes for a riveting read, one I couldn't look away from.

Usually with fantasies, the narrative can get bogged down with the worldbuilding, which sucks a lot of the momentum out of it. But not here. I thought the worldbuilding was seamlessly integrated into the tale. We find out little by little, as it becomes necessary, without any infodumping whatsoever. It allowed the story to really shine, just the way I prefer.

It does take a little bit to get to the core of the narrative, which is the tournament. Of the seven champions, we follow four of them, and this back and forth introduction of each takes a little while to get through. That isn't to say the beginning is slow, but rather more character-driven. Then once we get to the tournament, it's nonstop action and surprises from there on out.

This was such a fun, escapist read and it totally surpassed my expectations. I cannot wait to jump into the sequel and see what it has in store for me.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.