Check & Mate is the first Ali Hazelwood book I’ve read, and I was so impressed! I flew through the book in less than a day, and I’m already wanting to pick up another book by Hazelwood.
I loved so many things about this book! The story is centered around the game of chess, and while I’m not a huge fan, it was interesting. If you enjoy chess, I think you’ll definitely love this book, but if not, it doesn’t take away from the story at all. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the story was the way Hazelwood addressed gender inequality in chess.
The romance was cute, but I never really focus on romance, even in romance novels, and there were so many other compelling aspects of this book that made it stand out. Mallory was such a well-crafted character. I liked that she was not perfect and made many mistakes throughout the course of the story. The way she put her family first and tried to provide for her mom and sisters was endearing. Related to that, I appreciated the chronic illness representation in Mallory’s mom. Mallory’s motivation of wanting to help her family was perfectly executed and added a lot of plausibility to the story.
On a similar note, I thought Mallory came across as neurodivergent, which I enjoyed. The queer representation, in Mallory and multiple secondary characters, was excellent. Many of Hazelwood’s characters viewed queerness as the norm, which I loved, especially in Mallory’s younger sisters.
Furthermore, in relation to the plot, I enjoyed the way Hazelwood slowly revealed backstory, especially information related to Mallory’s dad and his relation to chess.
Finally, the supporting characters were exceptional! I loved so many of them, but Oz in particular was very likeable despite his grumpiness. I adored the fact that he supported Mallory throughout her journey in the world of chess.
Overall, I will certainly be reading more of Hazelwood’s books because this one was an absolute gem!
I loved so many things about this book! The story is centered around the game of chess, and while I’m not a huge fan, it was interesting. If you enjoy chess, I think you’ll definitely love this book, but if not, it doesn’t take away from the story at all. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the story was the way Hazelwood addressed gender inequality in chess.
The romance was cute, but I never really focus on romance, even in romance novels, and there were so many other compelling aspects of this book that made it stand out. Mallory was such a well-crafted character. I liked that she was not perfect and made many mistakes throughout the course of the story. The way she put her family first and tried to provide for her mom and sisters was endearing. Related to that, I appreciated the chronic illness representation in Mallory’s mom. Mallory’s motivation of wanting to help her family was perfectly executed and added a lot of plausibility to the story.
On a similar note, I thought Mallory came across as neurodivergent, which I enjoyed. The queer representation, in Mallory and multiple secondary characters, was excellent. Many of Hazelwood’s characters viewed queerness as the norm, which I loved, especially in Mallory’s younger sisters.
Furthermore, in relation to the plot, I enjoyed the way Hazelwood slowly revealed backstory, especially information related to Mallory’s dad and his relation to chess.
Finally, the supporting characters were exceptional! I loved so many of them, but Oz in particular was very likeable despite his grumpiness. I adored the fact that he supported Mallory throughout her journey in the world of chess.
Overall, I will certainly be reading more of Hazelwood’s books because this one was an absolute gem!