A great look into the Goddess Athena and her many adventures and deeds. This is a wonderful collection filled with fun and cool illustrations! The stories are short and easy to understand. I would definitely recommend this for young readers as its a great introduction to the Goddess of Wisdom, War, and Courage!

The end of the world here and besides dealing with a curse that turns you into a flesh eating monster, Charlotte Holloway also has to deal with the fact that she’s in love with her best friend....who is dating her sister. Charlotte Holloway is one of three sisters, Vanessa -aka the Chosen One who is prophesied to cure the curse and Harlow, a musician/military leader who is dating Charlotte’s childhood best friend and crush, Dean. Charlotte just hasn’t found a way to fit in, not when both her sisters shine so brightly... but when their camp is infiltrated and the intruders are after the Chosen One, Charlotte lies to protect her sister and claims that she is it. Soon she finds herself dealing with pirates, monsters, new friends, and a boy who just might change her life. The story really delves in on the angst of being in love with your childhood best friend who is dating your sister. Charlotte is reckless when it comes to Dean, to a worrying degree, but when she finally has a chance to discover herself, her own worth and be her own person she takes it. This is a story about finding yourself and about choosing yourself, about finding worth in yourself and seeing that you can choose your own path. Charlotte may be unchosen but she chooses her destiny and thats what shines through in this book. This was an interesting take on a dystopian sort of like The Host (by Stephanie Meyer) or Mazerunner. The other love interest in this book, Seth, pirate-ish guy was only a degree less bland than Dean. Dean barely has a personality if I’m being honest haha. Seth at least got to shine through more. Overall I was here for Charlotte’s journey and it was all in all a good read. The romance was light but the character development was great. Charlotte isn’t a perfect character and she can be manipulative and selfish, but that just made me like her more.

A Gatsby retelling with magic, queer characters, and a POC protagonists. The story is told from a Vietnamese protagonist, Jordan Baker, who is adopted into the world of wealth. It follows her story as she encounters Daisy, Tom, Nick, and Gatsby. Jordan is a bisexual character and the story really is full of diverse POC characters and sexualities. It still keeps to the main points of the original story but further elaborates on some aspects, and of course there is the magic element and the whole demon pacts. My favorite aspect of the story was the power dynamic in the relationships between Jordan, Nick, and Gatsby. I was just so fascinated by it. The relationships between all the characters were really interesting, especially when you get to see it from Jordan’s perspective. This was truly a magical read, and if you love the original Gatsby this will be a thrill for you too.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Lord Cassia has returned after disappear three years ago in the midst of war... and the kingdom will never be the same. He has been tortured, beaten, and held captive by the enemy kingdom....a kingdom that belongs to the new queen. Queen Jehan has married King Rayan and with their marriage comes a peace treaty between the two kingdoms and yet upon Cassia’s return things start to test this peace. Cassia only wants to return to his family, to his brother and his friends, to live a peaceful life after enduring three painful years of imprisonment and seeing his friends die. However after an assassination attempt against the King and Queen’s new born son and new strange events threaten the royals, Cassia takes it upon himself to figure out who is behind this and why they are targeting them. He is joined by a beautiful and lively historian who he meet on his way home.... since she stole his horse. Soon Cassia and Lena (the historian) are steeped in dark royal family secrets, a mystery that keeps opening doors to more questions, and a secret that could shatter the peace between the two kingdoms. This was a wonderful read! I enjoyed the twist and turns in the mystery and the ultimate reveal by the end. Having Cassia be the main protagonist was great, you could see how he is still recovering and how he struggles with his new freedom. This was a thrilling read with a great mystery at the heart of it.

*Thanks Netgalley and Clarion Books (formerly HMH Children's Books), Clarion Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A boy with magic, a girl with access to forbidden books, and the devil between them. Tess Matheson is only working towards three goals in her life: success in playing her cello, making her sister happy, and being left alone. She has had to sacrifice, to work tirelessly to be able to ensure that her sister and her both can go to school since their father spent all their life savings. Tess has secured various jobs and the newest one is working at the school library under her aunt On the other hand there is Elliot Birch, a rich, quiet and strange boy whose only goal is to help his dying mother. Elliot’s only plan for the summer is to find the perfect grimoire that would allow him to find a spell that would help his sick mother while doing everything in his power to avoid his father who he absolutely hates. Elliot and Tess get off on the wrong foot with Tess writing little insult post it notes on Elliot’s book requests, though she thinks that it’s actually his father requesting them. Soon Tess and Elliot find themselves connected on a book journey, to unleashing the devil from one of the forbidden books. Now Tess is being hunted down by the devil and Elliot is trying to not only get them out of this mess alive but avoid the ticking clock on his mother’s life and the pressures from his father. I absolutely loved reading this book. The alternative POVs between Elliot and Tess was great and seeing how they both viewed each other to how they fall for each other was so sweet. Elliot is a soft and sweet boy who just wants to spend time with his mom, despite his father doing everything to tear them apart ( I absolutely hated his dad too). Tess is a strong and sharp character, she wants to take care of everyone no matter the cost to her. I loved their mutual hatred for Elliot’s dad being the thing that bonds them. The whole “devil takes possession of bodies of your loved ones while trying to kill you” was an awesome twist. This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys libraries and finding secret books.