This is a very much character driven novel, but they are such fascinating characters! I was pulled into this mystery of Amandala finding out about her family, and the stakes definitely get risen by the end of the book. While I wish some of the side characters would have been developed a bit more, overall this was an enjoyable read! Bonus points for it's South African setting because I can't think of many YA books that are set in South Africa.

As the author mentions in the note at the end of the book, there are very few historical fiction books with Jewish characters that aren't about the Holocaust. This book is incredibly atmospheric and unapologetically Jewish, as the main character, Alter, speaks little English and uses a lot of Jewish terms and mythology. I was fascinated by all of it, knowing very little about Jewish mythology, and the glossary in the back was incredibly helpful. 

I will say, the story itself is overall on the slower side, which allows Polydoros to build the suspense. Just when you think you have the mystery figured out, something else happens to turn it on its head. You can feel the gothic fantasy vibes throughout, and overall, these elements are well incorporated throughout.

The only thing that wasn't super believable for me was the romance itself, which might relate back to the historical period it's written in. For me, I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Alter and his main love interest, and I think I wanted a bit more. Again, this is probably historically accurate, but I wasn't as invested in the romance as I wanted to be.

Overall, fans of gothic historical fantasy with thriller vibes will definitely enjoy this book. A great addition to YA Lit!

Not only does this book tackle tough topics in a very engaging way, all of the characters were well-rounded and made it easy to get into the book. Buford connects race to football for Russell and shows how certain actions impact Black people specifically. This book should definitely be included in all teen collections because it's important and impactful.

It's not perfect, but I really enjoyed this romance! It was a quick read for me for sure. More to come in a review later this week!

This is a fantastic Pan-African debut fantasy! We start off a little slow, but once the plot gets going, it really gets going! I absolutely loved the world-building in this book, especially after reading all of the author's influences at the end of the book. It was really fascinating, and the world was so lush and fully developed. And the characters! Ekon and Koffi had strong chemistry right off the bat, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way their relationship changed throughout.

Most of the plot follows a typical YA fantasy story, but the world-building and the characters definietley make up for it. I loved this from start fo finish!

The first half of this book feels like the first two, uncovering a new case trying to solve it. I would say I enjoyed it up to the halfway point until things get a little out of hand. Granted, the twists you've come to expect from Jackson are still there, even if I guessed a few of them. I'm just not a fan of how it ended! I understand some of the motivations, I'm just not sure it was executed in the best way.

I think this was a phenomenal set of short stories. Again, I think some of these collections are trying to include too many authors. I'm not sure how marketable these short story collections are to teens. This collection features a lot of different voices on a topic that isn't covered a lot in YA lit, and I think it's great for that. The mix of genres also really helps the flow of the book overall.

I appreciate all of the research that went into this, and it provides a lot of important historical context for Brown v. Board of Education. For me, the writing style wasn't particularly engaging and pieces of the overall narrative felt a bit rushed. And important book to have in libraries, though!

From the characters to the world building, there is a lot to like about this book. I also think teens will relate to Katrell and a lot of the struggles she goes through in the book. Lewis does a great job building the suspense, as you know that there are definitely going to be consequences to raising the dead. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Loved what Brown did with this story and how she ended it. She expanded the world from the first book really well, and there was such great character development. More to come in a review later this week!