Reviews by betweentheshelves

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betweentheshelves

Walking in Two Worlds

Wab Kinew

3.5

adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

One of the things I loved about this book is the way it incorported so many aspects of Indigenious culture. Yes, much of the book takes place in this virtual reality, but it is through this virtual reality that Bugz is preserving her culture. It's actually a really cool concept, and I loved this aspect of the book.

However, there were times where the transitions between the virutal reality and reality were a bit confusing to me. Additionally, I didn't really understand some of the motivations of the people in the video game. They were fighting for something, but I wasn't sure what.

All in all, fans of books like Ready Player One or Warcross will definitely enjoy this one, too!

Content Warnings

Squad

Maggie Tokuda-Hall

4.0

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I loved the art in this! Plus, the story is engaging with fascinating characters. More to come in a full review soon!

Content Warnings

Both Sides Now

Peyton Thomas

2.0

emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to think of this book. For me, it was a pretty quick read and the premise is really interesting. However, there is A LOT going on in this book, and the author doesn't necessarily handle everything well. It almost felt like the author wanted to throw as many hot button topics as he could in this book, which mean that a lot of them (especially issues about race) fell through the cracks.

There are a lot of other reviews on here that talk about these issues better than I can, so definitely look them up! If you decide to pick this up, know going in that there's a lot of transphobia, racism, and homophobia. Proceed with caution!

Content Warnings

When Dogs Heal: Powerful Stories of People Living with HIV and the Dogs That Saved Them

Jesse Freidin, Robert Garofalo, Zach Stafford

4.0

hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Great heartwarming stories about the power of animals in our lives. They're all pretty short, but it doesn't make them any less powerful.

Content Warnings

That Weekend

Kara Thomas

4.0

dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Plot twists on plot twists! Some of them were predictable, others were not. I definitely couldn't stop listening in the second half, there. I needed to know what was going to happen! Kara Thomas is definitely one of my favorite thriller authors, and this book just shows why.

Content Warnings

Gilded

Marissa Meyer

3.0

adventurous dark slow-paced

Well, I definitely didn't realize this was going to be a series. At least, it seems that way from the way this one ended. Not my favorite Marissa Meyer to date. More to come in a review next week!

Content Warnings

Me (Moth)

Amber McBride

4.0

emotional sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

With that ending, this is such a powerful read! The verse throughout is done beautifully, and you're really sucked into Moth and Sani's stories. Heartbreaking and emotional for sure.

Content Warnings

Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence

Joel Christian Gill

4.0

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

This is such an impactful graphic novel. About Gill's childhood, growing up in the 80s and dealing with trauma and abuse. He really breaks it down in a way that's easy to process it. The art style really supplements the subject matter, too. Overall, this is a really strong story!

Content Warnings

Lilla the Accidental Witch

Eleanor Crewes

3.5

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

This was an adorable graphic novel! Lilla is a 13-year-old just trying to figure out where she fits in. There's witchcraft, a talking cat, and just lovely characters. A perfectly lovely middle grade graphic novel!

The Hawthorne Legacy

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

3.0

mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

These books are so easy to read quickly! I basically read this entire thing this morning. Lots of twists and turns, making it really fast paced. While some aspects were predictable, I think teens will really like this sequel!

Content Warnings

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