Reviews by betweentheshelves

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betweentheshelves

Let It Glow

Marissa Meyer, Joanne Levy

4.0

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

In making holiday booklists for work I have come to realize there are not a lot of holiday themed books for thie middle grade market. There are tons and tons of picture books, but you reach this age and it's pretty slim. Even the teen market has expanded in the last couple of years, so hopefully this age group comes next!

This is sort of like if The Parent Trap happened around the holidays, but instead of trying to get their paretns back together, they're just trying to learn more about each other. It's just a fun time, and both characters were equally fleshed out. A really enjoyable middle grade holiday story!

Content Warnings

Where the Library Hides

Isabel Ibañez

3.5

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don't know if I liked this more than the first one, but it did have a pretty good ending with some twists that make the last third of the book pretty exciting. However, I do think this book is a little longer than it needs to be. There's a lot of time spent on the wedding at the beginning that didn't necessarily seem to add a lot to the plot overall.

The "library" mentioned in the title isn't actually brought up as a plot point until probably half way through the book, and to me, I wanted more focus on that. The history aspects seemed to take a back seat in this one, and I wished they were more front and center.

All in all, it does fill a hole in the YA market as there aren't a ton of books set during this time period. If you like action, adventure, romance, and a touch of magic, this duology might definitely be for you!

Content Warnings

The Unboxing of a Black Girl

Angela Shanté

5.0

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

A powerful collection of poetry that I wish I would have listened to instead of reading the physical book. I imagine the spoken word poems are even more powerful that way, and that's just the way I generally prefer to read poetry collections.

This was a finalist for the National Book Award, which it is much deserving of that label. In addition to the fantastic poetry, there are a lot of resources included if you want to continue your learning journey. A book I highly recommend!

Content Warnings

Detective Beans: And the Case of the Missing Hat

Li Chen

5.0

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Why yes, you absolutely do need a kid's graphic novel about a cat solving a mystery about his missing hat. Detective Beans is absolutely adorable, from the art to the characters to just everything about it. It's one of those books that you read when you need a mood boost because it is guaranteed to do just that.

Here's to hoping we get to read more cases from Detective Beans in the future!

The Nightmare Before Kissmas

Sara Raasch

4.5

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was just what I needed after a particularly heavy book dealing with teenage alcoholism. It's one of those kinds of books where you can just listen and immerse yourself in the world with fun characters and just an overall fun premise. It's not perfect, but you're honestly just there for the enterainment and the vibes.

It's exactly what I love in a holiday romance, so I definitely recommend it if you're looking for something fun to read for this holiday season!

Content Warnings

Ruin Road

Lamar Giles

4.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don't think this is my favorite Lamar Giles book, but it's got a lot going for it! Some of the time skips were a little confusing listening to it on audio, but I liked the way it all came together at the end. As always, Giles makes a lot of societal commentary through his thriller, and the sort of magical aspects worked well with the more thriller aspects of the book. Not quite as suspenseful as his other books, but a good addition to the YA thriller market.

Content Warnings

Visitations

Corey Egbert

4.0

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for an advanced copy of Visitations by Corey Egbert to review! There definitely has been an increase in popularity of YA graphic novels based on real life, which is a trend I am 100% behind. Especially when they explore issues that might hit home for a variety of teen readers.

This book explores mental illness in a way that we don’t necessarily see in a lot of YA books. It focuses on Corey’s mother and the way that her mental illness affected the safety of her children. Even though she felt what she was doing was for their safety. Seeing Corey’s realization throughout the book feel true to the teenage experience, especially as he begins to question if his mom’s beliefs are grounded in reality.

There is also such a strong sibling relationship in this book. You can tell that Corey really wants to protect his sister, and that they feel comfortable being supports for each other. I always love seeing this kind of sibling relationship, and am glad that it’s such a strong one.

This book explores such important, complex issues and I think it’s an important addition to the YA graphic novel market. Plus, the art reflects the story and is overall beautifully done.

Definitely check it out when it comes out in December!
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Review to come!

Content Warnings

The Terrifying Tales of Vivian Vance

Josh Ulrich

3.5

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Definitely an enjoyable, slightly spooky read about an entire underground monster in a small town. What you think is just a bedtime story is really something else, adding to the overall mystery of the Flesh-Eaters. I do wish some of that world was expanded on a little and that there was a little more depth overall to the story. But it's still an entertaining read, and would be great for spooky season!

Content Warnings

The Dividing Sky

Jill Tew

4.0

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It seems like dystopia might be making a comeback in the YA realm, which is great! This has a pretty heavy romance aspect, which was a little insta-lovey. Not always my favorite trope. But the world that Tew created was fascinating and felt scarily realistic, which in my opinion is what makes a great dystopian book.

The writing was paced well, pulling you along in the action while revealing what this government is actually doing. If you're a fan of YA dystopia, definitely pick this one up!

Content Warnings

The Glass Girl

Kathleen Glasgow

4.5

dark emotional sad medium-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

Kathleen Glasgow doesn't shrink away from the tough stuff, and this book is no different. This isn't in any way an easy read, but it's definitely an important one for teens who might also find themselves in Bella's position. I also appreciated that this showed the road to recovery isn't a straight line and that you're not always going to be perfect. Such an important thing to show to teens also struggling.

If you're in the right mindspace, this one is definitely worth the read!

Content Warnings

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