Reviews by betweentheshelves

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betweentheshelves

Death at Morning House

Maureen Johnson

3.5

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Not my favorite of Maureen Johnson's books, but not a bad mystery! It's a little slow moving until about halfway through the book, as that's when the mystery on the island with Marlowe really picks up. There are some interesting twists included, and the layering of the two stories does increase the intrigue. The last fourth definitely had me hooked, as I had to see how it all unraveled!

Content Warnings

Not for the Faint of Heart

Lex Croucher

4.0

adventurous emotional funny 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

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of Not for the Faint of Heart to review! Lex Croucher is establishing themselves as an expert in queer historical YA fantasy. If you read for the vibes, this historical romance will definitely be a book for you.

There are a lot of great romance tropes in this, like enemies to lovers, only one bed, hurt/comfort, and kidnapping. The pacing is a little bit slow at the beginning, but it definitely picks up about halfway through the book as sparks start to fly between Clem and Mariel. Their relationship is probably the best part of the story, hands down.

There’s some great banter between the main characters as well, making the book itself entertaining to read and just a fun time. If you like historical rom-coms, definitely check this one out when it comes out in November!

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Review to come!

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The Truth According to Ember

Danica Nava

3.5

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 is a fun little rom-com! Though Ember's growing lies did stress me out there for a good portion of the book. The chemistry between her and Danuuwoa spilled off the page, though, and there is just generally a great cast of characters. An enjoyable light read for me after some heavier books.

Content Warnings

Heir

Sabaa Tahir

5.0

adventurous dark emotional 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

This is such a wonderful extension of the Ember in the Ashes universe! I'm not surprised that I loved this, though I will say that I probably wouldn't recommend reading it before reading the Ember quartet. Tahir does a good job summarizing events from the original series, but there are spoilers included.

Sabaa Tahir does such a great job writing characters and emotions in this world she has created. You'll be hooked by them from the beginning, it wouldn't be an Ember book if there wasn't some emotional turmoil. I am definitely excited to see where the series goes next!

Content Warnings

Leap

Simina Popescu

4.0

emotional hopeful fast-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

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an advanced copy of Leap by Simina Popescu to review! 2024 truly has been the year of graphic novels, even coming up to the end of the year. This book can definitely be added to that list, with beautiful art and strong emotional storytelling.

While the dancing does take center stage in this book, Sara and Ana’s journey coming out and coming to terms with their identity is also a huge part of the plot. They’re both struggling with their identity in a profession that doesn’t always look fondly on queer people. Both of them struggle with this as they decide where they want their futures to go.

In addition to identity, Popescu also focuses on the difficulties of being in the dance world, including body image issues and the pressure to always be practicing. These are struggles that teens outside of the dance world can also relate to, and they are done in a way that feels applicable to teens.

I’m not sure if this is going to be in full color when finished or in the color palette shown on the cover, but either way, the art does justice to the story. If you like graphic novels that explore identity, definitely check this one out!

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Review to come!

Content Warnings

The Maid and the Crocodile

Jordan Ifueko

4.5

adventurous emotional 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

Set in the same world as the Raybearer duology, you don't necessarily need to read the original books to get into this one. You just might miss some of the references to the original characters. This is such a lovely fantasy read; Ifueko is so good at writing captivating stories that read like mythology. There is a focus on storytelling in this one, as well as singing and magic. The narrator for the audiobook also does an excellent job.

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Wrath of the Triple Goddess

Rick Riordan

4.0

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

Turns out Halloween is the perfect time to read this book. Pet sitting a polecat and a hellhound the week of Halloween, what could go wrong? If you're Percy Jackson, a lot. I'm definitely enjoying these smaller scale quests with Percy. It's nice to see him not having to fight to save the world--just to get into college.

Riordan just has a knack for writing engaging stories, at a pace that will make it difficult for you to put the book down. Percy is hilarious as always, and I can't wait to see what the final quest is going to be. It's sure to be a wild ride!

Content Warnings

The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's

Hanna Alkaf

3.0

dark 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

Oh I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise was so interesting and it generally felt different than most YA thrillers out there. I do think the marketing did this one a disservice because it is marketed as dark academia, but it didn't read that way to me. Yes, it was taking place at a boarding school, but the academic aspect didn't necessarily play into the overall mystery/thriller plot taking place.

I did appreciate the way that this explores body automony, trauma, and relationships between teen girls. The relationships and characters are really what drive the main story in the book, which was definitely one of my favorite aspects of the story.

Content Warnings

Ready or Not

Andi Porretta

3.0

emotional lighthearted medium-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

Apparently my last two graphic novel reads have just been duds, minus the art because once again the art in this is goregous. However, I think it suffers from being too long. It took too long to get to where we needed to be at the end of the book, and the overall communication style between the friends just got a little old by the end. I had high hopes for this one, it just fell short.

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I Feel Awful, Thanks

Lara Pickle

3.0

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The illustrations in this are absolutely gorgeous, but the writing honestly left me wanting more. As someone who has read quite a few books that deal with mental health, like this one, I wanted a bit more balance from this one. There needed to be more balance between the story and the characters and the mental health struggles they were facing. It made the messaging feel too in your face instead of more naturally woven into the storyline itself.

The world was fun though, and I really did enjoy the artwork. The rest just wasn't for me.

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