This is such a unique story! The way it parallels what's happening in the real world is really well done. However, there were aspects of the world building that weren't quite there. I just wanted a bit more of a foundation, right at the beginning of the book. But the parallels between the mythical creatures in this book to real world social issues is the best part of the book, in my opinion.

But Tavia and Effie's relationship was fantastic. And I really enjoyed their voices as characters and the way they changed throughout the story. Overall, an enjoyable magical realism read with real world implications.

Usually story anthologies aren't really my thing because just when I'm getting into a story it's over. But there are some real gems in this one! It has almost every kind of Black Girl Magic you could think of, from a Western to mermaids to vampires to witches. Every story offered something different, and they were all enjoyable in their own way.

My favorite stories were: "When Life Hands You a Lemon Fruitbomb" by Amerie, "Hearts Turned to Ash" by Dhonielle Clayton, and "Letting the Right One In" by Patrice Caldwell. And pretty much any one with magical realism, because that's my favorite! If you're looking to get into anthologies, I definitely recommend this one!

Review originally posted on between-the-shelves.com!

Thanks to Net Galley and Iron Circus Comics for a copy of this to review! I'm always in the market for graphic novels that open your eyes to new things, and this one definitely does that. I'll admit that I don't know much about South Korea, so this book taught me a lot. Plus, the young adults in the book band together with books in order to change their circumstances. Because we all know that books can change the way people think.

One of the things I most appreciated about this was the formatting. To me, it mimicked the Japanese manga style of art, making it a more immersive experience. Facts about South Korea were also cleverly included throughout the story, meaning that the information didn't overtake the story itself. In a time when there's a lot of political upheaval in our own country, I think a lot of teens will take to this story and inspire them to enact their own change.

Banned Book Club is an important story featuring a time in history that is often forgotten. Definitely a great book to add to your classroom library.
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Set in the 1980s in South Korea, this graphic memoir packs in a lot of information that isn't really taught in history classes in the US. An eye opening read! Stay tuned for a full review tomorrow.

This graphic memoir is so well done, exploring the grief at the death of a parent and the ways we move forward from that. The art was well done, and Feder even infused humor into the book, to breakup some of the grief and pain.

This wasn't really on my radar until I saw it at the library. But it's right up my alley! Fast paced and set in an intriguing dystopian world. There are some really dark, violent moments in here, but they make sense given the context. And that ending! I definitely want to know more.

There are some good moments in this volume, specifically the story with Aunt May and Peter, but overall I felt kind of "meh" about most of the stories and the art. The last two stories were probably the strongest of the ones included here, but the first three left more to desire, especially with the art.

I read this all in one sitting, as one does when the desk at the library is slow and it's available through Hoopla. I understand why Marvel has these additional Civil War stories, but they make the timeline somewhat muddy. Yay large-scale events, but also boo large scale events in the Marvel Universe because they are difficult to follow at times.

Anyone who calls themselves a feminist needs to read this book. What mainstream feminism often forgets is the intersection between race and gender and how that factors into issues that feminism doesn't often fight for, which Kendall touches on a lot in this book. A book that will definitely make you think about the ways that you approach feminist issues, especially in terms of the women it often leaves out.

What an ending! Just when you think you know what's coming, Marissa Meyer goes in an unexpected direction. The way that this series looks at how we define heroes and villains is also done brilliantly. I didn't want to stop listening during that last half of the book because I just had to know what was going to happen next!

Though not my usual cup of tea in terms of genre and subject matter, when this first came out, everyone was looking for it at Barnes and Noble. So, for the climate change prompt for Book Riot's Read Harder challenge, I decided to check it out. Egan's writing is engaging, almost reading like an adventure story at times. And I learned a lot about the lake I've lived next to my whole life. I can definitely see why this gained so much popularity.