I had fun with this one! Spider-Man is now a part of the Fantastic Four team, and they go on some adventures, seeing some familiar faces along the way. Personally, I thought the substitute storyline was a fun call back, even if they weren't the best written issues of the volume. I liked how they connected to Peter's past life.

It feels like there are some odd issues tacked on at the end of this volume, but overall, a pretty good read! I especially liked the way that this explored loss, with that one issue taking us through a lot of people Peter Parker has lost over the years. It also finds him recommitting to the idea that everyone deserves to live. I like Slott's writing, so I'm interested in seeing where it goes next!

Finally got around to this middle grade graphic novel that was one of the 2024 Rainbow List selections from ALA, and it's such a delight! This book captures the difficulty that is 7th grade, while also discovering that you might be different from everyone else. It captures that feeling of middle school so perfectly.

The art in this is also just lovely! Dåsnes captures feelings so well through color and expressions. I can definitely see why this book got so much praise!

Honestly, this book was a bit all over the place, both world building and plot wise. There was so much to remember about this world, and yet there wasn't space for it to be fully explored. I do appreciate that this appears to be a standalone YA fantasy (which is rare these days), but giving the world room to breathe would have helped with some of the confusion.

The characters are pretty well developed, at least the main cast. The side characters all tend to blend into the background. The magic system and god-pact system could have used a bit more explanation as well, because there were times where I thought a pact was being made and that didn't seem to be the case. 

There are also heavy religious tones throughout, so just something to be aware of if you pick this one up! It wasn't really for me, but I could definitely see how others could connect to it.

As a children's librarian in Michigan, if I was going to read any Emily Henry book, it felt like this should be the one. And I'm happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed it! This is very much a character driven romance, but honestly, that's my favorite kind of romance. The characters were great (including the side cast), and I loved all the little Michigan things thrown in throughout. 

As a co-worker mentioned, you can tell Henry is a book person because she actually references children's books that kids actually read. Daphne felt authentic as a children's librarian, and we love to see it. Her and Miles have great chemistry, and they were just thoroughly fun to read about.

A bit different from what I normally read, but I could see having a good time with other Emily Henry books! It was a great palate cleanser from a couple of darker reads.

In Tortall, women are officially able to train for knighthood, and Keladry intends to take advantage of it. She expects the usual grueling schedule of a page, along with a little hazing. But Lord Wyldon has different expectations. Especially since he thinks that women shouldn't become knights.

So, it is up to Keladry to prove him wrong. In order to be fully accepted into knighthood training, Keladry has to pass a year of probation. Something no one else has ever had to do. But if Kel wants to eventually become a knight, she has to play by their games.

Thanks to Random House Graphic and NetGalley for an advanced copy of First Test Graphic Novel by Tamora Pierce to review! When I was growing up, Tamora Pierce was definitely a favorite of mine. I was excited to see that it was getting the graphic novel adaptation treatment. And I am happy to say that it didn't disappoint!

Though it's been a long time since I've read these novels, I feel like the adaptation has captured the essence of the story. Tamora Pierce has been writing these kind of girl power stories for as long as I can remember. Reading this definitely makes me want to revisit these books and see if they hold up like I remember them. There's definitely a kind of nostalgia in reading this book, at least for me!

The art style works well for this story; I liked getting to see this world of Tortall come to life. I hope this book does well enough to get some of the other books in the Tortall series, because I'd definitely like to see more of the magic brought to life int his way.

All in all, this is a great adaptation you should have on your radar when it comes out this summer!

The Knight is only for those who are absolutely desperate to change their lot in life. He is an ancient monster who turns wishes into curses. Non knows this better than Eve, who has lived her entire life training to defeat the Knight. With her ability to speak to animals and conjure weapons from nature, she seems like the only one has the ability to defeat him.

As more people are harmed by the Knight’s deals, Eve decides that it might be finally time to defeat him. But when the queen starts actly strange, Eve has to figure out if she truly has the power to defeat the Knight.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for an advanced copy of Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron to review! I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Bayron’s books since reading Cinderella Is Dead, and this book sees us return to that world. If you like fairytale inspired books and haven’t read her books yet, definitely pick them up.

I will say, this isn’t necessarily a retelling; it feels more like a Snow White inspired book. The characteres are all well developed; Eve is such an interesting main character; she is willing to take her own destiny into her hands, and not afraid to confront conflict. In general, the characters were what made this book for me. In addition to Eve, there’s a wonderful cast of side characters that help her on her journey.

However, I was as drawn into the plot in this one as I have been in other Bayron’s books. There are quite a few different plot lines happening at the same time, and I think that slows down the book slightly. Pairing some of those down would have made the book even more engaging.

All in all, not a bad fairytale retelling, but maybe not my favorite of Bayron’s books thus far.
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Review to come!

I'm always torn about books like this because while it does have important representation (and ends on a note of hope), it's unclear who the target audience is for this book. Partly because there is a lot of transphobia presented, but there's also descriptions of self harm and suicide that could be particularly triggering. Not to say these things shouldn't exist in YA, it just makes me wonder who this book was written for.

Kinkade does take quite an emotional journey in this book, helped partly along by his dad who is accepting of him. But at the beginning, he has a lot of notions about being a man that feed into the toxic masculinity trope. He learns differently by the end, but it does make him seem like kind of a jerk for a portion of the book.

I am glad this book exists, but I'm not sure who I would necessarily recommend it to.

This one actually surprised me! I thought it was going to be darker than it was. There are darker elements, but it wasn't nearly as bloody or graphic as the cover makes it seem. The magic system was actually really interesting; I like how it sort of tied to science and anatomy.

The characters were also really well done. Nhika is such a complicated main character, as are the Congmis and Kochin. Just when you think you might have the plot figured out, Le throws a wrench into things. It hooked me until the end, and I can't wait to read the next one!

I'm usually pretty meh about YA anthologies (because for the most part, I don't think teens are drawn to them), but horror lends itself well to short stories! This was a pretty good mix of stories, with a lot of the authors taking tropes that we know from horror and adding their own spin on them. Definitely would be a great anthology to read during spooky season!