I just want to start out by saying every time this book said "Earth Kingdom," I immediately thought about Avatar: The Last Airbender. Does this book really have anything in common with that show other than the different kingdoms? No. But it's honestly all I could think about every time they mentioned the different kingdoms. 

Anyway. This was pretty good! Not the best fantasy I've read this year, but it's got that romance fantasy vibe that so many people are loving at the moment. Where this book really shines is the characters; Christo does a great job developing them and there's good chemistry in the main romance. The plot and world building aren't quite there, but I enjoyed the story for the characters. 

All in all, if you're looking for a fantasy that's heavier on the romance than the world, this might just be the book for you! 

I feel like I can always count on Iron Circus to create a unique graphic novel experience. This one is basically wordless (there are a couple of pages with words on them, but that's it). I thoroughly enjoy the art style; it's black and white, but some of the pages really have a lot of detail in them. 

The story itself is a bit strange and ends a bit quickly, but it was interesting from beginning to end! If you enjoy strange graphic novels experiences, definitely pick this one up!

Well...this was strange. I honestly think it suffers from being too short, because the plot was confusing and I think it needed a bit more character development. This definitely would make a much better read for Halloween time, since it is actually set during Halloween. But you know, reading it in December is fine too!

I did like the art, though. There were some really great panels in here, and the world was brought to life with the artwork. The book itself would have worked better if it was a bit longer and allowed more of the characters and the plot to breath.

All in all, a quirky book that wan't quite my cup of tea.

Brynn Kwan is used to pretending. After all, she has crafted the perfect high school persona: head of the yearbook committee and a favorite for prom queen. That Brynn doesn’t have to deal with chronic pain, isn’t being worn down by a disease she can’t control. Her friends don’t know about her condition, and neither does her ex-boyfriend, who she dumped rather than tell him the truth about her surgery over the summer.

However, after a fight breaks out at a pep rally, Brynn is blamed. Now, she finds herself suspended for a week and isn’t allowed to participate in any senior year activities. During her suspension, she has to decide: does she have the courage to just be herself? 
 

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle to review! I feel like we are slowly getting more chronic illness rep in YA, and this is a great addition to that. Especially since it is based on Mangle’s own experiences with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Despite the overall subject of the book being somewhat serious, Mangle does inject a lot of humor into her writing. So often, books about chronic illness are serious all the time, but Brynn’s inner monologue adds a little light to her situation. Brynn essentially doesn’t want people to see her as breakable, and her character is so well developed.

In addition to Brynn, we have a great cast of side characters as well. Brynn’s family and friends just want to be there for her, and the book is about her learning to be vulnerable with them. To tell them what she wants. And to allow herself grace because she is so tired of pretending all the time.

Though there are romance elements to this book, it’s definitely more focused on Brynn’s identity journey and learning how to let people in again. Despite the focus being on chronic illness, any teen reading this book could find something to relate to in Brynn’s story. 

Definitely check it out when it comes out next February! 

This is a beautifully written novel in verse about a Persian family living in Arizona around the time of 9/11. While some of that rhetoric does make it into the story, it's more about Omid figuring himself out in his sophomore year in high school, dealing with his first crush, and learning how to communicate his emotions.

There are some absolutely gorgeous lines throughout this book, touching on emotions I'm sure that a lot of teenagers have. I loved how Shahi incorporated rap through Omid's best friend Sammy, showing how it even uses some of the mechanics of the poetry they were studying in English class. 

If you enjoy novels in verse, I definitely recommend you pick this one up!

If you're looking for a sapphic Christmas story that's just a bit surface level, this is a lovely seasonal read. It's easy to see where the plot is going, and of course everything works out. It honestly reads kind of like a Hallmark Christmas movie, and I'm okay with that becuase that's exactly what I was looking for!

I do wish some of the characters were a bit more developed, and I had a hard time telling the difference between Margot and Ellie's voices from time to time (even with them having different narrators). They did have pretty good chemistry as a main couple, though.

Also, the side plot about trying to figure out how the dog got pregnant was hilarious and I'm honestly glad I read it just for that.

After getting a taste of what human life has to offer, Dami is on a quest to cancel every deal they’ve ever made as a demon. Once they do so, they’ll be able to taste, feel, smell, and everything else that comes with truly living. However, there’s only one person sitting in their way: Silas Cain.

Cursed to die young, Silas made a deal with Dami that he wouldn’t truly die until he was ready. Unfortunately, that means that Silas has been dying over and over again. In order to break the curse, Dami and Silas must find Captain Kidd’s treasure and return it to his grave. But will they be able to survive the journey to get the treasure in the first place? 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of The Diablo’s Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa to review! Novoa burst onto the YA fantasy scene last year with The Wicked Bargain, and he has been on my radar ever since.

This book is technically a companion to The Wicked Bargain; I wouldn’t necessarily call it a sequel because it technically centers different characters. For the most part, I do think this book stands on its own, but you will get spoilers for The Wicked Bargain if you read this one first. And you’ll miss a lot of Dami’s background with El Diablo.

Anyway! I loved this one just as much as I loved Novoa’s first book. What Novoa is great at is writing these characters you truly care about, working against what seem like impossible odds. These adventure stories center queer characters, of all kinds. Dami and Silas were excellent, and we get a third treasure hunter in Marisol. I would definitely read more of their adventures together!

My only complaint is that sometimes, the points of view change without warning, which is a bit disorienting. I wanted that to be a little more clearly outlined. Despite that, Novoa builds well on the world built in the first book, introducing some new magic and new characters. 

All in all, if you’re looking for a treasure hunting adventure fantasy centering queer characters, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up in February! 

This was a delight! Hassan does a great job of developing our three narrators and crafting this magical world that they all live in. There's a bit of a mystery as to who the Hag is and how to defeat her, and how to break Leo's curse. But the way it all unfolds is really masterful, and I was hooked the entire way through.

Leo, Aziza, and Tristan all had heartbreaking moments, but I think Tristan's storyline was possibly the most heartbreaking. He feels like he doesn't deserve love or happiness because of his past and just...ugh. You know there are teens out there that also feel that way because of the way they were treated by adults. 

I love that the three of them made a little coven, and I'm honestly excited to see what they get up to in the next book! Because there are definitely story threads that need to be wrapped up.

Inspired by ancient China, this book re-imagines what might have happened if Chinese alchemists had figured out the secret to immortality. It's definitely a twisty fantasy, and Zilan, our protagonist isn't necessarily the most likable main character, but she is fierce and defiant and knows what she wants. Baker incorporates a lot of plot twists in relation to her character, and I enjoyed that overall, it kept me constantly guessing as to what was going to happen next.

Of course, the ending is left a bit open, leaving room for a second book. I believe it's going to be a duology, but I've been wrong in that aspect before. However, the events in this book are pretty much wrapped up for the most part, just leaving some loose ends that will likely be addressed in the second book. 

The way Baker used ancient Chinese alchemy as her inspiration and ran with it made the magic system feel unique. I was invested and intrigued for this entire book, and I'm excited to pick up the second book when it eventually comes out!

Ellie is a librarian who is currently happy with her lot in life. Working at a small library in Ligonier, baking scones, and investigating the mysterious disappearances that seem to happen around her town. At least, she was happy with her life until a strange encounter with a woman named Prospero.

Prospero is a strong witch, and Ellie is the key to breaking the curse threatening the small witch village she lives in. After awakening Ellie’s powers, Prsopero brings Ellie to a magical college for witches. But what they both don’t know is that other powers are at work, that might not want to use Ellie for good. 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for an advanced copy of Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr to review! Melissa Marr is known for her YA novels featuring the fae, but this is the first adult novel I’ve read by her. It’s about a librarian, so of course I had to pick it up!

Marr mentions that she wrote this book specifically for her wife, and I love that. I appreciated the queernormative world she created in this magical community. The idea of a small magical community hidden from everyone else is also super fun, and I’d read more books with that particular plot device.

However, I think this book suffers from the fact that there are just too many narrators. From the original description, I didn’t realize we were going to get so many different points of view. It means that none of the characters are particularly developed; in general, most of their problems felt surface level. This also makes the overall world building suffer because the main threat was unclear to me. 

Also the way they used magic was…interesting. It seems like some people have different gifts than others, and different levels of magic, which is fine. However, none of it is really spelled out, and there were some good opportunities for that since they are at basically a magical community college. 

That brings us to the ending, in which Marr made some very odd choices (at least, in my opinion). There’s a cliffhanger, so I’m assuming there will be another book where things can be fixed, but in general, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.