Re-read this for a book club, and reading the physical book is a totally different experience from reading the audiobook. Mainly, it made me realize how good White's prose is and just how much anger and rage is simmering behind those words. And the metaphor's he uses? They hit such a strong emotional core.

White may be new on the scene of YA, but I think he's definitely making a name for himself in the horror game. One to watch for sure!

This was just okay for me. The writing overall is very atmospheric, and the idea of someone being able to taste the feelings of others was really cool. In general, the magic and the Linden's family was one of the best, most interesting parts of this book for me. And the baking! Always love a book that has some good baking in it.

However, the plot takes quite a while to get moving, and then the ending seems to come too quickly. The pacing really took me out of the story. There are other YA books that have a similar vibe that I think felt more unique than this one, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this particular story. Definitely could have been that, too!

All in all, if you like slower moving books with strong atmosphere, I'd recommend picking this one up!

Anthologies are always hit or miss for me, and I found I didn't like this collection as much as I liked the vampire one they did a year or two ago. That one had some heavy hitters and I enjoyed more of the stories in that one.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy stories in this one!  I think the Kalynn Bayron and Julian Winters ones were my favorites. There were a lot of interesting takes on mermaids in here though, and I enjoyed it for the most part.

So, I had read that you can pretty much read this without having read the previous Eragon books, which I think is true for the most part. Since it's been 20 years since Eragon first came out, I figured I'd be okay because I definitely don't remember any of details from the first four books. There are references to events and characters that I definitely could not remember, but I could follow what was  happening with Murtagh. 

This book is very much about Murtagh dealing with his past trauma, not only when he was working for the evil king, but also just his unbringing in general. There are some tough moments in this book, both for Murtagh and for Thorn. 

Also, I forgot how long winded Paolini is. I don't think this book necessarily needed to be this long, but it's not surprising that it is. There's some unresolved things, so I wouldn't be surprised if Paolini also revisited this world again in the future, either with Murtagh or with Eragon. I'm sure we'll be getting more books.

Not that any of these volumes are particularly fast-paced, but this volume moves slower than the previous ones for sure. There's a bit more in here about art technique, a little about history, and the students are all doing research for their next assignment. After not doing so great on the first assignment, Yatora is doing his best to make up for it on the second assignment.

The professors are a bit harsh, but this is also the best art school in Tokyo, so I guess they have reason to be. Except it might be nice to remember than some of their students are only 18 and thus still learning. All in all, still an enjoyable story!

Yatora may have made it into TUA, but the running theme in this volume is the fact that he feels he's not good enough. He got a late start to art, he doesn't have the breadth of work that other students have, and he's constantly questioning himself. It's a strong focus on imposter syndrome, and I know that's something so many people struggle with, no matter your area of expertise.

Also, I remember those times where we had to have the class critique our pieces and it's just so nerve wracking. No matter if you're in visual art, writing, or some other kind of art. Sometimes you get good feedback, but you really just never know.

Not gonna lie, I forgot I had been reading this series until I came across something a few weeks ago. So, I don't exactly remember what happened in the previous volume, but most of it came back once I started reading this one. I appreciate the way this breaks down the art process, thinking about composition, theme, and just general art technique. 

Yamaguchi also includes other art pieces throughout the manga, mentioning sources in the author's note at the end. This just celebrates art in the form of art, and I just think that's so cool. This is the end of one story arc, and I'm excited to see where it goes next.

Molly Bauer is ready to start her first year at PICA, a prestigious art school. However, on day one, she learns that the full ride scholarship she was counting on has suddenly vanished! Now she has to scramble to figure out how to pay for school–ideally without taking out any loans.

Looking through PICA’s financial aid documents, Molly discovers a loophole. If she can gather together 9 other PICA students to start a softball team, they can get a sports scholarship. That is, if they can win at least one game of the season. Can a group of art students pull it together to win before the end of the season?
 

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second for an advanced copy of Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu to review. This is Ukazu’s first graphic novel since Check Please!, and I was so excited to check this one out. I am happy to report that it absolutely does not disappoint!

Let me start by saying this might be one of the funniest graphic novels I’ve read in a while. And I read a lot of graphic novels. The entire premise: a group of art students attempting to play softball to earn college tuition, is funny on its own. But then you add the cast that Ukazu has created and you’ll be hooked right from the beginning.

Ukazu doesn’t illustrate this one, but Mad Rupert does an excellent job bringing this story to life. The colors are vibrant, the art style fits the overall tone of the story, and brings a lot of life to the cast of quirky characters. I loved it from start to finish.

Underneath the silly antics of the characters is a slightly more serious tone about whether or not it’s really worth it to go to school to study art. Molly struggles with this, especially when she realizes she might have to pay for school herself. Her process and ultimate decision at the end of the book is one that I think teens will relate to, even if they’re not going to art school. It applies generally to college as well.

All in all, this was one of my most-anticipated graphic novels of 2024, and I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations. Definitely check it out when it comes out this February! 

Sarah is about to leave Wisconsin for her freshman year of college in Minnesota. She’s ready for a fresh start and excited to see what the future holds: meeting new people, holding onto high school friendships, and starting long distance with her boyfriend. At the beginning of the school year, she is full of hope.

But as the year goes on, things start to unravel. Her relationship with her boyfriend ends, she’s constantly comparing herself to her high achieving roommate, and making friends is harder than she thought. Quickly overwhelmed by the freedom and the isolation, Sarah has to figure out how to make it on her own. 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and Christy Ottaviano Books for an advanced copy of Freshman Year by Sarah Mai to review! Always love a graphic novel that will be relatable to teens, especially for that transitional time between high school and college. Mai hits on a lot of struggles teens face when they first move out on their own. The overall tone of the book works so well for that particular age group.

I enjoyed the art style, even if it wasn’t necessarily my favorite. Some panels throughout I think could have used more detail. But the characters throughout the story were well-developed, both Sarah’s original friend group and the new one she makes at college.

One of the best things I think Mai captured in this book is that feeling of isolation you can sometimes feel when you go to college. Yes, it’s fun and new and you’re meeting all these people, but you also feel nostalgic for all of the things that were familiar to you. 

This will be great for those teens that liked reading things like Click by Kayla Miller or Guts by Raina Telgemeier. Also a great gift for those teens going off to college next fall! 

Buckle up friends, because as my co-workers can attest to, I have a lot of feelings about this book and they mostly have to do with the current state of YA. First, let's start out with the positives! I appreciate that this book shows a path other than college for high school seniors, because not everyone has to go to college. The narrator for the audiobook also did a great job; the narration style was reallly engaging.

I think a lot of adult fiction writers think that if you make your characters teenagers (which the love interest is not a teenager, but I digress), that means it's young adult. This book very much just feels like Hazelwood's other books, but the characters just happen to be younger and the sex scenes are just fade to black. In a way, the tone reminded me of Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzalez, which would have worked much better as an adult romance. 

Mallory is said to be 18, but in my opinion, she reads older than that for most of the book. The entire vibe of the book feels like more college, new adult to me, which fine! But indicative of the current problem in YA which is: characters being aged up. When YA was just starting to gain traction with publishers, the average age of protagonists was probably 14-16, and you'd get the occasional older protagonist. Now, there is a lot more YA about graduating, going to college, etc. Is there room for that in YA? Absolutely. These are still problems relevant to teenagers. But to make the majority of YA set in this age group erases the group that it was originally written for.

Anyway, this isn't to say Hazelwood is a bad writer. This book is fun, it fits the tone of the other romances she's written, even if you can look past the fact that most of her love interests are Adam Driver inspired. It's just rare skill for writers to be able to flex between audiences, and I don't think that's her strong suit. Mostly because it feels like she thinks hitting the teenage voice just means throwing in a bunch of pop culture references. 

This is a fun, chess inspired story that I wish would have been just published as new adult instead. Chances are if you enjoyed Hazelwood's other books, you'll probably enjoy this one. Unless you're reading them for the spice.