Cinzia is a printer’s apprentice, taken in by Mestra Aronne when most other guilds wouldn’t give her a second glance because of her crippled leg. When Mestra Aronne is arrested for publishing the truthful accusations against the royal family, it is up to Cinzia to find proof. Without it, Mestra Aronne is in danger of being put to death.

Cinzia finds an unlikely ally in Elena, the daughter of the princessa. Together, they follow a trail of clues throughout the city to get to the truth. As they learn more about their city, they realize that though one person can make a difference, what they really need is the rest of the city behind them. 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Ink Girls by Marieke Nijkamp to review! I am always on the lookout for new graphic novels to read, and this one is quite the adventure!

Set in an Italian Renaissance setting, one of my favorite things about this book was the way that maps were incorporated into the main story. It was easy to see where the girls were going and get a good sense of the city in a graphic novel format. Because who isn’t a fan of maps in books, anyway? It also added to the overall world building in what I thought was a clever way.

So much diverse representation as well, which we have come to expect from Nijkamp honestly. All of the characters are well fleshed out and add to the overall story. The message is also a really timely one, about the fact that one person working towards the truth can really make a difference, even if they’re just a kid. Especially if they can convince a larger voice to stand behind them.

All in all, fans of middle grade adventure graphic novels will definitely enjoy this one! 

A strongly written historical fiction that's going to leave you angry by the end of it, especially given the context of the novel in the author's note at the end. It's more slow moving, but it's setting the stage for this particular time period in Mississippi. Having a variety of narrators really gives you perspective on the main plotline, and just 1930s United States in general. 

I listened to the audio, and each narrator brings some different to each of the points of view in the story. Even without the different narrators, though, Cline-Ransome does a good job making sure each character has their own unique voice. 

Overall, this is very well-written, and if you're looking for historical YA that's not WWII, I'd recommend picking this one up!

I'll be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in this one because I was promised a Red, White & Royal Blue read-a-like with a mystery/thriller angle, and it's not quite what I got. I can see some of the similarities, but it mostly ends with the queer royalty angle. And someone getting outed to the press. Honestly, I wish the romance would have been a little more developed, as it would have helped to make me more invested in the overall mystery.

I think part of the problem that this book has is the beginning is incredibly drawn out, partly to build this world of royalty after the king has died. To introduce us to the characters, to lay the groundwork for what's going on. I think there's too much of this weighted at the beginning, meaning that we really don't fully jump into the mystery until halfway through the story. When we finally get there, the plot itself feels a bit rushed.

There are a lot of twists and turns to get to the grand finale, but if you're paying close attention, it's a bit easy to see where the plot is going. I will say, there are some gems of conversations in here, especially in regards to race, but they get a bit lost in the rest of the story.

Not a bad read if you're looking for something quick and entertaining, but maybe look for something else if you're looking for a romance thriller.

A re-read for me because I was in the mood for it after watching Heartstopper season 3. We get more of Tori in that season, so we do get to see glimpses of this book in that season. Plus, we get Michael Holden who is just a delight. 

This is darker in tone than Heartstopper, but it's a good complement to that series. If you've read Heartstopper and want to learn more about Tori, definitely pick this one up!
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I re-listened to this partly because the person who plays Tori in the Heartstopper show actually narrates the updated book that just recently came out from Scholastic and she does a fabulous job (yay Jenny Walser!). I'm trying to remember if I had read Hearstopper volume 4 prior to reading this one the first time, and I think I must have? But it just felt like the entire timeline clicked so much better this time for me. 

I am also realizing I'm not sure if I read the updated version the first time, because Alice Oseman did update the text in 2020. I'm going to guess no, because I think the re-published, newly illustrated cover is the new version, and I remember liking the prose a lot more this time around than I did the first time. Which is a testament to Oseman having a lot more experience now than when she first wrote the book as a teenager. 

We get a lot of Charlie's struggles in the Heartstopper series, but I appreciate seeing what Tori struggles with as well. It's clear that their parents don't really prioritize the mental health stuff (and after seeing the dinner with the grandparents, it's clear why). Seeing more of her and Charlie's relationship in this just makes me love it even more, and I hope we get to see more of that in the next season of the show.

All in all, I still don't think this is Oseman's best novel (still Loveless, in my opinion!), but I love that this is the story that eventually brought us Heartstopper.

I still think Loveless is Alice Oseman's best novel thus far, but this one might be a close second. It really digs into the idea of fame and the ways society obsesses over famous people. And mental health and anxiety and all of those thinks you come to expect in an Alice Oseman novel. Of course, we get another group of characters who are wonderfully developed, and thrown into this kind of chaotic situation. 

I also appreciated that there's no central romance in this, it's more focused on friendship of the main two characters. They're both trying to figure out their place in the world, and finding each other kind of helps with that. Oseman really just excels at writing those kinds of relationships in her books, and that's what keeps me coming back to them.

Anyway, I can now say that I've read every single one of Alice Oseman's books, so yay! Can't wait for what's to come next. 

Dylan and Leighton are sent to a summer camp after "The Incident," and in order to attend high school with their friends, they have to pass an evaluation. The story here alternates between the past and present, establishing Dyan and Leighton's relationship and showing what leads up to the event that puts them in the summer camp in the first place.

I appreciated the way the story was told here, as the alternating between past and present helps to drive the story forward. Dylan and Leighton have a complicated relationship, and they're both fully developed as characters. Both of their struggles will definitely be relatable to a teen audience.

The ending did feel a bit rushed, so I wish there was maybe a little bit added to the end of the story to give it more of a resolution. Some of the timeline details were also a little fuzzy, because though I think the following school year was going to be their first year of high school, they seemed older than that. I think maybe I just needed a little more clarity on the ages.

The art was fantastic though, and the way that Wood distinguishes between Dylan and Leighton's points of view worked really well. 

Oh, this was a delight. A little bit of a campy thriller, with Bianca figuring out their identity and learning to live with their fear and anxiety. Realizing they aren't as alone as they thought they were. I loved that it felt like this book didn't take itself too seriously, really allowing the characters to shine through. And there's a cute little romance too!

Bianca is definitely the star of the show, but Anderson is a close second. The best friend, and his family becomes like a second family to them. I would definitely read more adventures from them fore sure!

Also, highly recommend the audiobook. Vico Ortiz (from Our Flag Means Death) narrates it and does a fantastic job!

I'm sorry, what? Why does this book have a cliffhanger with no indication that there's going to be another book? I was not happy when I got to that ending last night before going to bed because there has to be more to Wren and Theo's story after that. There just has to be.

But anyway! If you're looking for apocalypse romance, this isn't necessarily it (I'd recommend [book:All That’s Left in the World|58329296] by Erik J. Brown instead), but there is the impending end of the world. It feels more like a European road trip novel than anything else, with that romance thrown in. It's a good romance! Wren and Theo are both fully developed characters, and they had good chemistry on the page. They were just generally fun to read about!

However, the ending of this felt a bit rushed to me. I know it's meant to be build up to this huge event that's happening, but then it just kind of....ends? Part of the reason the cliffhanger ending in this particular book is so unsatisfying is because we don't really get any resolution for Wren and Theo. None! I don't need a happily ever after, but it felt like we needed something more than what we got.

Anyway, if you like road trip themed romance and don't mind cliffhangers, this might just be the book for you!

Helston seems to be heading the right direction all thanks to Callie and their friends. Boys and girls are allowed to pursue what they want to pursue, be it magic or becoming a warrior. But not everyone is so keen to see Helston change. Especially as outside forces start to seed a fear of magic in the town.

Callie notices the suspicious glances thrown towards themselves and their friends, but feels powerless to do anything about it. When the peace finally shatters, Callie and their friends find themselves fleeing the city. As they seek refuge in the most unlikely place, Callie realizes everything isn’t what it seems. And their whole world is thrown into question. 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost by Esme Symes-Smith to review! I absolutely loved the first book when I read it last year, so I was excited to see where Callie went next. And I was not disappointed!

What I appreciate about this series thus far is that Symes-Smith does not shy away from difficult topics. One of the main themes about this book in particular is that kids can handle more than adults think they can. Callie and their friends are kids, but they are repeatedly thrown into adult situations by the adults. And the adults keep lying to them about what’s actually going on. All they want is to be treated as equals if they are going to be forced into a war that the adults created.

There are also a lot of great discussions about queer identities throughout this book; especially about labels and how they mean different things to different people. You might think this is out of place in a fantasy book, but it flows really well with the overall story. They also coincide with discussions about trauma and the ways that a non-accepting society can attribute to that. Which is really relevant to current discussions about censoring books.

In addition to all of this, there’s also found family, great characters, interesting magic systems, and fun adventure. So much for middle grade fantasy readers to love. I honestly don’t think that I have a bad thing to say about this book. And I hope it gets into the hands of readers that need it! 

This quick middle grade adventure graphic novel is so fun! I know it's the start of a series, but I do wish this one would have been a little longer. Just to help with the world building a bit. It felt a little like you were just thrown in, and a little more detail would have definitely helped with some of the confusion.

The art was great, though! I really enjoyed this particular art style. And the characters overall were fun; I particularly liked Suri, who is just trying to prove herself to everyone. And maybe become an actual monster hunter in the process. I'll probably pick up the next volumes when we get them in at the library, just to see where the story goes next!