The art in this is absolutely my favorite part. There are some really gorgeous scenes that K. O'Neill creates, and the colors were just lovely. A lot of the book takes place at night, so a lot of the panels are dark, but that doesn't take away from the magical nature of this world.

There were a few holes in the world building, which makes the overall story a bit difficult to follow at times. It almost could have been a series, which would have allowed for a bit more breathing room where the world was concerned. 

Despite that, the characters were still fairly well developed and I enjoyed the relationships that were presented throughout the book. Overall, definitely an enjoyable middle grade graphic novel!

Not only does this give voice to a lot of the female characters often silenced in Shakespeare's works, it allows them to re-imagine their own stories. The premise of this book was fascinating to me--four women from Shakespeare (Juliet, Cordelia, Ophelia, and Lavinia) are in a sort of chat room under a stage. When they get to talking, they realize that maybe their stories aren't that different after all.

My favorite thing about this book was the way that it can make Shakespeare accessible for teenagers. I know reading Shakespeare can sometimes be a daunting thing, and this book brings up different themes and such that come up in a lot of Shakespeare plays. It would definitely work as a good companion to any of the plays that are brought up in the book.

While I'm not sure how much actual teen appeal this will have, I certainlly appreciated it as someone who has a literature degree. The verse format also makes it a bit more accessible, in my opinion. Hard-hitting with an interesting narrative structure, I definitely appreciated this from beginning to end.

Quite honestly, we need more historical fiction published that features Black characters that doesn't necessarily have to do directly with slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. Is that going to make it into a lot of those stories? Absolutely, especially when it's set in the United States. This book is focused on a well-off Black famiy in the early 20th century, and it centers the romance in the plot. In the YA realm, I honestly can't really think of many (if any) other books that focus on that.

If you like historical romance dramas, then this is absolutely going to be your jam. It is loosely based on an actual family in Chicago in the early 1900s, but it really focuses on the romance of the four girls. Even though there are four narrators, the characters mostly felt like they had distinct voices and for the most part, the different threads of the relationships were pretty easy to follow.

The writing itself is easy to get into, and it doesn't get too bogged down by historical facts or world building. The historical romance drama isn't always my jam, but if you like that kind of thing, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out!

This isn't my first Toni Morrison book, but it's been awhile. I read The Bluest Eye back in college and I remember it being just as powerful. I didn't realize this book had horror elements, which is fitting given the subject matter. At its core, it's about the horrors of slavery and the effects it has on Black people.

Quite honestly, I think this is one of those books that lends itself to discussion. Am I surprised that it has made its way onto the list of the most banned books in the last twenty years? Not at all. Quite honestly, that means all the more reason to read it.

This book tackles a lot of different issues, and it does so in a way that's relatable to its teen audience. Alejandra is in her senior year of high school, working on college applications and trying to balance things happening in her personal life. She goes to a private school, away from the neighborhood she lives in in New York, and struggles with sometime relating to her more well off classmates. Alejandra's voice felt authentic throughout, hitting on a lot of important issues when it comes to applying to colleges and figuring out your future.

The relationships throughout were also well fleshed out. Alejandra has a lot of different relationships within the book, and they change as she both learns more, and as she gets closer to graduation. I appreciated the ways that her relationship with her best friend Laurel fluctuated throughout, because of the fact that they both came from such different backgrounds. They are eventually able to work through their issues, and the entire trajectory of their relationship felt realistic and authentic to me.

All in all, if you enjoy character driven stories that tackle tough issues, especially when it comes to immigration.

This book has quite the polarized reviews on Goodreads, and really, sparked a lot of controversy on TikTok. So, I figured I'd give it a chance and see what all the talk was about. Let me just say, if you read a lot of YA fantasy, and know a lot of the popular YA fantasy from the early 2000s and 2010s, you will notice quite a few similarities in this one. Like, so many scenes taken almost directly from other books. So many.

Let's start with the world building. Someone, there's a lot of info dumping, and yet nothing really makes sense? There was a Hunger Games-esque promise with this, but that's not really an accurate comparison for this book. The best comparison is honestly A Court of Thorns and Roses, maybe a little Throne of Glass, and a tiny bit of The Selection. But mostly, Sarah J. Maas. We've got a lot of Sarah J. Maas influence in this book. 

But I digress! I finished the entire book, and I still can't explain what exactly the competition was that happened in this book. There were some trials, and at some point they were allowed to kill each other, but to what end? It wasn't exactly clear what they were fighting for, or why they were really having the trials at all. Additionally, there are a lot of random rules for each of these different kingdoms, but again, it is not clear how or why all of these parameters exist. The realm where they only live until they're 25? How is that even sustainable? But you also have realms where they live until they're 500? Having both of these exist in the same world just didn't make sense to me.

I will tell you right now, Grim is basically Rhysand from ACOTAR, and you can't convince me of that otherwise. I actually would go as far as to say that this book is pretty much ACOTAR fanfiction, as there are an astounding amount of similarities. Other books I recognized scenes from are: Divergent, Harry Potter, and The Selection.

I did listen to the audiobook, so I can't speak to some of the writing and spelling errors that were mentioned in some of the other reviews. But if anything, this book could have used a developmental editor for sure. There were sections that needed to be fleshed out, and other sections that took way too much time. 

I'm sure there's more I could say about this book, but it really just baffles me overall. I can see why some people are drawn to it, it just needed some overall better editing. In all aspects.

At this point, can Hades and Persephone just get together already? We know it's going to happen, and I just need them to get together. Smythe has written them with great chemistry! Overall, I really enjoy how she's adapted Greek mythology into this form, and the art of the entire graphic novel series is just very well done. The colors and the panels and the emotions on the characters faces. I love it. 

Maybe I'll just have to actually start reading the WEBTOON because waiting to see what happens next is killing me.

On a regular summer day, Nick hesitates when jumping into the pool to save a swimmer. So December, who has a gift to see the future, jumps in to help. However, when doing so, December gets a new vision. Her and Nick are going to fall in love. But now, his own life is at risk.

Though they were strangers on that summer day, Nick and December start to get to know each other when the school year starts. December is desperate to figure out how to save his life, but also kind of wants to know what it’s like to fall in love. As they get closer, the truth about other things starts to come to light. Will December be able to intervene enough to change the future?

Thanks to Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Other Side of Infinity by Joan F. Smith to review! Pitched as They Both Die at the End meets The Butterfly Effect, I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this book. It does get emotional at the end, so be warned!

The idea of getting visions of the future is so interesting to me, but I don’t think I could handle it, honestly. The way Smith spells it out in this book was interesting, and December has had to move around a lot because of her gift. Because she accidentally let things slip. The way her and Nick’s relationship evolves throughout the book is well developed, spelling out a love story even when one person already knows it is going to happen. Their chemistry was well done, and their relationship felt believable.

Nick has dyslexia, and there’s a lot of great conversations around that throughout the book, especially with him and his parents. While Nick’s dark secret isn’t quite as dark as I was expecting, it works in the context of the overall story. 

If you read a lot, you might see the main plot twist coming, but that doesn’t necessarily take away from its effectiveness. No matter what, you’ll still end up on an extremely emotional note at the end of the book.

All in all, if you’re looking for a book packed with emotion, this is definitely the book for you!

Okay, this was much too philosophical for me. Ocean has so many philosophical conversations with Constantine (who I have other opinions about, stay tuned), that mostly aren't super necessary to the plot? Normally I'm fine with character driven stories like this, but I think most teens aren't going to be drawn to that kind of story. It really just wasn't my cup of tea.

What I did like about this was the way Ocean's emotional journey progresses in this book. She struggles with depression and suicidal ideation, throughout pretty much the whole book. But it's also about her learning how to deal with that in a more positive way, about being vulnerable with those that care about her and getting the help that she actually needs.

Constatine was just...an older college student, and he just was not likeable at all. He didn't even have an redeeming qualities, and I just severely disliked him the entire book. Maybe because I met some grad students like him when I was in grad school? Either way, Ocean needed to get over him and move on to a different man. 

If you're a fan of philosophical discussions in books, you'll probably enjoy this one more than I did. 

I loved this modern retelling of Twelfth Night set in a high school, which gave me some Heartstopper vibes, honestly! Not only were the characters adorable and well-written, but I really enjoyed the overall colors and art style. It all worked really well together to create an entertaining graphic novel. And the fact that this is going to be a series, adapting Shakespeare into these fun modern formats, I am here for it!

Really, I kept getting flashbacks to She's the Man as well. That movie is also a fun take on the same play, and this book fits well into that feeling. Thoroughly entertained by this, and I can't wait to read the next one in the series.