Mary has been living above her father’s bookstore, waiting for her opportunity to be whisked away. To get the ability to showcase the brilliant mind she inherited from her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft. She just needs a strike of brilliance to compose a work worthy of her parentage. And to maybe catch the eye of the handsome Percy Shelley.

Ada Lovelace is the daughter of Lord Byron, one of the most famous poets ever. But Ada doesn’t want to pursue poetry. She wants to pursue science. Specifically, through automatons. When Ada and Mary form a relationship and accidentally bring PAN, an automaton, to life with Fae magic, they suddenly find themselves in danger. From a scientist who won’t stop hunting them until he figures out their secret.

Thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an advanced copy of My Imaginary Mary to review! There’s really nothing else like these books in YA, and they’re thoroughly entertaining each time you read one. I love the way these three authors reimagine history–giving more power to the women.

When I heard that this Mary book was going to be about Mary Shelley, I was super excited! I couldn’t wait to see what they did with her story, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. My favorite thing about this particular installment was the friendship between Mary and Ada. It was fantastic. The way they both kind of defied what other people thought of them, found a kinship with each other. Seriously, I absolutely loved it.

These three authors are also really great at making unique character voices. They don’t blend together like some dual POV books can, which just adds to how entertaining these books are.

What I found a bit lacking was the magic system in this one. While the basic concept, I wanted it to be pushed a little further, I think. The overall plot also felt a bit uneven at times. But, outside of that, this book is full of humor, 1800s fun, and history. You’re sure to be entertained while reading it!

All in all, while this isn’t necessarily my favorite of the series, if you loved the other books, you are sure to enjoy this one as well!
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These are always such fun books, and I enjoy the way they spin history to be something different. Stay tuned for a full review to come!

This is such an interesting combination of darkness, love, friendship, and horror and I think it's what makes it standout as a story. At its core, its about trans rage, about not having control over your circumstances, about trying to change the world. I also loved all of the relationships that we see throughout, and Benji gets to finally find a place where he is accepted.

Be warned if you do pick this up, there is a lot of gore and body horror included throughout the story. I honestly had to tune out some of those moments because this is not necessarily my favorite genre. But! I do think White is an author to keep an eye on because the writing in this is spectacular. There were just a few moments where I thought the plot and the overall story thread got lost. 

All in all, if you're looking for some new YA horror to pick up, definitely check this one out!

I know so many people have loved this series, but overall, I felt pretty meh about it. I think it was the whole journey across all these countries in this one that turned me off. Because there were some plot points that felt like they were just included for convenience's sake. There's kind of a sense of urgency, but I also felt like all the traveling took away from that? Especially because the passage of time wasn't really clear.

However, Noni does do a good job of wrapping up all of the plot points that she needed to. This book does follow a similar structure to the first two in that there are a bunch of huge plot twists at the end, one of which actually surprised me! And I still loved the characters, even if some of the romance drama was kind of driving me crazy. 

All in all, if you like quick, easy to read fantasy with great characters, I'd definitely recommend picking up this series!

I feel pretty similar about this sequel as I did the first book. However, it almost feels like less happens in this book than the first book, given that most of the action is saved until the last like 25% of the book. There's a lot of politics and Kiva trying to find her place and reconcile with her family and it was...fine. Nothing necessarily to write home about.

Noni is great at writing plot twists (even I could predict most of them. I chalk that up to reading a lot of YA fantasy). The characters are also easy to love, Caldon was probably my favorite addition in this one. I loved him and I hope we get more of him in the final book. Which yes, I will be reading because I need to know how this all comes together. Especially for Tipp's sake. That boy deserves all the good in the world.

All in all, if you're looking for a YA fantasy with a strongly built world and a easy to love cast of central characters, you'll definitely enjoy this series.

Seri is a newly made assistant to commander Eshai Unbroken, whose reputation for killing beasts is unparalleled. In their world, beasts roam the forests and it is up to the valiants to kill them, use their skin as armor, and discover new settlements. As Eshai’s assistant, Seri sees first hand how much destruction the beasts can cause. And even kills one herself.

Seri thought the divide between people and beasts would always be there. Separated by violence. But when she meets Tsana, Seri realizes things could be different. After all, Tsana can communicate with the beasts. And maybe there doesn’t have to be violence after all. If they can get everyone else to understand.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for an advanced copy of Dauntless to review! I’m always on the lookout for a good new fantasy. Especially when it’s a debut author! This reminded a lot of Beasts of Prey, though it is one of those rare YA fantasy standalones.

What I liked about this book from the beginning is the way the world is described. Yes, you’re dropped right in the middle of the action, but for the most part, I didn’t feel confused. Bonnin does a good job making sure you’re up to speed on the intricacies of this world, unfolding details exactly when you need them. This isn’t always an easy thing to do, so I was impressed!

While I did enjoy the world building, after the initial scene at the beginning, the plot does take a bit to really get going. However, when it does, you’ll find that this book is difficult to put down! If you like your fantasy with a lot of action, you’ll find that in the second half of the book.

The only other thing that put me off is that there are technically three points of view, but they didn’t necessarily feel different enough from each other. I wanted something that better signaled when I was with a specific character. For the most part, all of their voices really blended together.

Despite the pacing and the voices, the rest of the story and the characters were interesting enough that I would definitely read another book by Bonnin. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
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A solid fantasy debut that I think a lot of teens will love! Stay tuned for a full review to come soon.

From the beginning, I was definitely digging the vibes of this dark YA fantasy. I haven't read Caraval, but from my understanding, it fits those overall vibes. A Hotel that travels around, showing up in different places with magical vibes. The first third was fascinating and I loved the way the world was developing.

I didn't like the second half as much as the first, as it felt like it dragged a bit in places. I think the overall pacing could have been done a bit better, and the plot took some interesting turns I wasn't necessarily expecting. These did add to the overall dark and forboding nature of the book, though!

All in all, I enjoyed this book for the most part, I just wish the pacing was a bit more even.

Right from the beginning, I loved the art style. It added to the magic and the overall world that Stirling created. While there are still details that aren't quite clear in terms of world building, I think they made up for it in character development. I loved Laurie and Ray, and the way their relationship evolved. It felt realistic, and they both were supportive of each other throughout the book.

Outside of Laurie and Ray, they had a great group of friends that also allowed them to evolve and grow. And they weren't afraid to give them a kick in the pants when they needed it. I would love to live in this little magical city with this magical bakery. 100% I wish that it was real.

All in all, if you're looking for a cute, romantic, summery graphic novel this July, definitely pick this one up!

Well this was adorable. Stay tuned for a full review to come soon!

This was absolutely lovely! A short, quick read, but full of queer found family, queer history, and middle schoolers discovering that their voices can be heard. I honestly didn't expect anything less from Alex Gino. 

My favorite aspect of this book was the way that Sam and TJ have this little queer community around them that function as mentors, that show them where the LGBTQ+ community has come from and where it can go. Sam learns a hard lesson in this book, but the way that it was handled was beautifully done. Not only do Sam and TJ have things to learn from the adults, but the adults allow themselves to learn from Sam and TJ as well. It's incredibly sweet.

The history! So often, queer history gets erased, and I loved that it was front and center in this book. And the pictures are included in the back! All around, there is so much to love about this book. I definitely recommend picking it up if you like middle grade in any capacity!

I mean, it's Kyle Lukoff, so you knew this was probably going to be good. My only qualm about this book is it feels very much like an issue book. Annabelle and her friends are tackling a lot of different issues in this book, and at times, it felt a bit overwhelming. I wanted it to narrow its focus to maybe just one thing. And focus a little more on the stories than tackling all of these other issues.

But, the characters are great and loveable. For the most part, Lukoff is great at nailing a middle grade voice throughout. The conversations in this book are also super important, and ones that I haven't seen in middle grade before. Especially between Annabelle and her parents. I hope people read it just for those relationships.

All in all, I do think this is an important addition to the middle grade LGBTQ+ market. And I hope we keep getting books like this!

I'm honestly not 100% sure how to rate this book because the beginning was a bit all over the place for me. The overall pacing of the book felt off, and at times, it was a little difficult to follow what was happening. There were some time jumps, and they weren't necessarily consistent, which definitely made the story difficult to follow a lot of the time.

But! I do think this is an important story. River is not the most likeable main character, especially at the beginning. They're very sarcastic, guarded, and have definitely taken on the beliefs of their small town in Ohio. Like, at times, it's painful to read their inner thoughts and how they interact with other people. But I also think this was kind of the point? There are a lot of trans people who do grow up in these situations, and McCarthy gives them a voice in this. 

My favorite aspect of this was probably the core relationship, which wasn't always healthy but still felt realisitc. You're rooting for River and Indy, and you get to see how they both evolve throughout the book. By the end, I had come to love them both, and the book was difficult to put down.

Despite my mixed feelings about the pacing and the voice, I get why this one is getting buzz. If you're looking for an unflinching, a bit dark look at a trans experience, I'd recommend picking this one up.