The House of Always is the highly anticipated fourth book in The Chorus of Dragons series. It is complex, clever, and heartwarming! As the tale unravels, I found myself marveling at how each well-planned twist and reveal was executed. The group is forced to spill secrets and examine betrayals to try and battle Vol Karoth. They are forced into close proximity and must work together or risk losing everything. Jenn Lyons is a highly creative and talented writer; if you’re new to her work then I highly recommend you start this series.

I devoured The House of Always! Lyons has a gift for prose that makes reading the pages fly by, with excellent dialogue and memorable side characters. I love all of the characters from this series so much!! I particularly loved seeing Kihrin, Janel, and Teraeth together again and seeing how their relationship had grown. The footnotes remain witty and informative; Lyons pulls off this challenging format with ease.

The Chorus of Dragons series has intricate worldbuilding and is a beautifully LGBTQ+ inclusive world. If you love reading epic fantasy with outstanding LGBTQ+ representation and witty writing, then you need to check out this series! I already can’t wait for the next book! Thank you so much to Jenn Lyons, Tor Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cool for the Summer follows Larissa as she returns from a fantastic summer with newfound confidence. When Chase, star football player, expresses an interest in her it seems that all her dreams are coming true. Only what if they aren’t? Larissa spent the summer with Jasmine, who suddenly shows up at her school. Jasmine seems content to pretend what they shared over the summer never happened, leaving Larissa to question what and who she truly wants.

My favorite part of this book is the representation around being bi and being questioning. I loved the exploration of identity and feeling unsure what labels fit or whether one even wants a label at all. I think this is so important to discuss and will really resonate with readers. There are lots of nods to the movie Grease, which I appreciated! The pacing seemed a little fast to me; I would have enjoyed seeing more about what happens after the ending scene. The plot also deals with miscommunication, which is not my personal favorite.

This is a sweet YA romance with a powerful message about self-discovery. The story flows quickly and I loved the premise behind it. I would definitely recommend picking it up! Thank you so much to Dahlia Adler, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sprite and the Gardener is the charming story of Wisteria and Elena, a sprite and a would-be gardener. Elena hopes to restore her mother’s garden, where she is observed by the curious sprite. Wisteria is a small sprite with gardening magic, but her talent has long been dormant. As she starts to learn about gardening with Elena, she will have to choose whether to let her sprite friends know about the garden.

The story has a nice message about trying new things and working together. The art is very bright and colorful, with lots of beautiful plants. Sprite and the Gardener is a gentle and welcoming tale about friendship. This is another great story from Oni Press and I would highly recommend it! Thank you so much to Joe Whitt, Rii Abrego, Oni Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.