brittmariasbooks's Reviews (1.45k)

The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel is a beautifully illustrated adaptation of the classic. I loved the art of the birds, the plants and the flowers. I was not familiar with this classic but I enjoyed reading it. I think fans of the novel will definitely appreciate this adaptation, however, for readers like me who are unfamiliar with the novel it may not touch us as deeply.

I recommend The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel to readers who want to familiarise themselves with classic stories but like me struggle reading the original texts.

I participated in #TravelingBookLegend from @BookstagramMeetupNL on Instagram. This week I received Legend by Marie Lu and I immediately pick it up. I flew through the book. Along the way, I got to read comments and reactions from fellow participants who read the book before me. It felt like I had buddies reading simultaneously with me. So for me, this was a successful experience with a travelling book and I would like to participate again (with a book that I want to read, of course).

Legend by Marie Lu is told through a dual perspective. Day is an on-the-run criminal with a heart of gold. June is the Republic golden girl and the first person to ever receive a perfect Trial score. When fate makes them meet, the worlds turn upsidedown.

With a plague on the background, Legend is an interesting read during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book is fast-paced and Marie Lu's writing is easy to read, a perfect fast read for those who are looking for one. It is rightly a classic YA dystopian and I am interested in reading the rest of the series. I would recommend Legend to those who are looking for a quick YA dystopian.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

This Stan Lee biography is rightly titled Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World. The author tells the interconnected story of Stan Lee's life and the story of Marvel. As a reader, you can tell Mackinder's affinity with comics.

Personally, I became familiar with Stan Lee while watching the MCU movies. Other than the Kamala Khan Ms Marvel comics by G. Willow Wilson, I haven't picked up any Marvel comics. It was an interesting read to learn more about the man behind the cameos. As a fan of the MCU, I especially enjoyed the chapter on the movies.

I would recommend Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World to more avid comics fans and the Stan Lee completists.

I adored these poems by Azura Tyabji and Jackson Neal about some of my favourite fandoms! The movies/shows that inspired the poems are Avatar: the Last Airbender, Danny Phantom, Shrek, The Lion King, The Emperor's New Groove, The Incredibles, Mulan, Kim Possible and last but not least Teen Titans. Since these are all movies or shows that I enjoyed, I really enjoyed the poems.

Of course, I lived for the poems about Avatar: the Last Airbender. I loved them so much. As soon as I saw the title Dear Azula, I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom I knew I had to read this poetry collection and it did not disappoint!

If any you are part of any of these fandoms, please do yourself a favour and read this poetry collection. You will not regret it.

Kids on the March is a nonfiction book spotlighting 15 marches in the United States in which children participated and sometimes even organised. Fifteen marches from the 1900s to the Black Lives Matter march for George Floyd in 2020 are explained so well with a few children explaining why they marched. Michael Long did such a good job explaining topics some adults might now even fully grasp or know how to explain to their children. The book was very informative and I enjoyed learning about the marches. The author also spotlighted marches from various communities which I found important. At the back of the book are some very useful tips for what to do, bring and how to organise a march. I hope Kids on the March will inspire a new generation to stand up for their rights.

I picked up Love & Gelato because I thought it would be a cute YA contemporary romance. And it was. But it was so much more than that. The unexpected mystery of Lina's mother's journal and the secrets really had me hooked. I wanted to know more about what had happened just like Lina. Florence, Italy as the setting of the story was also nice. It felt like a vacation in covid times. I was there for the friendship

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to lovers

between Ren and Lina. And Howard's kindness was amazing

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He's what people think Severus Snape is/should have been. I cried when Howard and Lina had their conversation about Howard becoming her father figure and that he would welcome and care for her as his own. It was such a sweet moment and a great conversation.

I felt like the drama between Mimi, Ren, Thomas and Lina was a little unnecessary but definitely fine for a YA contemporary romance.

I really recommend Love & Gelato to those who are looking for a contemporary story with a mystery and some romance on the side.

Magic Words is a modern translation (1965) of a very old Inuit creation story by Edward Field. The art in this picture book is stunning. I love learning about different cultures and this poem is the first story I have read about Inuit culture. I really recommend this picture book as it is beautiful, however, I have been trying to find reviews of the translation and artwork by those part of the Inuit culture but have not found one yet. Please let me know if you did!

I enjoyed this Witchlands novella about Ryber and Kullen. Sightwitch also provides more worldbuilding which I needed. I very curious about Bloodwitch, the next book in this series which I will pick up after a little break I am going to take from this series.

Overall, Sightwitch is a fun novella and includes prophecies, mystery and a quest.

3.5 stars. It's a cute, steamy romance. I really enjoyed listening to it and I'm curious about the other two companion books. And the representation the character Chloe gives is also important. This book is great for when you are in a romance mood!