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1.84k reviews by:
caseythereader
- The world of BLOOD DEBTS is fantastic. A New Orleans with several branches of magical families, warring for power on multiple levels. The imagined world here is so rich it feels like it could be real.
- I loved Clement and Cristina, both prickly and headstrong in their own ways, and deeply loving of their big, loud, fractured family (the aunts! I loved them all!) Also, it has multiple queer characters, which I haven't seen mentioned much in the marketing.
- However, for me, this book was a lot of telling rather than showing. It was mainly the kids running from adult to adult and prying pieces of secrets out of them, then rehashing everything they know in the next scene, repeat. I think this might have worked better as an adult fantasy instead of YA/New Adult, with POVs from the many adults and their grudges rather than the teens, who are the only ones out of the loop.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Fatphobia, Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
- My goodness, is A LIVING REMEDY a powerful book. It boils over with rage and love. It brings the reader along the confusing, overwhelming path of grief.
- Chung meanders between the present day and memories of her childhood, giving us a full picture of who her parents were and the bond she had with them. Her writing is to the point, but always thoughtful.
- For me, I am grateful that this book shows that strange pre-grief period, when you know a loved one is dying but they're still here, and there isn't much you can do about anything. It's a strange, though common, situation that our society and our health care system don't really know how to deal with.
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Suicide
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Abortion
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol
- THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO is less than 100 pages, but in those pages is a story that you won't forget soon.
- The book reads like a folktale and is full of compelling characters, edge of your seat action and deep emotion.
- It looks like this might be the first book in a series, and I really hope so. I would love to see more exploration of this world and its magic system.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
- BELLE OF THE BALL is an absolutely delightful YA graphic novel. I fell immediately in love with the characters and the bouncy illustration style, which reminded me a lot of STEVEN UNIVERSE.
- I loved that even within such a short story there was a wide variety of personalities, identities, and gender expressions.
- This story is about being free to be yourself in many different ways, and it was glorious watching these characters help each other find their paths.
Graphic: Alcohol
Minor: Bullying
- STARS AND SMOKE is a joyride of a book, smashing together genres of YA, romance, thriller, and more. It's a little enemies to lovers, a little forced proximity, a little bodyguard, and a lot of fun.
- The covert mission and all the gadgets for it were ridiculous and awesome. But even aside from the over the top mission, main characters Winter and Sydney shone, feeling like real people with real insecurities and needs.
- Additionally, Winter is bisexual and Sydney has a chronic illness, both of which are part of the story but not the whole story, which I love.
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault
- Before I read UNDOING DRUGS, I knew of the concept of harm reduction - aiming to improve the lives of addicts rather than demanding perfection - but I didn’t know anything about its origins or the battles its proponents have been through. This book teaches all that and more and is quite readable and personal throughout.
- Most eye-opening for me was the idea that harm reduction can be applied to nearly every aspect of human life, not just drug use. It is the concept that ties together so many other progressive movements in society, from incarceration to C*VID mitigation.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Classism