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Book: One Of Us Is Next
Author: Karen M. McManus
Book Series: One Of Us Is Lying Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Gay couples, different races featured prominently throughout the book
Publication Date: January 7, 2020
Genre: YA Mystery
Recommended Age: 16+ (some mature scenes, violence, slight gore, death)
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Pages: 377
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Come on, Bayview, you know you've missed this.
A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.
Until now.
This time it's not an app, though—it's a game.
Truth or Dare.
Phoebe's the first target. If you choose not to play, it's a truth. And hers is dark.
Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.
But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it's that they can't count on the police for help. Or protection.
Simon's gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there's a whole new set of rules.
Review: I love Karen McManus’ books. They’re full of mystery and they really keep you guessing from beginning to end. I thought the characters were developed well and the tension carried from the start to the finish. The book also isn’t reliant on your knowledge of the first book, so it can be read without reading the first one. Although, there are spoilers for the first book if you do that route. The mystery is also very intriguing and will keep readers from beginning to finish.
The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like there wasn’t as many hints to the end mystery as there were in the other two books. A big part of a mystery is figuring out whodunit for yourself.
Verdict: A well done mystery!
Book: One Of Us Is Next
Author: Karen M. McManus
Book Series: One Of Us Is Lying Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Gay couples, different races featured prominently throughout the book
Publication Date: January 7, 2020
Genre: YA Mystery
Recommended Age: 16+ (some mature scenes, violence, slight gore, death)
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Pages: 377
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Come on, Bayview, you know you've missed this.
A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.
Until now.
This time it's not an app, though—it's a game.
Truth or Dare.
Phoebe's the first target. If you choose not to play, it's a truth. And hers is dark.
Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.
But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it's that they can't count on the police for help. Or protection.
Simon's gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there's a whole new set of rules.
Review: I love Karen McManus’ books. They’re full of mystery and they really keep you guessing from beginning to end. I thought the characters were developed well and the tension carried from the start to the finish. The book also isn’t reliant on your knowledge of the first book, so it can be read without reading the first one. Although, there are spoilers for the first book if you do that route. The mystery is also very intriguing and will keep readers from beginning to finish.
The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like there wasn’t as many hints to the end mystery as there were in the other two books. A big part of a mystery is figuring out whodunit for yourself.
Verdict: A well done mystery!
Disclaimer: I got an arc of this book AND got my copy from @yasofthemonth. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Reverie
Author: Ryan La Sala
Book Series: Standalone (so far… Ryan La Sala wanna change that?)
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: m/m relationship, side character f/f relationship (x2), drag queen villain, reversing gender norms
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, some gore, language, sex mentions)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 397
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Inception meets The Magicians in the most imaginative YA debut of the year!
All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can’t remember how he got there, what happened after, and why his life seems so different now. And it’s not just Kane who’s different, the world feels off, reality itself seems different.
As Kane pieces together clues, three almost-strangers claim to be his friends and the only people who can truly tell him what’s going on. But as he and the others are dragged into unimaginable worlds that materialize out of nowhere—the gym warps into a subterranean temple, a historical home nearby blooms into a Victorian romance rife with scandal and sorcery—Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident. And when a sinister force threatens to alter reality for good, they will have to do everything they can to stop it before it unravels everything they know.
This wildly imaginative debut explores what happens when the secret worlds that people hide within themselves come to light.
Review: This book was a highly imaginative adventure! I loved every second of it! The beginning of the story was the perfect set up for this mystery and the way the story was told is interesting. You spend the whole tale piecing together the story with Kane. The characters are very soundly developed and the story was very well written. I absolutely loved all of the diversity in the book as well and I thought the book had a wonderfully well done twist. I also loved how the author used reveries to weave in a myriad of different stories his characters went into.
The only downside is that the book is a bit slow and it can be a little tedious if you’re an impatient reader. The book really requires concentration and the writing almost forces you to slow down. If you can keep with the pacing it’s an amazing read, but if you’re impatient it can be hard.
Verdict: An amazing and very diverse read! Definitely need book 2!
Book: Reverie
Author: Ryan La Sala
Book Series: Standalone (so far… Ryan La Sala wanna change that?)
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: m/m relationship, side character f/f relationship (x2), drag queen villain, reversing gender norms
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, some gore, language, sex mentions)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 397
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Inception meets The Magicians in the most imaginative YA debut of the year!
All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can’t remember how he got there, what happened after, and why his life seems so different now. And it’s not just Kane who’s different, the world feels off, reality itself seems different.
As Kane pieces together clues, three almost-strangers claim to be his friends and the only people who can truly tell him what’s going on. But as he and the others are dragged into unimaginable worlds that materialize out of nowhere—the gym warps into a subterranean temple, a historical home nearby blooms into a Victorian romance rife with scandal and sorcery—Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident. And when a sinister force threatens to alter reality for good, they will have to do everything they can to stop it before it unravels everything they know.
This wildly imaginative debut explores what happens when the secret worlds that people hide within themselves come to light.
Review: This book was a highly imaginative adventure! I loved every second of it! The beginning of the story was the perfect set up for this mystery and the way the story was told is interesting. You spend the whole tale piecing together the story with Kane. The characters are very soundly developed and the story was very well written. I absolutely loved all of the diversity in the book as well and I thought the book had a wonderfully well done twist. I also loved how the author used reveries to weave in a myriad of different stories his characters went into.
The only downside is that the book is a bit slow and it can be a little tedious if you’re an impatient reader. The book really requires concentration and the writing almost forces you to slow down. If you can keep with the pacing it’s an amazing read, but if you’re impatient it can be hard.
Verdict: An amazing and very diverse read! Definitely need book 2!
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own!
Book: Pet
Author: Akwaeke Emezi
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black, trans MC! LGBT friendly!
Publication Date: September 1, 2019
Genre: MG Dystopian
Recommended Age: 12+ (some small scary scenes and some violence, a little gore)
Publisher: Make Me A World
Pages: 208
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Pet is here to hunt a monster.
Are you brave enough to look?
There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson all her life. But when she meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colours and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question-How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices a young person can make when the adults around them are in denial.
Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was the right amount of dystopian with an amazing dash of trans/LGBT friendliness all books should strive to be! The writing was absolutely amazing, the characters were well developed, and I was definitely intrigued throughout the whole of the novel.
However, I do feel that this book is wrote younger than what it was originally marketed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, but some readers might be turned off by that. And because of that, I felt like some of the solutions weren’t as well as they could have been. They’re kind of obvious, and that’s not because it’s for a younger audience. I’ve read some middle grade books that had complex solutions that worked, but this one was just a bit simple in my opinion.
Verdict: An amazing book that I definitely recommend!
Book: Pet
Author: Akwaeke Emezi
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black, trans MC! LGBT friendly!
Publication Date: September 1, 2019
Genre: MG Dystopian
Recommended Age: 12+ (some small scary scenes and some violence, a little gore)
Publisher: Make Me A World
Pages: 208
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Pet is here to hunt a monster.
Are you brave enough to look?
There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson all her life. But when she meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colours and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question-How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices a young person can make when the adults around them are in denial.
Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was the right amount of dystopian with an amazing dash of trans/LGBT friendliness all books should strive to be! The writing was absolutely amazing, the characters were well developed, and I was definitely intrigued throughout the whole of the novel.
However, I do feel that this book is wrote younger than what it was originally marketed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, but some readers might be turned off by that. And because of that, I felt like some of the solutions weren’t as well as they could have been. They’re kind of obvious, and that’s not because it’s for a younger audience. I’ve read some middle grade books that had complex solutions that worked, but this one was just a bit simple in my opinion.
Verdict: An amazing book that I definitely recommend!
Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: White Stag
Author: Kara Barbieri
Book Series: Permafrost Book 1
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: January 8, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 18+ (sexual assault, emotional and physical abuse, torture, mutilation, so much gore, and straight up rape)
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 368
Amazon Link
Synopsis: As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.
Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.
Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling.
Review: This book was okay overall. The story is a great concept and the idea of the book is very intriguing.
However, there was a lot of “wtf” from me while reading this book. First, there was so many trigger warnings that I, who doesn’t normally get triggered, had to put down the book and go to the eye bleach subreddit. The story is good, but there are so many inconsistancies with the plot. Like, is she living with these Goblins for hundreds of years? Is she really old recanting her tale? Is she still a teen? So confused by this and so many other things in the book, like the magic system. The book just didn’t sit well with me and I also didn’t think the characters were all that interesting. I managed to finish the book, but at what costs to me and my sanity?
Verdict: It was ok, but not for me.
Book: White Stag
Author: Kara Barbieri
Book Series: Permafrost Book 1
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: January 8, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 18+ (sexual assault, emotional and physical abuse, torture, mutilation, so much gore, and straight up rape)
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 368
Amazon Link
Synopsis: As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.
Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.
Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling.
Review: This book was okay overall. The story is a great concept and the idea of the book is very intriguing.
However, there was a lot of “wtf” from me while reading this book. First, there was so many trigger warnings that I, who doesn’t normally get triggered, had to put down the book and go to the eye bleach subreddit. The story is good, but there are so many inconsistancies with the plot. Like, is she living with these Goblins for hundreds of years? Is she really old recanting her tale? Is she still a teen? So confused by this and so many other things in the book, like the magic system. The book just didn’t sit well with me and I also didn’t think the characters were all that interesting. I managed to finish the book, but at what costs to me and my sanity?
Verdict: It was ok, but not for me.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Companions
Author: Katie M. Flynn
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (attempted rape TW, murder, gore, violence)
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Pages: 272
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In the wake of a highly contagious virus, California is under quarantine. Sequestered in high rise towers, the living can’t go out, but the dead can come in—and they come in all forms, from sad rolling cans to manufactured bodies that can pass for human. Wealthy participants in the “companionship” program choose to upload their consciousness before dying, so they can stay in the custody of their families. The less fortunate are rented out to strangers upon their death, but all companions become the intellectual property of Metis Corporation, creating a new class of people—a command-driven product-class without legal rights or true free will.
Sixteen-year-old Lilac is one of the less fortunate, leased to a family of strangers. But when she realizes she’s able to defy commands, she throws off the shackles of servitude and runs away, searching for the woman who killed her.
Lilac’s act of rebellion sets off a chain of events that sweeps from San Francisco to Siberia to the very tip of South America. While the novel traces Lilac’s journey through an exquisitely imagined Northern California, the story is told from eight different points of view—some human, some companion—that explore the complex shapes love, revenge, and loneliness take when the dead linger on.
Review: This book gave me such Doctor Who vibes (you know the episode I’m talking about) and Detroit: Becoming Human vibes. It was an awesome novel with great character development and the premise of this book is really intriguing.
However, the way the story is told is a bit discombobulated and it’s really all over the place. It should have been multiple books broken up and further developed. The world building could have really benefited from this way as well.
Verdict: It’s good, but it didn’t make my faves.
Book: The Companions
Author: Katie M. Flynn
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (attempted rape TW, murder, gore, violence)
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Pages: 272
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In the wake of a highly contagious virus, California is under quarantine. Sequestered in high rise towers, the living can’t go out, but the dead can come in—and they come in all forms, from sad rolling cans to manufactured bodies that can pass for human. Wealthy participants in the “companionship” program choose to upload their consciousness before dying, so they can stay in the custody of their families. The less fortunate are rented out to strangers upon their death, but all companions become the intellectual property of Metis Corporation, creating a new class of people—a command-driven product-class without legal rights or true free will.
Sixteen-year-old Lilac is one of the less fortunate, leased to a family of strangers. But when she realizes she’s able to defy commands, she throws off the shackles of servitude and runs away, searching for the woman who killed her.
Lilac’s act of rebellion sets off a chain of events that sweeps from San Francisco to Siberia to the very tip of South America. While the novel traces Lilac’s journey through an exquisitely imagined Northern California, the story is told from eight different points of view—some human, some companion—that explore the complex shapes love, revenge, and loneliness take when the dead linger on.
Review: This book gave me such Doctor Who vibes (you know the episode I’m talking about) and Detroit: Becoming Human vibes. It was an awesome novel with great character development and the premise of this book is really intriguing.
However, the way the story is told is a bit discombobulated and it’s really all over the place. It should have been multiple books broken up and further developed. The world building could have really benefited from this way as well.
Verdict: It’s good, but it didn’t make my faves.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Devil Shadows and Golden Lantern with Other Stories
Author: Marjan Safiyari
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Publication Date: August 31, 2017
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 10+ (some slightly scary scenes)
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishing
Pages: 153
Amazon Link
Synopsis: A lonely soul searches everywhere for a body to call its own. A lost leaf tries desperately to find his way back to his mother. All the clock hands in the world are stolen and it’s up to one boy to get them back. A brave girl must save her village from the devil shadows that threaten it. All of these stories, and so many more, are to be found in the Devil Shadows and Golden Lantern with Other Stories, as Marjan Safiyari takes us on a wide host of adventures. From dragons visiting space to a sky princess involved in a war with a dusty frog, from sentient pencils to a mouse living inside a wolf’s body, no concept is considered too fantastical to be the basis of an enjoyable and involving story. Devil Shadows and Golden Lantern with Other Stories is a book full of adventurous stories that are entertaining for children and adults alike.
Review: I liked this short story book. I thought it was interesting and the idea behind the book is what drew me to it.
However, I do think that the writing is too simplistic. It could have used another round of editing in my opinion to make the dialogue and the scenes flow better. I didn’t think that the book was particularly bad, just didn’t suit my needs.
Verdict: Not for me, but might be for you!
Book: Devil Shadows and Golden Lantern with Other Stories
Author: Marjan Safiyari
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Publication Date: August 31, 2017
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 10+ (some slightly scary scenes)
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishing
Pages: 153
Amazon Link
Synopsis: A lonely soul searches everywhere for a body to call its own. A lost leaf tries desperately to find his way back to his mother. All the clock hands in the world are stolen and it’s up to one boy to get them back. A brave girl must save her village from the devil shadows that threaten it. All of these stories, and so many more, are to be found in the Devil Shadows and Golden Lantern with Other Stories, as Marjan Safiyari takes us on a wide host of adventures. From dragons visiting space to a sky princess involved in a war with a dusty frog, from sentient pencils to a mouse living inside a wolf’s body, no concept is considered too fantastical to be the basis of an enjoyable and involving story. Devil Shadows and Golden Lantern with Other Stories is a book full of adventurous stories that are entertaining for children and adults alike.
Review: I liked this short story book. I thought it was interesting and the idea behind the book is what drew me to it.
However, I do think that the writing is too simplistic. It could have used another round of editing in my opinion to make the dialogue and the scenes flow better. I didn’t think that the book was particularly bad, just didn’t suit my needs.
Verdict: Not for me, but might be for you!
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Song of the Abyss
Author: Makiia Lucier
Book Series: Tower of Winds Book 2
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: August 27, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (some violence, some gore)
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: They came in the night as she dreamt, in her berth, on a ship sailing home to del Mar. After, they would be all Reyna thought about: two carracks painted scorpion black. No emblem on either forecastle, no pennants flying above the mainmasts to hint at a kingdom of origin.
Never a good sign.
As the granddaughter of a famed navigator, seventeen-year-old Reyna has always lived life on her own terms, despite those who say a girl could never be an explorer for the royal house of St. John del Mar. She is determined to prove them wrong, and as she returns home after a year-long expedition, she knows her dream is within reach. No longer an apprentice, instead: Reyna, Master Explorer.
But when menacing raiders attack her ship, those dreams are pushed aside. Reyna's escape is both desperate and dangerous, and when next she sees her ship, a mystery rises from the deep. The sailors--her captain, her countrymen--have vanished. To find them, Reyna must use every resource at her disposal . . . including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom.
Together they uncover a disturbing truth. The attack was no isolated incident. Troubling signs point to a shadowy kingdom in the north, and for once, the rulers of the Sea of Magdalen agree: something must be done. But can Reyna be brave enough to find a way?
Review: This book was a gorgeous read. The world building was very well done and the plot was what drew me to this book.
However, this book just fell flat for me. The story was very flat, it had almost a textbook reading to it. The book actually kind of reads like a historical fiction, which doesn’t do well for the genre it is (YA Fantasy). The characters are also very flat and uninteresting in my opinion and the pacing was very discombobulated. The book felt so slow throughout the majority of it, and then at the end it felt super rushed and disjointed. It really could have used some more depth and more development, with the story leaning away from the historical aspects of the book and into the story at hand.
Verdict: Not for me, but gorgeous at least!
Book: Song of the Abyss
Author: Makiia Lucier
Book Series: Tower of Winds Book 2
Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: August 27, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (some violence, some gore)
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: They came in the night as she dreamt, in her berth, on a ship sailing home to del Mar. After, they would be all Reyna thought about: two carracks painted scorpion black. No emblem on either forecastle, no pennants flying above the mainmasts to hint at a kingdom of origin.
Never a good sign.
As the granddaughter of a famed navigator, seventeen-year-old Reyna has always lived life on her own terms, despite those who say a girl could never be an explorer for the royal house of St. John del Mar. She is determined to prove them wrong, and as she returns home after a year-long expedition, she knows her dream is within reach. No longer an apprentice, instead: Reyna, Master Explorer.
But when menacing raiders attack her ship, those dreams are pushed aside. Reyna's escape is both desperate and dangerous, and when next she sees her ship, a mystery rises from the deep. The sailors--her captain, her countrymen--have vanished. To find them, Reyna must use every resource at her disposal . . . including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom.
Together they uncover a disturbing truth. The attack was no isolated incident. Troubling signs point to a shadowy kingdom in the north, and for once, the rulers of the Sea of Magdalen agree: something must be done. But can Reyna be brave enough to find a way?
Review: This book was a gorgeous read. The world building was very well done and the plot was what drew me to this book.
However, this book just fell flat for me. The story was very flat, it had almost a textbook reading to it. The book actually kind of reads like a historical fiction, which doesn’t do well for the genre it is (YA Fantasy). The characters are also very flat and uninteresting in my opinion and the pacing was very discombobulated. The book felt so slow throughout the majority of it, and then at the end it felt super rushed and disjointed. It really could have used some more depth and more development, with the story leaning away from the historical aspects of the book and into the story at hand.
Verdict: Not for me, but gorgeous at least!
Disclaimer: I bought this book before Rowling came out as transphobic. *sigh*
Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
Book Series: Harry Potter Book 5
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: September 1, 2004
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 14+ (teen angst, violence, slight gore, Umbridge)
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Pages: 870
Amazon Link
Synopsis: There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Pottter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?
Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named---a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.
As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.
His fate depends on them all.
Review: This was an amazing read for me! I absolutely loved going back into the world of Harry Potter and seeing teen angst Harry. I loved the writing of this book. Rowling does well at aging her characters along with her audience and you can see that definitely in this book. The character development was amazing, the plot was intriguing, and I’m anxious to read book 6 for the first time this month!
My only issue is that while Harry was developed tremendously (as he should be) I didn’t feel like some of the others weren’t as developed. Luna and Ginny got a bit but not a lot. Hermione… meh. Just a bit of an issue with me as I love all three of them, but it’s hard to accomplish that in a book where it’s first person POV.
Verdict: Definitely ready for shiz to happen in book 6!
Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
Book Series: Harry Potter Book 5
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: September 1, 2004
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 14+ (teen angst, violence, slight gore, Umbridge)
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Pages: 870
Amazon Link
Synopsis: There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Pottter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?
Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named---a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.
As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.
His fate depends on them all.
Review: This was an amazing read for me! I absolutely loved going back into the world of Harry Potter and seeing teen angst Harry. I loved the writing of this book. Rowling does well at aging her characters along with her audience and you can see that definitely in this book. The character development was amazing, the plot was intriguing, and I’m anxious to read book 6 for the first time this month!
My only issue is that while Harry was developed tremendously (as he should be) I didn’t feel like some of the others weren’t as developed. Luna and Ginny got a bit but not a lot. Hermione… meh. Just a bit of an issue with me as I love all three of them, but it’s hard to accomplish that in a book where it’s first person POV.
Verdict: Definitely ready for shiz to happen in book 6!
Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Cilka’s Journey
Author: Heather Morris
Book Series: The Tattooist of Auschwitz Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Some LGBTQA+ relationships mentioned, Jewish main character and side characters
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction (based on a true story)
Recommended Age: 18+ (TW rape, TW child molestation, TW sexual assault, TW torture, gore, violence, language, childbirth)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In this follow-up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the author tells the story, based on a true one, of a woman who survives Auschwitz, only to find herself locked away again.
Cilka Klein is 18 years old when Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by Soviet soldiers. But Cilka is one of the many women who is sentenced to a labor camp on charges of having helped the Nazis--with no consideration of the circumstances Cilka and women like her found themselves in as they struggled to survive. Once at the Vorkuta gulag in Sibera, where she is to serve her 15-year sentence, Cilka uses her wits, charm, and beauty to survive.
Review: I thought this book was absolutely wonderful. The writing immediately drew me into the book, the story saddened and depressed me, and the main character was very well done. It’s hard to make likeable characters out of characters who do bad things sometimes, but the author did this very well with Cilka. The book was also very well paced and the world building was marvelous.
My only issue is that the book time jumps a lot, sometimes with dates at the top, but sometimes not, so you really have to pay attention to the timeline of the book.
Verdict: A very well done and beautiful book!
Book: Cilka’s Journey
Author: Heather Morris
Book Series: The Tattooist of Auschwitz Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Some LGBTQA+ relationships mentioned, Jewish main character and side characters
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction (based on a true story)
Recommended Age: 18+ (TW rape, TW child molestation, TW sexual assault, TW torture, gore, violence, language, childbirth)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In this follow-up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the author tells the story, based on a true one, of a woman who survives Auschwitz, only to find herself locked away again.
Cilka Klein is 18 years old when Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by Soviet soldiers. But Cilka is one of the many women who is sentenced to a labor camp on charges of having helped the Nazis--with no consideration of the circumstances Cilka and women like her found themselves in as they struggled to survive. Once at the Vorkuta gulag in Sibera, where she is to serve her 15-year sentence, Cilka uses her wits, charm, and beauty to survive.
Review: I thought this book was absolutely wonderful. The writing immediately drew me into the book, the story saddened and depressed me, and the main character was very well done. It’s hard to make likeable characters out of characters who do bad things sometimes, but the author did this very well with Cilka. The book was also very well paced and the world building was marvelous.
My only issue is that the book time jumps a lot, sometimes with dates at the top, but sometimes not, so you really have to pay attention to the timeline of the book.
Verdict: A very well done and beautiful book!
Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Renia’s Diary: A Holocaust Journal
Author: Renia Spiegel
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Jewish main character and side characters
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Genre: YA History
Recommended Age: 14+ (teen angst, some love, inner thoughts, some violence, some horrifying events especially at the end)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 336
Amazon Link
Synopsis: The long-hidden diary of a young Polish woman's last days during the Holocaust, translated for the first time into English, with a foreword from American Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt.
Renia Spiegel was a young girl from an upper-middle class Jewish family living on an estate in Stawki, Poland, near what was at that time the border with Romania. In the summer of 1939, Renia and her sister Elizabeth (née Ariana) were visiting their grandparents in Przemysl, right before the Germans invaded Poland.
Like Anne Frank, Renia recorded her days in her beloved diary. She also filled it with beautiful original poetry. Her diary records how she grew up, fell in love, and was rounded up by the invading Nazis and forced to move to the ghetto in Przemsyl with all the other Jews. By luck, Renia's boyfriend Zygmund was able to find a tenement for Renia to hide in with his parents and took her out of the ghetto. This is all described in the Diary, as well as the tragedies that befell her family and her ultimate fate in 1942, as written in by Zygmund on the Diary's final page.
Renia's Diary is a significant historical and psychological document. The raw, yet beautiful account depicts Renia's angst over the horrors going on around her. It has been translated from the original Polish, with notes included by her surviving sister, Elizabeth Bellak.
Review: I don’t like to rate people’s diaries because a diary is much like poetry. It’s a place to write as you will and want outside of the limitations of language. I really liked the diary and I felt like it can definitely appeal to younger people as Anne Frank’s diary does and it can help younger kids understand more of the war from multiple viewpoints. I know Anne Frank is still assigned reading in some schools and I don’t doubt that this one will be as well. The war was more vast than Anne Frank’s neighborhood and that’s where Renia’s viewpoint shines. Many people forget the Soviet’s impact and fault in the war and much of it has been lost in history in order to skim past the timeline (thanks school constraints). This isn’t saying that this compares to Anne Frank. Anne Frank was introspective and more of a journalist whereas Renia is a poet who discusses feelings and items “in the moment”, so the grip of the war isn’t as great as it is in Anne’s, but both are about young girls facing one of the greatest horrors of thie world and how they chose to survive and process it. Anne did so through detailing her living conditions and what was happening outside, whereas Renia reverts back into her first love and how her inner circle is handling things. In fact, her sister’s detailing at the end of the book was much better, in my opinion, than the whole of the book but I like facts whereas some people like feelings, nothing wrong with either of those things. And although I did find it weird that the poems rhymed in English (this was obviously a translation) I can’t fault the book for anything because I can’t fault how someone writes their personal thoughts because thoughts transcend language.
Verdict: Definitely recommend and if you are in school or are a teacher consider using this alongside Anne Frank!
Book: Renia’s Diary: A Holocaust Journal
Author: Renia Spiegel
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Jewish main character and side characters
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Genre: YA History
Recommended Age: 14+ (teen angst, some love, inner thoughts, some violence, some horrifying events especially at the end)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 336
Amazon Link
Synopsis: The long-hidden diary of a young Polish woman's last days during the Holocaust, translated for the first time into English, with a foreword from American Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt.
Renia Spiegel was a young girl from an upper-middle class Jewish family living on an estate in Stawki, Poland, near what was at that time the border with Romania. In the summer of 1939, Renia and her sister Elizabeth (née Ariana) were visiting their grandparents in Przemysl, right before the Germans invaded Poland.
Like Anne Frank, Renia recorded her days in her beloved diary. She also filled it with beautiful original poetry. Her diary records how she grew up, fell in love, and was rounded up by the invading Nazis and forced to move to the ghetto in Przemsyl with all the other Jews. By luck, Renia's boyfriend Zygmund was able to find a tenement for Renia to hide in with his parents and took her out of the ghetto. This is all described in the Diary, as well as the tragedies that befell her family and her ultimate fate in 1942, as written in by Zygmund on the Diary's final page.
Renia's Diary is a significant historical and psychological document. The raw, yet beautiful account depicts Renia's angst over the horrors going on around her. It has been translated from the original Polish, with notes included by her surviving sister, Elizabeth Bellak.
Review: I don’t like to rate people’s diaries because a diary is much like poetry. It’s a place to write as you will and want outside of the limitations of language. I really liked the diary and I felt like it can definitely appeal to younger people as Anne Frank’s diary does and it can help younger kids understand more of the war from multiple viewpoints. I know Anne Frank is still assigned reading in some schools and I don’t doubt that this one will be as well. The war was more vast than Anne Frank’s neighborhood and that’s where Renia’s viewpoint shines. Many people forget the Soviet’s impact and fault in the war and much of it has been lost in history in order to skim past the timeline (thanks school constraints). This isn’t saying that this compares to Anne Frank. Anne Frank was introspective and more of a journalist whereas Renia is a poet who discusses feelings and items “in the moment”, so the grip of the war isn’t as great as it is in Anne’s, but both are about young girls facing one of the greatest horrors of thie world and how they chose to survive and process it. Anne did so through detailing her living conditions and what was happening outside, whereas Renia reverts back into her first love and how her inner circle is handling things. In fact, her sister’s detailing at the end of the book was much better, in my opinion, than the whole of the book but I like facts whereas some people like feelings, nothing wrong with either of those things. And although I did find it weird that the poems rhymed in English (this was obviously a translation) I can’t fault the book for anything because I can’t fault how someone writes their personal thoughts because thoughts transcend language.
Verdict: Definitely recommend and if you are in school or are a teacher consider using this alongside Anne Frank!