Disclaimer: I received this finished book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Bullet Train

Author: Kotaro Isaka

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Diversity: Japanese characters and setting

Recommended For...: mystery lovers, thriller, Japan based and characters

Publication Date: August 3, 2021

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Recommended Age: 16+ (Violence, gore, death)

Explanation of CWs: Lots of violence and gore. Some death.

Publisher: Abrams Publishing

Pages: 432

Synopsis: Nanao, nicknamed Lady Bird—the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world”—boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with one simple task: grab a suitcase and get off at the next stop. Unbeknownst to him, the deadly duo Tangerine and Lemon are also after the very same suitcase—and they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Satoshi, “the Prince,” with the looks of an innocent schoolboy and the mind of a viciously cunning psychopath, is also in the mix and has history with some of the others. Risk fuels him as does a good philosophical debate . . . like, is killing really wrong? Chasing the Prince is another assassin with a score to settle for the time the Prince casually pushed a young boy off of a roof, leaving him comatose.

When the five assassins discover they are all on the same train, they realize their missions are not as unrelated as they first appear.

Review: For the most part this was an ok book. I liked the way the book was written and it was a fun assassin novel. The book also had a good mix of comedy and action for me.

However, the plot failed to keep my interest throughout the book and it book reads as a first in a series of novels as it overexplains and goes into too much detail about the train and the characters on board.

Verdict: It’s good, just not for me.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us

Author: Eric Bell, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Ashley Herring Blake, Lisa Bunker, Alex Gino, Justina Ireland, Shing Yin Khor, Katherine Locke, Mariama J. Lockington, Nicole Melleby, Marieke Nijkamp, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, Molly Knox Ostertag, Aisa Salazar, and AJ Sass

Book Series: Standalone

Diversity: Non binary MCs
Ace MC
Trans MC
Latinx lesbian MCs
Gay drag queen side character
Trans side characters
Black MC
Black Lesbian MCs
F/f romance
Mixed relationship
Neopronouns
Gay celiac MC
Black queer MC
Latinx side characters
MC with 2 moms
Side character with 2 dads
Bisexual side character
Lesbian MC

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, anthology

Genre: Middle Grade anthology

Publication Date: October 19, 2021

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 288

Recommended Age: 10+ (Animal Death mentioned, Pronouns not respected, Grief, Domestic violence mentioned, Forced gendered notions, Homophobia, Slavery, Torture mentioned, Mentions of death by hanging, Bullying, Racism, Heartbreak, Religion mentioned, Parent death mentioned, Cancer mentioned)

Explanation of CWs: Animal death is the focus of one story, as is grief. Heartbreak is in a couple of stories. Slavery is shown and torture is mentioned. Bullying is shown in a few stories. Racism is shown in a couple of stories. Religion is mentioned and one church service is shown.

Synopsis: A boyband fandom becomes a conduit to coming out. A former bully becomes a first-kiss prospect. One nonbinary kid searches for an inclusive athletic community after quitting gymnastics. Another nonbinary kid, who happens to be a pirate, makes a wish that comes true--but not how they thought it would. A tween girl navigates a crush on her friend's mom. A young witch turns herself into a puppy to win over a new neighbor. A trans girl empowers her online bestie to come out.

From wind-breathing dragons to first crushes, This Is Our Rainbow features story after story of joyful, proud LGBTQIA+ representation. You will fall in love with this insightful, poignant anthology of queer fantasy, historical, and contemporary stories from authors including: Eric Bell, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Ashley Herring Blake, Lisa Bunker, Alex Gino, Justina Ireland, Shing Yin Khor, Katherine Locke, Mariama J. Lockington, Nicole Melleby, Marieke Nijkamp, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, Molly Knox Ostertag, Aisa Salazar, and AJ Sass.

Review: Overall I really enjoyed this anthology! It included a lot of cute short stories and I loved the different stories and genres that prominently featured queer characters. The character development was amazing across the stories. The world's were all well developed and immersive. The book was also a lot of fun to read!

The only issue I had is that I wish some of the stories were grouped together in a cohesive manner and I wished there was more main characters that were gay or outright pansexual. I also think one or two main characters were ace but there was nothing concrete, which I think could have been better stated and written.

Verdict: it was great!

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Road Trip

Author: Malcolm Mejin

Book Series: Diary of a Rich Kid Book 2

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: children’s readers, graphic novel, science fiction

Publication Date: April 5, 2021

Genre: Children’s Science Fiction Graphic Novel

Recommended Age: 8+ (some mayham and scary moments)

Explanation of CWs: Some chaotic moments. Also some scary moments.

Publisher: Self Published

Pages: n/a

Synopsis: A wild road trip adventure in the heart of Kuching that draws delighted laughter and endless excitement. Robin and his friends embark on a journey of amazing discovery where they explore delicious local food and breathtaking destinations. Their adventure takes a comedic turn when they encounter orangutans and proboscis monkeys in the wildlife. When their best friend mysteriously disappears, their road trip takes a swerve on rocky path of danger and suspense ...

Review: This was a fun read. Again, I liked where the characters were going and they were developed well. The story was well written and funny. I also liked the plot and it would be a fun read for middle graders.

However, I did think that the world building was too in depth for this book and it was a bit over the top. I also thought that the voice was a bit off in this book and it came off as someone imitating a middle grader.

Verdict: It was good!

Disclaimer: I received this early audiobook from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Dreams Lie Beneath

Author: Rebecca Ross

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: N/A DNFed

Publication Date: November 2, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: N/A DNFed

Explanation of CWs: N/A DNFed

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

Pages: 496

Synopsis: A curse plagues the realm of Azenor—during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand between people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.

Review: DNFed at 20%. I have to be in the mood for this type of book and after trying and trying for a couple of months I’m momentarily giving up on this book. However, I do want to try it again in paperback form and not audiobook.

Verdict: DNFed but coming back later!

Disclaimer: I received this finished copy and an e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Himiwari House

Author: Harmony Becker

Book Series: Standalone for now

Diversity: Half Japanese MC
Japanese side characters
Korean MC
Singaporean MC

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: Young adult readers, contemporary, romance, graphic novel

Genre: YA Contemporary Graphic Novel

Publication Date: November 9, 2021

Publisher: First Second

Pages: 374

Recommended Age: 13+ (Underage consumption of alcohol, Parental abandonment, Language, Romance, Sexual content)

Explanation of CWs: Implied and very little sexual content shown. Parental abandonment shown and mentioned. Alcohol usage shown by at least one minor (in USA terms, Nao is 18) and some alcohol consumption is shown by adults. There is some romance in this book, it's a misunderstanding trope.

Synopsis: Living in a new country is no walk in the park―Nao, Hyejung, and Tina can all attest to that. The three of them became fast friends through living together in the Himawari House in Tokyo and attending the same Japanese cram school. Nao came to Japan to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, while Hyejung and Tina came to find freedom and their own paths. Though each of them has her own motivations and challanges, they all deal with language barriers, being a fish out of water, self discovery, love, and family.

Review: This was such a gorgeous and amazing read! I fell in love instantly with the characters and I loved how well developed they were. I also loved how authentic their words were and while Western media has long made fun of people who have accents and mispronounce words occasionally, I felt like this gave people learning new languages and/or those who aren't native speakers to a language a safe space to be in. I also loved the conversations the book had about cultural assimilation and fitting into a culture that you're from, but haven't been apart of or had any contact with in awhile. The book was also gorgeously illustrated and I'm dying for more stories of this world.

My only tiny issue with the book is that I was a little lost in the beginning but it works very well for this book as we're just as lost as Naochan. It also felt a little weird with most of the different chapters being time skips and some not.

Verdict: It was amazing and I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from Smith Publicity. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Love and Other Sins

Author: Emilia Ares

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 2/5

Diversity: MC that was in foster care

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary

Publication Date: October 19, 2021

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 17+ (sexual assault, recollections of child abuse, foster care system, discussions of suicidal thoughts, and mention of miscarriage)

Explanation of CWs: Sexual assault and Miscarriage is mentioned. Child abuse is shown in recollections. The foster care system is present in the book. There are discussions of Suicide.

Publisher: SERA Press

Pages: 326

Synopsis: Mina’s life is going according to plan; she’s acing AP Calc and is perfectly content with her nonexistent social life. Though only a high school junior, Mina knows time is an investment, and she’s putting all her capital into academics. Oliver, a child abuse survivor who grew up in the foster care system, is ready to burn down his old life and start from scratch—complete with a new name and emancipation papers—in L.A. When the two are thrown together through circumstance and develop an unexpected connection, they discover how hard it is to keep the past in the past.

Review: This was a so-so book for me. I felt like the characters were well developed and I liked the story for the most part. The book also did well with the world building and after I was able to get into the book it was a sweet romance. The book also did well with complex themes.

However, I really didn’t like this book. The book was not well written in my opinion. I say this because there was a time, when Oliver is being introduced, that the author just info dumped all of this trauma about the character. The amount of trauma dumping that happened was really off-putting and it triggered me a little bit too. The author also just told all of this information instead of letting it come out naturally. The book was also weirdly paced as it alternated between fast and slow and I really couldn’t connect with Mina at all and ended up skimming a lot of her chapters.

Verdict: It wasn’t for me but might be for you.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Shelter

Author: Christie Matheson

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4.5/5

Diversity: Food allergies side character, Cerebral palsey death mute side character mentioned, Yemen side character mentioned, Gender neutral side character

Recommended For...: middle grade books, contemporary, homelessness

Publication Date: October 12, 2021

Genre: MG Contemporary

Recommended Age: 10+ (Shelter, Homelessness, Father in hospital, Bullying, Microaggressions, Food insecurity)

Explanation of CWs: Maya lives in a shelter and some of the book deals with education of shelters and showing what they look like. Maya also deals with homelessness and food insecurity, which are brought up often in the book. Maya’s father is in the hospital due to a hit and run accident. There is bullying shown throughout the book. There are some microaggressions shown and mentioned.

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Pages: 192

Synopsis: Fifth grade can be tough for anyone. There are cliques and mean kids and homework and surprise math tests. But after tragedy strikes her family, almost-eleven-year-old Maya has a painful secret that makes many days feel nearly impossible.

And today might be Maya's toughest yet. Her family is on edge, she needs to travel alone across the city, a bully is out to get her, and Maya has to face this winter's biggest rainstorm without a coat or an umbrella.

But even on the rainiest days, there's hope that the sun will come out soon.

Emotional and compassionate, Shelter looks at homelessness through one girl's eyes and explores the power of empathy, friendship, and love.

Review: I absolutely fell in love with this book so much that I finished it in a one hour reading session. The book takes course during one day in the life of Maya, who has to face homelessness, food insecurity, bullying, and the rain. I loved how the book had notes on homelessness, shelters, and poverty in the front of the book to help educate readers on the very serious issue. I also loved all of the diversity in the book and I loved the commentary on how hungry kids can’t perform as well as fed kids in the book, because that’s a point that a lot of people seem to miss about food insecurity. The character development was well done and the world building was fairly good. I also liked the plot and it kept me hooked throughout the book.

The only issue I really had with the book is that the book paints the bully to be just jealous of Maya. While that might be true, that really downplays a lot of the harm she did to multiple people, including insinuating that a character’s mother would miscarry another child. I do feel that most young bullies have unresolved issues that they perpetuate onto others and use that to bully them for it, but it really downplays the harm that it causes children when you’re told “oh they’re just jealous of you” because, as someone who was told that multiple times before about bullies, it makes the victims feel like they should be more compassionate to the bully when the bully needs to have therapy and come to the conclusion themselves about their issues,

Verdict: It was good!

Disclaimer: I paid for this book from the Once Upon A Book Club Box! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Mazie

Author: Melanie Crowder

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Gay side characters, Lesbian side characters

Recommended For...: historical fiction, young adult readers, broadway, musical theater, romance

Publication Date: February 23, 2021

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 15+ (Religion, Language, Sexual harassment, Underage consumption of alcohol, sexual content)

Explanation of CWs: There is some slight cursing throughout the book. There are a couple of scenes with sexual harassment and some very slight sexual content with a fade to black scene. There is religion that is mentioned very briefly. There are just some brief scenes that show underage consumption of alcohol.

Publisher: Philomel Books

Pages: 334

Synopsis: Mazie has dreamed of being on Broadway since she could walk. Growing up in her small Nebraska town, that always seemed like an impossible dream. But when Mazie's grandmother dies and leaves her a letter and enough money for a six-week stay in New York City, Mazie jumps at the chance to follow her dream, leaving behind everything--and everyone--she's ever known.

Of course, nothing can prepare Mazie for the loudness and chaos of the city. She's homesick for her family and the familiarity of her momma's cooking, and lovesick for Jesse--the boyfriend whose heart she broke when she left. But Mazie is determined to make her time in New York count. She is determined to succeed.

With her money running out, and faced with too many rejections to count, Mazie finally lands a role. But there's a catch: the tour is an industrial musical designed to sell farm equipment, bringing Mazie right back to the cornbelt of her hometown she was all too eager to escape.

Mazie is the story of a girl caught between two lives--and two loves--as she navigates who she is, what matters most, and the cost of following her dream.

Review: I really liked this book! I thought it was a sweet book that held a touching story about dreams forgotten for reality and doing what you can to make them become reality. The story was such a quick read too! I managed to read it in a little over 2 hours overall. The character development was well done. The world building was good and I loved that the book was set at the end of the 50s and I enjoyed all of the musical theater references. I also loved the pacing and the plot.

The only thing I really had issue with is that I thought that the ending was a bit abrupt and I would have loved an epilogue, but overall I absolutely loved this read.

Verdict: I recommend this one!

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the author and then I paid for my own copy. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Threatening Souls

Author: N.M Lambert

Book Series: Threatening Souls Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: paranormal , horror, mystery, thriller

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

Genre: Paranormal Horror (characters are MG age)

Recommended Age: 18+ (Child abuse, Torture, Gore, Violence, Romance, Language, Religion, Cult, Sexual assault Drug use, Possession, Abelism)

Explanation of CWs: Child abuse is prevalent throughout the texts as the main antagonist of the book tortures and harms the children of the town and even his own kids. There is a lot of gore and violence. There is a scene where the characters are trying to cure mental health. There is some very slight romance. There is some cursing. Religion and cultism play into this book heavily as well as possession. There is also a scene where a child is almost sexually assaulted and there is talk about that when remembering it. There is also some small drug use.

Publisher: Green Tree Press

Pages: 480

Synopsis: The sacrifices, the drama, the horror within.

In the year of 1860, a curse was performed over the suburb of Roseway, Washington, which rests about twenty miles south of Seattle, that killed nearly every living resident. After coming back to Earth as spirits, they form a twisted plan that not only provides them with bodies of their own but also kills off all who venture into Roseway in the future.

Thirteen-year-old Rebekah Jensen has lived a fine life in Marywood, Florida with two best friends, a clique that strives to make her one of them, and a boyfriend who happened to be one of the most popular guys in her school. But all that is about to change when the date of her arrival nears, when she starts to see things that she presumes are spirits—and she is sure that she has gone insane.

After moving to Roseway, she gets sucked into an illusion of the dead, coming to regard Roseway as some sort of cult in which they worship a mysterious being that is introduced to her as the Master. Within the months of enduring Roseway, she finds out more about herself and her purpose in the suburb. Teaming up with a friend, who has a dark secret, Rebekah must put an end to the curse before she ends up like the rest of the victims.

Review: For the most part this was a good book. The book is full of scary and horror elements that make this a great read for Halloween. The book has some cult stuff that rivals the Stepford Wives in it. It’s multi POV and the story has a lot of potential. The plot overall is constant throughout the book and the character development was really well done. I also loved that the CWs were in the front of the book and I am appreciative for that as a reader with triggers.

However, I do feel like the book could be perfected some more. The characters are wrote older than what they really are in the book (they’re 12 in the book, but they read as if they’re 18-19). I think this is the biggest reason for my confusion about the book because 10-12 (sometimes 13/14 depending on the content of the book) is for middle grade readers. Middle Grade isn’t really a genre, but an age range, and when you have a book that has middle grade aged characters but the story is for 18+ than book sellers don’t know what to do with the book and readers don’t know how to read it. This book is extremely horrific and gorey and contains a lot of content warnings that’s nor appropriate for even most YA book sections, but the characters are too young to be placed in general horror… so where do you shelf it?

Along with that, there are some things in the book that aren’t really possible. I know, I know, real world doesn’t apply to books sometimes, but if the book had some sort of throwaway line like “nothing in this situation seems normal” or “this world feels out of place doesn’t it?” than it would have helped to explain to the reader that a lot of the scenarios in this world aren’t commonplace. The issues I’m speaking about are like how all of the children got through security by themselves as minors in an airport when that’s not realistic. Taxis also can’t take minor children by themselves if their policies don’t allow for it and most of them don’t allow for it out of an abundance of caution (and insurance liabilities).

There are some other little things about the book that I feel need to be worked on. The book also has an issue with things for the plot being revealed too early or the characters just knowing certain things. The two Rebecca’s in the book are very confusing, especially for someone who sometimes doesn’t comprehend which one is talking. I had to skim Holly’s chapters towards 40% and onward because the material kept repeating itself. When I did that, the book kind of got better which makes me wonder how much is needed of her chapters at all. My biggest problem with her chapters are that the magic in this book is not very well explained. There’s this whole other plotline about Holly and the magical world and this royal family and all of the things with Henri, but I don’t understand most of it because the book jumps from point A to point V without B-U. I also find it funny that whenever the characters mention where they are from, everyone acts like they know where that is. It’s funny because the two main cities mentioned are across the continent from one another and I got the vibe that they were both fairly normal sized towns of no great importance on the outside.

There’s a lot going on in this book and while the plot of this story is good and the story overall is great, I really think that the story needs to be either simplified more for a middle grade aged book or it needs to be rewritten for adult audiences with adult characters. Most adults don’t want to read books with middle grade characters unless they’re looking in the middle grade section. They want to stick with a book that is targeted to their age range or group. This book won’t have a good home or foundation unless it conforms to one of the age groupings that normal books fall into. I also think that the book needs to be broke up into two or more parts, maybe with Holly’s viewpoints and chapters in a separate prequel book that would explain the magic system and each book showing the viewpoint of the story through only one character’s eyes only throughout. There’s a ton of material and information that is presented in this book that make it a chore to get through and there’s so much to understand that isn’t available in the read. Either way, the book feels too packed with material and it needs to breathe, especially when you consider that the second book takes place in a totally new area and time, standing alone from this one.

Verdict: it’s good, just needs more work.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Resistor

Author: C.E. Clayton

Book Series: Ellinor Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: sci-fi and fantasy lovers

Publication Date: August 7, 2020

Genre: Sci-Fi

Recommended Age: 17+ (language, violence, gore, death, grief, slight sexual content, slut shaming)

Publisher: Starfish Ink

Pages: 436

Synopsis: Ellinor Rask has wanted one thing for the past eight years: vengeance. But when Ellinor is captured, she finds herself dragged back into the world she walked away from, entangled once more with friends she would rather forget.

As if that weren’t humiliating enough, Ellinor learns first hand that her magic can be stripped away by a piece of bio-tech—and her ex-boss is happy to leash her with the technology in order to get what he wants. If Ellinor behaves, the device will be removed. All she has to do is deliver a package. One containing a creature created from raw magical energy and discarded technology. Simple, right?

But when her goals start getting people murdered, Ellinor has to decide if the year’s planning, her honor, and even her own magic, are worth the lives it’s costing. Dodging ruthless gangsters, she finds herself on the run with a creature of immeasurable magical abilities alongside her one-time friends. Now, Ellinor must relearn to trust the people she once abandoned. She must put her faith in technology, and her life in the hands of independent contractors, all while racing to deliver the package before it gets taken by force, or worse, the creature decides to make an appearance itself.

Review: Oh my word this was an amazing book! I loved the complex world building and the character development. The characters and how they interact with each other is always C.E.’s strong writing points and I loved all of the characters in this universe. The book was also full of action and the magic system and tech was pretty well done as well.

The only issues I had with the book were that the book is pretty slow in the being and it takes some getting used to in order to get into the book. But, once I was into the book, it was a quick 5 hour read. There was also some slut shaming which put me off of the main character.

Verdict: Definitely a must read if you’re into fantasy and sci-fi!