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2.51k reviews by:
popthebutterfly
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher for the purposes of a book tour. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Across a Field of Starlight
Author: Blue Delliquanti
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black Plus Size non-binary MC, POC Non-Binary MC, POC characters, non-binary character, non-binary romance
Recommended For...: young adult readers, sci-fi, graphic novel, epic sci-fi, 2SLGBT+, romance
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Graphic Novel
Age Relevance: 13+ (violence, gore, dead animals shown, terrorism, parental death, mass attempted murder, romance)
Explanation of Above: There is violence and some very slight gore in this book as the book is set during a rebellion period between two sides: an empire and a rebel army. There is also a scene of attempted mass murder shown and acts of terrorism shown. There is parental death mentioned as well and very slight romance.
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Pages: 352
Synopsis: When they were kids, Fassen's fighter spaceship crash-landed on a planet that Lu's survey force was exploring. It was a forbidden meeting between a kid from a war-focused resistance movement and a kid whose community and planet are dedicated to peace and secrecy.
Lu and Fassen are from different worlds and separate solar systems. But their friendship keeps them in each other's orbit as they grow up. They stay in contact in secret as their communities are increasingly threatened by the omnipresent, ever-expanding empire.
As the empire begins a new attack against Fassen's people--and discovers Lu's in the process--the two of them have the chance to reunite at last. They finally are able to be together...but at what cost?
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an epic science fiction romance between two non-binary characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war.
Review: I really loved this graphic novel! I loved the story and I really liked the Star Wars feel of the book. The book had a great story with a great pen-pal friendship turned relationship at the core of it between two non-binary characters and I loved seeing how the universe was developed and how people could live happily without constant war. I loved seeing all of the POC and/or 2SLGBT+ characters and I loved seeing the diverse bodies, including the plus size MC and female characters with body hair. The characters were well developed and the world building was amazing. The illustrations were also well done and overall the book is well plotted and storied.
The only issue I had with the book is that it presents a lot of technical terms in it and I had some issue following along, but the book did a great job to give context clues as to what was happening.
Verdict: Highly recommend! I loved it!
Book: Across a Field of Starlight
Author: Blue Delliquanti
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black Plus Size non-binary MC, POC Non-Binary MC, POC characters, non-binary character, non-binary romance
Recommended For...: young adult readers, sci-fi, graphic novel, epic sci-fi, 2SLGBT+, romance
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Graphic Novel
Age Relevance: 13+ (violence, gore, dead animals shown, terrorism, parental death, mass attempted murder, romance)
Explanation of Above: There is violence and some very slight gore in this book as the book is set during a rebellion period between two sides: an empire and a rebel army. There is also a scene of attempted mass murder shown and acts of terrorism shown. There is parental death mentioned as well and very slight romance.
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Pages: 352
Synopsis: When they were kids, Fassen's fighter spaceship crash-landed on a planet that Lu's survey force was exploring. It was a forbidden meeting between a kid from a war-focused resistance movement and a kid whose community and planet are dedicated to peace and secrecy.
Lu and Fassen are from different worlds and separate solar systems. But their friendship keeps them in each other's orbit as they grow up. They stay in contact in secret as their communities are increasingly threatened by the omnipresent, ever-expanding empire.
As the empire begins a new attack against Fassen's people--and discovers Lu's in the process--the two of them have the chance to reunite at last. They finally are able to be together...but at what cost?
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an epic science fiction romance between two non-binary characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war.
Review: I really loved this graphic novel! I loved the story and I really liked the Star Wars feel of the book. The book had a great story with a great pen-pal friendship turned relationship at the core of it between two non-binary characters and I loved seeing how the universe was developed and how people could live happily without constant war. I loved seeing all of the POC and/or 2SLGBT+ characters and I loved seeing the diverse bodies, including the plus size MC and female characters with body hair. The characters were well developed and the world building was amazing. The illustrations were also well done and overall the book is well plotted and storied.
The only issue I had with the book is that it presents a lot of technical terms in it and I had some issue following along, but the book did a great job to give context clues as to what was happening.
Verdict: Highly recommend! I loved it!
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: You Truly Assumed
Author: Laila Sabreen
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: 3 Black Muslim female MCs, Hijab Wearing MC, 2 sapphic couples mentioned as side characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, social justice, Muslim, Black Muslims
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary Social Justice
Recommended Age: 13+ (micro-aggressions, terrorism, racism, hate crimes, Islamaphobia, racism, language, romance, religion)
Explanation of Above: The book is a deep dive into how 3 Black Muslim teenage girls deal with the public backlash during the aftermath of a terrorist attack in which the bomber had an Arabic name (even though he was said to not be Muslim), so the book contains a lot of mentions and showings of micro-aggressions, racism, hate crimes, Islamaphobia, and racism against them. The book also has some instances of cursing and slight romance with two of the main characters and their respective partners. There are also a showing of Christian prayer and some Muslim prayer scenes. While I enjoyed both showings and I loved the insight into the Muslim religion, I do know that religion can be a bit of a trigger for some people due to religious trauma, especially with the Christian religion.
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.
Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.
Review: I extremely loved this book! This will be one of my forever favorites and a book that will stick with me for life. I absolutely loved the use of multiple POV and each of the main characters had very unique voices. The characters are well developed and the world building is simple but well done. The book was extremely well written and I’m having issue finding words to explain how much I loved this book. Personally, I will say to skip my review and read through the other reviews by Muslim readers, such as my friend Roha (I will have a link here to her review on my blog), because I think their words on the read are more important than anything I could ever come up with. I think the closest I can explain how powerful this book is, is to explain a personal story of when the book gave me my first reader pause. It was when Sabriya is narrating and her mother is telling her that she will be needed to volunteer because her father’s job was hosting this volunteer effort to help the families affected by the terrorist attack. She explains that she has to do it because her father worked so hard to get the promotion to his current job and not volunteering will reflect badly on her father. And that gave me my first pause because, as someone whose father was also promoted, I didn’t have to do any of that. Granted, it wasn’t a government job he held but the difference still remains. I didn’t have to work any events or volunteer my time to ensure my dad looked good to his bosses because my father is white and so am I, whereas the main character in this book had to and then had to endure Islamaphobia directed at her and multiple instances of micro-aggressions because she wanted to make her father look good to his boss. I will also say that my second pause was when, I think it was Sabriya again?, was asking herself “what is his name and what is his religion?” because that is an unfortunate reality so many POC and/or Muslims deal with when news of a terrorist attack happens because unfortunately if the attacker is POC and/or Muslim or anything other than White and Christian, the whole community will see an increase in hate crimes against them whereas if the attacker is white the narrative will be about how the white attacker had a “poor home life” and that will be that. Honestly, when the tagline said “thought-provoking” I didn’t think that it would have me lying in bed at midnight staring at my ceiling wondering how to process and proceed with this new knowledge. This book did SO WELL to put the thoughts and feelings of Muslims and POC into words and while the plots are very simple, it’s the blog posts and the small moments like what I pointed out up above that really drive home the important messages of this book. If you never read another book I recommend, I highly HIGHLY recommend this book and I urge you to read this one.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I wanted a little more time with Zakat and Farah. I feel like we didn’t get enough with them whereas we got a lot with Sabriya. I also think some of the timelines in the book didn’t line up exactly. There was some future events mentioned here and there in chapters with other characters and then it would happen in a present tense in the other chapters. It wasn’t a huge confusion though and the book can be read as is without issue.
Verdict: The highest of highly recommended reads.
Book: You Truly Assumed
Author: Laila Sabreen
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: 3 Black Muslim female MCs, Hijab Wearing MC, 2 sapphic couples mentioned as side characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, social justice, Muslim, Black Muslims
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary Social Justice
Recommended Age: 13+ (micro-aggressions, terrorism, racism, hate crimes, Islamaphobia, racism, language, romance, religion)
Explanation of Above: The book is a deep dive into how 3 Black Muslim teenage girls deal with the public backlash during the aftermath of a terrorist attack in which the bomber had an Arabic name (even though he was said to not be Muslim), so the book contains a lot of mentions and showings of micro-aggressions, racism, hate crimes, Islamaphobia, and racism against them. The book also has some instances of cursing and slight romance with two of the main characters and their respective partners. There are also a showing of Christian prayer and some Muslim prayer scenes. While I enjoyed both showings and I loved the insight into the Muslim religion, I do know that religion can be a bit of a trigger for some people due to religious trauma, especially with the Christian religion.
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.
Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.
Review: I extremely loved this book! This will be one of my forever favorites and a book that will stick with me for life. I absolutely loved the use of multiple POV and each of the main characters had very unique voices. The characters are well developed and the world building is simple but well done. The book was extremely well written and I’m having issue finding words to explain how much I loved this book. Personally, I will say to skip my review and read through the other reviews by Muslim readers, such as my friend Roha (I will have a link here to her review on my blog), because I think their words on the read are more important than anything I could ever come up with. I think the closest I can explain how powerful this book is, is to explain a personal story of when the book gave me my first reader pause. It was when Sabriya is narrating and her mother is telling her that she will be needed to volunteer because her father’s job was hosting this volunteer effort to help the families affected by the terrorist attack. She explains that she has to do it because her father worked so hard to get the promotion to his current job and not volunteering will reflect badly on her father. And that gave me my first pause because, as someone whose father was also promoted, I didn’t have to do any of that. Granted, it wasn’t a government job he held but the difference still remains. I didn’t have to work any events or volunteer my time to ensure my dad looked good to his bosses because my father is white and so am I, whereas the main character in this book had to and then had to endure Islamaphobia directed at her and multiple instances of micro-aggressions because she wanted to make her father look good to his boss. I will also say that my second pause was when, I think it was Sabriya again?, was asking herself “what is his name and what is his religion?” because that is an unfortunate reality so many POC and/or Muslims deal with when news of a terrorist attack happens because unfortunately if the attacker is POC and/or Muslim or anything other than White and Christian, the whole community will see an increase in hate crimes against them whereas if the attacker is white the narrative will be about how the white attacker had a “poor home life” and that will be that. Honestly, when the tagline said “thought-provoking” I didn’t think that it would have me lying in bed at midnight staring at my ceiling wondering how to process and proceed with this new knowledge. This book did SO WELL to put the thoughts and feelings of Muslims and POC into words and while the plots are very simple, it’s the blog posts and the small moments like what I pointed out up above that really drive home the important messages of this book. If you never read another book I recommend, I highly HIGHLY recommend this book and I urge you to read this one.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I wanted a little more time with Zakat and Farah. I feel like we didn’t get enough with them whereas we got a lot with Sabriya. I also think some of the timelines in the book didn’t line up exactly. There was some future events mentioned here and there in chapters with other characters and then it would happen in a present tense in the other chapters. It wasn’t a huge confusion though and the book can be read as is without issue.
Verdict: The highest of highly recommended reads.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Witch, The Sword, and The Cursed Knights
Author: Alexandria Rogers
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, retelling, King Arthur retelling, magical boarding school
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: MG Fantasy Retelling
Recommended Age: 11+ (gore, death, grief
Explanation of CWs: There is some mention of gore here and there throughout the book. There is talk about death and characters dealing with grief.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 422
Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ellie can’t help that she’s a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy—her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie’s dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur’s legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft—but only if she saves a lost cause.
Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend. He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can’t possibly exist. But when Merlin’s ancient magic foretells his family’s death if he doesn’t follow through, he travels to the knights’ castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power.
To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and reforge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he’s meant to be, they will both fail—and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin.
Review: For the most part I thought the book was ok. I thought the book read a lot like The School for Good and Evil and was a decent fairytale book. I loved the magical boarding school feel to it and have added it to my HP Recovery List on my blog. The book also did so well with the King Arthur themes. The world building was good and overall it’s a great story that I could see a lot of middle graders loving.
However, I had a lot of issues with the book. I found it really hard to get into and the book was very chaotic at times. There was a lot going on with the plot points and it was just hard to keep everything straight sometimes. The characters are, in my opinion, not well developed and a bit weak. There’s really nothing I can think about either of the main characters to distinguish one from another except for maybe one or two things. The book is interesting, but it wasn’t enough to keep me intrigued.
Verdict: It’s good, just not for me but maybe for you!
Book: The Witch, The Sword, and The Cursed Knights
Author: Alexandria Rogers
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, retelling, King Arthur retelling, magical boarding school
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: MG Fantasy Retelling
Recommended Age: 11+ (gore, death, grief
Explanation of CWs: There is some mention of gore here and there throughout the book. There is talk about death and characters dealing with grief.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 422
Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ellie can’t help that she’s a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy—her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie’s dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur’s legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft—but only if she saves a lost cause.
Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend. He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can’t possibly exist. But when Merlin’s ancient magic foretells his family’s death if he doesn’t follow through, he travels to the knights’ castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power.
To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and reforge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he’s meant to be, they will both fail—and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin.
Review: For the most part I thought the book was ok. I thought the book read a lot like The School for Good and Evil and was a decent fairytale book. I loved the magical boarding school feel to it and have added it to my HP Recovery List on my blog. The book also did so well with the King Arthur themes. The world building was good and overall it’s a great story that I could see a lot of middle graders loving.
However, I had a lot of issues with the book. I found it really hard to get into and the book was very chaotic at times. There was a lot going on with the plot points and it was just hard to keep everything straight sometimes. The characters are, in my opinion, not well developed and a bit weak. There’s really nothing I can think about either of the main characters to distinguish one from another except for maybe one or two things. The book is interesting, but it wasn’t enough to keep me intrigued.
Verdict: It’s good, just not for me but maybe for you!
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and physical arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Clean Air
Author: Sarah Blake
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, thriller, mystery, dystopian, cli-fi
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller
Recommended Age: 17+ (COVID, death, sickness, murder, grief, parental death, climate disaster)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses events like COVID as a historical event, but also shows sickness and climate disaster. The book is also a murder mystery thriller book, so death and parental death are included as well as murder and grief.
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Pages: 306
Synopsis: The climate apocalypse has come and gone, and in the end it wasn’t the temperature climbing or the waters rising. It was the trees. The world became overgrown, creating enough pollen to render the air unbreathable.
In the decade since the event known as the Turning, humanity has rebuilt, and Izabel has gotten used to the airtight domes that now contain her life. She raises her young daughter, Cami, and attempts to make peace with her mother’s death. She tries hard to be satisfied with this safe, prosperous new world, but instead she just feels stuck.
And then the peace of her town is shattered. Someone starts slashing through the domes at night, exposing people to the deadly pollen—a serial killer. Almost simultaneously, Cami begins sleep-talking, having whole conversations about the murders that she doesn’t remember after she wakes. Izabel becomes fixated on the killer, on both tracking him down and understanding him. What could compel someone to take so many lives after years dedicated to sheer survival, with humanity finally flourishing again?
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. It was an interesting concept and it kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. The story is a great sci-fi dystopian novel. I loved seeing COVID as a historical even and I loved seeing how the author envisioned the future world. The world building was very well done in that regard and I also liked the character development for the most part.
However, I had issues figuring out where the plot was going at some spots. It felt like it would go one way and then didn’t. I felt like the book was a bit muddled in places and it felt like it was trying to hard, but overall I enjoyed it.
Verdict: It was a well done thriller!
Book: Clean Air
Author: Sarah Blake
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, thriller, mystery, dystopian, cli-fi
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller
Recommended Age: 17+ (COVID, death, sickness, murder, grief, parental death, climate disaster)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses events like COVID as a historical event, but also shows sickness and climate disaster. The book is also a murder mystery thriller book, so death and parental death are included as well as murder and grief.
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Pages: 306
Synopsis: The climate apocalypse has come and gone, and in the end it wasn’t the temperature climbing or the waters rising. It was the trees. The world became overgrown, creating enough pollen to render the air unbreathable.
In the decade since the event known as the Turning, humanity has rebuilt, and Izabel has gotten used to the airtight domes that now contain her life. She raises her young daughter, Cami, and attempts to make peace with her mother’s death. She tries hard to be satisfied with this safe, prosperous new world, but instead she just feels stuck.
And then the peace of her town is shattered. Someone starts slashing through the domes at night, exposing people to the deadly pollen—a serial killer. Almost simultaneously, Cami begins sleep-talking, having whole conversations about the murders that she doesn’t remember after she wakes. Izabel becomes fixated on the killer, on both tracking him down and understanding him. What could compel someone to take so many lives after years dedicated to sheer survival, with humanity finally flourishing again?
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. It was an interesting concept and it kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. The story is a great sci-fi dystopian novel. I loved seeing COVID as a historical even and I loved seeing how the author envisioned the future world. The world building was very well done in that regard and I also liked the character development for the most part.
However, I had issues figuring out where the plot was going at some spots. It felt like it would go one way and then didn’t. I felt like the book was a bit muddled in places and it felt like it was trying to hard, but overall I enjoyed it.
Verdict: It was a well done thriller!
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
Author: Kristen R. Lee
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, social justice issues, college-aged characters
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (racism, micro-aggressions, white privilege, language, generational trauma, harassment)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses racism, micro-aggressions, harassment, and white privilege at length. The book has some cursing in it, including white people saying the n-word. There is talk of generational trauma as well.
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sites were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?
Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face-to-face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then, Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son to a local prominent family. Soon, Savannah is unearthing the hidden secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?
A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. I loved the message that it had about what racism, white privilege, micro aggressions, and being Black looks like behind the eyes of a Black woman who is entering a college that is a PWI. The book showed some of the horrors that Black and other POC students face in college, from slowness of action to remove hateful graffiti from a door to blackface to not reacting in an appropriate and sensitive manner to victims of racism and hatred. I also thought the book had a great message in finding your community and fighting back against the hate you get. I love the character development and the world building and overall I thought it was a well done novel, one that should be required reading.
The only issues I had with the book is that I felt like there was just a lot going on within the relatively short book. There wasn’t a lot of lull between issues that came up in the book and it felt like I couldn’t catch a break, which was more than likely the point of the writing style.
Verdict: It was well done!
Book: Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
Author: Kristen R. Lee
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, social justice issues, college-aged characters
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (racism, micro-aggressions, white privilege, language, generational trauma, harassment)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses racism, micro-aggressions, harassment, and white privilege at length. The book has some cursing in it, including white people saying the n-word. There is talk of generational trauma as well.
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sites were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?
Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face-to-face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then, Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son to a local prominent family. Soon, Savannah is unearthing the hidden secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?
A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. I loved the message that it had about what racism, white privilege, micro aggressions, and being Black looks like behind the eyes of a Black woman who is entering a college that is a PWI. The book showed some of the horrors that Black and other POC students face in college, from slowness of action to remove hateful graffiti from a door to blackface to not reacting in an appropriate and sensitive manner to victims of racism and hatred. I also thought the book had a great message in finding your community and fighting back against the hate you get. I love the character development and the world building and overall I thought it was a well done novel, one that should be required reading.
The only issues I had with the book is that I felt like there was just a lot going on within the relatively short book. There wasn’t a lot of lull between issues that came up in the book and it felt like I couldn’t catch a break, which was more than likely the point of the writing style.
Verdict: It was well done!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Freewater
Author: Amina Luqman-Dawson
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, historical fiction, slavery, plantations
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: MG Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 12+ (slavery, violence, slight gore, scary moments, slight allusion to rape, romance, religion, child abuse, drug allusion, drug abuse allusion)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses slavery, child abuse, and has scenes of running away from an overseer and allusions to drugs and drug abuse as well as rape to the mother character. There are some very scary moments in the book that might be upsetting to some readers. There is some very slight romance. There is also religion mentioned throughout the book.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 416
Synopsis: Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.
In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.
Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage.
Review: This was a good read. It is a deeply profound book about a child who is living and escapes from slavery. The book was wonderfully well paced and plotted. The book had amazing character development and world building. The book did well to explain slavery and some of the horrors that Black people saw during slavery to a young audience. I feel like this book should be part of a teaching curriculum to show younger children and lay the groundwork for further understanding of the enslavement period of the United States.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I thought it was hard to get into at first and that I needed the synopsis to fully understand what was happening in the book at first.
Verdict: It was well done! Highly recommend!
Book: Freewater
Author: Amina Luqman-Dawson
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, historical fiction, slavery, plantations
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: MG Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 12+ (slavery, violence, slight gore, scary moments, slight allusion to rape, romance, religion, child abuse, drug allusion, drug abuse allusion)
Explanation of CWs: The book discusses slavery, child abuse, and has scenes of running away from an overseer and allusions to drugs and drug abuse as well as rape to the mother character. There are some very scary moments in the book that might be upsetting to some readers. There is some very slight romance. There is also religion mentioned throughout the book.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 416
Synopsis: Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.
In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.
Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage.
Review: This was a good read. It is a deeply profound book about a child who is living and escapes from slavery. The book was wonderfully well paced and plotted. The book had amazing character development and world building. The book did well to explain slavery and some of the horrors that Black people saw during slavery to a young audience. I feel like this book should be part of a teaching curriculum to show younger children and lay the groundwork for further understanding of the enslavement period of the United States.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I thought it was hard to get into at first and that I needed the synopsis to fully understand what was happening in the book at first.
Verdict: It was well done! Highly recommend!
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Horror Hotel
Author: Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Sapphic Aro MC, Half Filipino MC, F/F Romance
Recommended For...: young adult readers, paranormal, ghosts, ghost hunting, thriller, mystery
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Paranormal
Recommended Age: 15+ (Death, Language, Harassment, Stalking, Parental death, Murder, Animal gore, Animal death, Gore, Violence)
Explanation of CWs: This is a YA paranormal book involving ghosts, so there is a lot of death, violence, and gore and there is murder in the book actively committed. There is some slight cursing and parental death mentioned a couple of times. There is animal gore and animal death mentioned once each in the book and the animals were goats. There is also harassment and stalking in the book.
Publisher: Underlined
Pages: 224
Synopsis: When the YouTube-famous Ghost Gang—Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki—visit a haunted LA hotel notorious for tragedy to secretly film after dark, they expect it to be just like their previous paranormal huntings. Spooky enough to attract subscribers—and ultimately harmless.
But when they stumble upon something unexpected in the former room of a gruesome serial killer, they quickly realize that they’re in over their heads.
Sometimes, it’s the dead who need our help—and the living we should fear.
Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.
Review: This book was so amazing! I absolutely loved the book and all of the Cecil Hotel vibes in it. I really like books like these where people go to investigate hauntings because it’s something I’m interested in doing one day. The book had a well done story and characters. The world building and atmosphere was top-tier. The book gave me the sense of someone watching me constantly and I was incredibly creeped out at one particular point in the book. This book has quickly become one of my favorites.
The only issue I really had was that the multiple POVs were a bit confusing because some of the characters didn’t really have a distinct voice, but it was still a well done book.
Verdict: I absolutely love this book! Highly recommend!
Book: Horror Hotel
Author: Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Sapphic Aro MC, Half Filipino MC, F/F Romance
Recommended For...: young adult readers, paranormal, ghosts, ghost hunting, thriller, mystery
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Paranormal
Recommended Age: 15+ (Death, Language, Harassment, Stalking, Parental death, Murder, Animal gore, Animal death, Gore, Violence)
Explanation of CWs: This is a YA paranormal book involving ghosts, so there is a lot of death, violence, and gore and there is murder in the book actively committed. There is some slight cursing and parental death mentioned a couple of times. There is animal gore and animal death mentioned once each in the book and the animals were goats. There is also harassment and stalking in the book.
Publisher: Underlined
Pages: 224
Synopsis: When the YouTube-famous Ghost Gang—Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki—visit a haunted LA hotel notorious for tragedy to secretly film after dark, they expect it to be just like their previous paranormal huntings. Spooky enough to attract subscribers—and ultimately harmless.
But when they stumble upon something unexpected in the former room of a gruesome serial killer, they quickly realize that they’re in over their heads.
Sometimes, it’s the dead who need our help—and the living we should fear.
Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.
Review: This book was so amazing! I absolutely loved the book and all of the Cecil Hotel vibes in it. I really like books like these where people go to investigate hauntings because it’s something I’m interested in doing one day. The book had a well done story and characters. The world building and atmosphere was top-tier. The book gave me the sense of someone watching me constantly and I was incredibly creeped out at one particular point in the book. This book has quickly become one of my favorites.
The only issue I really had was that the multiple POVs were a bit confusing because some of the characters didn’t really have a distinct voice, but it was still a well done book.
Verdict: I absolutely love this book! Highly recommend!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Ramon And Julieta
Author: Alana Quintana Albertson
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Smut Level: 2/5
Diversity: Mexican American MCs and Mexican American characters
Recommended For...: adult fiction, romance, contemporary
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended Age: 18+ (Gentrification, Death, Grief, Language, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Romance, ICE, Violence, Gore)
Explanation of CWs: The book is a romance book, so it has sexual content, active sex, and romance in it. The book also discusses gentrification and displays issues that Hispanic/Latin communities face, such as ICE, disproportionate imprisonment, and poverty. There is death that is mentioned briefly, some very slight grief, cursing, some alcoholism shown, and some very slight violence and very very slight gore.
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pages: 304
Synopsis: Ramón Montez always achieves his goals. Whether that means collecting Ivy League degrees or growing his father's fast-food empire, nothing sets Ramón off course. So when the sexy señorita who kissed him on the Day of the Dead runs off into the night with his heart, he determines to do whatever it takes to find her again.
Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother's taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life's work--and the one man who tempts and inspires her.
As San Diego's outraged community protests against the Taco King take-over and the divide between their families grows, Ramón and Julieta struggle to balance the rising tensions. But Ramón knows that true love is priceless and despite all of his successes, this is the one battle he refuses to lose.
Review: I absolutely loved this amazing book. The story was well written and the characters well developed. I especially loved Julieta as she was a tattooed curvy female, which I haven’t seen a lot in books, and both MCs were 30 and over, which is also something not normally shown in romance books from my limited experience. The book is a sweet Romeo and Juliet retelling, but the author made the story her own in a unique fashion. The book also had a lot of Spanish words intermixed throughout the book and a lot of different Hispanic influences, which I very much enjoyed. It felt like a read that a lot of people, especially those who are Latin/Hispanic would be able to identify with greatly.
The only issues I had with the book are that the smut part of the book started really late in it, at about 62% in, and the book didn’t have a lot of enemies to lovers runtime before they started actively falling for each other. The book also wrapped up within 5% of the novel and it just felt a bit rushed at the end. Unfortunately the problem with gentrification is that it can’t be easily solved and I don’t expect the author to have most of the answers, but it just felt like it was a bit of a dropped ball at the end.
Verdict: It was great and I highly recommend it for the story, the discussion of gentrification, and for the romance.
Book: Ramon And Julieta
Author: Alana Quintana Albertson
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Smut Level: 2/5
Diversity: Mexican American MCs and Mexican American characters
Recommended For...: adult fiction, romance, contemporary
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended Age: 18+ (Gentrification, Death, Grief, Language, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Romance, ICE, Violence, Gore)
Explanation of CWs: The book is a romance book, so it has sexual content, active sex, and romance in it. The book also discusses gentrification and displays issues that Hispanic/Latin communities face, such as ICE, disproportionate imprisonment, and poverty. There is death that is mentioned briefly, some very slight grief, cursing, some alcoholism shown, and some very slight violence and very very slight gore.
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pages: 304
Synopsis: Ramón Montez always achieves his goals. Whether that means collecting Ivy League degrees or growing his father's fast-food empire, nothing sets Ramón off course. So when the sexy señorita who kissed him on the Day of the Dead runs off into the night with his heart, he determines to do whatever it takes to find her again.
Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother's taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life's work--and the one man who tempts and inspires her.
As San Diego's outraged community protests against the Taco King take-over and the divide between their families grows, Ramón and Julieta struggle to balance the rising tensions. But Ramón knows that true love is priceless and despite all of his successes, this is the one battle he refuses to lose.
Review: I absolutely loved this amazing book. The story was well written and the characters well developed. I especially loved Julieta as she was a tattooed curvy female, which I haven’t seen a lot in books, and both MCs were 30 and over, which is also something not normally shown in romance books from my limited experience. The book is a sweet Romeo and Juliet retelling, but the author made the story her own in a unique fashion. The book also had a lot of Spanish words intermixed throughout the book and a lot of different Hispanic influences, which I very much enjoyed. It felt like a read that a lot of people, especially those who are Latin/Hispanic would be able to identify with greatly.
The only issues I had with the book are that the smut part of the book started really late in it, at about 62% in, and the book didn’t have a lot of enemies to lovers runtime before they started actively falling for each other. The book also wrapped up within 5% of the novel and it just felt a bit rushed at the end. Unfortunately the problem with gentrification is that it can’t be easily solved and I don’t expect the author to have most of the answers, but it just felt like it was a bit of a dropped ball at the end.
Verdict: It was great and I highly recommend it for the story, the discussion of gentrification, and for the romance.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Castles in their Bones
Author: Laura Sebastian
Book Series: Castles in their Bones Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: Gay side character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, court intrigue, political intrigue, villains story
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 17+ (alcohol consumption, alcoholism, classism, romance, rioting, war, sexual content, language, sexual harassment, child molestation mentioned, violence, gore, death)
Explanation of CWs: Alcohol consumption (by a teenager and others) and alcoholism are shown in the book. There is classism shown in the book, as well as rioting and mumblings of war. There is some romance shown and some slight sexual content. There is are a couple of curse words in the book. There are scenes of sexual harassment and one mentioned incident of child molestation. There is violence and some very slight gore shown in the book, but lots of death.
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 528
Synopsis: Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes.
Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides—because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.
The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.
Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can’t trust anyone—not even each other
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The book follows three girls who are secret villains, but then there are other villains and it’s all a game of out-villaining the other villains who try to partner with other other villains along the way and it’s so bonkers but it works so well! I absolutely loved the premise of the book and all of the political court intrigue. The book had well done character development and a cliffhanger ending that will leave you wanting for more. I also read this book in less than 2 hours because it was THAT GOOD.
There were some issues with the book that I had unfortunately. In one instance the e-arc I had had a chapter out of order I believe as a letter was mentioned that wasn’t delivered until the next chapter. The book was also confusing in the beginning briefly and it initially reads more adult. The book also has changing POVs which makes it somewhat confusing as well, but it gets much better as you continue through the novel.
Verdict: It’s great! Highly recommend!
Book: Castles in their Bones
Author: Laura Sebastian
Book Series: Castles in their Bones Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: Gay side character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, court intrigue, political intrigue, villains story
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 17+ (alcohol consumption, alcoholism, classism, romance, rioting, war, sexual content, language, sexual harassment, child molestation mentioned, violence, gore, death)
Explanation of CWs: Alcohol consumption (by a teenager and others) and alcoholism are shown in the book. There is classism shown in the book, as well as rioting and mumblings of war. There is some romance shown and some slight sexual content. There is are a couple of curse words in the book. There are scenes of sexual harassment and one mentioned incident of child molestation. There is violence and some very slight gore shown in the book, but lots of death.
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 528
Synopsis: Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes.
Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides—because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.
The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.
Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can’t trust anyone—not even each other
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The book follows three girls who are secret villains, but then there are other villains and it’s all a game of out-villaining the other villains who try to partner with other other villains along the way and it’s so bonkers but it works so well! I absolutely loved the premise of the book and all of the political court intrigue. The book had well done character development and a cliffhanger ending that will leave you wanting for more. I also read this book in less than 2 hours because it was THAT GOOD.
There were some issues with the book that I had unfortunately. In one instance the e-arc I had had a chapter out of order I believe as a letter was mentioned that wasn’t delivered until the next chapter. The book was also confusing in the beginning briefly and it initially reads more adult. The book also has changing POVs which makes it somewhat confusing as well, but it gets much better as you continue through the novel.
Verdict: It’s great! Highly recommend!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Shattered Midnight
Author: Dhonielle Clayton
Book Series: The Mirror Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, retelling, historical fiction, romance, diverse reads
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Recommended Age: 14+ (child abuse, religious abuse, death, violence, gore, murder, language, romance, racism, segregation, sexual harassment)
Explanation of CWs: There are scenes of child abuse in the book, but nothing graphic. It’s mainly neglect scenes. There are small acts of religious trauma too, like being sprayed with holy water and religion being forced upon another. There is death and murder in the book, as well as some violence and gore. There are a couple of instances of cursing. There is romance in the book. There is also racism, segregation, and a couple of small instances of sexual harassment in the book.
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 297
Synopsis: Zora Broussard has arrived in New Orleans with not much more than a bag of clothes, a beautiful voice, and a pair of enchanted red shoes. Running from a tragic accident caused by her magic, Zora wants nothing more than to blend in, as well as to avoid her overbearing aunt and mean-spirited cousins. Music becomes Zora’s only means of escape, yet she wonders if she should give it all up to remove the powers that make her a target, especially as a Black woman in the South.
But when Zora gets the chance to perform in a prominent jazz club, she meets a sweet white pianist named Phillip with magic of his own, including a strange mirror that foretells their future together. Falling into a forbidden love, Zora and Phillip must keep their relationship a secret. And soon the two discover the complicated connection between their respective families, a connection that could lead to catastrophe for them both. In the era of segregation and speakeasies, Zora must change her destiny and fight for the one she loves . . . or risk losing everything.
Review: I absolutely loved this read! It was sweet and had the a lot more oomph in it than the first book did. The book did well to develop the characters and surprise me in the end. The book is full of music references and I love that the MC loved music. I also loved seeing her come into her power and I can’t wait for the third book to see what happens from here. I also loved seeing all of the historical references to New Orleans life in the 1920s/30s. I also thought the book was well written, well developed, and it’s a definite favorite of mine this year.
The only issue I had with the book is that it read a little older than the first book, but other than that the book was great and I can’t wait to reread it!
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Book: Shattered Midnight
Author: Dhonielle Clayton
Book Series: The Mirror Book 2
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, retelling, historical fiction, romance, diverse reads
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Recommended Age: 14+ (child abuse, religious abuse, death, violence, gore, murder, language, romance, racism, segregation, sexual harassment)
Explanation of CWs: There are scenes of child abuse in the book, but nothing graphic. It’s mainly neglect scenes. There are small acts of religious trauma too, like being sprayed with holy water and religion being forced upon another. There is death and murder in the book, as well as some violence and gore. There are a couple of instances of cursing. There is romance in the book. There is also racism, segregation, and a couple of small instances of sexual harassment in the book.
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 297
Synopsis: Zora Broussard has arrived in New Orleans with not much more than a bag of clothes, a beautiful voice, and a pair of enchanted red shoes. Running from a tragic accident caused by her magic, Zora wants nothing more than to blend in, as well as to avoid her overbearing aunt and mean-spirited cousins. Music becomes Zora’s only means of escape, yet she wonders if she should give it all up to remove the powers that make her a target, especially as a Black woman in the South.
But when Zora gets the chance to perform in a prominent jazz club, she meets a sweet white pianist named Phillip with magic of his own, including a strange mirror that foretells their future together. Falling into a forbidden love, Zora and Phillip must keep their relationship a secret. And soon the two discover the complicated connection between their respective families, a connection that could lead to catastrophe for them both. In the era of segregation and speakeasies, Zora must change her destiny and fight for the one she loves . . . or risk losing everything.
Review: I absolutely loved this read! It was sweet and had the a lot more oomph in it than the first book did. The book did well to develop the characters and surprise me in the end. The book is full of music references and I love that the MC loved music. I also loved seeing her come into her power and I can’t wait for the third book to see what happens from here. I also loved seeing all of the historical references to New Orleans life in the 1920s/30s. I also thought the book was well written, well developed, and it’s a definite favorite of mine this year.
The only issue I had with the book is that it read a little older than the first book, but other than that the book was great and I can’t wait to reread it!
Verdict: Highly recommend!