That cover though!

Another island-hopping adventure in Visidia gives us a bittersweet ending to this sparkling, inventive, brutal, emotional tale of a princess who has to quickly mature into a queen and more — with a whole lot of help from her friends.

I like Visidia, its magics, and its people quite a lot, but never warmed up to our main character — Princess/Queen/High Animancer/Executioner/Soul Magicker Amora. She's a strong, active lead, but a repetitive and, at times, frustratingly self-centered narrator. To be fair, she is processing (or dealing with the effects of not processing) quite a lot of trauma in this book, which contributes to some of the repetitiveness.

It felt like the writing leaned into that repetitiveness too hard instead of adjusting for it, making it a more difficult read than it needed to be. In some cases, scenes and plot points from the previous book were hammered on, but simple refreshers about characters' backstories were overlooked. Some of the reveals were quite good though, and I can see the ending being a tear-jerker for some.

Content notes: blood magic, combat, execution, and torture; loss of a parent; grief; narrator with nightmares, panic attacks, symptoms of PTSD; lying to loved ones

My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for a digital ARC

I don't think 2020 will go down as anyone's favorite year — the coronavirus is still on its killing spree, and daily routines and livelihoods have been completely disrupted. "Silver Linings" is one person's attempt to address these challenges by issuing a sort of counter-challenge. Yes, the pandemic is wrecking havoc. Is it possible, however, that some good is coming out of it as well? Something here and now, in the midst of the disrupted routines and the daily worries? Challenging herself to search for at least one good thing every day that wouldn't have happened without the pandemic, Tyler chronicles her daily observations. The result is a sweet but clear-eyed discovery of family, friends, nature, and other simple pleasures grounded in the present.

Though, admittedly, writing from a fairly privileged position, Tyler has a unique global perspective through her business that doesn't allow her to sweep aside the real concerns and ramifications of COVID-19. Some days, silver linings are much easier to find than others. If you're having a hard time seeing them in your life, this short series of daily readings may help you shift your perspective as it gives you a glimpse of a few good things that happened to one family in the hills of southern Vermont — all because of the pandemic.

A bittersweet middle-grade novel in verse that packs a lot of heart and hope into what could have been a too painful story.

ZJ, who ages from 10 to 12 over the course of the book, struggles to deal with the way his loving, engaged father loses his health and his memories — debilitating long-term effects of a professional football career. The family finds strength and some solace in shared music, loving and committed family, and true friends, but there are no pat answers and resolutions here.

A great discussion starter for all ages.

Full of cozy potential, escapist romance, and book-lover catnip, Much Ado About You is a book that I wanted to love and disappear into for awhile, but it didn't quite work for me. I honestly kept forgetting I was reading it and almost unintentionally DNF'd twice. Yikes.

Thirty-something Evie has been burned by a mother struggling with grief and then addiction, by long-term relationships, by the dating scene in Chicago, and now by a promising online relationship that stood her up at the first planned meetup. She feels like she's being left behind by friends who are married, settled, and having children. And now, after putting in years as a capable, experienced editorial assistant, she's being passed over for a promotion to editor AGAIN. She needs a break. She follows her English-Lit loving heart and impulsively books a getaway to a charming Northumberland village where she'll be working at a bookstore part-time as part of the vacation rental agreement. There's a quintessential pub. Village drama to meddle in. A friendly Great Dane. A sexy farmer to absolutely not get involved with. Perfect.

Maybe it'll be the perfect romantic escape for you — books! seaside village! meet-cute involving a dog! a Beatrice-and-Benedick side plot! a cameo of the castle where Harry Potter was filmed! slow-burn romance that heats up into a steamy relationship with a kind, charismatic male lead! — but somehow it all felt a bit flat to me. Definitely too long. Maybe too linear. Perhaps relying too much on telling, especially in the main characterization. I didn't connect with Evie (though I definitely should have), didn't like the "meddling American fixes things" vibe, and didn't really buy the way Evie remained ignorant of what developed as the main conflict. Still. A book about a bookish Chicago girl maybe finding true love on a bookstore vacation at a seaside village in northern England? It was worth the effort.

Content notes: body image issues, strong language, steamy sex scenes, backstory death of parent, parent struggling with addiction, abusive and controlling guardianship, racism, heterosexism, family rejection

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for a digital ARC.

Two chapters into book one in Maureen Johnson's "Truly Devious" YA mystery trilogy, I knew I was going to need books two and three ready go — and I was right. "The Vanishing Stair" and "The Hand on the Wall" are the fast-paced continuation and conclusion of teen sleuth Stevie Bell's Truly Devious adventures. (A fourth, standalone mystery is coming in 2021.)

Stevie is an excellent addition to the teen sleuth roster: a relatable, well-developed character, a smart kid who sometimes makes dicey decisions. She and her new friends, a diverse cast of housemates at the elite Ellingham Academy in the mountains of Vermont, are figuring out the quirks of their skills, their challenges, their anxieties, and the meaning of life and stuff. Between that and classes, Stevie works the cold-case crime of the century, the kidnapping of the Ellingham heir (a story told in an effective dual timeline that incorporates articles and interviews from the 1930s), and tracks dangers that are much, much closer and appear to be closing in on her and her friends.

Series content notes: underage smoking and drinking, self-destructive behavior, lying, emotional manipulation, toxic relationships, kidnapping, murder, enclosed spaces, anxiety and panic attacks

Part memoir, part nature writing, part literary analysis — Wintering offers us glimpses of the cyclical nature of life, demonstrates ways of embracing the difficult periods, and reminds us that all of us pass through winters. It's a thoughtful, unhurried, personal account of the author's life in winter — both literal and metaphorical, exploring arctic climes, professional dormancy, and chilling despondency. It manages to be both bracing and comforting, and was a good read for the dark days of January.