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471 reviews by:
starrysteph
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Daughters of Izdihar is filled with elemental magic, female rage, and freedom fighters. However, to me it fell a bit flat and didn’t bring anything new to the genre.
We follow two young women from very different backgrounds in an Egyptian-inspired magical world.
Nehal is the wealthy daughter of an aristocrat, forced into an arranged marriage in order to save her family from financial ruin. But what she truly wants is to nurture her waterweaving skills and someday join the first ever all-female regiment of the army.
Giorgina is a poor bookshop worker, struggling to suppress her uncontrollable earth weaving power. She’s in love with a man who cannot publicly be with her and secretly writes for the Daughters of Izdihar, a women’s rights group.
Both women connect unexpectedly as they yearn for women’s equality and struggle to make their own choices and live (& love) freely.
The writing wavered at times - it feels very clear to me that this is a debut. Sentences were often a bit choppy or repetitive, dialogue was unnatural, and the plot felt familiar to many other fantasy reads (elemental magic has been done so often & it wasn’t really included in a new way here).
It was a bit draining to input all the sexism, and to see the women’s rights group fall into the same cycles. New protest idea, it gets squandered by men and/or corrupt politicians and police, women have to reformulate, and so on. This is most of the book, and it’s copied & pasted straight from history.
I also felt like Nehal was a stronger character - with a bit more character development. I was antsier reading from Giorgina’s POV, and didn’t care much for her conflict with her love interest. It felt like she was just one-dimensionally tossed in to suffer at the hands of various men. Contrastingly, Nehal’s growth (both in uncovering the realities of her world and discovering her sexuality) was more engaging.
But even so - the queer plotlines (Nehal’s and a random side character who shows up at two convenient moments) felt underdeveloped. And Nehal’s impulsivity grew a little tiring, alongside her unbelievably fast rise in skill with waterweaving. She also NEVER faced any consequences for her harmful actions … and it’s not particularly clear why she desires to be part of the women’s rights movement in the first place. She can’t even be bothered to read the magazines.
I felt like there were interesting ideas here - with the setting and with the characters - that simply weren’t explored enough.
CW: sexism, misogyny, murder, death, homophobia, lesbophobia, police brutality, sexual harassment, sexual assault, classism, gun violence, grief, war, abortion
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, War, Classism
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-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
I truly enjoyed The Name-Bearer! It was vibrant, creative, and filled with generous sprinklings of Latin American culture.
We follow the Name-Bearer, a young girl who was selected as a baby to fulfill a critical royal role: deliver royal names from the magical Flowers of Prophecy. Her identity is stripped alongside her birth name; she knows nothing of life outside the palace. But when her first naming ceremony doesn’t go as planned - and she receives an unexpected prophecy instead, putting her in grave danger - she must journey away from all she’s known and find the true heir to the throne.
The world was so fun and colorful; I could picture every scene and character. I thought the depictions of strong & healthy friendships alongside budding romances were so lovely. There are a lot of potential romantic pairings and I would have been happy wherever we landed.
The main character’s journey with her identity - her entire sense of self and her place in the world - unfolded in a beautiful way. Her entire life is dictated by those above her; she is marginalized and powerless. I loved watching her slowly cement her personhood and discover who exactly she is outside of the expectations placed on her.
There were some clumsier elements - the editing seemed to be lacking (typos/other issues on a significant number of pages) and some plot points moved far too quickly. The story spans 10 years, and considering the large amount of characters and events, I think it could have perhaps been better served being split up into multiple books with more time to linger and develop the characters and storylines.
Overall though, Natalia Hernandez is bringing a fresh voice to the fantasy genre and I think her ideas are spectacular. I know she will continue to strengthen as a writer and I’m excited to witness her journey.
CW: violence, bullying, sexual assault (mention), confinement, trafficking, kidnapping, child abuse, death, xenophobia, classism, grief, abandonment, war, slavery
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Abandonment, War, Classism
adventurous
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We’ve all read zombie apocalypse stories focused on the survivors - the hardy group of humans fighting for a better new world.
But what if nobody made it out?
What if every human was infected?
What if the only survivors - were other animals?
That’s what goes down in the opening scenes of Hollow Kingdom, and we’re left to follow human-adoring crow S.T. and his bloodhound sidekick Dennis as they navigate the wake of tragedy, try to figure out what happened, and rescue other domestic animals.
This book had the curious ability to make me laugh out lou and roll my eyes at the raunchy absurdity, but also weep in a ball on the couch.
We do mostly follow S.T., but we also get beautifully-crafted chapters between his narratives from all sorts of different animals. Though sometimes a little cheesy and -and often romanticizing animal interactions - these interludes were some of my favorite parts of the novel.
At times the plot became too repetitive without seeming to move forward. It felt like large sections of the novel could have been chopped without a loss, and that made my reading experience a little antsy. The humor also occasionally rubbed me the wrong way. I also didn’t love the measly background we got around the cause of the zombie infection. It’s a trope that bothers me.
Overall though, I enjoyed this journey. Be prepared for some heartbreak, folks. Especially if you are an animal lover like me.
CW: animal death, human death (all ages), gore, body horror, violence, animal cruelty, cannibalism, confinement, vomit, drug use, suicide, ableism, sexism, fatphobia, war, Harry Potter references
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, War
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
“How can white men be our born leaders and at the same time so fragile that they cannot handle social progress?”
A detailed read that is still personal & engaging. Oluo takes us through years of painful history with clarity and thoughtfulness - and ends with a message of hesitant optimism.
The book didn’t provide a new message or new logic for me (though I certainly learned some new interesting historical tidbits), but I felt as though the arguments were assembled carefully and patiently. I did feel like some chapters were much stronger than others (especially regarding supporting pieces of evidence).
Overall I thought this was excellent and I hope to tackle Oluo’s other works soon.
CW: discussions of racism, racial slurs, hate crimes, sexism, gun violence & mass killings, police brutality, xenophobia, slavery, antisemitism, death (murder, suicide), colonization, islamophobia, transphobia, religious bigotry
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A delightful Jewish fantasy adventure that would have meant the world to me as a young reader.
We’re following Zach, a middle schooler who discovered an unusual antique at a flea market alongside his annoying little sister Naomi. It’s a magical ring - but while it grants him some cool powers, it also summons Ashmedai, King of Demons.
Now Zach, his best friend Sandra, and Ash have to somehow defeat monsters from Jewish folklore, avoid a secret society, and stop an apocalypse. Oh, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to also take down Zach’s school bully and impress the boy he’s crushing on.
Ring of Solomon is short and takes off at rapid speed. There was SO much interesting content here and so much that I wish we could have had time to explore more. I know this is the start of a series, but I think the events of this book could have easily been spread out and expanded. I would have loved more character development for Sandra, more history on Ash, more exploration of Zach’s queer identity, a deeper dive into the Jewish folklore behind the monsters, an expansion of Zach and Sandra’s varying experiences with faith, and so on.
My attention never dropped & I had SO much fun reading. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that pretty much all I need to be happy is a talking animal scene. And we get several. :)
I also think the integration of casual antisemitic experience was done well - it will be all too familiar for Jewish kids and perhaps eye-opening for others.
Overall, this was a fast-paced chaotic adventure that I would recommend to any middle grader looking to take on a new Percy-Jackson-esque read.
CW: bullying, antisemitism, homophobia, slavery, racism, violence, blood, fire, vomit, drowning, kidnapping, brief mention of restricted eating
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The start to the Unseelie Duology was fresh, magical, and engaging.
We’re following adventurer sisters Iselia (Seelie) and Isolde. They’re twins - sort of. Seelie is an autistic changeling, struggling to control her wild magic, feeling out of place among humans, and wishing for a peaceful family life.
After a disastrous incident in their hometown, the girls are on the run. Isolde is a skilled thief and Seelie supports her sister and helps power their magical wagon. But when a heist goes wrong, they find themselves paired up with unlikely allies as they hunt for a mysterious (and valuable) treasure.
While the plot is entertaining and the slow-burn romance is sweet, it’s the autistic representation (and the switch-up of changeling lore) that makes Unseelie shine. We get to hear Seelie’s story entirely from Seelie’s perspective and with Seelie’s voice. She is centered.
I found all four of our main treasure-hunters engaging and charming. The story and many of the tropes felt familiar, but Seelie’s perspective was so fresh that it kept me interested in the world. I’d love to see more development for the other three in book 2 (and wish we had gotten a bit more in depth characterization here), but I thought they were all likable.
I was hungering for a faster pace & will be looking forward to the second half of the duology to explode right into action. The writing overall was simple yet well done. It’s generic in some ways - but absolutely stellar in others.
I’ll be recommending this to YA readers far and wide. :)
CW: death, violence, blood, fire, drowning, injury, ableism & eugenics, hate crime, vomiting, panic attacks, kidnapping, child abuse (mentioned), confinement
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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
A quiet journey through grief & loneliness, reclamation of land & community, and slowly-growing hope.
We’re following Dune, a survivor of Detroit’s fatal Syndrome H-8 pandemic. She’s navigating her new isolated world while grieving her mother (who was patient zero). Dune’s journey through the sharp pain of losing her loved ones leads to unexpected connections with other wandering survivors and a curious magic and power that threads them all together. Throughout the novella, Dune is also attempting to learn more about the origins of the plague.
Though the grief of the survivors was agonizing, I was touched by the cautious optimism that emerged as the survivors began to form new versions of family. The writing and characterization was beautiful & I really felt as though I understood Dune.
I wished we spent a little more time from the perspectives of Captain and Jizo – we were teased with a sprinkling of POV chapters and segments from them, but I was curious about their backgrounds. Perhaps more of that in book 3!
CW: death, racism, confinement, colonization, medical trauma, eugenics, genocide, grief, terminal illness, explicit sexual content
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Colonisation, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh, wow. Firekeeper’s Daughter was not at all what I was expecting. But what it offered was an incredible story of identity, grief, family, and community.
We follow 18-year-old Daunis, who has quietly put her dreams for the future on hold to support her mother during overlapping family tragedies. Daunis is biracial and struggling with her identity, feeling like she doesn’t quite belong with her mother’s side of the family or on the Ojibwe reservation (where she is not an enrolled tribal member).
Daunis is already dealing with grief and loss when she witnesses a drug-related murder. She tentatively agrees to go undover and be part of the criminal investigation (utilizing both her science skills and traditional plant wisdom), but she’s torn between wanting justice for her community and feeling unsure of the best way to protect her home.
* This is a quick note that this story contains MANY heavy topics and not every young adult reader will necessarily be ready to engage with this material. I’ve shared a list of content warnings at the bottom, but if you would like more information please let me know. *
I would call this book slow-paced (particularly the investigation aspect), but my attention was truly hooked from beginning to end. It’s a blend of mystery and crime elements and budding romance (that I wasn’t quite rooting for - though I liked the resolution) and just thoughtful, immersive fiction. Boulley gently introduces Ojibwe culture to any reader that is unfamiliar, but keeps the dialogue fresh and curious rather than info-dumpy. The layers of love for the Anishinaabe community and traditions were brilliantly clear.
I loved Daunis as a main character. She’s smart and resilient and relatable. She even got me to care (a little) about running and hockey.
Daunis’ journey through grief is one of the most powerful aspects of the novel. She’s suffered immensely, and has to learn to navigate intense emotions and balance her needs and boundaries with love and care for her community. It’s a rough ride, but it felt very honest.
The community aspect overall was incredibly touching – we see Daunis protect loved ones and stand up for herself and receive that care in return. I found all of the supporting characters to be incredibly well fleshed-out. Several scenes with indigenous Elders made me tear up.
Firekeeper’s Daughter involved a lot of complex social topics - such as generational indigenous trauma, drug use and addiction, violence against women, and the complications of the federal legal system/Native justice dynamic. I thought all of these issues were handled well, and while the story is heavy-hitting, the amount of pain introduced does feel realistic.
Does it sometimes read what I would (lovingly) call “very YA”, especially when it comes to the believability of the FBI investigation and Daunis’ role as an informant? Oh, for sure. But I would have gobbled that aspect up as a teenager, and I think it just asks for a little suspension of disbelief. I did also take issue with the setup of the romance (there’s a major power imbalance and slightly questionable age gap).
But overall, I thought this was incredible.
CW: murder, drug use & addiction, death (incl. child death), rape/sexual assault, gun violence, racism (incl. indigenous slurs), grief, kidnapping, suicide, car accident, injury, colonization, confinement, misogyny, sexual harassment, medical trauma, cultural appropriation, infidelity, domestic abuse, terminal illness, pedophilia, dementia, fatphobia, homophobia
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adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In The Black God’s Drums, P. Djèlí Clark has masterfully brought an alternative steampunk version of New Orleans (amidst an ongoing Civil War) to life.
We’re following 13-year-old Creeper, a clever girl with a godly advantage making do on the streets while dreaming of joining up with the airship Midnight Robber. When she overhears a traitorous plan to secure a powerful weapon, she’s ready to use this information to earn the airship captain’s trust and experience more of the world.
The world is gripping – this is a twisted version of Civil War history (though the implications are not too far off from our current reality) that is detailed yet introduced with clarity. Clark is incredibly skilled at weaving in vital information without losing the quick pacing of the novella. There were a few cases of heavy writing that perhaps could have been simplified seeing as this was such a short piece, but overall I was enchanted.
While I would have loved a deeper dive into the main characters (Creeper and Captain Ann-Marie), I found them easy to root for and loved the unique helpers and foes they met along the way.
A final highlight of the novella was an interplay between West African spirituality & steampunk (I’ve seen it referred to as “godpunk”, and I’m into it). God-powered weather and man-powered weaponized storms clash and influence society and create a unique culture. And Creeper’s dialogue, powers, and visions that come from the portion of Oya (orisha of storms) within her were captivating to read.
I hope there are more stories to come in this world!
CW: murder, gun violence, racism, slavery, death, war, hate crime, death of parents, injury, kidnapping, fire, colonization
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