Hello there, lovely bookworms! I hope you're all having a great day. I'm here today with my review of Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray! I really enjoyed this book and I'm thrilled to be sharing my review with y'all. I also got the opportunity recently to meet the author, Ayana Gray, in a virtual book club which was an amazing experience! She was absolutely wonderful, and I even got to see her adorable puppy, too. So not only can I vouch for this book being fantastic, but I can also tell you that its author is an amazing person, too! Without further ado, let's dive into this review! (And no, that rhyming was not intentional, but I like it so it's staying.) Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI had a fantastic time reading this book! I flew through it in just a couple days and fell in love with these characters and the world. For anyone looking for a YA high-fantasy featuring epic world-building and Black teens embarking on daunting adventures: this book is for you! Let me talk about the world-building first. I can only imagine how much effort Ayana Gray must have put into creating the world in Beasts of Prey because it's so detailed and amazing. There are so many little things that work together to make this world seem absolutely real--customs, religions, politics, myths, etc. I also loved how, as the author mentioned in the author's note at the end of the book, she drew many ideas (especially for creatures that Koffi and Ekon meet in the Greater Jungle) from Pan-African mythology. The descriptions of this world were vivid and really brought the environment of this story to life in my mind. The characters were also such a delight to read about! Koffi and Ekon are amazing, determined characters, and although they differ in many ways, it was inspiring to watch them work together and begin to understand one another. Their multiple POVs were written well, and I equally enjoyed reading from both Koffi's and Ekon's perspectives. Their characters were different enough that each of their POVs provided a fresh and interesting perspective. I thought that Ekon's anxiety and OCD was very well written and added a lot to his character. Additionally, the romance between him and Koffi was adorable and I was so invested! It was very cute, but I was happy that it didn't take over the plot--this was a fantasy novel at the heart. Adiah's character was really interesting too, and while we didn't read from her POV too much, the sections from her perspective offered lots of insight into her character and history. The story itself was so compelling. It felt just a tiny bit slow-paced a few times, but for the most part it was a quick-paced read. I really enjoyed the plot twist at the end, which I never saw coming! I also loved all the action-packed moments sprinkled throughout the book, especially one scene in particular. And that last line at the end! Now I'm counting down the days till I can get my hands on the next book in this series! As you can see, I really enjoyed Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray! I gave it 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I would especially recommend this book for fans of Children of Blood and Bone!
Have a fabulous rest of your day, and I'll see you around!
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Happy Tuesday, bookworms, and welcome to my tour stop for TBR and Beyond Tours' As Good As Dead tour! Huge thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours for choosing me to be a part of this tour and providing with an ARC of As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson, the final book in the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. Make sure to click here to view all the other stops for this tour so you can follow along and see many more awesome posts! Today I'm thrilled to share with you my 15 Reactions While Reading As Good As Dead and my mood board inspired by the book! I rated As Good As Dead 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. I have a ton of thoughts on the book, and I still haven't quite decided exactly how much I liked it (because let me tell you, some weird stuff happened in there). Some parts made me really angry and upset, and I occasionally wanted to scream at the characters. However, it was great returning to the world of Pip and Ravi and watching them investigate one final mystery! Synopsis and Book Information
15 Reactions While ReadingMood BoardAuthor Information
That's all for my stop for TBR and Beyond Tours' As Good As Dead tour! I hope you enjoyed! Now go grab yourself a copy of As Good As Dead because it hits the shelves today!
Hey there, bookworms! How's it going? School's been a little wild for me the past few days, but overall I've been good. I've also discovered the joy of studying in my school's library. It's so chill and relaxing there. Plus, I discovered that they actually have a bunch of YA books! The entire Shadow and Bone trilogy, all of Angie Thomas's books, the All the Boys I've Lived Before trilogy, and many more! To think I thought they only had boring school-y books before. I'm very proud to announce that I've finally caught up on my ARC reviews! Granted, I have several more I need to get working on soon, but for now I'll bask in the glory of finally being back on schedule. Today's review is of When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez. Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewThis book was beautifully written! It was a coming-of-age story that dealt with many important issues like poverty, family troubles, addiction, and the sexualization of young girls. Unfortunately my eARC was badly formatted so some of the verse was a little wonky and difficult to read. However, I did still enjoy this book overall! The rhythm of the verse was excellently written and packed full of so many emotions. It was a poignant way to express Sarai's thoughts and feelings. I could sense the author's own connection to this storyline, very intimate and rawly honest. Much of this book was truly heartbreaking to read about; Sarai has to deal with so much at such a young age. This book explores what it means to "make it" and how Sarai's view of this term evolves through her experiences. Some moments were a little confusing or difficult to understand (although maybe this was just due to my ill-formatted copy), and the ending felt a bit abrupt to me. I wish there had been more emphasis on some specific events that caused what happened at the end, which probably would have made it feel less sudden. Thanks for reading my review of When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez! I gave this book 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. I definitely recommend this book for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo!
What are your favorite books in verse? Let me know in the comments! I swore a blood oath to the goddess of book reviews that I would post my review of The Other Merlin on the day it released and not one day later, so here I am upholding my oath (because I don't want to be horribly cursed by the goddess of book reviews or anything...spending the rest of my life as a frog does not sound fun). So here it is: my review of The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider! This book was released into the world today, so make sure to go grab yourself a copy. This is pure hilarity and fun in book form. So without further ado, let's get into it! Special thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI'm staring at my computer screen right now trying to come up with the words to express what a delight this book was. Honestly, words can't even begin to express the absolute joy I felt reading this book. It was so much fun! Yes, it was quite ridiculous, and yes, the characters were messy in the best ways possible, and yes, you need to go read it right now! Emry Merlin is truly a phenomenon. A bisexual female wizard impersonating her brother so she can learn magic at Prince Arthur's castle? Yep, that's Emry. But not only that: she's also hilarious, and so many moments made me laugh out loud. I also adored Arthur's character. He's so sweet and bookish. The multiple POV worked great for this story, and it was really well written. This wasn't one of those multiple POVs where you love one character's perspective and loathe when the other character's POV comes around. Both Emry's and Arthur's perspectives were so fun to read from! The romance! Ugh it was so good. The angst, the longing, the tension! I loved the banter between Emry and Arthur, and I simply could not help rooting for them. They're so adorably awkward. I never knew that a romance between Merlin and Arthur was what's missing from my life, but low and behold it was. This book was like the child of a fantasy novel and a contemporary novel. It was fantasy but had such a contemporary feel, which I actually loved. It made this a lighthearted, quick read. The dialogue felt so natural, and the characters felt like genuinely real people. My only complaint is that the stakes did feel a bit low at times. We also didn't get a clear-cut villain until later in the story, which made the action at the end feel a tad rushed. However, this didn't bother me too much. After all, Emry falsely impersonating her brother at the castle provided plenty of drama for the first half of the book! I'll conclude my review of The Other Merlin with these words of wisdom: Go buy a copy of this book now. You shall not regret it.
I gave The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider 4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. Thanks for reading my review, and have an awesome day!! Sunday, Sunday, Sundaaaaaayyyy! *said in a singing voice* I'm not ready for the weekend to be over, y'all. Can we just pretend that Sunday lasts forever?? I'm hoping to do lots of reading today and hopefully write another book review, plus spend some time with my family. I'm currently reading Daughter of Sparta (along with several other books...because I have zero self-control) and I'm loving it and can't wait to see what happens next! Let's pull out our scripts and cue the dramatic music because it's time for another book review! I present to you my review of As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter, aka the queen of nerdy characters and general YA nerdiness. Special thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewAhhhh this book is such a delight!! It's truly a celebration of art and teenage nerds. I devoured this book and couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. There's so much to love about it! Marisa Kanter writes some of the best nerdy characters I've ever read. I loved the book-nerdy characters in What I Like About You, and in this new book Natalie and Reid don't disappoint. I love how passionate they are about the art they love: theater for Natalie, music for Reid. I was easily able to identify with Reid's love of music, and Natalie inspired me to learn more about theater and writing scripts. Reading about their theater rehearsals was really fun, too! This book is truly a tribute to art and theater, and I adored every moment of it. (Also: I really really want to see Melted the Musical. A musical Frozen parody? Sounds like a blast to me.) This book also addressed issues of antisemitism in middle and high school in a way that felt very natural and propelled the story along. Unfortunately, Natalie's character did frustrate me a lot. She made some really awful decisions and was controlling of the people around her. I definitely wanted to scream and throw the book across the room on one particular occasion (WHY NATALIE WHY?!?). However, she did have an okay character arc and eventually did some self-reflection. I just wish she would've been less aggravating at the start. I felt like Reid's character could've used a smidge more development, but overall I really liked him. All the side characters were fantastic too, especially Fitz! Everyone had pretty good character arcs. I've got to say, I did really enjoy the romance and rivals-to-lovers. The banter was so good! It was lighthearted yet so fun to read. I was rooting for Natalie and Reid from the start. High school rivals-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this one didn't disappoint! Lastly, I wanted to mention that I absolutely adore As If On Cue's cover! It's so cute, and I love that Natalie and Reid are wearing matching colored outfits. Plus all the subtle nerdy hints--the instruments, magnets, etc. I love it! That's all for my review of As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter! Overall I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. If you like books with nerdy characters, theater kids, and rivals-to-lovers, this one's for you! Make sure to grab a copy when it hits the shelves September 21, 2021!
What are your favorite books that feature nerdy characters? Let me know in the comments! Hi there, bookworms! I don't know about you, but I'm so relieved that it's almost the weekend. I was planning on posting this book review earlier this week before The Corpse Queen released, but unfortunately I was swamped with schoolwork (my Intro to Lit class and I are now officially sworn enemies). However, I'm here now! Plus I have three more reviews I need to churn out before this coming Tuesday, so prepare yourself for a review-full weekend from me! Okay, so let's dive into this review: The Corpse Queen by Heather M. Herrman! Hop in the time machine because we're going back to the 1850s for this historical thriller. Everyone got their seat belts on? (Time machines have seat belts, right??) Okay? Okay. Let's go! Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI was really excited for this book when I heard it was similar to Stalking Jack the Ripper and feminist. I did really enjoy it, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. However, it was still a very entertaining and mystery-filled read! The dark, chilling atmosphere of this book was excellent! The descriptions in this book were quite vivid (and occasionally rather gruesome), which did a great job of bringing this story to life in my mind. This book explored many of the darker and unsavory aspects of 1850s Philadelphia, which was very interesting to read about, especially through the lens of our young female protagonist Molly. I particularly enjoyed reading about Molly's nighttime escapades to collect dead bodies. Issues of sexism were illustrated at length, and I really enjoyed all the feminist elements of this book. Molly fought against gender stereotypes and was determined to follow her dreams. I liked how determined and strong Molly was, but I did feel like she was slightly lacking in character at times. I unfortunately can't say that I felt very attached to any of the characters in this book. They were mostly either deeply unlikeable or underdeveloped in character. I was also let down by the romance; the "romantic interest" wasn't particularly interesting to me, and the resolution was a bit unsatisfying. I was hoping for someone more Thomas Cresswell-like, with some charm and wit, but unfortunately we didn't get that. The mystery itself was well written and, although I guessed at parts of it, I was genuinely surprised by the ending! That's a wrap on my review of The Corpse Queen by Heather M. Herrman! Unfortunately this book didn't quite live up to my expectation, but it was still an enjoyable read. I gave it 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.
What are some of your favorite historical fiction books (especially historical fiction mysteries!)? Let me know in the comments! Greetings, bookworms! Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty relaxing for the most part! It's been mostly reading with a healthy dose of schoolwork tossed in. I've had to learn how to academically annotate depressing poems, which is much less fun than annotating YA books. I also went hiking and got lots more outdoorsy book photos to share with you! Today I present to you my review of Hello (From Here) by Chandler Baker and Wesley King! Unfortunately this review is...less than positive, but alas. Apparently COVID-centric YA novels aren't good for my anxiety. Who would've guessed. However, if you do decide to give this one a read, I hope you enjoy it! Also, please enjoy this photo of Baby Yoda masked and posing with Hello (From Here)! 😂 Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis/Book Information
My ReviewWhy did I think that, as someone with anxiety especially over COVID, reading a book specifically set during the pandemic was a good idea? I mean, I like the idea of it, but it just didn't work for me. It was like watching the news, except in book form and with some half-baked romance added in. I can see how this book could bring comfort to some people. It was nice to read about characters dealing with the same scary situation that we all are today. This book really captured the uncertainty and confusion that was rampant during the first few months of quarantine. However, that really triggered my anxiety and brought those scary feelings back to me, which wasn't fun. I also got frustrated by some irresponsible and unsafe decisions the characters at some times. Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters. Max was okay, but her character just felt a little bland at times. Jonah was really annoying, and he was kind of a creep, too? I was weirded out by his obsession with Max. He was always trying to find ways to see her, like ordering groceries and requesting her as his personal shopper. I did feel like his anxiety and depression were pretty well written, though. He did make some terrible decisions (one in particular made me want to scream at him) that made me really mad. Since I wasn't a huge fan of the characters, that meant I also didn't like the romance very much. Overall, this book fell flat for me. It wasn't good for my mental health, and it just wasn't as well-written as I'd hoped for. I can see some people enjoying this, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. That's a wrap on my review of Hello (from Here)! I gave this book One Star ⭐️.
As always, mask up, stay safe, and have a fun rest of your weekend! Good afternoon, bookworms! How's life going? I unfortunately wasn't feeling great the past couple days, but that gave me an excuse to do lots of reading and relaxing! I finished Insurgent, read my buddy read chapters of Ace of Shades, and started Allegiant. And now that I'm feeling better, it's review time! I'm so so so excited to bring you my review of The Girls Are Never Gone! This is probably one of my favorite reads of the year, and I really hope that you'll give it a read when it releases in a couple days. Please tell me if you do read it, too, because I'd love to discuss it with you! Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI'm not a horror fan. I don't watch horror movies, I don't read horror novels--and yet something possessed me to request an ARC of this book. (Maybe I was actually possessed by a ghost?) I have zero regrets about that choice because this book was absolutely amazing. It had some of my all-time favorites things for books: ghosts, podcasts, adorable pets, excellent diverse representation, and that feature I can't put my finger on that makes it unputdownable. I want to be Dare Chase's best friend. Seriously. She is so cool. She's got blue hair and runs her own podcast and has an adorable dog named Waffles and I really want her to exist in real life so I can hunt her down and become her best friend. Okay, maybe that's a tad aggressive, but you get the point. She's definitely a new all-time favorite character of mine. I love how she's written so authentically and seems like she could absolutely be a real person. She's also bisexual and has type 1 diabetes, and I thought both of these aspects of her character were written really well. I learned a lot about type 1 diabetes from reading this book. The author did a great job of incorporating this condition into Dare's everyday life, where she has to be conscious of her blood sugar and how she's feeling. Plus, she's got Waffles, a service dog alerts her when her blood sugar gets dangerous...or at least he's supposed to. He does his best, and he's adorable and is the best furry friend Dare could ask for. I haven't seen much diabetes representation in books, so this was truly a delight to see. The bi representation was also written so well! At the beginning at the book, Dare has just broken up with her boyfriend; then, during her time at Arrington develops a crush on one of the girls there. It was heartwarming how there wasn't any skepticism or questions about why Dare had been dating a guy and was now interested in a girl; her sexuality was simply accepted, which made me so happy. The romance was really cute! It felt very natural and sweet, and I liked how it didn't overpower the book. The ghosts were the main deal; the romance was just a cute extra. The friendship between the characters was also really enjoyable! The author did a good job of writing characters who were entirely lovable but also seemed a bit suspicious at times. I often wasn't sure who I could trust, but I adored the character all the same. The ghostly creepy vibes were perfect! As I mentioned, I'm not a horror fan, so I liked that this book wasn't too scary. Anyone going into this book expecting jump-scares and horrifying gory moments will probably be disappointed; this was more of a spine-tinglingly atmospheric type of horror. The scary stuff wasn't right in your face; it was more creepily eluded to, building up this hair-raising tension. It was almost more of a mystery than it was a horror novel, but it did have lots of creepy moments. I also loved the paranormal ghostly elements of this book; it reminded me a bit of Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. As I'm sure you can tell, I absolutely adored this book! An easy Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I'll definitely be rereading this one around Halloween!
Do you like horror novels? Let me know in the comments! Good morning, bookworms! How's everyone's week going? Mine's been relaxing and crammed full of reading. I'm trying to soak up every bit of these summer break vibes before school starts back for me this Thursday. However, I am excited to get back on campus for some in-person classes! Maybe I'll meet some fellow bookworms?? I can only hope so. I had full intentions to churn out a bunch of blog posts over break, but that plan just...didn't happen. I don't know, once break started all I wanted to do was read, watch TV shows, and generally do nothing that requires a large amount of brain power. So as a result, this is my first blog post written during break. *sigh* Better than nothing. Today I bring you my review of Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain! I can't wait to tell you all about this atmospheric paranormal thriller, so let's dive right in... Special thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Book Synopsis and Information
My ReviewI loved this book! I was immediately sucked into this world of psychics and mysteries and enjoyed every moment of this book. The world-building was really effective, and the descriptions of La Cachette were vibrant and detailed so I felt like I was there with the characters. The small-town mystery vibes were immaculate! The entire book was atmospheric and haunting. I also liked how each character had unique psychic abilities; initially I worried that this would come off as clichéd or tacky, but it actually worked well for this book, enhancing that spooky mystery feeling. The idea of the Summer Children was also interesting! There were so many little details that worked to make this world seem entirely realistic. Overall, I wouldn't say that I loved the characters, but they were certainly entertaining to read about. Many of them were actually quite unlikeable (Hart, I'm looking at you), but it added to this book's unsettling ambiance. I was suspicious of just about every single character at one point or another. Grey was an interesting protagonist, and we watched her struggle with accepting the death of her best friend, her twin flame. She felt like an entirely realistic character, flawed and struggling, often unsure, getting through life day by day. I liked her grandmother, Honey, a lot; she was a bright, warm character, and while still keeping her own secrets sometimes, I could tell how much she loved Grey. The romance felt a bit half-baked to me. It was okay, but not much actually happened nor was there really a conclusion. There was some awkward little love triangle that I was not a fan of. It felt a little like the romance was shoved in just for the sake of having some romance when, in reality, we could have just stuck to friendship and been perfectly fine. The conclusion to the mystery was brilliant, and I never saw it coming! I should have seen it coming--it seems so obvious in retrospect--but alas, I did not. It was a shocking, dramatic end to the book. To conclude, I really enjoyed Dark and Shallow Lies! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an atmospheric thriller with paranormal elements. I gave this book 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. Make sure to grab a copy of this book when it hits the shelves September 7th!
What are your favorite paranormal reads? Let me know in the comments! Happy Tuesday, y'all! I hope you're all having a great day. Today I was daring and started reading Rule of Wolves. I swear, that book is a prime example of the word intimidating for more than one reason: 1. it's so thick, 2. I know it's going to break my heart at least once, and 3. it's so huge that if it makes me mad and I throw it across the room, I'm liable to severely injure someone, so I'll try to keep the book-hurling to a minimum (plus it's a library copy, so I need to keep it in nice condition). I'm only 15 pages in so far but I'm already loving it. I'm dying sear more Zoya and Nikolai content into my eyeballs. On other news, I'm hear with my review of Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin today! Happy Book Birthday, dear Like Other Girls because this book came out today! Make sure to grab yourself a copy after reading my review! Special thanks to Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI almost didn't request an ARC of this book because I thought, Football? Eh, not for me. But I'm so glad that I changed my mind, clicked that little request button, and took a chance on this book...because it was totally worth it. There's so much amazing stuff packed into this book: self-discovery, feminism, heartwarming friendship, and, yes, football, but I discovered that football is way cooler when it involves some badass girls battling gender stereotypes. Mara was a fantastic main character that I couldn't help but root for, and watching her fully discover and accept herself was a beautiful journey. I was honestly so invested in this book, it's not even funny. If there's one thing I love most about this book, it's the friendship. Mara started out absolutely hating the other girls who, inspired by her, also joined the football team. But slowly, slowly but surely, a friendship between the girls began to develop. It felt so natural yet beautiful. There was a slow-burn romance in this book, but the friendship felt like a slow-burn itself. In the end, the girls' friendship was so strong, and it was heartwarming to see them so supportive and caring of each other. Some of my favorite scenes were their hang-outs and parties they had together; it was such a cozy friendship environment, and I wished so badly to join them in those moments. This book does a brilliant job of tackling the issue of gender stereotypes in sports. The sexism and misogyny against Mara and her fellow female football players was disheartening but unfortunately very realistic. There's also has fantastic LGBTQ+ representation, and we see Mara struggle with her mother not accepting her for who she truly is. One character I especially loved was Jupiter; she was so inspirational and encouraging to Mara, really helping her become her true self. To conclude, I absolutely loved this book! There are so many good things about it and I highly recommend it to everyone, whether you like football or not--because if you're anything like me, you definitely will like it after reading this book! Once again, this book hits the shelves today, so why are you still here?? You should be running to the bookstore or ordering a copy right now! I gave this book 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.
Have a fantastic Tuesday, y'all, and I'll see you around! |
Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
November 2021
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