I received a copy from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A year and a half after Whisperwood’s I received a copy from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A year and a half after Whisperwood’s closure, the Strauss family is falling apart at the seams. The Strauss family is known for their long and strange history as well as their popular theme park, but now that Whisperwood is closed, there’s even more public interest than ever. What the public doesn’t know is that the family’s money has dried up without the theme park’s income, and the fighting has begun. Insert Frankie, one of the Strauss grandchildren, who is slowly learning the ropes of controlling the magic that is weaved throughout Whisperwood. When her grandma goes missing, the entire family discovers the real reason Whisperwood closed.
I was really looking forward to reading this, so it’s unfortunate that it ended up being a total miss for me. I think it has an interesting premise, but it had way too many characters and not enough world building. I ended up being far more interested in the few entertaining characters just because the majority of the characters were either extremely bland or very unlikable. I’m also not sure why Uncle Preston cusses almost every time he speaks. It was funny at first just because it was always so out of place, but it just kept taking me out of the story.
I kept reading because it was interesting enough that I wanted to see where the story was going, but Ella and her blog post when her grandma goes missing was the last straw. I finished that chapter, shut the book, and decided I was not going to continue. Her looking to capitalize off her adoptive grandmother’s disappearance was the final straw for me, so I shut the book at 48% and ditched it.
Ultimately, I think this book has an interesting plot, but it’s weighed down by too many characters and random bits of information that didn’t add to the story. We were being told too much and not enough at the same time, and it suffered some pacing issues that the memory flashes didn’t help. I probably would’ve still found a way to enjoy it if there weren't so many unlikable characters and a romance plot with an unsettling vibe....more
I received a copy from Kodansha Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kobayashi is struggling in and out of school. Even his best I received a copy from Kodansha Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kobayashi is struggling in and out of school. Even his best friend is making bets on how long he’ll last at his latest part time job! Now he finds himself wanting to befriend Uno, the new transfer student at their all boy school. While Uno is different from the other kids, he doesn’t let that stop him from living his life, and he’s inspired Kobayashi to do the same. This budding friendship is leading the duo to learn new things about themselves and life in this gripping read!
I absolutely loved reading this. We follow Kobayashi, a high school student struggling with both school and work. He hasn’t lasted long at any of his jobs because he has trouble doing his work, but everything changes when he meets Uno. Through Uno, he learns new ways to learn and has even become interested in school again.
I loved the characters, the story, and how well Inuhiko Doronoda captures some of the realities of the neurodivergent experience. While some details are exaggerated for storytelling purposes, they aren’t insulting in any way, and they work to make these characters feel real. When I got to the end of the book, I was glad it’s the first in a series because I wanted to continue reading the story ASAP. I can’t wait to eventually read the second volume!...more
I received a copy from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honesI received a copy from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Jolie Lam used to be just like any other teenager until she had a strange outbreak at a swim meet. She’s since quit the swim team, her former friends are now among her many bullies. Jolie is the most lonely and miserable she’s ever been! Everything changes when she saves a classmate, Huong Pham, after a terrible accident that happened during PE. There’s something familiar about Huong. Now that they’re friends, Jolie quickly discovers there’s a reason why Huong feels like the sister she never had: they’re the Trung sisters reincarnated!
I absolutely loved this book! We follow Jolie, a high school sophomore, during the roughest year of her life. She’s lost all her friends, she’s being heavily bullied, and even her home life is stressful. Her grandfather is known as a fortune teller, but his visions have begun to take a toll on his mind, and now her bullies are dragging him into things! Thankfully, everything starts to change once Huong enters the picture.
Jolie’s story is inspired by the story of the Trung sisters, who led a rebellion against the Han in Vietnam. Jolie and Huong are the Trung sisters who have been reincarnated and are currently teenagers living in San Jose. As the story continues, we learn what history tells us about the Trung sisters and then what Jolie and Huong remember happened. Plus, we also see them find their elements, unravel a mystery, and prepare to continue the war against their brothers.
I was so excited to read this because it sounded like it was going to be a great book, and it did not disappoint! Plus, I was not familiar with Vietnamese mythology and this book is heavily wrapped up in Vietnamese history and mythology. If you’re a fan of books like the Percy Jackson series, Aru Shah and the End of Time, or We Shall Be Monsters, then this is a book you’re going to want to pick up. I loved every single page. While I do think it was a little heavy handed with some of the typical teenage stereotypes, it was an excellent read. I’m looking forward to checking out more from this author....more
I received a copy from Bhakthi Nine Presents in exchange for an honest review.
Iśva Raman has spent his life being sheltered and homeschooled by his auI received a copy from Bhakthi Nine Presents in exchange for an honest review.
Iśva Raman has spent his life being sheltered and homeschooled by his aunt. Everything changes when he finally gets to attend a public school. Not only does he have bullies, but he also gets cornered by an Asura convinced he knows where the Seed is. Raman has no clue what this person is talking about, but part of his school has been destroyed in the process, and hardly anyone believes his story! Now he’s learning that the very mythology he’s learned in his 15-year-life is real, his aunt was sheltering him to hide his existence, and that his family is still hiding something major!
If you love reading fantasy YA books and enjoy mythology based books such as Aru Shah and the End of Time, We Shall Be Monsters, or the Percy Jackson series, then I highly recommend checking this book out. It’s going to be right up your alley! We follow Iśva Raman right as he’s about to discover a whole new side of his life, all starting with an Asura attack! I will say that the first chapter was very confusing, but I swear that it will all make sense once you get to the second chapter. It’s one of those moments where you just have to trust the process and it will all make sense very soon. I was like, who and what the heck is Karma? Turns out the reason we didn’t know is because Raman didn’t know either!
The story is based in Hindu mythology. While I’m familiar with Hindu mythology thanks to reading the Aru Shah series plus some Googling on my own, I think it’ll be okay for readers who aren’t to go ahead and pick up this book because everything gets explained throughout the story. There isn’t a glossary at the end in the ARC, so I don’t know if there will be in the final publication, but it’ll be easy to look up anything you want to know more about. I think it’s easy enough for a middle school audience to follow whether or not they are familiar with Hindu mythology and culture, so I don’t think there will be any problems for readers who are completely new to it. While the intended audience is middle schoolers, I think that this is an enjoyable read for anyone middle school aged and up.
That said, I really enjoyed reading this. There’s an excellent cast of characters that readers are going to love, or love to hate in some cases, that are just so much fun to see. Wai and Bufosini quickly became my favorite characters, but there’s such a great cast and mentioning my other favorites would be spoilers! There’s so much world building and character growth going on that I had a ton of fun reading this. I’m excited to see where the story will go from here and if Bufosini will eventually become an official member of Raman’s friend group....more
I received a copy from Roaring Brook Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dilly Rothbart has always wanted to follow her father’s I received a copy from Roaring Brook Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dilly Rothbart has always wanted to follow her father’s footsteps and become a surgeon. It’s a path he refused to let her take, but since he died in a terrible accident, she’s determined to pursue her dream. Between entering the world of corpse-stealing and stumbling upon her dad’s journal that reveals the secrets of resurrecting the dead, Dilly’s entire life is about to be turned upside down.
I’m a sucker for retellings of classic literature, so of course I had to read this! In this Frankenstein retelling, we follow Dilly as she begins to figure out how she’s going to afford medical school if she manages to get into the few that accept women. With her twin sister, Dee Dee, by her side, she’s determined to make sure she and her sister both make their dreams happen. Unfortunately, things go awry when a fight leads to the untimely death of her sister, but it’s a good thing she has her dad’s notes on resurrection… It’s too bad Dee Dee came back completely different.
I could not get enough of this book. It’s really well written and had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Each of the characters are interesting, even the supporting characters we don’t learn a whole lot about, and they all felt so real like we were actually meeting these people. The opening of the first chapter had me hooked right away, and there’s a couple of excellent mystery plots weaved throughout the entire book.
If this sounds up your alley, I highly recommend it. It’s a haunting story that takes us on a wild ride as Dilly keeps getting dug deeper and deeper in a huge mess after becoming a true resurrectionist. It’s a book that will make you find yourself still awake and reading at 3am. It makes me really excited to check out what else the author will publish in the future....more
When Yamauchi Sakura accidentally left her diary on a seat in the hospital, she never expected to find one of her classmates reading it! Now he’s the When Yamauchi Sakura accidentally left her diary on a seat in the hospital, she never expected to find one of her classmates reading it! Now he’s the only person at school who knows her secret: she’s dying. Sakura has been living with pancreatic disease, but now her doctors think she has around a year left to live. Her classmate has been a very content loner, but Sakura insists on becoming friends with him and convincing him to help her complete her bucket list of sorts.
My younger brother was obsessed with this book last year, so I decided I should check it out because it’s been a while since he’s been super into a book. While this seems like your usual light romance with a terminal illness thrown in the mix, it’s actually so much more. We see two kids learning to live every day to the fullest. I wouldn’t call this a romance because it’s about friendship, grief, and realizing how we all impact each other.
This is such an incredibly sweet, thoughtful, funny, and sad book. I thought I was prepared for the ending, but that very sneaky foreshadowing really caught me off guard! I think that if you’re looking for a contemporary book that will make you cry and leave a lasting impression on you, then this might be the book for you. I highly encourage picking it up!...more
When Io started looking for the most powerful people she’s ever known to exist, she wasn’t sure what she’d find. Now she and Bianca are on a wild chasWhen Io started looking for the most powerful people she’s ever known to exist, she wasn’t sure what she’d find. Now she and Bianca are on a wild chase that’s taking much longer than they expected. What’s worse is that they don’t seem to be any closer to finding the person at the other end of the golden fate thread. Instead, they stumble upon a mystery that appears to be connected to the people they hope to find.
I freaking loved the first book in this series! I was so excited to start reading this only to find myself feeling disappointed for the first half of the book. The story dragged for a smidge over half the book and I feel like Io and Bianca were getting almost nowhere with their mission. It just seemed like not much truly happened on that front until everyone was back together. Plus, as much as I loved the banter between Io and Bianca, they became irritating to follow as a duo after a while.
I loved being able to see and learn about everywhere they went, but I wish there was a map I could reference. It would’ve helped me get a better idea of where everything was and how far they had traveled. I think it would’ve been pretty cool to reference whenever Io mentioned what direction someone’s threads led her to believe they were at as well. That said, I loved learning about every place they went as well as the different gods. It would be so cool if there was ever another book in the same world that takes place in a different location and a different point in time. There’s so much potential here if the author ever wanted to expand on this universe.
The second half of the book was pretty good. I really enjoyed it from this point on. There was so much going on and the story pulled together really well. I loved seeing so many characters pulling together and unraveling exactly what was going on. I do think that some of the plot was rushed as we got closer to the end and that spending more time on developing some of the revelations would’ve been excellent. However, I’m ultimately happy with how things unfolded as well as how the story wrapped up....more
In a world where the descendants of the Fates can inherit their abilities, that very same world is not very kind to the people blessed with powers. IoIn a world where the descendants of the Fates can inherit their abilities, that very same world is not very kind to the people blessed with powers. Io Ora is the youngest of her Fate-born sisters, and her ability is one that people fear. She’s a cutter, and people are terrified because her abilities could be deadly in the wrong hands. Io spends her days as a skilled private investigator, but her latest job is taking her out of her usual realm of work. There’s someone turning women into wraiths and using them to kill specific people. Now Io finds herself working for the Queen of the Silts to find who is behind the killings, which has her working closely with the fated mate that she’s been avoiding meeting for years.
I absolutely loved this book. We follow Io as her life is turned upside down by her latest investigation. Someone is turning women into wraiths and sending them out to do their bidding, and now she needs to figure out who is behind this and how to save whoever is turned into the next wraith. Insert the Mob Queen, aka Queen of the Silts, and her soulmate, and Io has a lot on her hands here. Did I mention that Edei Rhuna has no idea about their Fate-string that’s connected them as soulmates their whole lives? Or that her oldest sister has always told her to cut that strong? I wasn’t joking when I said that Io has a lot on her plate, and that includes guilt!
The first chapter was a little rough because we were given so much information in such a short period of time. However, it was setting up the world that Io lives in, it was just A LOT. If you can get past that first chapter, you are good to go because this is such a good story. We have a variety of interesting characters that are great to follow. There’s also so many layers to the story, and family is a big part of that.
I was a little confused about how Io didn’t notice a particular character was a red herring being thrown at her by the culprit, but then the story would’ve been shorter, so I guess I can’t complain. However, I didn’t figure out who the actual culprit was even though the signs were there. I really enjoyed reading this story and seeing the mystery slowly unravel. That ending was both crazy and sad, but it has me ready to start the next book ASAP!...more
When Jo Manalo’s mom falls into a coma of sorts thanks to whatever has been going on in Haresden, she’s determined to find help. That’s how she found When Jo Manalo’s mom falls into a coma of sorts thanks to whatever has been going on in Haresden, she’s determined to find help. That’s how she found herself asking the town witch to take a look! It turns out that Orla O’Reilly isn’t really the town witch. That was her grandmother, Mamo, and she’s dead! Orla just wants to get in and out of Haresden, but there’s something about Jo that makes her want to help out. Plus, there’s something weird going on in town, and Mamo’s mislaid bones may be the cause!
I was sucked into this story the moment I started reading it. We follow Jo and Orla as they work to right everything that Mamo’s mislaid bones have caused. Orla isn’t exactly friendly, but she’s drawn to Jo and feels like it’s her responsibility to get her grandmother’s bones laid to rest properly. Along the way, we see how magic works in this universe as well as Jo learning a little bit about the magic that lives in Haresden. I really loved getting to know Jo and Orla as well as learning about the different people and magical entities.
Plus, the cover art and overall artwork throughout this entire book is absolutely stunning! The artwork really lends itself to how the story is told. While I love the whole story, there’s just something very whimsical about the art that I just love and find super memorable. I hope to see more stories like this from Sas Milledge because I could have read five volumes following these characters!...more
I received a copy from HarperAlley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
George is enjoying life as much as they can with their two closeI received a copy from HarperAlley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
George is enjoying life as much as they can with their two close friends, Eleanor and Charlotte. Things are good as long as they ignore the fact that they have to wear men’s clothing in secret and dodge their aunt’s attempts at finding them a husband. Meanwhile, Eleanor and Charlotte are excited at facing their marriage prospects, only Eleanor can’t picture falling in love with a man and most of Charlotte’s potential suitors see her as beneath them. As they all reach adulthood, they’re facing their friendships falling apart and learning that what’s considered proper isn’t always right.
I absolutely loved this and the Jane Austen and Little Women vibes it gave. We follow George, Eleanor, and Charlotte through their rotating perspectives, but we mainly follow George and Eleanor. It starts out as following a great friendship between the trio before the cracks start to appear as adulthood and the realities of the pressures of society begin to take their toll. I don’t want to say too much and accidentally spoil the story, but it was an excellent read. The storytelling is wonderful and I especially loved seeing how the characters grew as the story progressed.
The artwork is stunning and I loved seeing some of the concept art at the end of the book. It also includes a crash course in history at the end with some resources for readers to check out! I can’t wait to check out more of Hari Conner's other work because this was amazing....more
I received a copy from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Hannah and herI received a copy from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Hannah and her friends decide to communicate with spirits with a coin, they never expected things to go wrong. For some reason, Hannah is the only one who has been cursed, and now she’s communicating with the evil spirit through her notebook. Now she’s determined to figure out how to break the curse before she finds herself dead all thanks to a game she wishes she never played!
This is such a perfect middle school read for any kid who loves scary stories. I was a huge fan of Goosbumps when I was growing up, so this is the type of book that I would’ve loved even more during that time of my life. We follow Hannah through a notebook that’s become her illustrated diary that she also uses to communicate with the evil spirit that’s cursed her. While I wish we got to know more about the evil spirit, I think it’s a perfect read for middle schoolers. I found myself sucked into the story after a few pages and a little grossed out by all the bugs! I’m excited to check out the author’s other work because this was such a great read....more