Tag Archives: diverse books

Book Review: You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

Published June 2020 by Scholastic Press|336 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.

But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down…until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.

The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams…or make them come true?

I really liked You Should See Me In A Crown!  It’s really cute and Liz is really, really cool.

Liz is such a great character.  I can relate to not wanting to be in the spotlight, but I also admire her determination to get the scholarship so she can go to Pennington.  Even if it means going through the public events and dealing absolutely terrible competitors.  She has a really good group of friends, though she has some issues with one of friends throughout the book.  It wasn’t surprising but also understandable, and I get why her friend acted the way she did.  It doesn’t make it okay, of course, but I get why she acted the way she did.

I really liked her family too.  I really do love when grandparents show up, and I’m glad they were there for Liz and her brother.  Especially after losing her mom years earlier.  She’s really lucky to have them, and they seem great.

I also liked her relationship with Mack.  I don’t completely get why she wasn’t upfront about the scholarship with Mack.  And of course, Liz not sharing that and not being open about them dating leads to some issues between them.  It all works out in the end, but I’m still frustrated and angry that Liz had to keep her relationship with Mack hidden because it goes against the rules for going for not just prom court but also prom queen.

I’m angry that, if she were straight, it would totally cool for her to go to prom with, say, Jordan, but going with her girlfriend isn’t.  It’s not surprising that some places aren’t okay with anyone who’s not straight, and clearly, Liz lives in one of those areas.  But it’s also sad she has to hide a part of herself just so she can go for a scholarship that will help her go to the college of her dreams.  Still, it all works out for Liz, and I’m glad it does.

4 stars.  I’m really glad I finally read this book, and I definitely recommend it!

Book Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Published September 2020 by Margaret K. Elderberry Books|501 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: Legendborn #1

Genre: YA Contemporary/Re-Telling

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

I really liked Legendborn!  I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure about it at first,  but I’m glad I kept reading.

I’m not sure why, but at first, I didn’t particularly like this book.  I struggled to get through it, at least in the beginning.  It’s why it took me so long to finish Legendborn.  But I’m glad I did because I ended up really liking it and needing to know what happened next.

I really felt for Bree- she has so much grief to work through, and at such a young age.  And when we find out what happened to her mom, and why…that really broke my heart, because she’ll never have more time with her mom.  She has a grandmother she’ll never meet, and the reason makes sense, once we know about it.  But that doesn’t take away from the fact that she lost her mom, who lost her mom, and so on.

Honestly, I was surprised when the magical war started.  I mean, I knew it was coming, because how else were things going to go?  But it happened in a way I wasn’t expecting.  It makes me curious to see how things are going to go, but it looks like they were wrong this whole about the different knights and bloodlines.  At least a little, and I want to know how they’re going to deal with it in the next book.  Especially since it became clear that Bree was not who they expected to be involved with things.

I really liked this take on King Arthur.  It’s so different, but it also makes so much sense!  If this world were real, I could see something like this happening.  Or at least, this being how King Arthur is still with us today.  Maybe not these exact circumstances, of course, but something like it.  I’d love to see how all of this fits in with history, and if this secret society randomly popped up in things like the Civil War or the American Revolution.  I feel like something like that was mentioned, but I honestly can’t remember it, so I could be wrong.  But something about that idea feels really familiar.

4 stars.  I really liked Legendborn, and think it’s a book everyone should read!  Especially if you like King Arthur re-tellings.

Book Review: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Published June 2020 by Tor Teen|288 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: A Song Below Water #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.

I liked this one!  Not as much as I wanted to, and it took some time for me to get into it.

I struggled with this one, especially at first.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we got to follow both Effie and Tavia, and how much they needed each other.  But I found Effie’s story particularly confusing at first, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why she was living with Tavia.  It didn’t make sense to me initially, though it became much more clear in the end.

I hated how people saw sirens, and how just the possibility that someone was a siren meant they deserved what happened to them.  It’s something we see throughout the book, and it made me both sad and angry to see how people were treated because of it.  It made me think of the Salem Witch Trials, but I’m sure there are a lot of comparisons/parallels you could draw.

I don’t blame Tavia for trying to remain silent and not give herself away.  We really see her struggle with that, and how her dad in particular worries about her and what will happen if people find out that she’s a siren.  You see that people are scared of others using their voice, and do whatever they can to make sure that people aren’t using their voice.  I hate that this is a world that Tavia lives in, and I especially hate that this is something we see in our current world.  Morrow does a really good job at combining racial injustice and police brutality with fantasy elements.

I love the take on sirens, though, and I love this alternate Portland.  It’s a world where sirens are real, and I can’t help but wonder what other mythological creatures are real, considering sprites and gorgons are mentioned, and we have sirens.  We get a little bit of the unique history in this book, and it makes me want to know more, because I really liked what we saw in this book.  Hopefully, we’ll get more in the next book.  Even though I know it won’t be as much as I probably want to know, I’ll take what I can get, and I’m curious to see what happens next for Tavia and Effie.

They just want to be themselves and not hide who they are.  They’re tired of hiding and hurting and want to be accepted for who they are.  They were there for each other, and did what they could to protect each other while trying to be themselves in a world that wants them to be different.  They’re trying to be themselves in a world that doesn’t accept people for who they are, and they, together, learn to be themselves in a world that hates differences and people being themselves and speaking up.

3 stars.  There are some things I really liked and even loved, but I definitely had a hard time getting into this book at first.

Audio Book Review: Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Narrated by Matilda Novak

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Narrated by Matilda Novak

Published January 2017 by HighBridge|Run Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

Where I Got It: I own the audio book

Series: None

Genre: Adult Fiction

Navigating between the Indian traditions they’ve inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri’s elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of cultures and generations. In “A Temporary Matter,” published in The New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth, while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession.

Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant.

I liked Interpreter Of Maladies!  It was an interesting read, and I’m glad I listened to it.

So, Interpreter Of Maladies is several short stories.  Unfortunately, some ended up being background noise that I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to, but I did like the ones that weren’t background noise!  I really liked the last story, and how important the lady was to the boarder.  She seemed like quite the old lady, with a really long life.  It was nice to see how she was remembered, and the impression she made on him.  I really wish I remembered names of the characters, but sadly, I don’t.

There was a common thread of how the characters adapted to life in the U.S.  They all settled around Boston, and had a range of experiences- from missing India, to settling in a new country, to keeping secrets, and making new connections.  I can’t help but wonder if they ever crossed paths and never knew it.  It’s possible they did, and I either missed it or it was never mentioned in the stories.  Either way, they also had their own lives and worries, and each story was a glimpse into the lives of professors and doctors.

It’s definitely worth reading!  I know I missed parts of this book, and maybe audio wasn’t the best choice, but maybe one day, I’ll revisit it in print for a different kind of reading experience.

Matilda Novak did a good job narrating.  There was something very soothing about her voice, and maybe that’s why I had a hard time focusing at times.  O maybe I just picked the wrong book to listen to this weekend.  Either way, it was nice listening to her.

3 stars.  I liked it, and the narrator was really good!  But I had a hard time paying attention to some of the stories, so I’m a little fuzzy on what happened to some of them.

Book Review: I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

Published June 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books|336 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

The world of K-Pop has never met a star like this. Debut author Lyla Lee delivers a deliciously fun, thoughtful rom-com celebrating confidence and body positivity—perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Julie Murphy.

Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn’t dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn’t call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she’s about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.

She’ll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she’ll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho.

But Skye has her sights on becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself.

I really liked I’ll Be The Only One!  It’s cute and heartwarming and Skye is just awesome.

I loved Skye and thought she was a great character.  I really felt for her, and people are terrible, particularly one of the judges in the competition.  She clearly has a lot of talent, but it’s like that’s not important because of her looks.  Some people on social media are terrible, of course, but there’s a lot of support for her, and she’s determined to make it.  Not just for herself but for the people who feel like they’re not good enough.

Her mom was so frustrating!  I get why she acts that way, but it doesn’t mean it’s okay to treat Skye the way she does.  Skye does talk to her about it, and hopefully, her mom will realize that Skye is wonderful just the way she is.  And be more supportive.  I just want them to have a more healthy relationship, if her mom is willing and able to change her behavior, and if that’s what Skye wants.  It just goes to show how fraught mother/daughter relationships can be, especially in a world where Skye wants to be a K-pop star.

At least her friends and dad are great.  I wish we saw more of her dad, but he was really supportive, and tried to explain why her mom acted the way she did.  Her friends were great too, both her friends from school, and the friends she made along the way.  I loved the support she had, and she has a great group of people around her.  She’s going to need it!

The competition was cutthroat, but not as much as I thought it would be.  Then again, it’s a book, so there’s only so much you can see on page.  I’d love to see this as a movie or t.v. show, because it would work really, really well on screen.  One can only hope!

Also, I wouldn’t mind a sequel.  Just to see how she’s doing in Korea, as a trainee.  And to see how things go with her mom and with Henry.  It’s not often I want a sequel, but Skye was amazing, and I want to follow her on her K-pop journey.

4 stars.  Skye was awesome and I loved how she accepted herself, and was determined to go for what she wants.

Book Review: Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

Published July 2020 by HarperTeen|368 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: Ghost Wood Song #1

Genre: YA Contemporary

Sawkill Girls meets The Hazel Wood in this lush and eerie debut, where the boundary between reality and nightmares is as thin as the veil between the living and the dead. 

If I could have a fiddle made of Daddy’s bones, I’d play it. I’d learn all the secrets he kept.

Shady Grove inherited her father’s ability to call ghosts from the grave with his fiddle, but she also knows the fiddle’s tunes bring nothing but trouble and darkness.

But when her brother is accused of murder, she can’t let the dead keep their secrets.

In order to clear his name, she’s going to have to make those ghosts sing.

Family secrets, a gorgeously resonant LGBTQ love triangle, and just the right amount of creepiness make this young adult debut a haunting and hopeful story about facing everything that haunts us in the dark.

I liked this one!  Ghost Wood Song was creepy and haunting and quite the mystery!

So, Shady.  I liked her and it had to have been hard to lose her dad and gain a stepfather she didn’t like.  I love that she plays the fiddle, and and seeing Cedar play at an open mike opened up a world of possibilities in terms of music.  I get she doesn’t want to stop playing with her friends but I also get wanting more, and feeling like others are sparking creativity and possibilities.

She also has a lot going on- family issues, raising the dead by playing the fiddle, family mysteries…It was interesting to see how everything unraveled and how ghosts were laid to rest.  And I get why she wanted to help her brother.  So many people had no problem believing that he did what he did, and even though he wasn’t the one who did it, it was easy for people to pin it on him.  It made me angry, that they were able to get a teen to take the fall for something they didn’t do.  And unfortunately, this is a town where no one would believe him if he told the truth.  It’s sad, but something I can see happening.

The atmosphere was creepy and haunting and it seeped into everything going on.  It was very much there, and there was no forgetting it.  It felt a little oppressive at times, like something wasn’t right.  I mean, things weren’t right, as we find out by the end of the book.  But there was no escaping it.  It just had a really good balance of family secrets and creepiness and ghosts.

I wasn’t all that interested in the other characters.  They were alright but I wasn’t invested in them.  This was a book that was definitely about Shady and everything she’s trying to figure out.  Figure it out, she did, and with the help of her aunt and brother, she was able to do what she had to in order to get rid of the ghosts.

3 stars.  I liked Ghost Wood Song but didn’t love it.  The atmosphere was creepy and seeped into everything, but I wasn’t enthused with a lot of the characters.

Book Review: This Promise Of Change by Jo Ann Allen Royce and Debbie Levy

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: This Promise Of Change: One Girl’s Story In The Fight For School Equality

Published January 2019 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books|320 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Children’s Non-fiction/Memoir

In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton Twelve themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann–clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students—found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring backmatter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process.

This book was amazing!  I had never heard of what happened at Clinton High, but I’m glad that I read this book.

I loved reading Allen’s experiences at Clinton High, and I still can’t believe that it was only 65 years ago that students like Jo Ann Allen and her classmates were integrating schools.  The hate that they all experienced was chilling, and sadly, we still see that hatred today.  She was just going to school, and what she had to experience because people didn’t want her there made me both angry and sad.

I think I was angriest at the people who said they didn’t like that they had to integrate but were only doing it because it was the law.  While it wasn’t obviously or outright hateful, I was angry that they were only integrating because they had to.  There were some kind people that Jo Ann encountered, but it was still disheartening to see that their neighbors would borrow sugar from them but also turn their backs on Jo Ann and her family.

It was disheartening to read that her family moved to California because her parents thought they’d have better chances out west than in Tennessee or the rest of the South.

She just wanted to finish what she started and she didn’t get that chance- she wanted to stick it out with her friends, to belong, and she never had that chance in Clinton.

Poetry was an interesting choice to tell this story, but it was a really good one.  I’m not a fan of that, normally but it really worked.  I didn’t love it, for some reason, but I think I’m just not used to reading books told this way.  I can’t explain why, but it was a good choice.  It drew your attention to certain things, and made what happened much more powerful than if it had been told any other way.

I also loved the headlines and interviews and quotes throughout the book.  It really brought everything together, and it gave some background on what was going on the time in a different way.  You learn more about the other members of the Clinton 11, what Clinton was like at the time, and a timeline of desegregation.  That extra information was great to have and read through because it adds to the picture of what it was like at the time.

5 stars.  It’s a fast read, but absolutely worth it!

Book Review: Root Magic by Eden Royce

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: Root Magic by Eden Royce

Published January 2021 by Walden Pond Press|320 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction

A historical ghost story set in South Carolina in the 1960s—a tale of courage, friendship, and Black Girl Magic.

It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven—and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going train them in rootwork.

Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of her family for generations—especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon. Because when evil both natural and supernatural comes to show itself in town, it’s going to take every bit of the magic she has inside her to see her through.

I really liked Root Magic!  I loved reading about Jez and Jay, and I really liked reading about Jez and her family.

Jez was a great character, and I really liked her.  Having a lot of new kids was pretty hard for her, but hopefully, some of them won’t be too bad.  Some of them aren’t the nicest, but I really hope she’s able to make a few friends.  Still, she has Jay, Doc and her mom, and she seems more okay with not having a huge group of friends at the end of the book.  There was Susie, though, and it was interesting to see how that changed and evolved.

I felt so sad for her.  It seemed like she was pretty close to her grandma, and had a hard time after her grandma passed away.  I have a soft spot for grandparent-grandchild relationships, which isn’t surprising because growing up, I was pretty close to my grandparents.  But root magic was something she could learn- and it connected her to both her grandma and all of the generations that came before.  I thought that legacy was amazing.

Root magic was something that people had mixed feelings about, it seemed like.  Publicly, people seemed to look down on it, or thought it was strange, when privately, they might stop by her family’s house for a potion or powder.  That contrast was interesting, but not surprising.  It just seems like people didn’t want to admit that it was something they used or needed.

Things weren’t easy for Jez or her family, but Jez has a really good heart, and wants to help.  She was able to help Susie, who helped her in return when Jez needed it.

The atmosphere was great!  I could feel it in my soul, and it was as much of a character as the people were.  I really felt it in every word, and one of the reason’s I liked this book so much!  Royce shows how people are treated during that time, but this is a book that is more about life, friends and family, and staying connected to the things that have been passed down from generation to generation.

4 stars.  This was a great book, and absolutely worth reading, no matter how old you are!

Audio Book Review: Not So Pure And Simple by Lamar Giles, Narrated by Korey Jackson

Posted in Audiobooks, Books, diverse books by

Book: Not So Pure And Simple by Lamar Giles, Narrated by Korey Jackson

Published January 2020 by Quill Tree Books|Length: 11 hours

Where I Got It: I own the audio book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Two-time Edgar Award finalist Lamar Giles delivers his first contemporary YA—an eye-opening novel that spotlights societal pressures, confronts toxic masculinity, and asks the question: What does it mean to be a “real man”?

Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed himself up for a Purity Pledge. His best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe anyone is worth this long of a long game. But Del’s not about to lose his dream girl.

And that’s where fellow pledger Jameer comes in. He can put in the good word, but with other boys circling Kiera like sharks, Del needs to make his move now. However, with all his plotting and scheming, Del never really stops to think: What does Kiera want? No matter, though—once he gets the girl, he’s sure all will sort itself out. Right?

I really liked Not So Pure And Simple!  I liked Del, though he has a lot to learn.  But I really enjoyed his story, and seeing him change and grow.

Del has a lot to learn.  He’s not forgiving of Kiera, when he’s being pretty dishonest himself, holding her to a completely different standard.  I felt like he had her on a pedestal, and that came crashing down.  I felt like he never took the time to get to know her as a person, and that he was into the illusion of her but not her as a person.  It sucks when your crush doesn’t respond the way you want them to or doesn’t feel the same way.  I get why he was angry and frustrated and everything else.  But Kiera is a real person with real feelings- and was definitely not the person Del thought she was.

Was Del frustrating at times?  Absolutely!  He wouldn’t leave her alone, had this odd obsession with her and jumped through all kinds of hoops when he could have been more straightforward.  There were times when I felt like Del was that guy who wouldn’t take no for an answer.  I was a little frustrated by the couple of times we see male characters not seeing women as people until they learned a female they were close to was hurt by a guy.  It’s sad that’s what it took for what that to happen, but hopefully, it was a wake-up call to be better and to treat all women better.

I really think Del started to learn from it, and I hope he continues to learn AND listen to the women in his life.  Hopefully, he’ll have more conversations with his sister and Cheyanne, and they’ll continue to be honest and call him if they think he needs it.  I like that toxic masculinity came up, and that we need to recognize it in ourselves and others, and speak up when we see it in others.

One thing that was interesting in the book was how sex education in Del’s school was very much influenced by the pastor.  It was frustrating, because not everyone has parents who will talk about reproduction, sex and birth control with them- it seemed like the healthy living class was the only way for some of these kids to get any information about their bodies.  And even then, they directed their questions to Jameer so Del could ask the questions in class.

I was really surprised that there was a flyer on the door, and that nothing seemed to go home to the parents, because Del’s parents were definitely surprised that the class wasn’t a thing anymore.  It’s sad, because the kids suffer and the parents know nothing about what’s going on.  I feel like that’s something the school should have told them, but that’s just me.  You really see what happens when sex ed isn’t a priority, and I feel like it would have been good for these kids.

It really is a good read, and one I think we should all read.  As a woman, I’m not at all surprised by what a lot of the girls experienced, and maybe, just maybe, seeing things through Del’s eyes will be good for at least some of the people picking this book up.

I also thought Korey Jackson was a great narrator.  I feel like I always say that, and that I always say that the narrator brought the characters to life.  But it really is true most of the time, and it is the case for this book.  I don’t know that I’ll be seeking out other books narrated by Jackson, but I wouldn’t mind listening to another book narrated by him.

4 stars.  I really liked this book, and I’m definitely going to take a look at Giles’ other books because of how he handled some of the more serious issues in this book.

Book Review: A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

Published June 2020 by Balzer + Bray|480 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic…requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

I liked A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin!  It took me a while to get through it, and I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, but I’m still glad I read it.

I liked that Malik cared so much about his sisters.  They are really important to him, and he just wants things to be better for both his family and himself.  I’m not sure how I feel about Karina but I felt for her.  I can understand why she’d want to resurrect her mother- she just didn’t feel ready to step into her mother’s shoes.  It couldn’t have been easy, having to be the heir after the death of her sister, and the unexpected death of her mother.

Things are not what they seem, and Karina learns a lot about what’s really go on, and what’s holding her country together.  Things go very, very wrong, of course, and things are going to change pretty drastically.  But I think they’ll get there.  It makes you wonder what’s going to happen next, with everything that happened in this book.  There were some twists and turns along the way, and those things make me curious about what Karina is really up against, and how it’s going to work out.

There are a lot of different connections in this book- I didn’t see all of them right away, but looking back, they did make sense, and it was something that made me sad for Karina.  It really affected and changed things for her, and to find out who did it and why…it had to have been a shock to be betrayed like that.  I’m kind of wondering what I’d pick up on if I did a re-read of this book but maybe before the next book comes out, I’ll do a re-read.

This was another book I struggled to get through, and this was a book where I found myself reading a few chapters at a time.  I had a really hard time focusing on this book.  It is what it is, and that’s just how it worked out, because I did want to like this book more.  Still, the world is interesting, and like I said before, you can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen next.

Something about it made me think of Children Of Blood And Bone- I’m not sure what it is, but I think, if you really liked that book, you’ll like this one.  They do go pretty well together!  I don’t know if it’s the setting or the magic, or what, but it’s a pretty good read-alike for that book.

3 stars.  I liked A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin, but I struggled to get through it.  Still, I liked the world and I can’t wait to see what happens next.