Tag Archives: YA

March 2025 Reading Round-Up

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I can’t believe how fast the year is going, and that we’re in April already!  This took a little longer to write than I expected, but I got there eventually.  So let’s get started!

  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.  I really liked Onyx Storm, and I totally should have read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame first because I was super fuzzy on what happened.  But that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book, and it’s going to be a long wait for the next book, especially with how this book ended!  It’s a pretty solid addition to the series.
  • Guilt And Ginataan by Mia Manansala.  I really liked this adult cozy mystery, and this series is one of my favorites, as far as mysteries go.  I loved the food and drinks, and while I’d love to visit this town, I’d also be really cautious about the town, knowing how many terrible things happen there.  But that’s the whole point of mysteries, right?  I love the small town vibe, but the murders could be a deal breaker.
  • Lore Of The Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana.  I loved this adult romance/fantasy!  It’s a slightly different take on faeries, but something about it made me think of a fairy tale.  I got Beauty and the Beast vibes, but I think it’s because of the magical library.  It’s definitely one of my favorites from March, because I can’t stop thinking about that library.  And I just want to know what happens next.  At any rate, if you love fairies and magic, this is worth checking out!
  • Fit For The Throne: The Trial Of Ten by S. McPherson.  I really liked this adult fantasy.  It’s another interesting take on magic, faeries and shifters.  It’s a very interesting take on reality tv, and I actually agree that it’s the Selection meets the Hunger Games.  I really felt for Variella, who has no idea of her own history, especially since she kind of has to figure it out herself.  She has no idea who to trust, and she’s hearing a lot of things, from a lot of people.  I don’t blame her for making the choices she does, and she really is doing the best she can with the knowledge she has.
  • Gilded by Marissa Meyer, narrated by Rebecca Soler.  It took me months to finally finish this book!  Mostly because I’d listen for 20-30 minutes at a time when I didn’t know what else to listen to.  If you loved Cinder (also by Meyer), and you haven’t read this one, I highly recommend this one.  It’s also great if you love fairy tales, because it’s a cool take on Rumplestiltskin.  That’s a story you don’t see retold very often, and it’s a nice change from the usual fairy tale re-tellings out there.
  • Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor.  This adult African-futurism was a great read!  I mean, you can’t wrong with any of her books, but this is one of my favorites from her.  You have two different stories with this book: you have Zelu, who wrote this massive bestselling novel, and you get excerpts of that novel.  I love the idea of a novel within in a novel, and you see what the success of that novel does to Zelu.

  • Catch And Keep by Erin Hahn.  This adult contemporary romance was one of my favorites from March!  It’s so cute, and sweet and it’s friends-to-lovers, which, in my opinion, made this book even better.  I love Maren and Joe together, and Maren fits in with his family so well.  I love her books, and I’ve been a fan since I read her first book.  I definitely recommend Erin Hahn, and she has a lot of really good couples.
  • This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, with Jillian Tamaki as the illustrator.  This YA contemporary graphic novel was a fast read.  It wasn’t my favorite book I read last month, but Tamaki did a great job with complicated family relationships and complicated friendships.  There’s a lot of secrets and there’s a lot of growing up in this one, and while I didn’t love it, I still think it’s worth checking out.
  • There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer.  I loved this YA horror!  It’s another one of my favorites from last month, and I loved seeing the mystery unravel.  I loved the quotes from different horror movies at the beginning of each chapter, and the list of Top 10 Essential Black Horror Movies at the end of the book was awesome.  I haven’t seen any of the movies on the list, and I’m going to have to check them out.  I’ve never read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, but I know the basics of the story, and there’s something about Springer’s book that made me think of an Agatha Christie book I’ve never read.  I don’t know if Springer took any inspiration from Christie, because it could have been a coincidence, but either way, I wanted to know what was going to happen.

That’s all for this month, and I’ll be back in a month or so with my April reads!

See you next time!

January 2025 Book Roundup

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Hello there!  It’s been ages since I’ve posted, and by ages, I mean it’s been almost four years. What I thought was going to be a short break turned out to be much, much longer. It’s good to be back, and while I don’t want to promise that I’ll be back to posting full-length reviews the way I used to, I am going to see how doing a monthly round-up works out.

Last month, I read 12 books, everything from YA contemporaries to adult horror to middle grade graphic novels.  You can check out all 12 books below!

  • Six Stunning Sirens by Lynn Cahoon.  I really like this series, and this was a good addition to the Kitchen Witch books.  If you like cozy mysteries, this series is a good read.  You can’t go wrong with a kitchen witch living in a small town who’s helping out with a beauty pageant that goes terribly wrong.
  • The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling.  I saw this one when I was at Meet Cute, a romance bookstore in San Diego.  The staff recommendation card is what sold me: angry sapphics in space caves.  And the book definitely lived up to that!  It’s creepy and unsettling and there is something suffocating about the setting.  It’s not surprising, considering we’re in a cave for most of the book.
  • The September House by Carissa Orlando.  This one is an adult horror and I thought it was okay.  It’s definitely creepy, and I liked seeing the mystery unravel.  I love the concept of a haunted house that comes to life only in September, but it wasn’t for me.  
  • A Banh Mi For Two by Trinity Nguyen was so good, and I absolutely loved it!  It’s a super-cute YA contemporary, and one of my favorites from January.  It’s a really cute romance set in Vietnam that’s also about family, history and the trauma that’s a result of history.  All of the food sounded so good, and if you’re a foodie, this is an especially good book to read!
  • The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee, which is okay for me.  It’s a YA sci-fi that has some fantasy elements.  I honestly couldn’t tell you much about this book, even though it’s only been a couple weeks since I’ve read it.  If you’re (understandably) trying to avoid dystopia and overthrowing the government, this series is definitely one to skip, at least for the foreseeable future.  On the hand, if that’s what you’re looking for, definitely check it out.  
  • The Lumbering Giants Of Windy Pines by Mo Netz is a super cute middle grade contemporary.  It has Gravity Falls vibes, and I love the mystery in the book.  Plus, it’s set in a creepy motel on the edge of the woods, and we see how motels are really accessible for Jerry (a wheelchair user) and her mom, which is why they move from motel to motel.  

  • Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe is my other favorite book from January.  It’s an adult romance featuring a believer in all things paranormal and weird and a non-believer in the paranormal.  Hallie and Hayden work on a web series for a Buzzfeed type company, and I loved seeing them fall in love.
  • I read Ex Marks The Spot by Gloria Chao, which is another YA contemporary.  It’s pretty similar to A Banh Mi For Two, in terms of family history and adventure in another country.  I wanted to like Chao’s book more, and I really think that if I hadn’t read the two so close together, I would have like Ex Marks The Spot More.  
  • Next is Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic by C.M. Nacosta.  I don’t normally read monster romances, but I really like this book, and the series it’s a part of.  I may have to do another post about this series, because each book focuses on a different couple.  This one is a werewolf and human romance (the first one featured a minotaur and the second had mothman), and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.  
  • House Of Hunger by Alexis Henderson was okay.  It’s adult horror, and very creepy and very gothic.  I love the idea of bloodmaids, and I wanted a little bit more of the world, since we’re confined to Lisabet’s house.  It’s would have been nice to see the world outside of that house.
  • Somewhere In The Deep by Tanvi Berwah.  I liked this YA fantasy.  It’s underwater, which you don’t see a lot of, and it has the same creepy claustrophobia that you get in House Of Hunger and The Luminous Dead.  There are legendary creatures, clashes between people who work in the mines and the people who live on land, and a teen left to deal with the terrible legacy of her parents.  Clearly, family history has been a running theme for January, which wasn’t intentional, but still interesting.  I would definitely recommend this one.
  • Sea Sirens by written by Amy Chu, illustrated by Janet K. Lee.  This was a cute middle grade graphic novel about a Vietnamese-American surfer, her cat Bill, and her grandpa.  I love seeing grandparent-grandchild relationships, because I was close to my own grandparents, and this book was no exception.  I loved that her grandpa was so prominent (though he needs a lot of care since he has dementia), because I feel like we see a lot of grandmas.  Listen, grandma are awesome, but I think we could see a few more grandpas.  They definitely go on an adventure, and I have the sequel next to me, so I’m looking forward to reading that one.  

That’s all for today.  I hope you enjoyed this reading round-up, and I’ll for sure be back next month with another one!  See you around!

Book Review: Admission by Julie Buxbaum

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Book: Admission by Julie Buxbaum

Published December 2020 by Delacorte Press|352 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She’s headed off to the college of her dreams. She’s going to prom with the boy she’s had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As she loses everything she’s long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?

This was an interesting book!  I wasn’t sure about it, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

So, this book is a take on the whole college admissions scandal from a couple of years ago.  It focuses on Chloe, who has to deal with the fall-out of what her parents did.  That part was interesting to me, seeing the aftermath of what happened.  Seeing what she knew and when she knew it…the pieces were there, but it took her opening the door to the FBI to put everything together.

This book has two different timelines- before her mom was arrested and after she was arrested.  The dual timeline was done okay.  I didn’t love it, but I think it’s the best way to tell the story.  You see Chloe struggle with what her parents want, even though it doesn’t necessarily match up with what she wants.  There was so much pressure on her, and it makes me grateful that I didn’t have that kind of pressure to deal with.

What her parents did was pretty horrible.  I know they want the best for her, and wanted things to be easy for her.  Easier for her than things were for them.  But it really was like they thought she couldn’t do it on her own, and had to bribe their way into a college acceptance letter.  Their lack of confidence and pressure…I feel like that’s part of why she’s insecure.  I hate that they got time accommodations, even though she didn’t need them.  It was infuriating to read in this book, the way it was infuriating to hear about it in real life.

Then there’s the fact that they didn’t even tell her they knew an arrest was coming for her mom.  She ends up talking to some of the other kids who were wrapped up in the scandal, and they all knew what was going to happen.  I don’t know, maybe they thought they were protecting her.  It doesn’t make it okay, and I’m curious about how they thought they were going to explain what was going on.

She’s pretty privileged, obviously, and I remember being so angry after the real-life scandal broke.  It didn’t seem like college was a good fit for Chloe, at least right away, because she was so unsure about what she wanted to do.  But because of this pressure to go to college right out of high school, she winds up finding out what her parents did to get her there.  She does figure it out, and I really hope that this is a turning point for her in recognizing how privileged she is, and how she has a lot of opportunities that others, like her friend Shola, don’t have.

It was hard to like Chloe and her mom.  Her mom, especially, because she thinks she can fight the charges against, and can’t accept that there are consequences for her actions.  She was definitely in denial for most of the book.  It was a little hard to like her dad, though I don’t feel like we got enough of him for me to have stronger feelings either way.

The one I felt really bad for was her sister.  I have to say, she was right when she talked about how hard it was going to be for her because of what her parents did for Chloe.  I hope college isn’t horrible for her but I feel like people are going to question her place there now.  Her parents were so busy trying to buy Chloe’s way into college that they didn’t think about how it would affect Isla.

Honestly, it felt like they didn’t care about Isla at all.  At least, not the way they thought about Chloe.  The comments about Chloe were horrible, and while I don’t know what kind of comments were directed towards Isla, I can imagine what Isla got was only a fraction of what Chloe dealt with.  Still, it won’t be easy for her after all of this.

3 stars.  I liked it, and though most of Chloe’s family was frustrating, it was an interesting read.

Book Review: Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

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Book: Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Published January 2021 by Page Street Kids|368 pages

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

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy

Epic, heartbreaking, and darkly atmospheric, Into the Heartless Wood is the story of impossible love between a monstrous tree siren and a boy who lives at the edge of her wood.

The forest is a dangerous place, where siren song lures men and women to their deaths. For centuries, a witch has harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow her domain.

When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood, one of her tree-siren daughters, Seren, saves his life instead of ending it. Every night, he climbs over the garden wall to see her, and every night her longing to become human deepens. But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse, and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her.

I LOVED Into The Heartless Wood!  It’s so beautiful, and if you haven’t read it, I recommend it!

Honestly, I wasn’t sure about it at first.  But the more I read it, the more I fell in love with it.  It’s beautiful and musical, and Seren’s chapter’s are particularly beautiful and heart wrenching.  Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Owen’s chapters too, but there was just something about Seren’s chapters that I absolutely loved.

Everything fell into place at the end of the book, and I was actually interested to see how everything came together.  And how this war not only came to be, but how it all ended.  It really felt like Owen and Seren were pawns at times, but they did make their own choices.  Owen in particular allowed Seren to see that she did have a choice, and I’m glad Owen finally saw that she wasn’t the monster he thought she was.

I also love the idea of tree sirens.  It sounds strange, because when I hear siren, I think vast oceans and sailors being lured to their death.  It’s basically that, but in a forest instead of an ocean.  The whole story behind Seren and her family is one I really liked reading, and I loved seeing how Seren wanted more.  I loved that she protected Owen, and save him again and again.  I hated seeing her be forced to do things she didn’t want to do, but that she had the chance to do something different.  Be something different.

Now that I’m thinking about it, Seren’s chapters made me think of the Shatter Me series.  Particularly Juliette at the beginning of the series.  I think it’s how it’s formatted, and though Seren’s mind isn’t fractured the way Juliette’s is, there’s just something about the way their thoughts are formed, and how they tell they their story that go pretty well together.  Though their stories are so completely different, it was interesting that there was something similar about how we saw them.

5 stars.  I loved this book, and would happily reread it!

Book Review: The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

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Book: The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Published February 2021 by Inkyard Press|416 pages

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

Series: The Iron Fay: Evenfall #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Wicked faeries and fantastic danger… Welcome to book one of the new trilogy in N ew York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey fantasy series, as infamous prankster Puck finally has a chance to tell his story and stand with allies new and old to save Faery and the world. For fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare!

“YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF ME…”

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat from a time before Faery began. A threat that brings him face-to-face with a new enemy…himself.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. Evenfall is coming, and with it a reckoning that even their combined powers and wits may not vanquish, as a shadow falls over the lands of Faery and the world slips into chaos.

I really enjoyed this book!  It’s really nice to be back in Faery, and to get Puck’s story.

I loved this world in the Iron Fey series, I loved this world in the Call Of The Forgotten Series, and even though we’re only one book into this trilogy, I already love the world we’re seeing in this series.

Nothing is ever easy, and there’s always an adventure and danger and new threats.  This series is no exception, but I can’t wait to see how Puck, Meghan and Ash deal with Evenfall.  I mean, how do you deal with something that is from before the world of Faery even started?  All I can say is that we will find out.

Just when I thought it wasn’t possible to tell more stories in this world…well, Kagawa proved me wrong!  The first trilogy was always Meghan’s story (plus a book from Ash’s perspective), and the second was always about her brother and son.

But now we get Puck’s story!  I’m glad we finally get his story, because he’s been through a lot.  He’s changed a lot over the centuries, and I liked learning more about his past.  I really hope we learn more about Puck’s past in the rest of the series.  Puck really deserves to be happy, and I hope he finds happiness and peace.  Whether it’s with Nyx, someone else or just himself,  I hope he finds it.  My guess is that he’ll end up with Nyx.  But only because I’ve read pretty much all of her books, and I have a good sense of where things are going to go.  I could be wrong, but Nyx and Puck are interesting together.

And Grim!  I love that cat so much it’s not even funny.  I doubt we’ll get ever get a series from Grim’s perspective, but I’d take a novella at this point.  Grim does not show up enough, that’s for sure.

I’m glad we get to see what’s going on in the Iron Court, and that we get to catch up with Meghan, Ash and Kierran.  It’s good to have the gang back together, though I don’t like where things are headed.  I’m sure things will end up fine but getting there will be a journey.  It always is, and I’m just along for the ride.

4 stars.  I don’t know why, but I didn’t love this book.  I still really, really liked it, and it’s good to be back with Puck, Grim and everyone else!

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

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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

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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

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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.

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

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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

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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.