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General Recommendations
Newton Teen Book Review Project - Summer 2020
Surrey Libraries
Staff-created list
Reviews submitted by teens in the Newton area, participating in the teen book review project. Teens read advance copies of books (not yet published) and write reviews, which then gives them volunteer hours.
Surrey Libraries
Downloadable Audiobook - 2020
It was truly a beautifully written story about a few weeks old baby that was left at a lovely couples house by a woman. They named her Ulla and took her a...Show more
It was truly a beautifully written story about a few weeks old baby that was left at a lovely couples house by a woman. They named her Ulla and took her as their own. At the age of 14, she decided to move out and worked as a babysitter at a house full of kids. Later, she moved out again and went to Merella to work and find more about who she really is and her real parents. She overcomes a bunch of challenges there and never gives up even when she doesn't have any leads or hope towards finding her parents. I felt so much excitement when reading The Lost City and didn’t want to stop. My favourite part was the storyline. It showed a world of trolls that had different tribes. The story mostly took place at Merella where she had gone to find more about herself. The characters were also very good. My personal favourite was Pan because he was so caring and helpful towards Ulla in every situation. The downside to this book is that it doesn’t have an ending and leaves you in suspense with so many questions. I am very excited to read the next book to find out what happens to Pan and Ulla after they leave for a long and dangerous trip. The scenes were described very well. I could feel the passion and affection the author, Amanda Hocking, put into writing The Lost City. This book would be enjoyed by readers who are trying to find a book with mystery and action-packed content with a bit of romance. Overall, I would give The Lost City a 4.5/5 rating. - Gurseerat
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It was truly a beautifully written story about a few weeks old baby that was left at a lovely couples house by a woman. They named her Ulla and took her a...Show more
It was truly a beautifully written story about a few weeks old baby that was left at a lovely couples house by a woman. They named her Ulla and took her as their own. At the age of 14, she decided to move out and worked as a babysitter at a house full of kids. Later, she moved out again and went to Merella to work and find more about who she really is and her real parents. She overcomes a bunch of challenges there and never gives up even when she doesn't have any leads or hope towards finding her parents. I felt so much excitement when reading The Lost City and didn’t want to stop. My favourite part was the storyline. It showed a world of trolls that had different tribes. The story mostly took place at Merella where she had gone to find more about herself. The characters were also very good. My personal favourite was Pan because he was so caring and helpful towards Ulla in every situation. The downside to this book is that it doesn’t have an ending and leaves you in suspense with so many questions. I am very excited to read the next book to find out what happens to Pan and Ulla after they leave for a long and dangerous trip. The scenes were described very well. I could feel the passion and affection the author, Amanda Hocking, put into writing The Lost City. This book would be enjoyed by readers who are trying to find a book with mystery and action-packed content with a bit of romance. Overall, I would give The Lost City a 4.5/5 rating. - Gurseerat
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Thrillers
Book - 2020
This book is backed with 3 stories that continue one after another and are full of suspense.
In the beginning the reader is introduced to Boddy Mitchum a...Show more
This book is backed with 3 stories that continue one after another and are full of suspense.
In the beginning the reader is introduced to Boddy Mitchum a navy academy drop-out from NEW York state, he is single, and has a brother is is a dope dealer and a single mother.
The book was not dislikable at all, this book is full of suspense and surprises making the reader stay on their toes for what is going to happen next. It may not be a thriller book but it sure is a lot like watching a movie but you must visualize what is happening.
The type of reader who would like this book would be someone who loves suspense and mystery, or a fan of James Patterson's books in general.
-J
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This book is backed with 3 stories that continue one after another and are full of suspense.
In the beginning the reader is introduced to Boddy Mitchum a...Show more
This book is backed with 3 stories that continue one after another and are full of suspense.
In the beginning the reader is introduced to Boddy Mitchum a navy academy drop-out from NEW York state, he is single, and has a brother is is a dope dealer and a single mother.
The book was not dislikable at all, this book is full of suspense and surprises making the reader stay on their toes for what is going to happen next. It may not be a thriller book but it sure is a lot like watching a movie but you must visualize what is happening.
The type of reader who would like this book would be someone who loves suspense and mystery, or a fan of James Patterson's books in general.
-J
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Book - 2020
‘Instant Karma’ by Marissa Meyer portrays a hilarious, but cheery and heartening romance. It all starts off with the absolute perfectionist and A+ student...Show more
‘Instant Karma’ by Marissa Meyer portrays a hilarious, but cheery and heartening romance. It all starts off with the absolute perfectionist and A+ student, Prudence Daniels. She hates peoples who are lazy and arrogant, and had alway hoped that karma would strike back right at them. One day, she goes on an outing with her friends. Then, she slips and hits the back of her head giving her a small lump. Suddenly, she now has the ability to give instant karma to anyone she chooses! Despite this now amazing power the universe had given to her, she still has to deal with another problem when her lab partner, Quint Erickson the slacker, had caused her to get a low mark on her presentation for her science class, bringing down her overall grade. She now has to work with him for the entire summer in order to redo her project. And for her to do that, she must volunteer at a Sea Animal Rescue Centre in her city with him. First, this book includes a ton of Beatles references (with the protagonist even being named after the Beatles’ song, Dear Prudence), so if you love the Beatles, then you will definitely enjoy reading this book. Her new karmic justice powers was very entertaining to read through as well. The main character also receives outstanding development throughout the book, while starting off as a judgemental girl who only focused on grades, school and was very over-confident of herself, to turning into someone who now understands that every person is going through their own individual struggles and also now cares for the marine life and the ocean. This wouldn’t of had happened without her love interest in the book, Quint. He had such an important role in the story, allowing Prudence to grow into a better person as through the weeks she volunteers with him at the centre, she learns overtime that there was more to the sluggish Quint than meets the eye. Prudence and Quint both have very different personalities and mindsets, which serves the story with a nice complex romance. The book also gives awareness on the endangerment of marine life and the environment as well. The main character shows the readers that even a teenage girl can help to make the ocean a better place for sea animals, inspiring other teenagers to do the same (I know for sure that it inspired me). With that, I’d also like to mention some things I disliked. This book has almost 50 chapters, and I struggled to keep reading while I was in the middle of the book, mainly because I think that sometimes the chapters were a bit too slow paced, and I just thought it got really boring. But, nearing the end of the book, it got way more interesting and the pace picked up quite a lot which had kept me invested in the story. Other than that, this book was a journey to read, and if you really like the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, I believe that this book is well suited for you. It did a lovely job of showing it without it being too cliché or too exaggerated with their bond slowly growing at a realistic speed. This book strongly displays important messages of not being judgemental towards anyone, despite how they are on the outside. (This especially becomes important during the Climax). I’d give it a 4/5 stars.
-Cass
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‘Instant Karma’ by Marissa Meyer portrays a hilarious, but cheery and heartening romance. It all starts off with the absolute perfectionist and A+ student...Show more
‘Instant Karma’ by Marissa Meyer portrays a hilarious, but cheery and heartening romance. It all starts off with the absolute perfectionist and A+ student, Prudence Daniels. She hates peoples who are lazy and arrogant, and had alway hoped that karma would strike back right at them. One day, she goes on an outing with her friends. Then, she slips and hits the back of her head giving her a small lump. Suddenly, she now has the ability to give instant karma to anyone she chooses! Despite this now amazing power the universe had given to her, she still has to deal with another problem when her lab partner, Quint Erickson the slacker, had caused her to get a low mark on her presentation for her science class, bringing down her overall grade. She now has to work with him for the entire summer in order to redo her project. And for her to do that, she must volunteer at a Sea Animal Rescue Centre in her city with him. First, this book includes a ton of Beatles references (with the protagonist even being named after the Beatles’ song, Dear Prudence), so if you love the Beatles, then you will definitely enjoy reading this book. Her new karmic justice powers was very entertaining to read through as well. The main character also receives outstanding development throughout the book, while starting off as a judgemental girl who only focused on grades, school and was very over-confident of herself, to turning into someone who now understands that every person is going through their own individual struggles and also now cares for the marine life and the ocean. This wouldn’t of had happened without her love interest in the book, Quint. He had such an important role in the story, allowing Prudence to grow into a better person as through the weeks she volunteers with him at the centre, she learns overtime that there was more to the sluggish Quint than meets the eye. Prudence and Quint both have very different personalities and mindsets, which serves the story with a nice complex romance. The book also gives awareness on the endangerment of marine life and the environment as well. The main character shows the readers that even a teenage girl can help to make the ocean a better place for sea animals, inspiring other teenagers to do the same (I know for sure that it inspired me). With that, I’d also like to mention some things I disliked. This book has almost 50 chapters, and I struggled to keep reading while I was in the middle of the book, mainly because I think that sometimes the chapters were a bit too slow paced, and I just thought it got really boring. But, nearing the end of the book, it got way more interesting and the pace picked up quite a lot which had kept me invested in the story. Other than that, this book was a journey to read, and if you really like the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, I believe that this book is well suited for you. It did a lovely job of showing it without it being too cliché or too exaggerated with their bond slowly growing at a realistic speed. This book strongly displays important messages of not being judgemental towards anyone, despite how they are on the outside. (This especially becomes important during the Climax). I’d give it a 4/5 stars.
-Cass
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Book - 2018
Buried Beneath the Baobab, by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, was a painful, heartbreaking story, yet It held my attention with a potent grip. This story encircl...Show more
Buried Beneath the Baobab, by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, was a painful, heartbreaking story, yet It held my attention with a potent grip. This story encircles a true story of a young girl whose dreams of pursuing post-secondary comes to a grand halt as her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group. She gets kidnapped with her best friend and several other girls and women. She struggles to stick to her true self and not follow her captor’s militant and radical beliefs, but it only gets harder as she watches her best friend slowly accept them.
I adored the way each character was developed. Nwaubani has a way of setting up the scenes and characters that you end up caring so much about them, even the characters you want to hate. I also loved how short each chapter was as it enabled me to fly through the book while making it easier to be engaged and also left me wanting more. I also loved how she managed to not sugarcoat the book or any of the events that occurred. Everything was so tragic and real.
Overall, this book was such an addictive read. The complex metaphors she uses really makes you look at things in such a different perspective. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn about what is going on in Nigeria with the impact and strong hold Boko Haram had and still has on the country. Everyone needs to read this book.
-Favour
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Buried Beneath the Baobab, by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, was a painful, heartbreaking story, yet It held my attention with a potent grip. This story encircl...Show more
Buried Beneath the Baobab, by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, was a painful, heartbreaking story, yet It held my attention with a potent grip. This story encircles a true story of a young girl whose dreams of pursuing post-secondary comes to a grand halt as her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group. She gets kidnapped with her best friend and several other girls and women. She struggles to stick to her true self and not follow her captor’s militant and radical beliefs, but it only gets harder as she watches her best friend slowly accept them.
I adored the way each character was developed. Nwaubani has a way of setting up the scenes and characters that you end up caring so much about them, even the characters you want to hate. I also loved how short each chapter was as it enabled me to fly through the book while making it easier to be engaged and also left me wanting more. I also loved how she managed to not sugarcoat the book or any of the events that occurred. Everything was so tragic and real.
Overall, this book was such an addictive read. The complex metaphors she uses really makes you look at things in such a different perspective. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn about what is going on in Nigeria with the impact and strong hold Boko Haram had and still has on the country. Everyone needs to read this book.
-Favour
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A Novel
Book - 2018
Reading Monday’s Not Coming, a novel by Tiffany D. Jackson, is like diving into an overwhelming pool of emotions. I admire the way Tiffany D. Jackson nar...Show more
Reading Monday’s Not Coming, a novel by Tiffany D. Jackson, is like diving into an overwhelming pool of emotions. I admire the way Tiffany D. Jackson narrates the sad reality of many black and brown girls going missing without anyone noticing. At my first glance at the book, I wondered where exactly the plot was going considering it started off with Claudia not knowing Monday’s whereabouts, then later bloomed into a compelling story about friendship, racism, homophobia, substance use, abuse and domestic violence. Jackson managed to jampack into this book all these individual themes.
However, I did find this book rather confusing. Jackson spends a lot of time developing the characters through flashbacks opposed to actually building the mystery of where Monday went. Her writing style included the chapters being “before,” “after,” or “2 years before the before,” which made the timeline really hard to follow. Although confusing, the flashbacks did help me care about the characters a bit better so it did not bother me.
Overall, this book is so devastating yet important. So, if you get a chance to read this book, I would highly recommend it.
_F.O
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Reading Monday’s Not Coming, a novel by Tiffany D. Jackson, is like diving into an overwhelming pool of emotions. I admire the way Tiffany D. Jackson nar...Show more
Reading Monday’s Not Coming, a novel by Tiffany D. Jackson, is like diving into an overwhelming pool of emotions. I admire the way Tiffany D. Jackson narrates the sad reality of many black and brown girls going missing without anyone noticing. At my first glance at the book, I wondered where exactly the plot was going considering it started off with Claudia not knowing Monday’s whereabouts, then later bloomed into a compelling story about friendship, racism, homophobia, substance use, abuse and domestic violence. Jackson managed to jampack into this book all these individual themes.
However, I did find this book rather confusing. Jackson spends a lot of time developing the characters through flashbacks opposed to actually building the mystery of where Monday went. Her writing style included the chapters being “before,” “after,” or “2 years before the before,” which made the timeline really hard to follow. Although confusing, the flashbacks did help me care about the characters a bit better so it did not bother me.
Overall, this book is so devastating yet important. So, if you get a chance to read this book, I would highly recommend it.
_F.O
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eBook - 2020
SToday Tonight Tomorrow” by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a cute romance novel following high school senior, Rowan Roth, and her ultimate academic rival, Neil Mc...Show more
SToday Tonight Tomorrow” by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a cute romance novel following high school senior, Rowan Roth, and her ultimate academic rival, Neil McNair, battle it out one last time on a city-wide scavenger hunt. The novel takes place over the course of a single day and is jam-packed with action, angst, and ambition. Each chapter covers a new social issue, in less than 400 pages the author manages to touch on LGBTQ+, feminism, racial stereotyping, poverty, marijuana, veganism, and more in the form of long monologues by Rowan. The author really tried to check off every single box. Despite the inorganic delivery explaining the importance of the said topics, the romance aspect of this book was charming and endearing supplying a sweet and quick read. Although, I hesitate to label this enemies to lovers because the Devil incarnate, Neil, isn’t all that bad. Other than about 4 flashbacks and one extremely petty instance at the beginning of the novel, Neil is adequately cordial if not downright complementary. Their relationship did not progress from hate to love (Neil already liked her), rather Rowan’s perception of Neil changed as she learned more about him. Like, how they are both Jewish and face anti-Semitism every day. This was representation I was unaware I was lacking in YA contemporary. Although this aspect of the characters did not play a huge role, it was still interesting to read about. Despite the somewhat forced political correctness and few extremely cheesy scenes I had to turn my brain off for, this was a fun novel I would recommend for a light read. Even if the content isn’t to your liking, I believe the cyan cover is visually stimulating enough for it to be worth it. ★★★☆☆
-Sameera
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SToday Tonight Tomorrow” by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a cute romance novel following high school senior, Rowan Roth, and her ultimate academic rival, Neil Mc...Show more
SToday Tonight Tomorrow” by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a cute romance novel following high school senior, Rowan Roth, and her ultimate academic rival, Neil McNair, battle it out one last time on a city-wide scavenger hunt. The novel takes place over the course of a single day and is jam-packed with action, angst, and ambition. Each chapter covers a new social issue, in less than 400 pages the author manages to touch on LGBTQ+, feminism, racial stereotyping, poverty, marijuana, veganism, and more in the form of long monologues by Rowan. The author really tried to check off every single box. Despite the inorganic delivery explaining the importance of the said topics, the romance aspect of this book was charming and endearing supplying a sweet and quick read. Although, I hesitate to label this enemies to lovers because the Devil incarnate, Neil, isn’t all that bad. Other than about 4 flashbacks and one extremely petty instance at the beginning of the novel, Neil is adequately cordial if not downright complementary. Their relationship did not progress from hate to love (Neil already liked her), rather Rowan’s perception of Neil changed as she learned more about him. Like, how they are both Jewish and face anti-Semitism every day. This was representation I was unaware I was lacking in YA contemporary. Although this aspect of the characters did not play a huge role, it was still interesting to read about. Despite the somewhat forced political correctness and few extremely cheesy scenes I had to turn my brain off for, this was a fun novel I would recommend for a light read. Even if the content isn’t to your liking, I believe the cyan cover is visually stimulating enough for it to be worth it. ★★★☆☆
-Sameera
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Book - 2019
This is a bewitching, captivating retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. Kemmerer puts a modern twist on the fairy tale we all know and lo...Show more
This is a bewitching, captivating retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. Kemmerer puts a modern twist on the fairy tale we all know and love.
This retelling takes place in the cursed Kingdom of Emberfall, where Prince Rhen is destined to turn into a monster every season and kill his people. The only thing that can break the curse is love. Enter Harper, a troubled girl living in Washington DC. With her mother dying, and her brother struggling to pay off their father’s debts, Harper feels lost and alone. Things take a turn when she finds herself transported to this strange land, and Harper finds out why she was brought there. Things start looking up, when Rhen and Harper grow closer, but when they find out that their Kingdom is threatened by a neighbouring Kingdom, they must give it their all to protect the people of Emberfall. With this war looming over their heads, and Rhen’s curse, this novel is sure to be a roller-coaster of emotions!
Something I loved about this book, is the addition of Grey. There was no supporting character like him in the original Beauty and the Beast, and I didn’t know what I was missing till I read this novel. Grey is a deep character – at the beginning we see him as a tough, emotionless soldier, but later, as the plot develops, we see that Grey is a sweet, tender man, who cares about Rhen and Emberfall more than his own life.
Something this novel represented well is the inclusion and diversity in the characters. We finally get a character who has a physical disability but doesn’t let it control her life. She learned to live with it and is a great role model for children everywhere. We meet a gay couple, who aren’t ashamed and scared of their identity, but proud of it. They love each other, and love comes first. Reading all these different characters made me love this book much more, and I think that many people can relate to it. The author did a fantastic job with this novel.
Overall, I think this book is great for anyone who wants some exciting, strong characters mixed in with a beautiful retelling of a classic. 5 stars. (I would give more if I could)
-Favour
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This is a bewitching, captivating retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. Kemmerer puts a modern twist on the fairy tale we all know and lo...Show more
This is a bewitching, captivating retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. Kemmerer puts a modern twist on the fairy tale we all know and love.
This retelling takes place in the cursed Kingdom of Emberfall, where Prince Rhen is destined to turn into a monster every season and kill his people. The only thing that can break the curse is love. Enter Harper, a troubled girl living in Washington DC. With her mother dying, and her brother struggling to pay off their father’s debts, Harper feels lost and alone. Things take a turn when she finds herself transported to this strange land, and Harper finds out why she was brought there. Things start looking up, when Rhen and Harper grow closer, but when they find out that their Kingdom is threatened by a neighbouring Kingdom, they must give it their all to protect the people of Emberfall. With this war looming over their heads, and Rhen’s curse, this novel is sure to be a roller-coaster of emotions!
Something I loved about this book, is the addition of Grey. There was no supporting character like him in the original Beauty and the Beast, and I didn’t know what I was missing till I read this novel. Grey is a deep character – at the beginning we see him as a tough, emotionless soldier, but later, as the plot develops, we see that Grey is a sweet, tender man, who cares about Rhen and Emberfall more than his own life.
Something this novel represented well is the inclusion and diversity in the characters. We finally get a character who has a physical disability but doesn’t let it control her life. She learned to live with it and is a great role model for children everywhere. We meet a gay couple, who aren’t ashamed and scared of their identity, but proud of it. They love each other, and love comes first. Reading all these different characters made me love this book much more, and I think that many people can relate to it. The author did a fantastic job with this novel.
Overall, I think this book is great for anyone who wants some exciting, strong characters mixed in with a beautiful retelling of a classic. 5 stars. (I would give more if I could)
-Favour
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Book - 2019
PLOT SPOILERS Long paragraph ahead! Shelby Mahurin’s fantasy YA novel, ‘Serpent and Dove’, was a ridiculous and lengthy disappointment crammed with appare...Show more
PLOT SPOILERS Long paragraph ahead! Shelby Mahurin’s fantasy YA novel, ‘Serpent and Dove’, was a ridiculous and lengthy disappointment crammed with apparent problematic themes that still infuriate me. The book is set in a historical France-like world that focuses on Louise le Blanc, a daring witch who escapes home and furtively resides in a city where witches are hunted for their existence. Reid Diggory, a witch-hunter, has promised his life to celibacy, and vows to kill any foreboding witches. Tension arises when a wounded Lou, and Reid are seen in both an awkward and misunderstood position. To avoid misinterpretations, the Archbishop states they’re married and Reid is, therefore, allowed to hit her. Realizing she’ll be protected in the Chasseurs’ tower, Lou agrees, and Reid agrees in hope of saving his reputation. Love is discovered, secrets are revealed, blah blah blah. I disliked how the author portrays feminism in the book because the representation is limited to the female character’s, mainly Lou’s, abilities at physically fighting a man, swearing excessively, dressing masculine, and having a loud and vulgar approach to others. This wasn’t an issue as much as it was nearly irritating but what I disliked was how the author negatively depicts any other female character that isn’t like Lou and are more feminine, this abandons the belief that women don’t have to hate men, be independent or be physically aggressive to be considered a feminist. Not to mention, our so-called feminist, Lou, continuously insults Reid’s ex-lover for her beautified appearance and obedient behaviour because “only Lou is allowed to be herself, and different than everyone else”, also, she shames sex workers at a brothel. So much for women power, Louise. Second thing I disliked was the oh so terrible romance. Quirky Lou and misogynistic Reid are forced into marriage after a clumsy mishap they could’ve avoided or handled in a far more mature and responsible way but then I wouldn’t be here would I? The romance is unnatural and unconvincing considering the fact that they hated each other for 2/3 of the book, funny how Reid still evidently hates her up until the last few chapters. Also, Reid has no personality except for the fact that he refers to witches, including Lou, as “it”, and he’s controlling and overprotective. Did I mention the whole “witches can only be females” and “you need a womb to be a woman” conversation that’s both uncomfortable and just about transphobic? Anyways, there’s a lot wrong with this book so I’ll save you the trouble and list a few: the magic mentioned was vague and the witches’ powers were unclear; the revelations of two rather boring characters were not compelling nor shocking; the author depends on giving her characters awkward French phrases/locations/names to world-build; and the villain is poorly characterized and we knew little about her which is embarrassing considering Lou repeatedly mentions and fears her. Lastly, the narrator focuses on a BIPOC character’s skin tone more than anything else. The white side characters were given long and extensive descriptions while the only main BIPOC character, Coco (I know), was reduced to being sexualized, black and curvy. There were very little BIPOC characters and if existed, had little description or were killed off. What a mess and I’ve still got so much I wanted to say. Surprise, surprise, I gave this book a 1/5 and recommend this book to fans of SJM’s novels, fans of enemies-to-lover and anyone wanting a new Fantasy YA book series. -Nabeela H
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PLOT SPOILERS Long paragraph ahead! Shelby Mahurin’s fantasy YA novel, ‘Serpent and Dove’, was a ridiculous and lengthy disappointment crammed with appare...Show more
PLOT SPOILERS Long paragraph ahead! Shelby Mahurin’s fantasy YA novel, ‘Serpent and Dove’, was a ridiculous and lengthy disappointment crammed with apparent problematic themes that still infuriate me. The book is set in a historical France-like world that focuses on Louise le Blanc, a daring witch who escapes home and furtively resides in a city where witches are hunted for their existence. Reid Diggory, a witch-hunter, has promised his life to celibacy, and vows to kill any foreboding witches. Tension arises when a wounded Lou, and Reid are seen in both an awkward and misunderstood position. To avoid misinterpretations, the Archbishop states they’re married and Reid is, therefore, allowed to hit her. Realizing she’ll be protected in the Chasseurs’ tower, Lou agrees, and Reid agrees in hope of saving his reputation. Love is discovered, secrets are revealed, blah blah blah. I disliked how the author portrays feminism in the book because the representation is limited to the female character’s, mainly Lou’s, abilities at physically fighting a man, swearing excessively, dressing masculine, and having a loud and vulgar approach to others. This wasn’t an issue as much as it was nearly irritating but what I disliked was how the author negatively depicts any other female character that isn’t like Lou and are more feminine, this abandons the belief that women don’t have to hate men, be independent or be physically aggressive to be considered a feminist. Not to mention, our so-called feminist, Lou, continuously insults Reid’s ex-lover for her beautified appearance and obedient behaviour because “only Lou is allowed to be herself, and different than everyone else”, also, she shames sex workers at a brothel. So much for women power, Louise. Second thing I disliked was the oh so terrible romance. Quirky Lou and misogynistic Reid are forced into marriage after a clumsy mishap they could’ve avoided or handled in a far more mature and responsible way but then I wouldn’t be here would I? The romance is unnatural and unconvincing considering the fact that they hated each other for 2/3 of the book, funny how Reid still evidently hates her up until the last few chapters. Also, Reid has no personality except for the fact that he refers to witches, including Lou, as “it”, and he’s controlling and overprotective. Did I mention the whole “witches can only be females” and “you need a womb to be a woman” conversation that’s both uncomfortable and just about transphobic? Anyways, there’s a lot wrong with this book so I’ll save you the trouble and list a few: the magic mentioned was vague and the witches’ powers were unclear; the revelations of two rather boring characters were not compelling nor shocking; the author depends on giving her characters awkward French phrases/locations/names to world-build; and the villain is poorly characterized and we knew little about her which is embarrassing considering Lou repeatedly mentions and fears her. Lastly, the narrator focuses on a BIPOC character’s skin tone more than anything else. The white side characters were given long and extensive descriptions while the only main BIPOC character, Coco (I know), was reduced to being sexualized, black and curvy. There were very little BIPOC characters and if existed, had little description or were killed off. What a mess and I’ve still got so much I wanted to say. Surprise, surprise, I gave this book a 1/5 and recommend this book to fans of SJM’s novels, fans of enemies-to-lover and anyone wanting a new Fantasy YA book series. -Nabeela H
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Book - 2020
It is a good book.This is the sequel book to Crown of Coral and Pearl. The book starts off with nor coming back to her hometown. She learns that the food ...Show more
It is a good book.This is the sequel book to Crown of Coral and Pearl. The book starts off with nor coming back to her hometown. She learns that the food situation has gotten bad and that a lot of villagers have started to hate her family. The conflict is once again the crown prince Ceren.I liked all the exploration and how for a majority of the book you were kept on your toes. You didn’t know when something crazy would happen. I wish there was more pages to read. I liked the conflict. It was quite interesting. Blood bonds and blood magics which were a main part of the conflict were very interesting. It was not that ironic. you like fantasy and romance, you will like this book. I rate this book 4.2 out of 5.
-G.D.
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It is a good book.This is the sequel book to Crown of Coral and Pearl. The book starts off with nor coming back to her hometown. She learns that the food ...Show more
It is a good book.This is the sequel book to Crown of Coral and Pearl. The book starts off with nor coming back to her hometown. She learns that the food situation has gotten bad and that a lot of villagers have started to hate her family. The conflict is once again the crown prince Ceren.I liked all the exploration and how for a majority of the book you were kept on your toes. You didn’t know when something crazy would happen. I wish there was more pages to read. I liked the conflict. It was quite interesting. Blood bonds and blood magics which were a main part of the conflict were very interesting. It was not that ironic. you like fantasy and romance, you will like this book. I rate this book 4.2 out of 5.
-G.D.
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Book - 2019
Our main character is Nor. Her whole life has involved her own beauty. In her village of Varenia. A city in which all the girls must look there best and p...Show more
Our main character is Nor. Her whole life has involved her own beauty. In her village of Varenia. A city in which all the girls must look there best and prepare to become the wife of the king of Ilara. This is the goal of all the girls in the whole village. Nor always knew that it would not be she who would be going but her sister due to the scar she has on her cheek. Her sister was chosen to go but got gravely injured so Nor has to impersonate her sister in this new land.
I liked the conflict. It was fun and scary. I disliked how the end of the book got fast. I like the pace for most of the book but for the last like 60 pages it sped up quite a bit. So much crazy stuff happened and so much crazy information was revealed. It was still good, but I would have wished for it to be a little slower.
I like how they presented the plot. The plot showed itself slowly. Slowly creeping up and showing us its cards. I also liked the characters.If you like fantasy, Romance and crazy plot reveals this is the book for you.
-G.D.
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Our main character is Nor. Her whole life has involved her own beauty. In her village of Varenia. A city in which all the girls must look there best and p...Show more
Our main character is Nor. Her whole life has involved her own beauty. In her village of Varenia. A city in which all the girls must look there best and prepare to become the wife of the king of Ilara. This is the goal of all the girls in the whole village. Nor always knew that it would not be she who would be going but her sister due to the scar she has on her cheek. Her sister was chosen to go but got gravely injured so Nor has to impersonate her sister in this new land.
I liked the conflict. It was fun and scary. I disliked how the end of the book got fast. I like the pace for most of the book but for the last like 60 pages it sped up quite a bit. So much crazy stuff happened and so much crazy information was revealed. It was still good, but I would have wished for it to be a little slower.
I like how they presented the plot. The plot showed itself slowly. Slowly creeping up and showing us its cards. I also liked the characters.If you like fantasy, Romance and crazy plot reveals this is the book for you.
-G.D.
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Book - 2018
What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera can only be described as amazing. The story revolves around two teenage boys, who happen to meet at ...Show more
What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera can only be described as amazing. The story revolves around two teenage boys, who happen to meet at a post office within the city of New York. The reading perspective within the novel tends to alternate between both characters, Ben and Arthur. Ben is a writer and gamer, often described throughout the novel as a very laid back character that can be quite cynical at times, whereas Arthur is a Broadway fanatic, who struggles to remain calm or composed at the best of times and is very optimistic. One thing that I adored about the book was the many pop culture references that the authors included throughout the novel. Another area of the book that I appreciated was how the authors took the time to set up and prep the storyline. Many events in the book were foreshadowed, however, that did not remove any of the joys of reading the novel. This only acted as a way of helping the reader along and not overwhelm them with sudden new plots or ideas. In addition, the ending of the book was not hinted at or foreshadowed in any way, which let it be the only real element of surprise within the novel and helped increase the quality of reading. The ambiguity of the ending also helped the reader perceive it as something that happens in real life, with endings not always being clear or predictable. I would honestly rate this book a 5 out of 5. It was a very enjoyable experience and I stayed up almost all night reading it. It was very hard not to attempt to spoil the ending for myself with how invested I was with the story.
-Aya
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What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera can only be described as amazing. The story revolves around two teenage boys, who happen to meet at ...Show more
What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera can only be described as amazing. The story revolves around two teenage boys, who happen to meet at a post office within the city of New York. The reading perspective within the novel tends to alternate between both characters, Ben and Arthur. Ben is a writer and gamer, often described throughout the novel as a very laid back character that can be quite cynical at times, whereas Arthur is a Broadway fanatic, who struggles to remain calm or composed at the best of times and is very optimistic. One thing that I adored about the book was the many pop culture references that the authors included throughout the novel. Another area of the book that I appreciated was how the authors took the time to set up and prep the storyline. Many events in the book were foreshadowed, however, that did not remove any of the joys of reading the novel. This only acted as a way of helping the reader along and not overwhelm them with sudden new plots or ideas. In addition, the ending of the book was not hinted at or foreshadowed in any way, which let it be the only real element of surprise within the novel and helped increase the quality of reading. The ambiguity of the ending also helped the reader perceive it as something that happens in real life, with endings not always being clear or predictable. I would honestly rate this book a 5 out of 5. It was a very enjoyable experience and I stayed up almost all night reading it. It was very hard not to attempt to spoil the ending for myself with how invested I was with the story.
-Aya
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Book - 2019
I can honestly say that I loved the novel, The Wayward Son, as much as I did for the first
one. I believe that it was a great second installment for the s...Show more
I can honestly say that I loved the novel, The Wayward Son, as much as I did for the first
one. I believe that it was a great second installment for the series. I almost tore through it with
how quick I was going through the book and how entertained I was throughout. I simply could
not get enough. The story continues off after the end of the battle, where the main character,
Simon, was able to win the battle and ‘save the day’. Simon appears to have hit a wall and is
struggling to be motivated to do anything. With this in mind, Penelope, Baz and himself end up
going on a trip to help Simon along. Along this trip, they continue to stumble along various
dangers and get lost in the midst of all of it. One main thing that I loved about this book was how
the author, Rainbow Rowell, took the time to expand and improve upon Simon and Baz’s
relationship, while also investing time to explore other possible relationships within the series
through Penelope. What I also like specifically about this book is how different it is from the first
novel. While some might find that off-putting, I actually found it very enjoyable. In the first
novel, the author illustrates an almost alternative version of the Harry Potter series that also
displays LGBTQ+ themes. In this book, however, it appears as if the author sought a different
approach to the story and chose to focus more on the issues that the characters experienced in
Carry On rather than mainly focusing on a new expansive plot. I would rate this book at a 4.5/5.
It was very enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it for any other young adult reader.
-Aya
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I can honestly say that I loved the novel, The Wayward Son, as much as I did for the first
one. I believe that it was a great second installment for the s...Show more
I can honestly say that I loved the novel, The Wayward Son, as much as I did for the first
one. I believe that it was a great second installment for the series. I almost tore through it with
how quick I was going through the book and how entertained I was throughout. I simply could
not get enough. The story continues off after the end of the battle, where the main character,
Simon, was able to win the battle and ‘save the day’. Simon appears to have hit a wall and is
struggling to be motivated to do anything. With this in mind, Penelope, Baz and himself end up
going on a trip to help Simon along. Along this trip, they continue to stumble along various
dangers and get lost in the midst of all of it. One main thing that I loved about this book was how
the author, Rainbow Rowell, took the time to expand and improve upon Simon and Baz’s
relationship, while also investing time to explore other possible relationships within the series
through Penelope. What I also like specifically about this book is how different it is from the first
novel. While some might find that off-putting, I actually found it very enjoyable. In the first
novel, the author illustrates an almost alternative version of the Harry Potter series that also
displays LGBTQ+ themes. In this book, however, it appears as if the author sought a different
approach to the story and chose to focus more on the issues that the characters experienced in
Carry On rather than mainly focusing on a new expansive plot. I would rate this book at a 4.5/5.
It was very enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it for any other young adult reader.
-Aya
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by Black, Holly
eBook - 2018
I liked the fact that this book was ok with death. It kept me on my toes. In some books you will always know that your main characters will be fine and sa...Show more
I liked the fact that this book was ok with death. It kept me on my toes. In some books you will always know that your main characters will be fine and safe but in this it feels like that is not there. It is more thrilling this way. In some books I can predict the action a character will take but in this I am often now sure.
The conflict in this book was good. The plot was interesting. It was unlike anything I have ever read. I liked the fact that this book was violent. People who like fantasy, violence and romance would like this book. I give this book a 4 out of 5
-Newton teen
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I liked the fact that this book was ok with death. It kept me on my toes. In some books you will always know that your main characters will be fine and sa...Show more
I liked the fact that this book was ok with death. It kept me on my toes. In some books you will always know that your main characters will be fine and safe but in this it feels like that is not there. It is more thrilling this way. In some books I can predict the action a character will take but in this I am often now sure.
The conflict in this book was good. The plot was interesting. It was unlike anything I have ever read. I liked the fact that this book was violent. People who like fantasy, violence and romance would like this book. I give this book a 4 out of 5
-Newton teen
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by Black, Holly
Book - 2018
The first book in Holly Black’s ‘The Folk of Air’ trilogy, ‘The Cruel Prince’ is a page-turner packed with all the drama, action, suspense, and mystery yo...Show more
The first book in Holly Black’s ‘The Folk of Air’ trilogy, ‘The Cruel Prince’ is a page-turner packed with all the drama, action, suspense, and mystery you could wish for. Jude Duarte is forced to witness the murder of her parents at a young age, and is then whisked away into Faerie, the land of the Folk, by her parents’ murderer. Along with her twin sister Taryn and elder sister Vivienne, the three girls learn to adapt to the world and lives of the cruel, deceitful, and inhumanly beautiful Folk and manage to survive ten years. But for Jude, that was ten years of being considered inferior due to and mocked for her mortal status. The only thing she longs for is to be able to show everyone that she isn’t weak, and that she’s so much better than them all – especially Cardan. Prince Cardan, the youngest son of High King Eldred, is wicked and cruel, and he absolutely hates Jude, tormenting and abusing her whenever he gets the chance. Soon, power-hungry Jude is caught up in the elaborate game of the Court of Faerie, and she finds herself wielding secrets powerful enough to save or ruin the kingdom forever. Jude’s character absolutely captured my heart, and I enjoyed reading the story in her point of view. She’s strong, defiant, strong-willed, and even a little morally grey – but she isn’t afraid to fight for what she wants and will do anything to protect those she loves. She isn’t perfect, and she makes mistakes, but that’s one of the things that makes her character even more relatable. I also enjoyed reading Cardan’s character towards the end, when you get to see him past the mask of cruelty and inhumanity he wore throughout the majority of the book. You notice that he’s just an imperfect and flawed person like us all, whose circumstances forced him to become the person he was. Holly Black’s writing was so beautiful and the words she strung together had the ability to transport me to the lands of Faerie. The romance is so slow burn it’s pretty much non-existent for the most part, but the plot, characters, writing, and other wonderful aspects of the story divert your attention from that. Lastly, the cliff-hanger left me hungering for the next book, and I can’t wait to see what Cardan does in response to Jude’s betrayal. I would totally recommend this magical masterpiece of a story to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy and would give it 5 stars! –- Mehak D.
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The first book in Holly Black’s ‘The Folk of Air’ trilogy, ‘The Cruel Prince’ is a page-turner packed with all the drama, action, suspense, and mystery yo...Show more
The first book in Holly Black’s ‘The Folk of Air’ trilogy, ‘The Cruel Prince’ is a page-turner packed with all the drama, action, suspense, and mystery you could wish for. Jude Duarte is forced to witness the murder of her parents at a young age, and is then whisked away into Faerie, the land of the Folk, by her parents’ murderer. Along with her twin sister Taryn and elder sister Vivienne, the three girls learn to adapt to the world and lives of the cruel, deceitful, and inhumanly beautiful Folk and manage to survive ten years. But for Jude, that was ten years of being considered inferior due to and mocked for her mortal status. The only thing she longs for is to be able to show everyone that she isn’t weak, and that she’s so much better than them all – especially Cardan. Prince Cardan, the youngest son of High King Eldred, is wicked and cruel, and he absolutely hates Jude, tormenting and abusing her whenever he gets the chance. Soon, power-hungry Jude is caught up in the elaborate game of the Court of Faerie, and she finds herself wielding secrets powerful enough to save or ruin the kingdom forever. Jude’s character absolutely captured my heart, and I enjoyed reading the story in her point of view. She’s strong, defiant, strong-willed, and even a little morally grey – but she isn’t afraid to fight for what she wants and will do anything to protect those she loves. She isn’t perfect, and she makes mistakes, but that’s one of the things that makes her character even more relatable. I also enjoyed reading Cardan’s character towards the end, when you get to see him past the mask of cruelty and inhumanity he wore throughout the majority of the book. You notice that he’s just an imperfect and flawed person like us all, whose circumstances forced him to become the person he was. Holly Black’s writing was so beautiful and the words she strung together had the ability to transport me to the lands of Faerie. The romance is so slow burn it’s pretty much non-existent for the most part, but the plot, characters, writing, and other wonderful aspects of the story divert your attention from that. Lastly, the cliff-hanger left me hungering for the next book, and I can’t wait to see what Cardan does in response to Jude’s betrayal. I would totally recommend this magical masterpiece of a story to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy and would give it 5 stars! –- Mehak D.
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eBook - 2020
It was not a fairly intense book, but it was still a good read. The main character is Ulla Tulin a troll that does not know much of her family. She was an...Show more
It was not a fairly intense book, but it was still a good read. The main character is Ulla Tulin a troll that does not know much of her family. She was an orphan that was adopted by the Tulins. She lived with them for 14 years in a town called Iskyla. She eventually felt like she had to go and moved to Forening a bigger city. The story follows Ulla trying to find out more about her parents. I liked the way this book used trolls. In most depictions of trolls, they are thought as not the smartest creatures but in this book their smarts are similar to humans. There were not much that I disliked about this book. It is well rounded. This book did its romance aspect well. It did not overboard it and ruin the story. This book was also not that ironic. This book is not that normal of an idea. It is not some grand fantasy world with war as the main plot line. It uses earth as its world and trolls to use magic. I would say this book is more of a mystery type. A person who likes mystery and fantasy would like this book. I give this book a 4 out of 5 for a rating.
-Newton Teen
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It was not a fairly intense book, but it was still a good read. The main character is Ulla Tulin a troll that does not know much of her family. She was an...Show more
It was not a fairly intense book, but it was still a good read. The main character is Ulla Tulin a troll that does not know much of her family. She was an orphan that was adopted by the Tulins. She lived with them for 14 years in a town called Iskyla. She eventually felt like she had to go and moved to Forening a bigger city. The story follows Ulla trying to find out more about her parents. I liked the way this book used trolls. In most depictions of trolls, they are thought as not the smartest creatures but in this book their smarts are similar to humans. There were not much that I disliked about this book. It is well rounded. This book did its romance aspect well. It did not overboard it and ruin the story. This book was also not that ironic. This book is not that normal of an idea. It is not some grand fantasy world with war as the main plot line. It uses earth as its world and trolls to use magic. I would say this book is more of a mystery type. A person who likes mystery and fantasy would like this book. I give this book a 4 out of 5 for a rating.
-Newton Teen
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Book - 2017
SOME PLOT SPOILERS Alice Oseman’s contemporary YA novel, Radio Silence, realistically depicts a diverse group of teenagers and how they confront the press...Show more
SOME PLOT SPOILERS Alice Oseman’s contemporary YA novel, Radio Silence, realistically depicts a diverse group of teenagers and how they confront the pressures of friendship, school, identity, love and fandoms. In present-day England, Frances Janvier has her life mapped out; avoid friends, complete high school, study at Cambridge and get a good job. However, Frances secretly listens to and creates fan art for the sci-fi podcast, Universe City. After the podcast’s creator notices her artwork, she’s offered the opportunity to work with them. Aled Last stresses over his controlling mother, his missing sister and his identity so he creates Universe City as a coping mechanism. Brought together by their love for Universe City, Frances and Aled befriend each other and take on the difficulties in life and the world that wants to shut them out. I think it’d be better to just get the book without reading the synopsis because a summary of the plot isn’t enough to cover the depth of this novel. I was fond of the contrasting relationships shone throughout the story, as well as the arising conflicts they brought. For instance, I found Frances and Aled’s platonic love for each other endearing, and their conversations were genuine. David and Aled’s childhood-to-high school relationship felt special/intriguing, and the varying relationships between the parents and children were authentic. Carys and Aled’s sibling dynamic was heartbreaking, and the romantic relationships weren’t thrust upon the reader which I deeply appreciate. Though, the plot’s main conflict, Frances finding Carys to help Aled and herself confront their past, felt negligible compared to rest of the story. I felt no regard for the main conflict and rather anticipated the other minor conflicts that weren’t deeply explored. The big showdown/climax near the end felt almost embarrassing and unrealistic which was disappointing as I had expected more. Also, as the book continued, the dialogue became repetitive, and the same points or explanations were made. I don’t know if this was done on purpose. It would be really cool to have more of Aled’s perspective in the book as opposed to just Frances’. I admired the symbolism presented in this book, mainly the similarities between Aled and his podcast’s main character, Radio. Often, you could notice the podcast’s episodes and Radio’s Twitter account reflecting Aled’s life/experiences. The characterization was well done especially because the author honourably handled a diverse group of characters and gave them 3-D personalities. All of them feeling distinctive and personalized so the reader can appreciate them. I gave the book 4/5 stars and recommend it to fans of Alice’s other books, fans of platonic relationship exposure and people wanting a fun yet emotionally empowering read.
- Newton teen
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SOME PLOT SPOILERS Alice Oseman’s contemporary YA novel, Radio Silence, realistically depicts a diverse group of teenagers and how they confront the press...Show more
SOME PLOT SPOILERS Alice Oseman’s contemporary YA novel, Radio Silence, realistically depicts a diverse group of teenagers and how they confront the pressures of friendship, school, identity, love and fandoms. In present-day England, Frances Janvier has her life mapped out; avoid friends, complete high school, study at Cambridge and get a good job. However, Frances secretly listens to and creates fan art for the sci-fi podcast, Universe City. After the podcast’s creator notices her artwork, she’s offered the opportunity to work with them. Aled Last stresses over his controlling mother, his missing sister and his identity so he creates Universe City as a coping mechanism. Brought together by their love for Universe City, Frances and Aled befriend each other and take on the difficulties in life and the world that wants to shut them out. I think it’d be better to just get the book without reading the synopsis because a summary of the plot isn’t enough to cover the depth of this novel. I was fond of the contrasting relationships shone throughout the story, as well as the arising conflicts they brought. For instance, I found Frances and Aled’s platonic love for each other endearing, and their conversations were genuine. David and Aled’s childhood-to-high school relationship felt special/intriguing, and the varying relationships between the parents and children were authentic. Carys and Aled’s sibling dynamic was heartbreaking, and the romantic relationships weren’t thrust upon the reader which I deeply appreciate. Though, the plot’s main conflict, Frances finding Carys to help Aled and herself confront their past, felt negligible compared to rest of the story. I felt no regard for the main conflict and rather anticipated the other minor conflicts that weren’t deeply explored. The big showdown/climax near the end felt almost embarrassing and unrealistic which was disappointing as I had expected more. Also, as the book continued, the dialogue became repetitive, and the same points or explanations were made. I don’t know if this was done on purpose. It would be really cool to have more of Aled’s perspective in the book as opposed to just Frances’. I admired the symbolism presented in this book, mainly the similarities between Aled and his podcast’s main character, Radio. Often, you could notice the podcast’s episodes and Radio’s Twitter account reflecting Aled’s life/experiences. The characterization was well done especially because the author honourably handled a diverse group of characters and gave them 3-D personalities. All of them feeling distinctive and personalized so the reader can appreciate them. I gave the book 4/5 stars and recommend it to fans of Alice’s other books, fans of platonic relationship exposure and people wanting a fun yet emotionally empowering read.
- Newton teen
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by Yoon, David
Book - 2019
Frankly in Love” by David Yoon follows Frank Li navigate high school love under the watchful gaze of his Korean immigrant parents. In order to keep his wh...Show more
Frankly in Love” by David Yoon follows Frank Li navigate high school love under the watchful gaze of his Korean immigrant parents. In order to keep his white girlfriend a secret from his family, he and fellow Korean American Joy Song decide to pretend to date as a cover for their real relationships. But soon, Frank starts to question, what even is real?
Initially, the writing style was refreshing and but as the story progressed, Frank’s quirky narration became cartoonish rather than relatable. As well as his slang feeling awkward and misplaced. Conversations about family, identity, and racism were difficult to take seriously and were often surface level continuously prefaced with “oh, we’re talking about deep stuff, we’ve never done this before.” Even with all the “deep stuff” they talk about, Frank never legitimately confronts his parents about their racism. But instead he lets it go and the final conflict between him and his family is pushed aside and ultimately left unresolved with him deciding to give up and go to college. There is no showdown, just a dull finale providing an even weaker message of change and growth. Returning to Frank’s journey of love, the romance was barely given any attention and was instead a steppingstone to set the stage for a discussion about race rather than a fleshed out and cohesive plot line. The relationships started and ended on a whim with no rhyme or reason and even less growth. Making me question what was the initial attraction and why they were together in the first place. Although its many shortcomings, Frank’s struggles with his identity, either not being Korean “enough” or American “enough,” and unable to understand his conservative Korean parents are sympathetic and relatable. Overall, this book tries to be many things, a love story, a coming of age, and above all else, profound, and manages to fail at them all. ★★☆☆☆
-Sameera
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Frankly in Love” by David Yoon follows Frank Li navigate high school love under the watchful gaze of his Korean immigrant parents. In order to keep his wh...Show more
Frankly in Love” by David Yoon follows Frank Li navigate high school love under the watchful gaze of his Korean immigrant parents. In order to keep his white girlfriend a secret from his family, he and fellow Korean American Joy Song decide to pretend to date as a cover for their real relationships. But soon, Frank starts to question, what even is real?
Initially, the writing style was refreshing and but as the story progressed, Frank’s quirky narration became cartoonish rather than relatable. As well as his slang feeling awkward and misplaced. Conversations about family, identity, and racism were difficult to take seriously and were often surface level continuously prefaced with “oh, we’re talking about deep stuff, we’ve never done this before.” Even with all the “deep stuff” they talk about, Frank never legitimately confronts his parents about their racism. But instead he lets it go and the final conflict between him and his family is pushed aside and ultimately left unresolved with him deciding to give up and go to college. There is no showdown, just a dull finale providing an even weaker message of change and growth. Returning to Frank’s journey of love, the romance was barely given any attention and was instead a steppingstone to set the stage for a discussion about race rather than a fleshed out and cohesive plot line. The relationships started and ended on a whim with no rhyme or reason and even less growth. Making me question what was the initial attraction and why they were together in the first place. Although its many shortcomings, Frank’s struggles with his identity, either not being Korean “enough” or American “enough,” and unable to understand his conservative Korean parents are sympathetic and relatable. Overall, this book tries to be many things, a love story, a coming of age, and above all else, profound, and manages to fail at them all. ★★☆☆☆
-Sameera
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Book - 2017
This book has easily become one of my all time favourite books and I have quickly
gained an appreciation for both this novel and the brilliant author behi...Show more
This book has easily become one of my all time favourite books and I have quickly
gained an appreciation for both this novel and the brilliant author behind it. It is not what is
typically expected and presented within young adult novels. The Hate U Give revolves around a
young adolescent girl who explores the rampant racism that is present in her surroundings and
struggling to increase activism on the issue. This mainly takes place after she witnesses her
African-American friend get shot and killed by the police.This book was very empowering and
provided a very eye-opening experience for many readers. It illustrated a new image and
perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as a glimpse into the reality of the
struggles that the Black community is burdened with on a daily basis. Along with exploring the
difficult themes of systemic racism and the criminalization of black youth, the author also does a
fantastic work in the symbolism that they have set around within the novel. This included Starr
labeling the police officer as One-Fifteen, Maverick's Roses, as well as Garden Heights.
Furthermore, the author repetitively portrays situational irony within the Novel, such as the
issues with the Thug Life and the Looting, and even uses instances of verbal irony, including
Starr's statement of "Hood Rich". Although people generally tend to enjoy specific genres, I
believe that many different types of reader might enjoy this book, as it uses various approaches
to explore a theme that is very prevalent and important in today's society. I would definitely rate
this book a 5 star, especially as I would read it again many times.
-Newton teen
Show less
This book has easily become one of my all time favourite books and I have quickly
gained an appreciation for both this novel and the brilliant author behi...Show more
This book has easily become one of my all time favourite books and I have quickly
gained an appreciation for both this novel and the brilliant author behind it. It is not what is
typically expected and presented within young adult novels. The Hate U Give revolves around a
young adolescent girl who explores the rampant racism that is present in her surroundings and
struggling to increase activism on the issue. This mainly takes place after she witnesses her
African-American friend get shot and killed by the police.This book was very empowering and
provided a very eye-opening experience for many readers. It illustrated a new image and
perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as a glimpse into the reality of the
struggles that the Black community is burdened with on a daily basis. Along with exploring the
difficult themes of systemic racism and the criminalization of black youth, the author also does a
fantastic work in the symbolism that they have set around within the novel. This included Starr
labeling the police officer as One-Fifteen, Maverick's Roses, as well as Garden Heights.
Furthermore, the author repetitively portrays situational irony within the Novel, such as the
issues with the Thug Life and the Looting, and even uses instances of verbal irony, including
Starr's statement of "Hood Rich". Although people generally tend to enjoy specific genres, I
believe that many different types of reader might enjoy this book, as it uses various approaches
to explore a theme that is very prevalent and important in today's society. I would definitely rate
this book a 5 star, especially as I would read it again many times.
-Newton teen
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Downloadable Audiobook - 2018
“Saving Beck” by Courtney Cole is an insightful yet saddening novel following Natalie and her son, Beck. The novel illustrates Beck’s downward spiral from...Show more
“Saving Beck” by Courtney Cole is an insightful yet saddening novel following Natalie and her son, Beck. The novel illustrates Beck’s downward spiral from star quarterback on his high school football team to a drug addicted street urchin while simultaneously displaying the staggering effect on his family. The author masterfully utilizes alternating timelines and perspectives to perpetrate the veneer of empathy. The uncertainty of Beck’s fate and heart-breaking backstory revealed each chapter truly makes the reader feel they are living the life of the main characters; a life engulfed by deceit, disappointment and drugs. The narration focuses on Beck and Natalie, leaving secondary characters one-dimensional and stereotypical, further causing us to empathize with the main characters, although at the expense of a fully developed and vibrant world. Again, this is Cole at her finest, the lack of a dynamic world creates an atmosphere that directly matches the secluded and estranged reality that drug addicts live in. Overall, this was an enjoyable and thought provoking read, showing an enjoyable yet thought provoking perspective on drug addiction and abuse in an enjoyable and thought-provoking manner. ★★★★☆
-Sameera
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“Saving Beck” by Courtney Cole is an insightful yet saddening novel following Natalie and her son, Beck. The novel illustrates Beck’s downward spiral from...Show more
“Saving Beck” by Courtney Cole is an insightful yet saddening novel following Natalie and her son, Beck. The novel illustrates Beck’s downward spiral from star quarterback on his high school football team to a drug addicted street urchin while simultaneously displaying the staggering effect on his family. The author masterfully utilizes alternating timelines and perspectives to perpetrate the veneer of empathy. The uncertainty of Beck’s fate and heart-breaking backstory revealed each chapter truly makes the reader feel they are living the life of the main characters; a life engulfed by deceit, disappointment and drugs. The narration focuses on Beck and Natalie, leaving secondary characters one-dimensional and stereotypical, further causing us to empathize with the main characters, although at the expense of a fully developed and vibrant world. Again, this is Cole at her finest, the lack of a dynamic world creates an atmosphere that directly matches the secluded and estranged reality that drug addicts live in. Overall, this was an enjoyable and thought provoking read, showing an enjoyable yet thought provoking perspective on drug addiction and abuse in an enjoyable and thought-provoking manner. ★★★★☆
-Sameera
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Book - 2013
WARNING PLOT SPOILERS V.E. Schwab’s book, Vicious, not only explores the universe of heroes and villains but questions what exactly is good or evil in a ...Show more
WARNING PLOT SPOILERS V.E. Schwab’s book, Vicious, not only explores the universe of heroes and villains but questions what exactly is good or evil in a modern world. The author takes on flawed, compelling anti-heroes and a dark, intriguing plot that delivers an action-packed story so morally grey and villainous. In a strange, present-day world, the plot begins with two intelligent college roommates and best friends, Victor Vale and Eliot Cardale, who differ in personalities but share an interest in the world of science. For their senior thesis project, Victor’s research on the inducers of adrenaline and near-death experiences collides with Eli’s thesis, the feasibility of the existence of ExtraOrdinary’s (EOs) which are humans with supernatural abilities. Soon, both Eli and Victor are deeply engrossed in the topic, and a small research project sets off dangerous experiments. Ten years later, betrayed Victor breaks out of jail and seeks revenge on his ex-best friend to repay for a decade of nothingness. While Victor prepares his own plan and team, Eli creates schemes of his own until it becomes a battle of loss, vengeance and retribution. Something I liked about this book was how imperfect and wicked the characters are, as well as their relationships/rivalries with other characters. The main characters, Victor and Eli, are a peculiar pair before and after they both gain powers. Eli is no longer a sweet and brilliant man, instead he’s this psychotic supervillain where his belief in god is so strong he tries to justify why he murders other EOs. On the other hand, Victor knows he’s detrimental and remains unapologetic but still shows signs of compassion (he rescues and cares for a stray dog along with an abandoned ExtraOrdinary girl, Sydney). The side characters are just as captivating and dramatic. Another thing I liked was how fascinating and unique the powers were, especially Sydney, who can raise the dead, and Victor, who can manipulate his pain on to others. Also, Eli’s technically immortal because self-regeneration never allowed him to physically age ever since college. I really enjoyed the fight scenes and the dialogue in this book because the fight scenes were very intense while the dialogue gave the characters 3-D aspects and thrilling personalities. One thing I did not like was that some characters did not have defined or justified reasons and motivations to be so brutal and evil. There are backstories for the characters but they weren’t enough to carry out vile acts of crime. The plot was presented well in the book because it jumped between two time periods – now and ten years ago – which made the story more engaging and let’s the reader piece the clues and facts along the way. The flashbacks and non-linear writing style builds depth in the characters which makes the final battle even more satisfying. The conflict is also shown nicely because the novel includes more than one specific conflict: Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Supernatural, and Character vs. Society. These are all well written and makes ‘Vicious’ an exciting read. I gave the book 4.5/5 stars and I recommend it to fans of V.E. Schwab’s other books, fans of the fantasy/supernatural genre and fans of comic/superhero books. -Newton Teen
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WARNING PLOT SPOILERS V.E. Schwab’s book, Vicious, not only explores the universe of heroes and villains but questions what exactly is good or evil in a ...Show more
WARNING PLOT SPOILERS V.E. Schwab’s book, Vicious, not only explores the universe of heroes and villains but questions what exactly is good or evil in a modern world. The author takes on flawed, compelling anti-heroes and a dark, intriguing plot that delivers an action-packed story so morally grey and villainous. In a strange, present-day world, the plot begins with two intelligent college roommates and best friends, Victor Vale and Eliot Cardale, who differ in personalities but share an interest in the world of science. For their senior thesis project, Victor’s research on the inducers of adrenaline and near-death experiences collides with Eli’s thesis, the feasibility of the existence of ExtraOrdinary’s (EOs) which are humans with supernatural abilities. Soon, both Eli and Victor are deeply engrossed in the topic, and a small research project sets off dangerous experiments. Ten years later, betrayed Victor breaks out of jail and seeks revenge on his ex-best friend to repay for a decade of nothingness. While Victor prepares his own plan and team, Eli creates schemes of his own until it becomes a battle of loss, vengeance and retribution. Something I liked about this book was how imperfect and wicked the characters are, as well as their relationships/rivalries with other characters. The main characters, Victor and Eli, are a peculiar pair before and after they both gain powers. Eli is no longer a sweet and brilliant man, instead he’s this psychotic supervillain where his belief in god is so strong he tries to justify why he murders other EOs. On the other hand, Victor knows he’s detrimental and remains unapologetic but still shows signs of compassion (he rescues and cares for a stray dog along with an abandoned ExtraOrdinary girl, Sydney). The side characters are just as captivating and dramatic. Another thing I liked was how fascinating and unique the powers were, especially Sydney, who can raise the dead, and Victor, who can manipulate his pain on to others. Also, Eli’s technically immortal because self-regeneration never allowed him to physically age ever since college. I really enjoyed the fight scenes and the dialogue in this book because the fight scenes were very intense while the dialogue gave the characters 3-D aspects and thrilling personalities. One thing I did not like was that some characters did not have defined or justified reasons and motivations to be so brutal and evil. There are backstories for the characters but they weren’t enough to carry out vile acts of crime. The plot was presented well in the book because it jumped between two time periods – now and ten years ago – which made the story more engaging and let’s the reader piece the clues and facts along the way. The flashbacks and non-linear writing style builds depth in the characters which makes the final battle even more satisfying. The conflict is also shown nicely because the novel includes more than one specific conflict: Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Supernatural, and Character vs. Society. These are all well written and makes ‘Vicious’ an exciting read. I gave the book 4.5/5 stars and I recommend it to fans of V.E. Schwab’s other books, fans of the fantasy/supernatural genre and fans of comic/superhero books. -Newton Teen
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Book - 2019
This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of ...Show more
This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of the characters and what their personality is like. The book is about the early life of Bruce Wayne, later known as Batman. It is about his interactions with an organization called the Nightwalkers and a girl his age named Madeleine Wallace, who is one of the leaders of the Nightwalkers. It is based in the city of Gotham, the hometown of Bruce, and the Nightwalkers want to kill him, as they want to kill all the wealthy people of the city. The book does a very good job of keeping your attention and asking for more. It provides a necessary but not overwhelming amount of details to properly describe the thought process and general personality of all the characters. It is accurate with the rest of the DC Universe about Batman and adds more to the personality of this character. The book is very good at imagery, with a lot of details of the surroundings and the characters themselves. The plot is a little stretched out at some parts, but overall is good at explaining the motives of the Nightwalkers and why they do what they do. I think that readers that enjoy reading DC and MARVEL books would like this book, along with people liking mystery and action books. I rate this book a 4.5.
- Rylenn
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This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of ...Show more
This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of the characters and what their personality is like. The book is about the early life of Bruce Wayne, later known as Batman. It is about his interactions with an organization called the Nightwalkers and a girl his age named Madeleine Wallace, who is one of the leaders of the Nightwalkers. It is based in the city of Gotham, the hometown of Bruce, and the Nightwalkers want to kill him, as they want to kill all the wealthy people of the city. The book does a very good job of keeping your attention and asking for more. It provides a necessary but not overwhelming amount of details to properly describe the thought process and general personality of all the characters. It is accurate with the rest of the DC Universe about Batman and adds more to the personality of this character. The book is very good at imagery, with a lot of details of the surroundings and the characters themselves. The plot is a little stretched out at some parts, but overall is good at explaining the motives of the Nightwalkers and why they do what they do. I think that readers that enjoy reading DC and MARVEL books would like this book, along with people liking mystery and action books. I rate this book a 4.5.
- Rylenn
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Nightwalker
by Lu, Marie
Book - 2018
This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of ...Show more
This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of the characters and what their personality is like. The book is about the early life of Bruce Wayne, later known as Batman. It is about his interactions with an organization called the Nightwalkers and a girl his age named Madeleine Wallace, who is one of the leaders of the Nightwalkers. It is based in the city of Gotham, the hometown of Bruce, and the Nightwalkers want to kill him, as they want to kill all the wealthy people of the city. The book does a very good job of keeping your attention and asking for more. It provides a necessary but not overwhelming amount of details to properly describe the thought process and general personality of all the characters. It is accurate with the rest of the DC Universe about Batman and adds more to the personality of this character. The book is very good at imagery, with a lot of details of the surroundings and the characters themselves. The plot is a little stretched out at some parts, but overall is good at explaining the motives of the Nightwalkers and why they do what they do. I think that readers that enjoy reading DC and MARVEL books would like this book, along with people liking mystery and action books. I rate this book a 4.5.
-Japroj
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This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of ...Show more
This book is overall very good with many details that capture your attention. The author is good at explaining the thought process behind the actions of the characters and what their personality is like. The book is about the early life of Bruce Wayne, later known as Batman. It is about his interactions with an organization called the Nightwalkers and a girl his age named Madeleine Wallace, who is one of the leaders of the Nightwalkers. It is based in the city of Gotham, the hometown of Bruce, and the Nightwalkers want to kill him, as they want to kill all the wealthy people of the city. The book does a very good job of keeping your attention and asking for more. It provides a necessary but not overwhelming amount of details to properly describe the thought process and general personality of all the characters. It is accurate with the rest of the DC Universe about Batman and adds more to the personality of this character. The book is very good at imagery, with a lot of details of the surroundings and the characters themselves. The plot is a little stretched out at some parts, but overall is good at explaining the motives of the Nightwalkers and why they do what they do. I think that readers that enjoy reading DC and MARVEL books would like this book, along with people liking mystery and action books. I rate this book a 4.5.
-Japroj
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eBook - 2020
The Edge of Anything, by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, is overall a great read filled with many details of both characters’ lives. This helps the reader to vis...Show more
The Edge of Anything, by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, is overall a great read filled with many details of both characters’ lives. This helps the reader to visualize and better understand the problems Len and Sage are going through, as if they are a part of their lives as well. The plot of this book revolves around the lives of Len and Sage, who despite their differences, are able to form an unlikely friendship through the hardships they face in their mental health. Len is a talented photographer who, through the traumatic passing of her niece, begins to spiral down mentally. A google search tells her she has dementia, just like her grandmother, but her parents’ financial and family struggles keep her from telling them. Sage is a talented volleyball player who expects to go pro with reputed universities, but those dreams stay as dreams when she faints during a game and learns she has a heart issue preventing her from doing any sports. Although Sage does a better job at hiding her illness then Len, they both seem to struggle just as much. When Sage decides to help Len after noticing how frantic she is around germs, she finds herself not only helping Len with what she thinks is OCD, but also getting help herself as Len finds out that Sage is unable to deal with losing her volleyball career and is becoming a secret volleyball player despite her illness. This book really showed me how different mental illness can be in different people. For instance, I would have never guessed that someone like Sage could be battling with denial and letting go of her past, since she was so good at hiding it. I also really appreciated the way the book highlighted the need to talk about loss and grief in order to move on from it, especially when Fauna and Len finally talked about Nadia’s death and felt like they were on better terms with each other. It showed how impactful just sharing your feelings about a topic is. This book showcased imagery very well. For example, when Len and Sage went hiking at the Fields to take pictures. They described the rhododendrons as a” mountainous twist” which engulfed Sage. I also liked Len’s description of “the Life Force” as a “soft white light coming from the trees and rhododendron… melting into her skin, soft and buttery, like Mom’s favorite homemade lotion”. Imagery was also able to show just how talented of a photographer Len was, especially when they described a naturescape image Len took before her niece passed. It was described beautifully as “North Carolina mountains, slightly out of focus and bursting with juicy spring greens…Several images of a wayward leaf…were spliced together in the foreground”. This helped me not only understand Len’s photography talent, but also her personality from that time and how she was a much happier person back then. This is a great book for those who are struggling with mental illness like OCD, especially since it is not usually widely represented in books and media. It is also great for those who are struggling with moving on from their past and embracing who they are. Overall, I would rate this book a 4/5.
- Jasmit
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The Edge of Anything, by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, is overall a great read filled with many details of both characters’ lives. This helps the reader to vis...Show more
The Edge of Anything, by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, is overall a great read filled with many details of both characters’ lives. This helps the reader to visualize and better understand the problems Len and Sage are going through, as if they are a part of their lives as well. The plot of this book revolves around the lives of Len and Sage, who despite their differences, are able to form an unlikely friendship through the hardships they face in their mental health. Len is a talented photographer who, through the traumatic passing of her niece, begins to spiral down mentally. A google search tells her she has dementia, just like her grandmother, but her parents’ financial and family struggles keep her from telling them. Sage is a talented volleyball player who expects to go pro with reputed universities, but those dreams stay as dreams when she faints during a game and learns she has a heart issue preventing her from doing any sports. Although Sage does a better job at hiding her illness then Len, they both seem to struggle just as much. When Sage decides to help Len after noticing how frantic she is around germs, she finds herself not only helping Len with what she thinks is OCD, but also getting help herself as Len finds out that Sage is unable to deal with losing her volleyball career and is becoming a secret volleyball player despite her illness. This book really showed me how different mental illness can be in different people. For instance, I would have never guessed that someone like Sage could be battling with denial and letting go of her past, since she was so good at hiding it. I also really appreciated the way the book highlighted the need to talk about loss and grief in order to move on from it, especially when Fauna and Len finally talked about Nadia’s death and felt like they were on better terms with each other. It showed how impactful just sharing your feelings about a topic is. This book showcased imagery very well. For example, when Len and Sage went hiking at the Fields to take pictures. They described the rhododendrons as a” mountainous twist” which engulfed Sage. I also liked Len’s description of “the Life Force” as a “soft white light coming from the trees and rhododendron… melting into her skin, soft and buttery, like Mom’s favorite homemade lotion”. Imagery was also able to show just how talented of a photographer Len was, especially when they described a naturescape image Len took before her niece passed. It was described beautifully as “North Carolina mountains, slightly out of focus and bursting with juicy spring greens…Several images of a wayward leaf…were spliced together in the foreground”. This helped me not only understand Len’s photography talent, but also her personality from that time and how she was a much happier person back then. This is a great book for those who are struggling with mental illness like OCD, especially since it is not usually widely represented in books and media. It is also great for those who are struggling with moving on from their past and embracing who they are. Overall, I would rate this book a 4/5.
- Jasmit
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eBook - 2018
Daughter of the feared and revered Sea Queen, Princess Lira is the most fatal and destructive siren of them all. Her collection of the hearts of 17 prince...Show more
Daughter of the feared and revered Sea Queen, Princess Lira is the most fatal and destructive siren of them all. Her collection of the hearts of 17 princes is admired across the sea. When she is forced to kill one of her fellow sea creatures, the Sea Queen punishes her own daughter by turning her into a human. The deal is this - if she can deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Queen, she will be turned back into a siren. Otherwise, she will remain a human forever. However, Prince Elian is not just any ordinary prince. He is the most dangerous siren hunter on the seas and heir to Midas – the kingdom of gold. When a weird twist of fate ends with Lira being rescued by Elian and brought upon his ship, she sees her opportunity. Lira agrees to assist him in his dangerous quest of finding the Crystal of Keto, the solution to destroying all sirens, but plans to steal it herself at the last moment. Both need the help of the other, but are still suspicious and wary, and Lira is the only one that knows both of their true identities. Both main characters are morally questionable and selfish, but likeable, nonetheless. There’s a lot of pleasant and funny supporting characters in the story as well, and it portrays strong friendships and relations. Even for an enemies-to-lovers trope, the romance was extremely slow burn, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you enjoy heavy romance. However, I would recommend this book if you are looking for something along the lines of dark fantasy, combined with morally questionable characters, adventure, and a little bit of humour and romance. --- Mehak D.
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Daughter of the feared and revered Sea Queen, Princess Lira is the most fatal and destructive siren of them all. Her collection of the hearts of 17 prince...Show more
Daughter of the feared and revered Sea Queen, Princess Lira is the most fatal and destructive siren of them all. Her collection of the hearts of 17 princes is admired across the sea. When she is forced to kill one of her fellow sea creatures, the Sea Queen punishes her own daughter by turning her into a human. The deal is this - if she can deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Queen, she will be turned back into a siren. Otherwise, she will remain a human forever. However, Prince Elian is not just any ordinary prince. He is the most dangerous siren hunter on the seas and heir to Midas – the kingdom of gold. When a weird twist of fate ends with Lira being rescued by Elian and brought upon his ship, she sees her opportunity. Lira agrees to assist him in his dangerous quest of finding the Crystal of Keto, the solution to destroying all sirens, but plans to steal it herself at the last moment. Both need the help of the other, but are still suspicious and wary, and Lira is the only one that knows both of their true identities. Both main characters are morally questionable and selfish, but likeable, nonetheless. There’s a lot of pleasant and funny supporting characters in the story as well, and it portrays strong friendships and relations. Even for an enemies-to-lovers trope, the romance was extremely slow burn, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you enjoy heavy romance. However, I would recommend this book if you are looking for something along the lines of dark fantasy, combined with morally questionable characters, adventure, and a little bit of humour and romance. --- Mehak D.
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eBook - 2019
Sequel to ‘Ash Princess’, the second book in the trilogy ‘Lady Smoke’ continues Princess Theodosia’s story as she struggles to find a way to free her peop...Show more
Sequel to ‘Ash Princess’, the second book in the trilogy ‘Lady Smoke’ continues Princess Theodosia’s story as she struggles to find a way to free her people and take back her throne. Finally free of the Kaiser and his brutal reign, Theo has escaped with a valuable hostage- Prinz Soren. However, in order to achieve her goals, she will need an army, for which Theo soon finds herself on the ship of Dragonsbane – the deadliest pirate on the seas, and Theo’s aunt. She agrees to help only if Theo consents to marriage, something an Astrean ruler has never done before. Theo is willing to do anything in order to free her kingdom from the Kaiser’s rule, but she must act fast because time is slipping from her hands and the Kaiser is hot on her trail. I found the writing and character development much better in this book than the last, and there was some solid female and LGBTQ representation. However, I think this book kind of dragged on as the characters just “sat around and did nothing” for the most part. I also expected the way the Kaiser died to be way more dramatic and significant because he was the main villain for the entirety of the plot so far. Lastly, I did not like the love triangle at all because Theo kind of toyed around with both Soren and Blaise and couldn’t decide who she wanted to be with for the majority of the book, which was really annoying and unnecessary. The part I enjoyed the most was the ending as it was very intriguing, and the cliff-hanger leaves you wanting to know what comes next right away. Overall, I found it a fairly mediocre, 3-star read, but if you somewhat enjoyed the first book, I would recommend giving this a try as well! --- Mehak D.
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Sequel to ‘Ash Princess’, the second book in the trilogy ‘Lady Smoke’ continues Princess Theodosia’s story as she struggles to find a way to free her peop...Show more
Sequel to ‘Ash Princess’, the second book in the trilogy ‘Lady Smoke’ continues Princess Theodosia’s story as she struggles to find a way to free her people and take back her throne. Finally free of the Kaiser and his brutal reign, Theo has escaped with a valuable hostage- Prinz Soren. However, in order to achieve her goals, she will need an army, for which Theo soon finds herself on the ship of Dragonsbane – the deadliest pirate on the seas, and Theo’s aunt. She agrees to help only if Theo consents to marriage, something an Astrean ruler has never done before. Theo is willing to do anything in order to free her kingdom from the Kaiser’s rule, but she must act fast because time is slipping from her hands and the Kaiser is hot on her trail. I found the writing and character development much better in this book than the last, and there was some solid female and LGBTQ representation. However, I think this book kind of dragged on as the characters just “sat around and did nothing” for the most part. I also expected the way the Kaiser died to be way more dramatic and significant because he was the main villain for the entirety of the plot so far. Lastly, I did not like the love triangle at all because Theo kind of toyed around with both Soren and Blaise and couldn’t decide who she wanted to be with for the majority of the book, which was really annoying and unnecessary. The part I enjoyed the most was the ending as it was very intriguing, and the cliff-hanger leaves you wanting to know what comes next right away. Overall, I found it a fairly mediocre, 3-star read, but if you somewhat enjoyed the first book, I would recommend giving this a try as well! --- Mehak D.
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