Review: This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier

Book Review and Content, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,
This Wretched Beauty by Elle Grenier

This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix (Remixed Classics #10)
Elle Grenier
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 10, 2026

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About This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix

Haunted by a portrait that seems to taunt them, a conflicted young aristocrat spirals down a path to the worst possible version of themself in this suspenseful retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, perfect for fans of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and These Violent Delights.

Happiness needs to be earned in the face of impossible odds, or there’s no beauty in it.

London, 1867. Dorian Gray is the heir to a title and their family’s estate, but they’ve never been given the chance to decide whether that’s actually what they want out of life. Forcibly estranged from their father by their manipulative grandfather, Dorian feels trapped in the life that has been decided for them.

Then one night they sneak out of their grandfather’s house, they meet a sweet and talented young painter named Basil, who immediately recognizes Dorian as his new muse. They agree to sit for Basil for a portrait, and Dorian is struck by the beauty and depth that Basil paints into their likeness—and they dare to begin hoping there might be more to life than being their grandfather’s perfect, empty-headed heir.

Dorian is further elated when Basil introduces them to the world of molly houses and drag performers—they’ve never seen such joyful variety of humanity and gender expression. But, as the barrier between the London they know and the one they’re discovering begins to crumble, Dorian must face the fact that freedom and safety do not come hand in hand.

The aftermath of this realization pulls Dorian into a terrible downward spiral, torn between guilt over their own actions and hatred for the suffocating expectations of society. They push away those closest to them, surrounding themself instead with vapid courtiers and decadent socialites. And as Dorian’s spiral of self-loathing deepens, something strange happens—Basil’s portrait of them begins to change. Their smile becomes a little sharper, the glint in their eyes a little colder.

Dorian will have to choose—embrace the wickedness within and allow themself to become what they were always meant to be, or dare to try for something far more fragile and dangerous: a life of their own making.

My Review

I wasn’t familiar with the original work when I picked up this novel, and I wish that wasn’t true. It feels like the kind of story that has something to say in its deliberate reflections and departures from the original story.

Despite that, I found this book to be pretty engrossing. The writing is very voice-y. The style of it constantly reminds readers that this book is from another time, yet it’s not hard to read. I found myself really fascinated with that, especially considering this is a debut novel. It’s pretty impressive to come right out of the gate with writing this clever.

The story approaches horror without delving into it. Dorian feels haunted by a portrait that changes over time, reflecting changes in character that Dorian is afraid for anyone else to see.

Dorian’s interrogation of gender and identity is a little bit subtle as well. I sometimes lost that thread in the midst of other plot elements. However, I think that those questions of identity worked well in the context of the story. They felt like natural questions for the character to examine. It’s hard for me to imagine the original story without them.

Weirdly, reading this book made me want to go back and read Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian, which has a lot of themes similar to this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages LIST.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
List.

Romance/Sexual Content
List.

Spiritual Content
List.

Violent Content
List.

Drug Content
List.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Spider Strikes by Michael P. Spradlin

Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , ,

The Spider Strikes (The Web of the Spider #3)
Michael P. Spradlin
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published February 24, 2026

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About The Spider Strikes

Amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany, a twelve-year-old boy and his friends confront rising Nazi threats during a family trip to Austria in this third book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

It’s the summer of 1931 and, like most summers, Joshua and his family are vacationing in Salzburg, Austria. But unlike most years, Joshua is looking forward to escaping the upheaval and bigotry back home in Heroldsberg and the Nazi presence threatening Jewish families like his own. This year, he’s invited his best friends Rolf and Ansel to join him for one last summer before Rolf leaves for America with his father.

But the trip becomes far from relaxing as the Nazis take root in Austria as well, and a gang of Hitler Youth set their sights on Joshua and his friends. When the boys decide to hike up the mountains to camp out at Joshua’s family cabin, things go from bad to worse when they quickly realize they aren’t alone. Can the boys evade the Nazis and make it back to their families safely?

My Review

This is the third book in this quick-to-read series. I love how Spradlin breaks down events in Germany during the 1930s into very bite-sized chunks, making the story very accessible to young readers. The characters are pretty relatable. Each book in the series is from the perspective of a different boy in the friend group.

The main character, Joshua, is Jewish, and his family faces prejudice while on vacation in Austria. This highlights the spread of Nazi ideology, which the boys expected to be more restricted to Germany.

A lot of this story takes place in the woods while the boys are camping. I can’t say I’ve ever read anything about recreational camping in 1930s Germany before. That’s such an interesting combination. I wonder if the book will attract readers who enjoy outdoor stories as well as those looking for historical fiction.

All in all, I’ve enjoyed this timely series and really appreciate the gentle hand with which the author delivers these images of history to the page.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are Jewish.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Instances of bullying and prejudice. Instances of racism.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Roar of the Lambs by Jamison Shea

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Roar of the Lambs
Jamison Shea
Publisher
Published August 25, 2025

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About Roar of the Lambs

If you knew the world was ending, who would you save? And would they let you?

Sixteen-year-old Winnie Bray is a liar. As the resident psychic at an oddities shop, Winnie truly can see the future. But her customers only want reassurance, and Winnie only wants their money. Favorable fortunes are a fast track to funding her way out of Buffalo, New York for good, after all.

But all of that changes when a vision sends her stalking in the remains her family home that burned down in a fire 10 years ago. Among the ash and rubble, Winnie finds a box made of bone, untouched by flames and…whispering. At the touch of her finger, the box shows her a vision of death, chaos, and apocalypse, with her and rich kids Apollo and Cyrus Rathbun at the center.

Apollo knows their cousin is up to no good, and with the Rathbun family scattered to the wind, they know Cyrus is aiming to present himself as the new patriarch. Despite an initial attraction, Apollo is reluctant to believe Winnie. But soon it becomes clear that their family histories are intertwined, with the whispering, hungry box at the very center, and more than their lives are on the line. Together, they must discover the origins of the box and stop unforeseen forces from fulfilling the apocalyptic prophecy, or die trying.

From the author of I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me comes a speculative thriller about the ties that bind us to places and people, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White and Tochi Onyebuchi.

My Review

Premise-wise, this is probably not a book I’d be particularly drawn to, but I loved Shea’s writing in their previous duology, and I am not at all disappointed that I picked up this book.

The story develops slowly, but with a lot of tension. Periodic scenes show glimpses of the past, from the moment the box was discovered to the present. The narrative alternates between Winnie and Apollo’s perspectives, and I loved both characters. I liked how the story paints this picture of these two families, separated by class and racial lines, so entangled in the fate of this strange box.

The tension never slips, and I kept reading chapter after chapter, trying to put together the pieces of what was happening and worrying for Winnie and Apollo every time I learned something they didn’t yet know.

The romance that develops between them also kept me reading. I liked that it didn’t overshadow the main plot elements, but it felt organic and gave me something to celebrate.

All in all, I feel like I have to keep reading more work by this author. I’ve read three of their novels, and I’ve enjoyed all three. If you like intense, voicy horror/thrillers, definitely check out Roar of the Lambs.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Several characters encounter a box that appears to have some kind of supernatural power. Characters hear it whispering or notice a skittering sound inside the box. Powerful light spills out whenever someone tries to open the box.

Winnie has a psychic ability that lets her see scenes from the future of anyone she has skin-to-skin contact with. She works at a store that sells oils, crystals, and other items used for spiritual purposes.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and brief, graphic violence. Winnie has several visions of the deaths of people she touches. These are usually only very briefly described. A man dies by suicide in one scene. A teenage boy shoves a girl to the ground, breaking her arm. References to a fire that destroyed a home and killed at least one person. Interacting with an item causes the deaths of several people.

Drug Content
References to drinking alcohol. A college student drinks alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Queen of Faces by Petra Lord

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Queen of Faces
Petra Lord
Henry Holt & Co.
Published February 3, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Queen of Faces

This dark academia fantasy follows a desperate girl at a cutthroat magical academy who faces a choice between life and death: become an assassin for the enchanted elite or watch her decaying body draw its last breath. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, Brandon Sanderson, Lev Grossman, and R.F. Kuang.

Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. But Ana can’t afford to escape it, even as the wealthiest in Caimor buy and discard expensive designer bodies without a thought. When she fails to gain admittance to the prestigious Paragon Academy—and access to the healthy new forms the school provides its students—her final hope implodes. Now without options, Ana must use her illusion magic to try to steal a healthy chassis—before her own kills her.

But Ana is caught by none other than the headmaster of Paragon Academy, who poses a brutal ultimatum: face execution for her crime or become a mercenary at his command. Revolt brews in Caimor’s smog-choked underworld, and the wealthy and powerful will stop at nothing to take down the rebels and the infamous dark witch at their helm, the Black Wraith.

With no choice but to accept, Ana will steal, fight, and kill her way to salvation. But her survival depends on a dangerous band of renegades: an impulsive assassin, a brooding bombmaker, and an alluring exile who might just spell her ruin. As Ana is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, the line between villain and hero shatters—and Ana must decide which side is worth dying for.

My Review

I wasn’t sure I totally understood what kind of book I was getting into from the cover copy. However, once I got into the story, I was really into it.

The chapters alternate between Ana and Wes, who plans to use Ana as a means to get back the life he was booted out of. A few chapters from other viewpoints appear as well, but mostly we alternate between those two.

In the story, a human body is an external, swappable thing. One’s personal identity, memories, magical ability, and intelligence, or Pith, can be transferred from one body, or chassis, to the next.

It’s an interesting mechanic that allows the author to explore the difference between biological gender and gender identity. The characters don’t all have the same experience with switching to new bodies. Ana, for example, identifies strongly as female, so being in a male-presenting body is upsetting and troubling to her. Wes, who has recently switched from a female-presenting to a male-presenting body, is much less troubled by the change. Each character has an individual experience with this, which felt very organic to me.

I also really appreciated that Lord brought Ana’s strategic thinking to the page in an engaging way. I’ve read books where the main character is supposed to be a very strategic thinker, but where I felt like I was simply supposed to take the author’s word for it. Here, we see Ana think things through and analyze in real time, but without slowing down the story. I thought that element of the book was particularly nicely done.

Queen of Faces is the start of a series. I’m eager to see where the story goes next. I think fans of stories like Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo or books that explore gender in a more unconventional way, like Every Day by David Levithan will appreciate this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Vague references to characters spending the night with a partner. (Not shown on scene.)

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. In the story world, characters revere prophets of old.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to torture. (Not shown on scene.) A few scenes show characters experiencing cruel/abusive treatment by their employers or mentors. Battle scenes with some extensive injuries.

Drug Content
One minor character uses a powerful drug in the form of a worm.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Lion Dancers by Cai Tse

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Lion Dancers
Cai Tse
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published August 13, 2024

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About Lion Dancers

Former best friends become bitter rivals when one returns to lion dancing after a long absence in this vibrant and heartfelt middle grade graphic novel perfect for fans of Haikyu!! and Fence.

Young Wei dreamed of being a legendary lion dancer just like his dad. With his best friend Hung performing as the tail and Wei controlling the head, he knew they could become the next generation of lion dance champions. But after his dad’s sudden passing, Wei abruptly quits lion dancing—and his friendship with Hung.

Years later, Wei is stuck…in life, in school, and on the bench at games. That is, until he crashes a junior lion dance practice and feels his long-sleeping passion wake up within him once more. The team is happy to have another member to carry on the tradition, especially as one as preternaturally talented as Wei. There’s just one person who doesn’t want him the self-proclaimed star, Hung.

As Wei and Hung fight to be considered the top lion dancer, both will have to learn how to face their mistakes head-on and remember what it really means to be part of a team.

My Review

As a former ballet dancer, I an always drawn to stories about the impact that dance has on the life of participants. Before reading this book, I didn’t know anything about lion dancing, so it was exciting to learn through the story. The author is an accomplished lion dancer herself, which didn’t surprise me to learn after reading the book. You can tell from the pages that she really knows about this topic.

Each chapter opens with a description of a lion dance move and explains how it’s used and what it means. I thought that was a really nice touch. It would have been a lot harder to put those explanations in the panels, and this way the explanations appear at the right time for the reader to pause and think about them. I found myself wishing that the descriptions of the movements had been a little more clear. It wasn’t always easy to tell from the pictures what the move would look like.

The story centers around Wei and his return to lion dancing as part of his healing from loss. His connection to Hung took a long time to become fully clear. I wasn’t sure if Hung understood that Wei quit lion dancing after his parents died. It seemed like if he knew that, his belief that Wei quit for no reason wouldn’t hold up, so I couldn’t tell.

I liked the relationship between Wei and Jun, too. She’s a chipper, outgoing girl who gently pushes Wei to speak up for himself and find something he’s passionate about. I liked that she celebrated his success even though he chose something different than she would have picked for him.

On the whole, I enjoyed this graphic novel. I love that it offers kids a window into lion dancing and the kind of teamwork it takes to perform well. Definitely glad I read this. I think one of the MMGM kidlit bloggers posted a review over the summer last year, so that’s how I heard about the book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Wei prays at an altar for his parents on his way out of the house. The Lion Dance team performs at several Lunar New Year celebrations. Several of the dance moves have to do with offering a blessing to the celebration’s host.

Violent Content
One panel shows an aerial image of a car accident. References to death of a parent (happened before the story begins).

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Some of Us Are Brave by Saadia Faruqi

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some of Us Are Brave
Saadia Faruqi
Quill Tree Books
Published February 10, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Some of Us Are Brave

From the acclaimed author of The Strongest Heart comes a stirring new novel from the perspectives of three very different kids who are navigating the waters of fear and friendship through the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

It’s a humid summer in Houston, Texas, and Yasir is dreaming of being soccer team captain—if only he could get the team bully, Cody, off his back, and maybe impress his sort-of-crush, Mona. Meanwhile, Mona is turning her nightmares into art, and Cody’s home life feels as tense as the storm literally brewing down the coast.

When Hurricane Harvey makes landfall, the three kids could hardly be called friends. But as their regular lives fall apart and rising floodwaters pull them together, Mona, Cody, and Yasir will need to work as a team if they want to survive. The hurricane will churn up their deepest fears and cement their bond forever—if it doesn’t tear them apart.

My Review

My sister moved to Texas right after Hurricane Harvey passed through, but I hadn’t realized how devastating this storm was for many people living in Houston. This happened in 2017, which, it’s hard to believe, was almost nine years ago.

Writing about a hurricane and keeping the story middle grade level must have been challenging. Yet, so many children experience natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes every year. Still others wonder what that would be like.

In this book, the young characters remain at the center of the story, making decisions and facing their fears. The story alternates between Mona, Cody, and Yasir’s perspectives. Each one faces a fear of some kind, from Cody’s fear of the dark to Mona’s recurring nightmare about being trapped by a flood, to Yasir’s paralyzing fear of the water after his near-drowning the previous summer.

The storm brings these three unlikely allies together, and a tentative friendship forms. They learn to trust one another and lean on each other for support. As the storm overhead clears, they realize the work of recovery has just begun, and new opportunities emerge for them to help and support one another.

I loved the way that Faruqi uses ordinary childhood activities, like playing soccer and attending summer camp, to put the three narrators into the same orbit. I loved that Mona explores her fear of being trapped by a flood through exploring myths and faith stories about a massive flood. Her experience, and later, the boys’ experiences, model approaching fear with curiosity. I thought that was really cool.

All in all, this is a great book for young readers curious about what it’s like to survive a hurricane or for readers interested in stories about characters facing their fears.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Occasional use of faux swear words, like “frakk.”

Romance/Sexual Content
Two characters have a crush on each other.

Spiritual Content
Mona learns about flood stories from different faiths and mythologies. Yasir prays with another Muslim family in the aftermath of the hurricane.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to child abuse and adult abusive behavior. (A parent locks a boy in an outside shed overnight to punish him. References to physical violence – not shown on scene.) Reference to hurricane survivors waiting for rescue in flooded homes. A news report notes the total number of deaths resulting from Hurricane Harvey.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.