All posts by Kasey

About Kasey

Reads things. Writes things. Fluent in sarcasm. Willful optimist. Cat companion, chocolate connoisseur, coffee drinker. There are some who call me Mom.

Review: Your Place or Mine? by Charlotte Schwartz

Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Parenting, , , , , , , , ,
Your Place or Mine by Charlotte Schwartz

Your Place or Mine?: Practical Advice for Developing a Co-Parenting Strategy After Separating
Charlotte Schwartz
Dundurn Press
Published September 27, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Your Place or Mine?

Navigate the challenges of co-parenting with practical advice and legal tips.

So you did it. You separated. And now the kids that you always planned to raise together are being raised apart. Most people don’t start a family expecting not to see their children every day, and yet roughly half of us end up in that scenario. From there, it’s a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure — and there are many choices you can make.

Your Place or Mine? is a detailed resource for separating parents. It will help you navigate the legal system, including negotiating a settlement, mediation, and litigation, and explains the nuances of different paths to dispute resolution. It also provides specific advice about what to include in a compassionate separation agreement, such as specifying how far parents can live from each other, where transitions take place, how to handle kids’ belongings, communication, future disputes, and introducing your child to a new partner.

Schwartz introduces you to several families (including her own) with separated parents, as well as adults who were raised by co-parents, and offers their insights. She also provides accessible advice from psychologists on kids’ mental health, as well as tips from family law lawyers, who share anecdotes about the world of co-parenting.

My Review

Why I read this book

First of all, I should reassure my friends and family who follow my blog that I didn’t request a review copy of this book because I’m thinking of separating or getting divorced. Ha! That’s not on the horizon for me.

The reason I wanted to read this book was more for the focus on how to co-parent through separation and divorce, since I have a child with a partner I’m no longer married to. Which means I am one of the masses of parents who navigate co-parenting on a daily basis.

I wanted to read this book to see if there are things I can add to my toolbox so to speak. Techniques I’d never used or questions I should consider.

What’s in the book

At any rate, I’d say about 50-60% of the book is more a walk-through of what separation and divorce entail from a legal perspective. What is the process? What does it look like? Are there advantages to pursuing mediation versus going to court?

There were some great notes on finding support and good legal representation, too. She talked about the importance of a good support system and what that looks like through a divorce process. She also discussed questions to ask your legal representative and questions they should be asking you. How do you know they’re doing a good job? That kind of thing.

Additionally, she briefly explained of the evolution of family law in terms of what used to be the standard approach (Mom’s care and custody of children used to be the priority) versus the approach now (it’s recognized that children do the best when both parents are involved in their lives, so courts will not prioritize one parent’s care over the other unless abuse has been proven.).

Who is the legal advice most relevant to?

It’s worth noting that she lives and works in Ontario, Canada, so the legal advice is most relevant to readers living there, but I am familiar with some of the things she discussed from my own experience in the US. So some things are pretty broadly accepted.

I think a book like this would have been really helpful while I was going through a separation/divorce before. I had no idea what to expect, and didn’t really have anyone close to me I could ask advice from. Separating is a huge, stressful experience, especially when you have a child who’s experiencing the grief and disruption of that separation on top of trying to work through your own emotions and navigate issues with your former partner.

So yeah, I think I would have gotten a lot out of a straightforward book like this.

Navigating changes in the relationship between yourself and your partner

There was a fair amount of advice on navigating the relationship between yourself and your ex. I liked her advice and the advice from clients that she shared as well. It basically boils down to considering the needs of the children first and foremost and treating the other person like they are a good parent even if they weren’t a good partner to you. I thought those were both really great point, even if hard to put into practice sometimes.

All in all, I think this is a really practical, gentle guide for people going through separation from a partner with whom they have one or more children. It’s pretty comprehensive and helps make what is a very overwhelming process feel more orderly. With the book, not only is there a light at the end of the tunnel, she tells you what the tunnel looks like and where some of the tricky twists and turns are likely to be.

I highly recommend this book for people in the process of getting separated and/or divorced.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 18 up.

Representation
Written by a white, middle class woman. She practices family law in Canada and is divorced herself and a child of divorced parents. She includes testimonies from marginalized clients, including BIPOC and LGBTQ2S partners.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
References to the importance of faith community as a part of your chosen support network if you desire.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of YOUR PLACE OR MINE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Sevenfold Hunters by Rose Egal

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

The Sevenfold Hunters
Rose Egal
Page Street Press
Published October 25, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Sevenfold Hunters

Sci-fi fans will love this genre-bending debut full of cutthroat school politics and the speculative intrigue of alien contact.

There’s nothing hijabi alien hunter Abyan wants more than to graduate from Carlisle Academy and finally rid the Earth of the Nosaru, a species hidden in plain sight.

Everything is going to plan until the Nosaru kill one of Abyan’s squad mates, leaving the team devastated. To make matters worse, the school admins replace her elite squad member with a sub-par new recruit, Artemis. Despite Artemis failing every test—and bringing the team down with her—their cutthroat instructors refuse to kick her out.

Together Abyan, Artemis and the rest of the team unravel the mystery of why Artemis is actually there, what the Nosaru really want, and what Carlisle Academy has been hiding from them all.

My Review

An elite team of teens fighting vampire space aliens called Nosaru. A girl wrestling with the her boyfriend’s sudden death. A girl on the hunt for revenge for her family’s deaths. All that seemed like it would add up to a pretty compelling read.

For me, those elements just didn’t come together in THE SEVENFOLD HUNTERS. Artemis felt kind of flat. In a couple scenes she seemed motivated to learn more about her boyfriend’s death, but mostly she was so distracted about her own survival that her grief got really pushed to the side. Concern for her survival makes total sense, but it was weird that the story framed her as this grieving girl, and I didn’t feel like it delivered that.

Abyan, however. She’s complex. A girl from a poor family in a school of wealthy elites. A practicing Muslim. The top team’s driven leader, with a tragic, secret past and a desperate hope for revenge. I was all in on her.

At times, I felt pulled forward through the intense, action-packed scenes. They fight space vampires who’ve invaded earth. It’s super cool. But.

I didn’t understand some of the dynamics of the overall battle between the humans and aliens. Like, the operatives know there are a number of hives of Nosaru near the school, but they just sort of… let them be? I thought this was a kill or be killed kind of enemy?

After a Sevenfold mission goes badly because one team member turns on the others, everyone goes back to base for a debrief where they… worry about this team member’s feelings? They’re like, we can’t press this person to tell us why they did what they did because it involves secrets from their past. We need to wait for them to feel comfortable to tell us.

That didn’t add up for me. Most of the members of the team were (I think) in their last year at the school, very near to being able to graduate and work as paid operatives in the fight against the Nosaru. It seemed like the first concern should have been, is this team member going to get me killed? Is this team member capable of serving the needs of the team, or do they need to step back and deal with whatever past issues are interfering with them and risking everyone’s safety?

I don’t know, but that whole part read very strangely to me.

There were also a couple of reveals that came late in the story that I felt like didn’t really get explored. It’s possible that those were primarily supposed to be a setup for a sequel. I just didn’t see how they fit into this story and they were big things, so it was weird that they didn’t have more focus or weren’t revealed earlier.

On the whole… I struggled with this book. There were things I liked. Abyan’s character is at the top of that list. I loved her. I liked some of the other team members, too, especially Kade and Hank. The plot felt a bit unfocused and some parts didn’t make a lot of sense to me. So that made the book harder for me to read. I thought the story world was interesting and there are a lot of cool elements to explore if there are further books to come in the series.

Content Notes for The Sevenfold Hunters

Content warning for torture and violence.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Abyan is Somali and Muslim. Artemis is biracial and bisexual. Other characters identify as LGBTQIA+.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
References to Abyan practicing daily prayer and keeping to halal foods.

Violent Content
References to a brutal attack on a group of teenagers. Situations of peril and battle scenes. One scene shows a man torturing a captive.

Drug Content
One scene shows several teens drinking alcohol at a party. Another scene shows a teen vaping.

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

Review: The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

The Star That Always Stays
Anna Rose Johnson
Holiday House
Published July 12, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Star That Always Stays

When bright and spirited Norvia moves from the country to the city, she has to live by one new rule: Never let anyone know you’re Ojibwe.

Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories–stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage.

Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia’s mother forces her to pretend she’s not Native at all–even to Mr. Ward, Ma’s new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia’s irritating new stepbrother. In fact, there are a lot of changes in the city: ten-cent movies, gleaming soda shops, speedy automobiles, ninth grade. It’s dizzying for a girl who grew up on the forested shores of Lake Michigan.

Despite the move, the upheaval, and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings–all five of them–are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future–both professionally and socially–depends upon it… and upon her discretion.

But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she truly is?

Sensitive, enthralling, and classic in sensibility (perfect for ANNE OF GREEN GABLES fans), this tender coming-of-age story about an introspective and brilliant Native American heroine thoughtfully addresses serious issues like assimilation, racism, and divorce, as well as everygirl problems like first crushes, making friends, fitting in, and the joys and pains of a blended family. Often funny, often heartbreaking, THE STAR THAT ALWAYS STAYS is a fresh and vivid story directly inspired by Anna Rose Johnson’s family history.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

My Review

I found this book to be absolutely charming. Norvia is a reader and shares her interest in a wide variety of books. Some, readers will be pretty familiar with– THE LITTLE PRINCESS, THE SECRET GARDEN, and ANNE OF GREEN GABLES for example. Others may be less familiar, but are no less accessible through Norvia’s passion for them.

One of the things I liked a lot about THE STAR THAT ALWAYS STAYS is Norvia’s journey through becoming part of a blended family. At the beginning, she’s suspicious of her mother’s new marriage and her stepfather. She finds her stepbrother awkward and annoying. As she gets to know them, though, she begins to see not only her mother’s love for her new husband, but his love for her and his devotion to all the children.

The story follows two different time periods. In one earlier time period, Norvia is a child living on Beaver Island. She listens to stories of her Ojibwe heritage from her grandfather. In the later time period, Norvia is ready to begin ninth grade and forced to hide the history she’s deeply proud of and connected to.

Norvia seeks her place in a new school, but she battles fierce prejudice. She looks to the heroines from her books for guidance on how to be well-liked and successful. What she discovers, however, is that her heritage offers even greater tools empowering her to connect with others and prepare her for her future.

In the Author’s Note at the back of the book, Anna Rose Johnson shares some of the details of her own family history that overlap with Norvia’s story. She also shares her desire to craft a story echoing some of the unforgettable tales that Norvia loves so much. I think she absolutely succeeded in doing that. Several times as I read, I thought of books Norvia loved and how much the story reminded me of them.

All in all, I’m a fan. I really enjoyed the family relationships and the classic tone of the story as well as its historical details. I think readers who enjoy historical fiction should definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Norvia, her mother, and her siblings are Ojibwe.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Norvia finds comfort in Bible verses her stepfather and stepbrother give her. She shares them with her dad and brother and prays when she feels lost.

Violent Content
Some instances of bullying and meanness. There’s some prejudice against Norvia’s family because her mother is divorced.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE STAR THAT ALWAYS STAYS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Drawing Outside the Lines by Susan J. Austin

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

Drawing Outside the Lines: a Julia Morgan Novel
Susan J. Austin
Sparkpress
Published October 18, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Drawing Outside the Lines

Meet the brilliant, fearless, and ambitious Julia Morgan. In 1883, eleven-year-old Julia visits the amazing new Brooklyn Bridge—an experience that ignites within her a small but persistent flame. Someday, she decides, she too will build an astounding structure. 

 
Growing up in horse-and-buggy Oakland, Julia enjoys daring fence walks, climbing the tallest trees, and constantly testing her mother’s patience with her lack of interest in domestic duties and social events. At a time when “brainy” girls are the object of ridicule, Julia excels in school and consistently outsmarts her ornery brothers—but she has an even greater battle ahead. When she enrolls at university to study engineering, the male students taunt her, and the professors belittle her. Through it all, however, Julia holds on to her dream of becoming an architect. She faces each challenge head-on, firmly standing up to those who believe a woman’s place is in the home. Fortunately, the world has yet to meet anyone like the indomitable Miss Morgan. 


DRAWING OUTSIDE THE LINES is an imagined childhood of pioneering architect Julia Morgan, who left behind her an extraordinary legacy of creativity, beauty, and engineering marvels.

My Review

Lately I feel like I keep running into repeated mentions of women in history that I didn’t previously know anything about. For example, a week or so before I read this book, I picked up another book about 50 women artists that also includes a bio of Julia Morgan.

I enjoyed this sweet imagining of the early life of Julia Morgan and her family. The story includes brushes with other famous people from her time as well as some of the architectural marvels that were created during her early life, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

The story follows her journey through school, graduation and into college. As a woman in an engineering program at that time, she faced a lot of gender discrimination and prejudice. Her kindness and strength as she perseveres through it all can’t help but be inspiring. It was easy to celebrate Julia’s successes with her.

After the story ends, the author includes a note explaining some of the other famous people who appear as minor characters in the story as well as commenting on a few key events, such as her school burning down twice. I found myself wishing that there were also some biographical notes summarizing the rest of Julia Morgan’s life and accomplishments, especially in architecture. The book definitely made me more curious about and more appreciative of Julia Morgan as an architect, and I look forward to learning even more.

I think readers who enjoy history will love reading this story imagining Julia Morgan’s early life.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A boy knocks Julia into the mud on purpose. Several boys in her college program say derisive things to her. A couple of male professors do, too.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of DRAWING OUTSIDE THE LINES in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Spirit Queen by Arnée Flores

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

The Spirit Queen
Arnée Flores
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Published October 18, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Spirit Queen

The hope spread by the Firebird Song was supposed to change everything. Although nature has returned to balance, the Kingdom of Lyrica suffered for too long, and remains afraid. Worse yet, Princess Calliope has begun to hear sounds–horrible shrieks and cries from across the sea that keep her awake at night–and she seems to be the only one hearing them. How can she lead her kingdom if everyone is so afraid?

When Calliope’s friend Ilsbeth is kidnapped, Calliope and the Bargeboy, Prewitt, embark on a secret quest to save her–but before she can rescue her friend, Calliope must find the confidence to act like the Queen she knows she is destined to be.

This imaginative, heart-warming tale brings truths of our own world to the surface, and shows readers that out of sorrow emerges joy, out of fear arises courage.

My Review

THE FIREBIRD SONG was one of my favorite books last year, so when I saw this sequel, I absolutely had to read it. It begins soon after the first book leaves off, with Calliope and Prewitt working together trying to rebuild the kingdom. Only something is still terribly wrong, and Calliope isn’t sure how to fix it. She should have access to the same magic that past queens held, but her only advisor, the Bookkeeper, doesn’t know the particulars about how it works.

I loved getting to revisit some of my favorite characters, namely Calliope, Prewitt, and Ilsbeth, the leader of the Glade Girls. The story follows all three of them with snippets of scenes told from a few other points of view. Ilsbeth might have been my favorite. She’s the girl who won’t stop until things get done, and I love that about her. She’s pragmatic and fierce, and I love that.

THE SPIRIT QUEEN seemed a tiny bit less well-organized than THE FIREBIRD SONG, though. Sometimes I felt like a scene shifted point-of-view too subtly, so I had to go back and reread a few paragraphs in order to be sure I understood what was happening. This problem may have been corrected in the final version of the story– I only read a pre-release copy, so more editing has happened since I read the book myself.

Nevertheless, I still very much enjoyed the story world and the theme about the power of stories, specifically the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we try to lock away and forget and the ways those impact us. Those threads in the book were especially cool.

I also liked its messages about fear and hope. I loved the way those ideas played out in Calliope’s journey. With her magic connected to hope, she had the best emotional arc in the whole book, I think. I loved the way her past memories and fears as well as the current situation she was in fit together. They helped her understand what she had to do to save her people.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading THE SPIRIT QUEEN a lot. I think readers who enjoyed THE UNICORN QUEST by Kamilla Benko or THE RAVEN HEIR by Stephanie Burgis will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Characters are described as having light brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Calliope believes she should have access to magic through the power the firebird gave to her ancestors. One advisor encourages her to attempt to wield a powerful magic called Spirit Magic, but another mentor warns Calliope that humans aren’t meant to be a vessel for Spirit Magic.

Several Spirits exist with special powers. One has the power to take away painful memories in exchange for a blue pearl.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra

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

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove
Rati Mehrotra
Wednesday Books
Published October 18, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove

To learn what she can become, she must first discover who she is.

Katyani’s role in the kingdom of Chandela has always been clear: becoming an advisor and protector of the crown prince, Ayan, when he ascends to the throne. Bound to the Queen of Chandela through a forbidden soul bond that saved her when she was a child, Katyani has grown up in the royal family and become the best guardswoman the Garuda has ever seen.

But when a series of assassination attempts threatens the royals, the queen ships Katyani off to the gurukul of the famous Acharya Mahavir as an escort to Ayan and his cousin, Bhairav, to protect them as they hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom. Nothing could annoy Katyani more than being stuck in a monastic school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the Acharya’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul.

But when the queen hurriedly summons Katyani and the princes back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes, tearing Katyani from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.

My Review

Okay, I stayed up WAY too late reading this book and then finished it the next morning as soon as I had a second to sit down. It’s a super immersive story packed with magic and intrigue. I loved the characters, especially Katyani and Daksh.

Outspoken and fierce, Katyani had me from the first page. I loved the complex relationship she shares with the royal family and of course with Daksh and the way so many things change as the story unravels. The plot moves quickly with high stakes– definitely the thing that kept me reading. That and the romantic tension between Katyani and her love. I really invested in that thread of the plot, and couldn’t stop until I knew how it resolved.

I’m seeing a lot of reviewers on Goodreads calling the setting of this book an alternate medieval India, which makes sense. The story world felt rich and easy to lose myself in.

I think readers who enjoyed THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN by Roshani Chokshi will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are described as having brown skin and are Indian-coded.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to the Goddess. Some characters have spirit energy and magical ability. Characters battle monster or ghost-like enemies.

Violent Content
Situations of peril, battle scenes, and some brief torture.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of NIGHT OF THE RAVEN, DAWN OF THE DOVE in exchange for my honest review.