Category Archives: By Age Range

Review: A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,
A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart #3)
Stephanie Garber
Flatiron Books
Published October 24, 2023

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About A Curse for True Love

Two villains, one girl, and a deadly battle for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Blood will be shed, hearts will be stolen, and true love will be put to the test in A Curse for True Love, the breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.

My Review

After reading the first two books in the series, I wanted to know how Evangeline and Jacks would navigate the obstacles standing between them and whether they could craft their own happily ever after.

I wasn’t expecting some of the directions the series takes. There was a character who seemed like a pretty decent person, perhaps a bit spoiled, but who was beginning to make better choices. Then he took a hard right into serious evil, and I had to recalibrate how I thought about him. Which is okay—it just came as a bit of a surprise.

I can’t decide if I’m starting to outgrow the Bad Boy stories where someone has a pretty long list of wrongs and callous actions to their name, but somehow, I’m still rooting for the heroine to find a way to be with this person. I like Jacks, but I sometimes cringed at the way he treated other people. Reading certain scenes definitely required some willing suspension of disbelief as Evangeline, whose lost memories left her incredibly vulnerable and who knew someone was trying to kill her, didn’t question the reckless stranger who kept appearing out of nowhere.

I did appreciate the romantic tension between them and the continued themes about curses and true love in the fairytale-esque world Garber created. I love the way that the magic works, especially with regard to curses taking a life of their own and stories continually changing with each telling or reading.

All in all, I am glad to have stuck with the series all the way to the end. It was fun reading something so swoony and romantic. I think romantasy fans will like the sweeping fairytale magic of the story world and Evangeline’s starry-eyed commitment to find her happily ever after.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene, a boy and girl begin to undress one another. They fall asleep before getting fully undressed.

Spiritual Content
A group of immortal Fates have limited special abilities. The story also contains vampires. Some humans have the ability to perform spells or curses, which require magic to be broken.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Evangeline hears about a wolf attack that leaves a boy horribly scarred. A boy dies, apparently from some kind of poison. Someone poisons a girl. A large number of vampires bite people. Someone ties up another person and threatens to torture or kill them. A person starts a fire, endangering others’ lives. Someone punches a man repeatedly, breaking his nose and bruising his face.

Drug Content
Evangeline drinks wine at a social event.

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: Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee

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

Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1)
Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
Wednesday Books
Published January 7, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Breath of the Dragon

The first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy duology based on characters and teachings created by Bruce Lee!

Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Earth to a new protector. Eager to prove his skills, Jun hopes that a win will restore his father’s honor—righting a horrible mistake that caused their banishment from his home, mother, and twin brother.

But Jun’s father strictly forbids him from participating. There is no future in honing his skills as a warrior, especially considering Jun is not breathmarked, born with a patch of dragon scales and blessed with special abilities like his twin. Determined to be the next Guardian, Jun stows away in the wagon of Chang and his daughter, Ren, performers on their way to the capital where the tournament will take place.

As Jun competes, he quickly realizes he may be fighting for not just a better life, but the fate of the country itself.

My Review

Jun displays a huge amount of growth as a character through this first book in the duology. He begins as a talented and ambitious kid whose interest in the tournament has more to do with proving his ability to others and finally making his dad proud of him. As the story progresses and he meets other fighters and allies, he begins to see the larger picture and the broader scope of responsibility in the role of the Guardian.

I thought that growth was really realistic and well-paced. I also enjoyed the ways that his relationships with other characters developed over the course of the story.

For some reason, I didn’t expect as much of the story to be centered on literal one-on-one fighting in a competitive setting. The early chapters show Jun competing for victory at his martial arts school, where the top student will go on to compete in a national tournament. Then, once he gets to the city, more scenes focus on the matches between fighters.

At some points, I could see why a scene was important to the larger story. The fights started to feel repetitive after a while, though.

Breath of the Dragon nicely wraps up the central plot of the book while setting up the major conflict in the sequel. We are left with new threads to pull in the next book, and I’m interested to see where the story goes.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some swearing and a few F-bombs.

Romance/Sexual Content
Jun feels attracted to a girl and jealous when someone else shows interest in her, too.

Spiritual Content
People revere the Dragon, whose breath gives extraordinary ability to certain people, and the Lady of Many Hands, who recorded his teachings in two indestructible scrolls. In the West, only the Guardian and those he permits to can look at the Dragon scroll.

Some characters have dragon scales on their bodies, which is evidence that they have special abilities from the Dragon. Others have a strong presence of Breath inside them, which they can draw on for energy and power.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle violence. Fatal combat. Soldiers kill unarmed workers. Reference to execution. Death of a parent.

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: Let’s Talk About It by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan

Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human
Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
Random House Graphic
Published March 9, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Let’s Talk About It

An inclusive, accessible and honest graphic novel guide to growing up, from gender and sexuality to consent and safe sex. Perfect for any teen starting to ask…Is what I’m feeling normal? Is what my body is doing normal? Am I normal? How do I know what are the right choices to make? How do I fix it when I make a mistake?

Let’s talk about it.

Growing up is complicated.

How do you find the answers to all the questions you have about yourself, about your identity, and about your body? Let’s Talk About It provides a comprehensive, thoughtful, well-researched graphic novel guide to everything you need to know but might not know how to talk about.

Covering relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, rejection, sex education, and more, this is the go-to handbook for every teen navigating adolescence, and the first in graphic novel form.

My Review

Growing up is complicated. Whew.

This book covers a lot of ground, so I’ve been struggling with how to write my review. I like that it tackles a wide range of topics in a conversational, relaxed way that normalizes having questions and seeking safe places to find answers to those questions, whether from an older mentor, sibling, or more experienced friend.

Each chapter centers around a specific topic, such as body image, safe sex, or aftercare. Some chapters have explicit content, while others do not. For example, the chapter on body image shows some cartoon images of characters in their underwear or naked. These illustrations support the points in the text. For instance, in the body image chapter, the characters represent different races, body sizes, and genders.

The information stays fairly basic. Each chapter is only about 13 pages long, and the pages are graphic novel panels, so the text is broken up by images, and some lines appear in speech bubbles.

Topics Overview

I like that the information is pretty basic. It offers readers a great place to begin with some of these topics. I also like that the book covers topics like what happens to friendships or how to maintain friendships while dating. It explores what to do with feelings of jealousy or rejection. There’s an infographic that helps readers identify an abusive partner or recognize abusive behavior patterns in themselves.

Illustrations show an inclusive group of teens, including teens of different races, disabled teens, and intersex/transgender teens.

Some chapters explore topics that will leave some parents squirming. This is stuff that a lot of us probably leave out of our explanations about intimate relationships, but these are topics that teens will probably have questions about, and it’s important to create safe spaces to find information.

Here are some of the more sex-specific topics covered: gender/sexual identity, body image, anatomy, masturbation, contraceptives and protection, climax, sexting (including safety concerns), and aftercare.

There is also a chapter about kinks, fantasies, and porn. It introduces what each topic means and encourages communication and safety between partners.

More Context Desired

A few things in the book would benefit from additional context or further conversation. I think that’s intentional. This book isn’t meant to answer every question or cover every scenario. It’s more of a guide to the basics or a conversation opener. One of the things I wish had more context, for example, is that on one page, the text encourages readers that the internet is a safe place to search for information about sex.

I mean, yeah, it’s safe from the standpoint that Google isn’t going to call you homophobic slurs because of your search terms. But there are internet viruses and other risks to be careful about. Sometimes what seems like innocent enough search terms can return results that are way more explicit than the user intended. I wish the text had at least encouraged thoughtfulness or included some parameters for search terms and basic virus avoidance or something.

Conclusion

Let’s Talk About It is one of the top ten most challenged books from 2023. If you follow book-ban conversations at all, it’s probably not hard to imagine why this one raises discomfort for some parents.

Kids need safe places to ask questions and gain information, though. I love the conversational style that the authors use in this book. I like that they keep information pretty basic and that they encourage safety and communication above all.

Perhaps some of these topics wouldn’t be so scary or uncomfortable for us to think about our kids reading if we were better at safe communication ourselves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
F-bombs appear somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Cartoon illustrations show simple nude figures of different genders. Illustrations show kissing between characters. One simple illustration shows two people engaged in sex. Illustrated diagrams show sexual organs. A chart lists contraceptive options and their effectiveness. One chapter discusses pornography. Another talks about masturbation. In another, a couple share secret fetishes or fantasies with one another (readers are not privy to the details).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One section explains what consent is and is not. An infographic lists abusive behavior patterns one might recognize in oneself. Another shows behavior abusive behavior patterns one might recognize in a partner.

Drug Content
In the section discussing what consent is not, one panel shows someone unconscious and states that someone who is sleeping or inebriated cannot give consent.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

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

The Secret Year
Jennifer Hubbard
Viking Books for Young Readers
Published January 7, 2025 (Orig. 2010)

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Secret Year

For fans of Laura Nowlin’s If Only I Had Told Her, a deeply romantic novel that explores the raw emotions of love, pain and grief.

Colt and Julia were secretly together for a year . . . and nobody knew. Not that anyone would suspect–Colt and Julia were from two different crowds: Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt down in the flats. They’d meet in secret by the river–their chemistry electric, exhilarating, intoxicating.

Until everything came to a screaming halt.

Julia is pronounced dead from a car accident, and suddenly Colt’s memories come flooding back. One about the fight they’d had on their last night together . . .

When Julia’s diary falls into Colt’s hands, it gives him the chance to learn all her hidden thoughts, private details she refused to share with him. It might even answer his questions about what happened on the night she died.

Julia’s words have the power to mend Colt’s broken heart, or they can reveal a web of secrets that threaten to shatter his entire world.

My Review

I have so many questions.

It looks like this was first published in 2010 and has recently been re-released. I’m not sure when the story is supposed to take place. I think only the Black Mountain (wealthy neighborhood) kids have cell phones, so I assume maybe this was supposed to happen during the late 1990s when cell phones first became widely available. There’s no mention of texting, just calling. There are a couple of mentions of email, which could still track with the late 1990s timing. I don’t think the narrative specifies.

The story’s tone has a little bit of a Holden Caulfield vibe. Colt isn’t trying to be particularly likable. Neither is Julia, honestly. And that was fine. I mostly appreciated their frankness. After someone comes out as gay, Colt does a couple of things that are not great. I get that his reaction is realistic, but I wish the narrative had at least weighed in on his thoughts as negative.

Julia’s letters to Colt interrupt the scenes periodically, and sometimes, I got confused at the bouncing back and forth between her letters and Colt’s perspective. I also felt like the back cover copy implies that the story has a lot more suspense than it does. Colt does remember details about a fight he had with Julia. He does read letters she wrote to him. But I didn’t feel a sense of suspense about any of that. This isn’t a story about uncovering secret reasons for her death. This is the story of a boy who’s experiencing complicated grief because his relationship with a girl was a secret, and he can’t grieve publicly.

I found the story of his grief compelling, but it wasn’t really what I expected the book to be about.

For me, the uncertainty of the timeline (which could have contextualized some of the characters’ behavior) and the confusion over the genre of the story made this one a weird read. I read the book pretty quickly, so I’d say the writing is compelling.

Readers who like books by Matthew Quick might enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
One character comes out as gay in the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some f-bombs and other profanity used moderately.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex and making out. In a couple of scenes, characters remove their tops. One scene briefly references a girl pacing around a room naked. The story doesn’t focus on the romance. Mostly, it leads up to the start of a sexual encounter and then jumps ahead to afterward.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Colt learns that Julia died in a car accident. He briefly references thinking about her injuries. A group of boys attack another boy, seriously injuring him. Brief references to Colt’s mom smacking him or his brother.

One character comes out as gay, and his family reacts with homophobic comments and rejects him.

Drug Content
Julia mentions drinking alcohol. She calls her boyfriend an alcoholic and mentions that he abuses prescription drugs.

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: Horse Trouble by Kristin Varner

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12

Horse Trouble
Kristin Varner
First Second
Published October 26, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Horse Trouble

An American Library Association 2021 Best Graphic Novel for Children

Twelve-year-old Kate is laser-focused on her one true horseback riding. But try as she might, she can’t hide from life’s problems in the stable.

There’s nothing Kate loves more than being around horses. But her best friend is allergic to them, so Kate has to take riding lessons without her. Kate’s forced to navigate some of life’s hardships―like the mean girls at the stable who tease her and her body insecurities―all on her own. To make matters worse, Kate is continually falling off her horse. To Kate, her tween years feel like one unfair punishment after another. Can she get over it all…and get back on her horse?

Horse Trouble, the debut graphic novel from children’s book artist Kristin Varner, is an oh-so-relatable graphic novel with humor and heart.

My Review

After reading Dog Trouble, I immediately looked online to see if Kristin Varner had other books, and I was overjoyed to learn she does! Yay! One of the things I really enjoyed about Dog Trouble is the chapter openers that would introduce a specific dog or breed of dog and tell some things about it. There are also sidebars throughout the story in which the author would define terms specific to the story, which helped make the book more accessible to readers who don’t have experience in the story’s main activity.

Varner does something similar in Horse Trouble, though it’s slightly less well-developed than the other book. (Which makes sense, since she wrote this one first.) I love the idea and the fact that I could read a book about competitive horseback riding and follow the story easily, learning terminology along the way.

I loved Kate as a narrator and main character. She’s such a great kid and takes such good care of the horses she’s responsible for. I enjoyed this one a whole lot, and I will absolutely read more work by Kristin Varner.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Kate is a plus-sized girl.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity. Kate endures some mean comments about her body.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Others say mean comments about Kate’s weight.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

10 Best Books I Read in 2024

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, Middle Grade 8-12, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

10 Best Books I Read in 2024

I’m finally catching up on some stats and information on my reading life in 2024, and that process reminded me that I haven’t shared my top 10 best books I read in 2024 yet!

Since I review mainly young adult and middle grade books here on The Story Sanctuary, the list will center on books for those age groups. In the past, I’ve made a separate list for each age group, but this year, I’m just making one list and including both. As a bonus, I ranked them.

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.

10 Best Books I Read in 2024

10. The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: Platonic love, music, disability, nuanced identities, and an incredible cast of characters fill this sweet story. The Loudest Silence explores Deaf-Hard of Hearing experiences and family expectations. This one is unforgettable.

Published July 30, 2024 | My Review

9. The Judgment of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: I love that this book examines hypocrisy and harm within a highly controlled religious community without disregarding the positive experiences or beauty that faith brings to practitioners’ lives. This book is messy and raw, but it’s also bold and full of love.

Published October 15, 2024 | My Review

8. Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: An older sister desperately tries to keep her family together but wonders if that’s the best thing for her and her siblings. This one has memorable characters and incredible depth of feeling. It hit me deep.

Published January 16, 2024 | My Review

7. The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: Finding the right book at the right time is just as important as finding the right people to play tabletop games with. The No-Girlfriend Rule celebrates the friendships, jokes, and how a game can take on a life of its own. If you like DnD, you want this on your reading list.

Published March 5, 2024 | My Review

6. Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: It’s not easy to craft a text-based story filled with puzzles that are engaging and easy to visualize and balance that with compelling characters in a story that makes you want to cozy up with a cup of hot cocoa. This one does it. I had such a great time reading it.

Published May 14, 2024 | My Review

5. Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: Inspired by Pacific Island mythology and packed with danger, sea dragons, and a chance at redemption. I loved the intricate magic and the unforgettable characters.

Published April 9, 2024 | My Review

4. Wolfpack: How Young People Will Find Their Voice, Unite Their Pack, and Change the World by Abby Wambach

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: This 100-page book by famed soccer star Abby Wambach encourages leaders who lift one another up and work together rather than seeing others as rivals. It’s filled with simple but profound counsel from a woman who learned many of these lessons through blood, sweat, and tears. I am not usually into motivational books, but this one blew me away.

Published October 6, 2020 | My Review

3. Don’t Let the Forest In by C. G. Drews

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: If you like dark, creepy forests, dangerous monsters, and boys who might only find the courage to love one another when it’s too late– stop reading this and go buy Don’t Let the Forest In right now. It’s so good.

Published October 29, 2024 | My Review

2. The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: This book has so much heart. I can’t stop talking about it. The sweet relationship between siblings. The trauma and struggle of a family in crisis. It’s heartbreaking and healing at once.

Published June 11, 2024 | My Review

1. A Magic Fierce and Bright by Hemant Nayat

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

My thoughts: I cannot stop raving about this book. I love the magic system. (Adya can magic machines.) It’s a story about sisters. There’s a helpful (hilarious) sentient motorcycle that I can’t get enough of. The plot was a wild ride from start to finish. I love it so much.

Published July 9, 2024 | My Review

What were the best books you read in 2024?

What books topped your list of favorites from 2024? Please leave a comment and let me know what your number one favorite is. Let me know if you read and enjoyed any of the titles on my list, too!