Category Archives: By Age Range

Review: Again Again by E. Lockhart

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Again Again by E. Lockhart

Again Again
E. Lockhart
Delacorte Press
Published June 2, 2020

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About Again Again

In this novel full of surprises from the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud, E. Lockhart ups the ante with an inventive and romantic story about human connection, forgiveness, self-discovery, and possibility.

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times—while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people.

My Review

It took me a little bit to get my footing with this book. Basically, as a scene unfolds, there are other possible outcomes that appear in bold (at least, they’re bold in the ARC). So you read a scene as it plays out several different possible ways. Then the text goes back to normal and you read on.

At first, I found it a little confusing. In a way, that made the story reflect Adelaide herself– because she’s definitely confused and kind of going in circles at the beginning of the story.

The more I read, the more I liked the style of storytelling and the characters in the book. I especially liked Adelaide’s relationship with her brother, Toby. It felt so raw and aching and yet like there was so much potential for joy there. The way they spoke about their parents felt so real in terms of sibling relationships.

I feel like AGAIN AGAIN delivered a thing that drew me to E. Lockhart’s writing in the first place (She also wrote WE WERE LIARS, which I LOVED!). It’s like she has this uncanny ability to peel back the outer layers and cut straight to the core of emotions and grief and sort of reinvent the experience of reading a book. I wouldn’t want every book to be told in this way, but I feel like it really worked for this particular book with this particular family. All in all, I am so glad I read it, and would definitely recommend it to others.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Adelaide’s roommate is a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used a couple dozen times or so throughout the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Reference to sex and nudity.

Spiritual Content
Some reference to a higher power.

Violent Content
A girl gets bitten on her wrist pretty severely by a Pitbull.

Drug Content
Adelaide and Toby’s parents are pretty permissive about teens drinking alcohol. One character develops an addiction to opiates and then heroin. One scene describes finding out a person has overdosed on heroin.

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

Review: Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

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

Court of Miracles
Kester Grant
Random House Children’s
Published June 2, 2020

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About Court of Miracles

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris’s criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

My Review

I feel like retelling LES MISÉRABLES is a pretty tall undertaking. I’ll admit that I felt skeptical going into COURT OF MIRACLES. Telling the story– or reframing the story– from Eponine’s (in the story she’s known as Nina) point-of-view was a really cool choice. She’s such a compelling character in the musical (I haven’t read the book, so I’m flying a bit blind there.). I loved the idea of sticking with her throughout the story.

COURT OF MIRACLES captures that streetwise, vulnerable but clever and smart girl from the original story. I liked that the story centers around sisterhood, too, first with Nina’s biological sister and then her adopted sister, Cosette.

Also– I love that we have a female Javert! I thought that was super clever and gives a lot of interesting twists to her motives and a need to prove herself as a women in a job that’s dominated by men. I’m curious where that goes.

One of the biggest things that felt missing to me in the book, though, are the echoes of the morality that seems to fill the original story. There’s no one honorable– even Jean Valjean only helps Nina because he owes her a debt. Everyone is out for themselves. And given that most of the characters are thieves, that’s not shocking. I just felt like there was a core of the original story that didn’t carry over.

I think it’s there a little bit in the way Nina remains loyal to her sisters, despite the costs or what’s convenient. She values them and can’t turn her back on them even when it might save her.

On the whole, COURT OF MIRACLES delivers a gritty cast of characters inspired by LES MIS and reminding readers of the power of sisterhood, loyalty, and courage.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nina and her sister have olive-toned skin which they inherited from their mother.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to torture and cannibalism. Members of each guild receive some kind of brand or scar that marks them as a guild member. One guild master enslaves girls for prostitution, keeping them drugged and addicted to drugs to control them.

Battles and situations of peril with some graphic descriptions.

Drug Content
References to drinking wine socially. Scenes show girls addicted to and high on opiates.

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

Review: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2)
Neal Shusterman
Simon & Schuster
Published January 9, 2018

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About Thunderhead

Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.

Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?

My Review

Okay, let me review this backwards and say that the ending of this book hit me like a kick to the guts. (Does that need a spoiler warning? I don’t know. I feel like we can expect the ending of a second book in a trilogy to have a big issue because it sets up the final book and makes us desperate to read it?)

Anyway, now, days later, I’m kind of still reeling. I need gentle books for a while. Haha.

I think one of my favorite things about this series so far is the way the story pushes Scythe Anastasia (Citra) and Rowan apart and yet their feelings pull them together. They each have incredible strength and big things to contribute. I love that. What I’m not sure about yet is whether together, they’re more than the sum of their parts. I suspect that THE TOLL will address that pretty well.

As THUNDERHEAD progressed, I felt like I could see all the threads of the story pulling toward something big. At first the points-of-view all seem very separate– Citra, Rowan, and Grayson all seem to be individual characters with their own goals and motivations, intersecting at times but moving in totally different directions.

There are always hints at a bigger plot happening. And a greater evil emerging. I’m excited to see how all the threads weave together in the third book. Eventually. Once I get my insides sorted out and feel ready to face the end of the series. 🙂

As with Shusterman’s other books, this one has some heavy/dark themes. I think it’s balanced by incredible characters with deep moral values. Good guys committed to remarkable good in a world of others who are indifferent at best. True evil at worst.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
I don’t remember race details. It may be that most central characters are white? I’m not sure. I’ll try to revisit the book and update this.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
A cult called Tonists oppose the Thunderhead and Scythes.

Violent Content
Obviously descriptions of death where Scythes “glean” people. Some try to do this in humane ways while others revel in the violence and power of it. In one section, a character visits clubs in which patrons are permitted to bully or attack workers as part of extreme role playing.

One scythe decapitates and burns his victims after they’ve been killed. Some descriptions of and descriptions leading up to violent deaths.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published February 21, 2012

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About Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

My Review

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time, and I’m glad I finally did it! I liked Ari right from the beginning. He’s a loner, both content to be alone and also miserable about it. He has an interesting relationship with his family, particularly both of his parents. I love that his dad and his relationship with his dad plays such a key role in the story. It’s not a major focus at all, but there are like these microburst moments between them that change everything.

I also love Ari’s relationship with Dante. They’re a perfect foil for each other. Dante is this upbeat, optimistic chatterbox, where Ari is a quiet, brooding guy who processes everything inside his head. Emotions are Dante’s first language, but they remain mysterious and opaque to Ari.

ARISTOTLE AND DANTE is a relationships book. The plot is kind of winding and I felt like it stalled out briefly in a few places. But the relationships with the characters, even between Ari and peripheral characters, remain dynamic and compelling. I’m so glad I read this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Both Ari and Dante’s families are Mexican.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl and two boys.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to a boy getting beat up by several other boys. One scene shows a boy beating up another.

Drug Content
Several scenes show teens drinking alcohol. There are references to smoking pot and doing heroin, and one scene that shows two characters smoking pot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Victoria Grace the Jerkface by S. E. Clancy

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

Victoria Grace the Jerkface
S. E. Clancy
WhiteSpark
Published May 15, 2020

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About Victoria Grace the Jerkface

Ever since Tori Weston and MamaBear were abandoned by her dad, finances have been tighter than a new pair of skinny jeans. As if keeping her grades up for scholarships and working every spare moment weren’t enough, Tori gets suckered into visiting a retirement home and paired with ancient resident Marigold Williams. After learning she’s the only one to visit Marigold in decades, Tori becomes a regular at Willow Springs. Besides, someone has to help with her history homework.

Corbin Dallas barges into Tori’s life with a prosthetic leg and a dimple, working his way into her hectic schedule. Though she tries to deny it, there’s something beyond his Texan drawl that gets Tori hoping she’s more than his sidekick. Together, they race to find Marigold’s missing family before she fades away. Tori ditches her soul-sucking job, along with her dreams of having a paint-peeled clunker to call her own, in order to help her friend one last time.

My Review

It took me a bit to get into this book, but by the end, I had laughed and cried right along with the characters.

Tori is kind of grumpy. Sometimes it can be cute, but especially at the beginning, she just seemed to complain about everything. I love her relationship with her mom, who’s a police officer. The things they talk about and their text message exchanges felt authentic and really endeared Tori to me.

I also love Marigold. She’s classy and sharp and really brings out the best in Tori. That relationship and its effect on Tori really made the whole book, for me. When I was in high school, I visited and befriended a woman in a nursing home, so in some ways, it reminded me of that, and made me miss her all over again.

There were a couple things I found problematic, though. One is that at one point, Tori and Marigold discuss the Japanese Internment camps in the US during World War II, which is where many of Marigold’s family members died. Tori makes a comment, like, “how horrible,” and Marigold responds with something like, “not really, no,” and goes on to defend the US for imprisoning Japanese citizens– it was a time of fear, Japanese soldiers had killed Americans, etc. I felt shocked, if I’m honest. It’s the only time anything like that happens (which doesn’t make it okay), and later when Tori learns more about the internment camps, she’s horrified and disturbed about it.

Later in the story, Tori’s love interest does something really out of character and then basically chalks it up to being inexperienced with girls, and she immediately forgives him. I had a hard time buying into that– both his misstep and the speed with which she forgives him. She’s got a history of men betraying her, so it seemed like this would take a lot more to get past.

On the whole, I enjoyed some things about the book, especially Tori’s relationships with her mom and Marigold, and the way her relationship with Marigold impacts her life.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Victoria befriends an elderly woman whose mother was Japanese. Her friend Corbin has a prosthetic leg.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple crude references to bodily functions.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to attending church and behaving in a Christian way.

Violent Content
References to the Japanese Internment camps in the US during World War II. References to wounded soldiers in hospitals where supplies and staff have run short during World War II, when Marigold was young.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields

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

The Bone Thief (The Bone Charmer #2)
Breeana Shields
Page Street Kids
Published May 26, 2020

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About The Bone Thief

A deft exploration of the weight of grief and cost of revenge, Breeana Shields’s Bone Charmer duology reaches its spine-tingling conclusion in this high-octane fantasy-thriller.

Saskia returns to Ivory Hall to train in bone magic, determined to stop Latham from gaining the power of all three Sights—past, present, and future. But danger lurks within the fortress’s marrow. Trials are underway for the apprentices, and the tasks feel specifically engineered to torment Saskia, which is exactly what Latham wants.

As she grows increasingly more suspicious, her thirst for revenge becomes all-consuming. Together with the friends she can trust and the boy she loved in another lifetime, Saskia traces clues from Latham’s past to determine what he’ll do next. Their search leads them across Kastelia and brings them to a workshop housing a vast collection of horrors, including the bones Latham stole from Gran, and the knowledge that the future isn’t all that’s in jeopardy—but the past as well.

My Review

I have lots of feelings about this book. First, I loved the characters. Saskia and her friends are all great, and I loved following their stories. The choices that Saskia has to make were heartbreaking and I felt myself holding my breath so many times as she wrestled with which path to take and what the right thing truly was.

I’m a latecomer to this duology– I haven’t read the first book. I do this fairly often, and I don’t mind it. Occasionally the story is such that you really need to read the first book first. I could tell with THE BONE THIEF that there were references to things from the first book, but for the most part, I didn’t have trouble following the story or understanding what was happening. I think I’d have had a more emotional connection with Saskia’s memories if I’d read the first book, though. I felt deeply connected with her in this book, so I didn’t feel the loss as I read.

The one thing that I found challenging for me was that most of the bone magic centers around human bones. Who had possession of them and how they were used was really important. Saskia carries one of her grandmother’s bones with her through the story and is searching for her mother’s bones. It’s all very natural within the story world, but if I’m totally honest, every time something came up about using human bones for things, I felt my body physically recoil from the idea. I just found some of the traditions and magic rules in the story world to be really creepy and struggled to get past that. It’s totally a personal preference and not a reflection on the writing or storytelling, both of which I really enjoyed.

It’s definitely dark fantasy– I think fans of SHADOW MAGIC by Joshua Khan will really enjoy THE BONE THIEF.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
I don’t remember any prominent racial details.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Lots of magic involving the use of human bones, including their use to predict the future or access private memories of the past.

Violent Content
References to and brief scenes involving torture. At one point, someone has to break Saskia’s arm to complete a puzzle. Situations of peril. Magic battles to the death.

Drug Content
None.

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